Waitlisted post-interview at a low-tier medical school...bad sign?

[datpremedgirl]

So I was just waitlisted at New York Medical College today, and although I can't say that it was one of my top choices, I am a bit bummed and worried about my interview skills. I didn't think this interview went amazingly (although I did have a pretty bad experience with one of the MMI interviewers), but I don't believe it was terrible either. Anyways, I mainly have two questions:

1. If I was already waitlisted at a low-tier school where I'm assuming the applicant pool is a bit less competitive, is that a bad sign for future decisions where I'll be competing against people with higher stats, better EC's, etc.? I've interviewed at OHSU (put on hold, but this was expected since they initially put around 80% of people on hold), Saint Louis, and University of Iowa, and I have an upcoming interview at Rochester.

2. How superb of an interviewer do you have to be to get an acceptance? I'm definitely not the most outgoing person ever, and do tend to stride on the more introverted side, but I feel like I do pretty well with one-on-one. I've also been told that I hold a conversation pretty well. I have 5 interviews total so far, so even if I'm just an okay interview, should I still be able to expect at least one acceptance?

Stats for reference: MCAT 33, cGPA 3.82, sGPA 3.78

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[123456123456]

Your stats are great, especially if you have good ECs along with those so I would keep your head up. I would also make a list of common questions that you find online and practice them with family/friends

 

[Law2Doc]

The interview is your opportunity to sell yourself. The goal should never be to do "just okay" and hope. Interviewing is a skill you can hone with practice.

 

[hotfish]

Me too. Got waitlisted/rejected by four schools post-interview where my stats are above their 90th percentile.
Panicking as hell now.

 

[cardzkp]

Me too. Got waitlisted/rejected by four schools post-interview where my stats are above their 90th percentile.
Panicking as hell now.

Things tend to work themselves out. Don't worry. Waitlists are subject to change every other day.

 

[DiDoc]

Me too. Got waitlisted/rejected by four schools post-interview where my stats are above their 90th percentile.
Panicking as hell now.

That could just be because they assume you won't go there if you are accepted somewhere else

 

[Lost in Translation]

It could also be that the school thinks your stats are too good for their school so they're under the assumption that you'll get into a higher tier school and would go there rather than their institution. As such, they didn't feel that they wanted to "waste" an acceptance spot on someone that would likely not take it over one from a better school. Though I'm not sure if this happens post interview. It certainly does pre.

 

[Goro]

No; you might have had an off-day, especially if this was your first interview.


1. If I was already waitlisted at a low-tier school where I'm assuming the applicant pool is a bit less competitive, is that a bad sign for future decisions where I'll be competing against people with higher stats, better EC's, etc.? I've interviewed at OHSU (put on hold, but this was expected since they initially put around 80% of people on hold), Saint Louis, and University of Iowa, and I have an upcoming interview at Rochester.


Frankly, at my school, it takes some talent to bomb an interview. In the past, I'd say no more than 25% of interviewees were wait-listed, but this year we've had an outstanding crop of candidates, so it's more like 10%. Go read my post on "Guide to Interviews" for tips. Put this one behind you and go rock the next one! And let us know how things turn out!


2. How superb of an interviewer do you have to be to get an acceptance? I'm definitely not the most outgoing person ever, and do tend to stride on the more introverted side, but I feel like I do pretty well with one-on-one. I've also been told that I hold a conversation pretty well. I have 5 interviews total so far, so even if I'm just an okay interview, should I still be able to expect at least one acceptance?

 

[first_time_poster]

.edit

 

[flatbear]

I got waitlisted at a low tier med school too recently. Hoping for waitlist movement in march\.....

 

[Wintersmen]

its still early, I would not worry about it yet

 

[SOMBound13]

although I did have a pretty bad experience with one of the MMI interviewers), but I don't believe it was terrible either

What happened? Your words of, "pretty bad experience," but "not terrible," is kind of ominous.

It's hard to tell if you're being placed on the WL because of yield protection or because the interview was an issue. Do you know what the rubric is for this SOM? How much does the inteview count?


At some point in the early spring, med schools find out which of their applicants are holding other acceptances. It's possible that med schools WL applicants that they "might" want to accept, but they want to first see if those applicants will get a better offer. If no other offer, then maybe acceptance?

I don't know this for a fact, but I imagine that SOMs don't like the process that goes on later, having too many accepted students decline, and then having to go to the WL to fill 25-40% of their seats, particularly when at the last minute some med schools are scrambling for students, even after White Coat ceremony.

If that's what's going on, then it's possible that those who are being WL'd now, may come off the WL once that med school determines that the applicant is not holding other acceptances.


Re: Wait lists....I recently saw a stat where about 1/4 of accepted int'l applicants did not matriculate. I'm guessing that the 1/4 declination is largely due to lack of funding. I don't know what the deadline is for int'ls to deposit into escrow, but if it's in the summer, then those who can't and must back out, create a small domino effect of WL phone calls.

 

[Surgenter]

its still early, I would not worry about it yet

ya too early to fret

 

[Spector1]

It's hard to tell if you're being placed on the WL because of yield protection or because the interview was an issue. Do you know what the rubric is for this SOM? How much does the inteview count?

How would one figure that out? Would it be bad to call the admissions office to ask for feedback if you are still on the waitlist?

 

[nh278]

The interview is your opportunity to sell yourself. The goal should never be to do "just okay" and hope. Interviewing is a skill you can hone with practice.

Yes, I understand...of course, I'm definitely not trying to just "be okay" at my interviews, and I'm really trying my best to do as well as I can. But I feel that there's really a limit to how far one can change themselves. Like, I don't think someone who's naturally more shy can become hilarious and bursting with personality in an interview. I was just wondering if I it was okay to be a more relatively "mediocre" interviewer and still garner an acceptance.

 

[nh278]

What happened? Your words of, "pretty bad experience," but "not terrible," is kind of ominous.

So this one particular interviewer I know did not like my answer and completely disagreed with it, so he asked me to think of something else. I tried, but ran out of time before I could really say anything The other MMI's went fine, and since the scores are averaged out, I didn't suspect that this one interviewer would completely tank my interview (hence the reason I said it was "not terrible). But idk, I could be wrong.....I'm pretty sure he probably gave me a zero and that brought my entire score down....

 

[SOMBound13]

How would one figure that out? Would it be bad to call the admissions office to ask for feedback if you are still on the waitlist?

Some SOMs don't keep their rubric a secret. I knew the rubric of two of the schools where I interviewed. Sometimes here in the school-specific forums, you can learn what a school's rubric is.

 

[Law2Doc]

...I was just wondering if I it was okay to be a more relatively "mediocre" interviewer and still garner an acceptance.

No- you don't want to ever take this approach. Be a driver, not a passenger hoping the car gets to where you need to go.

Of course you can only do the best you can. Some people are better at stepping out of their shells than others, and, frankly, will do better in these interview driven fields. And sure, some percentage of "mediocre" or "okay" people will get good spots because there are only so many outstanding interviewees out there, but a disproportionate number of those (mediocre folks) will spend time on a wait list, and a LOT will get leapfrogged by people with similar (or even lower) stats but stronger interview skills. So never strive to be mediocre, adequate, ok. This is a job that is mostly about talking to people -- taking histories, counseling, consulting, teaching. So appropriately, many Adcoms they want to see what abilities you have outside of the library and classroom, to know a bit about you as a person and how you can express yourself. It matters. Med schools know it's much easier for them to teach someone path, physio and pharm than it is to teach them to be a person.

The good news is interviewing is really truly a skill you can get better at with practice. Don't neglect it. Don't phone it in and hope your MCAT will bail you out. I guaranty that there will be people in your med school who smoked the competition and got in on the strength of the interview and sent others to the wait list despite slightly better numbers. It happens everywhere, every year. You can avoid this fate but not by accepting mediocrity.

 

[raiderette]

I am still stinging from a waitlist at SLU. Even though it was lower ranked than my state school, I want to know why they don't like me. I don't want to let it go, but I should.

 

[Raininleuf]

I am still stinging from a waitlist at SLU. Even though it was lower ranked than my state school, I want to know why they don't like me. I don't want to let it go, but I should.

there is a little bit of luck to the whole thing. just chalk it up to that

 

[Law2Doc]

I am still stinging from a waitlist at SLU. Even though it was lower ranked than my state school, I want to know why they don't like me. I don't want to let it go, but I should.

If they "didn't like you" they would just reject you. Wait list means you weren't bad but just not as good as some other people. And it has nothing to do with how good the school is because frankly in every schools interview pool there will be people who are better than you. The amazing person bound for a top school who uses a lower ranked school as a safety can force someone to the wait list.

 

[raiderette]

Absolutely. I always encourage people to aplly broadly. With the exception of mt rejection all my invitations have been state schools. I expected certain schools to like me, but thet were silent.

 

[raiderette]

If they "didn't like you" they would just reject you. Wait list means you weren't bad but just not as good as some other people. And it has nothing to do with how good the school is because frankly in every schools interview pool there will be people who are better than you. The amazing person bound for a top school who uses a lower ranked school as a safety can force someone to the wait list.

They waitlist everyone they interview.