<p>Congrats to Curm and Curm’s D! And thanks to Curm for starting this thread. My D. and I have been learning a lot by following the students through this process.</p>
<p>Congratulations! Enjoy the reprieve that you get between now and the match in a few years (kidding, mostly).</p>
<p>Thanks for the congrats. I’ll pass them along. </p>
<p>gv, as hapless as I was in this part of the process, I can only imagine how out of my league I’d be in THAT part. I literally don’t know “come here from sic’em” ( Or even more poetic …“my :eek: from a hat-rack”). I understood UG. I muddled through this. I think I’ll just be a cheerleader come time for that.</p>
<p>Congrats to your D on her wonderful choices! And thanks to you for sharing your insights about the process.</p>
<p>Huge (Texas sized) congrats to you and your daughter, Curm. And Mrs. Curm too.</p>
<p>It’s been fun to follow along as a 2011 parent. Hope you stick around to answer questions for us next year!</p>
<p>Awesome Curm, what a relief; I am envious.</p>
<p>Curm, Congratulation to your D (and you)! Also, thanks for starting this thread and sharing your experiences with us.</p>
<p>mudge</p>
<p>Congrats to you and the mudgette…as I have said before, if she wants to talk to my son, let me know. He can and will give her the unwashed and unbiased perspective on Southwestern.</p>
<p>Now relax…ok?</p>
<p>Congrats Curm, but now its time for the looooong wait :)</p>
<p>Friday the 13th IS a lucky day. Congratulations!</p>
<p>Who me? Worry? Uh-uh. I’m retired. I’m an ex-fretter. Joe Cool. 
Whatever happens with the non-rolling schools (and her waitlist schools) is just the gravy. The meat is on the plate. (She’s happy so I’m happy. “Dad. It could end now and I’d call it a successful season.”) </p>
<p>Of course, I might be trying really hard to convince myself of my retirement from worry… but we’ll see. I’m just a teensy bit of a stress-junkie. 
</p>
<p>Enough with the congrats (thank you, thank you, thank you). I’m moving on. I’ve enlisted myself in the cc coast guard and many of my efforts from here on in will be to help the rest of our boat-load of folks get where they want to go. </p>
<p>First mission. Figure out how to do an effective update letter/letter of intent/whatever to jar some slumbering med schools into positive action (interview or acceptance).</p>
<p>Hey, yay to all TX people for the kindness of the powers that be making the usual 15th decisions available on the 13th not the 16th!!!</p>
<p>What do ya’ll think about LOI for schools post interview? What about adding an LOR to the file? For instance, DD has spent the past nearly 6 months in a research lab, would a LOR from that PI be a good excuse to contact them with an update?</p>
<p>I think the experience certainly deserves an update letter. How to package that is something I flat don’t know. Maybe an extra LOR does it. Maybe the LOR and relatively modest cover letter -type update works best. </p>
<p>My question is : what constitutes sufficient cause for an update letter? Honor societies, school-wide awards, new major volunteer experience? Where is the line between embarrassingly mediocre and “significant”? You’d really hate to tick these folks off with picayune matters. They have plenty to read as it is. But what would they consider picayune? </p>
<p>IMO, somemom’s D’s 6 months of research fits easily but…where is the line? Is it different at each school? I believe some schools specifically ask you NOT to supplement until you get an invite. How does that benefit the student without the interview? lol. </p>
<p>I think I understand LOI’s . “If you accept me , I will come.” Maybe with some “why I fit your mission and will be an asset to the class in this specific way” thrown in for good measure.</p>
<p>I think there are both LOI, where I = intent and where I = interest, so not quite so committed, but more of an “I am still interested, here is some new info about me”</p>
<p>Congrats to your daughter cur! That is wonderful that she has such great choices.</p>
<p>Most of the things you mention are eligible for “update letter” status. The key is that you can’t do it too often. I think there should be a maximum of two update letters before waitlistings. Hypothetically, a candidate who’s waitlisted immediately should send an update letter once second semester grades are in (usually Jan); one as the open window is approaching (e.g. May 8 or so); and one in between.</p>
<p>Here is one sdn medical student’s suggestion for updates
</p>
<p>and one rom a current applicant
</p>
<p>AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!</p>
<p>She got into UDub. On a Sunday no less! I love that they are so kind as to call. We are over the moon excited and the other interviews are being canceled, plane tickets, etc as we speak. Withdrawing from the other school’s applications, too!</p>
<p>Here we are in early November and we are unexpectedly done. Some one posted on SDN this week that there was an EXCom meeting at UW and I stopped breathing, just hoping to join the crowd and know sooner rather than later, but not really expecting to hear anything other than the 'continuation" email.</p>
<p>“They say” that only slam dunks make it in first round, and I would never have thought a 29 could be a slam dunk, but I guess the rest of the file, the LORs, and her authentic passion showed through.</p>
<p>To any one with lower stats than those quoted on SDN and in a state with higher average stats, take heart lows stats are not the only thing some schools consider, but remember, too, she was not just an average applicant, she was in every way passionate about it. She shadowed for her knowledge, she has volunteered in all aspects of medicine for her knowledge, and she learned about herself and her goals and I am pretty sure everything she wrote was authentic and sincere.</p>
<p>She had no research until after she graduated, but then had tons of hours. She has a great deal of ECs from social to athletic to volunteering, etc. Mainly, she did nothing ‘cookie cutter’ because some one told her to do it or because it would look good to an adcom. She did things to help her determine if she could be a good doctor. She did not decide for certain until Zfall of senior year and I have to believe that plus stellar LORs is what allowed them to look past the numbers.</p>
<p>If you or your student are trying to figure out what to do, just keep to the idea of doing it their way, doing what is right for them.</p>
<p>somemom</p>
<p>Congrats to you and your D. It’s nice to have it finished and now you all can relax and enjoy the holidays.</p>