Another Adcom, ask me (almost) anything

[hushcom]

@hushcomMy question is simply this. Will my lack of clinical volunteering until so late in my college life have a significant impact on how adcom members view me? I believe I have demonstrated over the past 7-8 years of my life that this is what I want to do, but unfortunately high school experiences rarely matter.

Thanks for any input and taking the time to answer our questions.

In my view clinical volunteering is only really important when an applicant is sorely lacking in shadowing or non-clinical volunteering.

Shadowing tells us you know what you are getting yourself into. Volunteering suggests you are a decent person, the sort we like to welcome into the profession. Clinical volunteering hits both birds with a single stone, but it is not necessary in and of itself. Since you cannot turn back the clock, just move ahead with your volunteering, see what you get out of the experiences, and don't worry about it. Good luck.

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Members don't see this ad.

 

[ImmunoLove]

@hushcom just wanted to sing your praises. You've indulged many a misguided-premed, and quelled some fears, and you have yet to show any signs of snapping (speaking as an occasionally down right neurotic pre-med, even I annoy myself with all the second-guessing and confusion). Rock on!

 

[NeuResurgens]

You will have to be a little more descriptive of what you were doing on this religious mission for me to offer any advice.

Located in Eastern Europe. Mission consisted of teaching people about our church (our beliefs and how it has practical relevance to life and current problems), weekly hour-long English classes for the community at beginner, intermediate and advanced levels, and general community service where applicable (we would help with all kinds of things, helping with yard work, helping after a big river flooded, packaging food for the needy, helping people move etc. Random service projects where the opportunity arose), but emphasized teaching. People would often talk with us about their problems and we would do what was in our power to make sure their temporal and spiritual needs were met. Learned the language of the people so I could perform this function. I got out of the tourist mindset of being in another country, got immersed in another culture and saw their everyday lives as I interacted with people with the interest of helping.

 

[mikil100]

Hey hushcom, I am wondering about importance of various EC's and a few random questions.

I'm going to be taking my MCAT this summer and have around a 3.8 GPA (probably higher sGPA) with an upward trend, I am working on a BS in Biology and have an AS in Nursing.
I don't have much in the way of EC's except as follows:
I have been a RN for ~3 years now working in an ED. A fair amount of time has been spent as a mentor for new RN's, and this Fall I was also promoted to the charge nurse (it's a moderate size 30 bed ED). Without divulging too much private info I am in my young 20's in this position.
I had spent a year tutoring nursing students.
Late Fall 2014 I have been volunteering 5 hours a week at a local food pantry.
I obviously have strong physician LOR's and I think I will have decent academic LOR's

How poor do these EC's look?

Also, is a LOR from my (nurse) manager a bad idea? I already have a LOR from the medical director of the ED. I do not want to be redundant in my LOR's but technically the manager is my true boss.
How necessary is a non science (Humanities) LOR? All of my humanities professors wouldn't remember me as I took the classes years ago.

Thanks for taking your time to help us nervous pre-meds!

 

[hushcom]

Located in Eastern Europe. Mission consisted of teaching people about our church (our beliefs and how it has practical relevance to life and current problems), weekly hour-long English classes for the community at beginner, intermediate and advanced levels, and general community service where applicable (we would help with all kinds of things, helping with yard work, helping after a big river flooded, packaging food for the needy, helping people move etc. Random service projects where the opportunity arose), but emphasized teaching. People would often talk with us about their problems and we would do what was in our power to make sure their temporal and spiritual needs were met. Learned the language of the people so I could perform this function. I got out of the tourist mindset of being in another country, got immersed in another culture and saw their everyday lives as I interacted with people with the interest of helping.

The concern about religious missions boils down to whether beliefs were being shared or pushed. The latter suggests rigid adherence to a particular belief system, which would make it difficult to practice good medicine in the "real world."

Assuming this was more of a sharing trip, I would emphasize the teaching and service work you did. This is fairly common for the LDS applicants I get, and many of them are accepted and do extremely well.

 

[hushcom]

You've indulged many a misguided-premed, and quelled some fears, and you have yet to show any signs of snapping

I think the Jules Winnfield pic was getting close.

 

[hushcom]

Hey hushcom, I am wondering about importance of various EC's and a few random questions.

I'm going to be taking my MCAT this summer and have around a 3.8 GPA (probably higher sGPA) with an upward trend, I am working on a BS in Biology and have an AS in Nursing.
I don't have much in the way of EC's except as follows:
I have been a RN for ~3 years now working in an ED. A fair amount of time has been spent as a mentor for new RN's, and this Fall I was also promoted to the charge nurse (it's a moderate size 30 bed ED). Without divulging too much private info I am in my young 20's in this position.
I had spent a year tutoring nursing students.
Late Fall 2014 I have been volunteering 5 hours a week at a local food pantry.
I obviously have strong physician LOR's and I think I will have decent academic LOR's

How poor do these EC's look?

Depends on your overall life circumstances. If you are working and going to school then being a little "light" on EC's is almost expected, since there are only so many hours in the day. At this point doing well on the MCAT will provide the largest benefit to your application.

Also, is a LOR from my (nurse) manager a bad idea? I already have a LOR from the medical director of the ED. I do not want to be redundant in my LOR's but technically the manager is my true boss.

Whether it would be redundant depends on the content of the med director's LOR. If your manager knows positive things about your character and work habits that the director is not privy to, then I would probably ask for a letter.

How necessary is a non science (Humanities) LOR? All of my humanities professors wouldn't remember me as I took the classes years ago.

My committee is pretty lenient on this subject for non-trad students.

 

[ImmunoLove]

I think like the Jules Winnfield pic was getting close.

quite possibly the most epic reference in SDN history. Bravo!

 

[hushcom]

1: What do interviewers think about the interviewee asking questions during the interview, such as ethical issues. (for example I have a pretty compelling question I'm gunning to ask regarding the issue of long-term care for non-functional individuals vs. the burden they can place on the economy and environment).

I would find it strange, since interviews are generally about seeking insight and assessing mutual compatibility between applicant and school, rather than some private Q&A time with a doctor. And in this business, strange is not a good thing. Also, I would shy away from posing "compelling" ethical questions that sound torn from the T4 Program. That would simply make you look immature.

2: In regards to shadowing, I don't have much time to devote to day-long shadowing commitments. How do you feel about shorter term commitments such as sitting in on procedures and exams during consultations to the emergency room? I work as a scribe and often take a half hour or so to sit in with hospitalists, surgeons, cardiac caths, etc during ER consults. Can I list these as shadowing hours because they add up to a substantial amount of time? And would working in the ER alongside the docs count as shadowing even though it's a paid position? How about shadowing alternative practitioners and veterinary medicine? (I have considered naturopathic medicine and veterinary medicine during my time in undergrad).

Shadowing is traditionally an appointment between practitioner and would-be student. I would advise against cobbling together an estimate of fragmented clinical exposures and calling them shadowing. I would not call work experience shadowing, either. And I would advise against shadowing so-called alternative practitioners if you wish to be taken seriously.

3: Along the same lines as above, I don't have a consistent enough schedule between 3 jobs and school to be able to commit to regular volunteering activities. However I have spent quite a bit of time organizing charity events through my fraternity during 4.5 years of membership, and a year of ER volunteering on a weekly basis. The issue is that, as I described above, they are more often one-time events that occur annually or we help with whenever available. Would this be a red flag that they are so sporadic but add up to substantial amounts of time, or would an admissions committee sort through my app thoroughly enough to realize that working 30-40 hours a week hinders my availability to commit to a weekly volunteering schedule? I understand that some may say I should find something that I can go to whenever I'm available, but that is pretty difficult for clinical volunteering. For the record, I have to work so much because I have to support myself and pay for school on my own.

You could list your fraternity membership as an experience in AMCAS, and describe the charity work in that context. In general we are forgiving in the EC department when it is apparent that the student works and attends school.

4: Are you familiar with school's deferment policies for Teach For America members? I hope to start TFA in the fall and didn't plan on applying until next year, but then noticed that a few schools issue deferments for participation in the organization, but were not clear on the exact applicable circumstances. If I were considered to be otherwise accepted in the upcoming cycle, is there any chance I would still be accepted at one of these schools, even though they know I plan to defer for 2 years? I understand that not all schools would defer even a single year for the program, I would plan my applications appropriately for those that explicitly list TFA as a deferment criteria.

You should contact schools individually for this information.

 

[senzen]

1) Would it be strange to shadow a gynecologist and then a regular general primary care physician?

2) Would it also be strange if one started off shadowing an orthopedic and then eventually moved on to primary care?

3) What is the ideal shadowing scenario? Is it once a week for 12 weeks with around 50 hours total? Not so much concerned with hours but the breakdown and total period of time. Or should I do once a month for the next 12 months until I apply? Or do adcoms prefer a week for 5-7 hours a day?

4) Is it necessary to put the dates for each doctor one shadowed or could one do something like this:

Shadowing, 100 hours
May 2012-May 2015

Joe, MD -- 20 hours
Internal Medicine
Phil, MD -- 40 hours
Orthopedics
Sarah, MD -- 40 hours
Gynecologist

 

[razzmatazz87]

I'm a reapplicant and took a year in between cycles to beef up my application. I was planning on mixing old LOR and new LOR, how does your school view reapplicant letters? Do they prefer all new or a mix?

 

[coolbeans151]

@hushcom

Thank you so much for doing this. I intently read through the first 15 pages or so, but I really have to get back to studying so I hope my question wasn't answered already.

TL;DR: Are SMP GPA's factored in quantitatively or qualitatively?



Long version:
My MCAT is 32, my EC's are good but not amazing, but my undergrad GPA is a 3.4 with science being even lower. I double-majored in psych/biochem with ~165 credits. The biggest reason my GPA is low is because during my junior year, I was in a bad car accident on my campus involving a drunk driver. Although I wasn't badly injured, my girlfriend was. This occurred smack in the middle of the semester, and with all of the emotional and legal issues, I was forced to withdraw biochem 1 and pass/no-credited (P) a neuroscience course. My issue isn't the wide assortment of letter grades I got that semester based on what you said earlier. My issue is that that all of my courses got pushed back and crammed together, leading me to be completely overloaded and packed my senior year. Some evidence that this was an overload rather than slacking was that my science GPA completely tanked while my non-science was a 3.95 during senior year. These were not easy non-science courses (e.g., upper level writing and cores).

In my SMP I have a 4.0 for the fall, and currently I am taking physiology in the med school. So far I am in the top 15-20% of the med students.

The reason for my question is that even if medical schools feel like I can succeed/be a good doctor, if they don't quantitatively factor in my SMP GPA, that they will simply not be able to accept me because I will bring down their acceptance numbers too far.

 

[RudyRude]

Hey. I'm a reapplicant, was rejected most probably because of a 6 on BS on my mcat which I managed to bump to a 10. Anywho, my question is that since that was almost certainly why I wasn't accepted or offered an interview, do I need to rewrite my personal statement? The biggest change to my application has been improving my mcat score, and my activities havent changed much (been volunteering at the same places). So do I really need to rewrite my PS, or can i just slightly revise it?

 

[NeuResurgens]

The concern about religious missions boils down to whether beliefs were being shared or pushed. The latter suggests rigid adherence to a particular belief system, which would make it difficult to practice good medicine in the "real world."

Assuming this was more of a sharing trip, I would emphasize the teaching and service work you did. This is fairly common for the LDS applicants I get, and many of them are accepted and do extremely well.

The former was the purpose of the trip - we were looking for people who were interested, but when people told us they weren't interested, we respected that. Thanks a ton for your advice on how to articulate the experience - it is very helpful and greatly appreciated!!

 

[the_fella]

I am a practicing physician who serves on the admissions committee of an allopathic medical school in the United States. I am also not new to SDN, having seen the cast of characters evolve here over a number of years. Some recent threads in the pre-allo forum have compelled me to start this one. While I am not a longstanding and venerated member of the committee, perhaps someone will find my two cents useful and/or interesting.

So please, have at it.

What score range are you considering "competitive" on the new MCAT? I'd imagine anything over a 500, but can you be specific?

 

[hushcom]

1) Would it be strange to shadow a gynecologist and then a regular general primary care physician?

2) Would it also be strange if one started off shadowing an orthopedic and then eventually moved on to primary care?

You are over-thinking this.

3) What is the ideal shadowing scenario? Is it once a week for 12 weeks with around 50 hours total? Not so much concerned with hours but the breakdown and total period of time. Or should I do once a month for the next 12 months until I apply? Or do adcoms prefer a week for 5-7 hours a day?

You are way over-thinking this.

4) Is it necessary to put the dates for each doctor one shadowed or could one do something like this:

Shadowing, 100 hours
May 2012-May 2015

Joe, MD -- 20 hours
Internal Medicine
Phil, MD -- 40 hours
Orthopedics
Sarah, MD -- 40 hours
Gynecologist

Most applicants list their shadowing encounters separately, unless they are done within a pre-med summer program.

I would probably make Phil the gynecologist and Sarah the orthopedist.

 

[hushcom]

I'm a reapplicant and took a year in between cycles to beef up my application. I was planning on mixing old LOR and new LOR, how does your school view reapplicant letters? Do they prefer all new or a mix?

With only a year gap just use your best letters, be they new or "old."

 

[hushcom]

@hushcom

Thank you so much for doing this. I intently read through the first 15 pages or so, but I really have to get back to studying so I hope my question wasn't answered already.

TL;DR: Are SMP GPA's factored in quantitatively or qualitatively?

Our system displays a breakdown at the top of your application with undergrad cGPA and sGPA, grad GPA (if one exists), and MCAT score(s) from newest to oldest. For you it would be 3.4, (sGPA), 4.0, 32. Those aren't bad numbers, although I am not sure whether you would consider my assessment to be quantitative or qualitative.

If I were you I would expend some personal statement space explaining the car accident. You don't need to explain it in great detail or dwell on it (unless you have a reason to), but it's reassuring if the reviewer can clearly understand what disrupted your undergraduate studies. Sounds like you have bounced back nicely in your SMP.

 

[hushcom]

Hey. I'm a reapplicant, was rejected most probably because of a 6 on BS on my mcat which I managed to bump to a 10. Anywho, my question is that since that was almost certainly why I wasn't accepted or offered an interview, do I need to rewrite my personal statement? The biggest change to my application has been improving my mcat score, and my activities havent changed much (been volunteering at the same places). So do I really need to rewrite my PS, or can i just slightly revise it?

I would revise it. Doing a side-by-side comparison between your applications would require time that most people will not expend, and even if they do, it should be glaringly obvious that the 6 on BS was your Achilles heel.

 

[hushcom]

What score range are you considering "competitive" on the new MCAT? I'd imagine anything over a 500, but can you be specific?

At this point we are just trying to finish the current season. Discussions about the new MCAT will happen later, and there is no guarantee I will be on board for another year.

 

[RedSox143]

@hushcom appreciate you doing this. what are your opinions on applicants who are survivors of life threatening illnesses such as cancer, is it something to highlight or keep quiet if they've been in remission for years?

 

[coolbeans151]

Our system displays a breakdown at the top of your application with undergrad cGPA and sGPA, grad GPA (if one exists), and MCAT score(s) from newest to oldest. For you it would be 3.4, (sGPA), 4.0, 32. Those aren't bad numbers, although I am not sure whether you would consider my assessment to be quantitative or qualitative.

If I were you I would expend some personal statement space explaining the car accident. You don't need to explain it in great detail or dwell on it (unless you have a reason to), but it's reassuring if the reviewer can clearly understand what disrupted your undergraduate studies. Sounds like you have bounced back nicely in your SMP.

Thank you for the honest answer. By quantitative/quantitative I meant whether the SMP GPA will be averaged in with the undegrad GPA or whether it will be seen as a separate entity. Based on your breakdown, I guess it will fall more so under the qualitative label and my 3.4 is here to stay.

At this point we are just trying to finish the current season. Discussions about the new MCAT will happen later, and there is no guarantee I will be on board for another year.

Yes, although what hushcom said seems to be the general consensus right now. As a perk of my SMP, I've had the opportunity to meet one-on-one with two adcoms including a dean of admissions. They said the same exact thing.

This upcoming season, the adcoms will have absolutely no idea what to do with the new MCAT. They will not know what score correlates with success and in general what a 500 vs a 505 means (as compared to a 29 with a 32). The most they will be able to do is to compare your percentile on the new MCAT with a similar percentile on the old MCAT.

 

[NeuResurgens]

This upcoming season, the adcoms will have absolutely no idea what to do with the new MCAT. They will not know what score correlates with success and in general what a 500 vs a 505 means (as compared to a 29 with a 32). The most they will be able to do is to compare your percentile on the new MCAT with a similar percentile on the old MCAT.

I have heard that they'll be going almost entirely off of percentiles to gauge overall performance, since the new MCAT's numbers don't yet have a "meaning" attached to them like the current MCAT scores do. However, I'm also told that the scoring for this new exam will be completely different, so comparing it to the old MCAT os a moot point anyway. This new test will also emphasize individual sections more than the old one, so schools may start reviewing the meanings of individual sections scores more than in the past. It is difficult to pin it down, but I think schools will adjust after a couple years.

 

[TheVirg]

I understand you have addressed the question of extracurriculars many times on this thread. My question is seemingly (somewhat) unique.

Unlike what feels like the majority of SDN members, I did not have my heart set on medical school until a few summers of research helped me decide that I wanted more patient contact than biomedical engineering could ever provide. Therefore, my extracurriculars absolutely do not look as appealing as others. I believe I have a very strong academic record (37 MCAT, 3.9 GPA). Will my lack of experience keep me out? Even if the reason for this is that I needed time to sort out my career options and grow intellectually?

Thank you.

 

[Goro]

Yes.

Here's the deal: You need to show AdComs that you know what you're getting into, and show off your altruistic, humanism side. We need to know that you're going to like being around sick or injured people for the next 40 years.

Here's another way of looking at it: would you buy a new car without test driving it? Buy a new suit or dress without trying it on??

We're also not looking for merely for good medical students, we're looking for people who will make good doctors, and 4.0 GPA robots are a dime-a-dozen.
I've seen plenty of posts here from high GPA/high MCAT candidates who were rejected because they had little patient contact experience.

Not all volunteering needs to be in a hospital. Think hospice, Planned Parenthood, nursing homes, rehab facilities, crisis hotlines, camps for sick children, or clinics. Check out your local houses of worship for volunteer opportunities.

Service need not be "unique". If you can alleviate suffering in your community through service to the poor, homeless, illiterate, fatherless, etc, you are meeting an otherwise unmet need and learning more about the lives of the people (or types of people) who will someday be your patients.

Examples include: Habitat for Humanity, Humane Society, crisis hotlines, soup kitchen, food pantry, homeless or women’s shelter, after-school tutoring for students or coaching a sport in a poor school district, teaching ESL to adults at a community center, Big Brothers/Big Sisters, or Meals on Wheels.

What are you going to say when asked how you know you are suited for a life of caring for the sick and suffering? “That you just know”? Imagine how that will go over!

Will my lack of experience keep me out? Even if the reason for this is that I needed time to sort out my career options and grow intellectually?

 

[TheVirg]

@Goro

You need to show AdComs that you know what you're getting into, and show off your altruistic, humanism side. We need to know that you're going to like being around sick or injured people for the next 40 years.

I understand this, but I am most curious about what I can do from this point going forward. Of course there are characteristics that all adcoms are looking for - but is it possible for me to convince them that I exhibit these with so little time remaining? I have volunteered, both clinically and non-clinically over the past year (and I plan to continue to do so, including into the summer). I plan on shadowing and working with patient contact this upcoming summer. However, the shadowing/patient contact will only be about a month before the applications are due. What does this mean for me?

 

[brighteyes1017]

Thank you for doing all this!

To what extent does doing very well at a research based M.S. program at a top 10 school (a program where absolutely no one goes to medical school after) make up for mediocre MCAT (~33) and GPA (~3.5)?

(Back story, never intended to apply to medical school, my research is related to public health and it kindled a great passion for medical school)

 

[hushcom]

I understand this, but I am most curious about what I can do from this point going forward. Of course there are characteristics that all adcoms are looking for - but is it possible for me to convince them that I exhibit these with so little time remaining? I have volunteered, both clinically and non-clinically over the past year (and I plan to continue to do so, including into the summer). I plan on shadowing and working with patient contact this upcoming summer. However, the shadowing/patient contact will only be about a month before the applications are due. What does this mean for me?

It means can either 1.) apply in the upcoming cycle, keep building your ECs, and cross your fingers, or 2.) keep building your EC's and apply next cycle. You will simply have to decide what you want to do.

 

[hushcom]

Thank you for doing all this!

To what extent does doing very well at a research based M.S. program at a top 10 school (a program where absolutely no one goes to medical school after) make up for mediocre MCAT (~33) and GPA (~3.5)?

(Back story, never intended to apply to medical school, my research is related to public health and it kindled a great passion for medical school)

A 27 is a mediocre MCAT score. Offhand you seem to have proven your academic cred. If the rest of your app is shored up then you should have a good shot, assuming you accept the standard advice of applying broadly.

 

[MedHopeful09]

Hello!

I was just wondering if I would have a chance at your school. Getting advice from someone on an admissions committee would be very helpful.

About me:
- 4 year school (top 130) to 4 year school (top 30)
- ~3.5 cgpa and a ~3.4 sgpa. Post bac gpa = ~3.9 (~35 units)
- MCAT: 09 PS/ 10 VR/ 11 BS

- Immigrant parents. Had to pretty much figure out this path all by myself (and with some help from SDN =] )
- Worked for 8 years in a fast food restaurant (HS + college)
- ~200 hours of shadowing various specialties
- ~400 hours of clinical volunteering at two different hospitals
- 300 hours of psych research (no pubs or posters)
- Leadership position in three different and well known organizations for 2 years each (active involvment).
- 2 Leadership positions in two clubs as undergrad (active involvement)
- Volunteer at the local museum ~ 100 hours (just for fun)
- TA

Thanks for doing this!

 

[hushcom]

Hello!

I was just wondering if I would have a chance at your school. Getting advice from someone on an admissions committee would be very helpful.

About me:
- 4 year school (top 130) to 4 year school (top 30)
- ~3.5 cgpa and a ~3.4 sgpa. Post bac gpa = ~3.9 (~35 units)
- MCAT: 09 PS/ 10 VR/ 11 BS

- Immigrant parents. Had to pretty much figure out this path all by myself (and with some help from SDN =] )
- Worked for 8 years in a fast food restaurant (HS + college)
- ~200 hours of shadowing various specialties
- ~400 hours of clinical volunteering at two different hospitals
- 300 hours of psych research (no pubs or posters)
- Leadership position in three different and well known organizations for 2 years each (active involvment).
- 2 Leadership positions in two clubs as undergrad (active involvement)
- Volunteer at the local museum ~ 100 hours (just for fun)
- TA

Thanks for doing this!

At the risk of further devolving this into a WAMC thread, the word that comes to mind is "solid." The two things that stand out most to me are your fast food work, which implies an intimate knowledge of dealing with customers (always a plus), and the volunteer time at the museum. If you have decent interview skills and apply broadly I am willing to bet you get at least one acceptance.

 

[RedSox143]

@hushcom appreciate you doing this. what are your opinions on applicants who are survivors of life threatening illnesses such as cancer, is it something to highlight or keep quiet if they've been in remission for years?

Bump @hushcom it was a small post but I believe you missed me, thanks I'm mainly wondering if adcoms actually look down on or don't care about people mentioning these experiences

 

[squared straight]

Hey, long time lurker and I first wanted to say this thread is awesome. I've been browsing it for a long time. I haven't seen this question so I apologize if its already been asked. Are acceptances/WL/rejections offered in the order that student interview. I was looking at another thread and saw that someone with the same interview day as me was just accepted. Does that mean anything. Or am I looking too much into it?

 

[Goro]

Our Adcom meets every 2-3 weeks. We review all the students who interviewed at that time. Most are accepted; some are wait listed, and ~1-2 are rejected outright.

There is no ordering involved, relative to when people interviewed.

Hey, long time lurker and I first wanted to say this thread is awesome. I've been browsing it for a long time. I haven't seen this question so I apologize if its already been asked. Are acceptances/WL/rejections offered in the order that student interview. I was looking at another thread and saw that someone with the same interview day as me was just accepted. Does that mean anything. Or am I looking too much into it?

 

[squared straight]

Our Adcom meets every 2-3 weeks. We review all the students who interviewed at that time. Most are accepted; some are wait listed, and ~1-2 are rejected outright.

There is no ordering involved, relative to when people interviewed.

So does that mean if another student from my date has already heard back, does that mean that a decision has already been made for me, I just haven't heard back yet? Or was I delayed to be reviewed again by the comitee at a later point?

 

[Iridescent]

Thank you for spending the time to answer our questions. It really does make a considerable difference to us.

I also have a question. Once an applicant is interviewed, how much do you weigh the GPA/MCAT scores of the applicant? Can you still get rejected for subpar numbers, even if you think you had a good interview? Or do you numbers matter little after the interview?

Thanks again.

 

[Iridescent]

Also, I'm just curious. How much can an interviewer sway the admission decision?

 

[Dare2Dream]

So i have always wondered how adcom meetings are structured. Do you go through applicants one by one discussing their strong and weak points? Does the dean lead the discussion and provide a summary? Do committee members provide a rating or is it more of a yes/no vote? Any light you guys can shed based on your own adcom experience would be appreciated!

 

[Goro]

With my school, you just haven't heard back.

Committees don't typically go back and revisit unless it's to pull people off the wait list, which starts in May, through July.

So does that mean if another student from my date has already heard back, does that mean that a decision has already been made for me, I just haven't heard back yet? Or was I delayed to be reviewed again by the comitee at a later point?

An interviewer very impressed by you can save you from a bad fate, and the reverse is equally true. Piss me off or leave me underwhelmed and onto the reject pile you go.
Also, I'm just curious. How much can an interviewer sway the admission decision?

We look at them seriously, and yes. Often an interviewer will say "nice guy/gal, but I'm worried about that low sGPA"...and then it's waitlist time.
Once an applicant is interviewed, how much do you weigh the GPA/MCAT scores of the applicant? Can you still get rejected for subpar numbers, even if you think you had a good interview? Or do you numbers matter little after the interview?

Look for my post on "behind the curtain". Some schools will go through interviewees one by one. Typically people are scored; We use a 1-10 system (10 being best).
So i have always wondered how adcom meetings are structured. Do you go through applicants one by one discussing their strong and weak points? Does the dean lead the discussion and provide a summary? Do committee members provide a rating or is it more of a yes/no vote? Any light you guys can shed based on your own adcom experience would be appreciated

 

[squared straight]

With my school, you just haven't heard back.

Committees don't typically go back and revisit unless it's to pull people off the wait list, which starts in May, through July.

Sorry to keep bombarding you with questions! So that means they've made a decision on my file, but they're waiting to tell me. Is there a reason for that? Does it make the system more efficient?

 

[Goro]

Haven't a clue, other than they don't have an adequately staffed Admissions office.

Sorry to keep bombarding you with questions! So that means they've made a decision on my file, but they're waiting to tell me. Is there a reason for that? Does it make the system more efficient?

 

[squared straight]

Haven't a clue, other than they don't have an adequately staffed Admissions office.

Thanks! I feel better oddly enough. My portal still says under review so I assume they just haven't gotten to updating me then. I'll keep my fingers crossed for good news in the next week or so.

 

[hushcom]

Bump @hushcom it was a small post but I believe you missed me, thanks I'm mainly wondering if adcoms actually look down on or don't care about people mentioning these experiences

We typically do not look down on cancer survivors. Being sick can offer some of the strongest insights into medical care, so use it if you want to.

 

[hushcom]

Hey, long time lurker and I first wanted to say this thread is awesome. I've been browsing it for a long time. I haven't seen this question so I apologize if its already been asked. Are acceptances/WL/rejections offered in the order that student interview. I was looking at another thread and saw that someone with the same interview day as me was just accepted. Does that mean anything. Or am I looking too much into it?

Each school runs things differently, and there are a thousand benign reasons why one application might get delayed relative to another. Don't worry until you have a good reason, and even then worrying doesn't get you anything.

 

[hushcom]

I also have a question. Once an applicant is interviewed, how much do you weigh the GPA/MCAT scores of the applicant? Can you still get rejected for subpar numbers, even if you think you had a good interview? Or do you numbers matter little after the interview?

I am sure this varies a great deal from adcom to adcom, and the review of each applicant within a single adcom can be fairly idiosyncratic. With our screening cutoffs, every person we take the time to interview is ostensibly qualified from an academic standpoint, although some bulbs burn brighter than others. Screening is an imperfect process, and the full committee is not going to agree with every decision on who to interview. Sometimes we do discuss "what were they thinking?" applicants, who, if they did not perform exceptionally well during the interview, are generally rejected.

Also, I'm just curious. How much can an interviewer sway the admission decision?

Depends on the interviewer. Some love everyone the meet, so you learn to only notice them when they don't like an applicant. Others dislike everyone they meet, so you learn to only notice them when the do like an applicant. Some are clueless and get ignored as much as possible. Others are very good and can usually make solid recommendations.

 

[Goro]

Hushcom, are you on our Faculty????? You described my Adcom 100%!


Depends on the interviewer. Some love everyone the meet, so you learn only to notice them when they don't like an applicant. Others dislike everyone they meet, so you learn to only notice them when the do like an applicant. Some are clueless and get ignored as much as possible. Others are very good and can usually make solid recommendations.[/QUOTE]

 

[hushcom]

Hushcom, are you on our Faculty????? You described my Adcom 100%!

I think you would agree that after serving on enough committees, one realizes they are all fundamentally the same, with a seemingly interchangeable cast of characters.

Perhaps we should organize an annual meeting of adcom members. I am sure the tales, both of applicants and colleagues, would be epic. I suggest somewhere in Napa.

 

[Rainbow Zebra]

I think you would agree that after serving on enough committees, one realizes they are all fundamentally the same, with a seemingly interchangeable cast of characters.

Perhaps we should organize an annual meeting of adcom members. I am sure the tales, both of applicants and colleagues, would be epic. I suggest somewhere in Napa.

Oh to be a fly on the wall at that meeting!!

 

[skywriter91]

Hello @hushcom,

Does the kind of medical school (tier 1 vs tier 2) where I attend really matter in the long run (in terms of getting into a top residency program) ?

How are thank-you letters and updates perceived by the admissions committee? How much weight do they hold?

 

[PEM]

@hushcom or @Goro piggy backing off of skywriter above, I recently received an interview invitation from Quinnipiac, however I already have an acceptance at Rosalind Franklin. Is it worth it to fly cross country and check out Quinnipiac or is Rosy the better school regardless? Not sure whether residencies find it more concerning to graduate from a school that has had a couple accreditation issues or one that is brand new. Thoughts? Thanks for your help!