Submitting AMCAS NOW!??!?!?!

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rauchenSie

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Hey everyone, I'm a major procastinator.

I want to go to U of Illinois Med. Their deadline is 12/1. I've submitted my primary only recently. How much harder is it to get it in, being that its soooo late? I think im very qualified to get in. I'm a transfer student with most of my work done at Northwestern. My grades and MCAT scores are much higher than their admitted student averages, plus I'm an IL resident.

I'm thinking about just withdrawing my application - if I dont get in cuz of the lateness, it'll hurt my chances of getting in next year if I've already been rejected once. Does anyone agree/disagree?

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It's pretty late. If you don't mind taking a year off, I'd recommend withdrawing. An early app next year with your qualifications sounds like a very good chance. Why put yourself at a disadvantage from lateness now?
 
is it that difficult to get in now???? I just dont want to have to take a year off unless absolutely necessary. Also, how hard is it to get in after already being rejected??
 
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well, considering that you have already submitted your primary app, might as well add that school with it, its only $30 more, and if you dont get in, just apply next cycle as early as possible. i dont know how competetive that school is, so you probably have a chance of getting an interview with your numbers.
 
rauchenSie said:
is it that difficult to get in now???? I just dont want to have to take a year off unless absolutely necessary. Also, how hard is it to get in after already being rejected??

nah, dont withdraw...being rejected wont hurt your chances if you reapply...in fact, they may see it as your dedication to medicine.
 
i plan on submitting my secondary sometime in the next week, if that puts your mind at ease at all.
-mota
 
Seriously it is an advantage to apply early...but the people on this forum blow it way out of proportion. Deadlines are deadlines, the problems lie in schools like MCW, Loyola etc. that file their classes by the 1st of December...but most publics take about half off rolling and take the other through a final pool. Not a single person on this can tell you which group is more difficult to get in from. If you have solid stats (ie around 30+, 3.6+, decent ECs and recs) you will be very competive to get in off that final pool. All you've lost is about a month and a half of being able to be accepted via a rolling decision. If nothing else check the waitlist stats for the school, it may be feasible that even though you don't get in you may be a competitive enough applicant to rank high on the waitlist...maybe you'll have to sweat it out till may but I think getting in then would be a much better option than taking a year off. So don't listen to the people who say withdraw...you've already sent your AMCAS in give it a try no one on here really knows what is gonna happen
 
Your only liability is being an admitted procrastinator. That won't fly in med school. Just my $0.02
 
you are at a disadvantage applying this late, but that's all it is: a disadvantage. it will not automatically sink your app. my opinion is that is definitely worth it to apply this year.

good luck!
 
Is the school rolling admissions? If so, you might be applying for the waitlist... I was last minute last year, and had 2 interviews, which resulted in 2 waitlists, and they never resulted in an acceptance. My stats were good. But, it's a big disadvantage to be late, it's like first come - first serve, for the well qualified, anyway. Good luck, though.
 
I interviewed at UIC (and was accepted) this year. The following is just based on what I've heard/read, FWIW! To the OP (and others applying now): you have a great chance of getting in if you're in-state and your stats are above UIC's averages, but UIC has rolling admissions, which affects your campus assignment. There are 2 different tracks at UIC--the Chicago track and the UPR track (Urbana-Peoria-Rockford). I can't remember the exact number, but something like 160-180 of the 304 students are assigned to the Chicago campus. The rest spend their first year at the Urbana campus, then ~25 students stay at Urbana (we were told they're usually people completing MD/PhD's or other combined degree programs), ~50 students go to Rockford for M2-4, and ~50 students go to Peoria for M2-M4. You can do elective rotations at other campuses or med schools, but the core clerkships have to be done at your respective campus. There is a HUGE 200+ page catalog, which is downloadable from their website (I could only find 2002-2004). It's very detailed and informative.

Campus assignments are on a first come, first served basis, but the Chicago track is the most popular, so it fills up first. Rumor has it that if you're not accepted by some time in late December/early January, the Chicago campus might already be full. According to the AAMC, UIC is expanding their class size to ~333, so I don't know if that will affect when the Chicago campus fills up. No one mentioned how they handle filling new Chicago openings if people withdraw to go to another school--you might want to ask them about that if you have a strong preference for the Chicago campus.

Bottom line--since UIC interviews until May/June (according to interview feedback), you probably still have a good chance of getting in to the school in general. But if you want to be assigned to the Chicago track, submit everything ASAP for your best shot! I know people who petitioned to switch from the UPR track to the Chicago track--some have been successful, some not so much (it really depends on your reason for requesting the Chicago track).

Sorry--I don't know how difficult it is to get in if you've been rejected there once before. Good luck, and get your stuff in NOW! :luck:
 
Some more infor about UIC.........they are NOT expanding their class size (Dr. Girotti told us this at my interview, they just had too many people matriculate last year so their class size shot up to 333, so they are trying to be more conservative on their acceptances this year). However, I think they have their interview slots filled up until December, so unless someone drops out, I think your headed for the rockford/peoria/urbana track. I still think you have a good shot at getting in, so I would definitely apply
 
First, not everyone submits their application on June 1st. This is just my opinion but I don't think that schools will take someone with lower stats, not very much research/volunteering just because they applied in June. There is an advantage to applying early but I think its overblown on SDN. Just apply. Don't let anyone discourage you from that. I'll finish with that ole saying "It is better to have tried and failed than to not have tried at all."
Good luck! :luck:
 
I agree! Since you already submitted your AMCAS, you're considered an applicant. Don't withdraw... you might want to even add OTHER schools in that you're competitive at. However, submit your secondary NOW! Get things rolling ASAP.

There are a lot of peeps who haven't submitted their secondaries yet.

On a more serious note, it's MUCH harder to apply as a re-applicant and your chances go DOWN SIGNIFICANTLY, so do it right this time and ASAP!

Good luck!
 
Doko said:
On a more serious note, it's MUCH harder to apply as a re-applicant and your chances go DOWN SIGNIFICANTLY, so do it right this time and ASAP!

Good luck!

Isn't this an argument for me to withdraw my application then? Why not do it right, by applying earlier? What is every1 elses opinion about reapplicants?
 
rauchenSie said:
Isn't this an argument for me to withdraw my application then? Why not do it right, by applying earlier? What is every1 elses opinion about reapplicants?


No this is not an argument for you to withdraw. If you submitted your AMCAS, then you are an applicant. If you withdraw and apply again, then you are a "re-applicant." Now, if you didn't designate UIC on your app, then you are probably not going to be considered a re-applicant.

How reapplicants are viewed is highly subjective. It depends on the school. It depends on the person rewiewing your file. It depends on how and where your application package was changed or strengthened. Some people look down on reapplicants, others view it as dedication to becoming a physician. It really matters how the applicant's application stacks up from one year to the next.

Like everything else in the realm of med school admissions-- there are no absolutes.


My advice is free-- take it for what it's worth.
 
Do it. A year off is only good if you're doing something cool, i.e., not working some crappy job that you didnt want to do anyway. If you want to take a year off and travel, teach, or do some really interesting research, then I would suggest holding off on the app. Otherwise, go for it full on and apply. :luck:
 
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