<p>“Seems like most of those on MDapplicants have multiple acceptances, but they may all be outliers.”
-I would not call them outliers. I call them people who planned correctly. By this I mean to have a clear goal for starters. Person with the goal of 50% acceptance will have a different Medical School list than the same person with the 25% acceptance as a goal or 75% acceptance as a goal. Then you have to have a clear criteris list in priority sequence. Then just apply to proper number of schools based on your stats / criteria list / goal combination. Kind of logical step by step process (that unfortunately cannot be used in residency application as it is sooooo unpredictable). Using this logic, you can eliminate applying to great deal of schools and you WILL GAIN MULTIPEL acceptances while not being any outlier (I mean not being much different from others, not any kind of stand out with hooks and some perfect application, just normal, regular applicant with the “smart” list of Medical Schools). If you think that I am not telling the truth, my D. pretty much was following what I have described and as a result her application cycle was probably one of the least expansive and least time consuming. Of course, it is much easier to talk looking back than forward. So, you may not want to listen to me at all.</p>
<p>D has made her decision as well, for now. Her first choice also gave the best scholarship money so that made it easier. But not booking for the white coat ceremony yet pending news from the waitlists. </p>
<p>Thank You on his behalf Plum and Texas. Plum your rational approach was the way to go. Hey keep in touch with that person who wrote that letter. One day you may be working together.</p>
<p>Congrats to Tatin’s D on making her decision with scholarship money to boot.</p>
<p>Why is she pursuing the waitlist when she is in her first choice?</p>
<p>The first choice among the outright acceptances. We are hoping for an in-state acceptance closer to home.</p>
<p>D2 has hied off this morning on what will be 8 weeks of vacation travel, both domestic and international. She’s satisfied with her decision, but has me monitoring her email–just in case a scholarship falls in her lap that might change the calculus of choice. </p>
<p>D2 will on the research/academic track at her school and has already been in contact with several potential PIs. </p>
<p>D1 officially became a MS4 this past Monday and she’s already deep into her first sub-I clinical rotation. </p>
<p>D. still has several weeks to go before she starts her 4th year, but she has booked rotations thru September, I believe. She made a final decision not to pursue away rotation, does not look like she will have time for it. She still has to take Step 2.</p>
<p>@ TatinG, that makes sense. Sending good vibes for that in-state acceptance!</p>
<p>Just occurred to me that D’s 3rd year is 16 months long with few short breaks. From what I see it is beneficial to have a long 3rd year since it is the most important year in Med. School. So, she has alsmost 2 months to go yet before she is MS4.</p>
<p>^^Or in D1’s case, her 3rd year just started earlier than 3rd year at your D’s school. (February vs May). Students at all med schools do the same basic clinical rotations 3rd year. It’s required for national accreditation.</p>
<p>^Not May, March 1. May will make it only 13 months, not 16. D’s 3rd year includes more than required clinical rotations. I It includes prep. for Step 1 and Research rotation. I do not know if they are included at every school or not. But her friend at another Medical school does not have as long period for Step 1 prep. as D. had. I am sure that she will mange in whatever time is allocated. I do not know if that school has Research rotation.</p>
<p>Almost all schools allowed a dedicated release period for studying for Step 1. The period seems to range anywhere from 2 week to 2 months. D1’s school also includes a 1 month research rotation before students started clinicals. So if you want to count those as part of 3rd year (her school doesn’t), then D1’s 3rd year began even earlier–in December instead of February. She finished her last class before the Christmas holidays. Compressed 2nd year.</p>
<p>Actually her school doesn’t break the curriculum down by years, but by phases. Phase 1 includes all didactic instruction, a research rotation for all students, 4 units of clinical practice (students work 1 day/week in a medical dept. for an entire semester-- first 2 must be in a primary care field, the next 2 can be in any specialty) and Step 1 prep. Phase 2 is the required basic clinical rotations. Phase 3 is elective & away rotations, optional elective research, and residency application/interviews. (D1 can choose to have up to 2 entire months off for interviewing. Or she can do additional optional rotations, research --or heck, she can even go on vacation if she wants. Lots of flex built into Phase 3.)</p>
<p>“D1’s school also includes a 1 month research rotation before students started clinicals. So if you want to count those as part of 3rd year”
- D. had 4 months of Research in a middle of the 3rd year, which they have an option to split in 2 periods and she did it. So, she had 2 periods of 2 months each of Research (the same project. very long manuscript that she has written outside of the 4 months of research). She split it since at her school, Research is considered a break from normal crazy schedules of clinical rotations. I believe that the Research rotation makes her 3rd year longer than at some other schools. She considered that fact when choosing her Medical School.</p>
<p>“D1 can choose to have up to 2 entire months off for interviewing” - my D. does NOT have this option. She has to interview during rotatitons. She will also go thru 2 sets of interviews, one for Prelim/Transitional, another - Specialty . From what I undertand the goal is to have about 10 interivews for each. (keep our fingers crossed and praying every day).
Best wishes to both of yours!</p>
<p>Hey everyone! </p>
<p>As May 15th is quickly approaching, I find my self torn between two schools and struggling to make a decision. At this point I am contemplating flipping a coin haha. I am looking for advice about how to decide, how did any of you or your sons and daughters pick a school and knew it was the right choice?</p>
<p>I am struggling between my state school and a school that was a dream pre-application. Both are pass/fail with my state school being unranked and the other being ranked. Similar class size. My state school seems to provide a ton of down time to explore research(required for graduation), student activities and shadowing. The other school is more structured with a heavy emphasis on small group learning. It also has great electives and early clinical experience that( accelerated to allow for an insane amount of free electives). I was fortunate to receive FA via need based and scholarships. I am looking at 100k (state) vs 150k debt after FA and family support.</p>
<p>About me- I am traditionally a lecture based learner and feel stressed in small groups and uncomfortable, but I feel like I should challenge myself to work more in that setting for clinical years. I thrive more in structure and feel lost with too much free time. I went to school in state and am close to my family but wonder if I should take a risk and explore out ( besides my family I have no significant ties, no SO). So, I am in the ideal position to venture out. I worry about the challenges of the other school, students are exceptional and brilliant from the IVs and top LACs and I wonder how I will fit coming from a state school. I am not sure what I want to go in but could see myself specializing and my state school is one of the top primary care and I don’t want that pushed on me. Initially I was concerned about leaving my family behind ( I feel a need and obligation to care for them- but not sure how I would during those 4 years anyways so it’s probably irrational) but I have since gotten over it to only feel guilty again. I am not looking to do research ( not interested after exploring it in undergrad). Oh and just for lifestyle I would prefer to live alone for the 1st year aamc if I go to the other school I will most likely need a roommate to keep costs manageable. I know that whatever school I pick there will be sacrifices and I just need to figure out what I am okay with sacrificing.</p>
<p>I apologize for the long post but any advice would be greatly appreciated. And sorry for any typos, typing via my phone.
Thanks!</p>
<p>For my daughter the decision is a balance between several factors: cost of attendance, opportunities provided, where she’d be happiest, and where she might be better readied for residency slots. Only you can say how the balance tips the scales for you.</p>
<p>Am I reading it correctly that you would incur 100k debt in state vs 150k out of state? Personally I think you would benefit from leaving your state if you have lived there all your life but you can do that after med school too.</p>
<p>It is very hard to advise without knowing you personally and all your details. Based on my D’s experience (finishing her 3rd year) and also her personality (not yours), I can tell you that she would not struggle with decision between these two, she would definitely choose “a school that was a dream pre-application. … with a heavy emphasis on small group learning. It also has great electives and early clinical experience that( accelerated to allow for an insane amount of free electives)…”. Also in her situation, we have specifically told her to disregard the difference in cost and choose the one that she personally preferred (however, we did not pay for her UG, she was on full tuition Merit in UG and it was a huge factor while choosing Medical School).
My D. herself struggled wiht her decision. Her finalists (both private) were much closer to each other than yours, she had to consider less significant differences. She was leanning towards one, but after Second Look events at both ended up attending a school that was a dream not only in pre-application but way back in HS (but was lower ranked and more expansive than another). This decision has been working fine for her so far, we still have to go thru match to see final results.</p>
<p>I also happen to strongly disagree with "…you would benefit from leaving your state if you have lived there all your life but you can do that after med school too. " Not for everybody. My D. strongly prefer to be in her state and it was one of the factors when making a decision. However, she has traveled so much in her life, including longer travels. She does not need and not looking forward to experience a difference in living and type of people at different locations. She is aware of all of that and is very adaptive person. In addition, most of her Medical School class is from OOS and from very far and most are from a very different culture.<br>
Sorry to dissapoint, but I believe that you better decide yourself, everybody here is very different and have different experiences and personal circumstances.</p>
<p>I think your daughter will miss out.</p>
<p>^Is it directed at me? If so, what do you mean? Do you mean that she will not match? Why do you think so?</p>
<p>Your daughter’s example of not leaving state is a bad example to push on people. I am saying that staying in one state her entire life, she will miss out on opportunities that might present themselves. </p>
<p>It is an universally applicable rule that people learn new things when they are in newer environments. They also tend to bloom when they leave their natural habitat and are in alien environments. If they have stayed around the same environment through their entire education, they have reached their expected potential and nothing more is expected of them. </p>