Wow, how sad is my life that I'm just realizing you asked me a question? No, OK, not sad, just very very busy. It's probably moot at this point for you (hopefully!) but I'll reply just so others can see it, too. It's a long process and for many it spans multiple years trying.
1. Shadowing extensively - Honestly, all I had to do was ask. It sounds bizarre, I know. Partly I had an "in" working for a medical school, so the first doc I shadowed I sort of knew a little bit from the research side. For the second one, I just emailed the department head, introduced myself (my background, my plans for med school, what I wanted to get out of shadowing), and asked if he could recommend someone in his department willing to take me on. For the third doc I shadowed, only for a few months, I literally looked up practices (private) and called. I can't describe how much I hate cold calling people (I hate phones in general) but I talked to his secretary and she set me up a meeting intro with him... then I talked to him in person and he welcomed me to shadow him for as many hours as I wanted in clinic and the OR. You just have to ask. I also find that my status as a staff member helped me overcome HIPPA issues, but I think many large hospitals and academic centers are kind of weird about it now. The private practice doc I shadowed didn't seem to care (though he introduced me to his patients and made sure they were OK with me being there) about HIPPA and I actually got to do more (interviewing, minor procedures) there than in the internal med clinic at the academic hospital.
2. For showing interest on the wait list... hopefully you've already tailored your secondary and interview to things specific to that school. Let them know your'e interested in THEM, not just in going to medical school. Always write formal letters of interest, including any pertinent updates (new volunteer experiences? new grades? other accomplishments?) to your application, and a strong statement of why you think they fit you and why you think you fit them (not just what can they do for you, but if they let you in, what can you bring to them?). I wrote my letters in Word so they were well-formatted and then PDF'd them... emailed the PDF to the admissions email address (or directly to the Dean of Admissions, depending on the school and their availability). I just went to PDF for universal viewing and printing, plus I hate the idea that a document is "editable"! In the email itself, just address it to the AdCom or Dean directly (at many schools the Dean actually reads these emails without filtering through secretaries) and tell them you have important updates and "good news" regarding your application. They automatically add it to your file and show it to the AdCom on next eval of your app. Or, in the case where the Dean makes the decision at that point (as in VCU), they simply read it and consider it and might bump you up on the list.
3. Yes, I am very much against brown-nosing. But if you think about it from a professional standpoint... it's polite to thank them for the interview, and for their hospitality. Having been in the working world for 10+ years prior to med school, I can see the difference between a disgusting thank you note and a genuine one. What's your purpose for writing? Why, being professional (thanking them), reminding them of who you are and what you discussed (mention one thing you talked about in the interview that you found particularly interesting), and letting them know how the interview day impacted your decision (you found out great things about the school you didn't know before, you found the students and faculty to be great, etc). Always be specific, though. No generic "I like your school, please let me in" bullcrap. Seriously, thank you notes should come from the heart. If they didn't knock your socks off, don't be dishonest, but still be professional and find a way to thank them and mention a few good things about the experience. If they did knock your socks off then you'll have no problems finding something to write about. For good measure, I also always emailed the Dean after the interview day thanking them for the opportunity again and telling them that I enjoyed the interviews. I did NOT do this at the one school (ahem, no names) where I had a godawful interviewer who clearly had something against the older female applicant. S, no, it was not blatant brown-nosing, but an acknowledgment of all the work they put into the process. It is hellish for applicants, yes, but it is not an easy time for the AdComs and interviewers, either. It's a lot of work and imagine how the normal decent person would feel playing God - deciding who gets in and who doesn't when you clearly have at least 60% of your applicants truly deserving admission.
But I digress. Tha big point is all about professionalism. While it's a very personal thing for the applicant (you remember every stinking interview you ever went on), you need to remind them of who you are and also thank them for their work in the admissions process. They don't hear this enough, sadly. They do hear a lot of the indignation, though.
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Your best way of "getting in touch" with the people that will really have an effect on your application is through your thank you notes and letters of intent (intent to attend if given admission - this is where you also include your "good news" updates).
OK, really, that's way more than anyone probably wanted to know at this point, so I'll sign off for now. Again, always PM me if you want to discuss your personal situation... or if I don't respond quickly to a post like this one. Medical school lends itself to time warps, where you literally lose months at a time and might lose a thread for good unless you think to check for it specifically.
FD
FDoRoML:
I appreciate your extensive comments. Your background as a non-trad makes your advice extra poignant. How were you able to find a doctor to shadow on a regular basis for such a long period of time? Also, I've found it difficult to extract any information or show my interest to the medical schools that have me on their alternate lists. How do you get in touch with people that can effect your application vs getting blown off by secretaries? Finally, why are thank-you cards so important? They seem like blantant brown-nosing on most occasions. Am I just being overly indignant?
