The waitlist!

[wolverine1]

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Hey everyone.

So I am fortunate to have an acceptance this cycle. I also have been waitlisted at a few schools and am wondering if anyone has any advice on how to approach this situation. If you were waitlisted at your top choice, what are some things you would do to get the schools attention? Write a letter of interest, serial phone calls, etc???

Thanks for your help guys.

 

[kcin]

blackmail

 

[cabinbuilder]

Hey everyone.

So I am fortunate to have an acceptance this cycle. I also have been waitlisted at a few schools and am wondering if anyone has any advice on how to approach this situation. If you were waitlisted at your top choice, what are some things you would do to get the schools attention? Write a letter of interest, serial phone calls, etc???

Thanks for your help guys.

You have been waitlisted because the class is theoretically full. So you are on the list for the next in line folks when the students who have been offered acceptance decided whether to go there. So either you accept where you got in or deny it in the hopes you get inwhere you really want. You may not know until the last minutes up to the first day of classes. A risky move. Prepare yourself to move at the last minute. Nothing else you really can do until a spot opens up. Also your odds depend on where you are on the waitlist. Are you number 1 or number 20+? Makes a difference.

 

[wolverine1]

You have been waitlisted because the class is theoretically full. So you are on the list for the next in line folks when the students who have been offered acceptance decided whether to go there. So either you accept where you got in or deny it in the hopes you get inwhere you really want. You may not know until the last minutes up to the first day of classes. A risky move. Prepare yourself to move at the last minute. Nothing else you really can do until a spot opens up. Also your odds depend on where you are on the waitlist. Are you number 1 or number 20+? Makes a difference.

thanks for that. One of my top choices is LECOM-erie and I don't believe that they rank their waitlist so it makes the whole process even more ambiguous. I already have put down a deposit at the school that accepted me, but I was just wondering whether any veteran members on here would have any "tricks" for a lack of a better word, to get off waitlists.

Thanks for your help.

 

[theone1979]

thanks for that. One of my top choices is LECOM-erie and I don't believe that they rank their waitlist so it makes the whole process even more ambiguous. I already have put down a deposit at the school that accepted me, but I was just wondering whether any veteran members on here would have any "tricks" for a lack of a better word, to get off waitlists.

Thanks for your help.

Who accepted you?

As far as getting off the waitlist, just stay in contact with the schools to let them know u are still interested. If you have any grade updates, be sure to send them along. Also, if you continue to do volunteer work, update them with your activities/hours.

But as someone mentioned, it really comes down to whether or not enough spots open up.

 

[wolverine1]

Who accepted you?

As far as getting off the waitlist, just stay in contact with the schools to let them know u are still interested. If you have any grade updates, be sure to send them along. Also, if you continue to do volunteer work, update them with your activities/hours.

But as someone mentioned, it really comes down to whether or not enough spots open up.

I got into DMU.

when you say keep in touch, do you mean phone call or email, or does it matter?

 

[MLT2MT2DO]

I got into DMU.

when you say keep in touch, do you mean phone call or email, or does it matter?

Oh no! Someone would rather go to LECOM than DMU...I can hear a collective simultaneous *gasp* from the SDN community.

In all seriousnouss I would probably go with the email (find your interviewers email) AND handwritten letter route. The one time I called LECOM-Erie I pretty much couldn't get anyone on the phone that knew anything or that talking to would make a difference.

 

[wolverine1]

Oh no! Someone would rather go to LECOM than DMU...I can hear a collective simultaneous *gasp* from the SDN community.

In all seriousnouss I would probably go with the email (find your interviewers email) AND handwritten letter route. The one time I called LECOM-Erie I pretty much couldn't get anyone on the phone that knew anything or that talking to would make a difference.

I have nothing against DMU. They probably have the best campus I've seen. I'm a little concerned about DMUs clinical years and LECOM seems to be more established in this area, which is why i'm inclined to select LECOM. BUt yea, I also tried calling LECOM and the phone just rings forever followed by a voice message.

Thanks for your response.

 

[Rob C]

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[freothalaf]

I have to say I wish you the best of luck in getting in at LECOM since I happen to be on DMU's waitlist.

 

[Rob C]

.

 

[Druggernaut]

What's with all the ragging on LECOM on these forums? I'm planning on withdrawing from my acceptance at NSU and cancelling my interview at AZCOM now that I've got an acceptance at LECOM-Seton Hill and a waitlist at LECOM-B, since I really like the idea of PBL and hate the idea of mandatory attendance for 7 or 8 hours a day of low-yield lecture, after which I'll have to find the energy to go home and study for several more hours, as well as paying $80-$100,000 more for my education. Posts like the above, as well as the "top 5 DO schools" thread are making me wonder if I'm crazy.

Oh, and to address the initial post, send them a letter reiterating why you'd like to go to their school, and why you'd be a good fit. I've gotten nowhere trying to call LECOM-B, but they did tell me that sending a letter would increase my chances of getting off the waitlist.

 

[livedie]

i have met several Lecom students, and they love the school. I could not do the PBL thing because it is confusing, and reminded me of House. The students I met are doing well. Everybody has to pick what is right for them..I do not understand the school bashing though.

 

[scpod]

.... I've gotten nowhere trying to call LECOM-B, but they did tell me that sending a letter would increase my chances of getting off the waitlist.

I graduated from Lecom-B. There were quite a few of my classmates who got in off of the waitlist. There were two people that interviewed the same day as me who were waitlisted for quite a while and finally got in. One of them is doing a derm residency now.

A "waitlist" doesn't mean the class is full and you have to wait until someone drops out. You will get either accepted, waitlisted or rejected after your interview. If you get waitlisted then you are, more or less, considered good enough for an acceptance but there were just too many other people that did get acceptances recently. Your file will be reviewed on a regular basis and you should work to improve it in the mean time.

Get new LORs or new grades or new activities and send them in. Call in on the phone every couple of weeks and see what your status is. It doesn't hurt to bug them a little because it shows how interested you are. Send them a letter of intent and visit the campus again if you are able. Those are the kinds of things that the people I know from the waitlist did-- the ones that got accepted later on.

 

[wolverine1]

I have to say I wish you the best of luck in getting in at LECOM since I happen to be on DMU's waitlist.

haha, I wish we could just conference call both schools and tell them we want to switch. that would be awesome.

 

[MLT2MT2DO]

What's with all the ragging on LECOM on these forums? I'm planning on withdrawing from my acceptance at NSU and cancelling my interview at AZCOM now that I've got an acceptance at LECOM-Seton Hill and a waitlist at LECOM-B, since I really like the idea of PBL and hate the idea of mandatory attendance for 7 or 8 hours a day of low-yield lecture, after which I'll have to find the energy to go home and study for several more hours, as well as paying $80-$100,000 more for my education. Posts like the above, as well as the "top 5 DO schools" thread are making me wonder if I'm crazy.

Oh, and to address the initial post, send them a letter reiterating why you'd like to go to their school, and why you'd be a good fit. I've gotten nowhere trying to call LECOM-B, but they did tell me that sending a letter would increase my chances of getting off the waitlist.

My comments were more aimed at what seems to be the collective SDN opinion of DMU>LECOM.

FWIW, I chose LECOM-B over DMU.

 

[Easy C]

One of my top choices is LECOM-erie and I don't believe that they rank their waitlist so it makes the whole process even more ambiguous.
Thanks for your help.

I got waitlisted last year at LECOM-Erie. I was advised that they do have some rank to their waitlist, not sure if its a first come first serve list or if each applicant is given a score and higher scores go to the top.

I also was first taken off of the list. I sent in my letter saying I was ok with being on the waitlist but that never got filed correctly. I saw that my information of LECOM-E had been taken off of the portal and I called and they found my waitlist acceptance letter in my file and put me back on the waitlist and told me where I was at. I always had an easy time calling admissions last year, sorry to hear they aren't as good this year. Other circumstances lead me to decline the waitlist later last year.

Being Waitlisted and on hold status was the story of my life last year. Always send in a letter of intent, via email or snail mail to the admissions office. In that letter make sure you are specific in saying why you want to go to that school and what you will bring to them and why they should admit you over another applicant (dont use those words but you should know how to be tactful). It got me off of the waitlist and into an acceptance. Best of Luck!

 

[Melomare17]

is it possible to be rejected while on the waitlist at a school before they start accepting ppl off the list? i thought it was just if you're waitlisted, you stay on until classes start, in which case you're rejected.

 

[Wolverines83]

is it possible to be rejected while on the waitlist at a school before they start accepting ppl off the list? i thought it was just if you're waitlisted, you stay on until classes start, in which case you're rejected.

Pretty sure you wouldn't get rejected until the first day of classes and even then you might not get anything. Like someone above said, you can get called (usually it's a call, not letter, from what I hear) the day before and they'll be like "hey, can you get your butt here?"

I was waitlisted at a couple schools in the 2011 cycle and just never heard back from them.

 

[thedoc89]

I am currently wait-listed at two schools with no acceptance to any other school. Everyone says to keep the schools updated with any recent experiences and grades. However, what if you are not taking part in any new experiences but just doing the same ones with no new development?

the second thing is that they have a GPA of 3.9 on file and this last semester of undergrad the GPA will drop to a 3.8. what can you do then?

 

[Wolverines83]

I am currently wait-listed at two schools with no acceptance to any other school. Everyone says to keep the schools updated with any recent experiences and grades. However, what if you are not taking part in any new experiences but just doing the same ones with no new development?

the second thing is that they have a GPA of 3.9 on file and this last semester of undergrad the GPA will drop to a 3.8. what can you do then?

I spoke with a lady in the admissions office at one of the schools i was wait-listed at and she told me that "staying in contact, calling occasionally to check on your status and writing a letter of intent to the adcom is good practice and has helped people in the past."

I have no clue if that's actually helpful but I feel like she wouldn't have volunteered the info if it wasn't partially true. I doubt calling and nagging would do any good but maybe the letter would help you to say "hey, i'm actually interested in your school...you weren't just a random application, i will actually come if you admit me."

Again, I have no experience doing this...just heard it from the lady on the phone.