How late is too late?

[Ranger]

I applied to AACOMAS on Dec.1st and I never thought I'd hear from ANY school. I applied thinking it would be a good practice run for 2001. I came back from a vacation to Colorado and found my mailbox full. 17 of 19 schools sent me secondary applications!!! I was totally blown away! Now I'm scrambling trying to find profs for reqs and I'm terribly concerned about the amount of money I could end up spending to apply. There is no way I can afford to apply to everyone! I'm thinking it would be a waste of money to apply to certain schools, but I can't decide. Isn't it really, really, really late in the application process anyways? Aren't most classes filled by now? If I don't apply to some schools this year will they bother with me next year? If anyone has any advice for Mr. Procrastination please let me know? I don't even know which are considered the top schools. Anyone?!!!

Thanks,

*RHC*

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[DocGibby]

Ranger,

Yes, just about every school has at least half their class full and their feb interviews already lined up. If your just getting secondaries your really behind. The fact of the matter is that everyone recieves a secondary. The standards for recieving a secondary from just about every school are fairly low (gpa's in the 2.0 range). That said I would still send an app to just a few schools 3 or 4 max that you really want to go to. You never know. Besides when you reapply it will look good that you have continued interest in their program.

 

[darly]

Ranger,

January is kind of late to be filling out applications. Most of the classes are almost full or will be full by the time you interview. I agree with the previous post that apply to only the ones you REALLY want to go to. Don't apply to state schools (schools that favor in-state applicants) if you're not from that state. I applied to 13 schools and wish that I applied to less. I spent over $1000. These are the schools that I wish I didn't apply to... UNECOM, MSUCOM, OSUCOM, WVSOM, and a few other ones. Not because they're not good schools, but because they favor in-state applicants. Good luck on your applications.

 

[turtleboard]

My friend decided to apply to osteopathic medical school a little late in the game, and sent in his AACOMAS at the end of January last year. He received his secondaries, filled them out, and eventually was admitted to (my favorite) osteopathic med school around June or July.

I think if you're just applying now, and you do interview, you'll probably be waitlisted. Classes fill quickly. But when the year's about to begin, a lot of people take off and decide not to do it or go somewhere else. You'll still have a chance though.


Tim of New York City.

 

[Ranger]

Thanks DocGibby, darly,& turtleboard! I appreciate your responses and I've decided to apply only to TCOM, Oklahoma State, Michigan State, Kansas City, Kirksville & Pikesville. But is it really true that EVERYONE gets a secondary?!!! DocGibby kinda burst my bubble when he/she said that about everyone getting one. Don't get me wrong, I still am baffled at the fact that ANYONE was interested at all.

So, is it really true that OSU and MSU favor instate residents? What does that mean for someone like me who is from Texas? Don't bother??? What about Kirksville and Kansas City? Any opinions about those two schools?

Thanks to turtleboard for the encouragement! I would be totally blown away if something happened this year!!! God, that would be cool!

Again, thanks for the insights and I would appreciate any other feedback you might have.

*Robert*

 

[darly]

Ranger,

I don't really recommend you applying to MSUCOM. I was told by others that it was one of the schools to not apply to. I am sure the program is great (according to people currently attending the school), but the application was very tedious. I had to ask my professors to write separate letters (I think it was the same for Pikesville, and that's why I didn't send back the secondary). I thought it was a big hassle for me and my professors (especially since I had very little chance at either schools). I do recommend you applying to TCOM, Kirksville, and Kansas City though.

It's great that you are willing to go through all this for the experience. I did the same this year. I wanted to wait one year to improve my GPA and MCAT scores, but I got in. So you never know...

 

[Ranger]

darly, I agree about some of the apps being a bit tedious but what the hell. It will be good practice for next year and that's the way I'm looking at it. hopefully Murphy's Law will play its part and I'll get in this year. But I don't want to get my hopes up and then get shot down...that's too tough to handle, so next year!!!

By the way, what do you think about the early decision programs offered by TCOM and the such? I'm thinking about that for this year.

Thanks,

*Robert*

 

[Lennox]

Reiterating what others have said: Get moving! Take the weekend off if need be, but get those apps in.

Most schools send a secondary to everyone, but MSU and KC are a bit more selective. If you get your letters together quickly you still have a shot, albeit a bit slim.

Good luck and keep us posted. If not this year then the next you'll be in medical school.

 

[DJ]

Ranger,

FYI: Kirksville may still be interested in interviewing more applicants. They called me up earlier this month and wanted to know why I haven't turned in my secondary yet.

Make sure you call up those schools that you are thinking of submitting secondaries to. And ask adcom: how late do they still interview? how full the classes are? how many people get accepted off the wait-list...

I really like your attitude toward this application cycle. Just keep things in perspective. If you get in this year, that would be awfully great, but if not, don't get discouraged.

Keep us updated on how things go. Good luck!


------------------
DJ
WU/COMP Class of 2004!



[This message has been edited by DJ (edited 01-28-2000).]

 

[Ranger]

Thanks for the flood of advice from everyone! I can't tell you how much I appreciate those of you who have posted to my question and a huge kudos to Ruth who not only emailed me but my a total God thing, met me for coffee to share her TCOM experience and offered more advice than any other pre-med and so freely and out of genuine kindness!!! You are truly a God send and I am so fired up about my visit to TCOM today!!! I already want to go there more than ANYWHERE else and I haven't even visited the school!!!
Again thanks to all of you who have written or emailed I'm overwhelmed by the amount of collaboration among the pre-meds on this site. It is something I only wish we could move to the real world out there. We are all in this together...why don't we build each other up more?! Maybe you and your friends would ALL be accepted if we took more of a unified stand. Anyways, just food for thought.
I'm off to Fort Worth and I'll let you know how it turned out on Sunday!!!
Thanks again to all & have a great weekend!

Sincerely,

*Robert*

 

[DocGibby]

Ranger,

Go to USNEWS.com and check out the medical schools there. It will provide you with information on out of state acceptances for most all the schools. In some cases, for instance MSUCOM, the out-of-state numbers are really low which gives you a good idea about your chances for acceptance. West virginia will usually deny your secondary immediately unless your from the appalacia region (this happened to a personal friend of mine and others on this site). Anyway, check the numbers and base your decisions on that. Just remember if the acceptance numbers are low then that means your chances of getting accepted are decreased and you'll need stellar scores to beat out the other hundred or so applicants from the other 49 states.

Regarding secondaries. I believe if you look in the AACOMAS school pamplet it will tell you the minimum GPA needed to apply to that particular school. You'll see that the requirement is a little on the low side with all the schools. If you meet or exceed that minimum requirement along with completing or in the process of completing the necessary class requirements, you'll undoubtably recieve a secondary. Of course they'll always be exceptions, but this is generally the case. The secondaries, of course, are reviewed much more! thoroughly.

Well good luck and keep us posted on your progress. By the way, get those secondaries and recomendation letters in ASAP.

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DocGibby
MSUCOM class of 2004

 

[DocGibby]

One more thing. UHSCOM takes students from all over the country, they don't have state preferences. Very nice school by the way. I'm fairly certain Kirksville has the same policies. Darly pretty much summed up the schools which take a majority of their applicants from their state or region. OSUCOM, MSUCOM, WVCOM, UNECOM, Pikesville. That's pretty much it, perhaps one or two others. Also, in answer to your previous post, I'm a HE.

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DocGibby
MSUCOM class of 2004

[This message has been edited by DocGibby (edited 01-28-2000).]

 

[Pepe]

Congratulations on your interview. I hope you had a good time and got through all the snow o.k. One thing you have to your advantage is the fact that most of the allopathic schools in Texas work on a match system. The list came out on Jan. 15th and a certain amount of people that have been accepted to TCOM could possibly take their match into an allopathic program. There are three people at my school alone that were accepted into TCOM but will take their match at an allopathic school. This situation should free up some slots into TCOM. Please note that this post is not intended to start any war between MD vs. DO vs. MD wannabee's, people for or against the match system, people who like Texas or don't, early applicant or late applicants or any other group of people with a difference. What happens is that people who don't want to go to DO school for whatever reason go somewhere else, and people who want to go to DO school get the chance. Good for everybody

 

[darly]

Robert,

I think DJ may be right about KIrksville. They called me last week asking for my new transcript. I didn't think med schools would follow up on your apps like that. Out of all the schools, I've found the admissions people at Kirksville to be most helpful and the friendliest.
Also... doesn't MSU have a two-week deadline on their app? Get that in quickly! Good luck on your application process and don't forget to update us!