7 interviews, no acceptances

[Overachiever12]

As of today, I still have yet to receive an acceptance to medical school. I've interviewed at a total of 7 schools and have received 3 waitlist, 1 deferred decision, and 1 rejection. I will know the results of the last two decisions in early March.

Stats:

20 yrs old
AA Male, TX Resident
3.37 cGPA/3.43 sGPA from Top 20
31 MCAT (11BS, 9VR, 11PS)
1 year of research
2 summers of volunteer EMT work
Shadowed general surgery and cardiology
Lifeguard

Schools:

UT-Southwestern (waitlisted)
UT-San Antonio (waitlisted)
UT-Houston (waitlisted)
Tufts (deferred)
NYMC (post-interview rejection)
Boston University (waiting post-interview)
Emory (waiting post-interview)
UTMB (rejected pre-interview)
Texas Tech Lubbock (rejected pre-interview)
Texas Tech El Paso (rejected pre-interview)
Texas A&M (rejected pre-interview)
Baylor (no word)
Harvard (no word)
UMiami (no word)
Ohio State (no word)

Needless to say, I am extremely distraught from this entire process. I never thought I would be contemplating a reapplication after having so many interviews. I felt really confident in my prospects for this cycle, and now I'm slowly seeing those chances sliver into nothingness. As a result, after having five negative post-interview responses, I think it would be wise for me to start addressing potential problems for the next application cycle.

To start...The interview?
From reading previous SDN posts, it seems as if my misfortune was most likely a result of poor interviewing skills. I am a little skeptical though, as I did a mock interview with my home institution and the feedback was largely positive. I don't think my interviews went poorly, but I can see how they could be underwhelming to an extent. Besides a medical student from one of my Texas interviews, I didn't really connect with many of the interviewers. I can see how the conversation could have been boring or repetitive in the eyes of the physician. I advertised myself to the best of my abilities, but maybe I should have went on more tangents based off of the interviewers responses?

**Regarding my last interview, however, I will point out that it was pretty awkward. Having not received an acceptance at that point, I started to over-analyze every body motion and facial expression to the extent that I came off as almost socially awkward/robotic. Everything felt so forced and I couldn't seem to relax. I don't know what happened there... I'm normally very relaxed and composed during the interviews, but I think the anxiety and insecurity from the constant rejection sunk in that day.

LOR's?
This is something that concerned me earlier on in the cycle. One of my LOR writers is very tough and demanding. He essentially interrogated me on my aspirations for medicine and knowledge of current healthcare crises before writing me the letter. My gut instinct told me to not get a recommendation from him, but I chose to use it because I was leaving the country for a semester abroad and didn't have time to find someone else. After racking up the interviews though, I sort of forgot about this conspiracy.

Age?
I submitted my apps having barely turned 20 years old. I read a thread about another young Texas applicant essentially going through the same thing. He was waitlisted at 5 TX schools and eventually accepted to two that June.

Clinical work?
I've had two interviewers directly attack my application for the lack of clinical volunteering.

Late application?
TMDSAS and AMCAS were submitted in June, but I didn't get the majority of my OOS secondaries completed until September. This resulted in a swarm of Dec.-Jan. interview invites.





Any help would be useful. I know it's not over and 4WL + 2 decisions isn't necessarily a death sentence, but I really want to be able to correct any glaring red flags on my application in the event that I have to submit a re-app in June.


Thank you all!

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[DrMidlife]

You don't list your stats as an issue, which is confusing. Your GPAs are below average, and your MCAT is average. Without an amazing app to wrap those numbers, med schools have weak motivation to fight for you. Generally there are 10-20 apps for every interview granted, and 5-10 interviews for every acceptance. So you need at least one adcom to fight for you vs. many students who look the same as you on paper.

So as you pursue another app cycle, I suggest that you lose nothing by waiting a year or two (or more...). Take some more undergrad classes, get some hard A's. Consider an MCAT retake. Devote yourself to a clinical volunteering commitment. And by all means, be young, fall in love, go backpacking in Vietnam, etc. Maturity comes from life experience; go experience life.

Beat of luck to you.

 

[gyngyn]

You don't list your stats as an issue, which is confusing. Your GPAs are below average, and your MCAT is average. Without an amazing app to wrap those numbers, med schools have weak motivation to fight for you. Generally there are 10-20 apps for every interview granted, and 5-10 interviews for every acceptance. So you need at least one adcom to fight for you vs. many students who look the same as you on paper.

So as you pursue another app cycle, I suggest that you lose nothing by waiting a year or two (or more...). Take some more undergrad classes, get some hard A's. Consider an MCAT retake. Devote yourself to a clinical volunteering commitment. And by all means, be young, fall in love, go backpacking in Vietnam, etc. Maturity comes from life experience; go experience life.

Beat of luck to you.

His stats are way above average for an African American male.
I'm going with interview skills as the weak link, though a weak LOR sounds like a possibility.

 

[Overachiever12]

His stats are way above average for an African American male.
I'm going with interview skills as the weak link, though a weak LOR sounds like a possibility.

What would you recommend I do to improve my application for next year? The interview is the only think I should work on?

Thank you!

 

[gyngyn]

What would you recommend I do to improve my application for next year? The interview is the only think I should work on?

Thank you!

Continue to improve everything. LOR's and interviews seem to be high yield interventions, for sure.

 

[Overachiever12]

Continue to improve everything. LOR's and interviews seem to be high yield interventions, for sure.

I'm getting more clinical volunteering completed currently. Should I retake the MCAT? What about my future school list?

 

[DrMidlife]

My bad, missed the URM part.

3 things, then:
1. Focus on TX schools. You absolutely don't need to spend extra to go out of state.
2. Did you apply late? That would explain everything. Apply as early as they let you & complete secondaries within a week or two.
3. Reach out to the diversity offices at TX med schools. Look under student affairs or minority affairs. You should get good help from these folks.

All the "be young & fabulous" stuff still applies.

Don't retake the MCAT unless your score expires.

Best of luck to you.

 

[gyngyn]

I'm getting more clinical volunteering completed currently. Should I retake the MCAT? What about my future school list?

Your MCAT is fine. Fix the interview issue.
All TX plus selected OOS privates would be a good list.

 

[anhtimmy]

Age?
I submitted my apps having barely turned 20 years old. I read a thread about another young Texas applicant essentially going through the same thing. He was waitlisted at 5 TX schools and eventually accepted to two that June.

Maturity >> Age. Do as others have stated above me and improve the weak portions of your application. Don't let this cycle pull you down. There's always next year if you don't get an acceptance!

 

[diniefofinie1]

I would definitely not retake my MCAT, I personally would work on securing great LOR's, specifically asking "would you be willing to write me a strong LOR" rather than just asking for any LOR. I would also shadow perhaps primary care or ER so that you can show you understand the daily life of a doctor outside of specialties (I'm also not sure how many shadowing hours you have). And yes, gaining additional clinical volunteering is key.

 

[Mad Jack]

Your GPAs are really low and your MCAT is borderline. Your results honestly don't surprise me, given your age and your lack of strong ECs.

 

[Theseus]

deleted

 

[j4pac]

I understand that you are URM. Maybe you are banking on that a little to heavily. Why not apply to select DO programs as a fall back plan?

 

[Overachiever12]

Is it too late to apply to DO programs?

 

[miamiheatfan]

Is it too late to apply to DO programs?

Yes, it is way too late. If you end up needing to reapply, you should apply to something like 20-25 MD and 5 DO schools, and do not apply so top heavy. Apply to schools in your range and you'll see a lot more success.

 

[IslandStyle808]

The ECs seem to be lacking since you don't have much community service. As for the interview, just don't over prepare either, because you can sound like a robot. Some people don't realize that being over prepared for an interview can hurt you too.

 

[Overachiever12]

Update: Waitlist from BU and either waitlist or rejection from Emory (last batch of acceptances have already been mailed).

I'm just really unlucky, I guess...

 

[Theseus]

Don't feel so sad. I have 3.7/3.7 31 MCAT with similar ECs (plus clinical volunteering) and actually haven't received any interviews at all. If we are talking about luck, then I'm probably the unluckiest among premeds. Besides, you have a chance to reapply this coming cycle.

 

[deleted480308]

if you have to reapply next year add some DO schools, but if you work on interviewing you'll likely get in MD

 

[efex101]

I think you did not apply to enough schools and you sent in secondaries too late, again people (sorry but another thread with the same issue) YOU MUST take this SERIOUSLY AND SEND IN SECONDARIES ASAP! the early bird gets the worm apply early, apply broadly, send in all paperwork as it comes ASAP and continue volunteering/studying etc. Your GPA is not stellar BUT for a URM not bad and your MCAT is good.

 

[Sarahka74]

His stats are way above average for an African American male.
I'm going with interview skills as the weak link, though a weak LOR sounds like a possibility.

Apologizes for bumping an old thread, but aren't LOR's read before inviting an applicant? OP had 7 interviews, how can they have a weak letter?

 

[chaim123]

Apologizes for bumping an old thread, but aren't LOR's read before inviting an applicant? OP had 7 interviews, how can they have a weak letter?.

When someone is discussed at the admissions committee, ALL materials are generally reviewed. So 1-2 reviewers can approve an interview, and then maybe the entire committee doesn't like the letter and he doesn't get in.

 

[Sarahka74]

When someone is discussed at the admissions committee, ALL materials are generally reviewed. So 1-2 reviewers can approve an interview, and then maybe the entire committee doesn't like the letter and he doesn't get in..

But aren’t the odds low that around 14 people reviewed op’s letter, decided to invite him, but the letter is weak?

 

[chaim123]

But aren’t the odds low that around 14 people reviewed op’s letter, decided to invite him, but the letter is weak?.

Not sure where you get 14 people from. It only takes 1-2 people minimum to approve an interview invite at some programs. Also, maybe his letters aren't terrible - they're good enough for an invite, but his interview performance was not enough to skyrocket him above better applicants with better letters. Remember - acceptance post interview is still low.

 

[Sarahka74]

Not sure where you get 14 people from. It only takes 1-2 people minimum to approve an interview invite at some programs. Also, maybe his letters aren't terrible - they're good enough for an invite, but his interview performance was not enough to skyrocket him above better applicants with better letters. Remember - acceptance post interview is still low..

I’m assuming 2 people per each interview, so 14 total. Even if we do the minimum of 7, it just seems unlikely. It seems like there’s another issue rather than the letters. I’m just honestly curious about if you can still get interviews with weak or bad LORs

 

[chaim123]

I’m assuming 2 people per each interview, so 14 total. Even if we do the minimum of 7, it just seems unlikely. It seems like there’s another issue rather than the letters. I’m just honestly curious about if you can still get interviews with weak or bad LORs.

Long story short, the reason can be anything, big or small. Schools sometimes interview 10 students for 1 seat. It doesn't have be be an outright red flag to preclude acceptance.

 

[DoctorDragon22]

As someone who had 7 interviews and wound up with 2 acceptances in late May and early June so anything can happen. I really don’t get why I had to wait so long but I received relatively good feedback about my interview skills. All you can do is trust that you will wind up wherever you are meant to be.