Are you optimistic about getting accepted off a waitlist?

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•••quote:•••Originally posted by labrat:
•I am on a waitlist at one school. My interviewer asked where else i'd interviewed, so she knows my only chance is at this school since it was my only interview. Do you think it would help to send a letter of intent to the only school considering me this application cycle, even though they know they are my only chance?•••••i don't think it would help to write a letter of INTENT (i.e. i will definitely go to your school if accepted) because they know that, but it could help to write a letter telling them how much you loved their school and why, and updating them on your activities. even if you haven't started anything new, tell them about what you're learning through your current activities etc. good luck!!!
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i would personally write a letter of intent if only for the purpose of reiteration...who knows, they might assume otherwise until they receive that letter, and revocalizing it in hard copy form could do no harm, right?

also, like the last poster said, you should definitely include reasons why you'd like to attend, and if you've had any new honors since. or, you can list specific reasons why you would specifically add to the student community. you might as well take the opportunity to voice them as well...remember...you're selling yourself!
 
Jefe,

What schools told you where you are on the waitlist?
 
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You guys should be optimistic about getting off the waitlist, because it's only May 21st! I was reading through this thread the other day, but I didn't feel like replying to it because I wasn't feeling optimistic AT ALL about my top non-Californian school, Wake Forest. It would have only stressed me out even more to talk about it.

Needless to say, I got a call from them yesterday informing me that I've been offered a position in their class! yay. Half their class is from North Carolina, and I didn't interview well at all since it was my first interview. BUT I still got in baby! Keep hangin in there guys.
 
•••quote:•••Originally posted by Mary Renard:
•From a waitlist veteran who got in....
:D •••••Mary, do you have any info about the GW waitlist that might be helpful? Its hard to find out anything reliable (I have both heard that it is ranked and unranked ... and can't get any word on how large the list is). I thought that you might have some insight being a current student there.
 
Cool! I withdrew from there a few weeks ago. I hope my spot went to you!! :)

•••quote:•••Originally posted by mr.annoying:
•You guys should be optimistic about getting off the waitlist, because it's only May 21st! I was reading through this thread the other day, but I didn't feel like replying to it because I wasn't feeling optimistic AT ALL about my top non-Californian school, Wake Forest. It would have only stressed me out even more to talk about it.

Needless to say, I got a call from them yesterday informing me that I've been offered a position in their class! yay. Half their class is from North Carolina, and I didn't interview well at all since it was my first interview. BUT I still got in baby! Keep hangin in there guys.•••••
 
•••quote:•••Originally posted by strokchik:
•Jefe,

What schools told you where you are on the waitlist?•••••Michigan told me I was in tier 2.
Penn told me I was in tier 2.
UCSD told me I was at the "bottom" of the acceptable pool.
UCI put me on hold with the possibility of making it to the waitlist.

Baylor is the only school where I know nothing about their waitlist.
 
El Jefe

I called and asked what position of the apool i was in but they wouldn't tell me. They didn't even ask for my name and AMCAS ID. It must be because I just asked almost right away(i was so nervous)

How did you find out your position on the apool? Thanks in advance.
 
I think I have nill chance of getting off waitlists for UCs and staying in California....but really great chances of going out-of-state.
 
I was accepted off the Dartmouth waitlist today so this will be my last post because it's so hard to reconcile my ecstasy right now with the utter depression I felt just last week. In retrospect, I wished I did something more productive than sulking. So please try not to be like me pre-acceptance, but you're probably not realize this until you're accepted.
 
about the GW waitlist .... to be honest I've never been able to figure it out! I think there must be some sort of internal ranking but I am sure it's not one that they reveal to anyone if they ask. I do know that the list moves a lot through the summer, though. Good luck!
 
I'm just chilling on the Baylor waitlist. I'm kind of nuetral as to wheather I think I will get off it. I wrote tons of letters, (Thanks Natasha) but I'm not holding my breath. I'd be happy going to USC, but I'd be happier going to Baylor. I would guess I have a 30% chance.
 
Jalbrekt: Not to worry. Baylor's waitlist is moving, and fast. I got an acceptance recently (was pulled off the waitlisted) and I was certainly not expecting it at all. Good luck and keep us posted on the developments. I'd like having you as a classmate this fall. :)
 
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I am in the "top-tier" of UMich's waitlist and wrote a Letter of Intent to them. Also, I emailed the Admissions Director last month to ask whether I should sit and wait until mid-May, write another letter of intent to the ADCOM, or better... if there was something that concerned the ADCOM about my application, could I find out specifically what that was and would gladly address that in another letter.

She responded by saying not to send anything and if I dont hear something from them by late May.. to check back in with her.

The combination of my letter of intent, top-tier of the waitlist, told not to send in anything which means there is nothing concerning the ADCOM, and told if I dont hear something by late May to check in with her.... has made me fairly confident that I will eventually get in. I just want it to happen soon so I can get this torturous process over with. I could start looking for housing too!!!

Good luck everyone...... I think there will be heavy waitlist movement until mid-June... and significant movement after that. I have known many people who have gone through this process and it seems that the waitlists are actually good things to be on, meaning odds are good!
 
•••quote:•••Originally posted by Hero:
•El Jefe

I called and asked what position of the apool i was in but they wouldn't tell me. They didn't even ask for my name and AMCAS ID. It must be because I just asked almost right away(i was so nervous)

How did you find out your position on the apool? Thanks in advance.•••••My file was just reviewed on 5/6, and when I called on 5/7 to get my status they told me that I was in the A-pool and at the bottom. I didn't think they had that kind of information yet, and certainly didn't ask for it. I think whoever answered the phone that day was just feeling particularly informative. Since then, I assume the office has been pretty busy finalizing their waitlist and haven't been nearly as forthcoming about applicant status requests.
 
•••quote:•••Originally posted by praying4MD:
•Jalbrekt: Not to worry. Baylor's waitlist is moving, and fast. I got an acceptance recently (was pulled off the waitlisted) and I was certainly not expecting it at all. Good luck and keep us posted on the developments. I'd like having you as a classmate this fall. :) •••••Make that I feel like I have a 40% chance. One key is that a lot of the people pulled off so far are Texas residents. So well see. I would love to be your classmate, too.
 
•••quote:•••Originally posted by Mary Renard:
about the GW waitlist .... ••••Mary, thanks for the reply. Hope to see you at GW come Fall :p
 
i totally agree with detm78. I kept in very close contact (via e-mail) with one particular person in the admissions office, and they really knew I wanted to go there. I didn't really do this with all the schools, but mainly with Wake Forest in particular because the lady in the admissions office was so nice. I think it helped a lot because she advised me on how I can help myself get off the waitlist, etc and I got accepted 2 days ago :wink: I'm sure many of you are doing this as well, but for those of you who aren't... do it!
 
Hi. To all people currently on waitlists... DO call your schools and e-mail. Let them know you care, and you want to go to their school. Talk to the dean and the secretaries and make friends. I think it helps. This was the best piece of advice I took home from other students I met during my interviews. Not only might it help you get into the school you're waiting for, but I think it will help you to ease your nerves.

It's hard when admissions people seem so high and mighty and above you. I think talking to them will make them seem less foreign. It'll help you feel that they are people too, and you may find that they are very friendly and sympathetic to your situation. Having said that, go and write your emails and make your calls already! :)
 
Sneezy,
That's good advise IF your school is receptive to inquiries. However, the school I'm interested in (UMiami) seems to hate you calling them. The secretaries are extremely rude, and they make you feel real bad if you call them to ask for any information. These people absolutely refuse to give you any information. I dread calling the admissions office because they give me such attitude everytime. I don't know what to do because even the Director of Admissions is nonreceptive to inquiries. This is really bad for me because I got into another school already, but I'd rather go to UMiami. Any thoughts on what I should do? Please help. :(
Cane
 
Hi Cane,

Eeeks... that's tough. I know what you mean about some schools being mean. Is UMiami a Florida state school?

I used to call UCI, one of my state schools, before I finally got a rejection letter from them. It was hard to get a hold of someone from there, and when I did, it was always this lady who seemed to be talking to me from a speakerphone. I would have trouble understanding what she said, and then she'd get irritated with me. My experience with the admissions office at UCI really turned me off to them. So I guess I don't feel so bad about not getting in there or going, anymore.

I guess the only thing I can say is to really consider where you want to go and for what reasons, and what would you be willing to put up with when you choose where you want to go. If you really want to go to UMiami, then I guess you can keep calling them, but only as much as you can get away with without them disliking you. I hope that their admissions office does not reflect how their general administration office handles students.

Best of luck! I hope it all works out for you. May I ask, what school did you get into?
 
Thanks Sneezy. UMiami is a private school in Florida. I want to go there because of Miami (can't beat the weather), family and friends are here, and the hospital (Jackson Memorial Hospital) UMiami is affiliated with is one of the best in the nation and in the world. I got accepted to the University of South Florida, but I would rather go to Miami for the reasons stated above. I have heard that Miami doesn't treat its students all that great. However, I could care less. I don't mingle with administrators or professors anyway. So, them being stuffy doesn't upset me. I just want to stay in my hometown because I know I would be happy here regardless of the school's environment. Thanks and good luck to you as well.
 
To be honest, I was discouraged and was beginning to think...Yikes? but then the terrific news of acceptance came in the mail from GW, what can I say other then I'm truly overjoyed. Keep the faith those still on waitlists.
 
<img border="0" alt="[Pity]" title="" src="graemlins/pity.gif" /> <img border="0" alt="[Pity]" title="" src="graemlins/pity.gif" /> <img border="0" alt="[Pity]" title="" src="graemlins/pity.gif" /> <img border="0" title="" alt="[Frown]" src="frown.gif" />
 
I was on 4 waitlists, and was accepted off three of them so far in the last 6 weeks. I think if a person is on 2 or more waitlists, the chances are pretty darn good.
 
Some of you are accepted off many waitlists.. that's because you are at the top of most waitlists. But it sure is cold for those of us at the bottome of waitlist. What's worse is schools that won't tell you where you stand. *sigh* <img border="0" title="" alt="[Frown]" src="frown.gif" />
 
I want to thank you guys for all the advice you have given. But i guess these methods work for some schools and not for others. I mean... it's not that i'm not happy for fellow SDNers that've been pulled from waitlists, because I really am. I've just been reading posts where people have been accepted and have not gone through writing letters of intent nor letters of interest. They are simply excellent applicants with numerous acceptances that the med school really like. despite our constant banging on the door, they still shut us out and get their top picks first.

I think at most, these letters will keep you on the waitlist.. I guess I'll find that out in a few weeks. I am not going to spam the schools anymore. I will wait for my fate <img border="0" title="" alt="[Frown]" src="frown.gif" />
 
:( <img border="0" alt="[Pity]" title="" src="graemlins/pity.gif" /> <img border="0" alt="[Pity]" title="" src="graemlins/pity.gif" /> :( :( :p :confused:
 
What are your thoughts on when you get on a waitlist? Do you have less of a chance of getting off a waitlist if you interviewed later in the season or are your chances just the same?
 
•••quote:•••Originally posted by CTKN:
•What are your thoughts on when you get on a waitlist? Do you have less of a chance of getting off a waitlist if you interviewed later in the season or are your chances just the same?•••••I think many schools interview the stronger candidates first, so if you interview later you probably have less of a chance. I had almost all late interviews. :( My pessimistic side is showing again....

Then again, if everyone (early and late) is on the waitlist, I think in some cases everyone is equal. If they have a ranked list, however, I think the early birds would be on top. :p
 
In GW's second letter to the alternates (and Foxy, I wouldn't worry about not getting one) they state that "It is to your advantage to let us know you remain interested as soon as possible." That might hint that they show some priority to those that have been waitlisted (and have shown interest) the longest.
 
In general, I think you're probably right ... when I was granted an interview at UC Irvine on literally the last day that school conducted interviews, I figured I didn't have much of a shot. But three weeks later, I got in.

As usual with med school admissions, the only reliable rule is that absolutely nothing makes sense and, apparently, anything can happen.

(Now what we need to have happen is for me to get off the UCSF waitlist ... fortunately, that doesn't seem at all likely, so I figure it might actually occur. :) )
 
•••quote:•••Originally posted by CityIvy:
•it's just really difficult for me to believe that an ordinary applicant like me could be pulled off a waitlist. hahnemann is my best shot, but why would they pick me?•••••They would pick you because you are strong candidate with interesting life experiences..if they didn't want you..you would have been rejected already! Hang in there..its not even june yet.
 
So far my experience has been good with wait lists. I was waitlisted at UNR and was accepted one week later. I've been waiting to hear from the U of Utah, and today the dean called and told me that I'm next on the list. The good news is that there IS movement going on... We've got plenty of time before its all over! Don't lose hope yet!!
 
four candles of hope... one got blown out today.. I feel I'm at the bottom of the waitlist. I'm veeling very pessimistic
 
hey guys. wanted to let u all know that there are MANY having the same feelings (maybe a bit better or worst, depending on the day) out there. It's therapuetic to know others are out there in the same shoes. No matter how many times we hear it, it needs to be repeated. We were all 'good enough, just happens to be less seats than there are good people. Medical Musical Chairs I'll call it.

Hero- no sweat about being removed from a waitlist as long as you have others. I was placed on 5 and rejected from 2 already. What hurts is that it was my 2 state schools. Don't really know why, but I have lots of hope for atleast 1 of these last 3. Maybe hope is the real key :)
 
bump here's to keeping hope alive! :)
 
Hi, everyone,

Lots of people get off the waitlist over the summer - see the Official Waitlist Movement thread! Many people I know who have applied to medical school in the past few years were pulled off waitlists during summer months.

I have no acceptances myself, and I'm only on two waitlists. So, I'm kind of nervous. I'm nervous cuz I really want to get in this year, but not so nervous because I know that if I don't, then it's not the end of the world. I know that I can apply again, and this time, be better with doing my secondaries (meaning doing them as soon as I get them!). I know that not getting in this year doesn't mean that I'll never become a doctor. And being on those waitlists was better than nothing.

Anyways, I'm still hoping that I get off one of those waitlists and that you all will be able to attend the school of your choice. Good luck!
 
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