AdComs, are more applicants being waitlisted this year than in previous years?

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Or is that a false rumor that we're hearing to console applicants on multiple waitlists and no acceptances?

 

[r2med]

There has been plenty of discussions on this topic as part of other threads. There is no consensus that there are higher WLs this year. I don't think there is even consensus that there will be more WL movement this year than years past. I don't know nor do I have stats to say schools have more people on WLs, but I do believe there will be more WL movement this year - even in T10s).

 

[Med Ed]

N=1, but I think we will end up with a modest expansion of our list in order to hedge against this year's uncertainty.

There is a parallel phenomenon happening in the residency application process this year. A subset of individuals are soaking up a disproportionate amount of the interviews, others are getting fewer than expected (despite good qualifications), and some residency programs are predominantly interviewing higher caliber candidates than they have attracted in the past. It will probably all work out in the end, but the SOAP may be larger and more active than usual.

 

[LizzyM]

If a school is interviewing more applicants than in years past, and if the number of slots a school has available, then it stands to reason that schools will either waitlist more applicants than they did in prior years or they will reject more.

 

[Angus Avagadro]

^^^^^^ This. N=1 here too. My son matched his 4th choice in the fellowship match. Applicants have accepted more Zoom interviews from greater geographical distance due to Covid. They probably wouldn't travel to some of these interviews if they were in person due to distance. This provides the programs greater exposure to higher stat applicants. It is a risk accepting applicants who have not rotated through the program. Work ethic and personality fit are basically unknown. Apparently it is a risk many are willing to take.

 

[Isomerase]

Knowing multiple people who have attended ~25 interviews this cycle, I have to believe that waitlists will go at least a little deeper.

 

[Goro]

Or is that a false rumor that we're hearing to console applicants on multiple waitlists and no acceptances?

It's definitely true at my school! We've already started interviewing people for the waitlist, and this is the earliest it's ever happened in our history.

We normally wait to do this until April.