OMSAS/MedApp Horror Stories

[biomed1010]

i was kind of reluctant to share my story, but i don't really care anymore as it is now in the past...

 

i'm currently in 3rd year and was eager to apply as a 3rd year applicant in ontario for this cycle. i spent all 4 months of my summer doing full time research, working on my application, and studying for the MCAT... however, i had my MCAT scheduled late august so my scores wouldn't get released until oct. 6th (6 days after the deadline), and because of this i was reluctant to apply to u of t, mac, and queens.

 

i practically spent 2-3 months working on my ABS, u of t personal statement, and mac answers. some of you may remember that "crash" that OMSAS had a week before the deadline, where some people's entries on the ABS was erased completely. well, the day before this happened, my ABS, reference entries, mac answers, and verifier entries somehow "disappeared"... as you can imagine i was in total shock and panic, and i assumed that i could have been hacked.

 

the next day, i ran into a good friend who was also applying this cycle - and she asked me if i had heard about the crash they had (which i hadn't at the time)... i felt a wave of relief, because this negated my previous assumptions. after the OMSAS crash was resolved, i logged back on to find that i was the only one whose application hadn't come back - another stab in the heart.

 

after calling OMSAS, i spoke to someone there directly who investigated and told me that someone had gotten into my account and deleted all my entries sequentially. they gave me the time it happened, and it was at a time when i was working on my personal statement. the IP address that deleted the entries was the SAME AS MY OWN. i was shocked and confused... but i was also relieved because i now know for sure what happened and could work diligently to re-do my application entirely (still had ~5 days left)...

 

so i re-formatted my computer, changed all my passwords and started re-doing my ABS (didn't have it saved) - i had my mac questions saved and hadn't yet submitted my personal statement so still had that.

 

fast-forward to 3 days before the deadline. i wake up late on a saturday (like 1pm-ish), and head over to work on my application again. i log in, and what i read hit me like a ton of bricks:

 

"Your application has been submitted."

 

my heart sank, and then i really started to panic. since omsas isnt open on the weekend, i had to wait till monday to find out what happened. my application got submitted with no mac questions and no ABS.

 

after talking to them and their investigation, they found that someone indeed had submitted my application (again from MY IP) earlier that morning. the person i spoke to at OMSAS was very rude, acting like it was my fault (she claimed my secret question as too easy... but later found out that the hacker did not use that to get in).

 

now here's what the lady at omsas said i had to do in order to still apply (i got her e-mail on September 29th at 5:00 PM): get a police report and a personal letter stating what i think happened and they would look into the matter of letting my apply. i had to submit this to their office in Guelf (i live in windsor) by 8:30 AM the next morning. after going through all of this, i just said screw it and didn't pursue it further than that (i had midterms coming up to worry about).

 

what pissed me off is that i may have had a chance at mac/queens/UofT because my MCAT scores came out a few days after (31S balanced). however, i was happy about my results which eased the stress of the situation.

 

to me, this whole ordeal has been a reminder of the f***ed up, jealous pre-meds out there, and the extent they would go to in order to sabotage their competition. some hacking douche out there (who i still haven't figured out who it is - its almost impossible to track them) screwed me over. i now change my passwords monthly and save all my work on an external hard drive, and no longer access school computers with my information...

 

So this is why some pre-meds decide to major in Computer Science... LOL j/k

[foregoneconclusion]

Yeah i was, the person at omsas gave me a contact to speak to but i just decided not to pursue it further because i had 3 midterms to worry about that upcoming week

 

Hmmm based on the IP thing and the fact that you imply that there's only one computer on your network and that it's been recently formatted, it makes me wonder whether your wireless network is secured? If it's not secured, someone with a basic knowledge of computers can really go to town...

 

My story was my own fault. I waited until the last hour to apply after editing and re-editing and re-editing once again. When I went to submit, I saw that there was a part of the application that I was not aware of, the section where you have to input each of your grades manually. Seeing a transcript tab where you ORDER TRANSCRIPTS, I thought that that was covered, lol. I start trying to put in my marks but OMSAS is moving at a snail's pace and I'm getting random error messages from their webform. I start panicking. In the end, I wasn't able to submit on time and OMSAS obviously didn't care. It was my fault but I really feel like that part of the application is frivolous at best. Oh well, ya live ya learn. Let me take the break that I wanted to take in the first place.

[bj89]

So this is why some pre-meds decide to major in Computer Science... LOL j/k

 

LOL... hey, its not a program where its easy to get a high gpa but at least you can crush the competition

 

to bj89:

 

this sounds like an absolutely awful thing that's happened to you. i'm sure all the anxious premeds on this board feel your pain.

 

i definitely think you should try to find out who this person is. perhaps it's possible to reconcile what has happened, given that you are in third year. however, next year, you may not take it as well. besides, this person seems like someone who is close enough to you to know personal information. therefore, this may be someone you trust in your personal life. you never know when this person can betray you again down the road. if it's next year's omsas cycle, that might be exceptionally crushing.

 

again, i am sorry to hear this has happened to you.

 

i definitely would like to reconcile, if i only knew who it was

 

Hmmm based on the IP thing and the fact that you imply that there's only one computer on your network and that it's been recently formatted, it makes me wonder whether your wireless network is secured? If it's not secured, someone with a basic knowledge of computers can really go to town...

 

i dont think i had a password on my wireless, but i definitely do now!

[rmorelan]

LOL... hey, its not a program where its easy to get a high gpa but at least you can crush the competition

 

It is actually a very useful degree in med school as well. I have been very surprised where it has managed to make a difference.

[Leon]

 

i dont think i had a password on my wireless, but i definitely do now!

 

omg! A password on your wireless is an absolute must. And you might want to see if you can check with your ISP. With Rogers, you can see how much GB you use everyday. So if someone is stealing your net, you might be able to notice.

 

This is the MOST horrendous thing that I've heard happen to a student. I can't imagine the horrors of formatting your PC in the middle of mid terms and going through this. Congrats on your MCAT score! It's such a shame, you might have gotten some interviews too with that score.

 

I strongly second the advice of the others: try your best to find out what happened. You don't want this happening again in the future. If the IP address that submitted it is yours, doesn't that mean that your personal internet connection was used to do so? If so, that rules out hackers outside your home.

 

It could be some sort of insane computer error thing, though I doubt it.

[Delusionofreality]

i was kind of reluctant to share my story, but i don't really care anymore as it is now in the past...

 

i'm currently in 3rd year and was eager to apply as a 3rd year applicant in ontario for this cycle. i spent all 4 months of my summer doing full time research, working on my application, and studying for the MCAT... however, i had my MCAT scheduled late august so my scores wouldn't get released until oct. 6th (6 days after the deadline), and because of this i was reluctant to apply to u of t, mac, and queens.

 

i practically spent 2-3 months working on my ABS, u of t personal statement, and mac answers. some of you may remember that "crash" that OMSAS had a week before the deadline, where some people's entries on the ABS was erased completely. well, the day before this happened, my ABS, reference entries, mac answers, and verifier entries somehow "disappeared"... as you can imagine i was in total shock and panic, and i assumed that i could have been hacked.

 

the next day, i ran into a good friend who was also applying this cycle - and she asked me if i had heard about the crash they had (which i hadn't at the time)... i felt a wave of relief, because this negated my previous assumptions. after the OMSAS crash was resolved, i logged back on to find that i was the only one whose application hadn't come back - another stab in the heart.

 

after calling OMSAS, i spoke to someone there directly who investigated and told me that someone had gotten into my account and deleted all my entries sequentially. they gave me the time it happened, and it was at a time when i was working on my personal statement. the IP address that deleted the entries was the SAME AS MY OWN. i was shocked and confused... but i was also relieved because i now know for sure what happened and could work diligently to re-do my application entirely (still had ~5 days left)...

 

so i re-formatted my computer, changed all my passwords and started re-doing my ABS (didn't have it saved) - i had my mac questions saved and hadn't yet submitted my personal statement so still had that.

 

fast-forward to 3 days before the deadline. i wake up late on a saturday (like 1pm-ish), and head over to work on my application again. i log in, and what i read hit me like a ton of bricks:

 

"Your application has been submitted."

 

my heart sank, and then i really started to panic. since omsas isnt open on the weekend, i had to wait till monday to find out what happened. my application got submitted with no mac questions and no ABS.

 

after talking to them and their investigation, they found that someone indeed had submitted my application (again from MY IP) earlier that morning. the person i spoke to at OMSAS was very rude, acting like it was my fault (she claimed my secret question as too easy... but later found out that the hacker did not use that to get in).

 

now here's what the lady at omsas said i had to do in order to still apply (i got her e-mail on September 29th at 5:00 PM): get a police report and a personal letter stating what i think happened and they would look into the matter of letting my apply. i had to submit this to their office in Guelf (i live in windsor) by 8:30 AM the next morning. after going through all of this, i just said screw it and didn't pursue it further than that (i had midterms coming up to worry about).

 

what pissed me off is that i may have had a chance at mac/queens/UofT because my MCAT scores came out a few days after (31S balanced). however, i was happy about my results which eased the stress of the situation.

 

to me, this whole ordeal has been a reminder of the f***ed up, jealous pre-meds out there, and the extent they would go to in order to sabotage their competition. some hacking douche out there (who i still haven't figured out who it is - its almost impossible to track them) screwed me over. i now change my passwords monthly and save all my work on an external hard drive, and no longer access school computers with my information...

 

wow i am very sorry to hear that. that sounds like a horrible experience. pre-meds can be really viscious sometimes, i hope whoever did that doesn't get in (assuming they were another premed)

[thatonekid]

I swear by this site, as everything on it is backed up by stacks of research.

Check out the vast index of other subject matter on here, too.

I wish people did research on here. It would decrease the number of repetative threads.

 

Reported.

[foregoneconclusion]

 

If the IP address that submitted it is yours, doesn't that mean that your personal internet connection was used to do so? If so, that rules out hackers outside your home.

 

 

If his network was not secured, anyone within a certain radius could connect to the internet using his connection and they would have his IP. This is dangerous not only because they'd have access to your information but also because if they engage in illegal activity, it would only come back to one person...

[Leon]

If his network was not secured, anyone within a certain radius could connect to the internet using his connection and they would have his IP. This is dangerous not only because they'd have access to your information but also because if they engage in illegal activity, it would only come back to one person...

 

Oh damn, I forgot it was wireless.

 

And the donkey above has been reported, btw.

[spiderpig]

^^ I don't understand though, to submit, didn't they have to pay for you?

 

bj89, what a horrible thing to happen. But I'm wondering the same thing as above... What were the details for the payment? That should be very easy to find out, and should give a lot of clues. Or did this person, whoever it was, have your credit card info?

[supafield]

bj89, what a horrible thing to happen. But I'm wondering the same thing as above... What were the details for the payment? That should be very easy to find out, and should give a lot of clues. Or did this person, whoever it was, have your credit card info?

 

You can submit saying a cheque/money order is in the mail no?

 

Then at that point... it's submitted can't be changed... and if it's not paid in the proper amount of time, it's completely invalidated.

[bj89]

bj89, what a horrible thing to happen. But I'm wondering the same thing as above... What were the details for the payment? That should be very easy to find out, and should give a lot of clues. Or did this person, whoever it was, have your credit card info?

 

I couldn't figure out what the payment method was... I'm currently stuck at this page if anyone is curious:

 

> Application Complete

 

 

 

Log Out

You are logged in as

IT*******

 

 

> Complete

 

 

 

****** ********, your application has been submitted.

 

Your OUAC/OMSAS Reference# is **********.

 

Thank you for using COMPASS.

 

What Now?

 

Please note that you can no longer make changes to your application within COMPASS.

 

If you would like to review the information you submitted for your application click here.

 

For more information, see our web site http://www.ouac.on.ca/omsas/.

 

PAYMENT INFORMATION

 

* Please note that ALL fees are non-refundable.

* There is a $25 processing fee for NSF cheques.

* Receipt of these fees later than October 6, 2008 will invalidate your application.

 

Internet or Telephone Bill Payment Services (Canadian banks and credit unions only)

 

If you are paying your application fees by internet or telephone bill payment services, you will require the following information:

 

1. Account number: 20108006580BA

2. Creditor name: Ontario Universities Application Ce

3. Amount to be paid: $CDN 520.00

 

Please record your bank payment confirmation number for future reference.

 

You can visit your online banking institution by selecting it from the list below

 

Cheque or Money Order

 

The cheque or money order must be in Canadian dollars and should be made payable to the Ontario Universities' Application Centre. Be sure to include your remittance payment form with the payment.

 

Please send to:

 

Payments (OMSAS)

Ontario Universities' Application Centre

170 Research Lane

Guelph ON N1G 5E2

CANADA

Click here to re-access your remittance form.

 

Please note that your application will not be forwarded to the universities you have selected until your application service fee and any applicable additional fees are received.

 

For more information, see our website Have a question? We have the answer!.

[Leon]

Do you think someone tapped into your wireless? What are the chances of having a pre med neighbour jealous enough to use your wireless to sabotage your application this way?

 

I'm still reeling from this. It's ******* unbelievable.

[bj89]

I doubt it... It may be possible to hide ur ip or change it i think... Any comp sci majors around that can confirm this?

[HBP]

Highly unlikely it was a wifi thief. This is someone you know, intimately. Get to the bottom of it bj89, would suck to happen again.

[Leon]

Your IP is specific to your internet connection provided by Rogers/bell whatever. I don't think it's possible to alter your IP. As HBP says, it sounds like the sour grape is awfully close geographically.

[grapz]

Assuming you don't have exams now, why don't you file that police report?

Get them to ask OMSAS for the payment information , like credit card, etc. Then you can track this person

[orange123]

Assuming you don't have exams now, why don't you file that police report?

Get them to ask OMSAS for the payment information , like credit card, etc. Then you can track this person

 

Good idea. I hope you resolve this soon. Good luck!

[sfinch]

WOW BJ. That is the worst story I heard.

 

Similar stuff, but lower scale, was common among the premeds at UBC. Sad to say, but some of the worst stories were with the fellow asian premeds. Two cases - an anonymous pre-med sent letters to medical school admissions stating that an applicant was involved in some awful crimes (i think child abuse was the accusation, but not 100% sure!!). The applicant was entirely innocent - but the schools got the cops involved. Completeluy exonerated of course, but the cycle was lost. The guy suspected who the person was (a really high strung asian girl now in 3rd yr UBC meds), but could never prove it.

 

Another involved a person sending letters to someone's referees that their applicant was badmouthing the referee. The guy was actually shown the awful letters by one of his referees, and was mortified. He ended up getting in - but is kind of a paranoid person now.

 

Be careful. It's a brutal world out there with premeds.

[Marty]

 

Another involved a person sending letters to someone's referees that their applicant was badmouthing the referee. The guy was actually shown the awful letters by one of his referees, and was mortified. He ended up getting in - but is kind of a paranoid person now.

 

Be careful. It's a brutal world out there with premeds.

 

Hmmm... Disregarding the libel aspects of this behaviour, I would hope that in general a referee would know the person well enough to recognize such a letter for its true intent.

 

I once had my laptop stolen while on vacation in Europe ... must have been a premed!

[sfinch]

Oh, the referee didn't believe the letters. But the poor applicant felt uncomfortable. He got into medicine, so it didn't matter in the end. But still, an odd cruel thing for someone to do.

[spiderpig]

You can submit saying a cheque/money order is in the mail no?

 

Then at that point... it's submitted can't be changed... and if it's not paid in the proper amount of time, it's completely invalidated.

 

Oh, I didn't remember that option. That does make it harder to figure out... bj89, I agree that you should file a police report. It may be a hassle, and they may not be able to figure it out, but you have to do something!

[bj89]

WOW BJ. That is the worst story I heard.

 

Similar stuff, but lower scale, was common among the premeds at UBC. Sad to say, but some of the worst stories were with the fellow asian premeds. Two cases - an anonymous pre-med sent letters to medical school admissions stating that an applicant was involved in some awful crimes (i think child abuse was the accusation, but not 100% sure!!). The applicant was entirely innocent - but the schools got the cops involved. Completeluy exonerated of course, but the cycle was lost. The guy suspected who the person was (a really high strung asian girl now in 3rd yr UBC meds), but could never prove it.

 

Another involved a person sending letters to someone's referees that their applicant was badmouthing the referee. The guy was actually shown the awful letters by one of his referees, and was mortified. He ended up getting in - but is kind of a paranoid person now.

 

Be careful. It's a brutal world out there with premeds.

 

do the people who do these things actually get in?

[Valcrimo]

Wow. That's really terrible Bj. I'm sorry to hear that something so horrible happened to you ):. I sincerely hope it's not a premed who did it because it would be very sad. Medicine is supposed to be a career were you HELP people =/.

[bj89]

it's an ugly world out there