<p>Hello all. I have a friend who is very intelligent, has great test scores, an URM and just has everything going for him, but he was waitlisted at his top choice for Med School...he's gotten into 3 or 4 alternatives but he really wants to go to Pitt. I don't know anything about the Med School and how it works.....if it were Arts and Sciences I could maybe help him out, but I really don't know what to tell him for Med School. I know in general Med School is tough to get into, even if you are a Golden Child of sorts, but I would still like to perhaps give him some advice. Does anyone here have any suggestions?</p>
<p>I also have no idea how med school works. Maybe a better home for this post would be <a href="http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/pre-med-medical-school/%5B/url%5D">http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/pre-med-medical-school/</a></p>
<p>Also tell him to check out the Student Doctor Network forums, specifically the Pre-Allo or Pre-Osteo sections for more advice on the process. </p>
<p>Thank you guys....I actually overlooked the Med School Forum.....Mods, could you maybe move this post? My bad!</p>
<p>So moved. :)</p>
<p>I got into UPitt off the waitlist, although I ended up not going. The advice I have applies to being on the waitlist at pretty much any school, though.</p>
<p>I strongly recommend your friend to stay in contact with the admissions office via letter - this serves two purposes. First, it's very important to show continued interest in the school - that will make the adcom pay much more attention to his application when it comes up for review during waitlist discussion. He also needs to keep tooting his horn to continue trying to convince the adcom of how great an addition he would be to the entering class.</p>
<p>If your friend's just been waitlisted, he should send a letter to the adcom thanking them for their consideration, letting them know his disappointment at being waitlisted and not accepted, stating that UPitt is his top choice for medical school, and committing to attend and withdraw all other applications/acceptances immediately if they eventually accept him. As I understand it, adcoms like to see this kind of commitment, but your friend should be aware that he must follow through on his promises.</p>
<p>Your friend should send regular update letters with pithy things that the adcom would like to hear - reporting great end-of-semester grades at college with a transcript to prove it, making the dean's list, winning an award, presenting at a student research fair, etc. At the end of each letter, your friend should also reiterate his continued interest in the school and his continued desire to attend.</p>
<p>^+1 to shades,</p>
<p>but.... he's in at "3-4" other medical schools. Bluntly, he should be happy with that, and he's not getting my sympathy from me. Med school admissions are such a crapshoot sometimes, even with all the things you mentioned, so he really should be happy that he actually has a choice in where he goes - a lot of students don't even get that. Pick the one he would most like to attend and get himself psyched about that school in case Pitt doesn't work out.</p>