TMDSAS site crashed and lost my personal statement

[Clearbluesky]

So new member here. Please no judgement about you should have done this or that, etc. Just some help if you can.

I was finishing my personal statement on the TMDSAS website, didn't want to copy it over and keep adjusting the format. Had an outline I was following and wrote from the heart. I know it's late in the cycle. I was not off of the computer for the past hour. Close to finishing, I tried to save but prompted me to add more on the second essay before saving. I added on the second personal characteristics portion and then went down to save and it said my session timed out!

Entire essay gone and I know have 10 minutes left. I know it's cutting it close. Please no judgement.

I called TMDSAS and they can't do anything and it shows nothing on their end. I don't know what to do so I write something in the fields and submit it.

Few questions. 1. Has this happened to anyone else? 2. Is there anyway to retrieve it, I was using Microsoft Edge like they recommended. 3. Can I mail the essay to the schools and will they accept it?

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[Disciple of Sattar]

I think your computer had the right idea... it might be better to apply next cycle instead of this late in the game. It's not just deadlines here, it's the heavily rolling nature of admissions.

 

[Clearbluesky]

I think your computer had the right idea... it might be better to apply next cycle instead this late in the game. It's not just deadlines here, it's the heavily rolling nature of admissions.

That's exactly what I asked for. Thank you for your help.

 

[wysdoc]

So new member here. Please no judgement about you should have done this or that, etc. Just some help if you can.

I was finishing my personal statement on the TMDSAS website, didn't want to copy it over and keep adjusting the format. Had an outline I was following and wrote from the heart. I know it's late in the cycle. I was not off of the computer for the past hour. Close to finishing, I tried to save but prompted me to add more on the second essay before saving. I added on the second personal characteristics portion and then went down to save and it said my session timed out!

Entire essay gone and I know have 10 minutes left. I know it's cutting it close. Please no judgement.

I called TMDSAS and they can't do anything and it shows nothing on their end. I don't know what to do so I write something in the fields and submit it.

Few questions. 1. Has this happened to anyone else? 2. Is there anyway to retrieve it, I was using Microsoft Edge like they recommended. 3. Can I mail the essay to the schools and will they accept it?

Ordinarily you probably could do something, but the deadline for submission was at 5 pm today. I am sure their site was set to accept nothing past 5 pm. A tough tough procrastination lesson . I can only empathize but can't help.

 

[altblue]

That's exactly what I asked for. Thank you for your help.

Listen to them, they have well over 200 II's.

 

[DokterMom]

Writing one of the most important essays of your life in real-time late in the day on the last possible day? Then "I don't know what to do so I write something in the fields and submit it."

Your computer did you a solid. Apply next cycle, and this time, P L A N first. Not wanting to reformat is the worst possible reason to forego editing.

 

[PreMedMissteps]

The system may have done you a favor. This is too late to be applying to Texas meds.

 

[ReapPremed]

you could try contacting the schools, i guess? Some admissions offices are nicer than others. But unless Texas is different applying to medical school isn't really a "conversation". Schools get 10,000 applications and look at them in a highly regimented way. Will it really be added to your file? Will it really be there with the application during that round of screening or will the reader be left scratching his head?

doesn't hurt to try?

 

[DokterMom]

you could try contacting the schools, i guess? Some admissions offices are nicer than others. But unless Texas is different applying to medical school isn't really a "conversation". Schools get 10,000 applications and look at them in a highly regimented way. Will it really be added to your file? Will it really be there with the application during that round of screening or will the reader be left scratching his head?

doesn't hurt to try?

Yes - It does. It would. Don't...

 

[Clearbluesky]

Only one person with any type of helpful information. This is why I never joined this site. A bunch of judgmental 20 somethings who think they know it all and have it all figured out. You don't know me or my situation. Just trying to get some insight.

A little empathy goes a long way.

 

[allantois]

You can apply to out of state schools

 

[ReapPremed]

Yes - It does. It would. Don't...

Goodness - I misread - I thought it was submitted blank, rather than with a last-minute hail Mary essay.

Hypothetically though: if technical difficulties did affect an app, bearing in mind you should check it over 10x in the days prior to submission, would a follow-up saying "I had technical difficulties. I don't know what happened. Would you entertain this statement?" be harmful?

 

[PreMedMissteps]

Only one person with any type of helpful information. This is why I never joined this site. A bunch of judgmental 20 somethings who think they know it all and have it all figured out. You don't know me or my situation. Just trying to get some insight.

A little empathy goes a long way.

I'm not a 20 something. I'm old enough to know that this is too late to be submitting to TMDSAS...unless you have some sort of hook...do you? TMDSAS starts accepting apps in May, and its website states that students need to apply early. The website says that because they know how things go....

So again, the system may have done you a favor. Be ready to submit the first of May in 2018....and have personal statements/essays ready on word.docs so you can copy/paste and not lose anything.

 

[Clearbluesky]

I'm to a 20 something. I'm old enough to know that this is too late to be submitting to TMDSAS...unless you have some sort of hook...do you? TMDSAS starts accepting apps in May, and its website states that students need to apply early. The website says that because they know how things go....

So again, the system may have done you a favor. Be ready to submit the first of May in 2018....and have personal statements/essays ready on word.docs so you can copy/paste and not lose anything.

Thank you very much. You are a gem. Very understanding.

What if I told you I didn't have internet access and not enough money to get it at my house so I had to go to the library on my only day off? Would you then say I should have made better life choices and made more money to have afforded a faster computer and internet service? I'm sure you will have some smart remark because you are all smart premeds you have it all figured out.

Why is there even a deadline then? Why not force everyone to have it in by August? Again, the first post asked for no judgement only input if you had experience with this or any help. That is all.

 

[goatmed]

Listen to the people here, it was too late. If you had sent your application today, barring you being Ivy material you wouldn't get a fair chance being one of the last applicants, and then next year if you did your job right you'd have to explain to interviewers why you were so late this year. Instead of potentially inconveniencing your future applicant self with a 1% chance, your best odds are at doing something constructive this year and prepping your app early in May next year. I know it's a tough pill to swallow, but it really is on your best interest regardless of what circumstances held you from sending the app earlier.
On a side note, I was talking to a few people on the UTMB tour who had no idea about CASPer™ for TAMU and may be too late for submitting now. Today is a day of frustration for a lot of pre-meds.

 

[SLU Student]

The OP didn't ask for what he/she should do this cycle. Although it's all true and accurate information, there's no need for you all to supply this input if it's not asked for. He/she even specifically said NOT TO. He/she might not be in the right mindset to receive this information. Save it for later.

OP, to answer your questions:
1. Probably. Not to me, though.
2. No.
3. Yes, you can try. Whether they accept it or not will be up to the school. I would call them beforehand and ask.

 

[Clearbluesky]

The OP didn't ask for what he/she should do this cycle. Although it's all true and accurate information, there's no need for you all to supply this input if it's not asked for. He/she even specifically said NOT TO. He/she might not be in the right mindset to receive this information. Save it for later.

OP, to answer your questions:
1. Probably. Not to me, though.
2. No.
3. Yes, you can try. Whether they accept it or not will be up to the school. I would call them beforehand and ask.

Thank you. I was so frazzled I wrote in that the website timed out and lost my data. I was on the phone with TMDSAS and they were no help. I'll call Monday and see what can be done. If nothing I'll ask them to pull my application.

I hope everyone on here who is so smug and self-righteous go through a great personal struggle that they have no control over and hopefully come out as better people for it. Hopefully the world greets you with the same empathy you show the world.

 

[goatmed]

Thank you. I was so frazzled I wrote in that the website timed out and lost my data. I was on the phone with TMDSAS and they were no help. I'll call Monday and see what can be done. If nothing I'll ask them to pull my application.

I hope everyone on here who is so smug and self-righteous go through a great personal struggle that they have no control over and hopefully come out as better people for it. Hopefully the world greets you with the same empathy you show the world.

I think you're missing the point, nobody here is telling you you are any less of a valuable person because you missed out on deadlines. We're just telling you what (we think) the rational choice here is. You want to maximize your chances to get into medical school, and a last-minute submission that makes schools go "huh?" doesn't seem accomplish that by one bit. Your struggle may be real and valid and worth sympathy, but you have to think long term and past this frustrating day.

 

[PreMedMissteps]

Thank you very much. You are a gem. Very understanding.

What if I told you I didn't have internet access and not enough money to get it at my house so I had to go to the library on my only day off? Would you then say I should have made better life choices and made more money to have afforded a faster computer and internet service? I'm sure you will have some smart remark because you are all smart premeds you have it all figured out.

Why is there even a deadline then? Why not force everyone to have it in by August? Again, the first post asked for no judgement only input if you had experience with this or any help. That is all.

The point is that you need to apply in May or June, not end of Sept. Being low income is not the issue. Today would not have been your only day off since May 1st.

As for why there is a late deadline if it's not "real'....I don't know why deadlines aren't moved up. The deadlines are not like those for undergrad where as long as you meet the midnight deadline, you're ok.

If you're going to be stubborn and not want to learn how to do things differently and get a more favorable result, then maybe medicine isn't the best fit career for you.

 

[eljefemdfuturo]

OP, if I were you I'd just count my losses and move on. You have an app ready to go, so now you have until May 1, 2018 to refine your essays and the rest of your app. In the grand scheme of things, you're really just losing one year, which in terms of a medical career isn't too much of a loss.

I know nothing about your app/stats/EC's, but think about it this way: If you submitted on the last day for this cycle, your chances of getting in are slim. However, if you submit the first day next year, your chances are going to increase significantly.

Move on, don't take anything you read here personally, and get ready to have a killer app next cycle. Best of luck!

 

[Clearbluesky]

The point is that you need to apply in May or June, not end of Sept. Being low income is not the issue. Today would not have been your only day off since May 1st.

As for why there is a late deadline if it's not "real'....I don't know why deadlines aren't moved up. The deadlines are not like those for undergrad where as long as you meet the midnight deadline, you're ok.

If you're going to be stubborn and not want to learn how to do things differently and get a more favorable result, then maybe medicine isn't the best fit career for you.

This train is never ever late to this station. Haha. Thank you very much. This is why I never joined. Every time someone asks for some insight or a little help or experience someone always chimes in with "maybe medicine isn't for you". Thank you, duly noted. What about you? You must be perfect and everything in your life going in perfect lock step. If you can't give any helpful information or insight and can only criticize then I hope I am never one of your patients.

 

[tiramisucheese]

 

[STcmOCSD]

OP, I am sorry that you feel as if you are under attack here. Honestly everyone is trying to help. Most Texas schools have sent the majority of their interview invites out, and you'll be fighting to gain those last and final interviews by applying in September. It may seem like pre-med neuroticism when everyone says to apply Texas by the end of June, but it is the nature of the beast. Texas runs things very quickly. In answer to your original questions, I am technologically illiterate so I am not certain if you can retrieve it. I would not mail your essays to the schools at this point, because it might look like you were ill-prepared and hurt your application. They will not have much sympathy for last minute applications with technological problems. Best of luck with your application. To go along with the rest of the people in this forum, I think your best bet is to wait until next year and submit very early in the cycle.

 

[PreMedMissteps]

If you can't give any helpful information or insight and can only criticize

If you can't discern that the people here have given helpful information and insight then....

 

[CCresearcher]

OP I totally sympathize on this. I am by nature a procrastinator as well, so I get it. That said, as others here have mentioned, you should thank your lucky stars that the system crashed, and just plan to apply next year instead. This really worked out to your benefit, because the truth is that medical school admissions do work on a rolling basis pretty much everywhere, and if you apply at the deadline many/most of the spots are already gone or are more likely to be given to people earlier in line. You could argue whether or not this is a good system, but it is the system either way. You need to take a step back and forget about any excuses and get your act together.

Luckily, now you have almost an entire year to really polish up your essays and be ready to submit on day one of next year with an even stronger application!

Second, this can be a good wake up call for you to figure out how to overcome your procrastination. That kind of last minute stuff will not work in medical school (which I know from personal experience). I would try to find someone else you can be accountable to (a friend, coworker, professor, etc) if you can't trust yourself to get your work done early. And no matter what you need to work on developing better work habits.

Good luck! I know it seems awful now, but things can and will get better.

 

[DokterMom]

I hear that you are broke and that your life circumstances have been extraordinarily tough. I'm sorry for that, and truly hope you can overcome them and secure the future you want for yourself.

But if you're broke, the LAST thing you want to do is spend $2,000 on an application cycle that - strictly due to timing - is almost certain to fail. In addition to being out $2,000, it will require hundreds of hours of time you don't have (if you do your secondaries right) and which could be spent working and building your savings. And a failed application cycle will cause next year's AdComs to wonder what was "wrong with you" that you weren't admitted this year. A very little research will reveal that your application was exceptionally late, which will reveal that you were ill-prepared and hadn't adequately researched the application process.

So bottom line, somehow getting your application in this year would mean that you're $2,000 poorer and at a disadvantage next year.

None of us here are perfect or claiming to be. We're just trying to help you stop COMPOUNDING your mistake --- which right now, thanks to the computer, won't even count. Take the Mulligan.

 

[CherryRedDracul]

Few questions. 1. Has this happened to anyone else? 2. Is there anyway to retrieve it, I was using Microsoft Edge like they recommended. 3. Can I mail the essay to the schools and will they accept it?

Since you seem to primarily care about the answers to your questions:

1. Happened to me in high school. It was a tough lesson for me and since then, I've always typed my stuff into Microsoft Word or other word processor and then copied+pasted my writings into input fields on the internet. That way, if my browser crashed or the site hiccuped, I'd at least have a backup available.
2. If it wasn't saved anywhere else, then no.
3. You can mail it but they're unlikely to look favorably upon it and accept it.

 

[FantasticDoctorFox]

Crikey!

OP-the people who have given you advice so far are really not trying to be smug or pretend to be perfect--they are genuinely trying to help you.

I am sorry to hear that you are struggling financially. While it may often feel like it, know that you are not the only one dealing with the stress of financial insecurity while trying to apply to medical school. While it is true that med school may attract a significant number of students from families with higher-than-average income, believe it or not there are also those of us who struggled to scrape together enough money to get through an admission cycle and know what it's like to be unsure of where your next meal is coming from. This background, while difficult to go through, can one day help you be a great asset to your class and future patients.

It's super crappy that you didn't have the money to apply earlier in the cycle and trust me, I get the challenge of trying to work full-time (or more) while also getting secondaries done, etc... However, the people who are telling you that it would be better for you to wait to apply until next year are doing so with your best interest in mind! No one is telling you this because they are trying to put you down or shame you for not having your app in earlier. We empathize with your situation and are recommending that you NOT attempt to hassle an admissions committee to accept your hastily compiled essay at the very end of the admissions cycle to a school system that is known for having a crap-ton of applicants to sift through, because it will most likely be a waste of money and an overall blow to your future chance of getting into med school since it will be harder to apply as a re-applicant if you don't get in this cycle.

Goodluck!

 

[PreMedMissteps]

struggling financially

If so, this is not only the wrong time to be spending $2k+ on apps and secondaries (which many forget that they have to pay $50-100 EACH to submit), but it's also the wrong time to apply since there's usually a significant COST to attending interviews ...travel costs (gas and wear/tear on car), maybe hotel costs, food costs, AND loss of work income if you need to take days off. Even if you're only applying to Tx meds, Tx is a huge state, so you can easily lose a day or two of work for each interview.