USF advice...

[xresa]

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do you think if i'm 25 on USF's waitlist that i have a good shot at getting in this year?
i'm starting to get really nervous.... it's almost july!
anyone else in the same boat?

 

[MeDDyMe]

hey!!! i'm in almost the same boat! i'm a few spots ahead of you on the same waitlist. no acceptances so i'm really really hoping usf comes through

 

[DrPharaohX]

I know someone from last year that got in around July 11th. I'd call Dr. Larkin and see what position you are on the waitlist and what are your chances. Did Dr. Larkin give you an estimate at all on when you may get off?

Good luck!

 

[MeDDyMe]

Mr. Larkin told me this past week that there will probably be around 15 more changes in the waitlist. And about half the people in front of me have an acceptance somewhere already, so my chances really depend on whether some of them turn down the USF offer. I'm in a "could happen, could not happen" area.

 

[xresa]

me too...
it's an "on the line" thing...i'm just not sure the chances! let's keep our fingers crossed!

 

[SolidGold]

Good luck xresa and MeDDyMe! Its going to be a pretty close call, but you do have until just before orientation, which is about 7 weeks or so....a lot can happen between now and then. Keep in touch with Larkin every couple of weeks...he's honest so it'll be a good gauge of where you're at.

 

[MeDDyMe]

xresa I PMed you!

 

[kwgold]

Hey, you guys are in a better position than I am. I'm around #30, and Mr. Larkin has told me not to expect anything good. He also told me about 10 people ahead of me have acceptances somewhere else. May I ask what your guys background looks like? G.P.A., MCAT, EC, Shadowing, etc.. I've been told that USF changed how they evaluated apps this year. I'm trying to get an idea of what they really valued.

 

[mikedc813]

What were you told about how the admissions committed looked at applicants this year compared to past years? I'm just glad they didn't value research so highly because I had almost none....

 

[Fusion]

I also am curious about this. What does USF place more emphasis on now than in years past. I get the sense that they look favorably on volunteering/community service, even moreso than a lot of other med schools.

Thoughts?

 

[MeDDyMe]

i had an mcat of 30 and a gpa around 3.9, fl resident, one big research thing, college varsity sport, 3 clubs, some leadership roles... i was told my most schools (including usf) that i am a "strong applicant but not stellar"-- that SUCKS. i had a bad interview at usf that hurt me and i was told my essay was considered "controversial" among the adcom. not really sure how that came about... i was told they were scoring differently this year but im not sure how. oh, and i have volunteer experience (not a whole lot i admit), some shadowing, and worked in a couple doctor's offices over breaks and stuff. in my opinion, it was my secondary essay and one interview that hurt me at USF.

 

[mikedc813]

Wow MeddyMe, I'm shocked they didn't like your application. So just to be clear you were not admitted to USF? I actually was placed on the waitlist and taken off on May 12, several days before the May 15 deadline. So I guess I was pretty high on the waitlist, which actually surprised me....

I got a 22R on the MCAT the first time around (I was really sick that day) and a 29R the 2nd time last August. I had a 3.6GPA and got a BA in Bio from Brandeis University. So, my scores are "solid but not stellar" either . My only major extracurricular, like I said before, was directing an afterschool mentoring program from middle school students. However, my writing skills are good (I guess that R means I wrote something half-decent for that MCAT section 😛 ) so my secondary essay was probably fine. I do, however, think that the thing that made it for me were my interviews.

The first was with a 4th year. It wasn't a hard interview by any means, more of a fact-finding mission on his part. He just asked about things I like doing, blah blah blah. Pretty easy. The second was much the opposite - Dr. Ledford is on the admissions committee and he is also the head of that committee. He grilled me on why I think I know what I'm doing and why I think I know what the medical profession is really like. Also, he asked what I think is the most pressing issue in medicine today, and I proceded to discuss our healthcare system problems (he said most people answer that last question with "malpractice" and agrees that our healthcare system is seriously flawed - just in case someone gets him for an interview in the future!). So I guess the interviews really are important.

I guess, now thinking about it, they really did value community service and volunteering last year when they accepted/rejected applicants. Otherwise, I don't think my application would have looked nearly as good to them!