Encouragement from interviewers

[qwerty123]

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How often do you find interviewers saying things along the lines of "You'll be a good fit for our school" or "I hope to see you here next year"? I have had a couple of interviewers say this to me (the assistant dean of admissions and faculty interviewers) at a couple of schools. I know we shouldn't get our hopes up but I'm just curious to see whether or not they say this to a large majority of the applicants.

 

[medstylee]

i had an interviewer tell me something along those lines (sounded really promising at the time) but i just was waitlisted. so, i'd take it with a grain of salt. although, coming from someone with as much clout as the dean of admissions, that has to be a good thing. good luck with everything.

 

[Overeducated]

I've had interviewers tell me I was a "strong candidate" at 2 schools... one i got an acceptance at, the other was just this past week so I'll have to wait and see...

Bottom line: I wouldn't assume anything but it's certainly not a bad sign if your interviewer says something of that nature.

good luck

 

[BaylorGuy]

I think its a bunch of crap...i had an interviewer tell me "you have my blessings...i think you'll be good here"

haven't heard from them since

 

[RustNeverSleeps]

How often do you find interviewers saying things along the lines of "You'll be a good fit for our school" or "I hope to see you here next year"? I have had a couple of interviewers say this to me (the assistant dean of admissions and faculty interviewers) at a couple of schools. I know we shouldn't get our hopes up but I'm just curious to see whether or not they say this to a large majority of the applicants.

I'd take it as your interviewer saying something nice about you -- and no more. First, you don't know for sure that the compliment is genuine -- maybe the interviewer says that to all applicants, or at least all the applicants he likes. Second, even if the comment is genuine, the interviewer has limited influence. He rates and reports on your interview, but the decision on whom to admit generally falls to the admissions committee. Many interviewers (even faculty interviewers) are not on the committee, and even if yours is on the committee, he only represents one vote.

Given all this, I would take your interviewer's kind words with a grain of salt. Maybe you will be accepted at those schools - great! However, for the reasons I mentioned above, your interviewer's comments may not necessarily indicate an impending acceptance. I don't know about you, but I would rather be pleasantly surprised at being accepted than sorely disappointed at being waitlisted or worse.

That being said, good luck! 😀

 

[BasesofHumanity]

I was told similar comments by my interviewers at three schools. I've been waitlisted at one school and the other two are "sending me letters" that I have not got, but I feel they are rejections; however, won't know for sure until I actually get the letters. I agree with the concept that the interviewers have limited control and vote in getting you accepted. Making a good impression on them will help you to a certain degree, but I think making a bad impression can hurt you more.

 

[RustNeverSleeps]

I was told similar comments by my interviewers at three schools. I've been waitlisted at one school and the other two are "sending me letters" that I have not got, but I feel they are rejections; however, won't know for sure until I actually get the letters. I agree with the concept that the interviewers have limited control and vote in getting you accepted. Making a good impression on them will help you to a certain degree, but I think making a bad impression can hurt you more.

Very well put, Bases. I think you hit the nail on the head.

 

[tacrum43]

I was told similar comments by my interviewers at three schools. I've been waitlisted at one school and the other two are "sending me letters" that I have not got, but I feel they are rejections; however, won't know for sure until I actually get the letters. I agree with the concept that the interviewers have limited control and vote in getting you accepted. Making a good impression on them will help you to a certain degree, but I think making a bad impression can hurt you more.

It seems like it's that way with everything. Your GPA, MCAT and now this. "Doing well doesn't guarantee anything, but it can certainly hurt you if you don't do well."

 

[MD2b06]

When I went thru this process 4 years ago, I had the Dean of Admissions at a particular med school tell me that she would do everything in her power to make sure that I'm at her school next year. Now this wasn't some professor telling me this, it's the Dean of Admissions, someone w/ significant clout. That, coupled with the fact that I was in the first interview group made me think I was golden. Six weeks later, I get a waitlist from this school. Never got off the list either. Bottom line, until you actually have an acceptance in hand, take everything you hear with a grain of salt. BS runs rampant in this process.

 

[Iwy Em Hotep]

After getting grilled at UW for a half hour, one of the three interviewers asked me: "If we offered you a position today, would you accept it?"

My unequivocal yes probably helped my acceptance. 🙂

 

[TheMightyAngus]

I received an unequivocal "You will get in" response from one interviewer 10 min into the interview and also from an email directly from the same person. But I won't hear back until March to see if this works out.

Mulling over this, I've come to the conclusion that pleasantries like "You'll be a good fit here," "I hope to see you next year," "You're a great applicant, you'll do fine," and the like, are just flatteries that carry little weight. They are encryptic and do not necessarily mean "you will get accepted to this medical school."

Unequivocal statements are more likely to get the interviewer in trouble if he/she doesn't follow through on his/her word.

 

[RustNeverSleeps]

I received an unequivocal "You will get in" response from one interviewer 10 min into the interview and also from an email directly from the same person. But I won't hear back until March to see if this works out.

Mulling over this, I've come to the conclusion that pleasantries like "You'll be a good fit here," "I hope to see you next year," "You're a great applicant, you'll do fine," and the like, are just flatteries that carry little weight. They are encryptic and do not necessarily mean "you will get accepted to this medical school."

Unequivocal statements are more likely to get the interviewer in trouble if he/she doesn't follow through on his/her word.

I don't know...I still wouldn't count on that acceptance. To me, "you will get in" implies that the interviewer thinks that you are a very strong candidate. Thus, if you are a very strong candidate, you probably do have a good chance of admission. However, the interviewer cannot force your acceptance. He or she has at most 1, and quite possibly 0, votes on the admissions committee. That is why interviewers are not supposed to make remarks like the one yours did. It's not like if the committee votes not to admit you, your interviewer can say "But I promised him he would get in!" and they would reverse their decision.

Another thing -- you mentioned that you won't hear one way or the other until March. I may be over-assuming here, but most non-rolling schools are the top places. At the "elite" places such as these, there are many impressive candidates, which can lead to a relatively high number of inappropriate comments such as the one you received. This may be yet another reason to take the comment with a grain of salt. (Also, your interviewer might not even remember making the comment months down the road -- they meet lots of students.)

I hope I didn't appear overly harsh. You very well may get admitted to this school. 😛 It just really bothers me when interviewers make these statements. It hurts everyone -- the people who hear these may have have false hopes or unrealistic expectations of their admission. In addition, applicants who have proper interviewers may feel that their chances aren't as good because they didn't hear something like, "I hope I see you here next year."

 

[MoosePilot]

I've heard that at two interviews. I didn't hear that from either of my interviewers at a third interview, to which I am now accepted. Totally anectdotal and I wish I knew what, if anything, it meant, but I suspect it means nothing.

Medical schools want ultimate choice. If you pick them, then they can pick you or not. If you don't pick them, they don't have a choice. So they want you to pick them.

 

[qwerty123]

Thanks guys for all the insight. Even though I know I shouldn't count on an acceptance because of the things that the interviewers say, but it's hard not to have a tiny ray of hope. 😳