What To Do If You Are Waitlisted For Medical School

This may seem obvious, but this small detail should not be overstated. Did you switch email addresses because the other one was full of junk? Or did you graduate and are no longer using your school email address? Be sure to update schools of any email, phone, or address changes. You don’t want to miss your chance at an acceptance because you are no longer checking a specific email or your address changed because you moved back home after graduating.

On the note of making sure your demographical information is current, check your emails daily, including the spam folder. Medical schools may notify you of a change in your status and want to expect a prompt reply. Be sure to give them one! If you are going on a trip where you won’t have service, still try to log in as frequently as possible to ensure you don’t miss an important message.

First, check to make sure that the school allows the submission of additional material. Some schools explicitly state that an applicant should not send in additional information while on the waitlist. If the school allows additional material, then send them an update letter or letter of interest. Essentially these letters are the same thing (sometimes they are even called a letter of intent) as they have the same purpose.

The letter should serve to provide any additional information to the school that they may have not heard about (for instance, a new volunteer position or a publication) and to express your interest in attending their university. Here are a few tips to make the most of these letters:

• Keep them short! Less than one page is what you should shoot for.
Be concise. You don’t need to go into great detail about your new research position or completed courses, provide a few-sentence overview of what you are doing and its significance.
• Provide some detail on why you are interested in attending that school. Don’t make the letter generic, but instead provide some specific details about that school that interests you.
• Put your demographical information. Make sure you include your name, email, phone number, and AAMC/AACOMAS/TMDSAS identification number so they know how to reach you.
• Don’t inundate the admissions committee. Write one formal letter and then that’s it. You can continue to check in with them but that should either be via phone call or a brief email. Also, space these check-ins out to every couple of months.

Although it is important to be hopeful and proactive while on the waitlist for medical school, you should also critically assess your application. Was there something missing? Is your MCAT score not strong enough? Analyzing your application and addressing any potential weaknesses is essential if you have to reapply. If you have not received any acceptances and are still on waitlists around February, you should really begin preparing for a reapplication. Although you still could be accepted off the waitlist, start gathering letters of recommendation and rewriting your personal statement so that you are ready to submit your application early if needed.

Students often remain on the waitlist for medical school for several months before receiving a final admissions decision. Focus on the above tangible steps and stay positive as you can still receive an acceptance!