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Medical School Advising
Waiting GameMany applicants think it is tough waiting for MCAT scores or to receive secondary applications, but it is only after your interviews are over, when the waiting really begins. At this point everything is in the hands of the admissions committees, and out of your control. If you take additional classes, make sure to send updated transcripts to any medical schools where you are still under consideration. Other than this, be prepared for a lot of waiting by the mailbox. When a decision is made, most schools will place you in one of three categories. They will offer you a position, they will reject you, or they will place you on their wait list. Do not be discouraged if you are placed on the wait list. Many schools hedge on applicants who are somewhere in the middle. Because of this, there is usually a lot of movement off the wait list. If the class becomes completely filled and you have not been accepted, they may place you on their alternate list with a given rank. This usually happens around May, after which replacements are selected in order as needed. Size Matters We know it probably sounds weird, but when you get a letter from a medical school, there will be some anticipation as to whether it is good news or not. After a few months of this, you will be able to tell by the thickness of the envelope what a letter contains. You see, good news tends to come in thick envelopes since it usually contains pertinent information needed to continue the application process. On the other hand, rejection letters are usually one page long and come in a standard #10 envelopes. Now when you come home to open a letter from a medical school, everyone in your house will know what's in it before you do. I Can See Clearly Now I was working at a hospital one day when heard that the Dean of Admissions at one of the schools I had applied to tried to call me earlier in the day. I figured this had to be good news, so I called him back from by cell phone. He said, "Hello, Mr. Grasso. I just wanted you to know that the Committee met yesterday, reviewed your application, and made a decision regarding your application. And they decided ... zzzzzzzzzz ..." I don’t know if it was sun spots or what, because all I got was about 5 seconds of static. I didn’t hear what he said and I wasn’t sure how to respond. Should I ask him to repeat himself? This person was giving me the most profound information of my life and I didn’t want to come across as questioning it in any way. So I hoped for the best and simply said that it was great news. I figured that if they rejected me and I said it was great news, it really wouldn’t matter too much anyway, and it seemed to be less embarrassing that asking him to repeat himself. We spent a couple minutes talking, but he never repeated those all-important words. In retrospect, it all seemed a little silly. I don’t think medical schools routinely call the people they reject. But, I did feel a lot better when I got something in writing. Just be Patient!
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University of Colorado-Colorado Springs
Med Society |