Florida Schools Application Thread (2008) part 2

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I believe UM's ranking system is akin to USF's; i.e. once you receive your "number" there isn't much you can do past that point. What gives with all these waitlists being handed out this week? Are schools basically filled at this point? Such a frustrating process+pissed+

I agree it is frustrating. By this time in the season, most schools have given acceptances to fill the class and they are building up their waitlists. It makes sense to do so from the school's perspective since they want to be sure they don't leave the class unfilled in the event that they have to go farther down on their waitlist than they anticipated.
 
would sending in a loi after you've been waitlisted help you move up in ranking on the waitlist or does it not make a difference since they've already ranked you?

From what I heard when I was on it, UM's waitlist is fixed. They vote in a scale of 1 to 5 the quality of the candidate, and use the average to rank each applicant. LOI won't hurt, but honestly I doubt it will directly help.
 
So UF waitlisters were informed this week, including myself. Did anyone receive or hear of any rejections this week?
 
Here is the a truncated version of the email I received from Francia:

Unfortunately, we cannot disclose where you are on the alternate list. The committee has a few more meetings to make final decisions. As of right now, it is only a matter of waiting. You will be contacted once the committee decides status change. Thank you for your patience and interest in the UMMSM.

Good luck!

Francia G Portacio

She says the "committee has a few more meetings to make final decisions." Does this imply the waitlist is not fixed yet? Also, when Dean Hinkley asks us to keep them "informed of any grades you receive from class work in progress, any special recognition or awards you receive," does that imply that updates have an influence in determining our rank on the waitlist?


Anywho, let the waiting begin! I wonder what the admissions process would be if applying to medical school was like the NFL draft.

Good luck to all those that are waiting!
 
Just got the boot from Miami. :banana: FSU don't fail me now!
 
Does USF even send rejection letters? Because interviews are over and I haven't even received that. Very weird. Oh well. Little more than 3 months until med school. 🙂
 
Just got the boot from Miami. :banana: FSU don't fail me now!

You know the more and more I think about, i wonder if you had a bad professor letter or something like that, that is keeping out or lack of good clinical experience because your whole case this year just doesn't seem normal when compared to other similar profiles to yours.
 
I'm beginning to wonder the same thing. I mean, I had a pretty good relationship with all of my LOR authors. One of whom I conducted research for, another was my former pediatrician, another a physics prof. who also was pretty close. I asked USF about it and they told me they weren't strong enough and that I needed more shadowing. It's very difficult to say because being confidential I can't really access the letters.

I don't mean to promote myself to the nth degree or anything, but I would think someone with a 3.9, a 29 mcat (not great but not terrible), shadowed a pediatrician, gen. surgeon, ophth, and a GP; did drug research, volunteered at a hospital for 4 years, non-profit chairman, shriners volunteer, ER volunteer, other clubs and orginizations, music therapy, etc. Sheesh, can't one school give me a green light?
 
I'm beginning to wonder the same thing. I mean, I had a pretty good relationship with all of my LOR authors. One of whom I conducted research for, another was my former pediatrician, another a physics prof. who also was pretty close. I asked USF about it and they told me they weren't strong enough and that I needed more shadowing. It's very difficult to say because being confidential I can't really access the letters.

I don't mean to promote myself to the nth degree or anything, but I would think someone with a 3.9, a 29 mcat (not great but not terrible), shadowed a pediatrician, gen. surgeon, ophth, and a GP; did drug research, volunteered at a hospital for 4 years, non-profit chairman, shriners volunteer, ER volunteer, other clubs and orginizations, music therapy, etc. Sheesh, can't one school give me a green light?

That's rough man...I would think someone with your stats would go at least 1 or 2 for 4 in-state. Would you say you interview well, or at least relatively well? Do you get nervous? I would say you probably don't have much, if any less clinical exp than me, so maybe you still stand a good chance at FSU.
 
I'm beginning to wonder the same thing. I mean, I had a pretty good relationship with all of my LOR authors. One of whom I conducted research for, another was my former pediatrician, another a physics prof. who also was pretty close. I asked USF about it and they told me they weren't strong enough and that I needed more shadowing. It's very difficult to say because being confidential I can't really access the letters.

I don't mean to promote myself to the nth degree or anything, but I would think someone with a 3.9, a 29 mcat (not great but not terrible), shadowed a pediatrician, gen. surgeon, ophth, and a GP; did drug research, volunteered at a hospital for 4 years, non-profit chairman, shriners volunteer, ER volunteer, other clubs and orginizations, music therapy, etc. Sheesh, can't one school give me a green light?

if I were in your psoition, I'd quietly apply to SMP programs as a back up and hope for one of the more well known ones if the deadlines have not passed yet. Preferably seems like Gtowns would be good for you cuz then you could get new letters as well.
 
So UF waitlisters were informed this week, including myself. Did anyone receive or hear of any rejections this week?

I heard someone I know got rejected from UF at around the same time that you had posted about your waitlist postion.
 
Does USF even send rejection letters? Because interviews are over and I haven't even received that. Very weird. Oh well. Little more than 3 months until med school. 🙂

I know of a few people who received a post-secondary/pre-interview rejection by e-mail around March. As for post-interview, I remember Mike saying that interviewees can either get accepted, waitlisted, or rejected.
 
if I were in your psoition, I'd quietly apply to SMP programs as a back up and hope for one of the more well known ones if the deadlines have not passed yet. Preferably seems like Gtowns would be good for you cuz then you could get new letters as well.
I completely disagree. SMPs are expensive and are usually for people who don't have enough coursework in upper level sciences or for GPA issues or for poor MCATs. *that does not sound like MedGuy83's situation. Find something cool to do for the year - like a funded research job - go to the NIH - people eat that up. Or do something that you wanna do and stay connected.

Honestly, it's a crapshoot, but you're still in the game. If you need to make plans for next year I might consider retaking the MCAT and doing what I said above. Also, this is not personal, but call up the admissions offices and find out how you can improve your application. A lot of schools set up meetings to do this and it can be VERY helpful.
 
if I were in your psoition, I'd quietly apply to SMP programs as a back up and hope for one of the more well known ones if the deadlines have not passed yet. Preferably seems like Gtowns would be good for you cuz then you could get new letters as well.
You're a sweetheart and a great resource my dear, but you're way too "SMP-happy". Not trying to start a fight, but I've been following your posts for at least a year now.
 
You're a sweetheart and a great resource my dear, but you're way too "SMP-happy". Not trying to start a fight, but I've been following your posts for at least a year now.

No its not that. There is a very specific reason I said that. this guy has good ECs and stuff. But sometimes these SMPs mean you can get guaranteed interview and if you do extremely well then it can really boost your chances at the Fl. schools. REL even advises that if this is a last resort and in his case this would be his 3rd year applying. Furthermore, I know people with similar stats to his who didn't get in and after trying other things did an SMP and ended up getting in somewhere but what they were doing before wasn't working. I would not originally have advised this if this wouldn't be his 3rd time applying with strong everything. also, besides a possibility at a guaranteed interview as long as you can show that you can hack medical school courses, Gtown and grad school provides completely new letters and a chance to get to know professors in the med school. If you read above he said that he heard his letters were weak, but how do you get around it if there are not other professors that you can ask and the ones you most trusted are the ones that didn't give you strong letters?? By doing other coursework that allows you go gain new professors and an SMP would provide better stronger networks. this is why I'm advising it. You should really understand the whole story before you misjudge why I am suggesting this.
 
I completely disagree. SMPs are expensive and are usually for people who don't have enough coursework in upper level sciences or for GPA issues or for poor MCATs. *that does not sound like MedGuy83's situation. Find something cool to do for the year - like a funded research job - go to the NIH - people eat that up. Or do something that you wanna do and stay connected.

Honestly, it's a crapshoot, but you're still in the game. If you need to make plans for next year I might consider retaking the MCAT and doing what I said above. Also, this is not personal, but call up the admissions offices and find out how you can improve your application. A lot of schools set up meetings to do this and it can be VERY helpful.

that is not always the case. you will find many times that there are people with perfectly fine GPAs and MCAT scores such as in my program Molecular medicine who had done it just to give them better background before starting med school. Also, 29 is not all that anymore when averages are fast going up.Take a look at the post which has the new MSAR data if you want to know what i'm referring to.

That said, there is no guarantee that a retake will result in a 30+ score and that is even the issue with him. He could easily go down as well or stay with the same score.

in the past I wouldn't have advised him to do that because his profile seemed solid but mroe and more I'm thinking it is bad letters and the fact that he needs to do something that can both show he can hack med school at the same time as giving him a way out of having to use bad professors and get better professor letters because it seems his most trusted professors were the ones who might have screwed him over. It is true that he should speak to an adcom member but if you read above it seems he already did that and that they told him that his letters are weak.

Also, if I recommend an SMP it is not because I'm as you put it "SMP happy". its because even with people with his numbers I've seen be rejected, but often after having done a masters they've been accepted. If you read the original post he said he'd done plenty enough with clinical and ECs so I highly doubt that was his problem if he'd volunteered for 4 years and done music therapy and other unique things.
 
Finally one last point, USF seems to be keen on taking a lot of people who've done SMP programs and that was his first choice if you read any of his past posts throughout the year. A good high percentage of people who've gotten in have done such things.

Again, let me reiterate that I would not advise this if it was not his 3rd time applying. But he's already done the year off thing once before and tried to do cool things and improve his application to no avail, so obviously there is something besides his ECs which seem to be the problem.

But Medguy83, do talk to Leila Amiri and Dr. Gonzalez of the USF adcom if you dont get into FSU this year. Ask them what their opinion is on this issue and also PM REL or email him.
 
How many LOR's does UFCOM requires?

how many from faculty?
how many from a physician? (shadowing)
or peers?
 
How many LOR's does UFCOM requires?

how many from faculty?
how many from a physician? (shadowing)
or peers?

I'm not sure how many they require, but I had 6 letters (crap that seems like a lot). I know that they do indeed require a peer letter that you need to send in. I just had one of my close friends write that for me. I used my school's pre-professional office, so I had a letter from them, 2 from science professors, 1 from a non-science professor, and one from a doctor.

I think at a minimum, you would need 4-5 depending if your school has a pre-professional office that writes letters. 2 from science faculty, 1 from non science faculty, 1 from a peer, and maybe 1 from your school.
 
I'm not sure how many they require, but I had 6 letters (crap that seems like a lot). I know that they do indeed require a peer letter that you need to send in. I just had one of my close friends write that for me. I used my school's pre-professional office, so I had a letter from them, 2 from science professors, 1 from a non-science professor, and one from a doctor.

I think at a minimum, you would need 4-5 depending if your school has a pre-professional office that writes letters. 2 from science faculty, 1 from non science faculty, 1 from a peer, and maybe 1 from your school.

Doctor letters are not required unless it is for DO schools. However, a character letter is usually required at many schools. I think I have an excel sheet in my email with what different schools require. see the attachment down below.
 

Attachments

in the past I wouldn't have advised him to do that because his profile seemed solid but mroe and more I'm thinking it is bad letters and the fact that he needs to do something that can both show he can hack med school at the same time as giving him a way out of having to use bad professors and get better professor letters because it seems his most trusted professors were the ones who might have screwed him over. It is true that he should speak to an adcom member but if you read above it seems he already did that and that they told him that his letters are weak.

I really don't see how this person is a great candidate for an SMP. He's shown a lot in terms of grades. If he has a 3.9, then he can get that MCAT up. Unless he's taken it more than once already and hasn't shown significant improvement I don't see that point.

You're also assuming A LOT about the OP.

Even if he does make new connections what's to say that the letters will be amazing. Maybe he has a solid rapport with some of these people, but they are not in depth enough or maybe he needs cognitive behavioural therapy. I HIGHLY doubt this, but I'm trying to make a point. If all you have is BAD letters, then maybe you're not talking to people the way that you should be...maybe you're misjudging a situation. I have read all my reference letters and they were pretty good. I know that this is probably because I SAT down with these people and had a bloody heart to heart about what I want to do and what NEEDS to be in that letter to confirm that they indeed know me better than having just been my professor. Most peple will hint at the fact that they are going to write you a bad letter. If you are going to get a letter that's neither here nor there, that's usually pretty evident too.

If it was my 3rd time applying, I'd start applying to research programs, retake my MCAT like a beast. Keep doing ECs like crazy (if they aren't recent, schools hate that), but most importantly, talk to the schools that rejected you. Find out why you are falling short. Because if you're falling that short and you do an SMP, there is a chance you won't do well, and if you don't do well that looks BAD. When I lay down 25-35 grand, I at least want to know that it's going to get me somewhere. Talk to people.
 
Finally one last point, USF seems to be keen on taking a lot of people who've done SMP programs and that was his first choice if you read any of his past posts throughout the year. A good high percentage of people who've gotten in have done such things.

Again, let me reiterate that I would not advise this if it was not his 3rd time applying. But he's already done the year off thing once before and tried to do cool things and improve his application to no avail, so obviously there is something besides his ECs which seem to be the problem.

But Medguy83, do talk to Leila Amiri and Dr. Gonzalez of the USF adcom if you dont get into FSU this year. Ask them what their opinion is on this issue and also PM REL or email him.
Also...third time applying...I want to nkow more and find out what the op did in his year off. Also, bad letters? For someone to tell you that you have bad letters...that must be really bad.... Sorry...I haven't heard that much in terms of BAD letters. I've heard of useless letters. AND...if it's a 3rd time application, and you did all this GREAT stuff in years off and have GREAT EC's, how do you get BAD LETTERS? I'm sorry, this is suspicious.
 
Also...third time applying...I want to nkow more and find out what the op did in his year off. Also, bad letters? For someone to tell you that you have bad letters...that must be really bad.... Sorry...I haven't heard that much in terms of BAD letters. I've heard of useless letters. AND...if it's a 3rd time application, and you did all this GREAT stuff in years off and have GREAT EC's, how do you get BAD LETTERS? I'm sorry, this is suspicious.

I am just saying what I read above if you read his post. This is his second time applying this year. If he doesn't get in, it will be his 3rd time. Not bad as in extremely horrible, but he said his letters were weak is what he was told. You'd be surprised by how many people would not necessarily write good letters just because you got a good score or did good things. Some professors tell you they will write a good letter for you and then don't necessarily do what they promised...either it is weak because they don't care really and just right a standard letter or they don't like premeds and have written bad letters behind a person's back. I've heard stories of this nature many, many, many times on here.

I do get a huge suspicion that his LORs could be a problem if he himself is saying that he was told they were weak.

Furthermore, this was his second time applying and he did the year off, tried to do music therapy and volunteering in a clinical setting from his above post. What it looks like is that he didn't get in again and got the same position on the waitlist. Maybe it is time to start thinking about other options because ECs only do so much and if you've been keeping up with this thread you'd know his situation. I have been keeping up with it even when I've not read other things on SDN for a year and it seems that there are other thngs he ought to consider.

Also, you say that just because he has a 3.9 that should correlate to a higher MCAT score, but the fact of the matter is at USF there are many, many, many people who have a 3.7-4.0 GPA who can't get past maybe 27 even with taking it multiple times. USF's GPA says nothing about how they'll do on the MCAT because their courses are not all that difficult and depending on how you schedule your classes. Now I'm not saying that medguy can't do it, I'm just saying don't make assumptions as it is easy to do.

P.S. I don't advise people to do SMP as a first choice any longer even though I might have in the past. But if you are in the situation where you might end up applying for the 3rd time and have done the whole year off thing and other stuff, then I'd say there are certain last resorts that I'd consider.
 
I am just saying what I read above if you read his post. This is his second time applying this year. If he doesn't get in, it will be his 3rd time. Not bad as in extremely horrible, but he said his letters were weak is what he was told. You'd be surprised by how many people would not necessarily write good letters just because you got a good score or did good things. Some professors tell you they will write a good letter for you and then don't necessarily do what they promised...either it is weak because they don't care really and just right a standard letter or they don't like premeds and have written bad letters behind a person's back. I've heard stories of this nature many, many, many times on here.

I do get a huge suspicion that his LORs could be a problem if he himself is saying that he was told they were weak.

Furthermore, this was his second time applying and he did the year off, tried to do music therapy and volunteering in a clinical setting from his above post. What it looks like is that he didn't get in again and got the same position on the waitlist. Maybe it is time to start thinking about other options because ECs only do so much and if you've been keeping up with this thread you'd know his situation. I have been keeping up with it even when I've not read other things on SDN for a year and it seems that there are other thngs he ought to consider.

Also, you say that just because he has a 3.9 that should correlate to a higher MCAT score, but the fact of the matter is at USF there are many, many, many people who have a 3.7-4.0 GPA who can't get past maybe 27 even with taking it multiple times. USF's GPA says nothing about how they'll do on the MCAT because their courses are not all that difficult and depending on how you schedule your classes. Now I'm not saying that medguy can't do it, I'm just saying don't make assumptions as it is easy to do.

P.S. I don't advise people to do SMP as a first choice any longer even though I might have in the past. But if you are in the situation where you might end up applying for the 3rd time and have done the whole year off thing and other stuff, then I'd say there are certain last resorts that I'd consider.

So, I call a truce. I do see your point. At the same time, I'm going to go ahead and take a hard stance on the whole MedGuy83 needs to talk to people. He needs an outside perspective and he needs to find out about these letters. He can do an SMP, but if he has certain other problems standing in his way, then I really think he should figure out what those are. For someone whose been around for a while, and took a year off, he needs to start getting a clue as to what is going on.
 
Also...volunteering and music therapy in your year off...

NOT as impressive as year off of research with publications 🙂
 
Also...volunteering and music therapy in your year off...

NOT as impressive as year off of research with publications 🙂

Yeah no disagreement there. I'm going to try to get a research job after I'm done with my masters at Moffitt or somewhere for a year.


Oh and I'm not in disagreement about talking to other people in the adcom. Its why I always advise students especially those who PM me to contact adcom directors for a second opinion.

I find it odd that they interviewed him 2 years in a row to put him low tier waitlist. That's what I found most suspicious and why i thought along with his post about the LOR situation because the only time I've heard of such things happening when other things have been decent. But yes I do agree with your last and final few posts completely.

But on that note, I hope you are doing well down in Miami. I know a few family friends who will be starting there this coming year and are looking forward to it greatly.
 
Also...third time applying...I want to nkow more and find out what the op did in his year off. Also, bad letters? For someone to tell you that you have bad letters...that must be really bad.... Sorry...I haven't heard that much in terms of BAD letters. I've heard of useless letters. AND...if it's a 3rd time application, and you did all this GREAT stuff in years off and have GREAT EC's, how do you get BAD LETTERS? I'm sorry, this is suspicious.

Keep in mind that there can be concern about someone's letters without them necessarily saying horrible things about the applicant. For example, I am concerned if someone got letters written by people who didn't know them very well (yes, letter writers commonly comment if they do not know the applicant well and only met with them to discuss a letter of rec). Letters can be viewed as being average to below average for these reasons among many others, which can lower an applicant's overall evaluation. I seem to remember that the letters in question were flagged as a weakness, but there was no mention of outright negative comments about the applicant.

As a general rule, get letters of rec from people who know you WELL. It makes a big difference, and letter writers are not shy about letting us know if they know you or not. If you've shadowed someone or volunteered somewhere for an extended period of time, get a letter from them. Not doing so won't necessarily hurt you, but it raises suspicion in my mind about why the applicant did not do so if they spent so much time in one activity. Don't be afraid to ask your letter writers if they can write you a GREAT letter. Finally, don't be afraid to submit more letters than the minimum if you have them and feel that they will be helpful to you application because the more people who say good things about you the better the ADCOM gets to know you.
 
I find it odd that they interviewed him 2 years in a row to put him low tier waitlist. That's what I found most suspicious and why i thought along with his post about the LOR situation because the only time I've heard of such things happening when other things have been decent.

From my recollection, I think he said his GPA and MCAT were not a problem (at least average). This shows you that there are multiple intangible aspects to the application process. The place where many great applicants (at least on paper) fall short are the essays and interviews. Plenty of people with 4.0 GPAs and 35+ MCATs are either low-tier waitlisted or rejected because of major problems in these categories. I urge you to recognize that it's not just about numbers folks.
 
From my recollection, I think he said his GPA and MCAT were not a problem (at least average). This shows you that there are multiple intangible aspects to the application process. The place where many great applicants (at least on paper) fall short are the essays and interviews. Plenty of people with 4.0 GPAs and 35+ MCATs are either low-tier waitlisted or rejected because of major problems in these categories. I urge you to recognize that it's not just about numbers folks.

Yeah you make a good point. Thanks for coming on here and being the voice of reason and giving perspective from an adcom member side of things.
 
Wow, it's interesting to see my sad story has sparked such debate and discussion in the FL thread. I'm not sure if I have anything else significant to add. If I did retake the mcat I'd definitely study via a kaplan or princeton review course; something I opted not to do initially, so I would assume I could bump it up at least 1 or 2 points. I guess taking it a second time wouldn't be that much of a red flag. But that's really not the issue. From what I gathered my scores weren't really the problem.
When I interviewed with USF the first time around my interviews weren't very good. Two days before I came down with laryngitis, felt horrible, and everything just didn't go well. I was placed at the bottom tier and told that the main reason was clinical experience. I needed more patient contact and volunteer activities to show my dedication to the field.
So after volunteering at local hospital I started to volunteer at an ER, did some more shadowing, engaged in non-P work, got around 4-5 new LOR's, wrote to at least 30 physicians and clinics in order to get more clinical exp. My interviews this time around went very well. During this time of volunteer activities I had to hold down local part time jobs; not exactly working at moffitt (and believe me I've sent numerous applications there as well). I managed to talk with a researcher at moffitt involved in immunotherapy. When looking at my resume she commented that I was either a premed or someone on route to a doctoral program; she said either way they were looking for someone who would definitely be there for the long term and I apparently wasn't it. When I first applied to USF REL told me that many other applicants had been shadowing since they were around 12, so they had an upper hand of long term clinical experiences. Since basically deciding upon medicine upon entering college, I found going back in time in order to beat others to the punch very challenging.
The long and short of it is this; I worked very hard in order to succeed in college and be competitive enough for med school. I engaged in the type of EC's most applicants participate in; hospitals, shadowing, non-P, research, etc. I feel that instead of having spent my time getting A's and wiping down gurneys I should have forked over a few thousand bucks, gone to Africa, costa rica or something for a few years and come back with grandious stories of how I saved villages and built wells. I'm not against those types of experiences, believe me. In fact one of my main goals as a doctor was to engage in medical missions. All I'm saying is that it seems like applicants have to constantly keep pushing the bar higher in terms of "better" experiences in order to receive admittance.
Look, I understand getting into med school is a crap shoot. There are thousands applying for around 120 spots, so there's obviously an incentive to hand them out to those they think want it more. I've sent letter after letter detailing just how passionate I am about medicine. I've contacted dozens of doctors pleading for shadowing opportunities. The few who reply are only willing to give me a day in which to do so. It seems now I have to go $40k in debt to do an SMP and then the adcoms will take me seriously. The only problem being that there's still no guarantee. I envy those who go straight into med school from college. I've spent a year wracking my brain trying to do everything possible to get new letters and new experiences. At this point I'm honestly out of ideas. What I'm certain of is that the SMP probably won't be my golden ticket. Maybe carrib? Maybe DO? Maybe something else where I'll receive similar satisfaction in completing what I personally feel to be my calling. God knows. It's all in his will even though at times this path has been pretty brutal. I know this is a pretty long post but I figured it's best to explain my sad story fully. I just want this storm to end! Good luck to everyone else at this point and thanks for your advice.
 
Wow, it's interesting to see my sad story has sparked such debate and discussion in the FL thread. I'm not sure if I have anything else significant to add. If I did retake the mcat I'd definitely study via a kaplan or princeton review course; something I opted not to do initially, so I would assume I could bump it up at least 1 or 2 points. I guess taking it a second time wouldn't be that much of a red flag. But that's really not the issue. From what I gathered my scores weren't really the problem.
When I interviewed with USF the first time around my interviews weren't very good. Two days before I came down with laryngitis, felt horrible, and everything just didn't go well. I was placed at the bottom tier and told that the main reason was clinical experience. I needed more patient contact and volunteer activities to show my dedication to the field.
So after volunteering at local hospital I started to volunteer at an ER, did some more shadowing, engaged in non-P work, got around 4-5 new LOR's, wrote to at least 30 physicians and clinics in order to get more clinical exp. My interviews this time around went very well. During this time of volunteer activities I had to hold down local part time jobs; not exactly working at moffitt (and believe me I've sent numerous applications there as well). I managed to talk with a researcher at moffitt involved in immunotherapy. When looking at my resume she commented that I was either a premed or someone on route to a doctoral program; she said either way they were looking for someone who would definitely be there for the long term and I apparently wasn't it. When I first applied to USF REL told me that many other applicants had been shadowing since they were around 12, so they had an upper hand of long term clinical experiences. Since basically deciding upon medicine upon entering college, I found going back in time in order to beat others to the punch very challenging.
The long and short of it is this; I worked very hard in order to succeed in college and be competitive enough for med school. I engaged in the type of EC's most applicants participate in; hospitals, shadowing, non-P, research, etc. I feel that instead of having spent my time getting A's and wiping down gurneys I should have forked over a few thousand bucks, gone to Africa, costa rica or something for a few years and come back with grandious stories of how I saved villages and built wells. I'm not against those types of experiences, believe me. In fact one of my main goals as a doctor was to engage in medical missions. All I'm saying is that it seems like applicants have to constantly keep pushing the bar higher in terms of "better" experiences in order to receive admittance.
Look, I understand getting into med school is a crap shoot. There are thousands applying for around 120 spots, so there's obviously an incentive to hand them out to those they think want it more. I've sent letter after letter detailing just how passionate I am about medicine. I've contacted dozens of doctors pleading for shadowing opportunities. The few who reply are only willing to give me a day in which to do so. It seems now I have to go $40k in debt to do an SMP and then the adcoms will take me seriously. The only problem being that there's still no guarantee. I envy those who go straight into med school from college. I've spent a year wracking my brain trying to do everything possible to get new letters and new experiences. At this point I'm honestly out of ideas. What I'm certain of is that the SMP probably won't be my golden ticket. Maybe carrib? Maybe DO? Maybe something else where I'll receive similar satisfaction in completing what I personally feel to be my calling. God knows. It's all in his will even though at times this path has been pretty brutal. I know this is a pretty long post but I figured it's best to explain my sad story fully. I just want this storm to end! Good luck to everyone else at this point and thanks for your advice.
I'm sorry to hear about this, it makes me upset. At the same time, please if you're going to listen to ANYTHING we've said, make sure it's that you TALK TO ADMISSION DIRECTORS! Get in touch with them, make appointments. You can even make appointments with people at schools you haven't applied to around april-may between application cycles to talk about how to make yourself more competitive.

Good luck.
 
I think it is sad that "Clinical experience" and "Patient contact" has turned into a currency where quantity far outweighs quality. No one is denying that clinical experience is important to get exposure in the field, but one would think what the person gets out of the experience would be more important than whether volunteering or shadowing X amount of hours is important. But I guess adcomms have to find other "objective" stats other than GPA/MCAT to be able to weed out applicants. I am just glad one of the Florida schools appreciate me. 🙂

Even after saying this, USF still baffles me. They haven't even sent me a rejection e-mail or letter and interviews have been far over. I thought I might have gotten an interview there. I heard that Tampa is a nice place. Oh well, I should be blessed, and I am. Maybe my application got buried under the pile and I was never found. lol.
 
I think it is sad that "Clinical experience" and "Patient contact" has turned into a currency where quantity far outweighs quality. No one is denying that clinical experience is important to get exposure in the field, but one would think what the person gets out of the experience would be more important than whether volunteering or shadowing X amount of hours is important. But I guess adcomms have to find other "objective" stats other than GPA/MCAT to be able to weed out applicants. I am just glad one of the Florida schools appreciate me. 🙂

Even after saying this, USF still baffles me. They haven't even sent me a rejection e-mail or letter and interviews have been far over. I thought I might have gotten an interview there. I heard that Tampa is a nice place. Oh well, I should be blessed, and I am. Maybe my application got buried under the pile and I was never found. lol.


1. We just wrapped up our interview season last week at USF. It would be difficult to have sent everyone a letter at this point.

2. You bring up a good point regarding clinical experiences. This is a point we debate philosophically almost every week at the admissions meeting (i.e. what's the goal with shadowing/pt contact? what matters? etc). Indeed, there is still some more work to be done here.
 
Another poster mentioned that the application process is a "crapshoot". This is not true. Mike has done a great job showing you the variables in his recent posts. You need some objective stuff first to get over a threshold. Then there are some more complex pieces of the puzzle. The subjective portions of the application are a little more difficult to examine externally (e.g. interviews and essays). Nonetheless, the inter-rater variability is usually low and the same quirks/problems are often noted by essay readers and different interviewers.
 
I think it is sad that "Clinical experience" and "Patient contact" has turned into a currency where quantity far outweighs quality. No one is denying that clinical experience is important to get exposure in the field, but one would think what the person gets out of the experience would be more important than whether volunteering or shadowing X amount of hours is important. But I guess adcomms have to find other "objective" stats other than GPA/MCAT to be able to weed out applicants. I am just glad one of the Florida schools appreciate me. 🙂

Even after saying this, USF still baffles me. They haven't even sent me a rejection e-mail or letter and interviews have been far over. I thought I might have gotten an interview there. I heard that Tampa is a nice place. Oh well, I should be blessed, and I am. Maybe my application got buried under the pile and I was never found. lol.

:laugh: :laugh: you can't complain. You got in the school that has the best of all worlds and the only school in Fl. i've never heard one single negative thing against and all positive from students, interviewees, and all other people alike that have had contact with them.

Your top choice was miami last year and was so this year and you got in. That's more then a lot of other people. I know people who'd love to be trading places with you.
 
True, admissions is not a total crapshoot, but it certainly is baffling to most people. One immediate mistake made by most applicants is applying to too few schools. I applied to 20 schools when I went through (the national average is around 10) and am confident that doing so is one of the reasons why I got so many interview invites. That said, some people still need to be reminded of the qualities that admissions committees typically look for:

- Grades
- MCAT
- Letters
- Research
- Clinical experience
- Volunteering (not necessarily medically related)

Applicants with a 3.5 GPA, 30 MCAT, positive rec letters, non-published research, and volunteering as a candy striper double counted as clinical experience are a dime a dozen. They're certainly in the running for getting admitted somewhere, but nothing really sets them apart. Ways to really get an admissions committee's attention include published research that is presented at a conference, rec letters where the writer knows the applicant outside of the classroom, and insanely high numbers (let's not discount the prestige of the U.S. News & World Report rankings). You can build a resume with these items, but you really need to work at it. That drive is what separates the average from the exceptional.
 
Wow, it's interesting to see my sad story has sparked such debate and discussion in the FL thread. I'm not sure if I have anything else significant to add. If I did retake the mcat I'd definitely study via a kaplan or princeton review course; something I opted not to do initially, so I would assume I could bump it up at least 1 or 2 points. I guess taking it a second time wouldn't be that much of a red flag. But that's really not the issue. From what I gathered my scores weren't really the problem.
When I interviewed with USF the first time around my interviews weren't very good. Two days before I came down with laryngitis, felt horrible, and everything just didn't go well. I was placed at the bottom tier and told that the main reason was clinical experience. I needed more patient contact and volunteer activities to show my dedication to the field.
So after volunteering at local hospital I started to volunteer at an ER, did some more shadowing, engaged in non-P work, got around 4-5 new LOR's, wrote to at least 30 physicians and clinics in order to get more clinical exp. My interviews this time around went very well. During this time of volunteer activities I had to hold down local part time jobs; not exactly working at moffitt (and believe me I've sent numerous applications there as well). I managed to talk with a researcher at moffitt involved in immunotherapy. When looking at my resume she commented that I was either a premed or someone on route to a doctoral program; she said either way they were looking for someone who would definitely be there for the long term and I apparently wasn't it. When I first applied to USF REL told me that many other applicants had been shadowing since they were around 12, so they had an upper hand of long term clinical experiences. Since basically deciding upon medicine upon entering college, I found going back in time in order to beat others to the punch very challenging.
The long and short of it is this; I worked very hard in order to succeed in college and be competitive enough for med school. I engaged in the type of EC's most applicants participate in; hospitals, shadowing, non-P, research, etc. I feel that instead of having spent my time getting A's and wiping down gurneys I should have forked over a few thousand bucks, gone to Africa, costa rica or something for a few years and come back with grandious stories of how I saved villages and built wells. I'm not against those types of experiences, believe me. In fact one of my main goals as a doctor was to engage in medical missions. All I'm saying is that it seems like applicants have to constantly keep pushing the bar higher in terms of "better" experiences in order to receive admittance.
Look, I understand getting into med school is a crap shoot. There are thousands applying for around 120 spots, so there's obviously an incentive to hand them out to those they think want it more. I've sent letter after letter detailing just how passionate I am about medicine. I've contacted dozens of doctors pleading for shadowing opportunities. The few who reply are only willing to give me a day in which to do so. It seems now I have to go $40k in debt to do an SMP and then the adcoms will take me seriously. The only problem being that there's still no guarantee. I envy those who go straight into med school from college. I've spent a year wracking my brain trying to do everything possible to get new letters and new experiences. At this point I'm honestly out of ideas. What I'm certain of is that the SMP probably won't be my golden ticket. Maybe carrib? Maybe DO? Maybe something else where I'll receive similar satisfaction in completing what I personally feel to be my calling. God knows. It's all in his will even though at times this path has been pretty brutal. I know this is a pretty long post but I figured it's best to explain my sad story fully. I just want this storm to end! Good luck to everyone else at this point and thanks for your advice.

Wow this sounds rough and harsh. I'm sorry to hear this has happened to you when it seems like you've put your best foot forward as I always suspected you did. I'm so sorry it is not working out for you and when you got the interview this year I was praying hard for you. I hope things work out because you have shown perserverence.
 
Anyone know when USF is going to start contacting people with waitlist positions? I jump a little every time I get an e-mail from them but it never gives out any real information 🙂
 
May 15th is the deadline for the students holding acceptances to multiple programs to make their pick. It will really start rolling then. I know the waiting is painful. Be patient and it will pay off. 🙂 Good luck!
 
University officials today announced the completion of the first-of-its-kind scholarship fundraising campaign. That means each student in the school’s charter class will receive a four-year scholarship worth $160,000 – about $20,000 for tuition and $20,000 for living expenses and fees each year.

According to the Association of American Medical Colleges, no other medical school in the nation has provided full scholarships to an entire class. The scholarships are significant because the average debt of a medical school graduate in 2007 was $139,517, according to the AAMC.

“This is a momentous occasion – we have made history,” said UCF President John Hitt. “Through the generosity of our community, we reached our goal of raising $6.4 million for this remarkable scholarship program. I want to thank everyone who helped us make an investment in our collective future.”

The College of Medicine is set to open in fall 2009. The college will begin taking applications on June 1. Students who are admitted will automatically receive the scholarship.

http://news.ucf.edu/UCFnews/index?page=article&id=0024004168851b1c011994f92ed00061bc&mode=news
 
Anyone know when USF is going to start contacting people with waitlist positions? I jump a little every time I get an e-mail from them but it never gives out any real information 🙂

I'm not sure if you received an e-mail from them a few days ago regarding the waitlist. Basically, they're waiting for this Wednesday to come and they will know where everybody on the waitlist is. After that, they will start contacting those on the waitlist regarding their position compared to everybody else on the list (I'm not sure how much information they're willing to give us besides "You're still on the high-waitlist" :laugh:) In any event, like everybody's been saying, once May 15th comes around, the waitlist will see some substantial movement. I know exactly how you feel. I've been checking my e-mail every day hoping to hear a little more about my status.
 
As others have said, the USF waitlist will start moving in early May, just as it does at all other med schools. You've been through a lot so far to get where you are, but hang in there just a little longer...
 
Got the call this morning...placed on WL at USF, top third. (I interviewed on the last day.) After careful consideration, I withdrew. I really liked USF, but I'm tired of waiting. FSU starts in 4 weeks, and I have living arrangements to make. I'm really excited about FSU, and a little freaked out that I start in less than a month! Good luck to everyone waiting on USF...they talked like WL movement would start soon.
 
I got a call from USF, same deal placed on waiting list.
Got an email from UM about 2 hours later saying that I got in 🙂. (UM's my first choice).

I'm going to withdraw from UF and USF, hopefully that'll help you guys on the wait list.

GOOD LUCK AND PATIENCE PAYS!!
 
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