hoss@panix.com  writes: > hi all, Ive applied for the class of 93 at quite a number of schools (20) > and have gotten 13 rejects, 4 interviews and 3 no responses.  Three possible results after interview: 1) rejection outright 2) acceptance outright 3) the infamous 'wait list'...   If you are on a 'wait list', your entrance into medical school is dependent upon some other applicant withdrawing their acceptance.  This can happen as late as day -1 of starting classes.    > Any one know when the heck these people send out their acceptance letters? > According to the med school admissions book theyre supposed to send out > the number of their class in acceptances by mid March. Whats going on... I > am losing my sanity checking my mailbox every day.  You can always call the admissions office.  The secretaries should have some idea of when a decision might be made on your application.  Be calm, respectful, and friendly; secretaries have more power than you might realize, and you never know- could be the dean of admissions answering the phone.  > Also does anyone have some useful alternatives in case i dont get in, i  If you don't get in this year, sit down and re-evaluate yourself: your motives, desires, and goals that are directing you into medicine; your academic and extracurricular accomplishments.  Make a decision about whether you *really* want to be a medical doctor.  I had classmates who dropped out in the first semester of med school because they found it was not what they wanted to do; I have friends who applied four years in a row before they were accepted.  Medicine as a career is a choice you must make for yourself; DON'T be pushed into it because of your parents/family/significant other.    If you still want to be a medical doctor, determine how you can improve your application.  A letter of recommendation from a professor who knows you well and can give an honest positive recommendation is far better than one from a 'big-shot' famous professor who only vaguely remembers your face.  Also, don't be afraid to ask these people if they can give you an honest and positive recommendation; give them a chance to say 'no, sorry' instead of the medical school saying 'no, sorry'.  I have turned down writing recommendations for some students because I did not know them well enough to make any meaningful comments, and some because I honestly could not recommend them at that point.    Rewrite your personal statement; take it by an English professor or some other friendly person with skill and experience in writing and proof-reading and get their criticism, both about what you are saying as well as how you say it.  Review your academic accomplishments.  If your grades are poor in some area, don't be afraid to spend some time in further coursework.  Evidence of determined committment will help here.  If you filled your pre-medicine curriculum with gut courses, it usually shows.  Look at your extracurricular involvements.  Participating in local philanthropic or service organizations is a plus; substantial leadership roles in an organization help also. Beware of 'resume padding'; such things are not difficult to spot and weed out.  Overall, a clear conception of where you wish to head and why you want to get there, combined with an honest self-appraisal of skills and aptitude, will be the best path to take in applying to any program, medical or what-have-you.  Good luck with the process -- as Tom Petty says, 'the waiting is the hardest part', at least emotionally. :)