<p>Are the experimental sections clearly labeled as having no relevance to one’s final score or is it like SAT where the test taker has no clue it won’t count?</p>
<p>The experimental section is labeled as optional and it’s stated in the directions that any score has no bearing on the test takers’ final score.</p>
<p>Interesting. What prevents the testtakers from ignoring the section if it is done out of goodwill? Any stats on how many do ignore these sections?</p>
<p>The first time the section was offered was this past weekend so there’s not enough (not any actually) data yet to know what percentage of students are attempting the optional portion.</p>
<p>AMCAS is offering an monetary incentive (in the form of an Amazon gift card) for those who make a “good faith” attempt at the experimental section.</p>
<p>Test takers are perfectly free to get up and leave once they complete the 3 required sections of the exam. No harm, no foul.</p>
<p>Like the incentive part! Trade off between time and incentive value.</p>
<p>In regard to Midwest discussion. I am not familiar with the rest of the country actually, as D. applied ONLY in Midwest. She had stats close to what was mentioned. So, I tend to agree about Midwest, again, I have no opinion about the rest as I do not have an experience with it. D. has refused applyin somewhere else, despite of strong advising at her UG. She was correct, at the end she had solid choices.</p>
<p>I agree.</p>
<p>I think that those applicants from the West and NE tend to overlook the Midwest (except UChi, NU, and WashU). Their app lists are heavy West and NE. </p>
<p>When a Calif unhooked student has a 29-32 MCAT and a 3.7 GPA, he’s probably not going to get much love from his own state’s schools. If he includes too many NE schools, he’s likely wasting too much app money ( a few carefully chosen ones are ok). To have a better chance, he needs to have other regions’ schools on his list. </p>
<p>I had never heard of Medical College of Wisconsin until rather recently. Supposedly, it likes Calif students.</p>
<p>^California is flooding Midwest in general…at all my D’s interviews, in her current Medical School class…</p>
<p>I finally submitted my part of the pre-med committee packet today. The first deadline is in a week and a half. </p>
<p>Here’s hoping that all of my professors get their letters in before then. So far, only 1 out of 4 have submitted. The thank you cards that I sent in earlier this week should have acted as a subtle reminder, though, that the deadline is approaching.</p>
<p>Committee interviews - should I end up in this first batch - will begin the week after Spring Break.</p>
<p>Outside of the committee letter, I plan on asking a biochemistry professor for a LOR, as well. How would I submit this to AMCAS? Would I need to open up an Interfolio or Virtual Evals account?</p>
<p>You could open an Interfolio or Virtual Evals account, but you could just hold off getting the letter until May after you’ve create your AMCAS application account for the 2013-14 cycle. You will have the option of submitting a list of LOR writers (with their contact info). AMCAS will then send each individual (or committee) a unique email link so they can upload their LOR directly to your account.</p>
<p>Any reason biochem prof’s letter can’t just be sent to the committee? I’m unsure if it’s common to have both a committee letter (composed of, it looks like in your case, at least 4 other letters) and other individual letters. I’m sure someone here will have a thought.</p>
<p>my son’s premed advisor told him that the committee will only take the 3 required letters…any others he may need will have to be submitted directly to amcas. he hasnt figured out which service he will use yet. if you use amcas you have to wait until you start your app in may, do you have to wait with the other services? i havent checked out how they work yet. professor submits to lets say interfolio and then how does it get to amcas?</p>
<p>eta popped over to interfolio site… to have a look</p>
<p>son’s school does not use interfolio but submits directly to amcas… assuming if you used interfolio for additional letters that wont be a problem??</p>
<p>why does he want to add an additional letter?</p>
<p>from what he has told me, and also from other helpful posters here, some schools will require an LOR from his research experiences.</p>
<p>@parent56, my committee accepts 6 LORs, including one from each research PI. Three doesn’t seem like enough.</p>
<p>i agree plumazul, but that is what they said, so he has to arrange to get the others on file… they only accept the letters for the committee (3) through the premed office. </p>
<p>i was a little surprised because even on their own website for their med school it says they want either a committee letter or 3 letters but highly recommend 2 others… so for their own applicants they expect to see up to 5.</p>
<p>Our state had a slogan in the mid-eighties “Florida–the rules are different here.” That seems to be the case for some of the state medical schools which require 5 total letters of evaluation, 2 from science profs, 1 from a non-science prof, and 2 “character” letters, one of which can be written by a “peer.” The pre-med office at DS’s out-of-state university has space for the names of up to six evaluators, so I think he’s covered. Letters from his summer internship supervisors will have to fill in as “character” letters for Florida.</p>
<p>Does anyone know a good website for nice examples of personal statements?</p>
<p>i know that son and i googled… but so far a lot of school sites that list the dos and donts, a good reference post on sdn…but the samples we have found arent great imo. i think this is going to be the toughest part of the app for son.</p>
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<p>I think that I’ll wait until May and just have AMCAS directly send a letter request should I choose to get an extra LOR.</p>
<p>Committee interviews for me are actually the week before spring break, which is about three weeks away. I had originally thought that they would be after the break, but one of the secretaries at the pre-med office told me otherwise. Time to dig my old suit out of the closet. Or, go hunting . . . for bargains!</p>
<p>^ Re: your committee interview. Even though you will likely treat it as a practice interview for med school, and even though the committee undoubtedly knows you’re treating it as such (and probably expects you to treat it as such), do not–I repeat DO NOT–act like it’s a practice interview. Dig that suit out! Polish up those shoes! Look professional, be courteous, prepare the evening/day before, know your profile forward/backward/upside down, write a thank you note, etc etc etc. There’s just no reason to make them think you’re anything less than 100% serious about this. You need that committee to fall in love with you and believe that you are destined to do great things in medicine. Their opinion of you matters a lot!</p>
<p>Not that you would do this. I’ve just seen it happen.</p>