Waitlist Support Group

[SixStringPsych]

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10 more days. Not that I'm counting or anything 😛

My top choice school didn't start waitlist movement until very late May/early June last year 🙁


Posted using SDN Mobile

 

[nabilesmail]

One waitlist is all I got, otherwise -> SMP + 3rd time Reapp

Damnit EVMS, hook me up brah

 

[alpharez]

One of my schools sends out a bunch of waitlist acceptances on May 16. Yay

 

[Fabio Lanzoni]

The silence until D-day is making me go crazy y'all.

Mornings:

Nights:

Then repeat

 

[Tijou]

One of my schools sends out a bunch of waitlist acceptances on May 16. Yay

What school is that?

 

[Tijou]

That's the slow one.

Can schools that accepted you see the schools you were accepted in but you withdrew from after said acceptance?

 

[gyngyn]

Can schools that accepted you see the schools you were accepted in but you withdrew from after said acceptance?

Not if they accept you after you withdrew from the other schools.

 

[warwickdavis]

Not if they accept you after you withdrew from the other schools.

Can a school you've been waitlisted at see your other waitlists?

 

[chenzt]

Can a school you've been waitlisted at see your other waitlists?

No. The only schools that knows which wait list you are on are the schools that wait listed you themselves.

 

[warwickdavis]

No. The only schools that knows which wait list you are on are the schools that wait listed you themselves.

Thank you chenzt. The waiting's almost over yall.

 

[masaraksh]

No. The only schools that knows which wait list you are on are the schools that wait listed you themselves.

I thought @gyngyn said that after March or so, schools can see 'everything'. So I assumed that is WLs too.

 

[wiloghby]

I thought @gyngyn said that after March or so, schools can see 'everything'. So I assumed that is WLs too.

I would be interested to know this too.

 

[gyngyn]

I would be interested to know this too.

I thought @gyngyn said that after March or so, schools can see 'everything'. So I assumed that is WLs too.

In March we began to see where accepted students were holding acceptances.
In April we are additionally able to see where our waitlisted candidates are holding acceptances.
We can never see where you applied or where you are waitlisted.
We can see nothing until we make a decision.

 

[masaraksh]

Thanks.

(I am only on WLs) and I think that it makes sense that you not see anything until you make a decision to accept. By wait listing then waiting till march/April you're just waiting and getting outside information that can influence your decision.

 

[gyngyn]

Thanks.

(I am only on WLs) and I think that it makes sense that you not see anything until you make a decision to accept. By wait listing then waiting till march/April you're just waiting and getting outside information that can influence your decision.

We don't really need more information about the candidate. We need to know how many seats there are to fill!

 

[BolloX]

We don't really need more information about the candidate. We need to know how many seats there are to fill!

Are you able to tell whether the "waitlist cascade" will be big or small in a given year? And what variables feed into the overall cascade trend?
In other words, will waitlists be tapped extensively or minimally this year? 🙂
(For those who don't know, the cascade is: Stanford takes someone from UoMichigan, who takes someone from USC, who takes someone from etc. etc.)

 

[KYmed]

Are you able to tell whether the "waitlist cascade" will be big or small in a given year? And what variables feed into the overall cascade trend?
In other words, will waitlists be tapped extensively or minimally this year? 🙂
(For those who don't know, the cascade is: Stanford takes someone from UoMichigan, who takes someone from USC, who takes someone from etc. etc.)

Valiant effort, but there's no way you'll get a decent answer for this. I'd love to be wrong, but....

 

[gyngyn]

Are you able to tell whether the "waitlist cascade" will be big or small in a given year? And what variables feed into the overall cascade trend?
In other words, will waitlists be tapped extensively or minimally this year? 🙂
(For those who don't know, the cascade is: Stanford takes someone from UoMichigan, who takes someone from USC, who takes someone from etc. etc.)

No, the number and penetrance of unknowns is too great e.g. risk tolerance of schools at the top of the food chain (as well as state schools), prestige seeking/cost avoidance of the pool. This is why the acceptance algorithm at each school is an approximation at best. The errors in estimation get corrected with the waitlist.

 

[winniepooh]

In March we began to see where accepted students were holding acceptances.
In April we are additionally able to see where our waitlisted candidates are holding acceptances.
We can never see where you applied or where you are waitlisted.
We can see nothing until we make a decision.

Sorry if this seems nitpicky, but can you see the number of waitlists someone holds even though you don't know where specifically they are holding waitlists?

 

[gyngyn]

Sorry if this seems nitpicky, but can you see the number of waitlists someone holds even though you don't know where specifically they are holding waitlists?

No.

 

[winniepooh]

No.

Thank you

 

[deleted526486]

1 week
7 days
168 hours
10080 minutes
604800 seconds

😀

 

[gorun]

1 week
7 days
168 hours
10080 minutes
604800 seconds

😀

In keeping with our musical theatre theme:

Six hundred and four thousand eight hundred seconds
One hundred sixty eight hours, till it might begin.
One hundred and eighty thousand small little minutes.
How do you measure the time, till I might find out I'm in?

In SDN checks and LOIs that I've scribed
In panic attacks and the times that I've cried!

It's time now, to sing out
'Cuz the waiting is so cruel
I want to know, one way: yes or no
Am I going to med school?

 

[Donald Kimball]

Is it terrible if a letter of interest exceeds one page? I was rejected from several programs due to a lack of clinical and service experience, as well as an unfocused interest/motivation for medicine (consequent to the lack of experience), so I spent a paragraph highlighting my relevant experience and clarifying my interest in medicine. Another paragraph trying to sell myself to the school. And two or three more paragraphs describing why the school is right for me. I think it will be about 1.5 to 2 pages long.

I know people don't like reading a lot of material, but this stuff is important!

 

[SixStringPsych]

Is it terrible if a letter of interest exceeds one page? I was rejected from several programs due to a lack of clinical and service experience, as well as an unfocused interest/motivation for medicine (consequent to the lack of experience), so I spent a paragraph highlighting my relevant experience and clarifying my interest in medicine. Another paragraph trying to sell myself to the school. And two or three more paragraphs describing why the school is right for me. I think it will be about 1.5 to 2 pages long.

I know people don't like reading a lot of material, but this stuff is important!

Yes

 

[GoPelicans]

Is it terrible if a letter of interest exceeds one page? I was rejected from several programs due to a lack of clinical and service experience, as well as an unfocused interest/motivation for medicine (consequent to the lack of experience), so I spent a paragraph highlighting my relevant experience and clarifying my interest in medicine. Another paragraph trying to sell myself to the school. And two or three more paragraphs describing why the school is right for me. I think it will be about 1.5 to 2 pages long.

I know people don't like reading a lot of material, but this stuff is important!

I would still try to keep it at one page. Maybe you can enlarge the margins a bit? I always do 1.15 inches on each side and .8 top/bottom if I am pressed for space.

 

[bearded frog]

​

 

[lalalapartay012]

.

 

[Hjbo]

Sorry if this has already been answered on here... But do any schools start rejecting people from waitlists after May 15? Or at this point would the only decision be an acceptance?

 

[CyberMaxx]

Sorry if this has already been answered on here... But do any schools start rejecting people from waitlists after May 15? Or at this point would the only decision be an acceptance?

My understanding is that if you've been put on a Waitlist the only other decision you can get is an acceptance. Otherwise you'll just hear silence until either you or the school begins classes .

It wouldn't make sense for schools to reject people off of the Waitlist because up until the first day of class they can still have students withdraw their acceptances and need to fill those spots.

 

[Hjbo]

My understanding is that if you've been put on a Waitlist the only other decision you can get is an acceptance. Otherwise you'll just hear silence until either you or the school begins classes .

It wouldn't make sense for schools to reject people off of the Waitlist because up until the first day of class they can still have students withdraw their acceptances and need to fill those spots.

Thanks, that's what I figured..
Trying to stay hopeful this week, but I have a feeling this will be a loooong summer :-/

 

[rb121]

I'm on a wait list for a postbac with a conditional acceptance into med school so I'm sorta in the same boat. This is the second time I've been waitlisted by Temple. Really discouraged because there are only 35-40 spots in the program. 🙁

 

[lalalapartay012]

.

 

[orthogenes]

In March we began to see where accepted students were holding acceptances.
In April we are additionally able to see where our waitlisted candidates are holding acceptances.
We can never see where you applied or where you are waitlisted.
We can see nothing until we make a decision.

Thank you for sharing that.

1 more week until May 15th! I feel like I will be 10x sadder if I don't hear anything from my waitlist schools during the next wave of acceptances than the initial waitlist decisions because my hope will basically dwindle down to barely anything 🙁

This is my feeling exactly. 3 waitlists, no yesses.

 

[masaraksh]

This is my feeling exactly. 3 waitlists, no yesses.

me too. feels extremely depressing sometimes.

 

[LisaBrown]

Hi all--there is hope. I got off the waitlist at my top choice school! (Top 5 school) Best of luck. There will be movement!

 

[familyaerospace]

Thank you for sharing that.


This is my feeling exactly. 3 waitlists, no yesses.

That is what I felt last year (1 waitlist) and what I am feeling this year (2 waitlists).

 

[TomHanks]

Hi all--there is hope. I got off the waitlist at my top choice school! (Top 5 school) Best of luck. There will be movement!

.

 

[Donald Kimball]

Should we try to time our update/interest letters before or after the 15th? Or totally dependent on the school and when their adcoms meet?

 

[gyngyn]

Should we try to time our update/interest letters before or after the 15th? Or totally dependent on the school and when their adcoms meet?

Decisions are now in the hands of admissions deans (for the most part) who will use the opinions of the committee to guide their choices.

 

[EthylMethylMan]

Two MD wait-lists. I've sent at least two update/intent letters to each school since my wait-list status. Both have histories of decent wait-list movement. Be honest, do you guys think I might have a chance? I know there's no way to really tell but I'm completely desperate.

 

[BolloX]

Should we try to time our update/interest letters before or after the 15th? Or totally dependent on the school and when their adcoms meet?

I'm also interested in the timing factor....

 

[1WannaGet1n]

Decisions are now in the hands of admissions deans (for the most part) who will use the opinions of the committee to guide their choices.

Don't you think too much power goes into one person's hand?

 

[familyaerospace]

Don't you think too much power goes into one person's hand?

If people have to move fast to pull people off the waitlist, I would say no. The committee already gave input several times. They decided to interview you and waitlist you.

When one is in the real world, things can often come down to just one person making a hiring/firing decision.

 

[masaraksh]

If people have to move fast to pull people off the waitlist, I would say no. The committee already gave input several times. They decided to interview you and waitlist you.

When one is in the real world, things can often come down to just one person making a hiring/firing decision.

real world sucks

 

[BolloX]

If people have to move fast to pull people off the waitlist, I would say no. The committee already gave input several times. They decided to interview you and waitlist you.
When one is in the real world, things can often come down to just one person making a hiring/firing decision.

So....much....power!! Mwahahaha.

But seriously, it can be a good thing too.

 

[BolloX]

Decisions are now in the hands of admissions deans (for the most part) who will use the opinions of the committee to guide their choices.

How are updates and letters usually handled from here on out? I imagine they either make it to the dean's desk or are filed away. If they're filed, are they also flagged as containing an update that needs to be seen?

 

[familyaerospace]

So....much....power!! Mwahahaha.

But seriously, it can be a good thing too.

I don't know how good it is for me. I am known by the dean of my top choice (and also by the dean of second choice). Someone complained to the dean of top choice on my behalf last year so we had a meeting earlier this year. Sigh.

 

[gyngyn]

Don't you think too much power goes into one person's hand?

From this point on, decisions need to be made in a time frame that does not allow for the gathering of all who contributed to the original decision. In an effective system, a sufficient amount of information and opinion from the group will have been compiled in a way that one person can realize the goals of the main body.

 

[gyngyn]

How are updates and letters usually handled from here on out? I imagine they either make it to the dean's desk or are filed away. If they're filed, are they also flagged as containing an update that needs to be seen?

I'm sure this varies quite a bit, so I won't speculate on all methods.
Right now many ,if not most deans are hoping for withdrawals to bring the class size down to the desired number.
Where I work, as that number approaches, the best person on the waitlist will be reviewed including pertinent information from the applicant.