Does it hurt to be overqualified?

[NP545]

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I live in NJ and plan to apply to MD schools around my area.
I have a 3.81 sGPA, 3.82 cGPA, and a 35 MCAT. I also have good LORs and ECs.

I plan to apply to Drexel as my backup most likely, but I hear that they get tons of apps. Do you think my stats would overqualify me and not have them accept me because they think I wouldn't accept? I am a horrible interviewer and will probably be ruled out of my other schools, so I am hoping Drexel would not overlook me...


Do you think I will get screened out or would they still extend me the invite if everything goes well?

 

[Person0715]

I live in NJ and plan to apply to MD schools around my area.
I have a 3.81 sGPA, 3.82 cGPA, and a 35 MCAT. I also have good LORs and ECs.

I plan to apply to Drexel as my backup most likely, but I hear that they get tons of apps. Do you think my stats would overqualify me and not have them accept me because they think I wouldn't accept? I am a horrible interviewer and will probably be ruled out of my other schools, so I am hoping Drexel would not overlook me...


Do you think I will get screened out or would they still extend me the invite if everything goes well?

Even if you did happen to get an interview at Drexel, is there some reason your horrible interview skills won't apply to Drexel?

I think you will get screened out unless you make it clear in your app that you have a compelling reason to be at Drexel specifically.

 

[mehc012]

I live in NJ and plan to apply to MD schools around my area.
I have a 3.81 sGPA, 3.82 cGPA, and a 35 MCAT. I also have good LORs and ECs.

I plan to apply to Drexel as my backup most likely, but I hear that they get tons of apps. Do you think my stats would overqualify me and not have them accept me because they think I wouldn't accept? I am a horrible interviewer and will probably be ruled out of my other schools, so I am hoping Drexel would not overlook me...


Do you think I will get screened out or would they still extend me the invite if everything goes well?

Why not just work on interview skills?
I would start with never using the word 'overqualified' again, ever. There's just not a situation where that sounds good.

 

[Lamel]

You should also apply to the Rutgers med schools as safer choices if you are from NJ. Either way, bad interviews will kill you. Practice them.

 

[lnvictus]

Yeah seriously, instead of worrying about schools that you may be statistically overqualified for, why don't you work on interview skills to get into your dream schools.

 

[QuentinT88]

I wouldn't really consider yourself overqualified for any school. Apply broadly and work on your interviewing/soft skills. Even with your stats, getting into med school is not guaranteed.

 

[ThisCouldBeYou]

I think it's how you frame your answers in their secondaries. Don't start off by saying or implying you're overqualified. Instead, focus on why Drexel is a good school for you. (BTW, I think those apps don't make you seem too overqualified anyway. It's not like you've got a 3.99/41 MCAT. Thank's over qualified.

 

[mrh125]

Does it hurt to be overqualified?

Does it hurt to be Bill Gates?

 

[QofQuimica]

I applied to med school with a 43 MCAT and a 4.0 GPA for my PhD. By your logic, I should have been "overqualified" for every med school in the country. Obviously, that's nonsense. I applied to, interviewed at, and was accepted to a range of schools, including my state schools. On the other hand, there was a method to the schools that I chose to apply to, and I was able to articulate why I chose each school to them. If you can't do that, then like the others have already said, you really need to work on your interviewing skills, and you probably need to improve on your app strategy as well.

First, make sure you read up on each school you apply to. Use the MSAR to help you choose an appropriate list of potential schools. To further narrow down your list, go over the info on their websites and read the interview feedback section on SDN. Eliminate any schools that do not take residents of your state, whose missions do not jive with your career goals, or that otherwise are not a good fit for you.

Second, do some mock interviews. If you're still in college, your career center may provide this service for you. Otherwise, try asking someone who has experience with interviewing job candidates and does not know you well to mock interview you. Unlike most grad schools, attrition in medical school is very low; nearly everyone who starts med school ends up becoming a practicing physician some day. For this reason, a med school interview is very similar to a job interview in the sense that the adcom is selecting you to be a future colleague.

Finally, as a few people have already suggested, you should avoid the mindset that you are "overqualified" for any med school. You aren't. There is a lot more to making a good physician than achieving a high GPA and MCAT score. In particular, a strong work ethic, a streak of altruism, and good moral character are important qualities for physicians to possess. If you don't have those other attributes, then even if you had perfect stats, you would in fact be unqualified for medical school.

 

[TheWeeIceMan]

I would think that yield protecting is a lot less common among medical schools.

 

[darkjedi]

What exactly is wrong with your interview skills? There are many things that can improve with mere practice.

 

[gettheleadout]

What exactly is wrong with your interview skills? There are many things that can improve with mere practice.

This brought to mind a student I met once who was a stutterer. Given that stuttering is a speech disorder and not reflective of any particular social ineptitude or deficiency in intelligence, I wonder how this is perceived and/or accommodated in evaluating interviewees who stutter.

 

[allantois]

You are well-qualified, not over-qualified

 

[LanaPeters]

Does it hurt that I'm so perfect?

 

[ThisCouldBeYou]

This brought to mind a student I met once who was a stutterer. Given that stuttering is a speech disorder and not reflective of any particular social ineptitude or deficiency in intelligence, I wonder how this is perceived and/or accommodated in evaluating interviewees who stutter.

BTW, if you stutter, there are two times when that doesn't show up. When you sing and when you talk to animals. So if you stutter, think of the interviewer as if he/she's a dog or a cat. Or just break into song!

 

[jacksonlikesturtles]

This brought to mind a student I met once who was a stutterer. Given that stuttering is a speech disorder and not reflective of any particular social ineptitude or deficiency in intelligence, I wonder how this is perceived and/or accommodated in evaluating interviewees who stutter.

I'm a stutterer, not horribly, but once every few sentences. I definitely stuttered during the three interviews I've had but managed to get accepted by all three, albeit one was off the wait list.

 

[NickNaylor]

I think the points Q brings up are most important. You are not "overqualified" - with all due respect, your stats aren't that impressive and certainly don't fall in the "overqualified" category. No matter what your numbers are, you won't get accepted if you can't manage to act somewhat normal for a 30 minute interview or if you're unable to articulate why school X specifically can help you achieve your goals - whatever they may be. That point is doubly true if they receive a lot of applications; it's the students who make a compelling case for why a particular school is of interest to them that are likely to have the most success.

It's not all about numbers. What you and many other applicants fail to understand is that there are likely a couple hundred applicants with numbers very similar to yours and a couple hundred more with numbers better than yours that will be applying to every school you apply to. Finding applicants with competitive numbers is not the issue. Finding applicants which fit the mission of the school and which will be a valuable addition to the school's community becomes important. What that means will vary from school to school.

 

[Psai]

A 3.8 and a 35 is not overqualified for any school in the country. There are plenty of people at every medical school that have those stats and better. Do you think schools will look at your app and say "Well he's above our average for mcat/gpa and we sure don't want anyone succeeding at our school. Let's reject this candidate." If you're applying as a backup they will probably notice it in your secondary or your interview which is something that happened to me. Also, you are an interviewee, not an interviewer.

 

[claduva94]

Also check if your school funds Interviewstream. They are a webcam based interview website that lets you watch your answers and practice and as much as you want. It also has an enormous databank of questions relevant to any field you may be applying to.

 

[moop]

BTW, if you stutter, there are two times when that doesn't show up. When you sing and when you talk to animals. So if you stutter, think of the interviewer as if he/she's a dog or a cat. Or just break into song!

That's not true. I stutter (not extensively, but noticeably in conversations >10 minutes), and also while talking to animals.

 

[aspirantmed]

A 3.8 and a 35 is not overqualified for any school in the country. There are plenty of people at every medical school that have those stats and better. Do you think schools will look at your app and say "Well he's above our average for mcat/gpa and we sure don't want anyone succeeding at our school. Let's reject this candidate." If you're applying as a backup they will probably notice it in your secondary or your interview which is something that happened to me. Also, you are an interviewee, not an interviewer.

This. In my opinion, this is one of the main reasons that people don't get interviews or acceptances at their backup schools. You have to communicate a genuine interest and explain in your secondary essays why a particular school is the best fit for you and what you will contribute to its class. If you assume that your numbers will fast-track you towards an acceptance, it's the easiest way to play yourself out of consideration.

The other thing is that a lot of schools that people frequently consider "backups" are those that receive 8,000-10,000+ applications per year. With so many applications, it's understandable that not even all the highly qualified applicants will receive an interview, so it's a bit of a crapshoot there.

 

[el_duderino]

I live in NJ and plan to apply to MD schools around my area.
I have a 3.81 sGPA, 3.82 cGPA, and a 35 MCAT. I also have good LORs and ECs.

I plan to apply to Drexel as my backup most likely, but I hear that they get tons of apps. Do you think my stats would overqualify me and not have them accept me because they think I wouldn't accept? I am a horrible interviewer and will probably be ruled out of my other schools, so I am hoping Drexel would not overlook me...


Do you think I will get screened out or would they still extend me the invite if everything goes well?

Your stats place you in the top 10-25% of most low-tier schools.

Which means that, even with your stats, there will be a significant number of students with stats better than yours no matter where you go.

Overqualified? Seriously? 90th-percentile MCAT and 80th-percentile GPA with "good LORs and ECs" doesn't make you overqualified for anything.

"Overqualified" at Drexel might be a 4.0 PhD with a 41 MCAT who has multiple first-author publications, thousands of clinical hours, and is the director of a charity with a six-figure budget.

 

[mrh125]

You are well-qualified, not over-qualified

you mean under-qualified because this is sdn.

 

[moop]

you mean under-qualified because this is sdn.

Nah bro even for SDN, OP is exceedingly average, but certainly not under-qualified based on my impressions. (Obviously, impressions depend on which threads one actually clicks and reads I guess haha)

 

[Goro]

Some schools feel that investing time and effort for candidates with particular numbers isn't worth the effort they see on their return. I suggest trying Loyola as a safety, and, quite honestly, RowanCOM. Plus the NJ state schools.

I live in NJ and plan to apply to MD schools around my area.
I have a 3.81 sGPA, 3.82 cGPA, and a 35 MCAT. I also have good LORs and ECs.

I plan to apply to Drexel as my backup most likely, but I hear that they get tons of apps. Do you think my stats would overqualify me and not have them accept me because they think I wouldn't accept? I am a horrible interviewer and will probably be ruled out of my other schools, so I am hoping Drexel would not overlook me...


Do you think I will get screened out or would they still extend me the invite if everything goes well?

 

[DermViser]

I live in NJ and plan to apply to MD schools around my area.
I have a 3.81 sGPA, 3.82 cGPA, and a 35 MCAT. I also have good LORs and ECs.

I plan to apply to Drexel as my backup most likely, but I hear that they get tons of apps. Do you think my stats would overqualify me and not have them accept me because they think I wouldn't accept? I am a horrible interviewer and will probably be ruled out of my other schools, so I am hoping Drexel would not overlook me...


Do you think I will get screened out or would they still extend me the invite if everything goes well?

If you're applying to medical school in the United States you are never overqualified.

 

[DermViser]

I think the points Q brings up are most important. You are not "overqualified" - with all due respect, your stats aren't that impressive and certainly don't fall in the "overqualified" category. No matter what your numbers are, you won't get accepted if you can't manage to act somewhat normal for a 30 minute interview or if you're unable to articulate why school X specifically can help you achieve your goals - whatever they may be. That point is doubly true if they receive a lot of applications; it's the students who make a compelling case for why a particular school is of interest to them that are likely to have the most success.

It's not all about numbers. What you and many other applicants fail to understand is that there are likely a couple hundred applicants with numbers very similar to yours and a couple hundred more with numbers better than yours that will be applying to every school you apply to. Finding applicants with competitive numbers is not the issue. Finding applicants which fit the mission of the school and which will be a valuable addition to the school's community becomes important. What that means will vary from school to school.

This.
Right now, medical school is a seller's market (hence all these new MD and DO schools popping up bc they realize the demand). Until this somehow were to change, you are not overqualified for med school even with a 4.0 GPA and 40+ MCAT.

 

[chillaxbro]

lol he thinks hes overqualified

 

[Psai]

you mean under-qualified because this is sdn.

Nah those are good stats, it's just funny that he thinks he's something special.

 

[Mad Jack]

It hurts me to read that you think you are overqualified.

 

[Mr Roboto]

Dude, why are you even thinking about applying to non-Ivy schools?

You're overqualified for everywhere else, unlike us mortals who have to slum it by going wherever we get in.

I live in NJ and plan to apply to MD schools around my area.
I have a 3.81 sGPA, 3.82 cGPA, and a 35 MCAT. I also have good LORs and ECs.

I plan to apply to Drexel as my backup most likely, but I hear that they get tons of apps. Do you think my stats would overqualify me and not have them accept me because they think I wouldn't accept? I am a horrible interviewer and will probably be ruled out of my other schools, so I am hoping Drexel would not overlook me...


Do you think I will get screened out or would they still extend me the invite if everything goes well?

 

[BrCo]

Lol at overqualified. I have similar stats and consider myself far from "overqualified". Arrogance can be deadly in this game.