-
The 2026-2027 MD School Specific Threads are now live in the School Specific Discussions forum. The 2025-2026 cycle threads can be found here. -
Scholarship Access: Becoming a Student Doctor course
Free access to comprehensive medical school prep. Eligible students include AAMC FAP recipients and HS graduates from underserved areas. Apply today.
May 15th Waitlist Countdown Thread
Started by mdeast
I'm not applying til this coming cycle, but I just wanted to let you know that I am keeping my fingers crossed for you to come off the Penn WL. I know how badly you want to get in there!
So here's what I don't get: if people have to withdraw from all their extra schools by May 15th, how are people expecting that there to be WL movement/notifications on that day? Isn't that too fast of a turn around? Especially since not all schools rank their waitlist?
Show me some love Mississippi 
ditto this - i'm curious as well. i am on the waitlist for my first choice school and would love to know where i'm moving this summer and whether i will come out of med school with minimal debt or look forward to being best friends with my loan institution.
Waitlist movement is easier. It's handled usually by one committee member (not the whole committee). There's no having to get everyone together, debate things. One person has total control.
They usually wait a few days after May 15th to tally up all the accepted students who withdrew (how many free spots are left?) and all the wait-list candidates who have withdrawn (who's left that's really interested?).
Crossing my fingers for everyone. Thanks for the encouragement.
Advertisement - Members don't see this ad
Thanks for the explanation on this! I figured there would probably be a waiting period of maybe a week after May 15th.
Ohhh. Very helpful. Thank you!
I'm down to the single digits at Iowa. Hopefully any day now...
No problem. I think it's different at each school. But once you only have one person doing the movement...it's becomes a simple game of having a pile of apps in front of you and picking the ones you like. Sending emails close to decision time...might remind that person of your application.
can't wait!
calls technically can go throughout the summer if people that are offered off the waitlist don't accept their spots, correct?
also, does anyone know/understand how the unranked waitlists work? how does the admissions committee or rather, that one admissions person that mdeast mentioned, decide who gets in off the WL? i mean there has to be some kind of rankings system at least internally, no?
calls technically can go throughout the summer if people that are offered off the waitlist don't accept their spots, correct?
also, does anyone know/understand how the unranked waitlists work? how does the admissions committee or rather, that one admissions person that mdeast mentioned, decide who gets in off the WL? i mean there has to be some kind of rankings system at least internally, no?
I don't know if this applies to the majority of schools with unranked waitlists, but the school I am waitlisted at has their admission committee meet periodically throughout the summer in order to choose people off the waitlist. Since it is an unranked waitlist, they look at students who were accepted and withdrew, and choose waitlisted students whose demographics are similar to those who withdrew. So geographics, undergrad institution, race (they will never publicize this factor but it is definitely true), and gender all play a role in who they choose.
Thats a good question. I always wondered this. Do they not rank the waitlist so that they can admit an applicant who might fill holes in a class? For example, if the average MCAT for the class is getting a little low after the withdrawls an admin might let in someone with a very high mcat but weaker application elsewhere, (i.e. they may admit people off an unranked waitlist that fill in holes in their overall statistics). This is what I have come up with in my head, but is an interesting idea, although likely wrong.
All of this stuff makes me really glad that my WL is ranked. Every time I have called so far (about twice a month) I have been able to track my movement on the list. I don't know how you guys handle the unranked lists. Knowing your spot is nerve-wracking enough...
What school is this?
Advertisement - Members don't see this ad
I'll be waiting anxiously the entire week from May 15th to the 22nd.
vanderbilt? Me too. Penn, Stanford, Cornell.
comeeeonnnnn Pritzkahh!
comeeeonnnnn Pritzkahh!
OMG! You rick-rolled me. Touche.
ah!! i need love from the waitlists!! i'm dying here! waaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhh going crazy with the gmail and SDN constant checks!!
Meh, I've lost all hope for Vandy because I need like 70 people to drop just before they even start pulling from the waitlist.
I was talking about Baylor.
Sorry to be playing devil's advocate. But one thing to remember about waitlist movement is that most schools over accept. Some schools accept twice the size of their entering class assuming half of the students accepted will withdraw. If more than that number withdraw then there is waitlist movement. Although I am on the wailist at couple of schools, I do not anticipate any luck and def. will not be holding my breathe.
Advertisement - Members don't see this ad
Definitely. It helps to know the school's history and check from last year's threads to see how many people came off the waitlist.
For example:
-VCU only accepts their class size and takes from the waitlist as peope withdraw, so they have lots of waitlist movement. 👍
-On the other side, Vanderbilt had 160+ at their second look (not including the ones that didn't show up) with a class size of 110, meaning about 80 or 90 people will have to withdraw just for them to start taking from their waitlist that includes EVERYBODY that interviewed but didn't get in. 👎
-Baylor also over-accepts, I think 🙁
WOOT ! Thx for showing some love Mississippi...
Congrats!!!! I saw your earlier post and then that your signature was Mississippi..that was fast! 🙂
Lucky for me, the school that I want to get accepted off the waitlist has a history of NOT overaccepting, their deposit is due by May 1st, loved update letters ( I sent 4), AND up to half of their class is off the WL. I have a friend who already got off the waitlist sometime within the last month or so....
Thanks...Iv been waitlisted here since January...and its been killer, but well worth the wait.
Atleast the waitlist at your school is moving. As long as it is, you have a chance of getting in.
I wish you the best of luck
GOOD LUCK EVERYONE!! I'm waiting to get off waitlists too and it's killlllllling me!
For those of you who want a good laugh in these next few anxious days, you should check this video out. It's all I see in my head when I hear the original hahaha
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9C3kHl-V4dY
For those of you who want a good laugh in these next few anxious days, you should check this video out. It's all I see in my head when I hear the original hahaha
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9C3kHl-V4dY
omg that video is HILARIOUS.
Althought I am also waiting for some WL movement...Don't count too much on it.
Meh, I've lost all hope for Vandy because I need like 70 people to drop just before they even start pulling from the waitlist.
I was talking about Baylor.
lack of WL movement aside, which would be your top choice? Baylor or Vandy?
Advertisement - Members don't see this ad
you have some great options though! and, IIRC, an acceptance at my fav school at which i am on the WL.......which i suppose is why I await the deadline as well.
👍👍👍
Since my WL school's deposit deadline is May 1st I'm hoping for movement in the next couple of weeks
I still haven't been accepted at any medical schools but am waitlisted at 3 schools -- Wake Forest (since October), Eastern Virginia (around March), and George Washington (around March). Does anyone know about their waitlist movement? Wake Forest and GW are pretty tightlipped, but EVMS has told me that I am in the top 1/3 of the waitlist and that my chances depend on whether other Canadian applicants withdraw their applications (yes I'm Canadian..)
Also frustrating is whether I should start preparing for the next cycle (for entry in fall 2011), which would mean that I would have to start thinking about retaking the MCAT (last time I took it was summer 2007) and writing a personal statement again. Any advice or suggestions? Thanks!
I guess Vandy for the location. But Baylor is a good bit cheaper.
May 15th is on a Saturday this year, so I would think movement will be much less on that day than in earlier years.
I'm guessing Tuesday (maybe Monday) will be the big day.
Advertisement - Members don't see this ad
