My Meeting with an Admissions Officer:

[ozzi22]

Oh, I came too late for the fireworks

me too

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[leavitt]

Read my post #47 again. Stop the focus on me, a nobody, and turn your focus on LizzyM who claims to be an adcom.

 

[RogueUnicorn]

I am not in any post-bacc program. Talking to a knowledgeable post-bacc coordinator does not mean I am in the program! Again, I am a nobody. If you have any brains, you'll question LizzyM's credentials. SDN is the one who has been trolling applicants for years.

yea postbac coordinators just talk to randoms all the time. well, maybe just ones in the midwest. or was it brandeis? it's hard for me to keep it straight

 

[Melomare17]

i think this thread derailed after post 11.

we should stay on topic or this thread should be

 

[aSagacious]

While we're on conspiracy theories, how do we know that admissions committees even exist? I could simply scrape the top third off of the applicant pool for each school based on a GPA/MCAT formula and generate a random function to dole out acceptances from there to make people think there's a method to the madness.

 

[leavitt]

And I have no doubt I will be banned and my IP will be blocked but that will be a favor done to me. Anyone who criticizes the mods/SDN are banned. YOU FOLKS AT SDN ARE THE BIGGEST TROLLS AND YOU HAVE FOOLED SEVERAL MEDICAL STUDENTS by giving the impression that it is next to impossible to get into medical school. F*cking gunners!

 

[RogueUnicorn]

And I have no doubt I will be banned and my IP will be blocked but that will be a favor done to me. Anyone who criticizes the mods/SDN are banned. YOU FOLKS AT SDN ARE THE BIGGEST TROLLS AND YOU HAVE FOOLED SEVERAL MEDICAL STUDENTS by giving the impression that it is next to impossible to get into medical school.

weren't you leaving anyway?

the mods are idiots. tree fiddy says i won't be banned.

 

[aSagacious]

the mods are idiots. tree fiddy says i won't be banned.

^ Spoken like a true ex-mod

 

[leavitt]

LizzyM is most likely a real member of admissions committee, but this guy does have some truth to his words.

Well I am glad at least one person realized I speak the truth!

 

[RogueUnicorn]

alright guys. the time for the real truth has come..

i am LizzyM.

 

[SeminoleVesicle]

Well I am glad at least one person realized I speak the truth!

LOL very little truth. I want nothing to do with you bro!

SDN does slightly hype the difficulty of getting into medical school, but I think this is because many of the users apply to top schools which have low interview/acceptance rates. LizzyM is definitely an admissions officer.

 

[leavitt]

While we're on conspiracy theories, how do we know that admissions committees even exist? I could simply scrape the top third off of the applicant pool for each school based on a GPA/MCAT formula and generate a random function to dole out acceptances from there to make people think there's a method to the madness.

Spoken like a true idiot from Michigan State. Get your ass kicked at Wells Hall again.

 

[deleted307836]

Well I am glad at least one person realized I speak the truth!

So SDN has implanted an imposter adcom who regularly dishes out helpful and verifiable advice, and who has done so over a significant period of time and has accumulated several thousand posts in the process? Where's the ulterior motive, josh? You obviously have some truly remarkable gifts to see such things that are invisible to everyone else, so enlighten us .

 

[leavitt]

LOL very little truth. I want nothing to do with you bro!

Now you are backtracking and I can understand why you don't want to associate with me! They'll all gang up on you.

 

[aSagacious]

Spoken like a true idiot from Michigan State. Get your ass kicked at Wells Hall again.

Did you google Mich St and type in the first building that you could find? I'm shaking in my boots from the spooky e-tough guy!

 

[RogueUnicorn]

no, i am LizzyM

 

[deleted393595]

Spoken like a true idiot from Michigan State. Get your ass kicked at Wells Hall again.

Now taking bets on how much longer this guy's going to last until he gets banned.

Any takers?

 

[EliteBeat9]

It seems that most people here are interested in getting into a US MD program, which having 45% acceptance rate is still very competitive.

Many others are interested in top tier programs, which require much more than numbers. While certain minute details in the large scheme of things may be irrelevant, with many more applicants than spots they can matter.

 

[leavitt]

So SDN has implanted an imposter adcom who regularly dishes out helpful and verifiable advice, and who has done so over a significant period of time and has accumulated several thousand posts in the process? Where's the ulterior motive, josh? You obviously have some truly remarkable gifts to see such things that are invisible to everyone else, so enlighten us .

Look, I was just doing my religious Jewish duty to point out that SDN is in fact the biggest troll. That people should stop hanging out on SDN because it makes them neurotic and they should get information and advice from their professors and pre-med advisors instead of from anonymous online personalities like LizzyM who claim to be adcoms. This is my last post in this thread, whether you misquote me or say anything else about me. Because I won't even be reading this thread again.

 

[aSagacious]

Look, I was just doing my religious Jewish duty to point out that SDN is in fact the biggest troll. That people should stop hanging out on SDN because it makes them neurotic and they should get information and advice from their professors and pre-med advisors instead of from anonymous online personalities like LizzyM who claim to be adcoms. This is my last post in this thread, whether you misquote me or say anything else about me. Because I won't even be reading this thread again.

Can I PM you? Better yet, meet me at Wells Hall where we can discuss the topic further in person.

 

[rentedmule]

Nice try! I am a nobody. Not an adcom. Not someone smart. Not someone intelligent. Not someone knowledgeable. Not someone who knows insider truths. Turn the discussion away from me. You have LizzyM who is the one who claims to be an Adcom, who everyone thinks gives pearls of wisdom, who claims to know insider truths and insights into the admissions process and who everyone on here thinks is G_d. All I am doing is my religious Jewish duty and informing potential medical students they are being SERIOUSLY TROLLED BY SDN! And that getting into medical school is EASY.

Definitely the best part of the diatribe. I didn't know the Torah included passages on trolls, but I guess it wouldn't be much different than the rest of the mythology.

 

[nctw]

And that getting into medical school is EASY.

As if we needed more reason to continue under the assumption that you're a trolling *****.

 

[Laplace]

Look, I was just doing my religious Jewish duty to point out that SDN is in fact the biggest troll. That people should stop hanging out on SDN because it makes them neurotic and they should get information and advice from their professors and pre-med advisors instead of from anonymous online personalities like LizzyM who claim to be adcoms. This is my last post in this thread, whether you misquote me or say anything else about me. Because I won't even be reading this thread again.

 

[nctw]

Because I won't even be reading this thread again.

Promise?

 

[TheMightySmiter]

While we're on conspiracy theories, how do we know that admissions committees even exist? I could simply scrape the top third off of the applicant pool for each school based on a GPA/MCAT formula and generate a random function to dole out acceptances from there to make people think there's a method to the madness.

This conspiracy is a lot more believable than "LizzyM is a troll".

 

[Caesar]

Wow... where to begin...

1. Advisors are verified. They aren't lying about who they are.

2. SDN is a nonprofit educational website operated as a public service by the Coastal Research Group a 501(c)3 charitable organization. This is at the bottom of every page. More information about the organization and the volunteer staff can be found here.

3. SDN is designed to be one source of information. Not the only. Also there will be various opinions presented here and it is up to each user to decide for themselves what information they think is good and what is not so good.

4. I hear RogueUnicorn wanted banned?

 

[YouNeverKnow22]

No. An advisor told me that medical schools "didn't like summer pre-req classes"

no truth to this

 

[RogueUnicorn]

4. I hear RogueUnicorn wanted banned?

noooo my tree fiddy!!

no truth to this

some truth, based on the rest of your academic portfolio

 

[YouNeverKnow22]

noooo my tree fiddy!!

some truth, based on the rest of your academic portfolio

what do you mean? If I get good grades and nail the MCAT why would it matter? I feel like things like this are neurotic statements spiraled out of control. Just my opinion.

 

[TxResident]

So going "off-topic" of some of the previous posts, I don't understand how students within the medical student interview you (as in how are they qualified/accepted as an interviewer). Are they given some rubric and then try to get a feel of what type of person the student is? Any information would be greatly appreciated.

 

[RogueUnicorn]

what do you mean? If I get good grades and nail the MCAT why would it matter? I feel like things like this are neurotic statements spiraled out of control. Just my opinion.

no, it wouldn't matter in your case most likely. but if you were, say, an english major with no other sciences, and all of your prereqs are over the summer, particularly if they are at a "lower" institution, it would raise some eyebrows at many places.

you're right, neurotic statements can spiral out of my above point when people don't fully understand it or don't bother to, but one can't help that.

 

[Caesar]

So going "off-topic" of some of the previous posts, I don't understand how students within the medical student interview you (as in how are they qualified/accepted as an interviewer). Are they given some rubric and then try to get a feel of what type of person the student is? Any information would be greatly appreciated.

Depends on the school. At mine each class elects a member to the adcom and they can interview applicants and give their impressions of the applicant.

 

[nctw]

no truth to this

Yeah, I knew this the moment I heard it. It wasn't the main pre-med advisor (you know who I'm talking about) though, just someone addressing the group at orientation.

 

[YouNeverKnow22]

no, it wouldn't matter in your case most likely. but if you were, say, an english major with no other sciences, and all of your prereqs are over the summer, particularly if they are at a "lower" institution, it would raise some eyebrows at many places.

you're right, neurotic statements can spiral out of my above point when people don't fully understand it or don't bother to, but one can't help that.

I see what your saying, pre-reqs at your home institution are fine (summer or whenever)

Yeah, I knew this the moment I heard it. It wasn't the main pre-med advisor (you know who I'm talking about) though, just someone addressing the group at orientation.

I would take everything with a grain of salt, from anyone.

 

[TxResident]

@Caesar: thanks mate, I've always wondered how they were picked out/what they actually did as part of the admissions committee.

 

[Caesar]

@Caesar: thanks mate, I've always wondered how they were picked out/what they actually did as part of the admissions committee.

varies greatly by school.

Each class here has a voting member on the committee. They conduct interviews and present applicants to the whole committee. They have the same rights and privileges as the other members of the committee.

 

[AZFutureDoc]

So am I correct in my assumption that there is a lot more luck in this process than people care to admit? I mean, a lot of it is luck of the draw. All it takes to get an interview might be a hobby on your AMCAS that an adcom loves. If another member were to read your app, he/she might not find you very interesting, and give you a rejection. It seems like your entire future can depend on luck because of how differently different adcoms might view your app. All it takes is a specific experience, hobby, or even just a sentence that an adcom particularly loves...

 

[ozzi22]

So am I correct in my assumption that there is a lot more luck in this process than people care to admit? I mean, a lot of it is luck of the draw. All it takes to get an interview might be a hobby on your AMCAS that an adcom loves. If another member were to read your app, he/she might not find you very interesting, and give you a rejection. It seems like your entire future can depend on luck because of how differently different adcoms might view your app. All it takes is a specific experience, hobby, or even just a sentence that an adcom particularly loves...

Life's a bit*h

 

[circulus vitios]

All I am doing is my religious Jewish duty

So random.

 

[NH14]

:troll:

 

[IlDestriero]

So am I correct in my assumption that there is a lot more luck in this process than people care to admit? I mean, a lot of it is luck of the draw. All it takes to get an interview might be a hobby on your AMCAS that an adcom loves. If another member were to read your app, he/she might not find you very interesting, and give you a rejection. It seems like your entire future can depend on luck because of how differently different adcoms might view your app. All it takes is a specific experience, hobby, or even just a sentence that an adcom particularly loves...

* * *
“Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity.”
Seneca

 

[paul411]

Look, I was just doing my religious Jewish duty

Hahahaha

I lol'd.

 

[Medicine4Bruhs]

I'll stoke the fire.

I trust LizzyM is an adcom and she normally provides really good insight, but I can do without her "holier than thou" attitude with regards to her interpretation of medical school admissions. Not familiar with post-bac/MMS students because her "elite" school doesn't normally accept these type of applicants? Give me a break, sounds more like insecurity than anything else. Looks poorly on medical mission trips because they're not as effective as say, living as the destitute do in India during your two month stay in the country? That's hardly reason enough to discount these oftentimes helpful programs.

Leavitt, you're fighting a losing battle with a bunch of nerds that are hard on someone's jock. And I don't agree with quite everything you say, but I do sympathize with your thesis and appreciate your willingness to go ballsdeep on only a few posts. Do not go gentle into that good night. Rage rage against the dying of the light.

 

[LizzyM]

I just talked to the person who runs the post-bacc program here in his office. This is what he said, very approximately: "I believe many people, including moderators, use multiple accounts on SDN to further their views and although LizzyM's posts are interesting, I have an extremely difficult time believing she is an adcom. Most likely she too is an SDN insider. You need to realize that it is in the interest of the company operating SDN to portray medical school admissions as a terribly complicated process. It is not. You are wasting your time on SDN and ending up being neurotic. The truth is about 45% of those applying get into medical schools, 55% get into osteopathic schools, more get into the Caribbean and these percentages are higher when people apply the second time around. So if you consider allopathic schools, osteopathic schools, Caribbean schools, over 75% of people actually get into one medical school or the other. We have non-URMs at our university with MCATs as low as 19 or 20 who have gotten into one medical school or another. Unfortunately, it is in the interest of the company that runs SDN to portray medical school admissions as a terribly complicated process and you students end up being neurotic. Forget SDN and focus on your GPA and GMAT". (He meant MCAT - his son is preparing for the GMAT from what he told me earlier). By the way, he also added that "many students don't join medical school because they would rather join a law school than a low-down osteopathic school but if you don't mind joining ANY medical school, your chances are extremely good". I encourage you to talk to your own pre-med coordinators instead of believing me - and you'll likely find they'll tell you the same thing.

I don't understand why SDN would go to all this trouble. Registration and participation is free. There is some advertising revenue but there is also tremendous bandwidth being used here. It just defies logic.

As for the idea that Carribbean schools are a reasonable alternative to US MD or DO schools, I guess it depends on whether you want to attend medical school, graduate from medical school or practice medicine in the US. If your goal is to practice medicine in the US, attending an off-shore school is a huge risk.

My comments are based on my own experience. I do see post-bacs, but not SMPs, MMS or whatever because matriculants in those programs tend not to waste their time applying to top 20 schools.

 

[PTWOB02]

Let's stop this nonsense of whether LizzyM is a real Adcom or not. If you don't believe her status, there is an easy solution to your problem. Leave this forum and stop listening to her advice. Believe it or not, some of us are actually interested to hear what she has to say and don't appreciate your silly distractions.

 

[MedAdComMD]

You can discount anything I say since I don't have an advisors or physician badge - but MSAR numbers don't lie. 1,500 + applies to Temple, 300 interviews, and 200 something acceptances.

 

[MeowMeowCAT]

The solution is simple. We just need another LizzyM. Someone not in the top20 or at the very least is an MD themselves to have had experience from both sides, so as to formulate more rounded opinions and not only ones coming from one perspective.

Nothing against her, we just need more people to come forward to trust and help us. And not just rely only on one person's opinion.

 

[Narmerguy]

LOL very little truth. I want nothing to do with you bro!

SDN does slightly hype the difficulty of getting into medical school, but I think this is because many of the users apply to top schools which have low interview/acceptance rates. LizzyM is definitely an admissions officer.

Then that's not really hyping the difficulty if we're mainly discussing getting into top schools. How many applicants come on here asking "What do I need to do to be just competitive enough to get into somewhere"? If they're asking how to be competitive then we'll discuss how to be competitive.

The solution is simple. We just need another LizzyM. Someone not in the top20 or at the very least is an MD themselves to have had experience from both sides, so as to formulate more rounded opinions and not only ones coming from one perspective.

Nothing against her, we just need more people to come forward to trust and help us. And not just rely only on one person's opinion.

We're lucky to have LizzyM at all and now we need some other person?

Let's not act like even the majority of the info on SDN results from LizzyM. The vast majority of the advice here is the same whether you're shooting for a top 20 or you just need one. LizzyM adds some excellent nuanced advice, especially for the applicants that are shooting for institutions that may accept less than a fifth of their applicants. You should master all the basics here first before worrying about that kind of stuff.

 

[MeowMeowCAT]

Also claiming that this site is a nonprofit does not make it anymore trustworthy. The aamc is considered a nonprofit yet it has a monopoly over the admission process, mcat, etc.

Just because something claims to be a nonprofit does not mean they ate not making some sort of profit. It is highly unlikely that the admins are in fact doing this out of there heart, there probably is at least a good tax exempt somewhere in there. All the donations are tax deductible should already bring some suspicion.

Basically nonprofit does not mean there is in fact 0 profit.

 

[RogueUnicorn]

Also claiming that this site is a nonprofit does not make it anymore trustworthy. The aamc is considered a nonprofit yet it has a monopoly over the admission process, mcat, etc.

Just because something claims to be a nonprofit does not mean they ate not making some sort of profit. It is highly unlikely that the admins are in fact doing this out of there heart, there probably is at least a good tax exempt somewhere in there. All the donations are tax deductible should already bring some suspicion.

Basically nonprofit does not mean there is in fact 0 profit.

your tinfoil hat is showing.