Getting ready to apply after receiving my MCAT scores, hopefully by the end of July I will be complete. Feel free to leave comments or suggestions on my profile.
August 7th- I have submitted my AMCAS application for review
August 11th- I submitted my AACOMAS application for review
August 18th-I received my first secondary request from USUHS (before my application was verified?)
August 28th- Received an email stating that my AMCAS app. was processed and would be submitted to schools!!!!
August 29th- Received secondary requests from GWU, ECU, and UK
September 1st-Received secondary request from Penn State
September 2nd-Submitted Secondary for PSU, and received secondary request from Jefferson
September 3rd-Received secondary request from MUSC, and submitted to UK and Jefferson
September 4th-Received secondary request from UVA and University of Louisville, Submitted Secondary to GWU, ECU, UVA
September 5th-Received secondary request from UNC!!! woohoo, been waiting on this one, submitted to MUSC
September 8th-Submitted Secondary to UNC and UofL sent off letters from interfolio to amcas for penn state, uva, and east tenn. (when i get it)
September 9th-received email that UVA received supp. waiting on letters...damned interfolio having to send the letters to AMCAS, what a hassle...thought it was supposed to be electronic=easy?
September 11th- received secondary requests from Drexel, Wake Forest, and UCF, submitted secondary for Drexel
September 12th- Submitted secondary for Wake Forest and received secondary request from VCU
September 15th- Submitted secondary for VCU...can't figure out why none of these schools are listing me as complete yet, when I have sent in my stuff over a week ago...hmmm.
September 16th- Letters finally received by AMCAS, so I assigned them to PSU and UVA, also received secondary request from Quillen
September 18th- Still working on secondary app. for Quillen and UCF, also received emails today from GWU and UVA that my app. was complete.
September 19th- submitted secondary for Quillen
September 20th- submitted secondary for UCF
September 21st- I guess the comment below did some good as I noticed today (Sunday) that I have been verified in AACOMAS, just waiting for the application to be released to the schools.
September 22nd- Received secondary request from WVU and complete at Quillen
September 25th- Received request for secondaries from both LECOM's, unfortunately finding a DO to shadow is like pulling teeth so I am not sure I will actual submit secondaries here...
September 26th- Sent off secondary for WVU
September 29th- Received emails from UCF and ECU stating I was complete at both schools
September 30th- Received secondary request from EVMS, LMU-DCOM, and an email from VCOM informing me that they will let me know about a secondary within one weeks time.
October 2nd-Received my first interview invitation from ECU...woohoo gotta call tomorrow and schedule date, received secondary request from NSU
October 3rd- Called ECU, will be interviewing Halloween, also received secondary from Ohio University Osteopathic school, started to bug Chapel Hill about my so-called 'invite' there that has yet to come to fruition...
October 4th- Received secondary request from VCOM
October 6th- Received secondary request from Pikeville and PCOM, submitted secondary to NSU
October 8th- Submitted Secondaries to PCOM, UMDNJ
October 9th- Received email notifying me that all necessary materials had been received at Wake Forest. I have also been receiving a lot of solicitation letters from medical schools lately.
October 10th- Made a phone call to U of Tennessee today and she told me to not worry about not receiving a secondary yet. I called Kentucky and she said that they had received everything they needed on September 8th. I also read my supplementary information for PCSOM today and realized that they don't require a letter from a D.O., just that they prefer one. SO I will be filling that out this weekend.
October 13th- Emailed University of South Carolina, received a reply with a wait a few days theme to it. A couple hours later received secondary. I am just wishing it were this easy with UNC interview...
October 14th- During my neurotic checking of statuses I have a new one at Wake Forest 'You are complete, blah blah, give interviews from September to March, blah blah...' Sounds like my first hold.
October 17th- I have realized that I am way too invested in this process. I will be using the rest of today, this weekend, Monday, and Tuesday as a reprieve. Unless I receive some kind of phone call I will not have anything to do with this admissions process. We'll see how it goes.
October 22nd- So, the reprieve was nice. I took my days off, and true to my word did not partake in any admissions related activities until tonight when I checked my statuses. At which time I found out that I have been invited to an interview at Drexel! Maybe I should take more days off.
October 24th- Received an invitation to interview from USUHS and a complete status at Penn State.
October 25th- Sent off secondaries for Univ. of South Carolina, LMU-DCOM, VCOM, and Pikeville
October 29th- Received interview invitation from Wake Forest and scheduled it for Nov. 5.
October 31st- Interview at ECU went okay. I had one stone faced interviewer which I did manage to make him chuckle a couple of times. I even got him to say a few sentences. My other interviewer was a student and he was cool, very easy going and was easier to talk to. Overall the interview went okay (3 on scale of 0-5). It was my first so I don't have anything to compare it to.
November 5th- Interview at WF today. It was great. I loved the facilities, the faculty that interviewed us were all very nice and cordial, the admissions staff were very nice as well. The interviews were very laid back and conversation-like (agreed upon my my fellow interviewees). The whole day was wonderful and I would be honored to be a deamon deacon for my next four years of education, hoping against all odds to get in here. They said that the next meeting will be November 19, and we should know within a week of that meeting. It's out of my hands now. You have three interviewers who are allowed a maximum of 20 minutes with each person (includes note-taking afterwards, and a quick read of your PS ahead of time). I think this one went better than the last one (4 on scale of 0-5). Crossing my fingers.
November 6th- The D.O. I shadowed a month ago has written my letter for me. He said he will send it to Interfolio on Saturday at which time I will proceed in sending off my letters to the D.O. schools that require them so that I can be complete at all of them.
November 7th- LMU DCOM contacted me and set up an interview for Nov. 17th. Because of SDN I am very excited to check this school out. I also received an email today letting me know that my USUHS interview had successfully been rescheduled for December 4th.
November 11th- Still resisting the urge to call UNC again...for now. Good news is that I received an interview invite from ETSU today for 12/3.
November 18th- I received a call from UNC today to invite me for an interview next Tuesday, thank God, I have been waiting for what seems like forever. I can't wait for this opportunity.
November 19th- After sending email to VCOM on Monday found out that my application was not complete. Jumped through some hoops today to make it complete, received email verifying as such.
November 20th- Received a letter in mail inviting me for interview at WVU on January 14th.
November 21- Received an email from VCOM stating that I was on hold, this makes three schools to put me on pre-interview hold, 9 interviews, and 13 schools I am still waiting on. At least I haven't been flat out rejected yet, although Tennessee is starting to look that way. I got waitlisted at Wake. Too bad, as I really liked the school.
November 24- Sent email to all schools that I have not heard from since the supplementary. Also received email from NSU inviting me to schedule an interview.
November 25- Received phone call from LMU-DCOM (Dean Stowers) to let me know that I had been accepted. Interview at UNC went well, wrote about it in interview feedback.
December 9- Received letter from UTHSC today informing that by their standards I am a reject and that I should dispose of myself as such. Eh, no biggie I understand. I also received a status update from VCU. It went something like this: blah blah blah, MAY, blah blah blah...if you are on SDN you understand..
December 23- Received an email of rejection from MUSC today. It was kind of expensive to go there OOS, but I love Charleston.
January 13- Did not attend NOVA interview last week, so for D.O. schools the only other interview I would entertain would be VCOM. I am still waiting on UNC and ECU to give me decisions, but in the meantime I will be attending an interview at WVU tomorrow.
Jan 15- Interview at WVU was good, feel like it went well. I enjoyed the area and the school. Received an interview invite from EVMS today, and my admissions packet from LMU. Scheduled interview at EVMS for Jan. 28.
Feb 4- Very quiet lately until I received my you are a reject letter from ECU today. Too bad, it was so cheap and small classes.
Feb 11- Waitlisted letter from EVMS.
Feb 17- Called EVMS and found out that I am in the top 1/3 of waitlist. Keeping fingers crossed. I also am expecting an interview invite from Kentucky via the 'Interview(s) to be scheduled.' status on the web page. We will see I suppose.
Feb 18- Interview scheduled at KYCOM for March 24 for waitlist spot.
Mar 2- Rejected from UCF.
Mar 4- Rejected from UVA.
Apr 6- Received rejection from UNC. Too bad, since this is where I really wanted to go, but sh*t happens, and I will still be a physician.
Apr 7- Assuming rejections as of today. Why today? Who knows mostly because it is late in the season and I am a little down about UNC so I might as well accept them all at once? Maybe..
Apr 7- Later that day. Rejected from UK. I must really suck at this whole interviewing thing.
May 18- Received an acceptance letter from EVMS today. Now I have some deciding to do.
May 21- Received an acceptance letter from WVU today. I think as of right now, between the three possibilities EVMS is ahead. It will offer more opportunities for my wife to gain employment, I won't have to move again after my second year, the area is super cool (love the beach), the students were awesome (not just the students that gave the tours, but all the students I met during interview day and preview weekend), they are really focused on the students, and I really liked their focus on serving the community.
June 5- Received call from Wake that I was accepted and received follow up email as well. I am very happy and this is where I will go. Will be withdrawing from all other schools this week. Thank God it is over.
Update Letters sent:
Jan 5 - ECU and ETSU by email
Jan 6 VCU and UK by email
Jan 7 - Chapel Hill by email
Jan 8 - Jefferson, WFU, UCF, USC, PSU, University of Louisville, GWU, UVA, EVMS all by email
Key
P:Primary submitted
SR: Secondary Received
SS: Secondary Sent or Submitted
C: File Complete
II: Interview Invite
I: Interview
A: Accepted
W: Waitlisted
WI: Withdraw
R: Rejected
Summary of Costs Incurred:
MCAT 210
MCAT study materials 100
AMCAS APP. 670
AACOM APP. 430
MD schools Supp.
Univ. Louisville 75
UNC 68
WVU 100
ECU 60
EVMS 95
GWU 125
Jefferson 80
Kentucky 50
MUSC 75
UVA 80
ETSU 50
VCU 80
Drexel 75
UCF 30
WFU 55
Penn State 70
USUHS 0
UTHSC
USC
DO Schools Supp.
NSU 50
PCOM 50
UMDNJ 90
LECOM X 2 50
VCOM 85
LMU-DCOM 50
Interview Costs
ECU-Gas 50
Wake Forest-Gas 20
LMU-DCOM-Gas, Motel, Food 300
UNC-Gas 20
WVU-Gas, Motel, Food 200
EVMS-Gas, Food 110
ETSU-Gas, Food 115
Total 3323
I stopped keeping track of this a long time ago. I have had many other costs as well that I haven't listed above. I am estimating the total cost of applying to medical school for me in my situation was around 7,000 (not taking into account the lost money from missed work). You can get by with much cheaper if you are resourceful in MCAT studying, traveling, lodging, substinence, and school choices. In all honesty what saved me the most money was my LMU acceptance, even though I had to put down a 2000 deposit it allowed me to cancel interviews at places I would not attend over LMU (USUHS, Nova, LECOM, Drexel). If I had been accepted to a school earlier I would not have attended nearly the number of interviews I did in turn saving me lots of money.
