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applying has become a disaster....need advice please
- Thread starter NikkiFSU
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I don't think your unexpected pregnancy and subsequent abortion are signs of an irresponsible and immoral person. It's not your fault the contraceptive didn't work, and health relatied issues make the abortion morally justified (in addition to reasons of autonomy). Maybe you should reconsider spilling the beans on your traumatic application process... I'm sure the schools would react differently, and in a way that would help you.
By the way your stats seem quite excellent. 3.77 and 30R is extremely solid.
Good luck
By the way your stats seem quite excellent. 3.77 and 30R is extremely solid.
Good luck
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Try not to compare your situation with others on this forum, it will only stress you out and make it worse. I also would not suggest laying all this on the adcoms either. Your numbers are good enough so that you will gain interviews. The only thing you can do now is really impress your interviewers. That should be your only worry right now. If you do not get interviews(or do not get a lot) it may be because your applications were submitted so late. This is something you cannot change now, so it is best to not dwell on it. However, if you are really persistent with schools and stay in touch with them, you should be fine.
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Sorry to hear about your status. Just reapply next year when you feel better if things don't work out this year. No worries. I'm 95% certain you'll get in somewhere because you have great stats.
DO NOT compare yourself to super strong applicants here on SDN. Average GPA and MCAT in this forum is like 3.75/36 which is ridiculously high. Most SDNers (including myself 😀) are not good representatives of med school applicants. I sometimes get freaked out too checking out other people's profile. 😀
Well I dunno who told you that but that person is full of crap. VERY few schools like NYU finish interviews early, but vast majority of the schools interview through March. And just because you interview that late doesn't mean you'll automatically be waitlisted.
I'm not sure if LOIs will do you any good though. I thought LOIs are only sent after you're waitlisted... Instead just call around the schools to check on your app. status. I think that's the best way to let them know that you're interested. Good luck! 😉
DO NOT compare yourself to super strong applicants here on SDN. Average GPA and MCAT in this forum is like 3.75/36 which is ridiculously high. Most SDNers (including myself 😀) are not good representatives of med school applicants. I sometimes get freaked out too checking out other people's profile. 😀
Well I dunno who told you that but that person is full of crap. VERY few schools like NYU finish interviews early, but vast majority of the schools interview through March. And just because you interview that late doesn't mean you'll automatically be waitlisted.
I'm not sure if LOIs will do you any good though. I thought LOIs are only sent after you're waitlisted... Instead just call around the schools to check on your app. status. I think that's the best way to let them know that you're interested. Good luck! 😉
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Is there a parent or family member that can help you out? It sounds like you have issues beyond just the medical school applications. I think you should hang in there this cycle, send update letters (if applicable) and finish off your studies. Best of luck.
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Don't lose hope! You aren't interviewing for a waitlist. I just interviewed yesterday and I was told this by 4 of my 5 interviewers, plus the dean of admissions (and I didn't even ask!). Good luck at that interview. I have only had two, and I know that it's hard not knowing what's going to happen and all. But you have been through a lot, and have come far. Take care of yourself and good luck!
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All it takes is one acceptance. Don't let the stats at SDN get you down, they're not representative. Four years ago, I submitted my AMCAS in September, and interviewed through January, and I got into med school. Now I'm a fourth year med student, and I love it. Also, don't let people make you feel bad about having an abortion. Obviously they have never been in that situation before, or they would be more understanding. 
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well, you have an interview. as a state resident, your acceptance rate with an interview would be ~50% (they have no data). you should focus on that one school. send them a letter of intent post-interview. try to establish a good relationship with them. you're a solid applicant and you'll probably get in this year. if not, next year, no question. keep your gpa solid in that event. try to put the past few months in the closet. you just applied late.
btw, you're young. in the worst case scenario... you'll have a year off... probably the last opportunity until retirement age. Also, you made all the right moves so far. You handled your situation correctly.
btw, you're young. in the worst case scenario... you'll have a year off... probably the last opportunity until retirement age. Also, you made all the right moves so far. You handled your situation correctly.
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Thanks so much everyone....I have been trying not to dwell on it. I was pretty optimistic until a few days ago when I found out about NYU being finished interviewing. I had read their entire website when I submitted the secondary, and I would not have even spent the money and sent it if I knew they were not interviewing past December. They should have made it more clear on their site. I don't understand it, if they are not rolling, why they don't consider applications received on or near the deadline if that is the date that they chose. They never even notified me I was complete or anything. Mt. Sinai hasn't either, but I guess they just make you wait and wonder. I don't want to be one of those annoying applicants calling the admissions office every day because I figured it drives them crazy. It made me worried because I figured I'd get stuck like that at a lot of other schools. I got 1 rejection letter, from SUNY upstate, but I dont even know why I applied there because I hate Syracuse
too close to home
but still, I never thought that would be my first rejection letter, let alone 10 days after I was complete. I figured it was b/c of applying late because its a state school where I should have been competitive. Where did you hear about 50% of interviewees being accepted at state schools? That would be great, all the info I've read seems so much more pessimistic.
So I guess you're all saying it's worth it to send it the Pitt application? I wrote the essays but why pay if it's a pipe dream to get interviewed. I know they screen for secondaries but I don't know how strict they are, and if it means anything that they sent me one in the first place.
The reason I was wondering about sending LOI's is because a lot of people posted about it on SDN, planning to do it if they weren't invited to interview yet. If I send updates, what do I write? My fall grades were A- (histology and lab), B+ (molecular biology), A (micro theory), and A (honors thesis) but then I also have a W from withdrawing from that class, so I guess I shouldnt even bother sending them? If I interview somewhere and they ask, I dont even know what Id say maybe that I had mono. I have no idea. I am not ashamed about my decision and appreciate that everyone on here understands (could you imagine raising a baby in medical school) but I would still be so nervous to tell an admissions officer, even with all of the factors affecting my decision. I couldn't even get up the nerve to talk to my teachers about it, except my thesis director and she's really understanding. I've been really open about it but I'm scared of the adcoms! I've heard about the ones who understand we're human, and also about the ones that grill people over a C on their transcript or whatever. If they happened to be really religious/pro-life, wouldn't that affect my chances of getting in, even if their disapproval was on a subconscious level?
I can't believe the average on here is a 36 MCAT. And on mdapplicants, I knew the #'s were skewed, but they seem pretty in line with the MSAR. Looking up the schools I'm waiting on, I noticed that those invited for interviews had like 31 and 32+ for the most part, except for some 22's and other weird scores (URMs of course). There were so many in the upper 30's and even 40's, and I was like, how can I compete with that! I thought my numbers were decent because they say 30 is the magic number or whatever, but there is a significant difference in MCAT averages between this year's and last year's MSAR, and my premed advisor said something about 33 being the new 30. A lot of people dwell on numbers, and I never did that much, but I got the drift that when you are applying later on, your numbers have to be stellar for them to have any interest in interviewing you. I guess reading these things discouraged me. I'm glad we aren't interviewing for a waitlist...I read that on one of the more recent threads yesterday. After reading about NYU, I figured it was true.
Big smiles-its awesome that you just interviewed the other day, which school was this? When were your applications completed? Good luck with your interviews everyone and thanks for writing back. Im going to leave it in the hands of the admission gods now, lol.
Oh, and no, I really wasnt dealing with other things, but as if applying isnt stressful enough, that just made it way worse. My family did help me out as much as they could (theyre in NY, Im in Florida) so my BF took care of me. I dealt with it well but Im sure you could understand how stressful it is to deal with all those things @ once. Still, when going into medicine is your dream, having it jeopardized by an LPNs mistake is pretty frustrating.
So I guess you're all saying it's worth it to send it the Pitt application? I wrote the essays but why pay if it's a pipe dream to get interviewed. I know they screen for secondaries but I don't know how strict they are, and if it means anything that they sent me one in the first place.
The reason I was wondering about sending LOI's is because a lot of people posted about it on SDN, planning to do it if they weren't invited to interview yet. If I send updates, what do I write? My fall grades were A- (histology and lab), B+ (molecular biology), A (micro theory), and A (honors thesis) but then I also have a W from withdrawing from that class, so I guess I shouldnt even bother sending them? If I interview somewhere and they ask, I dont even know what Id say maybe that I had mono. I have no idea. I am not ashamed about my decision and appreciate that everyone on here understands (could you imagine raising a baby in medical school) but I would still be so nervous to tell an admissions officer, even with all of the factors affecting my decision. I couldn't even get up the nerve to talk to my teachers about it, except my thesis director and she's really understanding. I've been really open about it but I'm scared of the adcoms! I've heard about the ones who understand we're human, and also about the ones that grill people over a C on their transcript or whatever. If they happened to be really religious/pro-life, wouldn't that affect my chances of getting in, even if their disapproval was on a subconscious level?
I can't believe the average on here is a 36 MCAT. And on mdapplicants, I knew the #'s were skewed, but they seem pretty in line with the MSAR. Looking up the schools I'm waiting on, I noticed that those invited for interviews had like 31 and 32+ for the most part, except for some 22's and other weird scores (URMs of course). There were so many in the upper 30's and even 40's, and I was like, how can I compete with that! I thought my numbers were decent because they say 30 is the magic number or whatever, but there is a significant difference in MCAT averages between this year's and last year's MSAR, and my premed advisor said something about 33 being the new 30. A lot of people dwell on numbers, and I never did that much, but I got the drift that when you are applying later on, your numbers have to be stellar for them to have any interest in interviewing you. I guess reading these things discouraged me. I'm glad we aren't interviewing for a waitlist...I read that on one of the more recent threads yesterday. After reading about NYU, I figured it was true.
Big smiles-its awesome that you just interviewed the other day, which school was this? When were your applications completed? Good luck with your interviews everyone and thanks for writing back. Im going to leave it in the hands of the admission gods now, lol.
Oh, and no, I really wasnt dealing with other things, but as if applying isnt stressful enough, that just made it way worse. My family did help me out as much as they could (theyre in NY, Im in Florida) so my BF took care of me. I dealt with it well but Im sure you could understand how stressful it is to deal with all those things @ once. Still, when going into medicine is your dream, having it jeopardized by an LPNs mistake is pretty frustrating.
First off, I want to say I'm sorry to hear that all this stuff has been happening in your life. My heart goes out to you!
Secondly, don't lose out hope just yet. Remember that while NYU is done interviewing, MOST other schools interview up until March or April sometime. More often then not, until March at the least.
If your grades and stuff sufferred and it shows on your transcripts, then I'd go ahead an explain what you've been going through because you'll have no choice. If, however, the only thing resulting from your health issues was a late application and you didn't feel comfortable discussing it, then I'd not say anything.
On a side note, it seems from your profile that you have one school to be counting on. See what happens with that and the rest of cycle. If things don't work out this year, it is not the end of the world. Just take it as a sign of god that it is a year off to get things in order so that you are mentally and emotionally prepared to take on the challenge of med school and put behind any bad times you've faced. Use that year to relax and recuperate from the crazy happenings of the past year, so that you are in your best possible state and frame of mind when you do get in medical school.
Remember, it is not the end of the world and you will get in medical school eventually, even if it doesn't happen right away this year. But don't lose out hope yet and update schools if you have anything that can help your application cycle.
GOOD LUCK and sorry to hear about everything that has happened. May the New Year bring about better times for you and great news!!!!
Secondly, don't lose out hope just yet. Remember that while NYU is done interviewing, MOST other schools interview up until March or April sometime. More often then not, until March at the least.
If your grades and stuff sufferred and it shows on your transcripts, then I'd go ahead an explain what you've been going through because you'll have no choice. If, however, the only thing resulting from your health issues was a late application and you didn't feel comfortable discussing it, then I'd not say anything.
On a side note, it seems from your profile that you have one school to be counting on. See what happens with that and the rest of cycle. If things don't work out this year, it is not the end of the world. Just take it as a sign of god that it is a year off to get things in order so that you are mentally and emotionally prepared to take on the challenge of med school and put behind any bad times you've faced. Use that year to relax and recuperate from the crazy happenings of the past year, so that you are in your best possible state and frame of mind when you do get in medical school.
Remember, it is not the end of the world and you will get in medical school eventually, even if it doesn't happen right away this year. But don't lose out hope yet and update schools if you have anything that can help your application cycle.
GOOD LUCK and sorry to hear about everything that has happened. May the New Year bring about better times for you and great news!!!!
Nikki,
Continue your application. Only if the cycle doesn't work out reapply. Don't let one school's policy be mistaken as being all school's policies.
I shall share a story to cheer you up:
Last year I had a friend with much lower MCAT score then yours and a GPA .1 below yours. He had applied to 25-30 schools and had only two interviews. his interview at one school was on the last possible interview date which was in MARCH. He was waitlisted high tier, such that he was guaranteed in once May rolled around and others dropped USF acceptance for eslewhere. Such is the case and he is now an MSI. Similar stories happened to other friend of mine too.
Good luck again!!!!!!
Continue your application. Only if the cycle doesn't work out reapply. Don't let one school's policy be mistaken as being all school's policies.
I shall share a story to cheer you up:
Last year I had a friend with much lower MCAT score then yours and a GPA .1 below yours. He had applied to 25-30 schools and had only two interviews. his interview at one school was on the last possible interview date which was in MARCH. He was waitlisted high tier, such that he was guaranteed in once May rolled around and others dropped USF acceptance for eslewhere. Such is the case and he is now an MSI. Similar stories happened to other friend of mine too.
Good luck again!!!!!!
Actually one more story that seeing another post above made me think of.......
At the same school that my other friends got accepted to last year, a girl I know was interviewed with a slightly lower MCAT then yours, but still solid score, and a high GPA.
She was interviewed in late January and got in right away while another interviewee who interviewed just a week before her got high tiered waitlist. Both are now classmates. But the moral of the story is that they both applied late and both got in their stuff late and both still interviewed in spring and got accepted eventually and are now in med school.
So it is possible. Don't give up hope. Just update schools if there is anything important that you've done like a new volunteering or medical activity you think important, or what not.
At the same school that my other friends got accepted to last year, a girl I know was interviewed with a slightly lower MCAT then yours, but still solid score, and a high GPA.
She was interviewed in late January and got in right away while another interviewee who interviewed just a week before her got high tiered waitlist. Both are now classmates. But the moral of the story is that they both applied late and both got in their stuff late and both still interviewed in spring and got accepted eventually and are now in med school.
So it is possible. Don't give up hope. Just update schools if there is anything important that you've done like a new volunteering or medical activity you think important, or what not.
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Nikki, don't lose hope. Hopefully you will be more optimistic after hearing my story. I applied late -- partly due to recovering from a 6-month illness, but mostly due to laziness/procrastination. I didn't submit my AMCAS until the end of October or beginning of November (basically the absolute day it would be accepted for the majority of schools to which I wanted to apply). After that, I waited until the absolute last minute to ask for 2 of my 3 LORs. I became even more stupid as the process went on, deciding not to fill out approximately 2/3 of the secondaries I received. I returned 4 secondaries, and got rejected pre-interview at my in-state school (due to a misread of my transcript 😡 ). Naturally, my interviews at the other 3 places were very late, at the end of the interview season.
Long story short: despite being extremely lazy and inconsistent with the application process, my story had a happy ending. Of my 3 interviews, I had 2 acceptances and 1 waitlist (at a very competitive out-of-state program). Even happier for me, one of those 2 acceptances was at my first choice -- a top program, no less. Sorry for all the information about me, but hopefully people can take from my situation that it is possible to apply late and to have trouble during the application process, yet to still have a good outcome.
Good luck -- definitely stick with the application process!
Long story short: despite being extremely lazy and inconsistent with the application process, my story had a happy ending. Of my 3 interviews, I had 2 acceptances and 1 waitlist (at a very competitive out-of-state program). Even happier for me, one of those 2 acceptances was at my first choice -- a top program, no less. Sorry for all the information about me, but hopefully people can take from my situation that it is possible to apply late and to have trouble during the application process, yet to still have a good outcome.
Good luck -- definitely stick with the application process!
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some hope for you: my brother completed all of his secondaries in nov/dec a few years back. he got 4 invitations to interview (all came in February) at VCU, U of Minnesota, UC Irvine of and U of Maryland. He interviewed in March and April He got accepted to the first 3 (right off the bat) and waitlisted at the 4th. He's now applying to residency. His stats: GPA: 3.8, MCAT: 28. i hope that makes you feel a little better.
btw, it boggles my mind that you just got so personal there about your story. i'm not saying that it's bad, but what you went through is something VERY personal that some people never even tell their own family about. it just really shocked me that you are so open about it.
-mota
btw, it boggles my mind that you just got so personal there about your story. i'm not saying that it's bad, but what you went through is something VERY personal that some people never even tell their own family about. it just really shocked me that you are so open about it.
-mota
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Nikki, sorry of all your problems, I know it's not easy but don't worry. You're really not in that bad of shape. Your stats are strong and you haven't received many interview invites yet because your app was late. This does not mean that you won't receive more invites; it just means you will receive them later than those who applied earlier. If it makes you feel any better, I'll tell you that I missed an entire month of school the spring of my junior year due to serious injuries (physical and also experienced severe psychological issues) sustained following a car accident. I took the August MCAT and didn't even START the app process until after I took the exam. I freaked out when I heard of everyone else's invites and I wasn't getting them. Eventually I did get several invites and l got into many schools. Just remember you only need one acceptance to become a doctor!
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Good luck Nikki!!!
Please don't get freaked out by SDN or MDapplicants, you have a fabulous GPA and a great MCAT score. The people who put their stuff on MDapplicants are a self-selecting group who do not represent the complete spectrum of applicants. In reality there are very, very few people who have scores in the thirties or forties, they just happen to all be on the internet. 😛
Please don't get freaked out by SDN or MDapplicants, you have a fabulous GPA and a great MCAT score. The people who put their stuff on MDapplicants are a self-selecting group who do not represent the complete spectrum of applicants. In reality there are very, very few people who have scores in the thirties or forties, they just happen to all be on the internet. 😛
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I'm sorry to hear about your bad luck. I hope you continue to trudge on, especially with the money you have invested. But know, that with your stats, if this year doesn't happen for you, I'm sure next year will! 🙂
I work in a family planning clinic and I do want you to think about a couple things and discuss them with your physician. I know you're looking to place blame, but have comfort in that sometimes things can't be helped. But first, let me say that LPNs are NOT to be prescribing medications or dispensing medication. They are one year trained nurses and this is outside their scope of practice. This is to be reserved for physicians and mid-level practitioners (PAs and NPs with master's training). Also, I do not know your exact history with migraines, but it is controversial as to whether severe migraine patients should even be prescribed OCPs. If you have an aura, it can raise your risk many times for stroke over those without migraines. It is certainly standard of practice that IF the physician deems it is appropriate to prescribe an OCP, it is imperative to prescribe the lowest estrogen dose possible (estrogen seems to be greater risk related than progesterone - whatever you do DON"T TAKE EVRA PATCH with migraines). NuvaRing is a great choice because it delivers 17 mcg of estrogen daily and the patient really can't screw it up. It goes in, and there is no chance of missed pills, etc. The pregnancy rate for any oral contraceptive pill, whether it is a 35 mcg. pill or a 20 mcg pill (and NuvaRing too) is set at the same very low level of 0.3%. But with patient error, the rate is higher. There was an interesting study completed that put a monitoring device on the pill pack, and it registered when a pill was removed and taken. Even though most individuals documented that they were taking their pills exactly, the majority of women miss 3 or more pills per cycle. My data comes from Contraceptive Technology, 2004.
I do wish you the best and I agree with the above posters that with your scores you will make it! But please take some time to research migraines and OCPs and discuss with your doctor for your optimal health. 🙂 Good luck!
I work in a family planning clinic and I do want you to think about a couple things and discuss them with your physician. I know you're looking to place blame, but have comfort in that sometimes things can't be helped. But first, let me say that LPNs are NOT to be prescribing medications or dispensing medication. They are one year trained nurses and this is outside their scope of practice. This is to be reserved for physicians and mid-level practitioners (PAs and NPs with master's training). Also, I do not know your exact history with migraines, but it is controversial as to whether severe migraine patients should even be prescribed OCPs. If you have an aura, it can raise your risk many times for stroke over those without migraines. It is certainly standard of practice that IF the physician deems it is appropriate to prescribe an OCP, it is imperative to prescribe the lowest estrogen dose possible (estrogen seems to be greater risk related than progesterone - whatever you do DON"T TAKE EVRA PATCH with migraines). NuvaRing is a great choice because it delivers 17 mcg of estrogen daily and the patient really can't screw it up. It goes in, and there is no chance of missed pills, etc. The pregnancy rate for any oral contraceptive pill, whether it is a 35 mcg. pill or a 20 mcg pill (and NuvaRing too) is set at the same very low level of 0.3%. But with patient error, the rate is higher. There was an interesting study completed that put a monitoring device on the pill pack, and it registered when a pill was removed and taken. Even though most individuals documented that they were taking their pills exactly, the majority of women miss 3 or more pills per cycle. My data comes from Contraceptive Technology, 2004.
I do wish you the best and I agree with the above posters that with your scores you will make it! But please take some time to research migraines and OCPs and discuss with your doctor for your optimal health. 🙂 Good luck!
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Regarding "interviewing for the wait list." It might help you to know that, while most schools wont admit it, nearly 50% of their class that matriculants will come from the wait list. About 4 years ago one Florida school kept a wait list of about 50 and rejected the others. Come early July and those rejected were getting letters from that school asking if they would give them permission to put them back on a wait list.
Think about the wait list. Normally it is composed of those who didnt score high enuf to be admitted. If you are interviewing for the wait list, go for it. If you score high enough you move to the top of the list. You will be in that top "50" and then be offered a seat eventually.
Think about the wait list. Normally it is composed of those who didnt score high enuf to be admitted. If you are interviewing for the wait list, go for it. If you score high enough you move to the top of the list. You will be in that top "50" and then be offered a seat eventually.
