do applicants really get waitlisted because schools think they will go elsewhere?

[futuredrswife]

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i don't see how this is possible if schools are using numbered ranking systems. do they subtract points if you are really competitive? do they add points if you are a so-so candidate or have family in the area? i've heard a lot of people mentioning this as a consolation, but i'm having trouble buying it - which makes me wonder if writing letters of intent are worth anything. do they add "this person will attend" points?

 

[vigils]

No, they waitlist you is they think you're less competitive or not a perfect fit for their school. Its quite simple, don't make it more confusion then it is.

 

[hale-bopp]

"not a good fit for the school" can mean "we don't think you're actually going to come here, because you will probably get into a better school with an average GPA/MCAT closer to yours, but we'll waitlist you, in case that doesn't work out"
I have been told by my premed advisor that some schools will not even offer interviews to many "low yield" (i.e. high GPA high MCAT) applicants. It makes sense if you think about it, because they only have so many interview slots, why waste them on people who are very unlikely to actually attend the school?

 

[acab]

I agree with hale-bopp.

 

[Jalby]

Yup. Georgetown, in particular, waitlists almost everybody and only people who write letters of intent get in. They do this so their stats look better in that they give the fewest amount of offers possible.

 

[Sweet Tea]

Originally posted by hale-bopp
"not a good fit for the school" can mean "we don't think you're actually going to come here, because you will probably get into a better school with an average GPA/MCAT closer to yours, but we'll waitlist you, in case that doesn't work out"
I have been told by my premed advisor that some schools will not even offer interviews to many "low yield" (i.e. high GPA high MCAT) applicants. It makes sense if you think about it, because they only have so many interview slots, why waste them on people who are very unlikely to actually attend the school?

Yup...my school has been known to reject people with higher MCATs/GPAs if its clear that they're applying as a "fall back school". Honestly, I don't see anything wrong with this...if you've worked very hard for really high MCATs/GPA b/c you want to go into research, then my school is not going to be a good fit for you because primary care is very highly stressed (which is exactly why my school is great for me). However, we do have plenty of people who have high GPAs and MCATs but were able to demonstrate that they were really interested in primary care. They just don't want to waste an acceptance on someone who would rather be at another school and give it to an applicant who really does match the school's goals.

 

[futuredrswife]

that stinks for applicants who have good stats but don't care about going to a top tier school. i guess that's what letters of intent are for.

 

[Fritz]

That's why I got on the "intermediate" list at Buffalo. I am an out of stater and they felt that I was not going to go there any way, so they put me on the intermediate list. I got interviews to other places though, but it still bothers me that they put me on "intermediate" list, because, believe it or not, I wanted to move back east with my family, b/c we have family in the area. And I don't really care if I get into "brand name" place, or some other medical school, as long as I get to go to medical school, and hopefully not have to spend 300K for the 4 years.
Honestly, between going to JH and getting out of school with 300K in debt and going to Buffalo and getting out of there with only 120K in debt, I would rather go to Buffalo. I don't want to match in Derm or Ophto, or some other high paying/hard to get into specialty. I only want to be a family practice or an internal medicine doctor. Maybe I am crazy.

 

[Sweet Tea]

Originally posted by futuredrswife
that stinks for applicants who have good stats but don't care about going to a top tier school. i guess that's what letters of intent are for.

Hmmm...I should have phrased my response better. Say there are 2 applicants, Susie and Sally. Both went to UNC and majored in biology. Both took the same classes and both have a 3.8 GPA and a 32 MCAT. They're great applicants. But say Susie has done research on cell signaling and is being listed as a co-author on a paper. She loves her research and wants to continue it in medical school. Sally has volunteered in homeless shelters, has shadowed a physician in rural NC, and has works with the local rescue squad. Although they're both outstanding candidates, Susie would probably not get into my school because she simply doesn't mesh well with the school's goals of training primary care physicians for NC. It's not so much that the ADCOM is turning down people JUST because they have high scores, it's that they're more concerned with finding applicants who would mesh well with the school's goals. They'd rather take someone with a lower GPA who really wants to be at ECU than someone with a higher GPA who would rather be at a more research-driven school.

 

[Sweet Tea]

Originally posted by Fritz
That's why I got on the "intermediate" list at Buffalo. I am an out of stater and they felt that I was not going to go there any way, so they put me on the intermediate list. I got interviews to other places though, but it still bothers me that they put me on "intermediate" list, because, believe it or not, I wanted to move back east with my family, b/c we have family in the area. And I don't really care if I get into "brand name" place, or some other medical school, as long as I get to go to medical school, and hopefully not have to spend 300K for the 4 years.
Honestly, between going to JH and getting out of school with 300K in debt and going to Buffalo and getting out of there with only 120K in debt, I would rather go to Buffalo. I don't want to match in Derm or Ophto, or some other high paying/hard to get into specialty. I only want to be a family practice or an internal medicine doctor. Maybe I am crazy.

If Buffalo is your first choice, then by all means tell them that, and tell them why.

 

[LP1CW]

I find this whole process to be upsetting. I've gotten interviews at good schools and I just got rejected without an interview from a school that I exceed their averages by a fair amount. I know it's not about numbers but I have their MCAT beat by about 5 points and GPA by about 0.4 points. Two years of research, lab assistant. Volunteer work, athletics. I thought I'd get an interview.
😱 😱

My safety schools aren't safe for me!!!! I'm feeling discouraged. 🙁 🙁 🙁 🙁

 

[exmike]

Originally posted by LP1CW

My safety schools aren't safe for me!!!! I'm feeling discouraged. 🙁 🙁 🙁 🙁

I think thats one thing about this process we all eventually have to come to grips with, unfortunately

 

[doc05]

the situation you described happens quite often. Not only that, but outright rejection may occur. If you reallllllllllllllllllllllllyyyy want to attend a particular school, you should probably let them know. this doesn't always work, but may be worth a shot.

 

[bufer1]

Originally posted by Sweet Tea
If Buffalo is your first choice, then by all means tell them that, and tell them why.

same situation for me... i have numbers high above buffalo's average with a great interview and was waitlisted with what the admssions officer there (jim rosso) called... the "high intermediate" list. apparently their standards are higher than i had anticipated. as for follow up action to get off the waitlist there, mr. rosso told me that the list is ranked as a total numerical score of the committee members- and any letters of intent, additional grades, or bribes of any kind would have absolutely NO bearing on changing that numberical score. your pretty helpless after the committee has met on your application there, your "scoring" in immutable. it may be different at other schools but this is what buffalo does.

 

[Fritz]

I think Buffalo is missing a lot by placing us on intermediate list. Maybe WE should send them a rejection letter.
The averages speak for themselves : gpa 3.55, MCAT BS 11, PS 11 and VR 10.
So it is really not as competitive as Wash U for example when it comes to numbers. Anyway, when I talked to them it seemed clear that the reason I was placed on intermediate list was because of the fact that I was not from the state and I have numbers that indicated to them that I would be more likely to go somewhere else.

Good luck everyone.

 

[Tezzie]

Yes SOME schools may do that. Are there other reasons why people with high stats get declined from schools that have avgs lower than applicants? Of course!

There are many reasons why a school decides to decline/waitlist someone. It's not just high stats.