GW Hold

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Bleh. I got put on hold on Nov. 2, which makes me sort of sad. I currently work in health policy, have significant international experience, and still! Bah! What is this school looking for?
 
i know the conventional wisdom is that a hold is a virtual rejection, but with GW, i'm not sure. they put A LOT of people hold and the DO reject people, so it is definitely better than a rejection.

my prediction: some percentage of us will get interviews and will be accepted.
 
Why the hold?

I will not release how I know the following, so feel free to jab at its credibility.

GW Med Admissions has already received more than 13k applications. This is more than the total number of applications they received last year. To do us the diligence of fully evaluating our files, we have been placed on hold to reasonably allow for this process to take its course.

At my last interview, I found that every single one of us (10) were placed on hold at GW. This number of holds is believed to have been caused by the MCAT switch to CBT. This switch has meant that more people know that they are competitive earlier (1month>3months). Logically, this means that they apply earlier. This has led to an earlier glut of applications. This has been corroborated by admissions offices in my interviews as well as a few threads here.

Consider the possibility that our holds at GW are an opportunity that many other schools may not be offering us. If this school is your top pick, as it is mine, this thorough attention may be the difference we deserve. 😉

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Thank you hsentar, Drizzt, cdrnay, ladyluck3 and an Alex S. (Current GW 1st Year)

:hello: Others please add
  • What are the facets of the GW FIT?
    • GPA / MCAT (open applicant pool)
      • Drizzt-probably slightly higher than their matriculant averages, but not much higher.
      • cdrnay- I wouldn't say GWU is looking for a specific score range. GWU is less interested in your statistics.
      • ladyluck3- they don't just look at numbers but whether you'll fit in at their schools.
      • Alex S.- we're about a 30 mcat and about a 3.5 gpa
    • Likelihood of matriculation if accepted
      • Drizzt- Pre-interview (process) is determining candidates that would likely matriculate if accepted.
    • Personal Statement Quality
      • ladyluck3- the personal statement counts a lot more at GW than it may at other schools.
      • Alex S.- motivation to go into medicine is high priority.
    • Geographic orientation?
      • Drizzt-ties to the area matter
      • cdrnay- I wouldn't say GWU is looking for ties to the area.
      • Alex S- I don't think geographical ties to DC matter much in applying... We dont get state or city money.
    • Experience in health policy/public health?
      • Drizzt-experience in health policy is considered
      • ladyluck3 -GW is very much oriented toward the many aspects of public health and health policy. At the interview day the dean pretty much says that if you're not interested in these fields, you really wouldn't have a good time at GW.
      • Alex S.- A lot of people at GW do health policy/global health stuff in general but its not a requirement- DC, PAHO is across the street WHO is nearby
      • hsentar- a lot of people who don't get accepted right away to GW end up doing the MPH program here at GW and I'm confident in saying that those that reapply while finishing the program seem to mostly get in. I've attended several white coat ceremonies here at GW (where they announce a little tidbit about each student), and it's amazing to see the number of students that come straight out of the MPH program here at GW.
    • Experience Abroad?
      • Drizzt-international experiences are considered
      • ladyluck3- GW is very much oriented toward international health
      • Alex S.- Experiences abroad, sports, jobs .. obviously all that stuff counts here.
    • POM (practice of medicine)
      • cdrnay- They place an emphasis on POM (practice of medicine) course that is taken all four years and some of the dean's office will say that it is your most important course of your entire four years. (For this) they want students with people's smart and book smarts.
      • Alex S.- Take a look at the different tracks GW offers (and the ISCOPES program, and student run clinic)- clinical experience of any kind is really important for admissions. GW values who the applicant is as a person quite a bit i.e. what do you like to do, are you interesting, what kinda stuff makes you unique.
    • Other facets?

Thanks again
 
DrDugger said:
Why the hold?I will not release how I know the following, so feel free to jab at its credibility.

GW Med Admissions has already received more than 13k applications. This is more than the total number of applications they received last year. To do us the diligence of fully evaluating our files, we have been placed on hold to reasonably allow for this process to take its course.

At my last interview, I found that every single one of us (10) were placed on hold at GW. This number of holds is believed to have been caused by the MCAT switch to CBT. This switch has meant that more people know that they are competitive earlier (1month>3months). Logically, this means that they apply earlier. This has led to an earlier glut of applications. This has been corroborated by admissions offices in my interviews as well as a few threads here.

Consider the possibility that our holds at GW are an opportunity that many other schools may not be offering us. If this school is your top pick, as it is mine, this thorough attention may be the difference we deserve. 😉
Click to expand...

I disagree. If you look at the interview thread, GW has given out their fair share of interviews and in a very timely manner. The Hold list is a backup just in case they need it. I would consider it a rejection, but send a Letter Of Interest just in case.
 
i've been lurking around here this application cycle but this is my first post on student doctor. i tried to stay away from getting on here because i heard it was like crack.

Well, like the rest of you, i received a hold message about a month ago. needless to say, i was extremely dissappointed. from what i read on here, hold status probably equates to a rejection. two weeks later, i received an invite to interview.

the hold message is not a definte no. i'm not really sure what the purpose of it is but i just wanted to put my anecdote out there.
 
wow!!! thanks for posting. that's the first i've heard of that. very good news, but only for a small percentage of us!!

thanks!!! and good luck.
 
MDRus said:
wow!!! thanks for posting. that's the first i've heard of that. very good news, but only for a small percentage of us!!

thanks!!! and good luck.
Click to expand...

Call me a cynic but I don't find that poster to be credible. There has been an influx of trolls lately and he only has a 2 post history.
 
well, i'm usually a cynic too. but what fun would that be for him to say that. pretty lame?
 
I don't know if anyone has said this yet, and I don't feel like reading the whole thread so I will say it again. When I went for my interview, the tour guide told us (while we were mingling with some med students at lunch) that as of last week, they had already recieved about 13,000 applications, and this was something close to their record in previous years. She said they were putting a lot of people on hold as a result, and are going to interview the same amount of people as they usually do regardless of the increased number of applicants. She said it was going to be much more difficult for people to get interviews this year...

That said, I wish everyone waiting on GWU best of luck, it is a great school with wonderful opportunities :luck:
 
eh, i'm not gonna sweat it. there are plenty of other schools.
 
will you be notified of being on hold via e-mail?
 
whoever said that GW hasn't been doing that many interviews is dead wrong. I study in Himmelfarb daily (the med school library) and see the interviewees come and go several times (you meet in a conference room on the 2nd floor of library before and after the interviews and for lunch). Each interview session that I've seen has been full, so they're definetely doing them.

I know a handful of 1st and 2nd year students as well as physicians that conduct the interviews, and they've all confirmed that it's been so busy that they are, in fact, interviewing more than normal. Each session seems to be more full this year than last according to one physician I spoke to who's a GW-med alum, current plastic surgeon, and regular interviewer.
 
DrDugger said:
Why the hold?

I will not release how I know the following, so feel free to jab at its credibility.

GW Med Admissions has already received more than 13k applications. This is more than the total number of applications they received last year. To do us the diligence of fully evaluating our files, we have been placed on hold to reasonably allow for this process to take its course.

At my last interview, I found that every single one of us (10) were placed on hold at GW. This number of holds is believed to have been caused by the MCAT switch to CBT. This switch has meant that more people know that they are competitive earlier (1month>3months). Logically, this means that they apply earlier. This has led to an earlier glut of applications. This has been corroborated by admissions offices in my interviews as well as a few threads here.

Consider the possibility that our holds at GW are an opportunity that many other schools may not be offering us. If this school is your top pick, as it is mine, this thorough attention may be the difference we deserve. 😉
Click to expand...

You won't release how you know what exactly? You didn't post anything of substance just your inane, self-serving theories.
 
hsentar said:
whoever said that GW hasn't been doing that many interviews is dead wrong. I study in Himmelfarb daily (the med school library) and see the interviewees come and go several times (you meet in a conference room on the 2nd floor of library before and after the interviews and for lunch). Each interview session that I've seen has been full, so they're definetely doing them.

I know a handful of 1st and 2nd year students as well as physicians that conduct the interviews, and they've all confirmed that it's been so busy that they are, in fact, interviewing more than normal. Each session seems to be more full this year than last according to one physician I spoke to who's a GW-med alum, current plastic surgeon, and regular interviewer.
Click to expand...

The person who told me may be wrong, but that is what I was told by admissions when I was there, that they were not increasing the number of interviews handed out. So, people are free to make their own judgements, I was just trying to help people gauge the situation. So again good luck to everyone!
 
^ oh no, I wasn't responding to your comment about 'not increasing # of interviews', but somebody else who had said that we shouldn't be worried because they weren't interviewing that much yet because of the # of overwhelming applications. That is definetely not true. But in retrospect, I think they may have told you a little white lie, because I've never seen so many interviewees.

Then again, maybe you are right and they're trying to finish the interviews earlier this year and are trying to squeeze in more people per session.


on a side note, I got the interview invite yesterday afternoon. They're scheduling about three weeks out, so beginning of december I'm going!
 
hsentar said:
^ oh no, I wasn't responding to your comment about 'not increasing # of interviews', but somebody else who had said that we shouldn't be worried because they weren't interviewing that much yet because of the # of overwhelming applications. That is definetely not true. But in retrospect, I think they may have told you a little white lie, because I've never seen so many interviewees.

Then again, maybe you are right and they're trying to finish the interviews earlier this year and are trying to squeeze in more people per session.


on a side note, I got the interview invite yesterday afternoon. They're scheduling about three weeks out, so beginning of december I'm going!
Click to expand...

Wow, you got the interview invite after being on hold? That gives me some hope. Did you do anything between getting the hold and getting the invite? Like writing them a letter of interest or update? Congrats on your interview by the way. I hope you will do well, you seem to have a lot of interest for GW.
 
jamilla_w said:
You won't release how you know what exactly? You didn't post anything of substance just your inane, self-serving theories.
Click to expand...

Like I said, feel free 🙂

Happy Turkey day Everyone
 
Hey I've been complete since 9/25. I haven't heard anything. :scared:
Should I expect a snail mail rejection soon? Are other people in my same boat?
 
Has anyone else received an interview invite after being placed on hold?
 
I received an interview invite after being on hold. Was complete 8/7, received interview invite 11/15, but received notice of being on hold twice in between.

I didn't really do anything special. A couple of SDNers here in DC have asked me whether or not they should go up to the admissions office like I did. I can tell you that I won't tell you what to do either way, but the times that I went up there, I was simply asking general questions regarding application timelines, what the status was with the hold, etc. etc. but I NEVER NEVER identified myself or gave them any personal information nor did I check up with the status of my application in person while i was there. I always just said that I was "a student with a complete application" or "a student who received the hold", etc. etc.


you guys can decide what you want to do beyond that. Me going up there didn't affect my personal application in any way and didn't play a factor in me getting the interview. The only things I have heard from other current students at GWUMC or even graduates is to keep showing interest in different ways, i.e. reference letters, new healthcare experiences, positive grade trends.



EDIT: after typing all that I realized that Waiting112 asked for "anybody else"...oops. oh well.
 
hsentar said:
I received an interview invite after being on hold. Was complete 8/7, received interview invite 11/15, but received notice of being on hold twice in between.

I didn't really do anything special. A couple of SDNers here in DC have asked me whether or not they should go up to the admissions office like I did. I can tell you that I won't tell you what to do either way, but the times that I went up there, I was simply asking general questions regarding application timelines, what the status was with the hold, etc. etc. but I NEVER NEVER identified myself or gave them any personal information nor did I check up with the status of my application in person while i was there. I always just said that I was "a student with a complete application" or "a student who received the hold", etc. etc.


you guys can decide what you want to do beyond that. Me going up there didn't affect my personal application in any way and didn't play a factor in me getting the interview. The only things I have heard from other current students at GWUMC or even graduates is to keep showing interest in different ways, i.e. reference letters, new healthcare experiences, positive grade trends.



EDIT: after typing all that I realized that Waiting112 asked for "anybody else"...oops. oh well.
Click to expand...

Haha, actually, if you read a few posts earlier, I did ask you whether you did anything special to get the invite but since I did not receive a reply before, I then asked if anyone else got an invite. Anyway, thanks for the reply and good luck at your interview.
 
I just got offered an interview after being put on hold back in September. If you can go to the admissons office, call, have someone with ties to the school call for you, ect. that seems to help.
 
Kgecko said:
I just got offered an interview after being put on hold back in September. If you can go to the admissons office, call, have someone with ties to the school call for you, ect. that seems to help.
Click to expand...
Do you mind sharing what you did to get off hold? Congrats on the interview BTW.
 
would having a friend who attends GW med school call help? i really want to go there, its my top choice
 
After being put on hold at the end of September, I received an invitation to interview this afternoon!!!!! GW is my top choice school, and I am so excited! Don't lose hope - a hold is not a rejection!
 
Tofutti27 said:
After being put on hold at the end of September, I received an invitation to interview this afternoon!!!!! GW is my top choice school, and I am so excited! Don't lose hope - a hold is not a rejection!
Click to expand...


CONGRATS!!! DID YOU DO ANYTHING OR JUST WAIT PATIENTLY?
 
Does anyone know if GW has started sending out any acceptances yet? I think I heard that they don't admit ppl until after the new years, but i wasn't sure if this was true? Thanks!
 
MDRus said:
CONGRATS!!! DID YOU DO ANYTHING OR JUST WAIT PATIENTLY?
Click to expand...

like write them a letter in all caps?

deep breaths, buddy! you already have an acceptance, it'll be ok!

(but I would like to get off the hold...)
 
beachblonde said:
like write them a letter in all caps?

deep breaths, buddy! you already have an acceptance, it'll be ok!

(but I would like to get off the hold...)
Click to expand...


hahahaha. i don't know why i did all caps. but you're right. i need to chill.
 
Phoenix. said:
Yes, they started on 10/15. Check out the "official" acceptance thread.
Click to expand...


By email or snail? The thread says by email, but GW people at the interview said that it's going to be by snail. 😕
 
I completely forgot about GW...I thought they already rejected me, and am actually on hold... haha
 
MDRus: I wrote a letter of interest as soon as I was put on hold
 
thanks. will do too.
 
Phoenix. said:
My acceptance (and several others here on SDN) was communicated via email with a snail mail follow-up.
Click to expand...

Congrats on the acceptance! 👍 How long did you have to wait after your interview before you heard back from the admissions committee?
 
LilJay said:
Congrats on the acceptance! 👍 How long did you have to wait after your interview before you heard back from the admissions committee?
Click to expand...

Thanks. 9/14 interview, 10/15 notification via email. But that was the first day acceptances were allowed to be extended so who knows if that's their usual turn-around time.
 
glad to hear that others are getting off hold too 😀
 
Can someone give me the link to the GW class of 2012 thread if there is one? (I dont have an acceptance or anything...im just curious to see what ppl are saying) Thanks!
 
hope one of you gets the interviewing spot i just gave up. i was reeeeaaaaallllly on the fence about this, because GW sounds like a really great school for me. here's to one of you getting that interview soon
 
why did you give it up?
 
because i didn't feel like sitting through a potential stressful interview and spending money on gas and a room knowing that even if i got accepted, i would decline. i almost went because i like day trips and i wanted to tour the school. also there was a part of me thinking that maybe the other school would give me better financial aid if they saw i got in somewhere else...but that was very doubtful anyway.
 
Nataliemay24 said:
hope one of you gets the interviewing spot i just gave up. i was reeeeaaaaallllly on the fence about this, because GW sounds like a really great school for me. here's to one of you getting that interview soon
Click to expand...
god bless you
 
thank You! LEt's see if someone on HOLD in this forum gets it...g luck to you all the same!
 
GWU is my first choice. i had been on hold since the end of september too, i called in today to get an update and they said that my application was under review and a decision will be made in a week...hopefully this is good...any ideas from people who interviewed there after getting off hold?
 
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