appeal your rejections

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cascy

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hey guys---
I just wanted to pass on my advice, based on my experience last year...
my top choice was UCLA...for many reasons it was the only school I really really wanted.
I got a secondary from UCLA...only to be rejected without an interview a couple months later. But someone I know had heard through the grapevine that you can appeal your rejections and they suggested I give it a shot. So I did...had to write a letter to the dean explaining why I felt I deserved an interview and why I wanted UCLA so bad. Well...a couple weeks later I was offered an interview....and ultimately I was accepted to UCLA, where I am currently in my first semester.
I just wanted to pass this on, because I had no idea that this was an option...if I hadn't known this person who suggested it to me, I would have just sadly accepted my rejection.
I know this is a killer process...for those of you who are holding your breath for a particular school....don't go down without a fight!!!

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Very, very weird...can you give any specifics at all?
 
This sounds like a great plan ONLY IF the school is your absolute first choice. And I would definitely caution against appealling more than one school. Much like a letter of intent, your appeal could be considered binding. If you send letters of intent to more than one school and they find out about it, both schools have the right (and probably will) revoke your acceptance. So... I would be careful about doing this unless, like the original poster, you get rejected from your unequivocal first choice.
 
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I intend to appeal all rejections until I have an acceptance. After that point, I will cancel most of my applications...leaving only those to "dream schools" active. After sitting out a year, I do not intend to go down without a fight.

Here's a funny story, cascy. I applied to UCLA last year. It was my #1 choice. I received a rejection without an interview. BEFORE the rejection letter had been drafted, I sent them a letter professing my desire to attend the school. Despite my mailing the letter before the rejection was drafted, Dr. Parker interpreted my letter as an appeal (don't know why...I didn't even mention rejection in it) and took the liberty to draft a letter telling me that there was no way in hell I would be accepted (essentially ;) ). It was salt my wounds did not need.

Good luck to all!
 
"none"---what specifics do you want to know? I would be glad to tell you everything I can...

"girl"---I disagree with you...I don't think it is like a letter of intent at all. In my letter, I did not state that UCLA was my top choice, nor did I guarantee that I would attend if I was accepted. I merely explained my qualifications, explained what I liked about UCLA specifically, and asked that I be reconsidered for an interview. Also...since then, I have met a couple people who have appealed rejections...one guy appealed UCSF after being rejected without being offered a secondary...they then sent him a secondary and eventually offered him an interview (though, sadly he was ultimately rejected). This same person appealed UCLA while appealing UCSF...neither school took issue with him having appeals to both schools. Like I said, it really is very different than a letter of intent...nowhere do you make any promises...you just try to sell yourself a little better than you did in your app.

"SwampMan"---very sorry to hear your UCLA story. Are you trying for UCLA again this year? Hope this time around works out for you! Good luck!
 
"'SwampMan'---very sorry to hear your UCLA story. Are you trying for UCLA again this year? Hope this time around works out for you! Good luck!"

Nope. As you may have read in the cosmetic plastic surgery thread, I had a surgical procedure to correct my chest wall deformity (pectus excavatum). I'm pretty set on learning how to perform this procedure (I've attended a couple corrections, aside from the one where I was the patient :) ), and UCLA has perhaps the most well known surgeon for correction of chest wall deformities (Dr. Fonkalsrud). I was hoping to observe his work.

I've given up hope that I will be admitted to UCLA, as I am an out-of-state applicant. There is always residency, right!? :D
 
I'm sorry, but I don't think it is necessarily wise to appeal all your rejections. If you don't get in, In my opinion, you should take it and move on (assuming there haven't been any mistakes) - and try again next time or whatever. To nag the adcoms is just beyond what I would consider appropriate. I mean come on, we're applying to PROFESSIONAL school here!
 
Originally posted by jargon124:
•I'm sorry, but I don't think it is necessarily wise to appeal all your rejections. If you don't get in, In my opinion, you should take it and move on (assuming there haven't been any mistakes) - and try again next time or whatever. To nag the adcoms is just beyond what I would consider appropriate. I mean come on, we're applying to PROFESSIONAL school here!•

Persistence is not necissarily a bad quality. It is useful, even to professionals. Will you easily give up when an HMO tells you they will not pay a cent for a patient's procedure?! Don't appeal your rejections. That's fine by me. I, however, will be appealing all of mine. (I don't think this pertains to you, though, since I think I remember reading a thread where you said you were accepted already. Perhaps I am wrong. University of Kentucky?)

I won't be nagging anyone. I "took" it last year and don't intend to "take" it this year.

Again, good luck to everyone!
 
Go SwampMan!!! Don't take **** from anybody, esp. admissions committees!! I would like to do the same, but I applied to 58 schools and don't feel like digging up all of their addresses AGAIN and drafting 58 appeals to rejection letters. I'll start with the University of Nebraska, my personal favorite, who did not even bother to wait for my MCAT.
Anyways, I just like your attitude. Too often its a clerical mistake, too. They can't mess with your life like that. Two years are gone basically down the drain, just because some ass#$%% had a bad day?
 
I think i speak for everyone when i say 58!??!??!?!?

wtf?


you must be either loaded or crazy.

-what's the deal?
 
I wish I would have heard more positive stories of appealed rejections -- definitely would have motivated me to do something last year. :( As for whether or not it's wise to appeal, I've heard several successful stories now, so I would encourage you to do it with any schools that you are seriously interested in -- ones that you would love to attend if you were accepted.
 
Originally posted by lilycat:
•I wish I would have heard more positive stories of appealed rejections -- definitely would have motivated me to do something last year. :( As for whether or not it's wise to appeal, I've heard several successful stories now, so I would encourage you to do it with any schools that you are seriously interested in -- ones that you would love to attend if you were accepted.•

lilycat,

I wouldn't have applied to these schools if I weren't "seriously interested" in attending each and every one of them.

If it comes down to sitting out another year or writing like I've never written before, you can bet sparks will be flying out of my keyboard ;)!

THIS IS THE YEAR!!! Even the AMCAS application was ORANGE & BLUE! It's a sign I tell you! :) Go Gators! Go me! :D
 
Swampman,

I haven't been accepted yet. You're thinking of someone else. Though hopefull I will be sometime soon ;)

Yes, persistence can be a good quality, but only to a point. After a school has reviewed your MCATs, GPA, personal statements, letters of rec, extra-curriculars, interview results - after all that if they decide to reject you its time to stop persisting - at least for that particular admissions cycle.

Also, appealing a medical school rejection and appealing an HMO's decision on a patient are hardly the same thing - that's an unfair and irrelevent comparison.

I guess what I'm saying is that I respectfully disagree with you. But hey, its OK to disagree...Good luck!
 
jargon124,

I disagree with something you wrote...

Having been through the process now, I feel that I have a much better understanding of how it works now than I did before...when I got my interview at UCLA, the doctor who interviewed me made it very clear that he did not understand why it was that I was originally rejected. He explained that I have the grades,mcat scores, research, volunteer, etc that they look for in applicants and that he felt I deserved the interview. But, he explained that the decision to offer a secondary or an interview is decided by one individual...not the "admissions committee"...but, one person on the committee. And, he said that sometimes people who deserve to get to the interview stage slip through the cracks for one reason or another....maybe the person didn't like one of their answers or didn't jive with their personal statement. Further, now that I'm in, I've gotten to know 2 professors who are on the final decision committee here, and they told me some of the ins and outs of the process...what they said basically confirmed what my interviewer said...several qualified applicants get lost in the process, and unless they appeal, the real committee that gets together and decides who's in or not never hears about them.

So, when you say that maybe after a school reviews all your stats and still decides to reject you, that you should just accept that....based on what I've been told and been through myself, I disagree. If you've been through the interview and then get rejected...probably what you say is accurate because then you know that a committee has gotten together and discussed your app in detail, but until then...I think one should fight.
That's just my opinion...obviously we can disagree :)
 
Originally posted by SwampMan:
•lilycat,

I wouldn't have applied to these schools if I weren't "seriously interested" in attending each and every one of them.


I mentioned the "seriously interested" part basically because of someone's remark about appealing all of their rejections -- that would be silly in my opinion. However, I think for most people there are some schools they would rather be at than others, even among the ones they applied to. That's what I meant by seriously interested.
 
lilycat,

Silly me...If I can convince just 1 school to interview me after having rejected me without an interview, I can possibly get an acceptance. One is all it takes.

I may be a little sensitive after having been rejected by 15 schools last year, so I don't know if I am overreacting in sending appeals in response to all rejections I receive. My #s are significantly higher this year. Hopefully, I won't have to worry about not getting in. I'm sending appeals as a safeguard. I will not allow "NO" to register this year!

THIS IS THE YEAR!!! Yeah buddy!
 
I can't stress this enough Swampy, I admire your determination. I don;t think i can handle another year of similar hell. I heard of a person who was so desperate he put an ad in the classified section of Boston newspaper, saying something like: "Male, 23, single, white, GPA 3.8, MCAT 35, UC graduate, seeking admission to medical school, will do anything in exchange."
 
lady,

With 58 applications out there, you should be looking forward to choosing which of your acceptances you like best. I think I am only going to complete 17 of my secondaries.

No newspaper ads for me! No maam! I'm sealing the deal this year. See you in med school, lady. Keep me posted. Maybe i'll see you at an interview. I'll look for the model ;) .
 
SwampMan, you seem slightly antagonistic about this, so I will drop the issue at this point. I was expressing my personal views and never was responding directly to any of your posts on this thread. Appeal to your heart's content.
 
Originally posted by lilycat:
•SwampMan, you seem slightly antagonistic about this, so I will drop the issue at this point. I was expressing my personal views and never was responding directly to any of your posts on this thread. Appeal to your heart's content.•

Antagonistic?!? Don't know how you gleaned that. Inspired...relentless...yes, but antagonistic?

I'm not giving AMCAS/med schools $5000.00+ without getting my money's worth. Cascy is right on in advising that appeals be made.
 
Oh look...another appeal forum....there are more out there...
 
Originally posted by cascy:
•hey guys---
I just wanted to pass on my advice, based on my experience last year...
my top choice was UCLA...for many reasons it was the only school I really really wanted.
I got a secondary from UCLA...only to be rejected without an interview a couple months later. But someone I know had heard through the grapevine that you can appeal your rejections and they suggested I give it a shot. So I did...had to write a letter to the dean explaining why I felt I deserved an interview and why I wanted UCLA so bad. Well...a couple weeks later I was offered an interview....and ultimately I was accepted to UCLA, where I am currently in my first semester.
I just wanted to pass this on, because I had no idea that this was an option...if I hadn't known this person who suggested it to me, I would have just sadly accepted my rejection.
I know this is a killer process...for those of you who are holding your breath for a particular school....don't go down without a fight!!!•••

Cascy,
OMG, your story sounds very like my UCLA student host's. She was also a reject without the secondary but made an appeal (specifically to Dr. Parker), was granted with an interview late in the cycle and eventually got into the school, is now a first yr MS. WOW, I now know "two" 1st yr MSs who have gotten into school via appeal... doesn't this statistic make the whole idea of writing appeal/petition letters (UCSD uses this name...the lady in the office told me that they take ONE petition letter from those on hold for interview) more APPEALING???

Swampman,
I can feel your apprehension of writing another pile of appeal letters that promise NOTHING, but just like what you said in your later response, you/we have nothing to lose by making an appeal to the schools you/we'll be happy to attend... GO get your $5000 appl fee + emotional toll worth if all it takes is a 34cent stamp + a serious letter... I do have to add, however, appealing to schools you have a slim chance getting in (an initial passing based on your GPA and MCAT and maybe PS...for my case, Harvard & Hopkins), I wouldn't bother wasting my time on it, ie. be realistic about it. My two cents.

Oh yeah, one of my posters is also titled similarly (thanx for the reminder, UCLA2000).
<img src="graemlins/laughy.gif" border="0" alt="[Laughy]" />
 
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