Dealing with post-interview rejections

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summergirl

summergirl

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Hi everyone, so I am feeling extremely sad and scared right now. I interviewed twice (and early) last cycle at schools with pretty high post-II acceptance rates and got waitlisted at both. This cycle, I just found out that I have been rejected at a DO school that I recently interviewed at. My stats are much higher than the average matriculant stats in this school, and this school has an extremely high post-II acceptance rate (around 75% I believe). I think they also really liked me before the interview because they gave me the II less than a week after I submitted my application. To be outright rejected at this school is absolutely devastating. I felt extremely nervous during the interview, and talked way too much. Literally every single question was some behavioural/ethical question that was very difficult to answer, and I got put on the spot, which only made the matter worse. I had terrible grammar during the interview (because of how nervous I was), and my interviewers looked like they hated me. As a person though, I think I have average social skills and generally give off a "got my life together" kind of vibe, which I don't think is a bad thing as far as med school admissions go.

Extrapolating off the interview:application ratio I had last year, I am expecting at least 5 interviews in total this year. So far I've had 2, one being this one and another one in Jan. At this point I'm seriously getting scared. For so many reasons that I won't bore you with, I need to get in this year. I have been practicing a lot and videotaping myself after I came back from that interview, but I feel like I just simply don't give off a very fun, upbeat, extremely sociable person vibe in my videos. I really need help. Any advice???
 
Mock interviews! I know many schools have a career center that offers them. The best thing you can do is practice and attempt to stay calm. The videotaping yourself is a good idea.
 
starspells said:
Mock interviews! I know many schools have a career center that offers them. The best thing you can do is practice and attempt to stay calm. The videotaping yourself is a good idea.
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Thank you for replying so quickly! Unfortunately I graduated and moved away from my UG school so I don't have access to its career center at the moment 🙁
 
You are interviewing poorly. To be rejected so soon after an interview implies you showed poor communication skills, and they are worried that you't won't be able to connect with patients. This differs from the normal "nervousness" that most adcoms expect on interview day. In some way, you may be coming across as "cold", "detached" or awkward, or some derivative of those 3. You desperately need to get into contact with somebody who can point out exactly what you are doing wrong. Regardless of how you are normally, you need to come across as fun, sociable and upbeat, so it looks like you have some training to do.
 
summergirl said:
Thank you for replying so quickly! Unfortunately I graduated and moved away from my UG school so I don't have access to its career center at the moment 🙁
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What about Skype interviews? I'm sure they'd be willing to accommodate you somehow. If you know any doctors I think they'd be willing to help out as well.
 
studentdocftw said:
You are interviewing poorly. To be rejected so soon after an interview implies you showed poor communication skills, and they are worried that you't won't be able to connect with patients. This differs from the normal "nervousness" that most adcoms expect on interview day. In some way, you may be coming across as "cold", "detached" or awkward, or some derivative of those 3. You desperately need to get into contact with somebody who can point out exactly what you are doing wrong. Regardless of how you are normally, you need to come across as fun, sociable and upbeat, so it looks like you have some training to do.
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Lol harsh but probably true. I feel like I probably come off more "awkward" than "cold" or "detached" because I'd need to be performing at a minimal caliber before I can come off as the latter two adjectives. Do you have any ideas how I can train myself?
 
starspells said:
What about Skype interviews? I'm sure they'd be willing to accommodate you somehow. If you know any doctors I think they'd be willing to help out as well.
Click to expand...
Yes that's a good idea. I think I'll eventually try to find someone on sdn to do mock skype interviews with. Thanks!
 
 
summergirl said:
Yes that's a good idea. I think I'll eventually try to find someone on sdn to do mock skype interviews with. Thanks!
Click to expand...

I'll do it. I'm a med student though, not an adcom. PM me if you are interested.
 
summergirl said:
Lol harsh but probably true. I feel like I probably come off more "awkward" than "cold" or "detached" because I'd need to be performing at a minimal caliber before I can come off as the latter two adjectives. Do you have any ideas how I can train myself?
Click to expand...

Based on what you've said, you have a history of interviews at "high post II acceptance" institutions that ended with rejections, which more than likely points to an interview issue. Of course, I don't know your entire application, but if you are making it to the interview, I can assume your stats are at least on par. And unless you are just stumping on different sections consistently, more than likely it is HOW you are interviewing that might be the issue. Sure, "cold" and "detached" may be harsh, but I am not saying that YOU yourself are cold or detached, but your portrayal of yourself might be, whether or not you realize it. You said you videotape yourself practicing, how would you describe the way you act? Do you appear warm? Approachable? Somebody you could talk to? Not sure how open these schools are to giving you reasons for the post II rejection, but it could be worthwhile to look into it. As far as training, try to go a mall or somewhere in public, and try to initiate and maintain a conversation with someone who isn't particularly busy. You have to practice with somebody that you don't know. Practicing with loved ones gives you a false sense of security.
 
I do interviews at a venture capital firm for my job. The best advice I can give you is to show you are passionate about the position you are interviewing for, and show no fear. If you aren't passionate, or are fearful, then nobody will follow you. The entire concept of charisma is being able to show people you have a passion for the subject.

The first step is to relax. I know its hard, and a bit of an oxymoron, but being a bumbling mess wont help your cause.

Second, be candid and honest. You obviously have a passion for medicine, let that come out. Speak about your research, or how much it hurt/affected you to see "xyz event" occur during shadowing/clinical experience.
Show some emotion (but don't start crying :laugh:)

Third, confidence is key. Some interviewers will try to get a rise out of you, they'll grill you and show no emotion. They will ask hard questions and try to push your buttons. This is a tactic to see how you work under pressure. If you fall into a nervous heap and can't give a straight answer, you failed. If you aren't confident, FAKE IT. Fake it till you make it.

If you need someone to practice interviews with I can help you, drop me a PM if you need anything else
 
ifnotnowwren said:
I'll do it. I'm a med student though, not an adcom. PM me if you are interested.
Click to expand...

RogueBanana said:
I do interviews at a venture capital firm for my job. The best advice I can give you is to show you are passionate about the position you are interviewing for, and show no fear. If you aren't passionate, or are fearful, then nobody will follow you. The entire concept of charisma is being able to show people you have a passion for the subject.

The first step is to relax. I know its hard, and a bit of an oxymoron, but being a bumbling mess wont help your cause.

Second, be candid and honest. You obviously have a passion for medicine, let that come out. Speak about your research, or how much it hurt/affected you to see "xyz event" occur during shadowing/clinical experience.
Show some emotion (but don't start crying :laugh:)

Third, confidence is key. Some interviewers will try to get a rise out of you, they'll grill you and show no emotion. They will ask hard questions and try to push your buttons. This is a tactic to see how you work under pressure. If you fall into a nervous heap and can't give a straight answer, you failed. If you aren't confident, FAKE IT. Fake it till you make it.

If you need someone to practice interviews with I can help you, drop me a PM if you need anything else
Click to expand...

Thanks!! PMed both of you
 
studentdocftw said:
Based on what you've said, you have a history of interviews at "high post II acceptance" institutions that ended with rejections, which more than likely points to an interview issue. Of course, I don't know your entire application, but if you are making it to the interview, I can assume your stats are at least on par. And unless you are just stumping on different sections consistently, more than likely it is HOW you are interviewing that might be the issue. Sure, "cold" and "detached" may be harsh, but I am not saying that YOU yourself are cold or detached, but your portrayal of yourself might be, whether or not you realize it. You said you videotape yourself practicing, how would you describe the way you act? Do you appear warm? Approachable? Somebody you could talk to? Not sure how open these schools are to giving you reasons for the post II rejection, but it could be worthwhile to look into it. As far as training, try to go a mall or somewhere in public, and try to initiate and maintain a conversation with someone who isn't particularly busy. You have to practice with somebody that you don't know. Practicing with loved ones gives you a false sense of security.
Click to expand...
In my videos, I'd say I don't appear very charismatic. It looked like I was an approachable person, but just not someone you'd want as, say, public relations agent. I agree that I need to practice just talking to strangers, so I think I'm going to find some volunteering positions with a lot of interactions with strangers. I'm not working right now so I have the time for that.
 
Yes, talk to strangers. But another thing you can do is imitate someone you think is engaging (like a comedian or an actor) word for word with special attention to their facial expression, voice intonation, everything, and then videotape yourself.
 
ace_inhibitor111 said:
Yes, talk to strangers. But another thing you can do is imitate someone you think is engaging (like a comedian or an actor) word for word with special attention to their facial expression, voice intonation, everything, and then videotape yourself.
Click to expand...
This is good advice that has absolutely nothing to do with a personal interest in seeing someone do a Christopher Walken imitation in an interview.
 
Lol, maybe not an actor per se. But like a late night talk show host (such as Craig Ferguson) whose job is to have an engaging conversation with someone. You can learn a lot about when to move your hands, smile, etc appropriately. Smiling is good at the right moments but if you smile at weird, inappropriate times it looks super awkward.
 
If you actually have normal social skills (and you shouldn't trust your judgment of yourself, as many people with terrible social skills think they are normal), but interview that poorly, you are having some extreme performance anxiety. If you have good social skills, then coming across like a well-adjusted, normal human being shouldn't be a performance.

Remember, you aren't auditioning for the role of a medical student. You're interviewing to attend medical school, and part of that interview is showing that you can connect with people. But you're also finding out if the school is a good fit for you.

There are tons of ways to work on nerves. Mock interviews, breathing exercises, etc.
 
Similar experience! I thought that my interview went well, but I found out last week that I was rejected... so I'm a bit disappointed, to say the least. 🙁 Does anyone have any insight into how much the interview is weighted in the admissions process? Any advice/suggestions moving forward? I'm finding this process to be quite the emotional roller coaster :/
 
DSwim said:
Similar experience! I thought that my interview went well, but I found out last week that I was rejected... so I'm a bit disappointed, to say the least. 🙁 Does anyone have any insight into how much the interview is weighted in the admissions process? Any advice/suggestions moving forward? I'm finding this process to be quite the emotional roller coaster :/
Click to expand...

From what I've heard and read, an interview usually means the spot is yours to lose. A typical performance won't significantly boost your app, but a bad performance will be a deal-breaker. An outright rejection after an interview is a sign that it was specifically because of the interview, normally you'd just be waitlisted. Again, that's just the impression I've gotten from reading this site.

Advice - chin up, look ahead. Tape yourself, practice with others, figure out what's wrong with your interviewing. You've made it this far, just gotta make one last push past the finish line. You're never alone on that rollercoaster.
 
I have a similar problem in that I interviewed at some high post interview acceptance rate schools and have been waitlisted/rejected at most.

One possible reason I think I don't receive great scores is because I'm too relaxed. I do somewhat high-stress work and going to the interviews is like a vacation to me, so I'm happy to be at every place and don't really care too much about the interviews. I think the interviewers can sense that and they mark that down or something. Did anyone else have a problem of being too relaxed?
 
DingoPingo said:
I have a similar problem in that I interviewed at some high post interview acceptance rate schools and have been waitlisted/rejected at most.

One possible reason I think I don't receive great scores is because I'm too relaxed. I do somewhat high-stress work and going to the interviews is like a vacation to me, so I'm happy to be at every place and don't really care too much about the interviews. I think the interviewers can sense that and they mark that down or something. Did anyone else have a problem of being too relaxed?
Click to expand...

You being "too relaxed" may be coming across as disinterested, which doesn't bode well for your chances. Keep in mind, they can only go off of your external demeanor as they have no way of knowing what's going on in your head (for now, anyways 😏). I would work on addressing this before it is too late.
 
You're applying as a Canadian right?

Aren't odds more against your favor to begin with?
 
DSwim said:
Similar experience! I thought that my interview went well, but I found out last week that I was rejected... so I'm a bit disappointed, to say the least. 🙁 Does anyone have any insight into how much the interview is weighted in the admissions process? Any advice/suggestions moving forward? I'm finding this process to be quite the emotional roller coaster :/
Click to expand...

DingoPingo said:
I have a similar problem in that I interviewed at some high post interview acceptance rate schools and have been waitlisted/rejected at most.

One possible reason I think I don't receive great scores is because I'm too relaxed. I do somewhat high-stress work and going to the interviews is like a vacation to me, so I'm happy to be at every place and don't really care too much about the interviews. I think the interviewers can sense that and they mark that down or something. Did anyone else have a problem of being too relaxed?
Click to expand...

JB50 said:
@summergirl any progress?
Click to expand...

Hi! Wow i made this thread 4 months ago but it feels like a lifetime has passed. I was extremely scared and defeated when I first posted this and simply couldn't believe that DO school outright rejected me. It made me question my ability to evaluate my own worth. However, obviously I had to carry on and keep trying because it would be idiotic to give up mid-cycle. I got really lucky in my timing because I happened to be needing a job at the time as well, so I sent out a bunch of resumes and went onto literally about 10 job interviews before I had my next medical school interview. I also managed to beat out 12 other candidates over three rounds of interviews for a job, and that gave me a lot of confidence. My life has since changed, on the day that I received my first two medical school acceptances outright on the same day. So, just because you got rejected before doesn't mean there's anything fundamentally wrong with you as a person. Sometimes people mess up in high stress situations like a career defining interview. It's very upsetting when that happens but it does not mean the next one will not be an acceptance. Do whatever you can to get yourself another interview, whether it's this year or next year, then prep for it as if your life depends on it.

My advice:
Don't attempt to be someone you are not during your interview because you won't be able to be anyone else better than you can be yourself. So be yourself, but do play to your strengths. For example, as I have mentioned in my OP, i don't give off a "fun, upbeat, extremely sociable person vibe". I admitted to my interviewer that even though I am not charismatic, I am responsible, authentic, and a what-you-see-is-what-you-get kind of person. And I got accepted to that school. You don't need to be awesome and fabulous to get in, but you need to be relatable and caring. So again, play to your strengths. Ask yourself what makes you a good person, demonstrate that to your interviewers, and then just wait for that acceptance to show up in your inbox.

Good luck!!!
 
Last edited:
summergirl said:
Hi! Wow i made this thread 4 months ago but it feels like a lifetime has passed. I was extremely scared and defeated when I first posted this and simply couldn't believe that DO school outright rejected me. It made me question my ability to evaluate my own worth. However, obviously I had to carry on and keep trying because it would be idiotic to give up mid-cycle. I got really lucky in my timing because I happened to be needing a job at the time as well, so I sent out a bunch of resumes and went onto literally about 10 job interviews before I had my next medical school interview. I also managed to beat out 12 other candidates over three rounds of interviews for a job, and that gave me a lot of confidence. My life has since changed, on the day that I received my first two medical school acceptances outright on the same day. So, just because you got rejected before doesn't mean there's anything fundamentally wrong with you as a person. Sometimes people mess up in high stress situations like a career defining interview. It's very upsetting when that happens but it does not mean the next one will not be an acceptance. Do whatever you can to get yourself another interview, whether it's this year or next year, then prep for it as if your life depends on it.

My advice:
Don't attempt to be someone you are not during your interview because you won't be able to be anyone else better than you can be yourself. So be yourself, but do play to your strengths. For example, as I have mentioned in my OP, i don't give off a "fun, upbeat, extremely sociable person vibe". I admitted to my interviewer that even though I am not charismatic, I am responsible, authentic, and a what-you-see-is-what-you-get kind of person. And I got accepted to that school. You don't need to be awesome and fabulous to get in, but you need to be relatable and caring. So again, play to your strengths. Ask yourself what makes you a good person, demonstrate that to your interviewers, and then just wait for that acceptance to show up in your inbox.

Good luck!!!
Click to expand...
Congratulations! I'm very happy for you and wish you all the best in the future! 🙂
 
summergirl said:
Hi! Wow i made this thread 4 months ago but it feels like a lifetime has passed. I was extremely scared and defeated when I first posted this and simply couldn't believe that DO school outright rejected me. It made me question my ability to evaluate my own worth. However, obviously I had to carry on and keep trying because it would be idiotic to give up mid-cycle. I got really lucky in my timing because I happened to be needing a job at the time as well, so I sent out a bunch of resumes and went onto literally about 10 job interviews before I had my next medical school interview. I also managed to beat out 12 other candidates over three rounds of interviews for a job, and that gave me a lot of confidence. My life has since changed, on the day that I received my first two medical school acceptances outright on the same day. So, just because you got rejected before doesn't mean there's anything fundamentally wrong with you as a person. Sometimes people mess up in high stress situations like a career defining interview. It's very upsetting when that happens but it does not mean the next one will not be an acceptance. Do whatever you can to get yourself another interview, whether it's this year or next year, then prep for it as if your life depends on it.

My advice:
Don't attempt to be someone you are not during your interview because you won't be able to be anyone else better than you can be yourself. So be yourself, but do play to your strengths. For example, as I have mentioned in my OP, i don't give off a "fun, upbeat, extremely sociable person vibe". I admitted to my interviewer that even though I am not charismatic, I am responsible, authentic, and a what-you-see-is-what-you-get kind of person. And I got accepted to that school. You don't need to be awesome and fabulous to get in, but you need to be relatable and caring. So again, play to your strengths. Ask yourself what makes you a good person, demonstrate that to your interviewers, and then just wait for that acceptance to show up in your inbox.

Good luck!!!
Click to expand...
That's f**king right fam. Glad I asked 🙂 Way to go! See you out there.
 
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