Chances of Getting off BU's Waitlist

[SpiritiualDuck]

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My cousin is waitlisted at BU. She has no acceptances yet. Do they take quite a few people from their waitlist? How big is their waitlist and how much movement does it have. Any stats out there?

I told her to plan to apply again this year.

 

[kingcer0x]

I heard that their waitlist pretty big (couple hundred people), but that they dont have that many acceptances out right now. I dont think BU is one of those schools that overaccepts to compensate for their yield... I think they give out enough to fill the class, then go straight to the waitlist. But not before May 15th.

I'm on the waitlist too. I'm pegging my chances of getting in at 50%. I have an acceptance already though, but if I didn't I would get ready to submit my AMCAS again and hope for the best.

 

[SpiritiualDuck]

kingcerox, if you get BU will you take it? My impression of BU is that it's a good school, but that if you get your state school or a higher ranked private, you should go that route. BU is good, but living there, tuition, and all that doesn't make it a good choice. And there are plenty of other private schools that are considered better. So, BU is sort of a second choice school.

 

[kingcer0x]

Yeah, if I get into BU I will take it. I sent them a letter of intent already. Here's why:

1) I have been in Boston for the past 5 years (4 for school). I love this city and want to learn medicine in an urban environment. I dont know if you have been to Boston Medical Center (you said your cousin is the one who applied), but it is a great tertiary care facility combined with acute + emergency care designed for the diverse population of Boston. I know it sometimes gets dwarfed by the giant Harvard/MGH/BID system, but BMC and BUMC are well respected institutions both in this area and in the nation.
2) Money, housing costs, and expenses are not an issue. Most of it is being taken care of by a 3rd party (AFHPSP). Even so, its cheaper to live in Boston than say NYC or SF. Maybe even to some extent LA. There isn't too much difference between 30k of tuition and 36k *but I have to say that if i was goina have to take out loans, I would probably consider the cheaper school or state school*
3) I didn't get into a 'better' private school, but i take those rankings with a grain of salt. After you get down to say number 20 or 25, the rest of the schools in the top 50 are all pretty similar. Without actually visiting or attending a school, I think its hard to judge their quality. Going to a 'lesser' ranked private school is not going to kill my ego.

4) If I participate in the civilian match, I'd like to stay in the northeast. BU's match list is pretty good at matching students in top primary care residencies (40% primary care in 2003), and lots of competitive specialty training spots. Part of residency matching is making connections with program directors... what better way to match in the northeast than to go to a well respected northeast school? This may not be an issue if I match military, but even then, BU is a well enough known that I'd have an advantage.


So, you see that its by no means a 'second choice' or a last resort for me. But im sure its not a good fit for everybody.....

 

[SpiritiualDuck]

Nice post, and I can see now why BU is your first choice. You're making an informed decision. I never considered BU. But it's great for my cousin. I'm interested in primary care and so the cheap route is always the best for me. However, since tuition is not a factor for you that's great. Good luck, I hope you get what you want.

 

[kingcer0x]

Good luck, I hope you get what you want.

Same to you, and your cousin!

 

[skypilot]

I love this city and want to learn medicine in an urban environment. I dont know if you have been to Boston Medical Center (you said your cousin is the one who applied), but it is a great tertiary care facility combined with acute + emergency care designed for the diverse population of Boston.

I totally agree with you! Having talked to many people in this area, BU medical students are considered among the best clinically trained students in Boston. Boston Medical Center history as the city hospital for indigent patients and its location on the edge of Roxbury makes it a great place to train. BU has the most diverse medical school class of any of the Boston schools. I haven't got a clue why people talk about BU as a safety school. How could you go wrong spending four years in Boston in one of the medical meccas of the United states with the ability to rotate through some of the best hospitals in the world? The few dollars you might pay to attend BU are chicken feed compared to the value of this opportunity.