Application updates allowed before interview invites?

[An MD Hopeful]

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Do any schools allow us to send updates before interview invites/hold notifications? I know some schools specifically state that we should not send updates before interview invites/holds, but other schools don't mention any info/rules about this on their websites/status pages...for the schools that do not specify their rules about this, is it probably okay if we email them updates before interviews/holds?

 

[BigBlueBear]

No. this will result in an automatic ejection 100% of the time.

 

[DAPI]

Do any schools allow us to send updates before interview invites/hold notifications? I know some schools specifically state that we should not send updates before interview invites/holds, but other schools don't mention any info/rules about this on their websites/status pages...for the schools that do not specify their rules about this, is it probably okay if we email them updates before interviews/holds?

If there are no rules stated, maybe check out last years school specific threads and see if people ever sent updates to the specific school.

That said, I would not be sending updates this early in the game unless you cured cancer or won a nobel prize. Give schools some time to process applicants and then say if by October you have not heard anything you can start sending updates.

Thats just my opinion, especially for schools that do not state rules about updates. If schools say they accept updates or like updates, then maybe you can send them earlier, but still you need something somewhat substantial to send an update.

 

[An MD Hopeful]

What about 2 research papers being accepted for publication? I know it's not the same as curing cancer lol...but would that be considered worth sending as an update that early? I just want to avoid getting rejected and then not being able to send the update at all...

 

[gyngyn]

Do any schools allow us to send updates before interview invites/hold notifications? I know some schools specifically state that we should not send updates before interview invites/holds, but other schools don't mention any info/rules about this on their websites/status pages...for the schools that do not specify their rules about this, is it probably okay if we email them updates before interviews/holds?

For the most part, updates (such as the ones you described) are only useful after you have passed screening.

 

[boshtrich]

For the most part, updates (such as the ones you described) are only useful after you have passed screening.

I would second this. Post-interview updates can have a huge effect on admissions decisions, especially if you get put on a waitlist. Pre-interview updates generally don't make as much of a decision. I would probably save it until later. However, if there some are research heavy schools you applied to that encourage updates, and you feel your stats are close to their medians, it wouldn't hurt to send one now with recent publications.