Secondaries

[Guest thesaug]

Hi Kirsteen,

 

How is Vancouver? Hope you are having/had a great time out there.

 

I had a question regarding Saint Louis. Did you re-write your reasons to become a physician, or just send in your AMCAS personal statement again? If you did re-write, how much did you write? What I have done is expaned a bit more on some areas from the AMCAS statement, but I can bareley make it a page single spaced. I guess it depends on how much one wants to write...just wanted to get a feel though of what the general consensus was.

 

How are the secondaries going for you? I got Boston and GW on Thursday, and sent them out, as Boston was just asking for money and a photo , and GW was very simple, just personal info, and 5 lines about why you want to go to their school.

 

Take care!

 

thesaug

[Guest Kirsteen]

Hey there thesaug,

 

Vancouver has been as fab as I expected (I'm actually typing from the logjammed (most travelers seem to be trying to return to TO) Vancouver airport now).

 

On Saint Louis, I ended up creating a new essay that expanded upon some of the experiences in the AMCAS essay and added a few more. (Probably not the answer you wanted to hear. ) I figured that, as much of a pain in the neck as it is to create an essay de novo, it was a good opportunity to display some additional attributes. Also, it seemed a good place to try to differentiate oneself as an applicant. I figured that there may be a fair number of folk out there who may have already covered the "why doctor?" topic in the AMCAS essay and might not wish to reiterate it again. As to length, my second essay measured about the same as the original AMCAS essay.

 

Good show on Boston and GW! Sounds like you're become quite the secondaries machine. I didn't apply to the former, but did get the latter out a couple of weeks ago. (The past weeks are starting to meld together a bit.) How many more secondaries are you slated to receive, including the screened ones? On this end, I think I have two or three non-screeneds and five or six screeneds. Aside from Saint Louis, do you have any other secondaries currently in the pipe? When I arrive home I know that there are at least two that require attention.

 

On a bit of a different note, how are things going for you with respect to file completion? Have you received any notifications from any of the universities yet that your file is complete and undergoing review? Now THAT'S a bit of a scary e-mail! Eight of my applications are at that point at the moment--eeep!

 

Last bit, did you end up using ReferenceNow? So far, I've only been impressed by their service--totally cracking.

 

Cheers, and continued strength with those secondaries!

Kirsteen

[Guest mt1]

hi kirsteen! i'm thinking of using one of those commercial letter collection services. i do have a letter on official letterhead from one professor. does the service personalize the letters for each school? (i'm assuming no). i'm a little anxious about using this service, but i also might not want to bother my professor for twenty letters and signatures.

 

thanks!

[Guest thesaug]

Hi Kirsteen,

 

Thanks for the insight into the SLU application...yeah I think it is the better way to go.

 

I am certain that there are 3-4 schools left that have to send me apps who dont screen, and the rest (about 6) screened. Its hard to keep track at this point...so I just look at the mail everyday. Thats really good that you got GW out early as well. I was under the impression they screen, but I am not sure. Do they? Oh well, it was one of my top choices to attend.

 

Besides St. Louis, I have the University of Maryland going right now. There are four essays on that one, and I guess it makes sense as they screen. I have noticed that the schools that screen have very extensive secondaries, but I am basing that on the two (i think) I have gotten. How is Duke coming along?

 

With respect to file completion, I have 5 or 6 complete. Not all the universities send notifications. Some are online, where I have seen my status. I am hoping the rest will become complete soon!

 

I did not end up using a letter sending service. I gave my referees 30 envelopes each, and they returned them to me, sealed.

 

Hope everything else is going well! Enjoy the rest of your vacation!

 

thesaug

[Guest Kirsteen]

Howdy,

 

First, mt1, no ReferenceNow/Interfolio does not personalize your letters for each school. Howevever you can sort of do this yourself by creating a personal cover letter for each school then uploading it into your portfolio. You can then include it in your package to the school when you request a delivery.

 

Hey thesaug: did you apply to Emory perchance? If so, it looks like the link to the secondary was e-mailed out today.

 

On GW, sorry, I was mistaken--I didn't have my applications spreadsheet handy in Vancouver!--it was Georgetown that I sent out zippily. I don't believe GW does screen, even though I haven't yet received a heads-up to complete the application. As for Duke, I turned that one around within twenty-four hours; those essay questions, or rather, their tiny wee word limits, were tough.

 

Well done on the Maryland application! That's too bad that there are lots of essays to complete, but hopefully you can use some of your earlier non-fiction creations towards those.

 

Back to it...

 

Cheers,

Kirsteen

[Guest mt1]

hi guys! i'm sorry...question about jefferson...i sent the online secondary application, and wrote a little extra in that 2000 character area...when i printed it out, part of it got cut off...should i be worried? for the online application, there was no LOR stuff to check, right? I noticed that the paper version has it, but i don't remember that in the online version.

[Guest Kirsteen]

Hi there mt1,

 

I think thesaug's the expert on Jefferson here--I didn't apply there. I'd call their admissions office though, and ask those questions that you posed above. They are important questions that could impact your application, and normally the US admissions offices are only too happy to oblige.

 

Cheers,

Kirsteen

[Guest thesaug]

Hi mt1,

 

First, did you print it off of the application webpage itself, or from the screen which shows you how your application looks before sending? If whatever you wrote appeared in the screen before you sent it (the confirmation screen), then you should be good to go. As Kirsteen said, I would call the admissions office, and ask them if they got the entire portion of what you wrote.

 

As for the LOR, I didnt see any section where you had to write the names. But, I remember there being a portion where it indicated, or where you had to mark the source of the letters (that is, if you are using a pre-med committee, or individual, and if your letters are from the profs they requested). In the space they provided, I let the admissions committee know that I was substituting certain professors for their requirments. Sorry if this is a whole lot to take in here...but I hope this helped you out.

 

thesaug

[Guest mt1]

thanks a lot! from what i saw on the screen, they combined all my paragraphs into one large blob, but all the words were there. then i printed that screen, but it didn't all fit on the printed page. did this happen to you too, thesaug?

[Guest thesaug]

Hi mt1 and Kirsteen,

 

mt1, I never printed the application out, so I am not sure, but all my words did appear on the confirmation screen. If you saw everything on the screen, then you are set to go. To be on the safe side, just email the admissions office.

 

Kirsteen, I had a question regarding Duke. There are two sections, employment and then research. All my employment since entering University as been research. Do you think I should place the same stuff in both categories? I have done research for my thesis project which is not paid, so would I put that under the research section, and put my work at UofT (which I have been paid for) in the employment section?

 

How is it coming along by the way? I finished Saint Louis, and just got Loyola and Michigan State yesterday. I finished Loyola today, but Michigan State is gonna take some time. They want everyone to address how they will fulfill their oath, along with two other questions...looks like more essays will have to be written!!!

 

Take care!

 

thesaug

[Guest mt1]

hey...i'm sort of embarassed by this question...but other people are talking about logging onto AMCAS and seeing if their file has been transmitted to the schools. does this mean that for most secondaries, you have to wait for verification, then transmission? and the secondaries that i've received are more the exception to the rule?

[Guest Kirsteen]

Hey thesaug,

 

First, on Duke, your strategy sounds good. Duke doesn't allocate too much space for either category, so I'm sure you can easily fill in both blanks with those two experiences. If you find you have some extra room in either category then I'd think of expanding on the experience.

 

As to more secondaries, well done re: Michigan State!! They're a screener! The essays don't sound like a piece of cake though--eeep, and good luck with them. Yesterday I successfully tackled and couriered Mount Sinai, Georgie Wash and Emory. Only two more unscreeneds to arrive and I'm done (well, except for the Harvard MD/PhD nightmare application, which is ongoing)--woo, the end is nigh!.

 

Look out, by the way, for some response from Chicago-Pritzker. It looks like they're super-quick in reviewing files and getting back to applicants with the big notifications re: interviews.

 

Cheers,

Kirsteen

[Guest Kirsteen]

Hi mt1,

 

Yes, it is the case that, with some schools, they won't send you their secondary until they've received a verified AMCAS application. However, even before the AMCAS application is verified, the schools still receive your basic demographic information, so some will send the secondary details to you prior to receiving a verified AMCAS application. Schools that screen via the AMCAS application will wait until they receive a verified application before they send out the secondary. It is the norm though that most schools will not begin to review your file for interview assessment purposes until they receive your verified application from AMCAS.

 

Cheers,

Kirsteen

[Guest thesaug]

Hi everyone,

 

Did anyone get the secondaries too the following schools yet:

 

Wayne State

UofPittsburgh

Case Western

Drexel (MCP)

 

Just wondering...it seems they are taking a while...anyways good luck to all of you!

 

thesaug

[Guest Kirsteen]

Hey thesaug,

 

I didn't apply to any of those schools, so noop, no secondary here. How about Howard or Chicago-Finch? Have you heard word from them re: secondaries? Neither screens and I've sent an e-mail to both with no reply.

 

On a bit of a different note, did you apply to Michigan State? I received a note back from them yesterday stating that they've placed my application aside for a later look--yay, no outright rejection--I remain alive!

 

Hopefully not too many secondaries in not too many hours of the upcoming weekend for you guys.

 

Cheers,

Kirsteen

[Guest thesaug]

Hi Kirsteen,

 

Yes I did apply there...it is the application where I have to write the three new essays...one regarding their oath...its taking a while for me!

 

Yes, I also applied to Finch, and have yet to get anything from them. But I was looking on their website and they said they will take some time due to the volume of applicants.

 

Take care!

 

thesaug

[Guest Kirsteen]

Well done thesaug on the MSU secondary! Best of luck with those essays (hopefully you managed to head outside for some of this weekend's sun ).

 

Cheers,

Kirsteen

[Guest thesaug]

Hey Kirsteen!

 

So how have the secondaries been going??? I just got UofPitts, Wayne State and Drexel this week. I finished UofMaryland and Michigan State yesterday, and trying to finish Duke!!! That application is a bit difficult as 500 characters is not a lot of space to address all the points they list in one question! Did you find the same thing when you filled out yours??? Anyways, I am trying to finish it soon as they have recommended a maximum of two weeks from the receipt of the email.

 

Take care!

 

thesaug

[Guest Kirsteen]

Hey thesaug,

 

Well done on all those secondaries--it sounds like you're knee-deep! Yep, Duke is a bit challenging due to its tiny character limit, but I smushed the info in somehow. I'm awaiting four non-screened secondaries now; ~4 or 5 screeneds; in the process of having my completed file reviewed at 11 schools. Thankfully, I have no more secondaries in the pipe, screaming at me to complete them--small yay!

 

Good luck with all that writing--I guess you'll be needing that Labour Day!

 

Cheers,

Kirsteen

 

P.S. Did you spot my p.m. note to you?

[Guest thesaug]

Hi Kirsteen!

 

What is a p.m. note???...I did see the note regarding the UConn in the UConn thread if that is what you are referring too.

 

I had a question regarding the Duke app. For question 8 regarding the Life Sustaining technologies, did you address the issues of only those therapies listed or did you address the overall implications? I am just wondering if Duke is looking to address only those technologies listed or assess life extending technologies all together.

 

Thanks for your help and enjoy the time off!

 

thesaug

[Guest Kirsteen]

Hi again thesaug,

 

For the Duke essay, I used an example of a technology (intra-cytoplasmic sperm injection) that I had experience with in the lab that I worked within last year. I used the ICSI example as a backbone for the implication, impact, ethics, etc., points that I raised in my answer. I hope that helps.

 

Cheers,

Kirsteen

 

P.S. P.m.=private message! (You can view these in your "inbox"; the button is located on the top right of the screen on the main page.)

[Guest Kirsteen]

Hi there,

 

Did anyone else apply to UNC-Chapel Hill? I'm not sure how the admissions process works for MD/PhD applicants in relation to MD applicants, but I just received the invitation to complete their MD/PhD application--very thrilled! I can potentially fulfill the dream of being the basketball player that I've always aspired to be.

 

Cheers,

Kirsteen

[Guest peachy]

Congrats Kirsteen. Sounds like things are going really well for you in the process this year!

[Guest Kirsteen]

Cheers for that, peachy. Fingers crossed. Hopefully things are going great for you this week, too!

 

Cheers,

Kirsteen

[Guest thesaug]

That is great Kirsteen! Congratulations!

 

thesaug