appealing rejections

Honestly, I don't think there's much hope at this point. It's the end of March. This is very late to interview as it is, and if you were rejected pre-interview, then you probably just weren't competitive enough. Start looking toward other schools, as most people don't get in to their top 2 choices anyway. In any case, good luck!

 

See UC Davis v. Bakke (1978) probably won't help your case but it has been done!

<a href="http://caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/scripts/getcase.pl?court=us&vol=438&invol=265" target="_blank">http://caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/scripts/getcase.pl?court=us&vol=438&invol=265</a>

 

True, it's getting pretty late in the process at this point, but it's definitely possible to appeal rejections. I think it's kind of grovelly, but hey, whatever works, I guess.

The person I'm thinking of called the school to ask why he was rejected. He was told that they didn't like his major, which he of course thought was absolute BS. He told them the reasons he thought his major would give him a special outlook on medicine, blah blah blah, and they granted him an interview. He ended up being accepted.

Makes me kick myself...who knows what acceptances I could have picked up by calling all the schools that rejected me!

Anyway, maybe it would be worth a try for you.

 

Raja,

Its very committed of you to want to attempt such a feat. However, consider the circumstances of appealing rejections at two schools (your top choices) that didn't grant you interviews. In other words, you may stir up something that could be a red flag next year if you re-apply to those schools, wanting them to remain as top choices. Politics play a part in everything in life, especially medical schools.

Channel your energy and fervor somewhere else and instead, make some calls or schedule meetings if you are close in proximity to the schools, to ascertain what exactly the school wants to see on your application next year in order that you might receive an interview. The interview is the deal-clincher. Its easy to look good on paper (most people can do it), but very few look as good or anything like their paper identity when it comes to the 3-dimensional meeting.

Of course, my advice would be a bit different if you had interviewed and felt a vibe that you had made a great connection, only to get rejected - then I would say take a stab at an appeal.

As far as most not getting into their top choices - that is directly related to most aiming at targets that are beyond their means! Be realistic and your chances for success are far greater. If you say you're gonna hit the 98% and you only hit 97% - you failed! But, if you were shooting for 96% and you hit 97% you exceeded your goal!

 

Whoa whoa whoa

Before writing any letter, consider the consequences.

Next year, should you reapply, I wouldn't even look at your application if you wrote me a letter questioning my judgement.

This is like the parents who sue the school because their kid didn't get to be on Varsity baseball. It's happened. Every parent thinks their kid is the best.

Just like every premed feels they deserve a spot in medical school...many do...most do. But not any medical school they want.

There is a place in a medical school out there for you. It didn't work out with these schools and you need to accept that fact.

Don't let this get you down. Use it as fuel to better your application and move on somewhere else.

 

Hi there -- I think I disagree with most of the things that have been said so far. I just appealed a post-secondary rejection at UCSD and now I have an interview. They seemed very nice about it. I thought I was a competitive candidate and wrote them a letter explaining why I thought I would be a good fit. It's more common than you think; some schools (UCSF, for instance) have a whole different committee that reviews applications again because a lot of people do this.

At many schools only one person decides who will get an interview. They are given a packet of 30 secondaries and are asked to pick five or so who will be granted an interview. Sometimes there are two reviews to make it more fair. The reviewer's mood, the group of applications that yours is in, the alignment of the stars, etc., can all play a part in determining whether you get in.

Being persistent is part of being a doctor. If an HMO denies your patient treatment, would you just say, well, okay, you weren't really my first choice of HMO anyway, and can you tell me how I could get the treatment next year? Of course this is a bit of a stretch, but I do think that appealing can't hurt so long as you're gracious about it.

Good luck whatever you do!