How do invites for interview come in? Letter home, phone call home, phone call on son’s cell? I realize this questions is a little premature and wishful thinking. The reason I’m asking is that hubby and I will be empty nesters this fall. Our last kid going off to college. So we’re going away for a few weeks in September. So if a letter for my son will come home, or a phone call, he won’t get the info until we get back.
My S had a handful of interviews this cycle. They all came directly via e-mail to the email address he entered on the AMCAS application. Or he got an e-mail from the med school to check an update that was put on his on-line portal. No interview invites came via snail mail or phone call- I don’t think this is how any schools notify for interviews.
^^ Agreed with racquetdad-- for both kidlets, all IIs came via email or by an email to check the school’s portal.
The only phone calls were for acceptances that came very early in the cycle. (Oct 15 earliest notification date acceptances) Those calls went to the phone # the student listed on the AMCAS/school applications. Later in the cycle acceptance notices were sent by email/email to check the school’s portal.
D1 did get one “old tyme” overnight mail acceptance when she applied 4 years ago (I remember because I had to sign for the letter!), but even that school has now gone to email notification.
All Ds II came by e-mail too.
@bajamm I agree that your D should apply this year. As long as she has a good app list, applies to her instate SOms, applies EARLY, then her chances are very good.
[QUOTE=""]
'm not convinced his 31 is the problem. I think the 3.3 from undergrad combined with applying late is the bigger problem.
[/QUOTE]
I agree. And, I think applying LATE could be the biggest issue.
Everyone should apply early, but especially those with some “problem”.
Only one phone acceptance from dean of admissions, came around 1am after midnight of the earliest notification date acceptances. Surprising part was that D. interviewed there only 4 days earlier. The next one, after 2am, was an email. Interesting that after couple of acceptances, D. had another interview which resulted in acceptance. And that was entire acceptance story for her in addition to her guaranteed spot that she was retaining in her bs/md program.
She applied early, she had a great committee at her UG, that had everything prepared for her very early, all she was waiting was her MCAT score (took MCAT in May).
The registration for next year is happening soon. I wanted to get your advice. Son only needs 2 science classes for his major to graduate, one fall and one spring. The last 3 years his scheduled has been very science heavy. He took 3 to 4 classes with labs at a time. Next year he wants to take something different. He enjoys history, so maybe take some history classes. He finished his foreigh language requirement but is thinking of taking a different foreigh language class. He is applying to med schools this cycle. Will med schools look at his schedule of “easier” classes and think that he’s slacking off? Also, is it a mistake to take some classes pass/fail? He hasn’t done that yet.
He might also try to do part time the spring semester. Our 2nd kid is going to college next year and son will need to take some loans. So I figured part time might make it easier for him financially. Hopefully he can get a part time job during that time. How will med schools view the part time situation? He had a full ride for our state school but chose not to take it. It still hurts me to say it, but it is what it is.
^^ It’s pretty normal to take a lighter load during senior year since applicants need to be able to travel for interviews. Sometimes on short notice.
As for P/F --it depends on the class. P/F for PE, a foreign language or music appreciation–not a problem. Immunology or PChem P/F might raise questions for a science major.
As for going PT in the spring–not an issue so long as he will be able to graduate on time. (But your son should check school policies w/r/t part-time attendance. He may lose access to school services like student health and dorm eligibility if he’s registered for too few casses. And PT may affect his eligibility for FA, including federal student loans.)
@WayOutWestMom if he does P/F it would not be for a science class. Probably history or foreign language. I think he might be done with those except for the 2 classes he needs. Unless, if he gets accepted to a med school and they need him to take another science class. Does that happen?
^^ Yes, sometimes a med school will have additional requirements beyond the common ones. (OSU, for example, now requires at least a semester of anatomy for admission. It wasn’t a posted requirement at the time the cycle started 2 years ago and admissions just bulk emailed all applicants telling them about the new course requirement about halfway thru the application cycle. Lots of unhappy people!)
In that case, he must fulfill all requirements before he can matriculate–which may mean picking up an extra class in the spring.
@momworried
When taking classes P/F check your UG policy and the college/dept. of your son’s major. It’s very common to limit P/F to only one class per semester and to only non-major classes. Medical schools will not care that your son takes a class P/F during senior year. (and that can be any class, science or not) They understand the problems associated with attending interviews while enrolled in classes. What your son should do is contact the professors in his Fall classes and discuss the implications of missing classes/exams because of interview dates. Some professors can be very understanding and will allow workarounds but some will not. He should avoid any professors not willing to accommodate his interviews.
Some medical schools/programs have requirements above and beyond the standard courses. (e.g. Harvard HST requires diff eqs.) You should check the websites of any program where your son is applying.
As long as going PT does not interfere with any school policy or harm FA, I don’t see a problem with medical schools. They just want you to graduate. Since your S made the choice he did, I’m certain he understood that it might mean working at some point. I made the opposite choice and I’m glad I did.
DS is concerned about similar issues. He will have no science classes in the fall, only classes for his major and a scattering of core classes that must be completed. He is relishing the idea of a “normal” course load.
As a related question, I think that I read that most interviews happen on Fridays and Mondays. Is there any truth to that? Our state school loves Wednesdays but I suggested a heavy Tuesday, Thursday schedule for the fall.
They do it differently in Texas. They have a mutual understanding to use specific days for interviews since the same kids are attending the interviews in most places. From what I understood, every school has their own day or something like that so that there is not too much overlap.
D’s interviews were almost all on either T or W (maybe a Th too). No M or F interviews at all. She missed most of the night before interview events to try and miss as little class as possible.
Our 3 state schools also stagger interview days - one does Mondays, one Wednesdays, and one Fridays, since they often are interviewing the same students. If your S or D applies to a lot of schools, it may be hard to plan for interview days. I think the best suggestions have been given: take a lighter load and/or easier classes if possible, take classes with professors that are willing to work with students who need to miss for interviews.
My Ds school allows students to take 3 courses during their undergrad P/F, and she did that, all three were humanitites classes that were not prereqs. Adcoms didn’t question it.
momworried- your S will be fine. My S was in same situation this past year where he only needed 1 science class senior year for his major. His first 3 years were science heavy so this year he has caught up with many humanities type classes ( art, foreign language, writing, etc.). He has one class P/F this semester. However he did take a normal load of 15 credits each semester. His professors were understanding when he had to miss a lot of class to go to interviews. If I recall he had interviews on every day of the week but Thursday- there is no standard amongst schools.
Exactly what is the best strategy for getting transcripts to AAMC? We keep hearing “request transcripts early”.
Once your child has a ACMAS account and has final grades from this semester, have your child order a paper transcript from the registrar’s office at his uni sent to AMCAS. Once AMCAS receives the transcript and marks it “received” (which can take up to week), it will go into the queue for verification. Transcripts are verified in first come-first served order. Verification can take up to 3 weeks during prime crunch time.
Since you cannot update your transcript once AMCAS has received it, it’s best to wait for spring term grades to come out before sending it.
Colleges vary in how long it takes to send a transcript. College processing time can run from 2-3 days to 2-3 weeks. Your child may want to check to see if the college offer ‘expedited’ handling of transcripts. (But don’t hold your breath on it being any faster.)
AMCAS does not currently accept e-transcripts and only accept electronic .pdf transcripts from a handful of approved colleges/universities.
https://www.aamc.org/students/applying/amcas/faqs/343432/howdoisendmytranscriptstoamcas.html
Thank you WOWM. And the ACMAS account cannot be set up until May 2 (when they can begin working on the application, correct? Or is it when they actually submit?
I believe it’s once you open an application in May. There needs to be an account number that AMCAS can associate with the transcript or it will get put aside (and maybe not ever found again).
Also the transcript must be “official” in sealed envelope with the college registrar’s seal. Unofficial transcripts are not acceptable.
AMCAS strongly recommends using the Transcript Request Form that’s available on its website when sending transcripts.
One last reminder, your child must send a transcript from every college he ever attended, even if it’s for co-enrollment courses during high school or if he registered for classes at a school, but never attended or withdrew from all classes before the drop/add date and did not earn any grades.