Has anyone been rejected after having an obviously great interview?

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frodohobo

frodohobo

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I was rejected by a school where I thought I gave my best interview so I learned to not be so optimistic. However, I just had an interview recently where the interviewer basically kept complimenting my application and how much he likes me. While I'm very grateful and appreciate his comments, I don't want to be overly confident and say that I will get accepted based on my previous experiences. Should I keep this attitude about this interview or is it a good sign to be hopeful about? I just wanted to know your input on post interview feelings and the actual outcome.
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frodohobo said:
I was rejected by a school where I thought I gave my best interview so I learned to not be so optimistic. However, I just had an interview recently where the interviewer basically kept complimenting my application and how much he likes me. While I'm very grateful and appreciate his comments, I don't want to be overly confident and say that I will get accepted based on my previous experiences. Should I keep this attitude about this interview or is it a good sign to be hopeful about? I just wanted to know your input on post interview feelings and the actual outcome.
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I think you can consider it as a good sign if your stats are around the average of the school. If your stats are below the average then I wouldn't be too happy yet since the admission decision is ultimately determined by the committee.
 
I had 4 interviews. Here is how they felt and their outcomes.

1 Really great - accepted
2 Great - waitlisted

3 Bad - waitlisted
4 Really bad - accepted

-----

MD interview from last cycle

Great - waitlisted/rejected


-----

Of the three positive-feeling interviews, I got explicitly good remarks on two of the interviews (from one of the two interviewers) right as I was leaving -- the kind that make you think NAILED IT.

When I say bad, I mean stumbled over a question in a very obvious way, such that it had to be repeated/skipped.. and was told to "take a deep breath" and "not be so nervous."

I would say do your best, but don't overthink it.


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The interview is not the only factor considered by adcoms, so even a great interview can result in a waitlist or rejection if your stats/ECs are below the school's average.

I was waitlisted after having a great interview with 1 of my 2 (separate) interviews at a school. In general I would suggest not expecting acceptances, even after great interviews because it can lead to disappointment and bitterness towards a school. Hoping for an acceptance and expecting one are 2 very different things.
 
I had some interviews I thought were great, and some not so much...
and just because YOU think it went great doesn't mean it did, it could mean you came across differently than you anticipated or intended...
I went to one interview with 2hrs of sleep because of flight delays, and was accepted, I went to another and everything went perfectly and I was waitlisted (I wasn't rejected from any interviews, but I only did DO, and the waitlists were 'soft' rejections)

Agreed about the committee makes the final decision, and at some schools the interviewer just gives a yes/no as in "yes they should make it to the committee" or "no, they were creepy"... beyond that, the committee looks at everything... some places want to see if you're better in person than on paper, and if you're not, they'll waitlist or reject... (like are you more passionate or articulate in person than on paper)
 
1 DO interview: Not great. First interview. Accepted.

4 MD interviews: All awesome. Silence from all.

Really who knows what the heck goes on behind closed doors. I think if your stats are average to above average you stand a good chance but if you're below even a great interview might not be enough. But what do I know lol.
 
I felt like I had a great interview at one school. I'm pretty sure the MMI station proctors didn't believe me, but outside of the one crazy left field scenario they threw at us, I had personal experience with every scenario. I spoke about each with conviction and explained to them how I arrived at my decision, having had the time to digest experiences and use the knowledge I had gained to make a rational and logical conclusion.

I was promptly rejected.

Oh well.

My stats were above the schools average.
 
Its mostly a numbers game. Sometimes charming isn't enough. If George Clooney was applying MD with a 19 MCAT, he wouldn't get in anywhere,
 
I disagree very much on it being a numbers game. Most people i have interviewed are clueless. We say, "please just be yourself" and most people aren't. Your perception of how you did doesn't mean anything. And that isn't to discourage people. I have watched professors destroy a candidate in an interview and when that person walked out, he sat down and said, "wow, I hope he comes here." it is much more than numbers.
 
Back 5 said:
I felt like I had a great interview at one school. I'm pretty sure the MMI station proctors didn't believe me, but outside of the one crazy left field scenario they threw at us, I had personal experience with every scenario. I spoke about each with conviction and explained to them how I arrived at my decision, having had the time to digest experiences and use the knowledge I had gained to make a rational and logical conclusion.

I was promptly rejected.

Oh well.

My stats were above the schools average.
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MUCOM man. Admittedly I'm praying I get off their waitlist, but they are too harsh with their interviewing.
 
1.) Bad - Rejected
2.) Moderate - Waitlisted
3.) Horrible - Accepted
4.) Fantastic - Waitlisted (Pretty sure it's a soft rejection)

Seriously, it's not worth the effort to care after an interview. What's done is done and you can only wait for the results.
 
Good - waitlist
Great - rejection
Horrible - rejection ( I was ok with this because the school genuinely sucked and I was a really poor fit )

I think I should try to cosplay Jesus or a saint next time. I'm under the impression half of my interviewers legitimately wanted to meet Jesus Christ.
 
Perceptions of reality, and reality itself are sometimes very different.

If I

frodohobo said:
I was rejected by a school where I thought I gave my best interview so I learned to not be so optimistic. However, I just had an interview recently where the interviewer basically kept complimenting my application and how much he likes me. While I'm very grateful and appreciate his comments, I don't want to be overly confident and say that I will get accepted based on my previous experiences. Should I keep this attitude about this interview or is it a good sign to be hopeful about? I just wanted to know your input on post interview feelings and the actual outcome.
Click to expand...
 
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Felt content = Accepted
Felt good = Waitlisted
Felt fantastic = Accepted
 
chizledfrmstone said:
1.) Bad - Rejected
2.) Moderate - Waitlisted
3.) Horrible - Accepted
4.) Fantastic - Waitlisted (Pretty sure it's a soft rejection)

Seriously, it's not worth the effort to care after an interview. What's done is done and you can only wait for the results.
Click to expand...
Does this mean KCUMB was a horrible interview for you?

To the OP, I've had one interview that went great and I got accepted. Don't over think things unnecessarily
 
O Grady said:
Does this mean KCUMB was a horrible interview for you?

To the OP, I've had one interview that went great and I got accepted. Don't over think things unnecessarily
Click to expand...

I would say it was horrible in the fact I kept talking nervously and going off on a tangent. In one instance I was sure I gave an answer that had NOTHING to do with the question.

Overall I really liked the school and was really bummed that I might have messed up.
 
chizledfrmstone said:
I would say it was horrible in the fact I kept talking nervously and going off on a tangent. In one instance I was sure I gave an answer that had NOTHING to do with the question.

Overall I really liked the school and was really bummed that I might have messed up.
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This was my experience at KCUMB as well.
 
1. Felt great - accepted
2. Felt great - rejected
3. Felt okay - rejected
4. Felt horrible - wait listed
 
Bad- rejected immediately
Great- accepted
Great- accepted
Great- rejected immediately
Great- rejected immediately

I will always be puzzled at the reasons, but it can be as simple as someone who had basically the Same app as you and maybe made 1 pt higher on mcat. It's that competitive. Just to be accepted at a school you like is worth all of the other rejections though.
 
I had one terrible interview that I thought I bombed and was accepted there. Then I had one interview where I thought I answered all of the questions very well and was very confident but was ultimately wait-listed. However, in the latter interview, I was really not impressed with the school and possibly came off as arrogant (this arrogance may have stemmed from getting accepted to one of my top choice schools the day before.)

My best advice is to do mock interviews as darklabel advised, be confident (even if your numbers aren't great), give a positive spin on everything, be genuinely interested in the school, know why medicine, that school, and DO, and I think the most important aspect is to show that you are human. What I mean by that is to be personable. Crack a joke about your suit or ask how the interviewer's day is doing. Don't be afraid to talk about your hobbies, even if that includes talking about how you play video games or like to read mystery novels. The interviewer knows that you are great, otherwise they wouldn't be interviewing you! The interview will show them that there is a personality behind the statistics and achievements.

Just remember that you are not only being interviewed by the interviewer. The faculty members talk, so be mindful of how you interact with every single person you come in contact with. You never know who has influence in your chance of an acceptance.

I think that if you felt awesome about the interview and your interviewer explicitly stated that you have their vote, that you are looking great for an acceptance. (Assuming that you fulfilled the above sufficiently, of course.)
 
First interview: horrible/accepted
Second interview: amazing/accepted

First interview: I went in super nervous rambled the whole time and basically ended with begging for an acceptance (not too proud of that)

Second interview: I researched the school more and brought in questions prepared and tailored to that specific school and perspective I wished to gain on it. Went in as relaxed as i could. Left feeling like the king of Kentucky. 🙂
 
Hated the format/didn't think I said anything substantial -> accepted
Rambled and didn't think I answered any questions well -> accepted
Rambled, hated the questions asked, felt like it was a q&a session -> wait-listed
Loved the format, thought I aced the interview -> accepted
Exhausting format overall, but thought I did well -> accepted
Thought I aced the interview -> silence still, even though people who interviewed long after me have gotten accepted (this school reviews apps based on your combined stats/interview score and not on interview date)

Basically, how you felt about the interview doesn't always correlate with the result...and that's because (as other people have said) your interview isn't the only factor to consider. I'm sure other parts of my app made up for my interviews in some cases, and in others my interview couldn't make up for parts of my app that were seen as lacking (or not as good as other applicants') by the admissions committee.

I honestly felt like I would be straight up rejected by two of the schools I had a bad interview with, and I got two acceptances instead. After that I gave up trying to guess my decision beforehand.
 
Had my first interview recently and I'm not feeling great about it. I didn't feel a connection with my interviewer and he seemed extremely disinterested from beginning to end. I don't feel like I was able to portray who I am, partly due to the questions not being very personal but I could have done a better job answering the inevitable "Tell me about yourself". Also, I didn't get a chance to bring up any of the strongpoints of my application which was very disappointing. I am expecting a waitlist from this school and am saddened because it was my #1, but this experience was great because I know what to correct for my upcoming interviews.
 
At my first interview, my second interviewer assured me I was gonna be a doctor. My interview got very personal and went way beyond the allotted time. I was accepted to this school recently, and I really believe it was because of my interviews (my MCAT fell below the 10th percentile for this school).
 
In my case, how I performed in my two interviews attended did correlate with the result,
Horrible ---> quick rejection
Great ----> Acceptance
after this acceptance, I cancelled four other scheduled interviews. I was tempted to go, just to see how I did, but I really like the school I got accepted to.
 
TXKnight said:
In my case, how I performed in my two interviews attended did correlate with the result,
Horrible ---> quick rejection
Great ----> Acceptance
after this acceptance, I cancelled four other scheduled interviews. I was tempted to go, just to see how I did, but I really like the school I got accepted to.
Click to expand...

I know this will probably be difficult to answer, but what was the main difference between your first and second interview? You described them basically as polar opposites.
 
1st interview: awkward/rambled --> waitlisted
2: awkward/rambled/felt horrible --> waitlisted
3: felt great/thought I nailed it --> accepted
4: felt content/neutral --> waitlisted
 
Last edited:
wjs010 said:
Bad- rejected immediately
Great- accepted
Great- accepted
Great- rejected immediately
Great- rejected immediately

I will always be puzzled at the reasons, but it can be as simple as someone who had basically the Same app as you and maybe made 1 pt higher on mcat. It's that competitive. Just to be accepted at a school you like is worth all of the other rejections though.
Click to expand...
where were you rejected?
 
wjs010 said:
Lmu, WCU, and ACOM, the latter two being shocking since I'm a gulf south res
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wow. It was probably your MCAT that hurt you...did the schools say why exactly they denied you?
 
wjs010 said:
Well it's hard to remember. I know I submitted my sec on 9/20.
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I am glad that you have had a successful cycle so far! I remember people were telling you to retake the MCAT... You prove that it is not all about the MCAT. BIG CONGRATS!
 
Temperature101 said:
I am glad that you have had a successful cycle so far! I remember people were telling you to retake the MCAT... You prove that it is not all about the MCAT. BIG CONGRATS!
Click to expand...
Thanks. Im gonna nail those boards though 🙂
 
frodohobo said:
I was rejected by a school where I thought I gave my best interview so I learned to not be so optimistic. However, I just had an interview recently where the interviewer basically kept complimenting my application and how much he likes me. While I'm very grateful and appreciate his comments, I don't want to be overly confident and say that I will get accepted based on my previous experiences. Should I keep this attitude about this interview or is it a good sign to be hopeful about? I just wanted to know your input on post interview feelings and the actual outcome.
Click to expand...

Its really hard to tell what people are thinking. Interviewers are very good at this.
 
Moral of story: be yourself and try your best. There is NOTHING that is a given after the interview. It may be trivial or personal, but just be nice and respectful and hope for the best. And good luck 😀 sometimes there is no rhyme or reason why a fantastic interviews results in rejection. I just remembered that I said the word "cool" like twice in one of my interviews. I didn't intend to but it just popped out and may have sounded unprofessional or immature. Idk.
 
Mehd School said:
I know this will probably be difficult to answer, but what was the main difference between your first and second interview? You described them basically as polar opposites.
Click to expand...

I can't speak for anyone else, but I had polar opposite experiences as well. One set of interviews was a conversation with a researcher and a clinician about school, medical politics, where I grew up, etc. The next school, the PhD barely spoke english and I had to ask him to repeat things. At one point, he wanted me to tell him what I did for fun and after I told him he asked me to put it into percentages (25% spent reading, etc) and I was kind of at a loss. Who the heck knows or cares. Then the next interviewer had a print out, asked me questions while looking at the sheet, and simply copied my answers down as I said them. This was at a school where they accept 70% of interviewees too so I felt like garbage after it It seems to be very dependent on the interviewer that day.
 
QuantumJ said:
I can't speak for anyone else, but I had polar opposite experiences as well. One set of interviews was a conversation with a researcher and a clinician about school, medical politics, where I grew up, etc. The next school, the PhD barely spoke english and I had to ask him to repeat things. At one point, he wanted me to tell him what I did for fun and after I told him he asked me to put it into percentages (25% spent reading, etc) and I was kind of at a loss. Who the heck knows or cares. Then the next interviewer had a print out, asked me questions while looking at the sheet, and simply copied my answers down as I said them. This was at a school where they accept 70% of interviewees too so I felt like garbage after it It seems to be very dependent on the interviewer that day.
Click to expand...
The school I interviewed at accepts about that rate, too, and at this point it will be a miracle if I sneak in. The physician that interviewed me acted like he had better things to do and barely made eye contact with me. He asked me to briefly tell him about myself, then went on a trail of questions about how I study, how I plan to study in med school, etc. He asked me 4-5 questions strictly about my studies which is odd because it was a closed file interview (and I have good stats). He later asked me to tell him more about myself because he wasn't "getting a good feel for who I was", so I expanded on things I like to do for fun, etc and we found something we had in common. I was only asked one personal question ... I don't see how anybody could get a feel for who I am only asking about my study and time management habits.

I later learned that this guy very rarely interviews. I'm not blaming him, and I certainly could have answered the first "tell me about yourself" situation much better, but I do feel I handled the rest adequately. Who knows.
 
Mehd School said:
I know this will probably be difficult to answer, but what was the main difference between your first and second interview? You described them basically as polar opposites.
Click to expand...
Hey, on my first interview (I got rejected) I was very nervous and that was very bad for me. I was OK just before the interview, but as I started to answer the first questions I lost focus, I was not able to deliver what I wanted them to know about me, I rambled and was not articulate enough. I tried to pivot the conversation to my strengths, but was not able to do so. It didn't help that my interviewers were not that friendly or relaxed and they stormed me with question after question, no time to think kind-of-thing. I knew immediately after that it had done terrible, and honestly, it was my acceptance to lose. On my second interview ( I got accepted) I was a lot more more focused and determined. Actually, I was a bit pissed off about my previous performance and was determined to redeem that. The big difference for me was that I actually practiced in front of the mirror, organized my thoughts and wrote them on a piece of paper that I would read the day before, I was determined to show them why I was a good pick. It also helped that I really liked this school and I wanted to get in so bad. So in short, I practiced a lot more, organized my thoughts and related them to my experiences, I tried to use STAR whenever I could (http://careerservices.wayne.edu/behavioralinterviewinfo.pdf), I was on a good day and I had this desire ) to show this school who I was, I was honest and I think I nailed it. My Interview went over the allotted time and my interviewer told me at the end I was a very good fit for this school.
 
TXKnight said:
Hey, on my first interview (I got rejected) I was very nervous and that was very bad for me. I was OK just before the interview, but as I started to answer the first questions I lost focus, I was not able to deliver what I wanted them to know about me, I rambled and was not articulate enough. I tried to pivot the conversation to my strengths, but was not able to do so. It didn't help that my interviewers were not that friendly or relaxed and they stormed me with question after question, no time to think kind-of-thing. I knew immediately after that it had done terrible, and honestly, it was my acceptance to lose. On my second interview ( I got accepted) I was a lot more more focused and determined. Actually, I was a bit pissed off about my previous performance and was determined to redeem that. The big difference for me was that I actually practiced in front of the mirror, organized my thoughts and wrote them on a piece of paper that I would read the day before, I was determined to show them why I was a good pick. It also helped that I really liked this school and I wanted to get in so bad. So in short, I practiced a lot more, organized my thoughts and related them to my experiences, I tried to use STAR whenever I could (http://careerservices.wayne.edu/behavioralinterviewinfo.pdf), I was on a good day and I had this desire ) to show this school who I was, I was honest and I think I nailed it. My Interview went over the allotted time and my interviewer told me at the end I was a very good fit for this school.
Click to expand...

Thanks for your response. This is an excellent post. I had a similar first interview to you, although I will say that I lost my nervousness pretty early on and I feel that I was able to articulate my answers pretty well. I just think I didn't portrayed who I am very well (although I would argue I wasn't give a great chance to).

People who haven't interviewed yet, read the above post. The actions he took between the first and second interview are the steps that I think can make the difference between an OK interview, and absolutely crushing it.
 
Mehd School said:
Thanks for your response. This is an excellent post. I had a similar first interview to you, although I will say that I lost my nervousness pretty early on and I feel that I was able to articulate my answers pretty well. I just think I didn't portrayed who I am very well (although I would argue I wasn't give a great chance to).

People who haven't interviewed yet, read the above post. The actions he took between the first and second interview are the steps that I think can make the difference between an OK interview, and absolutely crushing it.
Click to expand...
Thanks man. So how did your interview turn out, if you don't mind me asking. you can PM if you prefer

EDIT: nevermind, I saw that. Good luck!
 
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