All Late Interviews

[shpinglebab]

Hey all,

First time applier and poster, and somewhat of a nervous wreck right now trying to figure out where I go from here. I received 5 IIs, 2 took place in February and 3 so far in March. I'm also operating under the presumption that the 2 schools that have yet to respond will be pre-II Rs as well.

My first February interview resulted in a WL, one in March became an R, and 3 are still pending. One thing I am particularly worried about is how quickly I received an R from one of the interviews, being only 10 days later. Since I know people are still getting IIs there, I'm wondering if I set off a major red flag in the MMI, and if this was also the case for all of my other interviews.

To top it off, most of the other schools I interviewed at are notoriously slow with sending out results. All this nervous rambling is really just to ask, what should I do with myself from now on? Should I presume I have to reapply since all the interviews are so late in the cycle?

Edit: Quite literally just got an A email not even 10 minutes after I posted this, I don't think I've ever been luckier!

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[Mr.Smile12]

Hey all,

First time applier and poster, and somewhat of a nervous wreck right now trying to figure out where I go from here. I received 5 IIs, 2 took place in February and 3 so far in March. I'm also operating under the presumption that the 2 schools that have yet to respond will be pre-II Rs as well.

My first February interview resulted in a WL, one in March became an R, and 3 are still pending. One thing I am particularly worried about is how quickly I received an R from one of the interviews, being only 10 days later. Since I know people are still getting IIs there, I'm wondering if I set off a major red flag in the MMI, and if this was also the case for all of my other interviews.

To top it off, most of the other schools I interviewed at are notoriously slow with sending out results. All this nervous rambling is really just to ask, what should I do with myself from now on? Should I presume I have to reapply since all the interviews are so late in the cycle?

Welcome to the forums.

Until you get an offer, always prepare for reapplication. You have the foundation of a strong application with 5 interviews, but you haven't posted here so we could know if any other things could have held you back, especially if you are implying a problem because you have spring interviews. We have lots of advice on MMI's and SJT's that have been published and our subforum, so you should have been able to prepare for MMI's.

 

[LizzyM]

Five interviews is impressive but as @Mr.Smile12 says, we don't enough about your circumstances to comment constructively. I do wonder when your applications were complete (secondaries and letters submitted), whether you had an AI that may have had to go to a separate sub-committee before an interview invite could be extended, and if you have ties to any of the schools that interviewed you (legacy, parent or grandparent on the faculty, etc)

 

[shpinglebab]

Five interviews is impressive but as @Mr.Smile12 says, we don't enough about your circumstances to comment constructively. I do wonder when your applications were complete (secondaries and letters submitted), whether you had an AI that may have had to go to a separate sub-committee before an interview invite could be extended, and if you have ties to any of the schools that interviewed you (legacy, parent or grandparent on the faculty, etc)

I understand. I don't have the time at the moment to write a WAMC, but just for clarification there are no obvious red flags on my application as far as content goes (IA, missing clinical experience, etc). My secondaries were submitted on the later end (mid-August to early September), but I got many of my pre-II rejections soon after, so I figured it wasn't the time of submission that caused it. No ties to any of the schools either, unfortunately.

Ironically enough, I did receive an A about half an hour ago so I know I won't have to reapply (also updated the original post), but I'm still curious as to why many of my interviews were so late in the cycle, if there's even a way to figure that out.

 

[LizzyM]

Many, many applicants, maybe 80%. were complete by the first of August. You were behind them and although some schools will look at the entire pool and skim the cream from the top each week, perhaps the schools you were applying to didn't do that or you didn't rise to the top until 90% of the pool of interviewed applicants had already been skimmed off. Either way, you got a late review and late invites and you got an offer! Congratulations! Relax and enjoy the coming of Spring.

PS: having family ties isn't necessarily a "good" thing. It can mean that you got a courtesy interview at the end of the cycle just so as not to insult someone with whom the school has a long-standing relationship but where the likelihood of admission is slim to none. I'm glad that was not you!

 

[Mr.Smile12]

Ironically enough, I did receive an A about half an hour ago so I know I won't have to reapply (also updated the original post), but I'm still curious as to why many of my interviews were so late in the cycle, if there's even a way to figure that out.

It's a useless exercise to predict what a committee will do. Trust me on that. Congratulations!

 

[Heyigotnoclue]

Many, many applicants, maybe 80%. were complete by the first of August. You were behind them and although some schools will look at the entire pool and skim the cream from the top each week, perhaps the schools you were applying to didn't do that or you didn't rise to the top until 90% of the pool of interviewed applicants had already been skimmed off. Either way, you got a late review and late invites and you got an offer! Congratulations! Relax and enjoy the coming of Spring.

PS: having family ties isn't necessarily a "good" thing. It can mean that you got a courtesy interview at the end of the cycle just so as not to insult someone with whom the school has a long-standing relationship but where the likelihood of admission is slim to none. I'm glad that was not you!

In regards to family ties - I was given a late interview when an advisor from my undergrad institution asked one specific medical school to give me a second look. I have high stats, come from a T20 undegraduate institution and I've done a lot in my gap year (shadowing, a full-time job in a patient focused role, and volunteering) since I first applied. The school was made aware of these updates. Aside from being a very good mission fit, I am still waiting for a decision. I am hoping that I am not considered a courtesy interview. I think a lot can happen in the course of a year to bolster an application, and sometimes a second look is warranted.

 

[LizzyM]

A courtesy interview is most common if your parent and/or grandparent is a faculty member, graduate of the med school, and/or major donor.