MD Post Interview Thoughts

[MSUspartansx4]

Hi, this is my first post so I hope this is the right place! I was wondering if anyone is in a similar situation either now or in the past and could provide some insight:

I applied to 10 MD schools and was complete in June. I have already interviewed at 5 of them and felt like all my interviews went really well - nothing to suggest otherwise, they were all pretty laid back fortunately. I currently have a 3.9 cGPA/3.8 sGPA, however am about 3-4 pts below each school's avg MCAT.

I don't want to state which schools or my MCAT specifically in order to remain anonymous, however with that said, assuming good EC's/ LORs / application otherwise, should I be content with these 5 interviews, or perhaps apply more broadly (to DO as well) due to my lower MCAT? From what I understand, it's encouraging to get the interviews as my stats are clearly "acceptable", however don't want to go 0/5 on interviews if that MCAT will ultimately hinder any acceptances. Anybody have similar experiences or have any advice? Not sure if my GPA's, application, and positive interview assessments will make up for a lower MCAT when it comes down to a decision. Thanks!

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[gyngyn]

Why not wait until Wednesday? You should have more data when decisions come out.

 

[MSUspartansx4]

Why not wait until Wednesday? You should have more data when decisions come out.

Mainly due to the fact that even at this point, applying to additional schools would be considered pretty late. Also, should I need to apply to DO schools, I need to start working on AACOMAS ASAP! Since I was complete pretty early, I'm assuming I won't be hearing from the additional 5 schools I haven't interviewed at. Being 3-4 pts below the avg MCAT of the 5 schools I have interviewed at, I don't want to get my hopes up. I understand nobody can 100% predict an outcome, especially without more details, however would you consider 5 interviews sufficient given my scenario if you were in my shoes, or do you think you would need more than 5 interviews due to the lower MCAT?

 

[gyngyn]

Mainly due to the fact that even at this point, applying to additional schools would be considered pretty late. Also, should I need to apply to DO schools, I need to start working on AACOMAS ASAP! Since I was complete pretty early, I'm assuming I won't be hearing from the additional 5 schools I haven't interviewed at. Being 3-4 pts below the avg MCAT of the 5 schools I have interviewed at, I don't want to get my hopes up. I understand nobody can 100% predict an outcome, especially without more details, however would you consider 5 interviews sufficient given my scenario if you were in my shoes, or do you think you would need more than 5 interviews due to the lower MCAT?

Relatively few people have had 5 interviews already.
You can begin identifying schools and pre-writing secondaries if you don't want to lose time.
If you don't have an acceptance in two days, add a few OOS schools that take applicants with stats like yours.
It's apparently still ok to start an AACOMAS application.

 

[Catalystik]

Hi, this is my first post so I hope this is the right place! I was wondering if anyone is in a similar situation either now or in the past and could provide some insight:

I applied to 10 MD schools and was complete in June. I have already interviewed at 5 of them and felt like all my interviews went really well - nothing to suggest otherwise, they were all pretty laid back fortunately. I currently have a 3.9 cGPA/3.8 sGPA, however am about 3-4 pts below each school's avg MCAT.

I don't want to state which schools or my MCAT specifically in order to remain anonymous, however with that said, assuming good EC's/ LORs / application otherwise, should I be content with these 5 interviews, or perhaps apply more broadly (to DO as well) due to my lower MCAT? From what I understand, it's encouraging to get the interviews as my stats are clearly "acceptable", however don't want to go 0/5 on interviews if that MCAT will ultimately hinder any acceptances. Anybody have similar experiences or have any advice? Not sure if my GPA's, application, and positive interview assessments will make up for a lower MCAT when it comes down to a decision. Thanks!

With some schools you are on a level playing field once you get to the interview. With others, the interview "score" is just part of the formula that includes all other parts of your application. If you have a lower MCAT score than a school's median, but a proportionately higher GPA, that can be compensatory. So can outstanding achievement in one or more fields of endeavor, walks-on-water LORs, being a member of a less-common demographic, and/or a sterling interview. Without substantially more information, you tie our hands behind our backs when it comes to giving personal advice.

You've had 5 interviews out of 10 applications. What is your status on the other five? If you haven't been rejected or placed on an alternate list, be aware that interview offers can be extended until March or later. Assuming you applied smart and not to excessively reachy schools, waiting patiently to hear from the rest is more likely to give positive results than scrambling to add additional MD schools this late in the game.

 

[MSUspartansx4]

With some schools you are on a level playing field once you get to the interview. With others, the interview "score" is just part of the formula that includes all other parts of your application. If you have a lower MCAT score than a school's median, but a proportionately higher GPA, that can be compensatory. So can outstanding achievement in one or more fields of endeavor, walks-on-water LORs, being a member of a less-common demographic, and/or a sterling interview. Without substantially more information, you tie our hands behind our backs when it comes to giving personal advice.

You've had 5 interviews out of 10 applications. What is your status on the other five? If you haven't been rejected or placed on an alternate list, be aware that interview offers can be extended until March or later. Assuming you applied smart and not to excessively reachy schools, waiting patiently to hear from the rest is more likely to give positive results than scrambling to add additional MD schools this late in the game.

Thanks for the explanation. To the remaining 5 schools, I am just marked as "complete" and have yet to hear back - no rejections or alternate lists, so I suppose I could still hear back. From my understanding, I thought most schools use the interview "score" as part of the formula that includes other parts of the application, which is why a lower MCAT is still worrisome. Is it common to some degree for applicants to attend 5 interviews and get 0 acceptances, or just depends on the situation?

 

[Catalystik]

If one attended 5 interviews and got zero acceptances by the first day of med school classes, I would view them as an outlier.

In WAMC we have occasion to do a detailed analysis of such applicants to figure out what went wrong, so they can make corrections before reapplying, so it does happen.

 

[Goro]

You're fortunate in that the DO cycle is longer, and even if your materials are in by Dec, you're still a valid candidate. Suggest that you start by finding a DO to shadow.

But also remember that patience is a virtue.

Mainly due to the fact that even at this point, applying to additional schools would be considered pretty late. Also, should I need to apply to DO schools, I need to start working on AACOMAS ASAP! Since I was complete pretty early, I'm assuming I won't be hearing from the additional 5 schools I haven't interviewed at. Being 3-4 pts below the avg MCAT of the 5 schools I have interviewed at, I don't want to get my hopes up. I understand nobody can 100% predict an outcome, especially without more details, however would you consider 5 interviews sufficient given my scenario if you were in my shoes, or do you think you would need more than 5 interviews due to the lower MCAT?

 

[TCU1990]

Even if your MCAT is slightly lower than those schools averages, I think due to the fact that you still received 5 interviews with lower stats must mean they all agree that you are a strong applicant otherwise. I wouldn't submit another application just yet.