Second look day

I have two upcoming “second look day” opportunities at the med schools I’ve been accepted to. Just wondering if other OPMers have gone to these, and what you’ve gotten out of them. The main reason I ask is that one would involve an airline ticket, and I’m on a tight budget. (Although I know that an airline ticket is a drop in the bucket, all things considered!)


Thanks!

Hey Terra


I would dare to think that at this juncture, you know which on of these 2 you are more likely to attend. I would go to the one you know you will attend (in the event nothing else changes).


I did go the the second look day at my university. For me the application process was over the minute I was accepted (around Nov I think). I didn’t go to interviews after (including Baylor, which I consider to be an excellent school).


What did I gain from it? Absolutely nothing. But the opportunity was still great and there are 3 reasons I will give:

  1. I thought that there was a slight chance this was too good to be true (“Sorry sir, your name is not on the list”). Seeing the badge with my name on it was an joy I cannot describe.

  2. It was the time to just sit, listen and enjoy my victory. Simply “wasting time” for the pleasure of bathing into the atmosphere. I was officially a MD student. This feeling was worth every minute.

  3. Start to connect with other future students (roomate, common interest, information exchange).


    Now, assuming that you know where you will go, then I would simply just visit the school once more. Assuming you do NOT know, then you might think of attending both. Yes it is costly. But I think that making sure is worth the extra money. This is 4 years of your life (or 7-9 in MD/PhD). You definitely want to take every opportunity to ascertain your choice. In any event, congratulations again. Enjoy and savor your success!

A lot of my former students have found 2nd look visits to be incredibly helpful. These visits can help you understand a school more comprehensively, give you a sense of your potential classmates and whether you would fit well with them, and ultimately make a decision about whether a school is the right fit. If you’re undecided between these schools I think the 2nd look could be crucial. Remember that this is a big decision (as you know!) and the cost of going to the 2nd look weekend will be worth it if it helps you make the right decision. If, on the other hand, you’re pretty sure that you already prefer one school over the other then perhaps it’s not worth the cost unless you want absolute certainty that you’re making the right choice.


Congrats on being in the enviable position of having two 2nd looks to attend!


Cheers,


Liza

I don’t know which way you’re leaning, but after my interview at CU, it nudged its way to the top of my list. I liked that the school was slightly separated from the hospital and had windows (it’s the little things in life). The facilities were great, the faculty and staff were amazing, and the students gave it a more college feel vs stressful professional environment. I like the various modalities the curriculum has to teach the content and the very early patient encounters. I felt it also had more opportunities to see a diverse patient population and a huge variety of cases in and around Denver and the region.


I’ve never been to your other option(s), so I don’t know how CU actually compares to them. I probably didn’t help at all. Good luck with your decision!