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LoveMed, are you writing a grad thesis?

Nope honors... boo. So NOT worth the effort. Especially since the grad student I'm working with didn't get final approval on the study I was going to run with her until 2 weeks ago. So I have to use the boring pilot data we collected a year ago... gotta love writing about a completely un-interesting topic for 30 pages
 
Nope honors... boo. So NOT worth the effort. Especially since the grad student I'm working with didn't get final approval on the study I was going to run with her until 2 weeks ago. So I have to use the boring pilot data we collected a year ago... gotta love writing about a completely un-interesting topic for 30 pages

+pity+

I'm helping my PI draft up some of her smaller studies right now. This whole semester has been writing and writing and writing (secondaries, essays, and these research articles). I'm about ready to write myself off as insane.
 
My advice for lovemed is to just bust your butt and get through the next week. By the middle-end of the following week you will be receiving a very nice phone call.

nonlocality
 
My advice for lovemed is to just bust your butt and get through the next week. By the middle-end of the following week you will be receiving a very nice phone call.

Good idea. The more you focus on the thesis, the less you'll worry about wait list movement. 😎

Now, what can I do to distract myself? Oh, right... class.
 
LoveMed, are you a Psych major at ASU? who's lab are you doing your research with? I work in a Psych lab at ASU... just curious! 🙂
 
Nope i'm at UA but I'm doing my thesis on ADHD, which is a special topic to me since my brother has it. So I started the research really excited but my study is really boring and not even about ADHD so I'm pretty bummed.
 
Here is the plot from wed's 17.


Data Analysis-
We are still a little below our trendline. I will wait to see what friday brings and adjust it as necessary.

Estimate-
I am still sticking with my previous lower estimate of 50, except I have a good feeling about lucky 64 (madevans). So lets just be optimistic and say 50-64.

nonlocality
 

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Nope i'm at UA but I'm doing my thesis on ADHD, which is a special topic to me since my brother has it. So I started the research really excited but my study is really boring and not even about ADHD so I'm pretty bummed.

Sounds like it could have been interesting. Are you thinking about doing research during med school in that area?
 
We are still a little below our trendline. I will wait to see what friday brings and adjust it as necessary.

Not good. Come on little green dots. I'm really hoping we get 1 green dot by Friday and another couple over the weekend.

I am still sticking with my previous lower estimate of 50, except I have a good feeling about lucky 64 (madevans). So lets just be optimistic and say 50-64.

👍 Thanks. The 63 was killing me. Now, let's see if we can jump up to lovemed's number before April is over. May is just around the corner...
 
Someone want to volunteer to call in today to get an updated waitlist number?

nonlocality
 
Thanks, cuddy and sunny.

17 again makes it a slow week.

I will post a new plot tonight and have to adjust down our first trendline.


nonlocality
 
Not to be a party pooper, but what if things are beginning to slow down now, and the final number will not be as high...although I'm still crossing my fingers for #64.

So, you still think that they will at least reach 50, nonlocality?

Which year was it that they only went to 18? That's rather hard to believe...
 
Don't worry too much guys. Last year, we were only at about 20 by the end of next week or so. The final number will most markedly be mediated by the madness of mid may's movement. Whew, that was some awesome alliteration. But, you never know... Perhaps everyone right now is happy with their seat. There's about a 0.000001% chance of that, but you never know.
 
Latest waitlist plot.

I fixed a couple of errors in the plot (my bad - data entry fatigue/blindness)
1. Location of mid month lines relative to the number of days (needed to be shifted to the right)
2. My number of days calculation on a bunch of points where off (they needed to be shifted to the left)

Here is a more thoughful analysis.

Data Analysis-
A 17 for today still puts us under the trendline. But with the shifting of the repaired points it is not enough to warrant a shift in our trendline.

We have had good weeks before but this week was a slow week. Like I mentioned before we are dealing with two effects quantized counts and shot changes. So we can't take a slow week too seriously.

I will wait to see what next wed brings before I consider changing it.

We have been sticking with this trendline for about three weeks now and it was based on just our first five points.

In less than two weeks I expect that we will be jumping up to our second trendline. This jump will be signaled by a data point that is substantially above our first trendline.

So I am hoping that with the first five data points of our second trendline (maybe may 13th) that we will get another very good/long lasting estimate. This will be important for those who might need to further plan/prepare for another application cycle.

Estimate-
For now I am sticking with a early/mid-june waitlist number of between 50-64.

Even though we have not seen our second trendline develop yet, I think these are some conservative guesstimates for the FINAL waitlist number:

40 and under, its a "slam dunk", a "done deal"
41-50 I think you have about a 90% chance of getting in
51-55 I think you have about a 80% chance of getting in
56-63 I think you have about a 65% chance of getting in
64-66 I think you have about a 25% chance of getting in

Remember the longer we go tracing or beating 08 numbers, the more likely we are to get to or just past their final result (62). So as we continue to beat 08 numbers my guesstimates are getting more hopeful.

nonlocality
 

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Thanks automangts

I am going to consider what happened last year as a fluke.

On 7/28/08 just before 2012 class orientation there was a seat that came open. Before that seat opened up they were at 61.

Due to the late date they had to scramble through quite a few waitlisters to fill it.

So technically you are right with 65 but I am going to call it 62 - as if that seat was filled right away.

nonlocality
 
i don't think it's a fluke, i think people dropping out at the last second can happen any year. it happened in 2007 also.
 
i don't think it's a fluke, i think people dropping out at the last second can happen any year. it happened in 2007 also.

I agree with this.

Mid-June someone is more likely to accept a UA seat if they have other acceptances since they may not have moved by that time. However, mid-July is a whole different story. I know two guys, one who moved to North Carolina and one who moved to Texas, who had to regretfully decline their VERY late wait list acceptances for this same reason.
 
Yea, its also good to think about how there are probably alot of people that were accepted to Tucson right away, but on the WL for schools that are their 1st, 2nd, 3rd, etc. top choices. They too are probably waiting around and hoping for a certain school, and thus a big reason why May 15 sees so much movement.

Even people that did undergrad out of state, are probably alot more OK with continuing to live out of state if they get the chance...OR on the other hand, people that did stay in AZ for undergrad and would really love to finally venture out of AZ and to another great med school. There are so many different scenarios that can help WL movement.

We have to remember that not EVERYONE is as big of fans of UA as us...hard to believe, but true. The best thing to do is be positive and focus on school/work right now.
 
There's an article in the AZ Daily Star today that Dr. Leadem was forced out of his position at Senior Associate Dean for Admissions and Student Affairs. Seems like kind of a fishy move to ouster such a well liked and respected dean... Here's a link to the article:

http://www.azstarnet.com/allheadlines/289226.php


Wow! What a shock...who would have ever thought something like this would pop up...thanks for the update merryjoulton
 
Although I haven't had the chance to get to know Dr. Leadem very well I was able to talk with him for a bit right after my interview and I feel he reflected many of the qualities stated in the article and would have been a figure to emulate.

I'm rather shocked at a few of the comments at the end of the article basically telling students to buck up and move on. Not to say that this is necessarily true of UA board but why would people want to be part of an institution that pays little attention to the desires of their student esp. when half the student body has something to say. It seems improper to take the students money (tuition) and then just start dictating. "taxation without representation" haha jk.
 
Based on student response discussed in the article, obviously they felt Dean Leadem played an influential role in their medical education and contributed to their satisfaction with UA COM Tucson. Especially with the drop in board scores, current students look to him and his role for support and confidence in the school's future.

For people that are weighing their options at UA and another school, I think this could play a big role. It is important for a school to have stability and strong leadership. With another Dean coming in, things could change from what currently is in place and make some question if they want to take the chance at UA.

I guess we will see what happens, but this might be an additional effect on WL movement..
 
I read the article-it was a good thing for you to post here. It is somewhat unsettling and does cause me a little concern. But then again, I really don't know much and I hope that it will only help improve the program. Then again, considering the response from current students, it is hard to be optimistic.
 
no, they're creating a search committee first and then will proceed to look for the replacement.
 
here's the text of the article

UA med students protest ouster of sr. dean
By Stephanie Innes
ARIZONA DAILY STAR
Tucson, Arizona | Published: 04.18.2009
advertisement

Medical students at the University of Arizona — usually too busy to be activists — are in open revolt against the College of Medicine, saying its leaders forced a beloved administrator to leave his job.
Several students say Christopher Leadem lost his longtime job as the senior associate dean of admissions and student affairs by an administration that wants to take the UA's College of Medicine in a different direction — one that's more focused on research than on taking care of its students and teaching them to be compassionate physicians.
UA officials say they can't comment on personnel issues, but students on Thursday were sent an e-mail from the college saying Leadem would be leaving his job.
Leadem will continue to work at the college as a tenured faculty member. He is an associate professor of cell biology and anatomy.
In the high-adrenaline, high- stress College of Medicine, Leadem is the dean who knows the names of all the students and is the one they go to with personal problems, said first-year medical student Alok Patel, who is the incoming chair of the college's medical student government.
"This is probably the most unified I've seen our student body here," Patel said, looking around a College of Medicine classroom bustling with students signing a form letter of protest. "Dr. Leadem represents a philosophy and ethos that we entered this school looking for."
Leadem did not return a phone call from the Daily Star on Friday. But his colleague, assistant dean of student affairs Dr. Larry Moher, said that Leadem was leaving the job against his will.
"He (Leadem) does not want to go out this way," Moher told students signing letters. "I'm afraid of what's going to happen, and I'm glad you are rallying for him."
Dr. Philip Malan, vice dean for academic affairs at the college, confirmed that there will be a search conducted to replace Leadem, though he would not discuss details of Leadem's departure, explaining that it's a personnel matter. Malan said Leadem could be replaced by two part-time positions, but stressed that there will be student involvement in the selection.
By early Friday afternoon, at least 100 students had shown up to sign the letter of protest, which they are putting into envelopes and sending to individual UA administrators, including Malan and UA President Robert Shelton. Current medical student government chair and second-year medical student Sigrid Gardner expects at least half of the medical school's student body will be signing letters.
There are 488 students enrolled at the UA College of Medicine, which includes campuses in both Phoenix and Tucson.
"There have been a lot of changes at the medical school lately, and any direction that doesn't involve Dr. Leadem raises red flags in my mind," Gardner said. "He is viewed universally as a beacon of support for students."
Gardner added that Leadem embodies compassion, professionalism and respect — all ideal qualities for physicians-to-be — and she's worried those qualities are not being valued by the administration.
The students' letter notes that the scores for second-year UA medical students who took the first step of the U.S. Medical Licensing Exam last year were lower than normal, and that anxiety in the current second-year class is, "already at astronomical levels."
"By removing one of the primary confidants of the student body, the university is ridding itself of a major outlet for students' stress and risks seeing this increase in anxiety reflected poorly in the next set of USMLE scores," the letter says.
In an interview Friday, Malan said while the College of Medicine has new initiatives, its administration is not trying to change the philosophy of the college. Rather, it wants to enhance the admission process and services to students. He said administrators want to step up student recruitment and try to ensure that the students who are accepted end up attending.
"The thing to emphasize is that the college isn't changing its philosophy in a dramatic way," he said.
"What we are trying to do is to support our students and provide them with an education. We probably have more faculty interested in teaching than I can remember. They are a very experienced group, some for decades. We have strong researchers and dedicated educators, too. I don't see us walking away from educating students."
Contact reporter Stephanie Innes at 573-4134 or [email protected].
 
For anyone interested, the median stats of the 2007 accepted* class were:

MCAT: 30
PS - 10
VR - 10
BS - 10
Writing - P

GPA:
overall: 3.8
BCPM: 3.7

814 Applied, 616 Interviewed, 134 matriculated (about 50 from the wait list)

According to MSAR 2010-2011.

EDIT: That was actually MSAR 2009-2010 ^^^.

This is the actual (new) data from MSAR 2010-2011:

MCAT: 30
PS - 10
VR - 10
BS - 10
Writing - Q

GPA:
overall: 3.7
BCPM: 3.7

855 Applied, 580 Interviewed, 156 matriculated (about 65 from the wait list)

*Thanks ThankGod
 
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The median stats are for the "accepted" class, not necessarily those matriculating/entering 🙂
 
The median stats are for the "accepted" class, not necessarily those matriculating/entering 🙂

That's right... it's the USNews data that is for those matriculating, right?
 
That's right... it's the USNews data that is for those matriculating, right?

I'm not sure...I know that MSAR and others (most likely including USNews) base their stats on data from applicants accepted and not necessarily matriculating...so the mean/median MCAT/GPA could be higher or lower than what these guidebooks say
 
Did anyone else receive an invitation for an Application File Review from UA Phoenix?
I just got an email today. Last I heard I was still on the wait list, but does anyone know if they send those to wait listed students?
It seems like a bad sign to me, but I might just be overreacting ...
 
ASUpremed, how far are you down the waitlist? I'm about half way down, and I didn't get any invitation to review my app. But I was accepted into Phx, so maybe they are assuming I won't be reapplying?
 
Did anyone else receive an invitation for an Application File Review from UA Phoenix?
I just got an email today. Last I heard I was still on the wait list, but does anyone know if they send those to wait listed students?
It seems like a bad sign to me, but I might just be overreacting ...

I got one of those last year after I had already been accepted. It's nothing to stress about.
 
Did anyone else receive an invitation for an Application File Review from UA Phoenix?
I just got an email today. Last I heard I was still on the wait list, but does anyone know if they send those to wait listed students?
It seems like a bad sign to me, but I might just be overreacting ...

I'm waitlistee # 64 at Tucson and I'm waitlisted at Phoenix, too. No invitation here, but I don't stress. It's nice that they're already ready for you to schedule your appt. I'd love to have my app reviewed ASAP.
 
What's wrong with u guys?! Not a lot of posts the last few days! Don't fall asleep now like the waitlist did!
I hope we'd see good wl movement by end of next week! Crossing my fingers for #64!
I'm starting to give up on phx and will look for a place in tucson next week. Anybody have an idea of how much a decent 2 bedroom place that is close to campus cost?
On another note, I still haven't made my mind on the laptop I l'm going to buy. Any suggestion? And why?

Thanks people
 
I asked them in my email. They said my status has not changed, but the review is for rejected students. It was so weird! I'm guessing this means I'm really far down the waitlist. Anyway, just wanted to let everyone know, don't know if that information will be helpful to anyone else or not. I guess now I can start studying for the MCAT.

Anyway, the soonest available appointment was May 15! I seriously hope I don't forget about it, I have to write it down! : )
 
Anybody have an idea of how much a decent 2 bedroom place that is close to campus cost?
On another note, I still haven't made my mind on the laptop I l'm going to buy. Any suggestion? And why?

Thanks people

Looking to buy small house or condo or rent? I think a couple pages back there was some discussion as to where to look. If you are interested, my sister in law is a realitor down here and if nothing else can point you in the right direction (PM me if you want her info).

As for a laptop, have you looked at the recommended specs on the classof2013 website? I wouldn't get the recommended laptop (I've had some bad experiences with Dell). I have an HP and love it, and I have had great luck with customer service the few times I've had questions. If you get any PC, make sure you get Vista Business, Ultimate, or XP pro.. unfortunately I didn't have the foresight a few months ago when I got my new laptop and will need to upgrade my OS. I really hate reformatting..

This was briefly mentioned above but there wasn't much discussion on the matter. Is anyone else worried about the removal of Leadem? I was originally hopeful that it would be for the best, but it is pretty discouraging reading the comments from the med listserv. It shows how important and influential he was the the students when there is nothing but outrage and confusion over the matter. I really wish that they would comment more on what is going on. Anyone who read the summary of the meeting with Dr. Malan saw that all he would say is that he wouldn't comment on it based on employer/employee confidentiality and that he won't comment on personal matters.

I wish there was more translucence with the matter. It would help make me more confident as an incoming student.
 
I asked them in my email. They said my status has not changed, but the review is for rejected students. It was so weird!

Hm, that is weird. But regardless, anything that helps you start working hard toward a strong re-application is good. Who knows, maybe you'll be pleasantly surprised and get an acceptance the day before your file review.
 
What's wrong with u guys?! Not a lot of posts the last few days! Don't fall asleep now like the waitlist did!
I hope we'd see good wl movement by end of next week! Crossing my fingers for #64!

Woo hoo! Go underdog status!

Agree about the wait list sleepage. I can call this afternoon if no one else has already. I'll call a bit before two, I suppose.
 
Anyone want to call to get the latest waitlist number?

I hope its moving ahead.


nonlocality
 
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