Any advice: All interviews, no acceptances

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princessyeny

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I applied to about 30 allopathic schools and had 7 interviews that went like this:

UCI-Alternate
UCLA-Alternate
Iowa-Nonresident Alternate # 37 (I'm from Cali)
UCD-Still Waiting
UCLA PRIME-Still Waiting
Michigan State-Still Waiting
Utah-Rejected post interview

I am really starting to worry because I am already a re-applicant. I just don't know if I should re-re apply to maybe
DO schools/PA programs/foreign medical schools like UAG. Has anyone been in a similar situation before? Any advice would really really be appreciated. BTW, my undergrad gpa was 3.0 for both science and non-science at UCLA, post bach gpa was 4.0 😀, and mcat 26 🙁. I have alot of community service, leadership and a little research exerience. Thanks for your help and good look to everyone!
 
is retaking the mcat an option for you? it might really help turn the schools maybes to definites. Also adding DO is a great idea. I would personally do that before the caribbean, but since you are already a reapplicant and probably want to start getting on with your life, apply to everything! If you dont want to be a PA though, then dont settle. You got 7 interviews which is amazing and you will get there! But you dont want t spend your life regretting not following your dream, unless you want to be a PA

and the cycle is not over for waitlists..you will prob get in somewhere so keep thinking positive!!
 
princessyeny said:
I applied to about 30 allopathic schools and had 7 interviews that went like this:

UCI-Alternate
UCLA-Alternate
Iowa-Nonresident Alternate # 37 (I'm from Cali)
UCD-Still Waiting
UCLA PRIME-Still Waiting
Michigan State-Still Waiting
Utah-Rejected post interview

I am really starting to worry because I am already a re-applicant. I just don't know if I should re-re apply to maybe
DO schools/PA programs/foreign medical schools like UAG. Has anyone been in a similar situation before? Any advice would really really be appreciated. BTW, my undergrad gpa was 3.0 for both science and non-science at UCLA, post bach gpa was 4.0 😀, and mcat 26 🙁. I have alot of community service, leadership and a little research exerience. Thanks for your help and good look to everyone!
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It sounds like you have a good shot of coming of Iowa waitlist if you are 37. If you don't get in I would suggest you re-take the mcat before reapplying. With a 26 MCAT you should have considered applying to some DO schools.
 
AerobixChica said:
is retaking the mcat an option for you? it might really help turn the schools maybes to definites. ...
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While I wouldn't have advised this person to apply yet before getting the MCAT up to snuff, once the OP is getting multiple interviews, we can deduce that the problem is not really the MCAT. While there is still a good chance at a waitlist acceptance, it kind of sounds like you aren't turning interviews into acceptances. So that is where the real problem lies. The interview stage.

Most places only interview folks who are acceptable on paper. Meaning anyplace you interview at is potentially an acceptance, and your numerical stats become less important than how you do on that interview day. Wow them, and you are in. If you aren't in the upper quarter of interviewees you often end up on the waitlist. Bore them and you get rejected outright. Never underestimate the importance of the interview, or simply go through the motions or be lukewarm. This is NOT merely a formality to weed out the crazies. At many (most) schools this is the single most important part of the application process once you get to this stage. And more than that, it is your one time to sell yourself, bring some personality to your stats, and win the place over. It's like internet dating -- email correspondence is well and nice, but there is no way you are "in" until you meet in person and hit it off, and once you do, none of that other stuff is all that important.

If you get no love this cycle, you probably should fix the MCAT and get more health related experience (you mentioned none -- if you don't have it, this could explain a lot of your difficulty). You could apply DO, but there will be the same need for interview skill improvement. (Not just for this stage, but interviewing is a big part of the subsequent stages (residency, fellowship, employment) in medicine. For interview prep, I suggest a lot of practice -- mock interviews with friends/family if you can, maybe rent a videotape recorder to see how you look in an interview to correct strange tics/mannerisms you might not even know you have. And do a lot of research on the schools so you have lots of good questions. Never "wing it". Never go through the motions. The goal is not just to not screw up. The goal is to sell yourself effectively and cover all the points YOU (not the interviewer) want to emphasize about yourself.

As for offshore options, given that it would be your third go around, I suppose this is the right time to consider these. You can still become a doctor via this route but understand the downsides and the risks involved. High attrition, high cost, lower yield on boards and residency matches. If you go this route you have to resolve to be the best, (as in your postbac) not just one of the pack. The people that kill themselves with hard work on these paths do okay, those who continue bad habits don't make it through.
 
What about sending a letter of intent to Iowa (if that's where you want to go the most, and have the best shot of getting in at) and sending update letters to other schools? Good luck and hopefully you get in this round!
 
Prayer works!!! I mean that with all of me! Pray, and see what happens. God bless!
 
I agree with Law2Doc that since you are getting a lot of interviews, your stats aren't really what's holding you back. It seems silly to write an LoI to Iowa, since it sounds like your rank is set in place there as #37. Good luck!! I'm also waiting to hear from UCD... I hope we both get good news!
 
You may get in off the alternate list, so good luck. If you don't, then retake your MCAT. Your application must be pretty impressive if you got all those interviews with such a low MCAT, so if your MCAT improves to a 29-31, then your application will be glowing and you will probably get into tons of great schools. I'm not saying that re-taking the MCAT will be easy, but it is something that should be possible for you to do. Good Luck:luck:
 
26 MCAT and 7 interviews at those cali schools and others?

I have a 38+ MCAT and scored only one cali interview, and it wasn't UCLA
 
Law2Doc said:
While I wouldn't have advised this person to apply yet before getting the MCAT up to snuff, once the OP is getting multiple interviews, we can deduce that the problem is not really the MCAT.
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I'm not sure I agree with this. My understanding is that while at some schools you're place on "even footing" once you reach the interview stage, at other schools stats still play an important role. Sometimes at these latter schools, they'll still interview someone with subpar stats just to "take a flier" on someone who has a very interesting application otherwise; however, these people really have to kill the interview to get a chance of getting in, whereas someone with higher stats and an equally interesting application might only need an above-average interview to get in.

My advice would be to email these schools where you are waitlisted and ask what you could do to improve you application for next year if you wind up reapplying. This would simultaneously show them that you're still highly interested in their school and give you some direction when deciding how to go about restructuring your application.
 
Handy388 said:
26 MCAT and 7 interviews at those cali schools and others?

I have a 38+ MCAT and scored only one cali interview, and it wasn't UCLA
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ECs and life experience are sometimes more important than numbers.
 
Send LOI to the schools where you really want to go, (or better yet to all schools, except Utah of course). You got great interview spots...perhaps the interview might be a contributing to factor to no acceptance as yet. Don't give up yet. Write those LOIs, pray and hope for the best
 
you should retake that mcat! PM me for tips! what kind of grad work did you do?
 
Thank you guys for all of your helpful advice. I also felt that the problem was at the interview stage because I wasn't turning the interviews into acceptances like LAw2Doc mentioned. But I am aware of my very low MCAT which might be hurting me (but it actually came up from a 20 😳 the first time I applied). I forgot to mention that I do also have alot of community and clinical experiences in the US and in Latin America and one of those life stories you guys mentioned. I completed my post bach at the David Geffen SOM at UCLA.

Now I will definitely send letters of interest (or intent?) to all of the schools, maybe an extra LOR, and keep praying. Since I have one more interview to go (Michigan), I'm going to prepare and practice more so I can "wow" them. But if nothing turns up, hopefully I can increase my MCAT score by another 5 points and reapply. I'll keep everybody posted. Good luck again and gracias!
 
I think you should push hard for acceptance at one of the schools that you are wait listed at. Send a letter of interest to them. Get one of your LOR writers to call them or send a letter, if that is possible.

If you could inch up the MCAT score, that would probably be helpful. However, be careful because you already went up 6 points on the 2nd try. To get from 26 to 31 will probably be a lot harder than 20 to 26. Be careful and be sure you study very hard if you want to retake. I don't think retaking is a terrible idea, though. Consider a prep course if you haven't taken one.

I think the OP's problem might not be all bad interviews...I think it's as one of the other posters mentioned above. The stats, etc. do come into play even after the interview, and that might be part of the OP's problem, or even most of it. But I agree with the advice to practice interviewing...do it with a friend or family member...it will feel silly but do it anyway.

If you don't get in next year, would again apply to a lot of schools, and would add some DO schools. Also consider Caribbean schools, or other schools abroad, but in your situation I would ONLY consider the very top ones (not sure about Guadalajara...lots of people went there years ago but now St George U on Granada and SABA on Netherlands Antilles seem to be the top ones). But don't think about these things now...think about getting yourself an acceptance THIS year.
 
princessyeny said:
Since I have one more interview to go (Michigan), I'm going to prepare and practice more so I can "wow" them.
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Um, I'm almost positive that Michigan has been done interviewing.......
 
Yes, I am Mexican-American so which part does that explain-why I can't get an acceptance? I don't look like Ugly Betty ya know, I'm more of a Hannah Montana with brunette hair :laugh:

But seriously, the thing is I have walked out of all my interviews feeling really really good about them (except at the "U"). Most of the faculty who interviewed me had practices in medicine similar to what I want to do(primary care to underserved families) so we talked alot about that and they all seemed very enthusiasmatic and supportive of me, even telling me they would like to have me at that school. Same thing with my student interviewers-super nice. I just wish the majority of the committee felt the same way about me too. Maybe they do, but there are only so many seats available.
 
princessyeny said:
Yes, I am Mexican-American so which part does that explain-why I can't get an acceptance? I don't look like Ugly Betty ya know, I'm more of a Hannah Montana with brunette hair :laugh:

But seriously, the thing is I have walked out of all my interviews feeling really really good about them (except at the "U"). Most of the faculty who interviewed me had practices in medicine similar to what I want to do(primary care to underserved families) so we talked alot about that and they all seemed very enthusiasmatic and supportive of me, even telling me they would like to have me at that school. Same thing with my student interviewers-super nice. I just wish the majority of the committee felt the same way about me too. Maybe they do, but there are only so many seats available.
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I think skin meant that you got 8 MD interviews with a 3.0 GPA and 26 MCAT.
 
aznb0y129 said:
I think skin meant that you got 8 MD interviews with a 3.0 GPA and 26 MCAT.
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precisely ...and knowing that i would venture to guess that your problem is almost 100% interviewing and it isn't that the adcom is having second thoughts about your low stats
 
skinMD said:
precisely ...and knowing that i would venture to guess that your problem is almost 100% interviewing and it isn't that the adcom is having second thoughts about your low stats
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I REALLY don't think so... I mean, those stats are outrageously low for some of those great schools. I know that being URM undoubtedly helps in this process... but I think the OP would look a lot better with a 30 MCAT. You can't get in with any stats just for being URM.

I guess it's possible that the interviews could be the problem, but it just seems a lot easier to believe for me that the problem lies with the really low stats that are biting us in the nose rather than speculating about the OP's interviews.
 
If you are a recent student at UCLA post-bac, go to the speech department and ask one of the older professors to watch you speak. He/she may be able to help you target points that might help you come across better in interviews. This is a better individual to help you recognize these issues than someone who grew up in the same community or who lives with you and sees you speak every day. If you use any poor word choices regularly, or bad pronunciations (i.e. "AKS" instead of "ASK") or say "UMMMM" a lot, or fidget, they can help you notice it. They can tell you if you generally are coming across shy, confrontational, or awkward by accident.
 
I theorize URMs get the interviews they get because... by definition, they are underrepresented. So URMs are just statistically more likely to be invited for an interview as long as they meet some sort of minimum cutoff. At that point, it's all up to the URM applicant to impress at the interview and demonstrate the qualities that adcoms look for in everyone. At that point, you just gotta sell your experiences, philosophy, and all these other qualities in order to make the cut (since I feel that after the interview, the #'s don't matter as much as they did pre-interview). Maybe the OP just didn't do that.

Probably a dumb guess/theory, and I'll probably get flamed for it.
 
RoadRunner17 said:
I theorize URMs get the interviews they get because... by definition, they are underrepresented. So URMs are just statistically more likely to be invited for an interview as long as they meet some sort of minimum cutoff. At that point, it's all up to the URM applicant to impress at the interview and demonstrate the qualities that adcoms look for in everyone. At that point, you just gotta sell your experiences, philosophy, and all these other qualities in order to make the cut (since I feel that after the interview, the #'s don't matter as much as they did pre-interview). Maybe the OP just didn't do that.

Probably a dumb guess/theory, and I'll probably get flamed for it.
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You're a brave one, considering how SDN members cringe at the mention of anything URM-related and bash on the person that brings these topics up.

But in regards to your theory, IIRC schools have a quota to fill for URMs. I think you hit it on the nail. 👍
 
RoadRunner17 said:
I theorize URMs get the interviews they get because... by definition, they are underrepresented. So URMs are just statistically more likely to be invited for an interview as long as they meet some sort of minimum cutoff. At that point, it's all up to the URM applicant to impress at the interview and demonstrate the qualities that adcoms look for in everyone. At that point, you just gotta sell your experiences, philosophy, and all these other qualities in order to make the cut (since I feel that after the interview, the #'s don't matter as much as they did pre-interview). Maybe the OP just didn't do that.

Probably a dumb guess/theory, and I'll probably get flamed for it.
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i completely agree....sry no flaming here 😀

if the stats were the problem then these schools wouldn't have wasted time interviewing her. from what i've seen, an interview invite generally shows that the adcom is ok with your stats and all you have to do is impress them in the interview and sell yourself to guarantee yourself a spot in the class.

i think after so many interviews and being a URM OP is bound to get in somewhere this cycle eventually
 
It's not your interviews, I'm sure you did perfectly fine on them, it's your stats. In particular, your MCAT. You made up for your GPA by doing well in post-bac but the doubts are still there because of that MCAT. So for all they know, you went to a moderately tough undergrad school and an easy-ass post-bac school and that's why your GPA went up.

Actually, if anything, I'd say you did extremely well in your interviews! They're still holding onto you - they haven't let go yet. They must have taken a liking to you. I'm sure you'll get into one of them.
 
Superman78 said:
It's not your interviews, I'm sure you did perfectly fine on them, it's your stats. In particular, your MCAT. You made up for your GPA by doing well in post-bac but the doubts are still there because of that MCAT. So for all they know, you went to a moderately tough undergrad school and an easy-ass post-bac school and that's why your GPA went up.

Actually, if anything, I'd say you did extremely well in your interviews! They're still holding onto you - they haven't let go yet. They must have taken a liking to you. I'm sure you'll get into one of them.
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though i came to the same conclusion as you in my previous post your reasoning strikes me as extremely flawed...

can they not read the names of the institutions she went to for undergrad and post bacc off her AMCAS??

if they had a problem with her MCAT score why would they bother offering her an interview?

finally it is very rare to get an outright rejection post-interview...schools like to populate their waitlists so they can have plenty of backups just in case.

my best advice would be to start playing offense. send letters to the school that waitlisted you and the schools you are still waiting on expressing your interest. i have been a huge advocate of post-interview pre-decision letters of interest and i think you can benefit from it. i strongly disagree however with the person who suggested you send a letter of intent to iowa...i highly doubt that's your top choice and i would suspect your interest in underserved (i'm guessing mainly hispanic) communities doesn't ring as true in iowa as it does in california.
 
I am definitely going offensive now, covering all the bases: I got "Acting Techniques for Everyday Life: Look and feel self-confident in difficult real-life situations," "The Power of Body Language" and many more on interviewing and I will get started on my letters of intent this week. Thanks so much guys!
 
princessyeny said:
I am definitely going offensive now, covering all the bases: I got "Acting Techniques for Everyday Life: Look and feel self-confident in difficult real-life situations," "The Power of Body Language" and many more on interviewing and I will get started on my letters of intent this week. Thanks so much guys!
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OP, the cycle is not over. If you had that many interviews, then you can definitely get in. If I were you, I would flood every school with a LOI. At least 2 a month until they accepted me. I would get on the horn and ask the deans of admissions how you can improve your app, and then tell them that you will make those improvements ASAP, and then ask them for a seat in the class with complete confidence that you will improve your areas of weakness.

In the meantime, you might want to polish your interviewing skills. And for the record, you don't learn how to interview from books, you learn by talking to people. It may sound oxymoronic, but the interview is nothing more than a formal bar conversation, and the best way to learn is by doing, so talk to everyone you meet. The cashier at Trader Joe's, the busdriver, the guy at the bar, wrong phone numbers, the crossing guard... just talk.

Good luck and congrats.
 
I like your chances at Iowa with #37. Based on my sdn snooping that spot would have got you in the last two years. I not sure that a LOI matters at this point there. I dont think you can leap frog others in their list. Good luck. Oh also having lived in Iowa i can say there are definitely opportunities to work with the underserved in the state.
 
definitely retake your MCAT
 
flaahless said:
ask the deans of admissions how you can improve your app, and then tell them that you will make those improvements ASAP, and then ask them for a seat in the class with complete confidence that you will improve your areas of weakness.
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absolutely do not do this! this would be throwing in the towel and admitting defeat before the bell rings
 
dybra said:
definitely retake your MCAT
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Others here have jumped to the conclusion that the OP's problem is only interviewing, and not her stats. I don't necessarily agree. I am in a somewhat similar position, having received 7 interviews despite a relatively low uGPA and an unbanaced MCAT score (31, but 7 in PS). I am not a URM, however.

I was waitlisted at the first 3 schools I interviewed at, even though I KNOW the interviews went extremely well. I was finally accepted at the 4th school (which is not my first choice), and I'm awaiting decisions on the last 3.

I found out after interviewing that many schools rank applicants according to a point system where points are awarded for each aspect of your app (GPA, MCAT, essays, LORs, ECs, interview). You need a certain minimum # of points to get an an interview, but then all the interviewees get ranked, and only thise with the highest scores get accepted (the rest are WL'd or rejected). I'm guessing that in many cases, the interview itself isn't worth enough points to outweigh weakness in stats, even if you blow it away.

In order to help my chances in case this happened to me, I retook the MCAT in Jan, and just got back ny new score, which is a big improvement (33 with 12 in PS). I informed all the WL schools, and though they say they can't "officially" accept this score, they seem very interested in the information. I think it might help me once their WLs start to move in May.
OP,if you could do this soon, while you are still on the WL (say, May), you might be able to help your chances with WL schools this cycle. But only do so if you feel like you're ready and can really improve your score. (Otherwise it may hurt, not help.)

Good luck. As others have said, it's not over yet.
 
skinMD said:
absolutely do not do this! this would be throwing in the towel and admitting defeat before the bell rings
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Haha every applicant has weaknesses. Acknowledging them and correcting them doesn't admit defeat, but shows she has the will and determination to improve.

Also OP, you have from now until August to get an acceptance. All you need is 1 school out of 7, don't stop until you get it.
 
if you haven't sent letters to any of the schools you interviewed at, you probably should.
 
There are so many people here who are saying the scores/grades don't matter after you get an interview, but that's simply not true. I've now worked at 3 med schools with people on the adcoms. My dad used to be on the adcom at another. Different schools run their admissions different ways, but you can definitely get an interview and still have your stats be a problem when you come to committee!

At some schools--like Utah--everybody who meets certain minimum criteria gets an interview. That criteria is that you are above average in X out of Y categories on their application compared, I believe, to last years applicant pool. Then they don't take your stats to the adcom...just your LOR's and the comments from your interviewers. Clearly, when you get rejected there, it is that you didn't interview as well as the other OOS/URM applicants vying for your position and/or didn't have as good of LOR's.

At other schools, like MSSM, where I work now. They have 2 individuals pre-screen your application--not the adcom. One individual is a med student and one is a professor. I believe that they are given a rubric of criteria to classify you. The classification process should be highly standardized, but can have some subjectivity that allows for the stresses of underprivileged/health/family situations, etc. If they classify you properly you get an interview--even if you have a 26 MCAT! But those 2 people may not be on the adcom. After your interview, when your application goes to adcom, without those two people to go to bat for you, you better bet that your MCAT score is going to be a huge issue at a place like MSSM. And even if 2 of the many people on the adcom do go to bat for you, from what I am told, the more they fight for someone with weaknesses, the harder others fight back--so they REALLY need to be prepared to fight. They have to pick their battles well.

So...there is no way to tell, without knowing which kind of system each school has, why you were rejected.

This year, as you probably know from your interview, Utah experienced a reduction of state funding. This reduced the number of seats they had to offer. Dean Samuelson will offer you a review of why your application failed at the end of the season, if you need it. It is very useful--I had one, and I think it was one of the reasons why I actually got into med school this year--he greatly improved my essay (b/c he contradicted my pre-med adviser), and he provided some guidance in which LOR's I needed to ditch, without disclosing their content.

Good Luck!
 
pietachok said:
There are so many people here who are saying the scores/grades don't matter after you get an interview, but that's simply not true. I've now worked at 3 med schools with people on the adcoms. My dad used to be on the adcom at another. Different schools run their admissions different ways, but you can definitely get an interview and still have your stats be a problem when you come to committee!

At some schools--like Utah--everybody who meets certain minimum criteria gets an interview. That criteria is that you are above average in X out of Y categories on their application compared, I believe, to last years applicant pool. Then they don't take your stats to the adcom...just your LOR's and the comments from your interviewers. Clearly, when you get rejected there, it is that you didn't interview as well as the other OOS/URM applicants vying for your position and/or didn't have as good of LOR's.

At other schools, like MSSM, where I work now. They have 2 individuals pre-screen your application--not the adcom. One individual is a med student and one is a professor. I believe that they are given a rubric of criteria to classify you. The classification process should be highly standardized, but can have some subjectivity that allows for the stresses of underprivileged/health/family situations, etc. If they classify you properly you get an interview--even if you have a 26 MCAT! But those 2 people may not be on the adcom. After your interview, when your application goes to adcom, without those two people to go to bat for you, you better bet that your MCAT score is going to be a huge issue at a place like MSSM. And even if 2 of the many people on the adcom do go to bat for you, from what I am told, the more they fight for someone with weaknesses, the harder others fight back--so they REALLY need to be prepared to fight. They have to pick their battles well.

So...there is no way to tell, without knowing which kind of system each school has, why you were rejected.
Click to expand...

Thanks for this, pietachok. I have been wondering about this for some time!
 
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