Anyone heard since week 1?

[Guest HaliEngineer]

Hasn't been much activity here since the first week of AdCom meetings - anyone hear back since?

 

11% chance this week!

(12.5% next week!)

[Guest 2BanMD]

Actually I never heard anything so far. Maybe its because of the out of province interviews but keep me posted if you hear anything.

 

Thanks

[Guest geekpunk]

Yeah, I'm getting pretty anxious. It also doesn't help that I seem to meet somebody different at Dal just about every other day who just received an acceptance letter! Truthfully, at this point, I personally know 8 people who've gotten accepted (all Nova scotia residents, of course).

 

Oh well, I guess we do have until Mid-May :\

[Guest DancingDoc]

I know Geekpunk, I know sooo many people with them already!!! At least I know as an NB resident I have to wait until May........

[Guest MrNeuroscience]

Quite literally, everyone I know from Nova Scotia that has interviewed as heard back... except me! (5 acceptances and 1 rejection).

But ohwell, Monday is always another meeting!

[Guest evyon]

Have all of the people you folks know with letters chosen to go to Dal?

 

Also, can somebody explain the deferral process to me. I know they send e-mails out, but when do they start with that? Does anyone know of somebody who got deferred?

 

Good luck to everyone!!!

[Guest naleczow]

Since some of you seem to know a couple of NS residents that got accepted already, do you know on which day they got their letters?

[Guest MrNeuroscience]

The peoeple I know from Nova Scotia seemed to have all received their letters on a Friday.

The deferral process is ongoing (just like acceptances and rejections) and involves an e-mail telling you that you have been deffered. Then, I believe your file get put to the side until all the maritime files have been reviewed. They then go into the deferred pile, give out the remaining acceptance spots, and set the waitlist (that wouldn't happen until June or July).

 

I don't think anyone that has heard back yet has "chosen" to go to Dal, since it is so early in the game, and most people apply to mulitiple schools. They have probably reserved their seat at Dal (by paying the deposit) but are waiting to hear back from anywhere else they may have applied before making a final decision.

[Guest geekpunk]

Also a couple people I know received their letters on a Monday! Presumably because it just took time for their letters to arrive through the mail even though they were dispatched the previous week. After all, it IS snail-mail.

[Guest naleczow]

Thanks for the info - at least now I know on which days I shouldn't be checking the mailbox.

[Guest evyon]

Thanks Neuro...

 

I was just wanting to clarify as it didn't say that deferrals were done on a weekly basis on the Dal website. (Believe me I'm not hoping to be deferred, but Dal sent my interview e-mail to the wrong address and I don't trust the whole e-mail system.)

 

Until the time comes, I'll continue to check my mailboxes, both e and snail diligently.

[Guest Lumberjack55]

I received my acceptance on Monday March 6, and the letter was dated Feb. 28

 

Hope this helps

[Guest debbieL22]

Hey guys,

First, congrats to everyone who have already been accepted!

 

I just noticed the Dal admissions website changed the file- reviewing procedures - it's no longer done by province. It now says:

"After further consideration, the committee will now begin to review files for applicants from all Maritime provinces whose files have clear decisions."

(This makes sense looking back, since many of you had posted earlier that a pretty high number of applicants have already received acceptances...)

I wonder what this means for the rest of us waiting - hopefully not the longer you wait, the worse the chances...? :\

[Guest dogeatdog12]

although it may not be written explicitly that the longer the decision takes leads to the conclusion that the worse the chances of admission; it's implicitly assumed.

 

In other words, if you are an outstanding or a non-competitive candidate you should have heard some news by now. The longer this process takes, the more possibility your name will be in the deferred pile.

 

I don't mean to sound harsh, as I've not heard anything either.

 

good luck and congrats to those accepted.

[Guest DancingDoc]

hmmm I kinda liked knowing that I didn't have to worry until May......

[Guest naleczow]

I don't agree that "the longer the decision takes, the worse the chances of admission, it's implicitly assumed." It all depends on who was assigned to your file too. Not all the committee members are present at every meeting so if your file was assigned to somebody who happens to be unavailable for the first couple of meetings then even if you are an outstanding candidate your file would still not be reviewed. Plus, if they accepted all the outstanding candidates by now then that wouldn't be a fair process. I think that at each meeting they consider a group of people who received a range of overall scores in all aspects of their application: some outstanding, some average, some weak applicants. That's the only way to avoid bias. Otherwise they would compare all the outstanding applicants to each other at the beginning of the cycle and be stuck with weak applicants to choose from at the end.

[Guest debbieL22]

I agree naleczow, it probably doesn't mean that the longer you wait, the less pretty your chances. However, I don't think that the AdCom needs to compare 10-15 candidates with each other at each meeting - likely, the committee members are experienced enough to have a good idea of what credentials a successful candidate should have to make fair decisions regardless of the statuses of other applicants being reviewed at the same meeting.

I guess this process does seem to make more sense in terms of efficiency - by having files sort of pre-ranked, the AdCom can probably save the toughest group of decisions (the "average" candidates so to speak) for last after they have seen the best.... (while possibly getting through the clear choices a bit more speedily at the beginning to save some time). Also as a bonus, this group gets a bit more time to make neccessary plans, be it moving to Halifax or figuring out what to do until the next application cycle, and maybe the best candidates are more likely to choose Dal than say, another school that doesn't send out letters until May or June.

I doubt there's a big difference in each applicant's chances after the first few decision meetings, after the clear decisions have been made. After that, I think it's a matter of going through the great majority of candidates who may not be outstanding nor unqualified, and at that point, it probably just depends on what week your file gets reviewed. (I just hope the "clear choices" are over with already ....)

Just my 2 cents, whatever that's worth (I could be so far off..)

Anyways, good luck y'all!

[Guest evyon]

I'd certainly like to believe what the two previous folks have said about my chances, and for sanity sake I think I will. But you can't help but wonder when they change a process like this in the middle--especially if you're one of the odd ones out so far (like me). Anyway, I wish everyone the best of luck.

 

Here's hoping you hear sooner than later!

[Guest geekpunk]

Hhrrmm... I don't like this for some reason. Can't pinpoint why but just don't. If I was NB/PEI I surely wouldn't mind though!

[Guest twinkz06]

Nor do I like this very much. For the rest of us NS applicants who have yet to hear, it means that we weren't the best, but we didn't suck the most. I guess depending on the person that can be good or bad news. I am curious though as to how many of the ~56 spots for NovaScotians have been filled by the people who were better than the rest of us.

Here's to Hoping!

[Guest MrNeuroscience]

I'm from Nova Scotia and still waiting to hear back... As I see it, this change in procedure is actually good.

Now, I do realize that I could be waiting to hear back either way until June... BUT...

Today is the 4th (I think) AdCom meeting, and that is not very many. Maybe the absolute top applicants have all heard back, but they are also checking off all the people that aren't right for Dalhousie. So when it gets down to the rest of us still waiting, there will be fewer people left to go through for the remaining seats (If you take all the good, get rid of all the bad, your just left with.. well, you know )

There is no way that Dalhousie is going to fill up all their seats too early without going through each and everyone of our files, if anything this change streamlines maritime acceptances. Remember, there are no set seats for Nova Scotia, New Brunswick or PEI, if you're good enough you get in, and if you're not, then you try again next year.

 

Waiting in general stinks, but patience is a virtue

[Guest kayos]

I'm not sure how you figure "it means that we weren't the best, but we didn't suck the most". The way I understand the admissions process is that of the files the ad com reviews each week, rejection and acceptance letters are mailed while all those deferred are sent e-mails. So if you haven't heard yet, that just means that haven't reviewed your file yet.

[Guest PMD109]

I agree kayos....And as Mr Neuro said, there have only been 3 meetings (no meeting this week due to march break..so the website says). I'm beginning to think we're getting just plain paranoid. I mean I don't ever recall hearing any evidence they review the best applicants first...I think it truely is random because in the past people have received both offers and rejections ranging from March to June. It depends where you are at in the pile of files...if it gets grabbed for review then you will hear soon. Everyone take a deep breath but please don't hold it until June :b

 

Perhaps the moderator can weigh in on the change of plan for file review?

[Guest evyon]

Good point PMD109,

 

We shouldn't be jumping to conclusions--we have to have faith that the "best" people will be in as of August! This worrying isn't helping anyone--although it is tough not too, eh? I'd also be interested in the moderator's comments.

 

(Trying not to hold breath until June!)

[Guest MrNeuroscience]

Your absolutely right the files are reviewed weekly, with acceptances, rejections and defferals being sent out. However, I am inclined to believe that there is a little more subjectivity to it than simple randomness of a file. Remember, someone has to look over your file, read everything that has been written about you, then feel comfortable enough to present your file to the rest of the AdCom. I can only think that if I were reviewing files, it would be easier to review the really good files first (or the really bad files).

 

"the committee will now begin to review files for applicants from all Maritime provinces whose files have clear decisions."

 

To me, this implies that the really good are going to know sooner rather than later, as will the really bad. To me it makes sense to get the "clear descisions" made, then looking at everyone else and saying "We have x number of seats for all of these very good applicants, lets figure out which of these applicants would be better suited to Dal".

 

Everybody makes easier descisions first, because it makes the more difficult descisions need to be made later on just that little bit easier!

 

All that being said, everyone that is in medical school deserves to be there. At Dal it doesn't matter if you get your letter in February or in June... it's just the nature of the beast!

 

Just keep gellin':smokin