I got the Utah dump! Beware for all applicants.

[Medical123]

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I have had a problem with getting one of the people who is supposed to be writing my letters of recommendation for me to do so (though she claims that she did). Well, today, I trudge out to my mailbox to find that I have been dumped by Utah, thanks to her!

Dear X:

The deadline for completed applications for admission to the University of Utah School of Medicine was 30 days from the date of the letter requesting the material. We have not received the necessary information to complete your file. At this time, we have taken final action on your application and classified it as inactive for this year. No further processing will be considered during this admission cycle.

The following information is missing:

Letter of recommendation from someone who can verify your medical experience

I appreciate your interesti in the University of Utah School of Medicine. If you have questions, please call our office......

I am so mad that I could just cry at the moment! I have heard of being rejected, but INACTIVATED!!!!!

Oh yeah, they did take my money!

Do you think it would be wise to contact them and see what can be done to rectify this situation, or do you think it is already too late? I was really interested in this school... until today.

 

[lola]

🙁 you might as well try if you like the school. if they say no then start yelling at them, telling them they suck, and that you want your money back

 

[aquaboy]

Yeah, they are sticklers at Utah about that 30 day policy. It sucks that this year they made us have 6 lor's instead of the usual 3 or the one that a premed committee writes for you. I had to bust my hump to get everything turned in on time and I see their admissions tactics as a way to weed out applicants. I would ask for my money back though because I don't think the "dump" letter was worth $75. As for trying to plead your case Utah is not very understanding and the chances of you being reconsidered are slim. They ususally say "go ahead and file and appeal, but they are never accepted". Sorry about your experience and I am sure that some med school will be proud to have you!🙂

 

[futurdoc11]

Well, if the letter was actually sent and it has been awhile, most likely it is lost somewhere in our wonderful mail system. I would just call up the admissions office and explain to them that the letter most likely got lost and ask them if you could have another letter wrote and sent in ASAP. It's worth a try. All they can do is say "no". Hopefully they will be considerate. After all, they should earn the money that you gave them!

 

[Adcadet]

yet another reason pre-meds need to organize and demand med school admission reform.

 

[Medical123]

Originally posted by futurdoc11
Well, if the letter was actually sent and it has been awhile, most likely it is lost somewhere in our wonderful mail system. I would just call up the admissions office and explain to them that the letter most likely got lost and ask them if you could have another letter wrote and sent in ASAP. It's worth a try. All they can do is say "no". Hopefully they will be considerate. After all, they should earn the money that you gave them!

Unfortunately, I have discovered that a number of schools that I have applied to did not get this person's letter of recommendation. However, most have been very accommodating and willing to work with me on this and tell me that this happens a lot. I just wish that if the person was not going to write the letters, she would have just said so, rather than lie to me about it.

You guys have been great with your replies! I am sure that I will not be attending Utah next year, but for those of you still in the game....good luck!

 

[DoubleDoctor]

One of my letters was taking a long time to get to the adm office. This was from a vice president of the university, and I know for a fact that he sent it so I just called his office and talked to the secretary and she faxed a copy to the adm office and kept a copy of her fax transmission report for me. I then confirmed with the adm office that they had received it (incidentally, they received the "hard" copy the very next day). At Miami, mail moves very quickly through the university system but at UC it takes much longer. Just a thought to give you an option that you might try. Also, it might get your letter writer on the ball if they really didn't write the letter.

 

[Zoobaby]

Originally posted by Medical123
Unfortunately, I have discovered that a number of schools that I have applied to did not get this person's letter of recommendation. However, most have been very accommodating and willing to work with me on this and tell me that this happens a lot. I just wish that if the person was not going to write the letters, she would have just said so, rather than lie to me about it.

You guys have been great with your replies! I am sure that I will not be attending Utah next year, but for those of you still in the game....good luck!

If I were you I'd pee on the letter from Utah and send it to your recommender. Her lateness screwed your chances at that school, plain and simple. If she couldn't send the letter on time she should not have agreed to write it, I totally agree.

I hate people like that.

 

[conure]

I have been stressing over the U of U becuse of their seemingly petty policies.

Between having to write that god awful personal statement and then these B*S* 6 LORs, they are driving me nuts. I hope all the letters I sent qualify. I have five letters and have classified them but I'm worried that they won't meet their criteria. What if they don't? Will I be dumped also or will I be given a chance to submit a new letter?

Don't they realize how incredibly difficult it is to get these LORs in the first place, let alone on short notice (ie 30 days).

It comes down to the fact that they want an easy way to limit their application pool.

 

[CaptainAmerica]

I had trouble getting one of my recommenders to send a letter, so I called a couple of schools and asked if I could just get some one else to write a letter for me. The guy I asked for the new letter was very sympathetic with my plight and had one ready the following day. If you have alternative recommenders, you might try that if you still have other schools waiting. I understand that you might not have that option, though. I was lucky enough to work in a hospital where I knew a lot of the physicians and it saved me. Good luck!