Does anybody have the link to the Howard secondary app?
Never mind, found out that Howard comes by snail mail with no online part.
Hey! I finally sent in my AMCAS application 8/9, verified 8/16. I received a secondary to MUSC 8/18, but they send all applicants secondaries. I got one from East Carolina University (Brody School of Medicine) 8/20.
My questions is, when do I start getting worried about Chapel Hill and Wake Forest? If they don’t like you, will they always send a rejection letter or will they leave you hanging indefinitely? I only applied to those four, and I ruled out MUSC last week based on their lack of out of state students (the only out of state students they’ve accepted or interviewed recently all went to SC state schools, info I didn’t receive until recently). So all my eggs are in a very few baskets.
Also, the Brody secondary asks for my “major reaction to contemporary life experienced during the last several years.” Any ideas on what on God’s green earth this is asking for? Half of the question points to personal experience, the other half implies something broader. And if it is personal, how does one have a “reaction” to one’s own life experiences, which in my case do not really contain any “contemporary” issues. 
Anyway, any help here would be appreciated.
Thanks,
Alison
ps - I REALLY hate writing essays. . . . 
Sept 11?
war in Iraq?
I’d call the admin people and ask them
Quote:
Also, the Brody secondary asks for my “major reaction to contemporary life experienced during the last several years.” Any ideas on what on God’s green earth this is asking for?
The contemporary is, I think, redundant and reinforces the last “several years” portion of this (poorly written!) question.
Basically, what have you experienced recently, and how did you react to it. This way they don’t get answers like “When I was 5, my dog Moe got into a fight with another dog and was hurt. I knew then that I wanted to spend the rest of my life helping people as a cardiologist.”
I don’t necessarily know that they are looking to differentiate between your reaction to geopolitical events vs. personal events. Did 9-11 affect you directly (ie was it part of your life?)? Use it. If it didn’t really affect your personal circumstances aside from watching CNN, I’d hesitate to incorporate that.
hey Allison,
I go tthe ECU app also. What a pain in the butt! Have you looked at the residency form? all jobs for the last 8 years. ugh. I have recieved an email from Wake Forest. They have put me on hold until getting my MCAT scores. I got verified back in July and have not heard from Chapel hill yet at all. Hope that helps!
Yeah! I saw that about the jobs! I have had a dozen jobs in the last 8 years! I don’t even know if I can remember the specifics for all of them!
Anyway, thanks for the info.
–Alison
How many secondaries are you guys submitting? I applied to 18 schools, and at last count, have received 13 secondaries. The last 3 that I received were for schools that I really didn’t want to go to for one reason or another, but would have gone to if the others didn’t accept me.
Do you think it is statistically safe to count on the ten secondaries that I’ve submitted to this point?
My printer (and I’m sure those of my evaluators) are getting tired.
Boeing,
I’m sending in my 15th secondary tonight. I know how you feel. I could quit right now and be totally happy, but then I seem to remember there being some reason why I chose all these schools. I’m suprised at how smoothly the application process seems to be moving, especially after some of the treacherous ground I previously encountered as a premed. So now I’m thinking of stopping soon, abandoning about 6 of my AMCAS choices and just seeing what happens. So I see what you mean about those 3 other apps. It’s pretty hard to write an enthusiastic essay for a school you’re not thrilled about.
Take all this with a grain of salt. I’m not sure I’d trust an applicant midway through secondaries to give good advice on how many to fill out. 
Alison,
Wake Forest should send you an email within the next week or so letting you know your status.
UNC-Chapel Hill will send you a snailmail letter telling you that they have received your application and that they only send secondaries to those people they plan to actually interview. Noone has gotten their secondary yet, so you’re still OK there also.
Good Luck.
Boy, I really feel like I’m behind.
I’ve only received 2 secondaries so far… and I haven’t sent either of them in… and don’t intend to yet at this point… will probably work on them in a couple of weeks or so…
I also applied to ECU and haven’t heard anything (including a secondary)… I was just verified a few days ago, so maybe that’s the sticking point…
I also have not heard anything from any osteopathic schools…
did anyone else apply to osteo schools also?
I’ve applied to 14 AMCAS 13 AACOMAS schools…
Andrea
Andrea, why aren’t you intending to send in the secondaries yet? An admissions officer told me to aim for a month turnaround time, max. Right now secondary responses are still trickling in to admissions offices, but in September that will become a steady stream, and by October it’s a flood.
You do not need to wait for them to get your August MCAT scores. At least some schools will look at the rest of your application and be considering you for an interview application pending those scores - which means that an interview invite could come pretty quickly after they receive the scores.
Writing these things is grueling, I know. Decide on some reward for yourself, whether it’s M&Ms or shopping or a movie, get them done, and give yourself a prize!
Mary
Thanks for the tip Mary!
I’ll be honest… I’m discouraged and not terribly hopeful about getting any interviews, much less acceptances. I won’t go into the details… but a lot of my lack of willingness to submit the secondaries is involving throwing away the money and not getting in anyway… I guess of course I could ask myself then… why did I apply anyway if I’m so convinced that I don’t have a chance… who knows?
I will shoot at getting them going in the next week… as far as my attitude… well, that may need professional help… 
Andrea
Hi Andrea,
I know it is several hundred dollars at stake, but since you’ve already checked these schools off on your primary applications, if you do wait til next year you’ll still be a “reapplicant.” Why not just give it a shot at a few of the schools you’re interested in and send the apps in? You’ve already come this far!
Ok… here’s an update on what I’ve gotten…
Edward via Virginia
Kansas City COM
NOVA COM
Philadelphia-Atlanta COM
Philadelphia COM
New Jersey COM
Western COM
Drexel
Tulane
George Washington
Emory
Saint Louis University
Morehouse
Penn State
I haven’t sent anything in yet… I’ve spent this morning so far trying to get organized… I’ll be making a concerted effort at getting some of these done pronto!
I am being a bit selective I guess about the secondaries… will update when I get some sent in.
Andrea
AMCAS FINALLY submitted 9/19, verified 9/27.
Secondaries received:
Univ. of Cinci. 9/21
Wright State 9/27
(I’m thinking that neither of these schools screens before sending secondaries - especially since my MCAT isn’t in yet)
Submitted AMCAS 6/24/04
AMCAS Processed 7/1/04
Received Secondary Applications from:
GWU 7/12
Georgetown 7/8
Jefferson 7/14
UVA 7/15
Temple 7/15
UPenn 7/19
UMaryand 8/6
Hopkins 7/20
USUHS 7/28
EVMS 8/2
VCU 8/17
Drexel 8/19
Here’s an update:
AMCAS: Submitted 6/20. Verified 7/15.
Secondaries done: Columbia, Dartmouth, GWU, Hopkins, Yale, Connecticut, Cornell, Pritzker, Northwestern, NYU, UPenn, Stanford, Iowa, UCLA, Emory, UCSF, Minnesota, Mayo
In progress: USC, Toronto, UK schools, McGill, Harvard
My advisor lost my request for an LOR for the UK schools, so I might have to cross those off, which will be a heartbreaker. I am so close to finishing I just need a little extra energy to get these all done!
On an entirely self-congratulatory note, I just want to update that that I sent in two more applications this week!
Secondaries done: Columbia, Dartmouth, GWU, Hopkins, Yale, Connecticut, Cornell, Pritzker, Northwestern, NYU, UPenn, Stanford, Iowa, UCLA, Emory, UCSF, Minnesota, Mayo, U of Toronto, UK schools (I applied to Edinburgh, GKT in London, Birmingham and Manchester! Edinburgh even counts MCAT scores, and Scotland is awesome–so yay!)
In progress: McGill, Harvard, maaaybe USC?
Quote:
AMCAS FINALLY submitted 9/19, verified 9/27.
Secondaries received:
Univ. of Cinci. 9/21
Wright State 9/27
Add: Medical College of Ohio 10/6