do schools really reject overqualified applicants?

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campingisintese

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what do people think about the (unproved) notion of schools rejecting overqualified applicants? Do schools really decline to interview applicants if they don't think that they would actually matriculate?

I'm curious to know other people's thoughts.
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oh yeah, I hear the logic goes something like, "this guy is way too smart, we definately don't want the best possible doctors in our school..."
 
campingisintese said:
what do people think about the (unproved) notion of schools rejecting overqualified applicants? Do schools really decline to interview applicants if they don't think that they would actually matriculate?

I'm curious to know other people's thoughts.
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What do you consider being overqualified?
 
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campingisintese said:
what do people think about the (unproved) notion of schools rejecting overqualified applicants? Do schools really decline to interview applicants if they don't think that they would actually matriculate?

I'm curious to know other people's thoughts.
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No, medical schools do not reject candidates for being "overqualified." They DO reject candidates for being cocky, egotistical, and acting like the school owes them an acceptance just because the school's averages are lower than the applicant's stats are. No matter how high a person's stats are, they do not automatically deserve a medical school seat just because of their stats alone. Applicants should treat every interview they attend like it's at their top choice school in order to maximize their chances of getting accepted.
 
If you are a ridculously overqualified applicant they will reject you for an interview because they know you're using them as a safety school. however, if they grant you an interview, there is no reason they should reject you.
 
I made a thread on pretty much the same topic a little while ago. I was concerned that I might not get into my state school because my MCAT is like 5 points higher than their average, and my GPA is several tenths higher as well (stated in the least conceited way possible). It's one of my only "safety schools" so I was worried that I might not get in there because they thought I wouldn't attend and then not get into my other "competitive" schools because I wasn't qualified.
 
I think it is a slightly ridiculous notion. Regardless of numbers, if you show a genuine interest in the school, there is no reason they would reject you based on presumptions. :p
 
Sorry to burst your bubble, guys, but a particular school in my state has been rejecting my friends pre-interview across the board. They all have interviews at top schools across the country. I really doubt all of their application packages and essays weren't up to the school's standards, particularly considering interviews are granted at this school after review of the AMCAS application only.
 
Yup it is true, I just got rejected from harvard! I guess they figured out that they were my safety school, I mean whats else could it be?;)
 
DenmarkDoctor said:
Yup it is true, I just got rejected from harvard! I guess they figured out that they were my safety school, I mean whats else could it be?;)
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Darn the luck!
 
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DrJen said:
Darn the luck!
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guys, harvard is a really tough school to get into. it's in the ivy league, and it's thought to be a good school besides its name.

so this might not be a case of being overqualified, denmark doc, but i don't know your stats.
 
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DenmarkDoctor said:
3.9 cumm 4.0 science
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where did you graduate from, what was your major?

and harvard accepts kids that dont get interviews from the other top 15 schools. and thats a fact.

unless you taught baby girls in tanzania how to brush their teeth and keep oral hygiene, you're out of luck for harvard.
 
Stolenspatulas said:
where did you graduate from, what was your major?

and harvard accepts kids that dont get interviews from the other top 15 schools. and thats a fact.

unless you taught baby girls in tanzania how to brush their teeth and keep oral hygiene, you're out of luck for harvard.
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UCLA! Psychology major!

Damn, I only built houses in africa for homless families and showed them how to train lions to hunt for them!
 
DenmarkDoctor said:
Damn, I only built houses in africa for homless families and showed them how to train lions to hunt for them!
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you taught them how to use lions for self-genocide? then clearly you're harvard material. must be an overqualified rejection as suspected.
 
Doctor~Detroit said:
guys, harvard is a really tough school to get into. it's in the ivy league, and it's thought to be a good school besides its name.

so this might not be a case of being overqualified, denmark doc, but i don't know your stats.
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I guess the sarcasm was lost on you. :oops:
 
DenmarkDoctor said:
UCLA! Psychology major!

Damn, I only built houses in africa for homless families and showed them how to train lions to hunt for them!
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Nice ugrad school. dont think it would really hurt for admissions, wouldnt likely help though (if you were from yale or jhop or duke i think it would help more --- just looking at raw numbers from places kids get accepted from). But yea, harvard... unless you double majored in French Finance and are the ultimate oboe player in the Northern Hemisphere (which you suitably enjoy on the weekends while working on a chicken farm).... oh harvard....

they dont even really care if you have a 40 4.0 anymore. they want that something thats a little more "unique" that doesnt relate to medicine at all.
 
Stolenspatulas said:
Nice ugrad school. dont think it would really hurt for admissions, wouldnt likely help though (if you were from yale or jhop or duke i think it would help more --- just looking at raw numbers from places kids get accepted from). But yea, harvard... unless you double majored in French Finance and are the ultimate oboe player in the Northern Hemisphere (which you suitably enjoy on the weekends while working on a chicken farm).... oh harvard....

they dont even really care if you have a 40 4.0 anymore. they want that something thats a little more "unique" that doesnt relate to medicine at all.
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Yeah thats definately not me. I need a med school who cares mostly about high stats and relatively "normal" extracuriculars.
 
ive heard of kids doing those RANDOM things ..... just so they can feign originality and get into Harvard. I think they're starting to see through it though. Now going internationally i think is worth less than 5 years ago.

Im also very strong numerically with sort of normal "medically relevant" ECs. too bad they dont care about that as much. harvard has been known to decline 40 4.0s for interviews but somehow accept 33 3.4s with random ECs that are not at all medically relevant.
 
bruinboy310 said:
Does Peace Corps count?
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I think it would, but then again are you willing to go to a far off land, possibly get disease, worms, parasites, just to get into harvard? Not me, i thank them for the rejection. BTW harvard if you change your mind, i was just kidding!
 
Stolenspatulas said:
ive heard of kids doing those RANDOM things ..... just so they can feign originality and get into Harvard. I think they're starting to see through it though. Now going internationally i think is worth less than 5 years ago.

Im also very strong numerically with sort of normal "medically relevant" ECs. too bad they dont care about that as much. harvard has been known to decline 40 4.0s for interviews but somehow accept 33 3.4s with random ECs that are not at all medically relevant.
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Thats "gay". You and me schould be shoe-ins. Oh well. What is you top choice of school?
 
forget harvard. i shouldn't have applied there and i'll be happy to not make another interview decision if they reject me. i don't think much of boston and i don't see what they offer that other top schools don't.
 
*LOL* I love how this thread has left behind all subjects even remotely related to the original topic.

My first choice is a typical "safety" school, so I hope they maintain a policy of weeding out the ones who are treating it as such.
 
DrJen said:
*LOL* I love how this thread has left behind all subjects even remotely related to the original topic.

My first choice is a typical "safety" school, so I hope they maintain a policy of weeding out the ones who are treating it as such.
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The key is whether the school determines from what you say in your app that you have no great interest in the school. If your app smacks of using them as a "safety backup" then they probably will take a pass. For instance, if it's clear that you have incredible credentials and a long history of high end research, a school which is low ranked and/or with very modest research backing is probably not going to see a "good fit". But this kind of rejection tends to happen in people's minds more than reality. Few are overqualified for any med school, and far more get rejected for more down to earth reasons like non-compelling essays.
 
DenmarkDoctor said:
Thats "gay". You and me schould be shoe-ins. Oh well. What is you top choice of school?
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Hopkins. they said they'll inform acceptance/rejection/waitlist anywhere from Oct 25 - Nov 5 for my interview "group." omg it would be a dream.
 
bruinboy310 said:
Only WashingtonU takes people with high stats but NO REAL SOCIAL SKILLS and LIFE OUTSIDE MEDCINE & RESEARCH :laugh:
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but see what if you are very personable and have high stats. wouldnt that be the better doctor... as compared to the kid who is a pianist and has good-to-average stats?
 
There are plenty of examples I'm sure all of us has seen. I think admissions committees are pretty good at testing who has a genuine interest in the school, and who's applying just in case.
 
i don't think the adcom will reject anyone based just on being overqualified. if an applicant is over-qualified-then the adcom would see how interested he/she is, and how well they do in interview. also whether they are a good for the school or not. with that being said....i have read about numerous cases on SDN of "overqualified" applicants- who don't get in.
 
The two kids I know who were rejected from BU this year have a 3.5/39 and a 3.8/41. They have interviews from a couple top 10 schools each. I guess it's possible that their essays rubbed the adcom the wrong way but I think its far more likely that the committee just looked at those numbers and decided that the school was probably a safety (and in these cases they guessed right).

Schools will definetly try to protect their yield. I remember reading a thread a while back about a married couple who was told by a school dean that they were waitlisted because the school could not afford to accept two people who would possibly both not matriculate.
 
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