Class of 2014!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This forum made possible through the generous support of SDN members, donors, and sponsors. Thank you.
Alright, I have an advice question now. I've shadowed an ER attending like 5 or 6 times. I got to know him by doing research with his resident on a project that they're both working on during this past semester. On that project, I probably worked 5 hrs per week with the resident, and met with the attending twice. I've gotten to know the resident well, and have him helping me find a job in my home town for next year so I can continue helping out on the research project. Here are the options I'm thinking of:
Option A: Get the attending to write me a letter.
Option B: Get the resident to write me a letter, have him send it to the attending and have the attending add whatever he thinks is relevant and cosign.
Option C: I don't know these guys well enough. Scratch the idea.

EDIT: Man, it's hard work getting top twice in a row.
EDIT 2: Option D: Don't get a letter now. Get one during the application cycle so that I can send it as an application update.

I would not do option D. You want your primary letters to go with your application.

That being said, I think you could have a great letter from them, especially since they are helping you find a job in your hometown. I am not sure about getting letters cosigned. I think you might just want to ask the attending, then the attending would probably ask the resident himself.

I do think it sounds like a good letter whatever way you decide to go.
 
Hmm, I'd say wait a little bit to accrue some more time, then add the letter somewhere around late June. How does that sound?

I don't know about this... I think for Bryson, since he's applying for MD/PhD programs he might want to think about having it associated with his primary application when he submits it to schools. It's a tough call, but I think he should be sure to ask for a "strong" letter of rec from the attending, not just a letter of rec.

If this guy is halfway decent he'll talk him up from what he knows about him.

Plus, if he waits until June at the rate he's going now he might see him 2 or 3 more times. Not really that much of a difference.

Finally after 2-3 months all my LORs were finally uploaded onto interfolio. Anyone have any idea about how long it takes to send to amcas? Also when sending them, i wrote my letter IDs down but i didnt see them on the cover letter....i guess they will just show up on the individual letters? Anyways today Dr mehta and essman from case western are coming to my school! kinda excited as case is one of the OOS schools I wouldnt actually have to bs about at an interview about why i like their school as I actually want to go there 😛.

Nice!!! That is sweet!

Yeah, I felt like an idiot last semester, because the dean of admissions for Creighton was at my schools pre-med club meeting and I didn't know about it until about an hour after the meeting was over... (I'm not a member of that club.) It was a bummer, because that could be valuable face time and they can tell you what they're looking for.

darn my spring grades actually bring my GPA down, I might have to send my transcript in without them.
If I submit my transcript tomorrow, when do you think AMCAS will receive them?

well, pretty significant for sGPA.

Hmmm, what is significant? Are you a junior or senior?

Well, holy cow, you guys are already talking about forwarding letters. Am I that much of a slacker? I'm just tomorrow taking the MCAT.

Ha ha. Dude, look at it this way, you're 1.5 months ahead of me on the MCAT... I'm the real slacker. Plus, you'll have a lot of time once you finish the MCAT to work on application stuff.

Good luck tomorrow!
 
plus summer classes start today... whoo hoo:d
Oh! what fun ... ...NOT!!!!!


Yeah PS is a little tricky (understatement!). I don't know how it is in schools you want to apply to, but a number of my state schools admit they don't put that much stock in it. We have a pretty organized prehealth community in school and we often invite admissions people to talk to us in seminars. I noticed "outreach" people tend to say it is vital but the "adcom" people who really make the decisions say it's trivial - dont sweat it. I think the difference is because the outreach people want to give a welcoming impression, encouraging people to apply even with bad numbers "if you have a great story." Adcom people however tend to be pragmatic because they know how competitive the pool really has become.
 
I'm a junior. I don't have a choice, I'm not including spring grades. I hope that's okay.
 
I'm a junior. I don't have a choice, I'm not including spring grades. I hope that's okay.


If you have enough credit hours you should be fine, but I don't know about all the rules of submitting grade updates and whatnot.

Sorry to hear about last semester, man. 🙁 I hope SDN didn't contribute too much...
 
I don't know about this... I think for Bryson, since he's applying for MD/PhD programs he might want to think about having it associated with his primary application
No, that was last year. Just MD's this year.

I don't know what I'll do. I'm supposed to go shadow again today. Maybe I'll discuss it with the attending tonight. Although, if I do that, I know he'll say he wants to write it now. Maybe I'll tell him to get in touch with the resident to give him some more details about how I work.
 
Oh! what fun ... ...NOT!!!!!


Yeah PS is a little tricky (understatement!). I don't know how it is in schools you want to apply to, but a number of my state schools admit they don't put that much stock in it. We have a pretty organized prehealth community in school and we often invite admissions people to talk to us in seminars. I noticed "outreach" people tend to say it is vital but the "adcom" people who really make the decisions say it's trivial - dont sweat it. I think the difference is because the outreach people want to give a welcoming impression, encouraging people to apply even with bad numbers "if you have a great story." Adcom people however tend to be pragmatic because they know how competitive the pool really has become.

Its all subjective. Some schools like creighton or UCI put a TON of stock in the PS while others like you said may not care as much. Unfortunately like everything in this process its all a mystery and unknown to the applicants so we are just to guess about everything lol. Gotta love it 👍
 
Its all subjective. Some schools like creighton or UCI put a TON of stock in the PS while others like you said may not care as much. Unfortunately like everything in this process its all a mystery and unknown to the applicants so we are just to guess about everything lol. Gotta love it 👍

how did you find that out?
 
i'm finishing my bio CR today. still more than a month left. oi!

What is bio CR?

No, that was last year. Just MD's this year.

I don't know what I'll do. I'm supposed to go shadow again today. Maybe I'll discuss it with the attending tonight. Although, if I do that, I know he'll say he wants to write it now. Maybe I'll tell him to get in touch with the resident to give him some more details about how I work.

Ah, that's right. I don't know why I keep forgetting that.

I don't think it would hurt to bring it up to him and see how he responds. If he wants to write it, then I think that is a good sign. Don't forget, you can also give them a copy of your CV, which will let him know that your background is diverse and you have accomplished a lot. This will help to foster a stronger opinion of you as well, which will most likely come across in the LoR. He can see unifying themes and characteristics in your CV that match what he's seen in person. I think you will need to ask soon though, regardless, because you don't want to drop a LoR request on him with a short timeline.

Yeah PS is a little tricky (understatement!). I don't know how it is in schools you want to apply to, but a number of my state schools admit they don't put that much stock in it. We have a pretty organized prehealth community in school and we often invite admissions people to talk to us in seminars. I noticed "outreach" people tend to say it is vital but the "adcom" people who really make the decisions say it's trivial - dont sweat it. I think the difference is because the outreach people want to give a welcoming impression, encouraging people to apply even with bad numbers "if you have a great story." Adcom people however tend to be pragmatic because they know how competitive the pool really has become.

I'm going to disagree with this one. I think the PS is an invaluable part of the applications process, even if the adcoms don't find it to an integral part of the process, if you really take your time writing it and thinking about what you're saying, it will help you go into your interviews with a clearer understanding of who you are and why you are deciding to pursue medicine.

I'm sure you're right though and some schools might not weight it as heavily though.
 
how did you find that out?

UCI becuase i go here and know 2 adcoms well who both told me this. Creighton came to my school (their dean of admissions) and told me bascially what creighton values and their thoughts on not only the PS but other things too. Honestly though i think a large majority of the schools put stock in the PS. I mean its damn near the only part of the application that can make your typical boring ass pre med somewhat interesting. After reading 3000+ apps of the whole hey im a bio major at a "top university" have a 3.7 GPA 32 mcat, i volunteered in a hospital while shadowing docs, and i did some research that is honestly useless but hey i did it too look good, yay pick me! At least the adcom at UCI says he enjoys the PS a lot as it makes the monotony of applications sometimes not seem so bad since afterwhile they all blur together. That is of course assuming the PS isnt boring and typical. At the very least an interesting PS would probably stick out in someones mind and at least make them think about your app more.
 
I'm thinking about trying this: http://everything2.com/index.pl?node_id=892542

Who's with me? Here's a synopsis. Sleep 2 hrs per day by taking 6 short naps throughout the day. Wake 4 hrs, sleep 20 minutes, wake 4 hrs, sleep 20 min.....etc, etc.

I just think it'd be a fun experiment to see if I can actually do it.
 
I'm thinking about trying this: http://everything2.com/index.pl?node_id=892542

Who's with me? Here's a synopsis. Sleep 2 hrs per day by taking 6 short naps throughout the day. Wake 4 hrs, sleep 20 minutes, wake 4 hrs, sleep 20 min.....etc, etc.

I just think it'd be a fun experiment to see if I can actually do it.

I've seen that before, but I'd rather sleep all at once. 🙂 I hear it's torture trying to get used to that lifestyle though.
 
I used to be one of those kids that didn't sleep at all during school. Every one was like damn you are fit to be a surgeon. I could even pull going to the gym without sleeping much.




I started working this year. I have no control over my schedule. I sleep 10 hours a day or so because its the best part of my life (in a happy way). Weekends? I don't even go out, I sleep early and wake up later
 
homer-sleep1.gif


Sleep does your body good.
 
amcas has received a transcript in support of your application to the 2010 entering class.

Transcript: University of california-los angeles, received, on 05/26/2009

yahoooooooooo
 
when did you send it?
You aren't including your spring grades, right?

last tuesday

and i dont think i have a choice considering i graduated 2 years ago :laugh:
 
I'm gonna guess CR = Content Review. 🙂

Good call. 👍

Bingo!👍

I picked that one up here on sdn

I don't know what I was thinking... I guess I was thinking you were talking about your Bio coursework, not for the MCAT. Yes, I'm very slow today. :shrug:

Are you doing the July 1st or 2nd administration?

I'm thinking about trying this: http://everything2.com/index.pl?node_id=892542

Who's with me? Here's a synopsis. Sleep 2 hrs per day by taking 6 short naps throughout the day. Wake 4 hrs, sleep 20 minutes, wake 4 hrs, sleep 20 min.....etc, etc.

I just think it'd be a fun experiment to see if I can actually do it.

Dude, that is a horrible idea. I actually read an article by a journalist who tried it, he said by his 6th week none of his friends would talk to him anymore, because he was such an @ss. Unless you're a dolphin that can rest one hemisphere at a time for a few hours, I'm not buying into the philosophy. You need more sleep to hit REM, although once you body is deprived (key word here), you can slip directly into REM sleep, or catch microbursts of REM when you don't even realize you're sleeping. Moral of the story, is I think it's a bad idea.

I've seen that before, but I'd rather sleep all at once. 🙂 I hear it's torture trying to get used to that lifestyle though.

Yeah, and once you do, your body is still sleep deprived. Just because you can get used to something doesn't mean that it's good for you.

I used to be one of those kids that didn't sleep at all during school. Every one was like damn you are fit to be a surgeon. I could even pull going to the gym without sleeping much.

I started working this year. I have no control over my schedule. I sleep 10 hours a day or so because its the best part of my life (in a happy way). Weekends? I don't even go out, I sleep early and wake up later

Dude, I wish I could get 10 hours of sleep a night. I'm chronically sleep deprived. I just can't bring myself to get into bed. I feel like I'm missing something if I sleep...
 
last tuesday

and i dont think i have a choice considering i graduated 2 years ago :laugh:

so it takes a week. That's weird coz it takes like 2 days for them to acknowledge they received LORs.
 
so it takes a week. That's weird coz it takes like 2 days for them to acknowledge they received LORs.

did the writer upload a PDF or did they snail mail it?
 
does anybody have any idea what to do if you are going thru a prehealth committee??
do they also send the whole letter packet to AMCAS?
 
Transcripts received by AMCAS...check👍

All LORS received by AMCAS via Interfolio....check👍

Working on the EC section now....😴

So close, yet so far away....:xf:


Good luck, everyone!
 
does anybody have any idea what to do if you are going thru a prehealth committee??
do they also send the whole letter packet to AMCAS?
They send the committee letter to AMCAS. Or if you are using interfolio they can send to interfolio then you can send it to amcas from there.
 
My mice tried to bite me today as I was tagging them. One bit off a piece of my glove (did not get to my skin). Thank god I wore oversized gloves today :scared:
 
darn my spring grades actually bring my GPA down, I might have to send my transcript in without them.
If I submit my transcript tomorrow, when do you think AMCAS will receive them?

I had 2 sent in. One took 3 days since my school sent me an email acknowledging they sent it out. The other took 1.5 weeks
 
i blame the economy!

🙄

Girls dig that.:laugh:

So true, because they know they're going to get a home cooked meal every night they go over to Lukkie's house.

does anybody have any idea what to do if you are going thru a prehealth committee??
do they also send the whole letter packet to AMCAS?

I would have them send it to interfolio, then forward it to AMCAS yourself, this way it covers you through all the schools not associated with AMCAS.

Transcripts received by AMCAS...check👍

All LORS received by AMCAS via Interfolio....check👍

Working on the EC section now....😴

So close, yet so far away....:xf:


Good luck, everyone!

👍

They send the committee letter to AMCAS. Or if you are using interfolio they can send to interfolio then you can send it to amcas from there.

Yeah, but I would do Interfolio, if she has a choice.

July 2nd for me

Nice! How are you feeling your studying is coming along?

My mice tried to bite me today as I was tagging them. One bit off a piece of my glove (did not get to my skin). Thank god I wore oversized gloves today :scared:

:laugh: I had a buddy that was actually bitten by one of his mice. The little guy squirmed around in his hand and bit him. Then he actually said, "Jeez I'm not sure why he bit me, I was just giving him a shot..." Then I reminded him that the injection was to induce tumor formation. ha ha. He's a lot more careful now though, that's for sure.
 
so another question
can u submit before your letters/letter packet is in?
or do you have to wait for the letters to be in and verified.

this stuff is soo complicated
i hate it
 
Myuu the presentation from case western was awesome!! Dr. Mehta makes me want to go there only know lol. Too bad their mcat is probably way to hgih for me but w/e. She was so incredibly helpful and nice even though im going to get rejected. I wanna go to case 🙁.
 
so another question
can u submit before your letters/letter packet is in?
or do you have to wait for the letters to be in and verified.

this stuff is soo complicated
i hate it

To get verified you dont need to have your LORS in.
 
To get verified you dont need to have your LORS in.

thats what i thought
thanks
i was just confused since everybody seemed to be sending theirs in already

my committee wont write a letter until i go for a mock interview
 
Top