File Reviews

[withoutane]

I thought a thread discussing the topic of file reviews might be beneficial to SDN members (like myself) who might have questions. I've been waitlisted at two schools and still haven't heard back from one of my schools but I've started thinking about doing file reviews. I've come up with a list of questions:

1. Will your IS school do file reviews over the phone or do you have to go to the school? Is there such thing as a written file review?

2. Will schools do file reviews if you're on their waitlist? I feel like I need to start improving my application now so I can get an acceptance from those schools next year. If they won't do a file review until after their school year starts and I'm definitely not going to get called off the waitlist then I will only have a month to a week to improve certain specific critiques they may have about my file before turning in my VMCAS in October - impossible!

3. Do schools have a standardized date they will start offering file reviews? I couldn't find any information on the school websites I looked at but perhaps I'm just missing something.

4. Any suggestions on how to get through a file review with your dignity intact and without falling into a deep depression?

5. How do you schedule a file review? Email? Phone call?

6. How long does a file review meeting usually last?

7. How long does it take for the schools to prepare a file review?

8. Do file reviews cost money?

9. Who usually does the file review? An interviewer, a member of the admissions office, etc?

10. How late in the summer do schools offer file reviews? Do they have a cut-off date when they'll no longer offer file reviews?

Thank you guys! Can anyone think of any other questions or areas of confusion I didn't cover? SDN is a great resource for answers to these types of questions!

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[LetItSnow]

I've come up with a list of questions:

I can only pass on my experience with my IS school (UMN). I'll leave out the questions where I just plain have nothing useful.

1. I did mine in person. Met with the director of admissions.
2.
3. I did mine last year in March, well before they were done finalizing admissions.
4. I think you'll be surprised at how refreshing it feels, because you're taking action. You were wait-listed, so you already know you're a good candidate.
5. I called the school and asked to set up a meeting and asked them who the appropriate person to meet with would be.
6. Mine went 45 minutes or so.
7.
8. I did not pay.
9. At UMN, the director of admissions.
10.

I think the process is probably less formal than your questions make it sound like you think it might be? (Ok, that was crap wording, but....)

I never used the words 'file review' when I did it. I just called up and said "Hey, I didn't get in and I'd like to meet with someone to talk about what I could do to improve my chances."

It was totally informal. Just met with the director in her office. I brought along a notepad and took extensive notes. She went through my application top to bottom, critiquing along the way (positive and negative). She would not talk about specifics from the LORs (no surprise since I left them confidential), but she did go so far as to note one in particular and said "you should definitely use this person again." She was very thorough and commented on everything from big-picture stuff down to nit-picky grammar.

After she was done, I read back to her the top 6 or so things I heard her saying were important, just to make sure I understood correctly.

Then I went home and prioritized the list into 'what can I do in the next 7 months' and 'most bang for buck'. It felt great because at that point I had a plan and I had some degree of confidence in it since it specifically addressed the points identified as weak by the people who rejected my app (as opposed to generic advise - however well-intentioned - from friends, family, vets, SDNers, etc.).

Hope that helps.

 

[libster06]

I can only speak for my experience with Miss. State (OOS for me)

1. They did it through an email. It was pretty short and informal. I may have been able to get more info had I pursued something more, but I had already been accepted elsewhere, so I was just looking surfacely at my rejection.

2. They will do file reviews after they have accepted everyone into the incoming class. I would wait until at least late April/early May of this year to contact them about file reviews, because they generally don't like to be bothered with that stuff until after the whole admissions process is done. You will likely get better feedback waiting till later.

3. ^^^ There is not a date, and you can contact them about one at any time, but they will probably email you back and say contact us on X date when we're done with the admissions cycle for the current year.

5. I simply emailed the admissions director and asked who was in charge of file reviews, then I emailed them about the review.

7. It doesn't take but a day or so. They just look at the comments in your file and go from there.

8. I'm 99% sure they don't.... that'd be a great way to kick someone while theyre down...

9. I don't remember exactly. It wasn't the admissions director, but I think it may have been the associate dean or dean of students for the vet school. It was a man.

10. I don't know. I had mine done in the beginning of May, but I'm sure you would be able to get a review at least until October?


File reviews, from what I understand, aren't really a rule-guided, formal systematic process. It's simply an extra help given to future students, so I don't think you're going to find a ton of do's, don'ts, timelines or rules that go along with them, at least not from any of the school websites. If you are to meet with someone for a file review, I would dress nicely, but other than that, they're there to help you get in.

 

[AngSchmange]

On the question of when can you call, when I got my denial letters, almost every one gave me a date or a time frame to call. Although, since you got waitlisted, they probably didn't tell you when. But for the other schools that you didn't interview at, there should be a time frame on your denial stating when is a good time to call 🙂

 

[princesspeaches]

1. My IS (Michigan State) will do file reviews over the phone, which is good since I'm across the country.

2. I'm on the waitlist and doing a file review, it's not a problem.

3. Not that I know of.

4. I didn't call the day I got my letter! And I'm doing this to be proactive and find out how I can become a stronger candidate. It's not a negative thing, not any more negative than the news I already have.

5. Email

6. Haven't had mine yet

7. I contacted MSU and they got back to me the same day and scheduled a review for the next week

8.I don't think they cost money

9. Don't know yet. I'm doing 2, I'll report back.

10. see 10.