And so it begins…
First.
I don’t have anything exciting to say yet.
Other than…holy crap, I can’t believe it is almost time to apply.
Ditto RadarDenny!
I’m waiting until tomorrow to really open up the AMCAS application - but with the realization that I need to mostly ignore it for a while so that I can focus on my MCAT in 3 weeks.
Hard to believe we’re really here - this has just been a (relatively) distant goal for the last 2 years while I’ve slowly finished my prereqs one at a time (along with kids, spouse, full time job,etc).
It’ll be interesting to see how this plays out.
YAY!!! 
I’m such a nerd…I finished the whole thing last night, except for the coursework and work/activities sections. Going to need some time on those!
I think I was just excited to be able to finally move forward. Annette, I totally understand where you are coming from. We’ve had our heads down, plowing along, for so long now–it’s hard to believe that this part of the journey has finally arrived.
So excited and proud for us! Good luck, my friends!!!
I may as well add my .02 to the start of this thread…LET’S GO.
Jeez, I am losing all my momentum. I keep entering stuff in TMDSAS and if you do not explicitly save, then it is lost. I have done the mistake twice and it cost me about 3h that I don’t have!!!
Well these are the joys of applying. So here we come.
Good luck to you all.
Ok–that STINKS, redo. Sorry about that!
Question for you guys–how are you describing your work/activities? Are you doing more of a resume style (Work/Experience heading followed by descriptive bullet points) or more of a narrative description for each?
It’s the only section I have left, and I think it’s going to take awhile… just want to give it lots of thought and make sure all my contacts are valid for everything.
I wrote paragraphs b/c I think there is a space cruch on that, altho it’s bee so long (1 year lol) that I don’t remember it there was a limit. OH FYI, it might be a good idea to go ahead and set a resume with all of your work and volunteer activites, and hobbies, and achievements already set up. I had a few secondaries ask for a resume styoe document. My old resume from working days was just my degrees and work history.
I wrote mine in a narrative style. Highlighted major duties/accomplishments and any lessons learned.
Hey, redo, I am applying (for the THIRD time) for the NHSC scholarship, and their portal isn’t any friendlier. Writing this application always makes me feel like a pimp trying to sell myself.
Gotta get the mark’s attention: have tweaked my essays yet again and hoping for stellar LOR’s - hoping that third time’s the charm, this year.
Kate
Hi Kate
thanks for info. Best of luck with your sholarship app.
I have relaxed, didn’t do anything for the past 2 year. I will work on both app this W.E.
And I am also thinking of rewriting my PS. I didn’t write it the way I should have. There is plenty of stuff in it, but no passion…
One piece of advice I got about writing the personal statement (at the DC OPM conference, I think) was that a lot of applicants leave OUT the very thing that fuels the passion for them going into medicine. Told us not to leave out that part of our story because we don’t want to sound emotional.
I had done that very thing, and already sent in my primary, but I changed the way I wrote my secondary applications - and I think that’s part of why I got 6 interviews, and did well in the interviews.
Kate
I agree with Kate. I always allowed my passion to flow through on my personal statements and in the interview. I don’t think they can ever get enough about how excited you are about what you are doing. I even went so far as to express my joy of relearning Ohem, which in this second phase of my academics Chemistry became my favorite subjects
- BaileyPup Said:
I don't think they can ever get enough about how excited you are about what you are doing.
Bailey,
that's kind of my issue, how can I be excited about what I am doing (i.e. research or teaching) if I want to do something else? Not that I don't like that, but it just doesn't cut it anymore.
Or are talking excitement about the pre-med thing, the prospect and the opportunity?
I meant the pre-med stuff and the prospect of becoming a Doc. Sorry for the confusion
No problem bailey. Thanks a lot.
Yay! My LORs were received, so I am almost done with TMDSAS. I am finishing my 3 essays, then I will be able to work on the AMCAS one.
Small victory today, but the battle isn’t over.
I have been working on my PS so much and altered it many times. I keep editing again and again, and it is so important that I am afraid to submit. So when do you guys know when it is ready???
How is everybody else doing?
Redo–that’s a great question. When DO you know your PS is ready?
For me, I had an adcom member from my dream school specifically tell me that I must put 2 specific things in my PS… I’m no dummy, so when she said do it, I did it!
My challenge then became linking the 2 things together in a way that flowed, and adding the rest of the stuff in there to really bring it to life.
I had a dear friend and fellow OPMer help me with a little editing… and after that, I had a gut feeling that it was finally done when 3 people in a row read it and used words like “inspiring” in their feedback. I have one opportunity to reach out to people in this application. One chance to stand out. I need to make sure that my PS is memorable, moving, and transparent. I also need to make sure it is very well written.
And we have to do that in 5300 spaces, including returns. LOL
Quite the arduous task! Once you know what you want in the thing, and you’ve sculpted and honed and fine-tuned it to death? I think it’s just a gut feeling of knowing that it’s right.
Congrats on getting your letters in–that’s an awesome feeling! I have one that I’m going to have to hound, and I know that based on how he ran his Physics class. Procrastinator to the extreme! Other than that, mine are looking pretty good. Transcripts are all on their way. I just need to sit with the “work/activities” section for a few weeks and make sure that I get the right ones in there.
Hang in there, guys…
OK
Done with TMDSAS and the 4 secondaries in TX. AMCAS will have to wait, but since there are only 3 schools I would apply to, should I fill up the tedious forms, I am not too worried.
Good luck everyone.
AMCAS update! Two out of 4 transcripts are delivered, and one LOR is in…
Two more LORs will be on their way by the end of this week. The one I’m worried about is my physics professor. He’s super nice, and very willing–but a HUGE procrastinator. I’m going to have to pester him with kindness.
Still sitting on the work/activities section of AMCAS. Mostly just because I can’t bring myself to do it… but also because I want to make sure I put the best stuff in there. I’m old. I’ve done stuff. LOL
It’s so much more of a challenge than I thought to figure out the 15 most relevant things to my application!!
Hope everyone is doing well!