Latest that anyone was accepted off a waitlist

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Adapt

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Can people talk about instances when someone was accepted off of a waitlist really close to when school started. I'm trying to see if this happens often.

I may be in this situation, and the thing is I would hate it if I get off the waitlist a week before I start at another school. That ruins all plans of roommates and the such.

Is it common to get off the waitlist in mid to late July?
 
ironically enough, today my sister was telling me about a guy in her class who was accepted the day before classes started! also, she was accepted to her current school in july.
 
At one of my interviews the admissions director talked with us about getting off of waitlists. He said that last year they had taken someone from the waitlist a week or two before classes started; one of their incoming students had suffered a head injury in an automobile accident affecting his/her term memory, so he/she had to give up their spot.

I would think that when it gets to be that late in the game, many people would hesitate to jump boats so close to starting school, and the spot will likely reach somone with no other commitments/plans. Just my theory though. I just know that I would hesitate to switch schools once the mid/late summer comes.
 
What if you have a LOI at a school and they accept you after you've found a place to live and all that - really late? Do you have to give everything up and leave because of it?
 
Originally posted by AlreadyInDebt
What if you have a LOI at a school and they accept you after you've found a place to live and all that - really late? Do you have to give everything up and leave because of it?
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That's what I was thinking also. It would suck because I'm not sure how seriously it would be to reject their offer after you sent them a LOI.
 
i heard of people getting in like first week of classes or the night before.

loi's are not legally binding as far as im concerned. no one is going to sue u. well maybe they can??
 
I know 2 people that got accepted pretty late - one the day before, one 2 weeks before.

I also heard from a student tour guide that someone he knew was accepted in 3 days AFTER classes started.
 
One of my best friends got off the waitlist for Yale the first week in August. She was in town moving in to her apartment to go to another med school. Got the call that she was accepted to Yale (her first choice by far!). Literally dropped everything, and drove up to CT to find a place to live. She found a place, and is as happy as could be. 🙂 So, you never know what can happen.
 
I guess my question is how the heck do they do it. They probably can't find a roommate and it would be difficult to get an apartment. How can schools do that to people.
 
Originally posted by Adapt
How can schools do that to people.
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It's not like the schools are holding out on spots. They had someone give up their slot at the last minute. Go ahead & get frustrated with the student, not the school. 🙂


To answer your question, though: we had someone in my class & in the class behind me get accepted within a couple of days of orientation starting. The one in my class had to move from another state, too. They don't let anyone start after orientation begins, though.
 
Originally posted by Adapt
I guess my question is how the heck do they do it. They probably can't find a roommate and it would be difficult to get an apartment. How can schools do that to people.
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At BU, dean witzburg said that someone was called the morning of classes one year and offered a place in the class- she dropped everything and got up there pronto- thought i think she missed the first day!

i dont think that you are looking at it the right way- schools arent doing anything to people - they want to have their classes filled to full capacity, and if someone drops out the day before school starts, they want to fill that position - they are doing a great thing by calling up that student who was sitting on pins and needles waiting to hear from that school, convinced they would either not be starting medical school that year or not going where they really wanted - its a great thing in fact !! just think how excited that student would be

I think its a slight pain in the neck to relocate so quickly, but if you are set on doing it, it will work out
 
So I guess a way a school can prevent people from going to other schools where they got off the waitlist is to start really early like in July. That'll show those other schools or those lazy students. 😡

Of course that assumes that a student got into 2 schools.
 
I had a friend who got into the univ of colorado on the 4th day of orientation last year: someone dropped out during orientation. He already lived close to the school, it was his second year applying, and it was the only school he'd applied to, so they knew he was going to say yes.
 
One of the docs I worked with went to undegrad in CA though he was a KS resident. He got into KU but was waitlisted at Stanford. He was paged in the airport on his way from LA to Kansas City to turn around and head back to Stanford.
 
I posted this on the other thread, but I thought it would be more appropriate for this one:

What do you guys think about booking a trip to Europe in the month of July when you are still waiting for a waitlist position right now? My worst nightmare would be I am still waitlisted in July and for some reason my presence was essential for getting in at the last hour. On the one hand, insuring I go to med school next year is my biggest priority. But, on the other hand, I want to be able to enjoy my summer with my friends for the last time.

Is being out of the country for a waitlister a bad idea?
 
Hi everyone,

I don't post often but I have a lot of waitlist experience and would be happy to talk to anyone with questions. I got into my very top choice school the third week of July. I was given a week to decide whether or not I wanted the spot.

The way that a number of schools end up handing out acceptances so late is exactly the process that I just described. They have a spot open up. They offer it to one person. They give that person a week. That person turns them down, then they offer the spot to someone else, they get a week etc. There aren't really that many weeks in the summer and schools typically don't even start offering wait list spots until late May.

As far as the LOI goes...you are always free to cancel your applications and indeed many people will probably write letters of withdrawls to a number of schools who have kept you waiting that you are no longer interested in. Schools completely understand that at some point in the summer you simply can't wait any longer.

Another thing to remember is that within reason, all is fair in love and getting into med school. Since being admitted late off the waitlist to my school, I have talked to the director of admissions at my school many times. If you are reasonable in how you treat the waitlist (i.e. don't start sending the admissions people flowers and chocolates) they respect the fact that this is a difficult position for you to be in. Even if you get accepted late in the season, you are given a period of time to make up your mind. You can check out the financial aid packages, you can come to visit again...this is an important decision you are making. The school doesn't want to have someone come that doesn't really want to be there. Every school has people on their waitlist that would give their left kidney to be there. If at any time you decide that you are set and want the process to be over, write the school a nice note telling them that you appreciate their consideration but will be attending school Y, that is perfectly acceptable!

And as for the final question about being out of the country...just make sure you have someone there taking care of things for you and you are easily reachable. You cannot disappear for even a few days!!!! This is important. Make sure the school has a phone number and an address that somone will be checking. Someone should be opening all med school mail and responsible for answering all med school phone calls in your absence. So if dean smith from school x calls, that person can say "merlin is out of the country but has asked me to make sure that he gets any messages from your school." Oh, email must be checked frequently as well. I got an email from my top school asking me "if i was still interested in their program" two days before I got a phone call offering me the position. The email needed to be responded to. The key point is that they do not give you much time to decide late in the summer. You have you have made up your mind that if school y offers you a position you will take it (since you can't revisit it) and you need to have made sure that your financial aid application is complete to that school (if aid is a factor for you).

Hope this helps and good luck!!!!
 
Originally posted by *hopefully*
I posted this on the other thread, but I thought it would be more appropriate for this one:

What do you guys think about booking a trip to Europe in the month of July when you are still waiting for a waitlist position right now? My worst nightmare would be I am still waitlisted in July and for some reason my presence was essential for getting in at the last hour. On the one hand, insuring I go to med school next year is my biggest priority. But, on the other hand, I want to be able to enjoy my summer with my friends for the last time.

Is being out of the country for a waitlister a bad idea?
Click to expand...

maybe you could subscribe to an international cell phone plan for the summer. expensive yes, but if getting into medical school is your highest priority, you could rationalize it as an application expense. btw: I don't know how international plans work, whether you have to subscribe for a year etc...but it's worth looking into.
 
Originally posted by merlin17
Hi everyone,

I don't post often but I have a lot of waitlist experience and would be happy to talk to anyone with questions. I got into my very top choice school the third week of July. I was given a week to decide whether or not I wanted the spot.

The way that a number of schools end up handing out acceptances so late is exactly the process that I just described. They have a spot open up. They offer it to one person. They give that person a week. That person turns them down, then they offer the spot to someone else, they get a week etc. There aren't really that many weeks in the summer and schools typically don't even start offering wait list spots until late May.

As far as the LOI goes...you are always free to cancel your applications and indeed many people will probably write letters of withdrawls to a number of schools who have kept you waiting that you are no longer interested in. Schools completely understand that at some point in the summer you simply can't wait any longer.

Another thing to remember is that within reason, all is fair in love and getting into med school. Since being admitted late off the waitlist to my school, I have talked to the director of admissions at my school many times. If you are reasonable in how you treat the waitlist (i.e. don't start sending the admissions people flowers and chocolates) they respect the fact that this is a difficult position for you to be in. Even if you get accepted late in the season, you are given a period of time to make up your mind. You can check out the financial aid packages, you can come to visit again...this is an important decision you are making. The school doesn't want to have someone come that doesn't really want to be there. Every school has people on their waitlist that would give their left kidney to be there. If at any time you decide that you are set and want the process to be over, write the school a nice note telling them that you appreciate their consideration but will be attending school Y, that is perfectly acceptable!

And as for the final question about being out of the country...just make sure you have someone there taking care of things for you and you are easily reachable. You cannot disappear for even a few days!!!! This is important. Make sure the school has a phone number and an address that somone will be checking. Someone should be opening all med school mail and responsible for answering all med school phone calls in your absence. So if dean smith from school x calls, that person can say "merlin is out of the country but has asked me to make sure that he gets any messages from your school." Oh, email must be checked frequently as well. I got an email from my top school asking me "if i was still interested in their program" two days before I got a phone call offering me the position. The email needed to be responded to. The key point is that they do not give you much time to decide late in the summer. You have you have made up your mind that if school y offers you a position you will take it (since you can't revisit it) and you need to have made sure that your financial aid application is complete to that school (if aid is a factor for you).

Hope this helps and good luck!!!!
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Merlin,

Thanks for the wonderful post!

~AID
 
Thanks for the info merlin.
 
merlin, you rock!

and now, to ask the question that people generally ask: did you send anything to the school between the time they waitlisted you and the day you received that email?

I'm waitlisted at a few places I would consider going to, and this has not been the most happening year of my life. Should I still send a "this is what I've been up to" letter to each of these schools?

Will schools call you up cuz they like your application and remember you from the interview, or do they only pay attention to applicants who send letters of interest, letters of intent, letters of etc.?

Sorry to do what has been done to death, but merlin seems to know this game and I'm interested in what he did to help himself out.
 
Originally posted by *hopefully*
I posted this on the other thread, but I thought it would be more appropriate for this one:

What do you guys think about booking a trip to Europe in the month of July when you are still waiting for a waitlist position right now? My worst nightmare would be I am still waitlisted in July and for some reason my presence was essential for getting in at the last hour. On the one hand, insuring I go to med school next year is my biggest priority. But, on the other hand, I want to be able to enjoy my summer with my friends for the last time.

Is being out of the country for a waitlister a bad idea?
Click to expand...

I'm in the same boat. I plan on taking a trip to europe with my friends right after graduation for 3 weeks. I'm currently waitlisted at a school that I would gladly choose over the one I'm accepted to. If I'm in the same boat when the vacation gets closer I was considering contacting the school and informing them that my parents will be responsible for making the decision for me while I'm at europe and providing the school with appropriate contact info. Do you think that med schools will be willing to do that?
(And of course I would leave strict instructions for my parents as to what to do)
 
Thanks for all your replies!

I think that schools would be fine with you deligating your decision-making power. I'm just a little paranoid
I've heard of people keeping close personal contact with the admissions office at the end of the summer and that is what 'made or break them'. Also, what if you need to search for last minute housing? I'm crazy.
 
Originally posted by *hopefully*
Also, what if you need to search for last minute housing? I'm crazy.
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You can always get a cardboard box your first year. It's not the most comfortable but at least you'll save on rent. 😉
 
I know someone who got accepted 2 days after school started. He had already started at an other school, and when he got the call, he dropped everything and moved states to the other school.

My theory is that the admissions committee just LOVES to torture us. And why not, they have th power to do so.
 
Originally posted by littledoc2be
I know someone who got accepted 2 days after school started. He had already started at an other school, and when he got the call, he dropped everything and moved states to the other school.

My theory is that the admissions committee just LOVES to torture us. And why not, they have th power to do so.
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I thought that once you started at one school, all bets are off and it's not possible to start at another school. 😕
 
To answer the question what did I do during the lovely waiting time...

I sent a letter of intent to my top school early in the summer and told them exactly why I liked their program and why I thought I would fit in well there. I also explained that location of school was extremely important to me and that I would do pretty much anythign to remain in the same state as my fiance. Finally I said that I would attend no matter how late in the summer they offered me the position. I sent one letter, it was one page, that was it...nothing particularly interesting happened in my life during the year I applied so I just said why I wanted to go there. Then I waited. I also sent a letter to a few other schools that I was waitlisted at and made sure that they knew that I was still interested in remaining on the waitlist...these letters weren't nearly as strong as the LOI. I also made sure that if a school sent me a card or anything asking if I wanted to remain on their waitlist that I filled it out and sent it back. All in all I got in off of 3 waitlists and withdrew from a bunch of others.

I don't know exactly how these things work. My school doesn't have a ranked waitlist and they have a new committee meeting each time a space opens up. Our waitlist is also very small so the admissions people know each candidate pretty well by the time the class is full. They have since told me that it is completely fine if people call them up and ask questions and say that it is key to update your file IF something important changes. They will evaluate everything when the time comes. I have actually worked with my admissions director to rewrite all of the waitlist materials so they are new this year. We are also making a huge effort to reach out to the waitlist candidates so make sure that they know that they are wanted just as much as the people who were orginally accepted and that REALLY is just a matter of not having enough space for everyone the school wants to be able to take. I think I'm even the email contact that they will be giving out for candidates to write and bug about questions they woudn't want to ask the admissions directors =) Please don't anyone think that even if you are the very last person to be accepted to your school that you don't deserve to be there every bit as much as the person who was accepted in October. Med schools want to make a well rounded class. If you are accepted, the school thinks that you will add something to their school...it is your job to make sure that you do!

Finally, once you have started a program, you are no longer eligible to be taken off a waitlist. Our admissions director told me that just this year they offered a place to someone in a joint MD/MBA program at another school. Hadn't started the MD, had participated in MBA orientation. The student wasn't allowed to switch to our school...I know, kinda sucks but apparently as soon as you register with one institution, you are no longer a potential candidate at any other institution.
 
This past summer that went by, Summer 2003, I had a friend whom was a lawyer with a high GPA, don't know numbers, and with a 28 MCAT.

Anyhow, this guy was waitlisted at all the schools he applied to, (only Florida schools).

Anyhow, 4 days before this year's starting class (Class of 2007) started medical school at the University of Florida, he was called in a very informal call from the admissions committee.....


No letter or anything, just a call on the phone, and......

He got in.


In other words, he got in 4 days before school started for them at the UF in Gainesville, Fl.

At my university, USF college of medicine, tends to start taking people off the waitlist on May 15th and afterwards. The way it works there, is that those on the waitlist are called between 9am and 12 pm.

If one person isn't there, they don't wait for them to respond. Instead they move down the list and go to the next person, until the class is filled.

Anyhow, I think it is possible but much rarer than those whom get off waitlists early.
 
Originally posted by gujuDoc
... The way it works there, is that those on the waitlist are called between 9am and 12 pm.

If one person isn't there, they don't wait for them to respond. Instead they move down the list and go to the next person, until the class is filled...
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Exactly why I used my Cell Phone number as my primary contact number for AMCAS. I keep it on buzz even in my classes. If I were to glance down during a class and see an out of area-code number, I wouldn't care about class dynamics, I would answer it telling the teacher to hush up! 😀
 
Originally posted by gujuDoc
If one person isn't there, they don't wait for them to respond. Instead they move down the list and go to the next person, until the class is filled.

Anyhow, I think it is possible but much rarer than those whom get off waitlists early.
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That's pretty sad. Your whole life can change just because of a missed phone call. :scared:

Do most schools do this? I put my primary contact as my house number where I don't even live at but my parents do. Crap.🙁
 
Originally posted by Eraserhead
I use my cell phone too. Better change it Slick. I mean ADapt.
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I probably will. However, I can't imagine all schools would just call and if the person doesn't answer move on to the next person. That's harsh.
 
Yah but then again life is harsh.

I mean there are several people on these waitlists and it is very competitive.
 
BUMP

I'm just curious if anyone else has stories of people getting off the waitlist in the summer.
 
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