I remember son having to provide ACT and/or SAT scores.
Good luck to this cycle’s applicants.
Son just took Step 2 today! yay that’s over!
They may be running earlier this year or my guy may have been lucky getting his app verified earlier than others. So far, he’s gotten secondaries from all but 3 places he applied to. His school doesn’t send out their recommendation until Aug, so I doubt much will proceed until then. He’s busy getting secondaries completed anyway.
" I guess some specialties require that? This part I’m unfamiliar with. " - some specialties require Prelim or Transitional year. My D. just completed her Prelim year and started in her specialty residency. Then they are called First Year for 2 years.
Good luck to all applicants!
Congrats on S’s step 2 being over, m2ck!
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Congrats on S’s step 2 being over, m2ck!
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Thanks!!! Yes, he’s relieved that it’s over! 
Congrats to your DD for completing her Prelim and starting her specialty. My son’s intended specialty also requires this extra year (I’m not even sure what that year is for…lol…or what?!?)
My son explained the difference between Prelim and Transitional year, but I’ve forgotten what he said. 
I am not sure if my response belong on this thread, but maybe future medical students also would like to know?
“the difference between Prelim and Transitional year” - Transitional year is much easier. I do not know details though. They do not work crazy hours but (my guess!!) they do not learn as much either. I cannot evaluate how important this learning is and how much it has to do with the future specialty. My D. had no choice as her goal was to stay at her location which does not have a single Transitional year program. She would have to come back home and live with us if she had chosen a Transitional year program. In her specific situation, she would still be paying for her accommodations away from home, so it did not make sense for her (logistically and financially) to be in Transitional program at home.
Her Prelim program was much harder than others because it is in the study that is designed to research how long hours affect the performance of MDs. Under normal circumstances, the first years are not allowed to work 30 hour shift, but in her program they did a lot of them. Her Prelim year was in Internal Medicine. I have an impression that Prelim Year is always in IM, but this is just my understanding. Since IM was not her specialty, she also had a lot of electives in between the hospital shifts. She also was assigned to have her own patients in a clinic, about 30 of them that she saw on a regular basis in her office hours.
I do not know any more than the experience that my D. had. I imagine that it may be slightly different from program to program.
How often do Med Schools (US, MD) send brochures to “Dear MCAT Examinee” letting them know about their program and wanting them to apply - specifically MSTP? It reminds me of undergrad colleges and the oodles of snail mail we received, but I had never heard of it with med schools (and my guy only has one from the US so far). Is it common?
I expected med schools all had enough applicants that they didn’t need to advertise, but then again, I guess one can say the same thing about Top 20 undergrad schools too, yet they send out multiple mailings.
Hence, my newbie question…
As far as I know from about 6 years ago, none. It does not make sense for the institution that is dealing with sorting out about 5000 applications to about 170 spots would spend additional resources on advertisement. However, adcom may call selectively the college pre-med advisory expressing desire for specific students knowing that in many cases these applicants applied to a competing place. However, it will very selective and will happen after interview.
Did anybody hear about “the battle of the Wests”?. If not, it means Northwestern vs Case Western medical schools. In the Midwest, many who apply to one, usually apply to another, I am not saying always. The call from adcom to a pre-med advisor may or may not make a difference in the applicant decision making. Some are more sensitive to the idea of being appreciated.
God yes, it’s very common.
Med schools have the option of buying lists of MCAT takers from AMCAS. (Selling these lists is part of AMCAS’s business model.) The med schools can even specify what score ranges they want. (Scores above X.) Some med schools then use those lists to spam everyone on the list.
D2 got bombarded/spammed during her cycle 3 years ago–from US med schools as well as Caribbean programs. And yes, there were even solicitations from a MSTP program or two. D2’s current roommate (who just started MS1 last week) experienced the same. So did all of D2’s friends from college & her summer research programs who applied to med school.
So don’t get too excited–it’s just business.
Good to know - though definitely surprising based upon what MiamiDAP said - why?
The school he received one from is not likely to interest him. It didn’t get on his radar when he was looking and they don’t seem heavy on the research he wants to do.
We have gotten mailings from the Caribbean, but that doesn’t surprise me at all. It just makes hubby drool when he thinks of visits!
Maybe because Miami’s D’s experience was 7 years ago. (I don’t remember D1 talking about getting solicited when she applied the same year miami’s d did. But then D1 didn’t share any of her application stuff with me.)
And there are more cynical reasons having to do with rankings & money.
Maybe others with the higher MCAT score had experience with advertising materials. I do not recall anything like that at all. The difference in experience may be explained by the difference in MCAT score.
Despite of being ages ago, I remember being bombarded with the college materials, boxes of waste!
I could see rankings being part of it.
I can also see it as less cynical and their wanting to get more “top quality” applicants to choose from for their research regardless of rankings. I suspect many not from their state overlook them as options, so this could be more of a tap on the shoulder saying, “Hey, consider us.”
With undergrad stuff, mailings certainly can work to get a school noticed. Many times I’ll ask kids how they heard about a (lesser known) school and they’ll tell me they got a brochure that looked appealing.
If the school wants an adjustment, it’s a good idea. Then too, if one school does it, many others tend to join the bandwagon. It could be interesting to see how many he gets I suppose. We did that with undergrad mailings…
D spent the whole month of July for the secondaries, she thought she had done everything finally last week - until a late secondary came from a high rank school, one month after the verification and we thought it won’t come. I wonder if it meant anything?
Same question was asked over on SDN, basically what the adcomms said is that at some schools highly sought after applicants will often get secondaries first before more average applicants.
Thanks WOWM; yes I think it’s true for my D’s case.
My guy got two fairly late. He’s high stat. It could easily be the schools and their timing. One of the schools surprised me with how late they were (comparatively - due to their ranking and stats of students). The other I had assumed (incorrectly) just wasn’t interested.
LizzyM has been conducting a couple of polls over on the SDN forums to test the applicability of 2 of the
common wisdoms for med school applicants.
- No interview invites before Thanksgiving = no acceptances
http://■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■/threads/calling-all-2015-2016-applicants.1203041/#post-17800753
- Interviews three means a doctor you’ll be
http://■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■/threads/interviews-three-a-doctor-youll-be.1215042/
Results seems to suggest both are true.
Hanging around waiting on interviews for this cycle. My daughter has one very early. We shall see if anymore pop up for this fall.
Same here, including my guy having one scheduled. Time will tell on others. Best wishes to your daughter!
Just chime in, my D has done 2 interviews so far, but no II in September, which really surprise me, well I hope some to come in the next few months.