What has ticked you off during the med school application process?

[kissit]

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The Waiting!!!!! The process has taken 1 full year for me. I started filling out my AMCAS application in May of last year before I graduated. I got a call off of a waitlist at one of my top choice schools last Wednesday.

I think this process needs to condensed and made more efficient.

 

[denali]

The waiting, the cost, and the possible rejection I was prepared for.

Leading me on (interview, competitive waitlist, rejection) doesn't sit well. 🙁

The fact that most schools on the west coast are primarily state schools, with state resident preference. 🙄

The rejection letters received 1.5 weeks after my app was complete (did they even read it?) 🙁

The hundred dollar check, the 4 month silence, the standardized rejection letter. Who are they kidding, they weren't considering me during that 4 months... 🙄

The randomness and the whole beauty pagent aspect ticked me off the most. 😡

But, I was eventually accepted. I get to be a doctor, so I can live with it all... 🙂

mdf

 

[vscarlet27]

Originally posted by denali

The randomness and the whole beauty pagent aspect ticked me off the most. 😡


Sorry, this is my first time on SDN so I'm not sure if I'm doing this right -- but I just wanted to know what you meant by the "whole beauty pagent aspect" of it all?

 

[CRAZYTERP]

Casewestern telling me they had my entire app and then not responding to my status for months. I called to see what was up and some donkey was like "Oh we don't have a chek from you that's why we have not proceeded." Then I check my records and see that they already cashed my check! I call them the next day to see what's up they tell me I have been rejected! WTF. Screw them. I hope they all try to come to miami for Spring Break only to get snowed in Cleveland. Not that I am bitter...

 

[denali]

Originally posted by vscarlet27

Originally posted by denali

The randomness and the whole beauty pagent aspect ticked me off the most. 😡


Sorry, this is my first time on SDN so I'm not sure if I'm doing this right -- but I just wanted to know what you meant by the "whole beauty pagent aspect" of it all?

I was mostly trying to get across the atmosphere of applicants dolling up their applications to look their best (thinking we know what the ADCOMS want). It's watching and participating in the things applicants do (ugly and pretty) to try and be crowned by their first choice school. It's being judged by "committees" on intangibles and 1 hour interviews. It's about how I feel knowing I've been accepted, with other deserving people out there praying to get in off a waitlist.

That's some of what I was trying to get across with "beauty pagent aspect". 🙂

I suppose I could have called it a horse race, but that doesn't convey the sense I've gotten after going through this process. What's the saying "Applying to med school is harder than med school itself"? [Inserty deity here], I hope so!

mdf

 

[Medical123]

Well, it is now May 20th and two medical schools have not even graced me with a rejection. I did not get a secondary from one, so it is pretty obvious that I won't be going there, but still have the decency to make it official!

I sent in my secondary to the other one in August of last year and haven't heard a word since then, except that "you are on hold for an interview". Interviews ended last month! Put me out of my misery!

 

[alphabeta53]

I agree with "most" of the comments on this thread. The thing that hasn't been mentioned but gets under my nerves is the sense of entitlement certain posters feel regarding admissions with their rather sub-par statistics just because they come across as good people on this site. Learn the system: posting congrats is not going to get you into med school, it might endear you with the SDN community. What will get you into med school is a positive attitude, good MCAT and GPA.

 

[divinemsm]

...how does having your interviewer WATCH THE SOAPS while you are sitting there trying to formulate intelligent questions to maintain some semblance of a conversation ........yes, this really happened to me.

 

[erininseattle]

1. Case Western requiring both an online app and a paper- they didn't send me the paper app so my online was done in August and the paper not in until November- needless to say, no interview. they did cash the check though.
2. Asking you to interview in less than a week. GW and I live in Seattle, nuff said.
3. NYMC secondary, might as well send a check
4. GW financial aid process (if they can call it that)- let that place go b/c the process was so complicated
5. all waiting lists

 

[cocoabutter]

I agree with you erininseattle. Having all waitlists definitely does not make me happy. I am on three and still waiting to hear from one more school. I just want to know. I am sick of waiting.

 

[zambuca]

Wow.. I'm reading all the posts here and some are pretty bad.. i thought my whole getting into med school prcess was pretty terrible but I guess not..
So what tiked me off was... first.. taking nearly years to fill out the amcas application, then having my application placed on hold because i forgot to do the "transcript exempt"whatever for the school i am currently attending... so i started this whole thing with tears!
second... getting secondaries wasn't so bad, except that you get secondaries for all the private schools.. so people, don't get your hopes up..
third.. the interview process... another tearful situation
fourth..rejections
fifth.. waiting.. and waiting
OMG.. getting an interview at the end of May! what's up with that
and of course.. the cost! another tearful situation... jk... its worth it i think when you get in though... actually hmm... is it? haha.. i hope it is!

 

[Nezmar]

Besides all the obvious things that tick people (and me) off....All your life people say "go to school" "go to school". PSAs say "go to school" "go to school", radio says it, teachers, parents, governments....Everyone says it. And here we are. We all are DESPERATELY dying to go to school.....and they don't let us. 😡

 

[Gleevec]

Im disappointed in the randomness. I have had friends who are a year ahead of me get into top 5 schools, but then get rejected from their STATE school (and they were no slouches either). It seems as if you aren't good enough for a school you get screwed, but also if you are "too good" (whatever that means).

I truly believe at a certain point it is completely random based on this. Of course, that just means we all have to make our applications as perfect as possible since so much of it is outside our control.

 

[Yogi Bear]

how small is a friggin 'small waitlist'?

 

[Doc Ivy]

getting an interview at the end of May! what's up with that

Try getting one at the end of June...needless to say I won't be going to Howard

 

[cabruen]

Same exact thing (down to the very words used) happened to me. Was it Dr. Collins?

Originally posted by Mr. H
Vanderbilt interview:

Halfway through the interview my interviewer told me "You know, you are probably going to be waitlisted, I'd guess pretty high on the waitlist, but there is so much competition with much higher mcat scores (mine is 33).

WTF?!!!
How is he going to tell me I'm waitlisted when he's just a freakin interviewer!!?!!? So right then I knew he was freakin bias or something, and of course I got waitlisted. The old bastard!
OH well, the SOUTH sucks!