Anyone know any stories of med schools that accidentally sent rejection emails/acceptances?

[Reader88]

For all my interview emails I’ve been convinced it’s a mistake and seeing how many people just got rejected instate from my state school with great stats also made me second guess if some mistake was made (I don’t actually think this is the case). Now, I’m sure schools are super careful to avoid this but I’m just curious if anyone has any entertaining or heartbreaking stories about schools sending acceptances/rejections by mistake?

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[precisiongraphic]

For all my interview emails I’ve been convinced it’s a mistake and seeing how many people just got rejected instate from my state school with great stats also made me second guess if some mistake was made (I don’t actually think this is the case). Now, I’m sure schools are super careful to avoid this but I’m just curious if anyone has any entertaining or heartbreaking stories about schools sending acceptances/rejections by mistake?

Yes, I've seen reports of them here on SDN. I think perhaps Tulane and Mayo but I could be remembering incorrectly. It happens. There have been schools that have declined people and then said, whoops, we made a mistake - come to an interview.

 

[Pharaoh95]

For all my interview emails I’ve been convinced it’s a mistake and seeing how many people just got rejected instate from my state school with great stats also made me second guess if some mistake was made (I don’t actually think this is the case). Now, I’m sure schools are super careful to avoid this but I’m just curious if anyone has any entertaining or heartbreaking stories about schools sending acceptances/rejections by mistake?

One of my good friends had his sights set on Mayo coming into the application cycle. It was one of his top choices and he had the stats and experiences to give himself a good shot, but as we all know, Mayo is a reach for everyone. Early in the cycle, my friend was heartbroken to find out that he was rejected by Mayo. When he told me about it, he seemed pretty disappointed, especially because it was an early rejection. But sometime after, to his surprise, he received an email letting him know that his rejection was being reversed and he is actually being invited to interview now. He was elated of course, but unfortunately for him, he was then either rejected post-interview or waitlisted and then rejected at the end of the cycle. What a roller coaster of emotions.

I actually feel quite bad for my friend. He ended up interviewing at half of the top 20's but was subsequently waitlisted or rejected by all of them only to end up at his "back up option."

 

[Robin-jay]

I actually feel quite bad for my friend. He ended up interviewing at half of the top 20's but was subsequently waitlisted or rejected by all of them only to end up at his "back up option."

Which was...?

 

[DoctHouse]

One of my good friends had his sights set on Mayo coming into the application cycle. It was one of his top choices and he had the stats and experiences to give himself a good shot, but as we all know, Mayo is a reach for everyone. Early in the cycle, my friend was heartbroken to find out that he was rejected by Mayo. When he told me about it, he seemed pretty disappointed, especially because it was an early rejection. But sometime after, to his surprise, he received an email letting him know that his rejection was being reversed and he is actually being invited to interview now. He was elated of course, but unfortunately for him, he was then either rejected post-interview or waitlisted and then rejected at the end of the cycle. What a roller coaster of emotions.

I actually feel quite bad for my friend. He ended up interviewing at half of the top 20's but was subsequently waitlisted or rejected by all of them only to end up at his "back up option."

Wow. Might be his interview skills there. If he had the stats, what else could it have been?

 

[Lucca]

Duke famously did this (iirc) several cycles ago.

 

[Govols22]

Not a rejection or acceptance, but I received an II from a DO school, and while I was reading the lengthy II email I received another email saying “disregard the last email”.

 

[CJhooper123]

Rocky Vista has pre-screeened people for secondaries over the past couple of years.

On several occasions, I have seen students on SDN who were initially rejected pre-secondary, contacted the RVU admissions, who was like, “oops... here’s your secondary”

 

[Matthew9Thirtyfive]

Not a rejection or acceptance, but I received an II from a DO school, and while I was reading the lengthy II email I received another email saying “disregard the last email”.

Ouch.

 

[Govols22]

Ouch.

At the time I already had a DO acceptance and now I’m at an MD program so all was well, but it was a major screw up.

 

[Pharaoh95]

Wow. Might be his interview skills there. If he had the stats, what else could it have been?

I have to say, he was quite a socially awkward guy and I think that came off in his interviews.

 

[kb1900]

During my cycle some things that occurred:

II from Miami before I even sent in my secondary. Was a supposed mistake, but I didn’t end up pursuing my app there further

I also had the same experience with mayo as another poster mentioned above.


Someone reported an acceptance to downstate on SDN only to find out via phone a few days/weeks later that they hadn’t been accepted yet. Imagine if this person withdrew their app at other places?


A close friend of mine interviewed at Cornell (got an II), but they did not have his name on the list for that day and had no interviewers for him


A school “forgot” to call me to notify me of acceptance. Their official acceptance emails didn’t come for a week or two after that and I had thought I was WL/rejected.


There’s a few more but the details are very identifying. Long story short, mistakes happen. Don’t withdraw your pending apps hastily.

 

[Reader88]

Turns out I can answer my own question. It happened yesterday to OUWB applicants. Didn’t happen to me but based on the thread it happened to a few people. Absolutely awful to get people’s hopes up like that.