For People Who Are Only On Waitlists...

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MabdulD

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Hey y'all,

So, I'm on 3 waitlists, I have no acceptances, and it's probably past time to start thinking about what I want to do if I don't get in. I'm just curious what others who are in my situation are doing...

What stage are you at in terms of thinking about next year? Have you set anything up or are you giving it a little more time to see if you get in somewhere? Also, what kinds of things are you folks looking to do? And how long you gonna wait til you reapply? I'm trying to figure out what I'm going to do, and I'm definitely curious to see what other people in the same situation are doing, if only to get some ideas.

Thanks.
 
I'm holding out a little longer before I do anything. However, I also may start grad school in the fall (I had planned to do both and didn't really have a prefer. as far as order is concerned). So, right now I'm hoping it works out...if not I'll be reapplying this year or next year. I'm also toying with the idea of applying Early Decision to the school I've kinda decided I want to attend, but that's a long way in the future if I do. 🙂
 
I'm still in denial...............Probably do a post bacc if all else fails.
 
I'll be submitting my AMCAS for this year June 1st if I haven't heard by then, and probably getting a job in the biotech field for the year later this summer if things don't work out.

This time I gotta pick my schools more carefully...I picked some schools that I thought would be safety schools because I hadn't heard anything about them but they turned out to have pretty strong programs.
 
I will be going to vet school in the fall if I do not get into any of my 3 waitlists...BUT I am still confident (as the rest of you should be!) because "May 15th" has not arrived yet!
 
I dunno about confident...I'm on 2 waitlists that have a TON of people (washu, tulane) and 2 UCs where I really don't know where I stand (and UCSD isn't even an official waitlist yet). Then, if that doesn't work, I had a late interview at Einstein who said they would give me a decision (I bet a waitlist spot) in June!
 
I've got 6 waitlists and am waiting on 3 decisions. This is the 3rd time I am applying, so I dont know what I am going to do if i dont get in. I dont think I have it in me to go for a 4th try, I am trying to decide if I should apply to st georges, their deadline is june 15th.
 
MabdulD,
I checked out your profile and stats. My question to you is: Do you have a criminal record/ academic probation or something that is holding you back? Your numbers are awesome! and you went to Duke. Not U of ? I'm suprised you haven't received an acceptance already.
 
Indebt4Life said:
MabdulD,
I checked out your profile and stats. My question to you is: Do you have a criminal record/ academic probation or something that is holding you back? Your numbers are awesome! and you went to Duke. Not U of ? I'm suprised you haven't received an acceptance already.
Click to expand...

I can vouch for him. No criminal record/academic probation and a nice, normal guy. The process really makes no sense.
 
Indebt4Life said:
MabdulD,
I checked out your profile and stats. My question to you is: Do you have a criminal record/ academic probation or something that is holding you back? Your numbers are awesome! and you went to Duke. Not U of ? I'm suprised you haven't received an acceptance already.
Click to expand...

No, no criminal record or anything like that. Maybe I just rub admissions people the wrong way. I need to stop rubbing people.
 
facted said:
I can vouch for him. No criminal record/academic probation and a nice, normal guy. The process really makes no sense.
Click to expand...

Thanks, facted. I'd give you some karma points if I could.
 
MabdulD said:
No, no criminal record or anything like that. Maybe I just rub admissions people the wrong way. I need to stop rubbing people.
Click to expand...

HAAAAAAAAA! :laugh: Wiping tear from eye. Almost made me snort. Thanks!
 
MabdulD, please keep us posted on your progress. This type of profile is an awesome learning example for people ahead of you.

It seems like the Jefferson thing might pan out for you, being on the high priority waitlist as you said in your profile. Good luck 🙂

MabdulD said:
Hey y'all,

So, I'm on 3 waitlists, I have no acceptances, and it's probably past time to start thinking about what I want to do if I don't get in. I'm just curious what others who are in my situation are doing...

What stage are you at in terms of thinking about next year? Have you set anything up or are you giving it a little more time to see if you get in somewhere? Also, what kinds of things are you folks looking to do? And how long you gonna wait til you reapply? I'm trying to figure out what I'm going to do, and I'm definitely curious to see what other people in the same situation are doing, if only to get some ideas.

Thanks.
Click to expand...
 
MAbdul, I can't believe you didn't get interviews everywhere. I would say one thing: ask your premed committee for a new committee letter writer. or pick a professor at Duke that you trust to write it. this could be the case of one bad recommendation or a negative committee letter. places UPenn and Cornell should have def. given you interviews. If, by chance, you don't get in, then you could think about doing some volunteer work abroad. Keep up posted.
 
MabdulD said:
Hey y'all,

So, I'm on 3 waitlists, I have no acceptances, and it's probably past time to start thinking about what I want to do if I don't get in. I'm just curious what others who are in my situation are doing...

What stage are you at in terms of thinking about next year? Have you set anything up or are you giving it a little more time to see if you get in somewhere? Also, what kinds of things are you folks looking to do? And how long you gonna wait til you reapply? I'm trying to figure out what I'm going to do, and I'm definitely curious to see what other people in the same situation are doing, if only to get some ideas.

Thanks.
Click to expand...

Have ya talked to Dr. Singer? Seems like you might want to send in a Letter of Intent, an additional LOR, and maybe an updated transcript to your top choice (for tht LOI, the other two for all schools).
 
MabdulD said:
Hey y'all,

So, I'm on 3 waitlists, I have no acceptances, and it's probably past time to start thinking about what I want to do if I don't get in. I'm just curious what others who are in my situation are doing...

What stage are you at in terms of thinking about next year? Have you set anything up or are you giving it a little more time to see if you get in somewhere? Also, what kinds of things are you folks looking to do? And how long you gonna wait til you reapply? I'm trying to figure out what I'm going to do, and I'm definitely curious to see what other people in the same situation are doing, if only to get some ideas.

Thanks.
Click to expand...

can't lose hope now! i was in the same boat as well, waitlisted at three schools. i'm sure y'all will here good news. also, it seems like most of you are on multiple waitlists, which is even better. need not worry, i'm sure you'll get in! gluck!
 
MabdulD,

I don't get it. I have not advice for you. I just don't get it. Your MCAT is 3 points higher than mine and your GPA is a bit higher. We're at comparable schools. I'm at Harvard and you're at the Harvard of the South. So, what gives?

However, I applied to a fuller range of schools. Most of your schools are top tier. I applied to a few mid and a couple of lower ranked schools. But then again, I just don't know. I got rejected from schools that I thought was want me. I wish that I could give you some advice. This baffles me.

Brother, I'm just sorry to see you not getting in. You have worked hard, have the numbers to support it. This doesn't seem fair to me.
 
MabdulD,

Just wanted to chime in and say good luck. I'm taking a medical spanish class in Miami with a bunch of UMiami med students. I'll ask them if they have any wisdom about getting off the waitlist.

In the meantime, hang in there!!!!

Laurie
 
MabdulD,

I've got about the same stats as you (same MCAT, a little higher overall GPA from berkeley) and I think I know exactly how you feel. Ended up with 5 interviews, and a lot of the same rejections! Plus my interviews seem to go pretty well.

This is me: http://www.mdapplicants.com/viewprofile.php?myid=01630

I'm glad I'm not on the same waitlists as you so I can wholeheartedly wish you luck!
 
My gosh, what is going on here? Mikey, you're strong too. This is so amazing. Guys, I wish I knew what to say. I'm just sorry for you guys. This sucks!

Man, this is such an unfair process.
 
Yeah, this whole admission process cracks me up. But it's got to be something other than stats you guys have. Maybe a bad recommendation? Essay? hmm....
 
I can't believe it! I feel so bad for both you guys. Man, I just don't know what to say! It's unjust. How did your interviews go? What specific questions were you asked and how did you answer them? Were they interviewing a lot of students on the same day at the various schools? Maybe try writing letters of interest/intent or just call them up and let them know you're very serious about going to the schools where you've been waitlisted. I don't know if this'll help but I called GW over a month ago because I seriously thought I may have to re-apply. After having a conversation with a staffer, they invited me for an interview the next day and (long story short) that's where I'm going next year. Definitely call them up and ask about reapplying. The worst thing that could happen is them telling you what to do for next year. The best senerio is for them to realize what great applicants they've waitlisted. Maybe those schools weren't sure you were serious about attending. Good luck with everything.
 
My interviews were mostly conversational, and I had pretty good talks with all of them. I just told them my interest in the school, discussed my extracurriculars some more, things of that nature. At worst, there was a guy at Tulane who seemed preoccupied with something but we still had some sort of connection (he had taken some trips to Taiwan, where I have visited a lot). I don't think my essays are bad. I don't have a lot of LORs but I know that at least 2 of them are very good, and two that might be "cookie cutter" LORs that don't say much, but I know they aren't negative.

Anyway, I've accepted what has happened. I don't remember if I said before but I feel like I applied to too many top 20 schools (somewhat on accident). It's probably a combination of being in California, being a traditional student, being Asian.

I've already sent at least one letter of interest to each school (usually with grade updates from Fall semester) and am drafting a letter of intent to UCSD. Other schools probably wouldn't know about it, would they? The only thing I am worried about is another school catching wind that I want to go to UCSD but UCSD not letting me in anyway. I guess I'll try calling in to a few schools after May 15th if I haven't heard.
 
That sucks, but you can't give up, especially if you are solid applicants like was said before. The fact of the matter is that the process can be very unfair to many and that's why you have to be proactive. Call the dean of admissions if you need to. Send letters or have your boss write a letter and send it to the school (pronto). Offcourse you have to go about this with confidence and transparence. Tell them again how you can be an asset to the school. At this point you got nothing to loose. Don't worry about what other people might think. Confidence is key. Good luck and let us know how it all goes :luck: .
Peace

P.S. I would not contact them if you have done this many times before. Than you'd just sound desparate and annoying but if it's the first time pull out the big gunns :luck: :luck:
 
Thanks to everyone for the kind words of encouragement. Always appreciated.

Just to try to respond in a general sort of way to the questions asked...I don't know what's holding me back. I can't point to anything in my app and say, "That was bad." Something is bad, I know that, this isn't completely random, I just don't know what it is. If I were going to guess, I'd say the ECs because they're a little shallow, and I have no research. And my interviews have generally been okay, with probably Jefferson and Miami being the best of the bunch. My interviewer at NYU seemed to just want to go home--he asked three questions. I tripped up a little at Michigan when one of my interviewers asked me about my weaknesses--which DEFINITELY looked bad. And at UF, I think my big mistake was telling my interviewers what other schools I'd applied to, and then when it was clear that UF didn't fit with the rest of my list, responding to their question of "Why UF?", with basically, "Well, if I weren't from Florida, I probably wouldn't have applied here, but it's cheap, and blah blah blah" Probably, I should have said, "I JUST LOVE UF!!! AND I'VE WANTED TO GO HERE SINCE I WAS TWELVE!!! AND I'D JUST DO ANYTHING TO GET IN!!! I'D CUT OFF MY LEFT FINGER!!!" But I didn't do that, and if I end up going through this mess in two years or so, I'll probably give them the same stupid answer. Still, none of my interviews led directly to rejections, and if the interviews were the only things being held against me, then I probably would have at least gotten more interviews. So, I think it's probably something else that's the problem. Anyway, I'm going to suck it up and call Michigan tomorrow, and ask them what they'd like to see me add to my app for the next time around.

And finally...if anyone else has any answers to the questions I asked in the original post, please share, because I really am interested.
 
5 waitlists, no U.S. acceptances. But i feel like i am at the bottom half of each waitlist. at least i am not by my lonesome self.
 
I'm probably gonna get flamed for this, but it really makes me nauseous when I see such highly qualified and medically-motivated applicants as mikeyboy and MabdulD have results like this from the process, and then see other applicants whom I wouldn't let touch my dead gerbil get in. Honestly - do these schools have some rule where they must reject a certain number of people who are "sure things" on paper and accept a certain number of people who you would logically reject automatically, just so that their ways are more ineffable than God???

Just to ward off any unwarranted flaming, I'm not talking about qualifications just in terms of MCAT scores or GPAs (although these guys are way qualified in those areas as well). They've shadowed and done all the things necessary to show they are interesting, humanistic people and that they would make good doctors. And they seem to be pretty humble guys. WTF???
 
I showed this thread to my girlfriend and she was like, "They have better numbers than you." So, I gave her the whole applicant speech, but the truth is: I still don't get it. My only suggest is apply to a greater diversity of schools, some lower ranked schools. Show tons of interest, be humble, engaging, and try to have during your interviews. This is such bull. If you haven't done any research, that might be an option. I've done a couple of years of research under a big name. So, I'm sure that has helped.

But still, we all can point to many people with much lower numbers, much, much and with less qualifications. This just shows others that you really have to be on your game, killer recs, essay, eager and humble interviews,
 
MabdulD, am I adding correctly? A 38 on the MCAT? wow

Maybe you should call more than one school to ask what they considered to be your weaknesses.

Your stats are great. unbelievable.

Don't give up and stay positive. Let us know what you hear after May 15!
 
MabdulD,

Make a phone call to Jefferson once a week. I know someone who had a high GPA and borderline MCAT, got waitlisted, kept calling them once a week and got in! So call them EVERY WEEK and tell them how you feel about Jeff. They like people who want to get in. Do that!

I hope you get in buddy because you sure deserve it. Good luck.
 
mikeyboy said:
My interviews were mostly conversational, and I had pretty good talks with all of them. I just told them my interest in the school, discussed my extracurriculars some more, things of that nature. At worst, there was a guy at Tulane who seemed preoccupied with something but we still had some sort of connection (he had taken some trips to Taiwan, where I have visited a lot). I don't think my essays are bad. I don't have a lot of LORs but I know that at least 2 of them are very good, and two that might be "cookie cutter" LORs that don't say much, but I know they aren't negative.

Anyway, I've accepted what has happened. I don't remember if I said before but I feel like I applied to too many top 20 schools (somewhat on accident). It's probably a combination of being in California, being a traditional student, being Asian.
Click to expand...

It sounds like your interviews were pretty good. Maybe they just didn't think you were that serious about going to their schools since you're numbers are so awesome. Maybe they thought you were using them as a backup? In any case, it would be worth it to call the schools and ask them "how do I improve my application because I didn't get in anywhere" and after they pull your file and actually look at it, they may pull you off the waitlist next.
 
A friend of mine was in a similar situation last year and he found out very late that a professor he had done research with who wrote him a recommendation had screwed him. The rec was good overall but at the end he said something like he's not independent and he doesn't seem interested in research.

Sometimes a prof. will write a good rec. but add something like at the end. From what I've been told, it can really keep otherwise great candidates out of top schools.
 
I think this thread has become a little too "cry for mikeyboy and mabduld". You guys are both going to end up getting accepted to great schools. So you'll have to wait a little longer for your acceptances than most other people, big deal. I believe that many schools have standardized scoring systems based on gpa, mcat, interview, etc that determines which applicants will get called off the list first. Based on your stats I'm sure you'll get in off all your wl's that have decent movement. I'm also an unfortunate member of this club but only have two waitlists (Tulane and SLU). Despite my somewhat meager status I'm still confident that I have a good shot of getting into SLU and as of right now I'm not making any back-up plans.
 
mdmike24 said:
A friend of mine was in a similar situation last year and he found out very late that a professor he had done research with who wrote him a recommendation had screwed him. The rec was good overall but at the end he said something like he's not independent and he doesn't seem interested in research.

Sometimes a prof. will write a good rec. but add something like at the end. From what I've been told, it can really keep otherwise great candidates out of top schools.
Click to expand...

On that note, based on your stats, I believe you have a bad LOR. You might get along well with the professor and he probably did write a positive letter but as you said, just one bad thing can royally screw you over. Professors that write such letter probably are straight-forward people who write both the good and the bad w/o meaning to actually hurt you. If you don't get off any waitlist, go do research at another lab and use that letter to replace the one that might be causing problem. If your friend had a way of finding out what the problem letter was, ask him how he did it.

On another note, I feel some people have stats that make them overqualified for lower ranked schools but not quite qualified for the awesome schools. In the end, they get a lot of waitlist. The fix is LOR to lower ranked school.

I cry for you too size ten
 
Just a thought... it's not a bad idea to start on a back-up plan. If you need more ECs or new LORs, then get to know people NOW and get involved NOW. And taking a year off isn't the end of the world. You get to explore more options, live somewhere you might not otherwise get to live, travel, meet more than just pre-meds, and go to a school you really want to go to. Once you enter med school, that's it. For the rest of your life. By the time you get out and have some sort of money, you will be in your mid-30s and probably have family-type responsibilities. Being in your early 20s and on your own is GREAT.

Also, talk to Kay. I think she reads your recommendations? if I remember right. So she could tell you if you should maybe pick someone else, if that was your problem. Remember, she's there to help you get in to med school, so use her as a resource.
 
Wow, you guys look like very attractive applicants on paper. Maybe it was a bad LOR or two? Then again, your stats should've been more than enough to counteract that!
 
doctorvenkman said:
Wow, you guys look like very attractive applicants on paper. Maybe it was a bad LOR or two? Then again, your stats should've been more than enough to counteract that!
Click to expand...

I don't think stats can counteract a bad LOR. there's enough applicants with enough good stats that med schools just need a reason to not accept you. i really think that for top schools, you need good numbers to stay competitive as an applicant but numbers don't get you in. things like LORs and experiences do.
 
mdmike24 said:
I don't think stats can counteract a bad LOR. there's enough applicants with enough good stats that med schools just need a reason to not accept you. i really think that for top schools, you need good numbers to stay competitive as an applicant but numbers don't get you in. things like LORs and experiences do.
Click to expand...

I realize this, and as I mentioned I know that 2 of my letters are excellent, because one let me read it (even though I signed a waiver), one is a doctor & part-time prof at UCSF who said "I don't see why they wouldn't want you" while the other two I really don't know about. Then again, I have no idea how I would go about checking this (I don't suppose my letter service will send me a copy).

Anyway, I'll be calling in with updates to my address and phone numbers soon, I guess I'll also ask them about how to improve my app. At WashU, my interviewer asked me "if you didn't get into medical school, although I don't see why this would happen, what would you do?" Maybe she was just being polite, but things like this really make me wonder what it was.

And, size_tens, I'm sure everyone here wishes you luck. I wasn't asking for sympathy, just wanted to note that I was in the same position as the OP. I'm still confident that I deserve to get in, and that I will, but stranger things have happened, which is why I'm making (preliminary) backup plans.
 
mikeyboy said:
Then again, I have no idea how I would go about checking this (I don't suppose my letter service will send me a copy).
Click to expand...

You might try asking the premed advisor at your school to check your recommendations for you and suggest if you need new ones or not or if you shouldn't be sending certain ones.
 
Just to clarify my last post, in no way am I bothered by Mikey and Mabdul getting support from the thread. I wish you guys the best of luck too just like everyone else. However I don't feel the kind of sympathy that others do for you because I'm sure you'll both end up getting into schools that you will be happy to attend. People are posting like its August and the process is over. There's still plenty of good news to come in the next month or two :luck:
 
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