Canadians: did you use a US or Canadian address?

[Guest raining4days]

Hi,

 

I know this is a lame question, but I was wondering if any of you Canadians who applied to US schools used your Canadian address?

 

I'm asking this because some schools uses snail mail (as opposed to email) to send secondaries. And it is taking a really long time. I'm wondering if I should send them money orders to pay for postage (for faster delivery). Good idea or not?

 

Did anyone have this problem?

[Guest thesaug]

Hi Raining4days,

 

I suggest that you dont worry about it. Has your primary been verified??? What you should do is check on the school's websites that you applied too, and see which ones screen the primary, and which ones send the secondary to everyone. Those that send to everyone, just check the process of how they go about giving that secondary. There may be a link on their website which you can use. If they say they will mail it out to everyone, then contact them if your primary has been verified.

 

I personally did not use a US address, nor did I send any postage, and I have already recieved secondaries by email (but my primary is still being verified). I have also got letters from those same schools that make sure that I got the email with the secondary, and if I didnt, than I should contact them.

 

Hope this helps you out.

 

thesaug

[Guest Kirsteen]

Hi there,

 

I second thesaug's statements. I too, used my Canadian address and did not send any postage. My application is also in the process of being verified at AAMC yet I have already received material from the US schools in the mail that they received after they were sent my information from the AAMC. In short, I wouldn't worry about it too much. The postal service seems to be performing just dandily.

 

Hey thesaug, how many schools did you end up plonking for?

 

Cheers,

Kirsteen

[Guest thesaug]

Hey Kirsteen,

 

I am guessing when you say plonking, you mean how many schools did I select...right???...heheh...if thats not right...let me know and then I will answer your question correctly...

 

I selected around 25 schools...too many...but I just wanted to be safe...just in case I dont get into where I want...

 

I ended up getting two more secondaries now...UPenn and U Cinncinati...what about you?

 

thesaug

[Guest Kirsteen]

Hey thesaug, my co-US-marathoner!

 

Bravo on the translation and sorry about that. I've plonked for 30 schools (the number increased a little a few weeks back). How about the Canadian schools? To how many are you applying? Here--6.

 

One wee silver lining among all this US application business is that you can play on the economies of scale and pull together your Canadian materials early. For example, while bugging all my letter of reference writers for letters to the US schools, I'm inserting the requests for the Canadian schools as well. At least it gives us a few less things to fret over when the autumn arrives.

 

As to the secondaries, I'm with you on UPenn, but not on Cinci as I didn't apply to the latter. I'm very relieved and pleased, however, to have gotten two secondaries done and in the courier's hands yesterday--woo! A maximum of 28 to go! (Slog, slog, slog.)

 

Cheers,

Kirsteen

[Guest thesaug]

Hi Kirsteen...

 

Yup, I finished Chicago...working on UConn...the rest are easy as in just filling in your personal data again...

 

That is true about the Canadian apps...as in we can finish them early and get all our references in. For the Canadian schools...I am applying to every single one...maybe a second time is a charm...(i dont know if you have noticed my other posts...but I am on the waitlist right now for Toronto and Western...and still crossing my fingers that Western might call me...as it doesnt seem that the list for Toronto is moving anymore).

 

By the way...are you studying at Toronto?...just wondering...I will be going into my fourth year at Western, Chem Eng...

 

Take care!

 

thesaug

[Guest Kirsteen]

Hi thesaug,

 

Good luck with the UWO and UT wailists! My fingers are crossed for you. It must be challenging concentrating on the US applications when your situation remains a little undecided for this year, yags. Hopefully one of them will come through for you and you can end these US efforts! (Although admittedly, it's great to share the experience with someone.)

 

Well done re: Chicago. That one (UC Pritzker) is one of the tougher that I've seen.

 

Yep, TO for my M.Sc. Epidemiology.

 

Keep on truckin',

Kirsteen

[Guest thesaug]

Hi Kirsteen,

 

Yeah it is great to share the experience! Thanks for the well wishes!

 

For UConn, some of the questions address the same material that I wrote in the primary application essay, such as the motivation to become a physician. Did you use any of the material from your primary essay in the UConn questions or did you come up with completely new material??? I feel that the whole thing is pretty repetitive.

 

Hope your weekend is going well!

 

thesaug

[Guest Kirsteen]

Hi again thesaug,

 

I just finished the U. Conn. essay with its six gnarly questions. Like you, I found that the questions they asked, I'd addressed earlier in the AMCAS essay. Instead of rehashing that material though, I put in the extra elbow grease to either describe some of those AMCAS experiences more thoroughly, or in some cases, add additional examples. It's a pain to have to come up with material de novo, but I'm hoping it will pay off.

 

On a wee bit of a different note, after spending two solid days working on all these questions, I was ready to bounce off the walls this morning. A three-hour session smacking a wee white ball helped do the trick to refire the essay engines. Yags! Now it's on to Albert Einstein, Pritzker, Saint Louis, Yale... ugh! Need just a wee smidge of light at the end of this tunnel!

 

Cheers,

Kirsteen

[Guest thesaug]

Hi Kirsteen,

 

I know totally what you mean!!!...Drives me nuts...hard to find keep at it!!!

 

Thanks for the input regarding UConn...yeah I have decided to take the same approach...or already did...just have to finish number 4 up...regarding the extra-curric.

 

I think Albert Einstein is an easy application if I remember correctly...it is just basically filling in your personal data.

 

Take it easy...we will get through this!!!

 

thesaug

[Guest moo]

Hey kirsteen, I didn't know St. Louis takes Canadians... they certainly didn't when I applied two years ago.

[Guest Kirsteen]

Hi there moo,

 

I verified with all the schools to which I'm applying, that they accept Canadian applications. On Saint Louis specifically, they said that the Dean, himself, reviews Canadian applications. Woo, don't know what that entails specifically, but at least they're open to us!

 

Cheers,

Kirsteen

[Guest thesaug]

Hi Kirsteen,

 

Sorry to bother you again regarding UConn. This is just a formatting question. Did you type out the question for your responses, or just place the number. The reason is that I am running tight on space. Do you think either way makes a difference???

 

Thanks for your help!

 

thesaug

[Guest Kirsteen]

Hi again thesaug,

 

No worries re: the question. I typed each of my questions out, but I used 10-point Times New Roman and compressed the margins to ~2cm. If you're running low on space then I think it would be just fine to type: "Answer 1: blah, blah de blah...", etc. I'm sure they'll be able to figure it all out.

 

By the way, have your transcripts been verified by AMCAS as yet? Mine still remain in "active" status limbo. :rolleyes

 

Cheers,

Kirsteen

[Guest thesaug]

Hey Kirsteen,

 

Thanks for the info. Yeah, I shrunk my margins down to 2 cm and used the 10 point font, so I was able to keep the questions within the body of the responses.

 

Yeah, my transcripts are also still being verified, or in active status...whatever that means...hopefully our applications will be transmitted soon!!!

 

Take it easy!

 

thesaug