Got my last rejection:(

[skatertudoroga]

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Enrolled in smp program presently. had 1 interview last year and 3 interviews this year. So 4 rejections without even a waitlist. Do not how to proceed. Certain it is because I can't put 2 words together coherently in a sentence. Apply once more? Whether I reapply or not, should I look for a lab research job meanwhile? How would I even get one? What else is there to do?

 

[nickmx50]

I'd suggest posting your GPA, EC's, Scores to give people a better idea of your profile. What did you do differently this year with your application, essay, secondaries, etc? Do give up if it's really what you want to do.

 

[Perrotfish]

That sucks, but there's a lot of random chance in this process and an SMP is supposed to require a gap year. I'm not sure what you should do with your year off, but in the mean time don't take it too hard. I'm sure you'll get in next year.

 

[BlueElmo]

Enrolled in smp program presently. had 1 interview last year and 3 interviews this year. So 4 rejections without even a waitlist. Do not how to proceed. Certain it is because I can't put 2 words together coherently in a sentence. Apply once more? Whether I reapply or not, should I look for a lab research job meanwhile? How would I even get one? What else is there to do?

I guess when you reapply, make sure you have some interviewing skills down.

 

[skatertudoroga]

That sucks, but there's a lot of random chance in this process and an SMP is supposed to require a gap year. I'm not sure what you should do with your year off, but in the mean time don't take it too hard. I'm sure you'll get in next year.

I know there are plenty of people who ended up in SMP because they were on a waitlist last year and this year they finally got in. Or there are people who had no interviews last year and this year perhaps got on a waitlist. But basically if you have 4 interviews and cant even produce a waitlist, the problem is not with gpa/mcat... I have no doubt that if I reapply I will get more interviews, but what if they again turn into rejections? I feel like I got raped. I paid 50k, honored most med school classes, and got nothing.

 

[Hope0913]

I guess when you reapply, make sure you have some interviewing skills down.

I've heard good things about toastmasters (link)

they help with interviewing/speaking skills. My communications teacher actually recommended them 👍

 

[dazedanconfused]

If you are worried about your interviewing skills are killing your chances try asking some of your communication profs. if they will help, or even set up mock interviews with people. I know I had a communication prof that gave out interviewing lessons, he really knew his stuff.

 

[chman]

Like others have said, the best way to get better at public speaking (and just about anything else) is practice. I took a public speaking class that helped a lot. It is funny how, at least for me, I always thought it would be real easy until I was put on the spot. So I suggest a public speaking class if you have some down time. Good luck, and keep up the good fight.

 

[Armastama]

First of all, don't give up if you can't imagine yourself pursuing anything other than medicine.

Secondly, as you have said, GPA/MCAT doesn't seem to be the issue since you are getting interviews so address interview skills as if it were a full-time job. Like others have mentioned, do some public speaking and/or meet with communication professors. Things that helped me prepare for interviews were a mock interview with a 3rd year student and a book called "The Medical School Interview". It is very important in interviews to be confident without drifting into the arrogant zone. I wish you the best.

 

[Colonol Forbin]

It's true, if you had 3 interviews and not even waitlist clearly interviewing is your problem..

however, interviewing is like any other academic skill -you don't just have it or not, you need practice/work to get good at it

The more you interview, the better you will get at it - and not just talking to yourself - mock interviews, and perhaps even joining a debating team/club as this will not only help you think fast, but also deal with pressure situations and handling your nerves - If you can handle the pressure of arguing in front of a large group of people, you will probably end up fine in a one on one situation

 

[marele86]

Imagine you got a very low score on your MCAT, and think about how you would approach retaking it - how much time would you give yourself to study? 2-3 hours a day? Would you be willing to pay $1500 for a prep class, or $50 for a couple of review books?

The interview is, at least in this case, as important as the MCAT for you, because it's the rate-limiting step for your ability to get into medical school. So I really suggest taking all of the time and money you might have been willing to spend on MCAT review and put it all towards improving your speaking skills. Consider it like a second job, or at least a hobby you work on every day and are willing to spend money for.

I definitely second the idea of Toastmasters and going to every mock job interview you hear about. You might also want to get a copy of How To Win Friends and Influence People - it sounds cheesy, but it really does help a lot of people make good first impressions.

You should also consider calling the schools you interviewed at this June (while the Admissions Offices are between entering classes and have more time on their hands) and ask if they can give you any suggestions on how to improve. It can't hurt, and they might just save you a lot of time and money by zeroing in on something you hadn't thought about.

Good luck!

 

[RELAX11]

Enrolled in smp program presently. had 1 interview last year and 3 interviews this year. So 4 rejections without even a waitlist. Do not how to proceed. Certain it is because I can't put 2 words together coherently in a sentence. Apply once more? Whether I reapply or not, should I look for a lab research job meanwhile? How would I even get one? What else is there to do?

How many schools did you apply to?


Also did you apply to DO schools?

 

[Armastama]

You should also consider calling the schools you interviewed at this June (while the Admissions Offices are between entering classes and have more time on their hands) and ask if they can give you any suggestions on how to improve. It can't hurt, and they might just save you a lot of time and money by zeroing in on something you hadn't thought about.

Good luck!

+1

And even better, many Deans of Admissions / Admissions Officers are willing to meet with you face to face. I am a successful re-applicant and I met with a couple Deans after some post interview rejects/WLs. I was given advice and I did what they told me to and ended up with multiple acceptances this cycle.

And once again, start working on improving your interview skills now!

 

[skatertudoroga]

+1

And even better, many Deans of Admissions / Admissions Officers are willing to meet with you face to face. I am a successful re-applicant and I met with a couple Deans after some post interview rejects/WLs. I was given advice and I did what they told me to and ended up with multiple acceptances this cycle.

And once again, start working on improving your interview skills now!

Ok, I plan to call up my state school that rejected me post interview. But really what did they tell you that was so insightful? When I say something stupid at the interview or fail to mention something that I intended to say (like an important EC) I know it immediately. I am not delusional. I expect them to just list some things based on my interview "not assertive; lack leadership skills; not persuasive; poor communications skills". None of which have anything to do with my physical or academic abilities. Or do you think they might tell me something unexpected like "you got a bad LOR" -I doubt. But I would talk to them just because at each interview they asked me "why do you think you got rejected last cycle" and followed-on with "what besides your gpa?". Though of course they all pretended it was a blind interview.

 

[skatertudoroga]

I don't feel comfortable doing mock interviews. Even if I did not have to pay for such service... What will the mock interviewer do, ask me a set of questions and then tell me which questions I answered incorrectly? I can figure that out without his help. I would be much better served if he told me what the correct answers were. I.e. I can make a list of questions including "why do you want to be a doctor?". I could probably compile 50 questions out of my previous interviews. It would certainly help me if someone prepared the right answers for my application and I memorized them. A mock interview is just a way to mock me.

 

[skatertudoroga]

Imagine you got a very low score on your MCAT, and think about how you would approach retaking it - how much time would you give yourself to study? 2-3 hours a day? Would you be willing to pay $1500 for a prep class, or $50 for a couple of review books?

The interview is, at least in this case, as important as the MCAT for you, because it's the rate-limiting step for your ability to get into medical school. So I really suggest taking all of the time and money you might have been willing to spend on MCAT review and put it all towards improving your speaking skills. Consider it like a second job, or at least a hobby you work on every day and are willing to spend money for.

I definitely second the idea of Toastmasters and going to every mock job interview you hear about. You might also want to get a copy of How To Win Friends and Influence People - it sounds cheesy, but it really does help a lot of people make good first impressions.

You should also consider calling the schools you interviewed at this June (while the Admissions Offices are between entering classes and have more time on their hands) and ask if they can give you any suggestions on how to improve. It can't hurt, and they might just save you a lot of time and money by zeroing in on something you hadn't thought about.

Good luck!

I did not spend $1500 on a prep class. But I did spend a lot of hours studying for mcat. One might say that time=money. But you can't study for interview the same way. I just lack communications skills. When I go out and try to pick up a girl they're always interested and laughing at first but after several minutes the conversation goes to a dead end because I either say something stupid or just become quiet and if they stop asking me questions I have nohing more to say to them.

 

[BlueElmo]

I don't feel comfortable doing mock interviews. Even if I did not have to pay for such service... What will the mock interviewer do, ask me a set of questions and then tell me which questions I answered incorrectly? I can figure that out without his help. I would be much better served if he told me what the correct answers were. I.e. I can make a list of questions including "why do you want to be a doctor?". I could probably compile 50 questions out of my previous interviews. It would certainly help me if someone prepared the right answers for my application and I memorized them. A mock interview is just a way to mock me.

Well it's not only about questions. It's also about how you present yourself, your voice, how you carry yourself, whether you make eye contact, how confident you sound, and things of that nature. I did couple of mock interviews before my real ones, and the feedbacks were really helpful. They can only help you IMO.

 

[dazedanconfused]

Well it's not only about questions. It's also about how you present yourself, your voice, how you carry yourself, whether you make eye contact, how confident you sound, and things of that nature. I did couple of mock interviews before my real ones, and the feedbacks were really helpful. They can only help you IMO.

+1

What is that stat that says something like 85% of someones first impression of you is before you even open your mouth. Definitely agree with BlueElmo here.

 

[Armastama]

Ok, I plan to call up my state school that rejected me post interview. But really what did they tell you that was so insightful? When I say something stupid at the interview or fail to mention something that I intended to say (like an important EC) I know it immediately. I am not delusional. I expect them to just list some things based on my interview "not assertive; lack leadership skills; not persuasive; poor communications skills". None of which have anything to do with my physical or academic abilities. Or do you think they might tell me something unexpected like "you got a bad LOR" -I doubt. But I would talk to them just because at each interview they asked me "why do you think you got rejected last cycle" and followed-on with "what besides your gpa?". Though of course they all pretended it was a blind interview.

Given my lower than average GPA, the Deans I met with steered me towards courses & grad programs that their adcoms valued. Then this cycle, I was able to say I took the classes that were recommended (all A's) in addition to maintaining EC's. Also, I believe that sitting down with these people helps you to become more of a person in their eyes instead of applicant #3,546. I could be wrong.

In your situation, you have got to get over being uncomfortable during interviews, mock or real. This can be achieved, as others have posted, by participating in a toastmasters group or by getting involved in some other type of public speaking organization. Also, the interview is not about having right and wrong answers, there is more to it (your knowledge of the school, your attitude, enthusiasm, body language). Your memorization skills should serve you well once you become a medical student however to get you there you must work on becoming a better interviewee.

 

[MiniMoo]

I don't feel comfortable doing mock interviews. Even if I did not have to pay for such service... What will the mock interviewer do, ask me a set of questions and then tell me which questions I answered incorrectly? I can figure that out without his help. I would be much better served if he told me what the correct answers were. I.e. I can make a list of questions including "why do you want to be a doctor?". I could probably compile 50 questions out of my previous interviews. It would certainly help me if someone prepared the right answers for my application and I memorized them. A mock interview is just a way to mock me.

Interview questions very rarely have "right" answers and preparing pre-formed answers to possible questions is the wrong way to approach the interview process. You need to start with just learning more about yourself - your motivations, your aspirations & goals, what makes you unique, what your good & bad qualities are, and what you bring to the table. Write down every single meaningful volunteer, academic, research experience you've had up to this point and analyze exactly what made it meaningful, how it will help you become a good physician, and how these experiences reflect positive aspects of your personality. The more specific you can be the better. If you volunteered at a hospital, try to remember a patient who was memorable to you and why. What did that patient teach you? Come up with 3 great qualities about yourself as well as actual experiences that illustrate these traits. Come up with 3 weaknesses as well and examples of how you've worked to overcome them. Figure out exactly why you want to go into medicine versus nursing, pharmacy, or any of the plethora of other professions you could do to potentially "help others". Come up with a detailed plan of what your dreams and goals are for your career as well as your personal life. Once you get to know YOU better and how to present yourself in the best possible light (note: this does not mean lying or making things up, this just means developing the skill to come across as the best possible version of "you"), you can feel prepared for almost any interview question. You can sell yourself. You won't need to memorize answers because you'll just be answering truthfully based on your self-reflection.

Believe me, do the above and you will be successful. I spent 2 full weekends preparing exactly what I outlined above, typing everything up so that I could study my notes before every single interview. I actually enjoyed learning to prep for interviews because I was learning so much more about myself. I was straight accepted after 90+% of the interviews I attended and this is with sub-par stats. This is also after applying last year with 0 acceptances because I did exactly what I told you would not work -- preparing pre-formed answers to questions. You can learn to be good at interviewing, but you need to have a solid foundation from which to work off of -- a thorough knowledge of yourself is key.

 

[caseofthemndays]

I read the book "the medical school interview" and did like 5 mock interviews w professors. 3 interviews, 2 acceptances, 1 waitlist.

 

[skatertudoroga]

Interview questions very rarely have "right" answers and preparing pre-formed answers to possible questions is the wrong way to approach the interview process. You need to start with just learning more about yourself - your motivations, your aspirations & goals, what makes you unique, what your good & bad qualities are, and what you bring to the table. Write down every single meaningful volunteer, academic, research experience you've had up to this point and analyze exactly what made it meaningful, how it will help you become a good physician, and how these experiences reflect positive aspects of your personality. The more specific you can be the better. If you volunteered at a hospital, try to remember a patient who was memorable to you and why. What did that patient teach you? Come up with 3 great qualities about yourself as well as actual experiences that illustrate these traits. Come up with 3 weaknesses as well and examples of how you've worked to overcome them. Figure out exactly why you want to go into medicine versus nursing, pharmacy, or any of the plethora of other professions you could do to potentially "help others". Come up with a detailed plan of what your dreams and goals are for your career as well as your personal life. Once you get to know YOU better and how to present yourself in the best possible light (note: this does not mean lying or making things up, this just means developing the skill to come across as the best possible version of "you"), you can feel prepared for almost any interview question. You can sell yourself. You won't need to memorize answers because you'll just be answering truthfully based on your self-reflection.

Believe me, do the above and you will be successful. I spent 2 full weekends preparing exactly what I outlined above, typing everything up so that I could study my notes before every single interview. I actually enjoyed learning to prep for interviews because I was learning so much more about myself. I was straight accepted after 90+% of the interviews I attended and this is with sub-par stats. This is also after applying last year with 0 acceptances because I did exactly what I told you would not work -- preparing pre-formed answers to questions. You can learn to be good at interviewing, but you need to have a solid foundation from which to work off of -- a thorough knowledge of yourself is key.

So did you have interviews with 0 acceptances during the previous year or did you just not have any interviews? Because when I said memorizing preformed answers I meant what you described. Except I might need someone to tell me the answers to those questions that you've provided and some others that relate to my application. But I am certain that 90% of people who do well on interviews just come up with those answers naturally, without any preparation.

Btw I am now thinking about Australia. I am pretty certain I could get accepted there for med school but not sure if they'd let me stay there for residency.

 

[MiniMoo]

So did you have interviews with 0 acceptances during the previous year or did you just not have any interviews? Because when I said memorizing preformed answers I meant what you described. Except I might need someone to tell me the answers to those questions that you've provided and some others that relate to my application. But I am certain that 90% of people who do well on interviews just come up with those answers naturally, without any preparation.

Btw I am now thinking about Australia. I am pretty certain I could get accepted there for med school but not sure if they'd let me stay there for residency.

I had interviews & waitlists but was not accepted anywhere. This year I went to 12 interviews, resulting in 11 acceptances, 1 waitlist.

 

[skatertudoroga]

I have also now applied for some research assistant jobs. If they don't hire me then it will be hard to justify reapplying to med school considering that I'll be unemployed starting in June.

 

[skatertudoroga]

I had interviews & waitlists but was not accepted anywhere. This year I went to 12 interviews, resulting in 11 acceptances, 1 waitlist.

So you had waitlists to begin with...

 

[MiniMoo]

So you had waitlists to begin with...

I got waitlisted at 2 schools that don't reject post interview. 😛 and put on a hold list at a third, which is pretty much like a rejection.

I also second the opinion above to go to a mock interview. They can critique you on how you present yourself - if you seem awkward, if you say "um" too much, your body posture, what you can do to appear more confident/interesting, etc. How you present yourself can either totally contradict the words that are coming out of your mouth or help convince your interviewer that you mean everything you say.

 

[learnmdabc]

Does it occur to you that maybe it's not your poor communication skills? The first step to communication is having something to communicate. Do you have sufficient clinical,leadership, and volunteering experiences to expound upon? I mention this point because you said you lacked solid ECs. Even the greatest orator I bet is at loss with words...well, when he doesn't have anything to talk about. From your posts, it seems like you are eloquent enough; and yet you claim you can't string two words together coherently...

Edit: wow, minimoo: 11/12? that's amazing...

 

[Colonol Forbin]

I did not spend $1500 on a prep class. But I did spend a lot of hours studying for mcat. One might say that time=money. But you can't study for interview the same way. I just lack communications skills. When I go out and try to pick up a girl they're always interested and laughing at first but after several minutes the conversation goes to a dead end because I either say something stupid or just become quiet and if they stop asking me questions I have nohing more to say to them.

you are very stubborn and do not seem to understand the purpose of a mock interview

It's not to learn what answers are correct - usually there are no right answers, its how you present yourself and communicate effectively. Mock interviews are a tool for practicing communications skills. You can study in the same way as an mcat in the sense that the more hours you put in practicing communication via mock interviews, or talking to yourself in a webcam etc, the better you will get with your communication skills

Seems to be what your not understanding - it is hopeless to memorize answers to different interview Q's - even if you somehow get lucky and only get asked quuestions you prepared for, you will sound to polished and unsincere