What's the most anal thing you've done this app process?

[wolferman]

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I'd have to say typing out a couple of the checks I sent in with secondaries. Hey, I already had the typewriter out...

They did look great though. 🙂

 

[Random Access]

Anyone s**t a brick? 🙂

 

[lola]

started posting on sdn. ugh! the addiction comes and goes, but it has been really bad these past few days...

 

[Nefertari]

print out sticky address labels for all my schools (i highly suggest this, btw--just print onto a full label sheet). just got sick of nervously trying to print neatly on envelopes & wondering if they might undergo handwriting analysis. hehe 😉

 

[UCLA Paratrooper]

Set the Pre-Allopathic section of SDN forums as my homepage...

UCLA Paratrooper

 

[PrincessCKNY]

I put up that poll about whether or not I should keep essays in the same font or different fonts to fill up all the space provided.

Nefertari, I do the sticky label too! It's a lot easier to type it up once, and print several copies of the address...especially if you do certified mail w/ return receipt, where you need to write the address a hundred times.

 

[chips]

set the preferences to have SDN send me an email everytime a new post arrives for a thread i subscribed to. new posts and new emails--two birds with one stone! happy happy day.

 

[rae-chill]

went to 3 different kinko's for a total of 5 harassed kinko's employees, 3 hours and $25 trying to get a copy of my upstate application to look as similar as possible to the original - the original got caught up in a nasty white out incident... 😎

 

[LoveDoc]

For post-bacc apps, I estimated where fields were on the application, typed my responses adding spaces and font modifications printed to blank paper and held the (template) paper up to the light to match my responses to the fields on the actual application. I did this over and over (about 20x per page of the app) until I had the fields and responses exactly matched. This took about 3 hours per app. Needless to say I didn't apply to Rutgers, UCONN, or VA. I was way tired of this process.


OH and too cheap to buy a typewriter.

 

[CaNEM]

Bumped off a couple fellow applicants on the way in to our interview.

 

[manicmaven]

Lovedoc,

I did the same thing with OHSU's application. I thought I'd save time by not searching the greater Portland area for a typewriter. Yeah....three hours later...

🙄

 

[Blitzkrieg]

Originally posted by CaNEM
Bumped off a couple fellow applicants on the way in to our interview.

 

[Philism]

Originally posted by UCLA Paratrooper
Set the Pre-Allopathic section of SDN forums as my homepage...

UCLA Paratrooper

I thought I was the only one!

 

[PrincessCKNY]

Originally posted by LoveDoc
For post-bacc apps, I estimated where fields were on the application, typed my responses adding spaces and font modifications printed to blank paper and held the (template) paper up to the light to match my responses to the fields on the actual application. I did this over and over (about 20x per page of the app) until I had the fields and responses exactly matched. This took about 3 hours per app. Needless to say I didn't apply to Rutgers, UCONN, or VA. I was way tired of this process.


OH and too cheap to buy a typewriter.

Sad to say, I've done that too. A good tip is to measure out their margins, set your margins the same, and fig out how far down and across certain lines are when filling in blanks. It makes things a lot easier, especially if you use the ruler on Word. This is how anal I am...I use that process over the typewriter because I like how it comes out when its printed! Sometimes I don't even understand myself. 🙄

 

[Philism]

Since everyone fiddles with typewriters to fill out their apps, I assume the best way to stand-out at a school is to fill-out my app by hand then slap a hello kitty sticker on.

 

[DoubleDoctor]

I think most of my anal stuff revolved around my application and interview clothes. I had my Mom review my essays like 50 times, then I kept running spelling and grammar check over and over even though I knew that I had corrected everything. When it came time to hit submit, I couldn't do it.....I just kept going back and proofreading it again. Finally after several tries, I submitted, and then I was still scared to death that I had screwed it up.

I then actually spent a good deal of time studying my own application which was totally stupid because it's my life, I lived it, I remember every grueling detail.

I waited until I received an interview invite to purchase my new suit because I was "dieting" since I have a more athletic build. When the interview invite came we headed over to Men's Warehouse and they could have sold us anything, no questions asked. I actually considered buying these butt ugly shoes that I would never have worn because my saleperson "Al" thought they were the epitome of conservative. He also wanted to sell me a $300.00 raincoat (it was a neat coat) and I was actually considering it until Mom said no (I interviewed in September, and there's not much need for a long trenchcoat in September). I paid $15.00 to have them sew the vent shut on my suit to make my butt look smooth. Also Al had suggested a pocket silk for my suit but I needed a maroon one and they were out so at 8PM on the night before my interview I was trucking down to Men's Warehouse to buy a silk hankie to distribute my tie color better.

The real kicker to all of this is that I am not a vain person. My undergrad degree is from Miami University and EVERYONE up there dresses in Abercrombie and Fitch, Ralph Lauren, Eddie Bauer, etc. and I have always been a Levi's and casual shirt kind of guy. I always felt that I was there to learn, not be seen and evaluated on my fashion sense. I have very nice clothes but refuse to wear them to class because I'm most comfortable in jeans and a polo or T shirt. My family has been having a good laugh at my expense over my actions during this process. I have always been very anal about tests, grades, studying etc. but this was the first time I became this neurotic.

 

[::Seabass::]

I think I have become a little bit more neurotic regarding everything in my life.

The worst possible thing that has happened is I have developed a jiggle. I hate people who can't sit still and always need to move at least one part of their body. I can't stop! I'm jiggling as I type!

😀

 

[abw]

This one prob'ly isn't to original. I pretty much stalk the mailman now. I know what time he delivers mail each day and plan my schedule so i can pick up my mail as soon as he leaves. All of my friends are poly-sci / business majors and tell me i'm losing it, but it's all part of the process.

 

[tBw]

the most anal thing?....well, I did go to this 'specialty' shop and buy this nice set of beads...oh...wait...that's not quite what you meant!!

😉 😛

 

[GoodMonkey]

Originally posted by the boy wonder
the most anal thing?....well, I did go to this 'specialty' shop and buy this nice set of beads...oh...wait...that's not quite what you meant!!

😉 😛

oh GAWD!

 

[::Seabass::]

Originally posted by the boy wonder
the most anal thing?....well, I did go to this 'specialty' shop and buy this nice set of beads...oh...wait...that's not quite what you meant!!

😉 😛

I needed that smile, thanks Boy Wonder!

 

[kaos]

I actually put kisses on my secondary envelopes before I sent them off...😛

 

[CRAZYTERP]

I arrive at work each morning at 9 and immediately check my inbox (bc thats how I got my first interview letter) just to see if any other med schools have some love for me. Then I check out SDN for about 15 mins, then I do some work, then I check my inbox, then I check SDN, Then I check my inbox...

You all get the picture. Basically I have become so unproductive and always am on the net that I think my boss may be wondering what the hell I am doing all day.

Finally when I check SDN one last time to see that some more peeps are getting interviews/admission (congrats BTW to everyone who is hearing great news 😉) then I get this idea that maybe today I will get more good news. So basically I am so excited that I rip through the mail each night when i get home just to see if my name is on any envelopes. Yesterday we must have had 50 pieces of mail from the weekend and still nothing.

So yes I would consider this a lil anal, would anyone else?

 

[LoveDoc]

I was trucking down to Men's Warehouse to buy a silk hankie to distribute my tie color better.

PRAY TELL ME you did not wear a hankie???

 

[GoodMonkey]

GoodMonkey's personal ad: "24y/o female, red hair, athletic, likes to check her email every 15 minutes or less. frequents premed message boards. enjoys the outdoors, stalking the mailman and calling up admissions secretaries. seeking organized, like-minded individual who can type online into a pdf file or produce a typewriter if needed. must be understanding of email and snail-mail dependent mood swings, drop-of-the-hat trips across the country for that how-the-crap-did-i-manage-this-one dream school interview. frequent flier miles and a willingness to cuddle post-acceptance-letter both are a definite plus. PM me if this sounds like you.

HA

 

[wolferman]

I'm not sure this is as bad as when I typed the check but....University of Utah sends secondary materials in five different sheets of paper: white, ivory, cream, goldenrod, and pink. They had PDF versions of the application available online, so instead of typing on the originals, I downloaded the PDF files and went out and bought each of the above colors of paper to print them out on. I then editted the PDF files a bit to make sure the printouts would look identical to the original files. When I was done, they looked great, but I know the time I spent preparing the aethetic aspects was by any definition EXCESSIVE.

 

[Kovox]

You guys scare me 🙄