How much info can you get from talking to admissions office

[woltej1]

How much info can you get by talking to the admission's office of a school. Will they just give you vague answers based off GPA and MCAT or will they get fairly specific with your app and let you know if it's worth you applying.

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[Boolean]

Use MSAR and common sense.
If you have to ask the admissions office of the medical school if you should be applying to their school, don't you think that may look a bit bad?

 

[pterygoideus]

I would have specific pointed questions that you want to ask whose answers cannot be found with a simple google or SDN search. There is such a thing as a stupid question, but they are also quite informative if you ask the right things. I had a unique lab reqs situation and was able to call up and talk to quite a few admissions offices without a hassle. They're generally very nice, even when you're a stuttering wreck over the phone with a list of noob questions.

 

[woltej1]

Not if you call to learn about the school a bit. You can only learn so much from a couple paragraphs in a book. Apps are more than the number so you can learn the qualities a school likes, etc.

 

[Boolean]

Not if you call to learn about the school a bit. You can only learn so much from a couple paragraphs in a book. Apps are more than the number so you can learn the qualities a school likes, etc.

I highly doubt they're going to be so blatantly upfront with this. If I'm following you correctly, you basically want them to go over your app without you applying so you can get an idea of how you would fare if you applied?

 

[woltej1]

Not completely go over the app, just give a focus of the school, how much emphasis they put on research, do they prefer people with a specific back ground or where they want to practice, what they like to see in a re applicant(more specific to me)

 

[Muffinho]

I just assume they try to convince you to apply. For example, i emailed John Hopkins (lol) to ask if I should apply. I have 2 degrees, 1 with a 2.o gpa, then the more recent (biochemistry) with a 4.0 gpa and I have a good mcat score, 37. They told me I should definitely apply, despite the fact I have a 2.9 gpa overall. Realistically, I'm not at all competitive, but I'm sure they appreciate the application fee.

 

[lmn]

I doubt they will give you much of that over the phone, keep in mind these are admission office workers, not necessarily Adcom members answering the phone. Not to mean they don't have a good idea/know what their school wants/does, but they know it isn't their role to be telling people to not apply, or that they aren't a good match for the school, that is the job of the admissions process/adcom. If you have specific questions about the school or requirements, than sure. But just seeing if it is a decent stat match, or any other things that are easily found in the MSAR/online, isn't what they are really there for.

 

[gyngyn]

If you have a specific, technical question regarding your application that cannot be found in the MSAR or the website, then call.

 

[Mt Kilimanjaro]

How much info can you get by talking to the admission's office of a school. Will they just give you vague answers based off GPA and MCAT or will they get fairly specific with your app and let you know if it's worth you applying.

I met with a couple schools when I first started taking pre-reqs and later before I applied. I found it quite helpful. I was changing careers though, so I had several fairly specific questions. It seemed easier to go in person. Not sure if it's as necessary for traditional applicants since most of the academic and LOR requirements are geared to them. This probably makes the most sense for your state school. Don't think I'd call up Harvard and tell them you want to come in to chat.

I was considering EDP, and the school I talked to about EDP told me that I would have a very high chance of being admitted if I applied EDP and then told me how many people applied and were accepted to EDP the previous year. That's not information they'd give out on the phone. They also gave some school-specific pointers for the interview.

If you can show interest and learn something without being annoying or needy, go for it. But show up with specific questions, not "derp derp just tell me what I need to do to get in."

 

[Mt Kilimanjaro]

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[Patros]

When you say "info," what do you mean? The admissions office has the final word on questions of eligibility. "I took this class, does that count for this requirement?" or "It says you need recommendations from such and such professors, will these be accepted?" I think if you have any doubt on whether your application is eligible or complete, make sure to contact the office. However, questions of competitiveness are unprofessional and frankly impolite. There's a reason they charge $100 for that service; it takes a lot of resources to run the office and they're never going to say "Let me just go over your app for free, everyone else can pay the secondary fee."

There are plenty of other resources for information on the school. First, check the school website. Then for admissions purposes, consult the MSAR and USNWR Compass. You can also browse last year's school-specific forums in SDN, and look up MDapps for successful profiles.

 

[deleted407021]

It has been said for those considering applying early decision, that they should contact admissions for their target school and they will be very helpful in determining of EDP is a safe option.