AMCAS complete mid-June. Secondaries all sent out fairly quickly (except for Loyola, which I sat on for almost four weeks)
Update: 9-16-04 finished SLU interview (very low stress), just had Mayo interview and have Creighton interview tomorrow. I have the UNMC interview in three weeks. I still have not heard back from Iowa or Loyola. My Minnesota secondary just arrived. I'm trying to decide whether to complete it or not. It's very long, and even if I get in it's like $50,000/year.
10-21-04 Well that's it. I am in. Maybe I can relax a little bit now! I've been pretty much insane since about March. I am going to medical school next year!
Update: 11-12-04 I have been accepted to SLU and Creighton. I think if I had to make the decision today, I would pick Creighton, but it will depend on the financial aid packages, probably.
2-14-05: I'm withdrawing from Loyola. My favorites are Creighton and SLU, so there's no point in worrying about a third expensive Jesuit school.
Update: 2-26-05: I got the Creighton Family Scholarship! It really looks like Creighton will be my school!
Update: 3-11-05: No word from anyone since like November, then suddenly two responses in one day! I'm in at UNMC and not at Iowa. This makes my decision very easy. I'm going to Creighton next year!
I am so glad this is all over. It was agonizing having to wait so much! First you wait for your MCAT scores, then wait for secondaries, then interview invites, and then decisions! I'm finally all done. Some things I have learned (well, I had heard these things from other people, but now I KNOW they're true):
*Apply to several schools. I have very good numbers, but I still wasn't a slam dunk at all of the schools, as you can see. You'll more than likely be rejected from a school or two, that's the nature of this process. So many people are competing for so few spots at each school. Improve your odds of an acceptance by applying to several. It's expensive but worth it.
*Get your AMCAS in early. Submit it on the first possible day. Being at the top of the pile for review can only help you. Because I did my AMCAS in in early June, I got secondaries very quickly. And...
*Get your secondaries in early! It's expensive and some (Loyola!) are irritatingly long with very stupid essays, but figure out what you're going to write for the essays in advance (you can find all of the secondaries online,) and send them back in the day you get them. This gets you earlier interviews...
*Interview early! And after your interview...
*Send a thank you to your interviewer! I did this at two schools and not the others. I'm not sure it's just a coincidence that I had heard from those two schools by mid-November and did not hear from the others until March.
Good luck to everyone! This is an expensive and stressful process, but it's worth it if you're lucky enough to get that acceptance letter! I am ecstatic that I get to go to med school in the fall!
