Asking for interview feedback while on the WL

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FishermanDon99

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Is it appropriate to ask either of my interviewers for feedback about my interview? They were both super chill, one was an MS4, and the other was an internist that called me bro on my way out. They both provided me with their emails as well. I was put on the WL but I don't expect to be accepted as there isn't much movement.

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Is it appropriate to ask either of my interviewers for feedback about my interview? They were both super chill, one was an MS4, and the other was an internist that called me bro on my way out. They both provided me with their emails as well. I was put on the WL but I don't expect to be accepted as there isn't much movement.
Wait until after April 15th. With the increased uncertainty this cycle, there may very well be massive amounts of movement after the final day for students to select one school.
 
Wait until after April 15th. With the increased uncertainty this cycle, there may very well be massive amounts of movement after the final day for students to select one school.

The final day is April 30th, not the 15th by the way. The 15th is just a recommendation for when you should drop your list down to only 3 acceptances. Should hopefully still see a little bit of movement then though.
 
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Is it appropriate to ask either of my interviewers for feedback about my interview? They were both super chill, one was an MS4, and the other was an internist that called me bro on my way out. They both provided me with their emails as well. I was put on the WL but I don't expect to be accepted as there isn't much movement.
Definitely do not contact them now while you are still on WL. This could come across in the wrong way - as perhaps too needy, etc. Especially chill people would wonder why you were being so "Type A" before the cycle even winds down.

If you end the cycle with 2 WLs, sure you can ask for interview feedback.

However, it is just as likely that you did fine on the interview - that is why you got on WL and not rejected. There are many other reasons to get a WL. One is being slightly under-qualified based on your stats, but doing a great job on the interview. Remember LizzyM staircase analogy. Everyone starts on a certain step pre-II, some higher than others. The interview can help you up or down a bit, but where you end up may just as importantly relate to where you started.

Another example is being over-qualified (or school just does not think you would go there, for some other reason). In this latter case, schools love to WL the person bc then they do not take a hit on the matriculation percentage, and if they put you at the top of the WL, should you indeed have nowhere "better" to go, they can assure that they can get you by offering you a spot at top of WL. A specific example might be a tippy top student (52X, 4.0, navy seal, Teach for America/Americorps/Peace Corps, first generation, URIM, speaks 5 languages, has first author paper in Nature, or some combination of any of these things). They apply to Harvard, JHU, UCSF, PENN, COLUMBIA, etc etc. A great place like Sinai might interview this applicant and WL them. Sinai will assume that this profile will get into many of the other schools and choose one of those, but if this does not happen, or student really prefers Sinai, then Sinai has lost nothing by waitlisting the student and offering the first WL spot that opens up. Or if an otherwise qualified applicant seems unlikely to be thrilled about going to a school in the midwest (has partner in MD PhD program already on east coast), the midwest school may decide to give out the WL over the acceptance so as not to take a presumed hit on matriculation rate, but still be able to get the student if they put them high on WL.

SO there is often no way to know why you were WL. (None of these situations may apply to you, but I describe them in case others see themselves in these descriptions of who is WL). And often, getting 2 WL is not a referendum on you and your interview. Of course, if an applicant gets 10 interviews, and is rejected/WL at virtually all of them, then I will say it is probably about the interview.
 
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@gorowannabe @Faha thanks for the heads up. Just figured it’d be better to ask for the feedback while the interview was fresh in their heads rather than wait months later.
 
Frankly a school should not respond with this info while a candidate is still under active consideration as in an alternate

What if a school does allow giving feedback but by the time OP has recieved a definite rejection they are already a re-applicant at that same school for the next cycle (assuming OP didn’t get any acceptance). Would a school give interview feedback then?
 
What if a school does allow giving feedback but by the time OP has recieved a definite rejection they are already a re-applicant at that same school for the next cycle (assuming OP didn’t get any acceptance). Would a school give interview feedback then?
Think really seriously about your question, and I'll bet that you can come up with an answer.
 
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Think really seriously about your question, and I'll bet that you can come up with an answer.

You’re right. It was a stupid question for me to ask. Guess I was just trying to be too hopeful :oops:
 
+1 on the above answers. I think if you're seeking feedback, you're admitting defeat/rejected.
 
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