More Interviews Coming?

[soccerusa]

So I am pretty happy with already having a handful of interviews. However, I have received largely silence from the top 10 and a few of the schools I am most excited about. I am a pretty competitive applicant with LizzyM =79 coming from a top tier undergrad. I am wondering if I can reasonably expect to receive any more interviews or if I should plan as if I have received them all already. I was complete very early and have not received a new II in approx 3 weeks, so this has been quite a wait for some of the schools.

As a side note, I've been looking at the data which shows that from 2011-2013 there were roughly 1400 applicants with MCAT>38 and GPA> 3.8. Some rudimentary thinking shows that there would be on average 460 applicants in this group each cycle. With class sizes ranging from 100-200 students approx it seems like almost all of these students would be at least interviewed by a handful of top 10 schools. So, it seems like being in that category would net more than the (0-1) top 10 interviews I have received. I realize that there is way more involved then just numbers, but I feel like my ECs are solid with a ton of research. I don't want to come across as entitled at all. I am just curious as to what I can expect going forward.

Thanks all. Best of luck with this beast of a cycle!

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[infinitessimal]

Chill dude. I'm not gonna bag on you for wanting top 10 interviews, nothing wrong with aiming high, but this kind of thinking will make the next year of waiting very rough. Application deadlines are in October and interviews are extended through February or even March, that's a minimum five month wait for some people (most likely longer, since the mantra is that those who submit late don't get interviewed very much, so presumably those late interviews go out to early submitters as well). I also haven't heard from any schools for a few weeks, and just got an interview today. I really recommend getting off SDN to get your mind off of things like these.

 

[godawg300]

I'm just gonna put this out there but not all schools, especially top 10 schools review and extend II in the order they were received. I know this from friends in previous cycles that submitted in September! and from my own experience this year with top 10 schools. Also if you take out U of Washington (unless you are a washington resident), you are looking at 9 schools. I would just relax a bit, and don't get too greedy. I'm sure you will probably get at least 1-2 more top ten interviews.

 

[Cyberdyne 101]

What's a top 10 anyway?
Pritzker, Vanderbilt, UCLA, and Cornell aren't US News "top 10"
But they're each considered a #1 choice by many applicants with insane stats.

 

[godawg300]

What's a top 10 anyway?
Pritzker, Vanderbilt, UCLA, and Cornell aren't US News "top 10"
But they're each considered a #1 choice by many applicants with insane stats.

There are technically only 10 schools in the top 10. I'm sure if OP wanted he could have said US News top 20, but I'm sure he was referring to: Harvard, Stanford, UCSF, Penn, Hopkins, Columbia, WashU, Yale, Duke, and maybe U of Washington.

 

[Abstractions]

What's a top 10 anyway?
Pritzker, Vanderbilt, UCLA, and Cornell aren't US News "top 10"
But they're each considered a #1 choice by many applicants with insane stats.

Concur; I think that "rankings" are not absolute and at best should be treated like confidence intervals, with the general groups being Top 25, Top 50, and then all others. Even then, there are more similarities than differences in the medical education received at a top 25 and an "unranked school" (Except in the context of academia/research).

 

[Abstractions]

There are technically only 10 schools in the top 10. I'm sure if OP wanted he could have said US News top 20, but I'm sure he was referring to: Harvard, Stanford, UCSF, Penn, Hopkins, Columbia, WashU, Yale, Duke, and maybe U of Washington.

Yes; by definition there can only be 10 schools within a top 10 list. His point was that what discernable difference is there between Pritzker and Duke? Sure, Duke is a "Top 10" and Pritzker isn't, but does that actually mean anything? They're both elite schools with world class reputations, students, and opportunities.

 

[Cyberdyne 101]

There are technically only 10 schools in the top 10. I'm sure if OP wanted he could have said US News top 20, but I'm sure he was referring to: Harvard, Stanford, UCSF, Penn, Hopkins, Columbia, WashU, Yale, Duke, and maybe U of Washington.

Yes, technically the US News top 10, which means what? And I'm not taking anything away from the schools you mentioned. They are amazing. But using US News as this perennial metric is tiresome...

 

[godawg300]

Guys, I'm totally with you on this. I would say any top 25 school is gonna have amazing opportunities and prestige and all. But I'm sure the OP heard from some of those top 20 schools, just maybe 1 out of the top 10.

 

[Bovary]

The discussion of why a "Top 10" school may or may not be "better" than lower ranked (yet great) schools like Pritzker, etc, is worthwhile, but not pertinent to OP's question.

To answer the question: Yes, more interviews are likely, though perhaps only a couple. Your application has likely been given at least an initial consideration by every school you applied to, and some of them decided to not extend an interview just yet. But because many great schools DO want to interview you, then you'll probably pick up some additional IIs as the cycle continues.

I hope this is true because we have almost identical situations. Hopefully it's not just wishful thinking, then.

 

[ThisCouldBeYou]

OP, be happy with handful of interviews you've had. It only takes one.

 

[road2md]

So I am pretty happy with already having a handful of interviews. However, I have received largely silence from the top 10 and a few of the schools I am most excited about. I am a pretty competitive applicant with LizzyM =79 coming from a top tier undergrad. I am wondering if I can reasonably expect to receive any more interviews or if I should plan as if I have received them all already. I was complete very early and have not received a new II in approx 3 weeks, so this has been quite a wait for some of the schools.

As a side note, I've been looking at the data which shows that from 2011-2013 there were roughly 1400 applicants with MCAT>38 and GPA> 3.8. Some rudimentary thinking shows that there would be on average 460 applicants in this group each cycle. With class sizes ranging from 100-200 students approx it seems like almost all of these students would be at least interviewed by a handful of top 10 schools. So, it seems like being in that category would net more than the (0-1) top 10 interviews I have received. I realize that there is way more involved then just numbers, but I feel like my ECs are solid with a ton of research. I don't want to come across as entitled at all. I am just curious as to what I can expect going forward.

Thanks all. Best of luck with this beast of a cycle!

You will probably encounter more puzzling decisions during the rest of this cycle that you will try make sense of, as if everything should happen according to logic and reason. But the fact is, there is more subjectivity to this process than you'd think there'd be. Also, there is big component of your application that may be contributing to some of this mystery -- your letters. Of course, since you're already sitting on a few IIs, I'm sure they're great. Anyway, you'll drive yourself totally nuts at this rate! My advice to you would be to be proactive about communicating with schools you are particularly interested in and really take this time to prepare for interviews. I've seen many applicants with stellar stats like you underperform on interviews and not get in. Also, it's still pretty early.

 

[Ace Khalifa]

I'd say don't worry about it and don't let it go to your head. Just prepare for each interview you already have and show them you're an actual nice human being. Also, I know you're shooting high (I see you in the threads for all the "highest ranked" schools I applied to), but don't feel crushed if you don't end up at a "top 10." All medical schools will adequately train you; it's whether you fit or not that matters in the end.

 

[soccerusa]

Yeah I'm not all about the rankings or anything. I just used the phrase"top ten" because a few of the schools I am really in love with (due to location, SO, etc) are in the top ten. I have interviewed at several places I would be ecstatic to attend. I was more just wondering if there was some kid of whole in my application I wasn't seeing. I guess I'm just having a hard time wrapping my head around the numbers. As usual, I'm very thankful for all the wisdom I reliably get from SDN so thanks. I appreciate it.

 

[jpbspbelair]

I would say any top 25 school is gonna have amazing opportunities and prestige and all.

 

[Person0715]

Keep your head up; the app cycle is full of surprises. Besides, many top 10 schools are non rolling, so there is still a lot of time for IIs.

 

[DielsAlder]

So I am pretty happy with already having a handful of interviews. However, I have received largely silence from the top 10 and a few of the schools I am most excited about. I am a pretty competitive applicant with LizzyM =79 coming from a top tier undergrad. I am wondering if I can reasonably expect to receive any more interviews or if I should plan as if I have received them all already. I was complete very early and have not received a new II in approx 3 weeks, so this has been quite a wait for some of the schools.

As a side note, I've been looking at the data which shows that from 2011-2013 there were roughly 1400 applicants with MCAT>38 and GPA> 3.8. Some rudimentary thinking shows that there would be on average 460 applicants in this group each cycle. With class sizes ranging from 100-200 students approx it seems like almost all of these students would be at least interviewed by a handful of top 10 schools. So, it seems like being in that category would net more than the (0-1) top 10 interviews I have received. I realize that there is way more involved then just numbers, but I feel like my ECs are solid with a ton of research. I don't want to come across as entitled at all. I am just curious as to what I can expect going forward.

Thanks all. Best of luck with this beast of a cycle!

Same position, I got all my II's in July/August. September has been pretty quiet. I'm puzzled since we are both early applicants too, and I heard that August/September would be the peak of II season for early people. At the same time, we should be happy about our current success this cycle.

 

[Bovary]

Same position, I got all my II's in July/August. September has been pretty quiet. I'm puzzled since we are both early applicants too, and I heard that August/September would be the peak of II season for early people. At the same time, we should be happy about our current success this cycle.

Weird how it's so ... Arbitrary feeling. I start thinking, why did duke love me but not vandy? I wrote similar essays for each, and they have similar curricula? What did a reader at Northwestern love that didn't impress the fellow at Sinai? I shouldn't even try to have these thoughts but here they come.

 

[godawg300]

Weird how it's so ... Arbitrary feeling. I start thinking, why did duke love me but not vandy? I wrote similar essays for each, and they have similar curricula? What did a reader at Northwestern love that didn't impress the fellow at Sinai? I shouldn't even try to have these thoughts but here they come.

Fit most likely. Probably nothing to do with stats or even your essays.

 

[Cyberdyne 101]

Weird how it's so ... Arbitrary feeling. I start thinking, why did duke love me but not vandy? I wrote similar essays for each, and they have similar curricula? What did a reader at Northwestern love that didn't impress the fellow at Sinai? I shouldn't even try to have these thoughts but here they come.

You're likely a stellar applicant and Sinai and Vanderbilt probably figured that you'd have II's at other top schools. They can't possibly "give love" to every high caliber candidate. Anyway, congrats on Duke and NW!
Edit: and there's still more time...

 

[Bovary]

Fit most likely. Probably nothing to do with stats or even your essays.

"Fit" is interesting because it's so often mentioned but so seldom really discussed. I understand "fit" with regards to research heavy institutions vs. those with less an emphasis on research, but when comparing "top 20" schools I'd imagine they're all heavy on the research.

I can't even speculate how vanderbilt and duke are "looking for" different types of candidates.

 

[Cyberdyne 101]

I can't even speculate how vanderbilt and duke are "looking for" different types of candidates.

I wouldn't waste any energy on this.

 

[claduva94]

I didn't really believe in "fit" until I talked to some of my other interviewees. The overlap in interests and interviews was incredible.

 

[DielsAlder]

Weird how it's so ... Arbitrary feeling. I start thinking, why did duke love me but not vandy? I wrote similar essays for each, and they have similar curricula? What did a reader at Northwestern love that didn't impress the fellow at Sinai? I shouldn't even try to have these thoughts but here they come.

Same, I have been pleasantly surprised that some of my top choices sent me an II, however it seems strange that I am still waiting for an II or rejection after being complete for over two months at some places. However, we are all just at the beginning of the cycle

 

[godawg300]

"Fit" is interesting because it's so often mentioned but so seldom really discussed. I understand "fit" with regards to research heavy institutions vs. those with less an emphasis on research, but when comparing "top 20" schools I'd imagine they're all heavy on the research.

I can't even speculate how vanderbilt and duke are "looking for" different types of candidates.

I would do a bit more research. Having interviewed at 2 top 20s and several others scheduled I can assure you that there are some major differences between some institutions. It's not just research vs non research. I think fit is just one of those factors along with stats, EC, in area ties and so forth. Probably not super important but still a factor.

 

[Person0715]

I would do a bit more research. Having interviewed at 2 top 20s and several others scheduled I can assure you that there are some major differences between some institutions. It's not just research vs non research. I think fit is just one of those factors along with stats, EC, in area ties and so forth. Probably not super important but still a factor.

Can you give some concrete examples? I find it difficult to tease out a school's culture solely from their website bc quite frankly, all their websites say similar things.

 

[tantacles]

Yeah I'm not all about the rankings or anything. I just used the phrase"top ten" because a few of the schools I am really in love with (due to location, SO, etc) are in the top ten. I have interviewed at several places I would be ecstatic to attend. I was more just wondering if there was some kid of whole in my application I wasn't seeing. I guess I'm just having a hard time wrapping my head around the numbers. As usual, I'm very thankful for all the wisdom I reliably get from SDN so thanks. I appreciate it.

If you have multiple interviews from prestigious schools, there isn't a hole in your application. For now, plan as if you will be receiving no more interviews, and feel free to be pleasantly surprised if more come your way. It's September; interviews go through April for some schools.

 

[godawg300]

OP, be happy with handful of interviews you've had. It only takes one.

Can you give some concrete examples? I find it difficult to tease out a school's culture solely from their website bc quite frankly, all their websites say similar things.

I don't wanna give away everywhere I have interviewed or plan to until after I have an acceptance in hand, but I interviewed at 2 top 20 schools. One was split pretty even between their focus on research and community outreach. Both topics were brought up when the dean spoke to us and in both of my interviews. They had many programs that target their community that was emphasized along with research. Also, there was a type of student at this school. Not overly nerdy if that makes sense, but everyone seemed extremely well balanced. My interviewer even told me straight up, we aren't looking for nerds per say. The other school was straight up research based with not much else emphasized. Even the students seemed to care less about things outside of research. It's not that community service or giving back to the community was not there, but the type of student was just very different. These were not things I really knew before interviewing, but I got this sense after visiting the school. I have 4 more over the next 2 months so I should gain more perspective.

Looks like you have a lot of interviews so I'm sure you will get a better perspective after you visit

 

[Omppu27]

Get off SDN, bro...

 

[DielsAlder]

I don't wanna give away everywhere I have interviewed or plan to until after I have an acceptance in hand, but I interviewed at 2 top 20 schools. One was split pretty even between their focus on research and community outreach. Both topics were brought up when the dean spoke to us and in both of my interviews. They had many programs that target their community that was emphasized along with research. Also, there was a type of student at this school. Not overly nerdy if that makes sense, but everyone seemed extremely well balanced. My interviewer even told me straight up, we aren't looking for nerds per say. The other school was straight up research based with not much else emphasized. Even the students seemed to care less about things outside of research. It's not that community service or giving back to the community was not there, but the type of student was just very different. These were not things I really knew before interviewing, but I got this sense after visiting the school. I have 4 more over the next 2 months so I should gain more perspective.

Looks like you have a lot of interviews so I'm sure you will get a better perspective after you visit

+1. While each school's website can be informative of the type of student they attract, I feel like we can never get a true sense of the environment and culture until the day of the interview. I'm a research heavy applicant, and so far I have encountered places where the faculty actively mentor the medical students in finding a project as early as the first year to places which emphasize that "research opportunities do exist here, but you are really here to learn medicine."

 

[samsunimomo]

+1. While each school's website can be informative of the type of student they attract, I feel like we can never get a true sense of the environment and culture until the day of the interview. I'm a research heavy applicant, and so far I have encountered places where the faculty actively mentor the medical students in finding a project as early as the first year to places which emphasize that "research opportunities do exist here, but you are really here to learn medicine."

Hey there, icon twin! (Penguin Paperbacks rule!)

 

[DielsAlder]

Hey there, icon twin! (Penguin Paperbacks rule!)

I see you have good choice in icons haha! Let's hope it brings us good luck this application season!

 

[soccerusa]

So I just got an II to the HST program at HMS which is definitely my top choice. I guess the moral of the story is that the cycles works in strange and mysterious ways. It's almost more nerve wracking now to think of this interview as I want to go there so badly. Anyways, here's to hoping we can all stay the course. Good luck!

 

[Cyberdyne 101]

So I just got an II to the HST program at HMS which is definitely my top choice. I guess the moral of the story is that the cycles works in strange and mysterious ways. It's almost more nerve wracking now to think of this interview as I want to go there so badly. Anyways, here's to hoping we can all stay the course. Good luck!

Sorry bud, that's not a top 10