UW Madison & UM Minneapolis

[Sweatin']

I am interviewing at UW Madison first week of March. Anyone else interviewing then? This is their last interview session.

I interviewed at UM Minnapolis first week of January, which was their second to the last interview session and haven't heard back.

Does anyone know if acceptances have been issued by these two colleges for MSTP candidates?

I've been reading all of your messages and am glad for any glimpse into this process and how it is going for others. Naturally, I'd rather not spend a year doing a MS degree if I can avoid it, so I'm hoping to get accepted this cycle.

I haven't read anything about these two schools in this forum. Am I missing something?

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[hockebob]

they both have issued acceptances already, however, i believe there is a large potential for movement on the waitlist.

good luck,
aaron

 

[Sweatin']

Thanks, Aaron. I appreciate the information... a lot. The interview at U-Minnesota was personalized, supportive and positive. They each took extra time with me and it seemed to go well. Hard to say though. Geography and culture-wise, I really love the Northern mid-West, so these schools are high on my list. Both got great biochem labs too.

I applied late, Nov-Dec, after my MCAT score came in and was competative. Most of the East Coast schools (and some others) had earlier deadlines, so my effort was not only expedited but also limited. (USC sent me a e-rejection within a minute after my secondary fee was paid online. Ha!) My original plan was to complete my MS and apply during those two semesters, but I decided to take the MCAT last summer so here I am.

If anyone has advice or thoughts...

Is it worth calling and finding out if I am on the UM waitlist, or is that just bothersome for them and not really getting me anywhere? Would they tell me where I place on the waitlist, i.e., first, fourteenth, when donkeys fly?

All the schools sent letters saying that I am still in the MD process. Is that real? I haven't heard anything else since.

If I have to reapply, I'm thinking to apply to all of the MSTP schools. Is there any downside to that other than the cost?

Lastly, I've read the FAQ on this site and everything else I can about this issue, but I still am not sure whether candidates CAN hold more than one acceptance at this point, even though they are not supposed to. I know that May 15 is NIH's deadline and some schools have an April 15 deadline, but is it to anyone's advantage to hold on to more than one acceptance right now, with the idea that a better one might come in? I'm just wondering how much "domino effect" shuffling might occur as we approach deadlines. I read a few days ago that Stanford and UCLA hadn't issued acceptances yet. Those two schools alone have to cause a major rippling effect.

Now that I can access the website, I hope to talk to you guys often. Meanwhile, I'm "Sweatin'."

Omar

 

[Neuronix]

Should you call to find out your status... Absolutely! Just be polite and give all the appropriate regards and nobody is going to think worse of you for it. They likely won't tell you where you stand on the waitlist, but I'm not sure how it is for the schools you're talking about.

You may really still be in the MD process at some schools, it's just hard to say. If you didn't interview there at all, it's very unlikely you will get called for an MD interview. If you interviewed there for both MD and MD/PhD, there's still some chance you could get an MD acceptance. If you only interviewed for MD/PhD and there really wasn't any MD feel to the interview at all, I'd also say it's very unlikely you will get an acceptance from the MD program. I'd feel somewhat differently if it was earlier in the interview season, but it's really late now.

If you do reapply, why not apply to all the MSTP schools? Time and money are the only downsides. If you get too many interviews, you just decline the ones you don't want to go to. The schools don't (well, they DO, but that's another story) know where else you applied, and even if they did it's not some major problem if you apply to 30+ schools. It would look strange (and feel strange) if you interviewed at that many schools, but even if you interviewed at 15 schools nobody is going to look at you strangely.

You certainly can be holding more than one acceptance at this point. You are right to assume that waitlists will move ALOT in April and May. Some schools (well, one school I know of, *grumble*), won't even move their waitlist until May, even if they have spots. For many (most?) schools, 1/2 or more of their class comes off the waitlist. So hang in there!

Good luck!

 

[Sweatin']

Eric,

I really appreciate your advice and perspective. I will call UM today and see if I can get a feel for what my status is there.

This forum is a really great idea. I'll sure be glad to share my insights once I get some. This kind of reminds me of the people who are the first in their family to go to college. I am the first to go to this level or professional school and the first to compete for a MSTP spot. My friends are all getting degrees in computer science, so without this group all I've got to go by is what the application forms and college materials state.

I'm staying in touch.

Omar