help me get in to Maine MC! - waitlist Q's

[allylz]

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Hello everyone!

today I got a note from Maine Medical Center saying that I am on their waitlist and that their interview schedule is full.

PLEASE! If you are not interested in Maine Medical Center, please, cancel your interview if you have one because I am dying to get an interview there and my couples match partner and I will need to cancel his interview if I don't get one.

On a side note, does anyone know how likely you are to get an interview if you are waitlisted? I haven't read much addressing this issue here and suddenly it is important! Is it pretty much guaranteed because people start shuffling interviews a lot later in the season? Or should I be freaking out right now? Maine is basically my only chance to get back to New England where I am from, because I doubt I'm going to get interviews at Harvard and every other New England school is out because they don't work for my couples match partner.

Is being on the waitlist one of those kinds of things where I should be sending them letters begging and pleading, and with any new information about how great I am? Or is that not really the 'done thing' in this process.

Any and all comments appreciated, thanks in advance!

 

[streetdoc]

Hello everyone!

today I got a note from Maine Medical Center saying that I am on their waitlist and that their interview schedule is full.

PLEASE! If you are not interested in Maine Medical Center, please, cancel your interview if you have one because I am dying to get an interview there and my couples match partner and I will need to cancel his interview if I don't get one.

On a side note, does anyone know how likely you are to get an interview if you are waitlisted? I haven't read much addressing this issue here and suddenly it is important! Is it pretty much guaranteed because people start shuffling interviews a lot later in the season? Or should I be freaking out right now? Maine is basically my only chance to get back to New England where I am from, because I doubt I'm going to get interviews at Harvard and every other New England school is out because they don't work for my couples match partner.

Is being on the waitlist one of those kinds of things where I should be sending them letters begging and pleading, and with any new information about how great I am? Or is that not really the 'done thing' in this process.

Any and all comments appreciated, thanks in advance!

allyz,
I'm sorry to hear about your waitlist. I am not willing to give up my slot (love the program from what i've seen), but I will say that i am starting to cancel interviews already. I hope you will get a slot once others start cancelling-and hopefully they will do it sooner rather than later.
Good luck and stay optimistic!
streetdoc

 

[allylz]

Hey streetdoc!

Thanks for the support! I can understand why you wouldn't want to cancel - I think Maine looks awesome too. But then again there are plenty of people who might not be into the frozen tundra like we are. 🙂

Hope to see you on the interview trail.

 

[membsr-8890]

Ally -
Maine just recently offered me an interview, maybe this means that some slots have opened up? Good luck.

 

[allylz]

Ally -
Maine just recently offered me an interview, maybe this means that some slots have opened up? Good luck.

Well, no, unfortunately I just got waitlisted a few hours ago so I think that's the last word. But I had e-mailed the PD prior to receiving the waitlist e-mail to let him know I was couples matching, and he wrote me back to say that he was going through the applications in small groups, so just because I hadn't heard back yet and others had wasn't necessarily a bad sign.

Unfortunately, now it appears that he did review my application but their slots are full. Hope that means I'm not at the bottom of the list!

 

[allylz]

BTW, membsr-8890, welcome to SDN! - that was a for EctopicFetus.

🙂

 

[EctopicFetus]

BTW, membsr-8890, welcome to SDN! - that was a for EctopicFetus.

🙂

thanks for the

 

[kbrown]

Outstanding program. Good Luck!!! The people are outstanding, hopefully you get an interview.

 

[allylz]

Outstanding program. Good Luck!!! The people are outstanding, hopefully you get an interview.

shhh! you're encouraging them not to cancel! ;-)

Thanks for the good vibes.

 

[Hawk22]

Have they really offered all their interview slots before the deans letter even went out? That seems a little odd to me.

 

[mikecwru]

Hello everyone!

today I got a note from Maine Medical Center saying that I am on their waitlist and that their interview schedule is full.

PLEASE! If you are not interested in Maine Medical Center, please, cancel your interview if you have one because I am dying to get an interview there and my couples match partner and I will need to cancel his interview if I don't get one.

On a side note, does anyone know how likely you are to get an interview if you are waitlisted? I haven't read much addressing this issue here and suddenly it is important! Is it pretty much guaranteed because people start shuffling interviews a lot later in the season? Or should I be freaking out right now? Maine is basically my only chance to get back to New England where I am from, because I doubt I'm going to get interviews at Harvard and every other New England school is out because they don't work for my couples match partner.

Is being on the waitlist one of those kinds of things where I should be sending them letters begging and pleading, and with any new information about how great I am? Or is that not really the 'done thing' in this process.

Any and all comments appreciated, thanks in advance!

I personally would not waste the personal effort or money. Every program is different... they all tell you "You're on even ground," once you get an interview, but that's not always the case. For a lot of programs, the interview is just a fraction of an overall score, that goes into the rank list. By all means, if there are family ties, give it a shot, but just be realistic, even if you get an interview.

mike

 

[BKN]

I personally would not waste the personal effort or money. Every program is different... they all tell you "You're on even ground," once you get an interview, but that's not always the case. For a lot of programs, the interview is just a fraction of an overall score, that goes into the rank list. By all means, if there are family ties, give it a shot, but just be realistic, even if you get an interview.

mike

I don't know. Plenty of folks have come in from the cold successfully at our place. The pool is so darn good that there were a lot of stars on our wait list last year.

 

[mikecwru]

I don't know. Plenty of folks have come in from the cold successfully at our place. The pool is so darn good that there were a lot of stars on our wait list last year.

I know, there is some wiggle room, but I mean, it's unrealistic to think if you basically didn't make the cut for the interview, that there is going to be much of a click during the interview that you'll be handed the key. Distance/convenience of travel is also a factor. If it meant family circumstances, etc, I would try, and if I had my heart set on it, I guess I would try, but I would just want the applicant to be realistic about it.


mike

 

[kbrown]

Have they really offered all their interview slots before the deans letter even went out? That seems a little odd to me.

it's a small program, so it doesn't take much to fill up. plus everyone who interviews there LOVES IT, so they don't have to interview a billion people. they did this last year also. i was couples matching, i hadn't received and offer yet, but my partner had. i called and asked if they could make an exception. they put me on the waiting list. i got a phone call/email in JANUARY, that they could interview me.

dean's letters really aren't that helpful. unless you are a huge tool, your letter's of recommendation will say exactly what your dean's letter says. it (dean's letter) can only hurt you, it rarely is the deal-maker.

 

[EctopicFetus]

I know, there is some wiggle room, but I mean, it's unrealistic to think if you basically didn't make the cut for the interview, that there is going to be much of a click during the interview that you'll be handed the key. Distance/convenience of travel is also a factor. If it meant family circumstances, etc, I would try, and if I had my heart set on it, I guess I would try, but I would just want the applicant to be realistic about it.


mike

Maybe Im overly optimistic but the interview is your chance to sell yourself. If you havent gotten an interview and been placed on the waitlist you can make a difference. Forget whats on paper you might be able to make them realize how great you are!

 

[allylz]

Forget whats on paper you might be able to make them realize how great you are!

I totally agree. I think I could knock them out at the interview. I do great on subjective evaluations and am good at making a positive impression on people. Anyhow, what's the worst they can say if I bug them, it's no. I just want them to know that I am really interested and it's not just another random school I applied to.


Just as an update for anyone who cares, I wrote to the program and got a very friendly note from the PD saying that the waitlist is short and that it is likely a slot will open up in January. So I feel a lot better now! There is hope!

 

[BKN]

Just as an update for anyone who cares, I wrote to the program and got a very friendly note from the PD saying that the waitlist is short and that it is likely a slot will open up in January. So I feel a lot better now! There is hope!

Good, that doesn't surprise me. People really do get pooped out after a while and start canceling. We went all the way through our wait list and a couple beyond the last 2 years.

 

[EctopicFetus]

Some people have the stamina for 12-15 interviews. I did a total of 10. 1 Peds/EM, 8 EM, and one prelim.. I was beyond pooped.

Of the 8, 2 were at places I rotated at.. I was beyond pooped.. I do recommend taking some time and having fun. I stayed for 1 week in SoCal with a buddy and only did 2 interviews in that time. It was nice to relax a little.