2016-2017 Eastern Virginia Medical School Application Thread

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Did they send you a confirmation email back? I also withdrew yesterday but haven't heard anything in return.


yeah, I did get an email this AM confirming. I sent the email last night.

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just realized April 30th is on a Sunday and Monday is May 1st.

So....
May the 1st ..puffttfft... be with you... Pufffftttf



Sorry
****, May 4th was supposed to be star wars day...
My failure will forever remain on the internet, until the end of days...
 
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Withdrew my acceptance. Hope one of you gets my spot!
 
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So I was a little confused when I called the admissions office last week. They told me that the most waitlist movement occurs in the end of April and it slows down in may. But I thought that most movement was in may? Does that mean the waitlist is slowing down already and the class is pretty much full?
 
So I was a little confused when I called the admissions office last week. They told me that the most waitlist movement occurs in the end of April and it slows down in may. But I thought that most movement was in may? Does that mean the waitlist is slowing down already and the class is pretty much full?
I called last week and was told the exact opposite. Was told that almost no movement has happened so far and that it wouldn't start until May
 
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I called last week and was told the exact opposite. Was told that almost no movement has happened so far and that it wouldn't start until May
Yeah that's what I thought so I was kinda confused.
 
I called last week and was told the exact opposite. Was told that almost no movement has happened so far and that it wouldn't start until May
okay i called the office again and they still told me that movement is usually mostly in april for each cycle. They told me that there will be some movement in May, but usually most of it is in april so i guess that just means the waitlist isn't moving that much?
 
okay i called the office again and they still told me that movement is usually mostly in april for each cycle. They told me that there will be some movement in May, but usually most of it is in april so i guess that just means the waitlist isn't moving that much?

This is unfortunate. I'm in no place to question the admissions staff (now watch me do it), but how can this be true? It would seem like almost every school would have more movement after traffic day than in April. Several people have noted withdrawals in the last few days just on this forum.

Maybe movement will be lighter than usual this year, but I wouldn't give up hope. @rukia013 or @mcatjelly any thoughts on this? Thank you both for all of the info so far, by the way.
 
This is unfortunate. I'm in no place to question the admissions staff (now watch me do it), but how can this be true? It would seem like almost every school would have more movement after traffic day than in April. Several people have noted withdrawals in the last few days just on this forum.

Maybe movement will be lighter than usual this year, but I wouldn't give up hope. @rukia013 or @mcatjelly any thoughts on this? Thank you both for all of the info so far, by the way.
Sorry yeah I'm honestly a little confused and I still think there would be more movement in May but that's just what they told me when I called.
 
This is unfortunate. I'm in no place to question the admissions staff (now watch me do it), but how can this be true? It would seem like almost every school would have more movement after traffic day than in April. Several people have noted withdrawals in the last few days just on this forum.

Maybe movement will be lighter than usual this year, but I wouldn't give up hope. @rukia013 or @mcatjelly any thoughts on this? Thank you both for all of the info so far, by the way.

I'm not directly involved with the admissions process outside of interviewing, so unfortunately I don't have any satisfactory answers for you. I do know that EVMS starts accepting people off the waitlist relatively early (I recall one or two happening in the winter, as a matter of fact), but the bulk of acceptances are going to be handed out around Traffic Day. Thinking about it logically- EVERYONE with multiple acceptances has to give all but one up by April 30th. People tend to wait until the last minute to do so, so right now there are a bunch of spots that need to be filled, and that will happen in the next 1-2 weeks. But there is also a steady stream of individuals who have been dropping their acceptances in anticipation of Traffic Day, so the school has been filling them up accordingly. So really, I think the majority of acceptances off the waitlist get handed out in the 1-2 weeks prior to and following Traffic Day.

THAT BEING SAID, we're a lower tier school. As other applicants get accepted off the waitlist at higher tier schools after Traffic Day, a solid handful of additional spots open up as we progress through May. Plenty of my current classmates come from acceptances that were received mid/late-May, and some June. So no need to give up hope yet! But realistically I would say the movement is going to slow down significantly once we reach mid-May.
 
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I sure hope so, my Waitlist movement knee has been acting up lately.

Damn it waitlist movement knee, you've betrayed me for the last time! (takes out scissors)
 
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I'm not directly involved with the admissions process outside of interviewing, so unfortunately I don't have any satisfactory answers for you. I do know that EVMS starts accepting people off the waitlist relatively early (I recall one or two happening in the winter, as a matter of fact), but the bulk of acceptances are going to be handed out around Traffic Day. Thinking about it logically- EVERYONE with multiple acceptances has to give all but one up by April 30th. People tend to wait until the last minute to do so, so right now there are a bunch of spots that need to be filled, and that will happen in the next 1-2 weeks. But there is also a steady stream of individuals who have been dropping their acceptances in anticipation of Traffic Day, so the school has been filling them up accordingly. So really, I think the majority of acceptances off the waitlist get handed out in the 1-2 weeks prior to and following Traffic Day.

THAT BEING SAID, we're a lower tier school. As other applicants get accepted off the waitlist at higher tier schools after Traffic Day, a solid handful of additional spots open up as we progress through May. Plenty of my current classmates come from acceptances that were received mid/late-May, and some June. So no need to give up hope yet! But realistically I would say the movement is going to slow down significantly once we reach mid-May.
I second this and do want to add a reminder that SDN represents a very small % of applicants--for all we know there could have already been lots of movement and people are either not posting or are not on SDN. On the other hand, the application cycle is more competitive every year so it isn't completely farfetched if there is less movement this year compared to previous cycles.

I know this is a very stressful time of the cycle but at this point there isn't much else that can be done but to be patient. Offers do slow down past the initial wave following traffic day, and my best advice is that if you are currently not holding any acceptances, perhaps start thinking about plan B, whether that be apply immediately again or hold off to try to bolster your app and/or seek personal growth and endeavors. Around this time last year, I was already drafting my new personal statement, trying to get feedback on SDN on my current app to see if there were deficiencies, and applied to two post-bacc programs. I know that making a backup plan is not what anyone wants to hear but at the same time you need to remember to stay realistic. All things happen in due time for a reason, and if you do not get in this cycle, I hope that it will not discourage you from reapplying if medicine is truly your passion. For me, knowing that I only got admitted to med school because someone else turned down the offer was incredibly humbling and has made me realize just what an honor and privilege it is to study medicine. So don't lose hope if you don't get in this round, keep your chin up because everything will eventually work out the way that it was meant to in the right time. :)
 
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I second this and do want to add a reminder that SDN represents a very small % of applicants--for all we know there could have already been lots of movement and people are either not posting or are not on SDN. On the other hand, the application cycle is more competitive every year so it isn't completely farfetched if there is less movement this year compared to previous cycles.

I know this is a very stressful time of the cycle but at this point there isn't much else that can be done but to be patient. Offers do slow down past the initial wave following traffic day, and my best advice is that if you are currently not holding any acceptances, perhaps start thinking about plan B, whether that be apply immediately again or hold off to try to bolster your app and/or seek personal growth and endeavors. Around this time last year, I was already drafting my new personal statement, trying to get feedback on SDN on my current app to see if there were deficiencies, and applied to two post-bacc programs. I know that making a backup plan is not what anyone wants to hear but at the same time you need to remember to stay realistic. All things happen in due time for a reason, and if you do not get in this cycle, I hope that it will not discourage you from reapplying if medicine is truly your passion. For me, knowing that I only got admitted to med school because someone else turned down the offer was incredibly humbling and has made me realize just what an honor and privilege it is to study medicine. So don't lose hope if you don't get in this round, keep your chin up because everything will eventually work out the way that it was meant to in the right time. :)
Hi, thanks for the info! Just one question...does most waitlist movement occur on the day directly following traffic day (meaning today/May 1) or are the initial waitlist offers sent over the first week following traffic day?
 
Hi, thanks for the info! Just one question...does most waitlist movement occur on the day directly following traffic day (meaning today/May 1) or are the initial waitlist offers sent over the first week following traffic day?
Unfortunately I do not know the specifics as to how the waitlist offers are made but since traffic day was over the weekend, today was the deadline to hold only one acceptance (since traffic day has to be on a business day so if April 30 is on a weekend, then that deadline is extended to the next business day ie. Monday). If anything, offers may be made starting tomorrow but again, I am not on the admissions committee so I do not know for sure.

I would think that there's a similar thread this year for waitlist movement hosted by gyngyn where he makes a daily post about the schools that have shown movement that day, and iirc he was quite receptive to questions regarding the process. I would think that schools have "set dates" where they send out batches of offers rather than trying to balance each decline with an offer as they're received. For example, the first batch of offers from the waitlist may have a 1-2 week deadline to respond. By the end of that deadline, the committee may meet again to see where they currently stand and make more offers as needed. This deadline will get shorter and shorter--when I was offered an acceptance in mid-May my deadline was only 5 days for a response.

TL;DR IF YOU PLAN TO TRAVEL THIS SUMMER AND ARE WAITING FOR AN OFFER MAKE SURE YOU HAVE ACCESS TO INTERNET. One of my friends went overseas for the summer and didn't have constant access to the internet and she was made an offer during that time and since she was unable to reply in time, the school moved on to pick someone else. Thankfully she was accepted to another med school.
 
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I called today, and they told me that there have been some withdrawals and they will be sending some more acceptances in the future.

At least, the waitlist movement is not "dead" dead.
 
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I called today, and they told me that there have been some withdrawals and they will be sending some more acceptances in the future.

At least, the waitlist movement is not "dead" dead.
Did they give you a timeline for when they plan on sending out acceptances or tell you whether the withdrawals were IS or OOS?
 
Accepted off wait list just now, upper third OOS
 
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Just accepted off the upper third of the waitlist! I posted my stats earlier in the thread but they are Non-Traditional IS Male 65 LM. I'm also a Hampton Roads resident which may have helped. Good luck to everyone still waiting! The list is moving!
 
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Top third WL OOS
Accepted this morning at around 11:00 am EST via email

I am super stoked about this!

I also saw some talk earlier in this thread about interviewing late which was also my situation so I'll mention it here in case other years need more information. I interviewed very late and I know I did very well in my interview so I was sad when I was waitlisted. So in a sense if you interview very very late you might be "going for a waitlist spot." But your situation may be like mine and you hit a home run during your interview and are placed high up on the waitlist. Like other users I was conflicted about going to such a late date, but I do not regret it in the slightest now. It is a fantastic school that I am excited for.
 
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I also got off the waitlist a few days ago!

I had a few questions though and I was hoping an M1 could answer.

I am a little worried about the grading system at EVMS (as opposed to strictly pass/fail). Is the environment competitive? For residencies, does the number of honors/high pass you get matter a lot or is it mostly step 1 scores like elsewhere? How does grading work exactly (I saw an online breakdown of like 65% tests, 5% professionalism, etc.)? Also do people ever fail out of EVMS (not that I intend to but I saw on the online grading booklet that if you have 2 courses they could ask you to leave)?

I also heard from someone on my tour that they are thinking about switching to a strict pass/fail system for my year. Could anyone comment on the validity of that?

Also, in general how cheap/expensive is rent?

Sorry for all the paranoid questions. And thanks for your help.
 
I also got off the waitlist a few days ago!

I had a few questions though and I was hoping an M1 could answer.

I am a little worried about the grading system at EVMS (as opposed to strictly pass/fail). Is the environment competitive? For residencies, does the number of honors/high pass you get matter a lot or is it mostly step 1 scores like elsewhere? How does grading work exactly (I saw an online breakdown of like 65% tests, 5% professionalism, etc.)? Also do people ever fail out of EVMS (not that I intend to but I saw on the online grading booklet that if you have 2 courses they could ask you to leave)?

I also heard from someone on my tour that they are thinking about switching to a strict pass/fail system for my year. Could anyone comment on the validity of that?

Also, in general how cheap/expensive is rent?

Sorry for all the paranoid questions. And thanks for your help.
Unless mcatjelly beats me to it, I can get back to you on this tomorrow (M1's have an 8a final tomorrow so I will answer your questions when the exam's over) :)
 
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Unless mcatjelly beats me to it, I can get back to you on this tomorrow (M1's have an 8a final tomorrow so I will answer your questions when the exam's over) :)

;) I'm bored and on a break, so.... (but of course feel free to chime in/disagree with me tomorrow!)

I also got off the waitlist a few days ago!

I had a few questions though and I was hoping an M1 could answer.

I am a little worried about the grading system at EVMS (as opposed to strictly pass/fail). Is the environment competitive? For residencies, does the number of honors/high pass you get matter a lot or is it mostly step 1 scores like elsewhere? How does grading work exactly (I saw an online breakdown of like 65% tests, 5% professionalism, etc.)? Also do people ever fail out of EVMS (not that I intend to but I saw on the online grading booklet that if you have 2 courses they could ask you to leave)?

I also heard from someone on my tour that they are thinking about switching to a strict pass/fail system for my year. Could anyone comment on the validity of that?

Also, in general how cheap/expensive is rent?

Sorry for all the paranoid questions. And thanks for your help.

1) I have never felt that our grading system was detrimental to my learning environment. Our class is incredibly collaborative and supportive- people are always posting useful resources on our class page and uploading anki decks to our class Google drive for universal use. It's great. And in general we're all a very well-rounded group who place a lot of importance on "playing" as hard as we study. We're here to learn, but also to enjoy the process. P=MD

2) Step scores trump preclinical grades, without a doubt. Obviously honoring all of your classes works only in your favor, but you're in a good place if you do well on Step.

3) You are correct that 65% of our grades come from two exams (a midterm and a final). The rest of it comes from things like weekly quizzes, small group participation, clinical skills, etc. It's a decent amount of fluff.

4) I have only heard of one person (a past M1) actually fail out- but only because they didn't do the work. EVMS is pretty committed to making sure people don't fail out. I struggled a bit my first semester and was quickly put in contact with academic services and tutors. There are also a few M1s who are repeating their first year- worst case scenario, of course, but point is they're not going to jump to kicking you out.

5) Rent varies pretty widely depending on where you are and how many people you're with. I live with one person across the street from school and pay ~680, including utilities. I've heard a range of $500-1,000.

Just shot those off pretty quickly, let me know you if you need any clarifications!
 
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I also heard from someone on my tour that they are thinking about switching to a strict pass/fail system for my year. Could anyone comment on the validity of that?

At preview weekend, it was specifically stated that they don't have any plans on switching to P/F and prefer the current H/HP/P/F system. But it's not based on a curve so everyone could honor if they scored high enough (which is one of the reasons the environment isn't super competitive).


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile
 
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1) I have never felt that our grading system was detrimental to my learning environment. Our class is incredibly collaborative and supportive- people are always posting useful resources on our class page and uploading anki decks to our class Google drive for universal use. It's great. And in general we're all a very well-rounded group who place a lot of importance on "playing" as hard as we study. We're here to learn, but also to enjoy the process. P=MD

2) Step scores trump preclinical grades, without a doubt. Obviously honoring all of your classes works only in your favor, but you're in a good place if you do well on Step.

3) You are correct that 65% of our grades come from two exams (a midterm and a final). The rest of it comes from things like weekly quizzes, small group participation, clinical skills, etc. It's a decent amount of fluff.

4) I have only heard of one person (a past M1) actually fail out- but only because they didn't do the work. EVMS is pretty committed to making sure people don't fail out. I struggled a bit my first semester and was quickly put in contact with academic services and tutors. There are also a few M1s who are repeating their first year- worst case scenario, of course, but point is they're not going to jump to kicking you out.

Thanks for the quick reply! I super appreciate it.

(After your exam of course) Could you elaborate more on the grading and what determines it (I read the document with details it online but it is a bit confusing)? Do you have two exams every module then since you have a midterm and final? How often would you say have exams then (once every two weeks? once a month? once a week?)? Also do you have weekly quizzes every module? Would you say all the "fluff" is time consuming and hurts more than helps your grade? I am a bit worried that the "fluff" will take up too much time and get in the way of studying or might drag grades. I also read something regarding clicker quizzes. Does that mean you need to go to class to answer clicker questions often?

Sorry for the flurry of questions! Best of luck to you and Rukia on your exams! Please don't feel obligated to respond until after you're done. I know you'll both do well!
 
Thanks for the quick reply! I super appreciate it.

(After your exam of course) Could you elaborate more on the grading and what determines it (I read the document with details it online but it is a bit confusing)? Do you have two exams every module then since you have a midterm and final? How often would you say have exams then (once every two weeks? once a month? once a week?)? Also do you have weekly quizzes every module? Would you say all the "fluff" is time consuming and hurts more than helps your grade? I am a bit worried that the "fluff" will take up too much time and get in the way of studying or might drag grades. I also read something regarding clicker quizzes. Does that mean you need to go to class to answer clicker questions often?

Sorry for the flurry of questions! Best of luck to you and Rukia on your exams! Please don't feel obligated to respond until after you're done. I know you'll both do well!
The grading policy varies slightly with each module in terms of the % distribution of grades but the bulk of your grade will be determined by your midterm and final exam scores. Each module (with the exception of anatomy/human structure) has one midterm and one final and the timing depends on the length of the module. Most modules are 7-8 weeks which means you have a midterm around week 4 and then the final at the end of the course. Our shortest module was 4 weeks long so we had a midterm after week 2 and a final after week 4. We do have weekly formative quizzes in every module to test our understanding of that week's material (the quiz is open during the weekend) but most of them are open book/internet and have unlimited timing. If you get at least 70% on the quiz then you get full credit for it. The anatomy formative quizzes were 20 questions open book but had a 2 hour time limit and the quizzes for foundational sciences I and II (you take these during the first semester and are basic biochem/physiology) were 10 questions, 12-15 min time limit. I personally felt that the quizzes were good at keeping me accountable with staying on top of the material as well as helping me find where I was weak in my understanding of that week's concepts. The grades that are considered "fluff" are actually meant to help your grade and for the most part it's easy to get near 100%. There are a few things like presentations that are part of the "fluff" which often feels like busywork because it's geared towards your communication skills rather than head knowledge but anything that we consider busywork is given during light weeks when we have fewer-than-normal lectures so it's really not that terrible.

Tl;dr the "fluff" is actually not bad and I honestly don't think it has ever /hurt/ anyone's grade. It's more to help boost your grade and offset any sup-par midterm/final scores.

In terms of clicker questions, they aren't graded. I think it might have been something they considered for the new curriculum but all year the clicker questions have just been for our own personal benefit and are not mandatory.

I know the study environment associated with med school may seem incredibly stressful for you right now but trust me, it does get better and there'll be lots of different info sessions and workshops at the beginning of the year to address these things. And if you do struggle a bit more than your peers, we have AMAZING academic advisers who will work continually with you to figure out what works best for you until you feel more comfortable with your study methods. :)

Hope this answered your questions; lmk if you need clarification or have other questions (either post on this thread or dm me)
 
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Is anybody brave enough to call admissions and find out how many acceptances have been given out so far? Their website says approximately 300 acceptances are extended for a seat of 151.
 
Is anybody brave enough to call admissions and find out how many acceptances have been given out so far? Their website says approximately 300 acceptances are extended for a seat of 151.
On average, a medical school will extend acceptance offers 1.5-2x the amount of seats available to account for withdrawals and this number does not include offers to the waitlist. I can't remember the details but by a certain date before Traffic Day, schools are required to have granted x number of offers to fill their seats. Post-Traffic Day, offers are made based on the number of withdrawals and this varies with each cycle.

You can try to call admissions and ask but at this point I don't think they see the number of acceptances given out--they have access to candidate files so they can tell you your own status but that is probably it. We have incredibly nice admissions staff so if it makes you feel better to call, then go ahead :)
 
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On average, a medical school will extend acceptance offers 1.5-2x the amount of seats available to account for withdrawals and this number does not include offers to the waitlist. I can't remember the details but by a certain date before Traffic Day, schools are required to have granted x number of offers to fill their seats. Post-Traffic Day, offers are made based on the number of withdrawals and this varies with each cycle.

You can try to call admissions and ask but at this point I don't think they see the number of acceptances given out--they have access to candidate files so they can tell you your own status but that is probably it. We have incredibly nice admissions staff so if it makes you feel better to call, then go ahead :)
I suppose I shall pass and wait it out then, thank you :)
 
I don't want to ask an inappropriate question or for people to dox themselves, but would any students accepted this cycle and those in the top 1/3 waitlist be willing to share their MCAT scores? I have a really low MCAT (508, even subsection distribution) but I was still waitlisted. Should I expect top 1/3 waitlist to represent the height of my acceptance chances here?
 
I don't want to ask an inappropriate question or for people to dox themselves, but would any students accepted this cycle and those in the top 1/3 waitlist be willing to share their MCAT scores? I have a really low MCAT (508, even subsection distribution) but I was still waitlisted. Should I expect top 1/3 waitlist to represent the height of my acceptance chances here?
I'm not sure what you should be expecting at this point, but I'm top third OOS with 511. Best of luck!
 
I don't want to ask an inappropriate question or for people to dox themselves, but would any students accepted this cycle and those in the top 1/3 waitlist be willing to share their MCAT scores? I have a really low MCAT (508, even subsection distribution) but I was still waitlisted. Should I expect top 1/3 waitlist to represent the height of my acceptance chances here?

Sure I don't mind. I had a 508 mcat as well. Very skew with a 124 in cars too so I was seriously stressing. I am older and very nontraditional though. My interview also went very well. Hope that helps a bit.
 
I don't want to ask an inappropriate question or for people to dox themselves, but would any students accepted this cycle and those in the top 1/3 waitlist be willing to share their MCAT scores? I have a really low MCAT (508, even subsection distribution) but I was still waitlisted. Should I expect top 1/3 waitlist to represent the height of my acceptance chances here?
Top 1/3 OOS 514 w/126 in one section
 
I don't want to ask an inappropriate question or for people to dox themselves, but would any students accepted this cycle and those in the top 1/3 waitlist be willing to share their MCAT scores? I have a really low MCAT (508, even subsection distribution) but I was still waitlisted. Should I expect top 1/3 waitlist to represent the height of my acceptance chances here?

I was accepted last cycle off the top third with a 508 (125/130/125/128) and I'm IS. Your score def doesn't put you out of the running!
 
I am in the top 1/3 and really fell in love with this school. Does anyone know if we can expect much more waitlist movement now that traffic day has passed?
 
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I am in the top 1/3 and really fell in love with this school. Does anyone know if we can expect much more waitlist movement now that traffic day has passed?
I'm wondering the same thing! I would love to go here
 
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All I have heard is that there will be some movement in may but the most of the movement was in april.
 
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I am in the top 1/3 and really fell in love with this school. Does anyone know if we can expect much more waitlist movement now that traffic day has passed?

As we've mentioned previously, the biggest bulk of waitlist movement has already occurred but I know of several people who were accepted later in May/early June.
 
Sure I don't mind. I had a 508 mcat as well. Very skew with a 124 in cars too so I was seriously stressing. I am older and very nontraditional though. My interview also went very well. Hope that helps a bit.
I was accepted before traffic day with a MCAT score of 505...they definitely look holistically
 
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Did all the traffic day waitlist movement happen last Tuesday?? Seemed like they were accepting people more often than that on last year's thread
There will for sure be more WL movement, how much more is what's uncertain.
 
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