Does one interview = no red flags?

[Tippyboat]

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Hi guys,

So far I have 1 interview, 1 rejection and 1 hold. I'm really grateful for the interview and love the school, but the other two decisions make me question my app a little bit. Of course, they're both ridiculously selective schools, but since I have an unconventional application, it makes me wonder if there are red flags. (Unconventional meaning not a science major, a different approach from the traditional research/publication route).

So I'm wondering does having at least 1 interview mean there are no red flags in the application? Another thing that makes me apprehensive is that the school that is interviewing me gives out invites without LOR's (although they had it prior to inviting me), so I guess I can't be totally sure about red flags there =/.

 

[Neurocentric]

Hi guys,

So far I have 1 interview, 1 rejection and 1 hold. I'm really grateful for the interview and love the school, but the other two decisions make me question my app a little bit. Of course, they're both ridiculously selective schools, but since I have an unconventional application, it makes me wonder if there are red flags. (Unconventional meaning not a science major, a different approach from the traditional research/publication route).

So I'm wondering does having at least 1 interview mean there are no red flags in the application? Another thing that makes me apprehensive is that the school that is interviewing me gives out invites without LOR's (although they had it prior to inviting me), so I guess I can't be totally sure about red flags there =/.

It doesn't look like there's a red flag to me.

Med schools don't care what major you pick. And from what I've heard here on SDN, unless you're trying for top tier medical schools, research/publication is not paramount to getting an acceptance. Sure, it's nice, but if research is really not your cup of tea, don't do it.

It's still early, honestly. Depending on how many schools you applied to, three actual responses (whether it's a rejection, hold, or interview) really doesn't mean a thing.

 

[GoSpursGo]

Different schools have different things that would qualify as "red flags" but I think it is far more likely that the reason you were rejected/placed on hold was because they were ridiculously selective schools, not because you were a non-science major/non-research doer. Surely that school has plenty of both in their classes.

You're over analyzing. Relax, it's still early 🙂

 

[Tippyboat]

EDIT: Actually my question is answered already. Thanks everyone <3

 

[45408]

WTF? It's July! Patience, patience.

 

[venacontracta]

Stop trying to draw conclusions in mid to late July with n = 3.

 

[lmarina1]

.

 

[Sesom]

What school gives out interview invites without looking at LORs? And if there was really a red flag, you would have three rejections.

University of Utah sends out invites to all in state applicants. Provided they have the GPA of course.

 

[chrisoc13]

University of Utah sends out invites to all in state applicants. Provided they have the GPA of course.

Interview invites? False. My friend last year was an in state resident with a 3.7 gpa and 38 mcat no interview at Utah. So I am pretty sure they don't invite all in state.

 

[gravitywave]

What school gives out interview invites without looking at LORs? And if there was really a red flag, you would have three rejections.

Vanderbilt does. They screen very aggressively for secondaries, but if you get one, it comes with an interview invite. They don't consider LORs until after the interview, when your file is complete.

 

[mmmcdowe]

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Quoted a few times for truth.

 

[EpicBearMan]

What school gives out interview invites without looking at LORs? And if there was really a red flag, you would have three rejections.

Ohio State University does.

 

[Longshanks]

Stop trying to draw conclusions in mid to late July with n = 3.

this

 

[QuizzicalApe]

Tippyboat, that you are worrying about this now makes me assume ridiculous things about your stress level and personality. Here's hoping you aren't some kind of obsessive subhuman!

 

[slowbutsteady]

In fairness to tippy, there is no timetable for anxiety in the app process.

If posters do their jobs, SDN can provide a much-needed reality check for silly worries and can allow a person to move on (until the next silly worry takes hold).

Anxiety is rarely rational, but it can still mess you up.

 

[Sammich117]

Quoted a few times for truth.

It's true - it's actually really good to have heard back from 3 places already. The vast majority of applicants most likely don't even have their applications in.

Good luck!

 

[NickNaylor]

I'm not even complete at any schools. I think you're just fine.

 

[Tippyboat]

Haha thanks guys. I guess I sucked at writing the post or something. I know it's waaaaay early and I'm not anxious about hearing from the rest of the schools. But since I have a dozen secondaries left, I thought that knowing about some gaps in my application early would give me the opportunity to do something about it. But I see that it's hard to tell in any case, thanks for the reality check.

And it seems like schools are doing stuff way early this year across the board, compared to the timelines on the previous year's threads.

 

[Ischemic]

Yeah, you suck boy. By this time I had gotten 20 interviews and 15 acceptances including HMS ... Personally, I'd go caribbean with your track record. 1 interview? Psh, garbage.

 

[Sesom]

Interview invites? False. My friend last year was an in state resident with a 3.7 gpa and 38 mcat no interview at Utah. So I am pretty sure they don't invite all in state.

Fact. They claim they interview all in state residents with greater then 3.5 gpa. You say you are "pretty sure" which translates to "not quite sure" you also say "False". What do you really know?

 

[chrisoc13]

Fact. They claim they interview all in state residents with greater then 3.5 gpa. You say you are "pretty sure" which translates to "not quite sure" you also say "False". What do you really know?

I know one of my best friends was an in state applicant who had a 3.7 and a 38 and was not even offered an interview. That is what I know. I said "pretty sure" because I was being sarcastic. Since I personally know someone who was not offered an interview with above what you mentioned I am 100% positive you are wrong. My brother in law was also an in state applicant 6 years ago with a 3.8 and a 32 and he also was not even granted an interview. You are misinformed.

 

[Sesom]

I know one of my best friends was an in state applicant who had a 3.7 and a 38 and was not even offered an interview. That is what I know. I said &quot;pretty sure&quot; because I was being sarcastic. Since I personally know someone who was not offered an interview with above what you mentioned I am 100% positive you are wrong. My brother in law was also an in state applicant 6 years ago with a 3.8 and a 32 and he also was not even granted an interview. You are misinformed.

Maybe I am, maybe I'm not. Although I'm willing to bet my preprofessional advisor is more reliable then your friend. Especially when it comes to the advisor's particular school. To elaborate on what I said, you need the minimum requirements to get an interview, minimum 6 lor, minimum 8 hrs shadowing etc. . There are 8 catagories where you simply need to get the minimum requirments. You get those minimum requirements and you get an interview regardless of how crappy an applicant you may be.

 

[chrisoc13]

Maybe I am, maybe I'm not. Although I'm willing to bet my preprofessional advisor is more reliable then your friend. Especially when it comes to the advisor's particular school. To elaborate on what I said, you need the minimum requirements to get an interview, minimum 6 lor, minimum 8 hrs shadowing etc. . There are 8 catagories where you simply need to get the minimum requirments. You get those minimum requirements and you get an interview regardless of how crappy an applicant you may be.

Well your first post merely said GPA so this is a change from your original tune. The U does have a ridiculous amount of stated requirements for the quality of school they are (meaning better schools demand far less.) I mean six letters of recommendation, how more ridiculous can you get? It's a bit pompous really. My friend and brother in law may not have had everything in every category, that I do not know. I don't know the specifics of their applications only their GPA and MCAT. I do know they were both not given an interview and one is now in residency in the east and the other is about to attend medical school on the east coast. I'm applying to the U only because my father graduated from there but unless they double count two of my letters (which when I called them they said they could-for example my research mentor was also one of my science professors) I'll just look elsewhere and wast a hundred bucks haha.