How do schools decide who to pull from the waitlist?

[mwsapphire]

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... and they are. What you are implying by saying "should be equally important" is "stats should be ignored." The simple fact is that everything is important, to varying degrees at different schools.

I think UMass has something like a 50% post-II rate of As. That does not mean that half of all candidates blow their interviews. That means that the interview goes into the hopper along with everything else, decisions are made, and 50% receive an A. Candidates rise and fall based on interview performance, but, depending where they were going in, some rise and still don't get an A while others fall and still receive one. Unfortunately, you have no way to know where you are right now relative to all other IIs, so you have no way to know where you are going to stand after your interview.

It's probably safe to assume, based on your stats, that you're not at the top, but it's impossible to know whether you're at the middle or near the bottom. The good news is that it doesn't matter. You definitely have some chance, and you would go on the interview anyway, whether your specific post-II chance at an A is 50%, 100% or 5%, so just STOP WORRYING ABOUT THINGS YOU CAN'T CONTROL, do the best you can, and let the process play out!!!!

- No I think there was a miscommunication here- I thought the initial assumption was implying that the other stuff isn't as important as stats or that only stats are considered just a misunderstanding 🙂
- Yes I like that analogy.
-This is literally a thread based on neuroticism. I'm just contributing my neurotic speculation to an already neurotic thread...

 

[valkirieas]

-This is literally a thread based on neuroticism. I'm just contributing my neurotic speculation to an already neurotic thread...

I understand neuroticism but sometimes it's best to stop feeding that lil guy and lock him up for a bit so u can breathe...continually engaging in this discussion is just giving it more power. Wish you the best of luck on your interviews and hope you can secure an acceptance!

EDIT: realized you're not op, my bad!

 

[tessellations]

- No I think there was a miscommunication here- I thought the initial assumption was implying that the other stuff isn't as important as stats or that only stats are considered just a misunderstanding 🙂
- Yes I like that analogy.
-This is literally a thread based on neuroticism. I'm just contributing my neurotic speculation to an already neurotic thread...

Do your best to focus on doing the best you can do at your interview - and don't worry about the rest since it is out of your hands. UMass is very mission based, and I've known some students who have gotten in with less than average stats because they are a strong mission fit and have good ECs.

Also UMass definitely has some waitlist movement, because some of their high stat acceptances will end up choosing the big med school players. n=1, but I had a coworker matriculate there last year who got off the waitlist in June.

 

[deleted1001426]

Do your best to focus on doing the best you can do at your interview - and don't worry about the rest since it is out of your hands. UMass is very mission based, and I've known some students who have gotten in with less than average stats because they are strong mission fit and have good ECs.

Also UMass definitely has some waitlist movement, because some of their high stat acceptances will end up choosing the big med school players. n=1, but I had a coworker matriculate there last year who got off the waitlist in June.

^what this dudette/dude said. Being on a waitlist isn’t the end of the world..I know a ridiculous amount of people who were on waitlists through April/may snd are now m1s

 

[mwsapphire]

Do your best to focus on doing the best you can do at your interview - and don't worry about the rest since it is out of your hands. UMass is very mission based, and I've known some students who have gotten in with less than average stats because they are strong mission fit and have good ECs.

Also UMass definitely has some waitlist movement, because some of their high stat acceptances will end up choosing the big med school players. n=1, but I had a coworker matriculate there last year who got off the waitlist in June.

I'm doing my best to be chill haha it's just not in my nature.
I'm just telling myself that they liked ~me~ as a person ( based on my essays and LOR's) that they were willing to use resources to invite me to an interview, despite my lower stats, and that I should take that to mean they really like me ( not trying to sound cocky, just trying to raise my own confidence levels), so I just to impress them on the interview further 🙂
Oh and IK there's nothing wrong with being on the WL I just meant that I don't wanna get my hopes up about an A.

 

[KnightDoc]

I'm doing my best to be chill haha it's just not in my nature.
I'm just telling myself that they liked ~me~ as a person ( based on my essays and LOR's) that they were willing to use resources to invite me to an interview, despite my lower stats, and that I should take that to mean they really like me ( not trying to sound cocky, just trying to raise my own confidence levels), so I just to impress them on the interview further 🙂
Oh and IK there's nothing wrong with being on the WL I just meant that I don't wanna get my hopes up about an A.

You not only find it impossible to chill, you are also taking the process wayyyyy too personally. No adcom "really likes" any applicant as a person. They are bodies charged with filling seats at multi million dollar institutions of higher learning with the best possible candidates. Nothing more, nothing less. You passed through a screen and are now among the top candidates for admission (fill in the blank of number of people interviewed versus number of people applied) by virtue of receiving an II.

No need to get your hopes up or down; just do your best. The fact that you received an II in spite of below average stats does not mean you are now equal to everyone with higher stats. It just means you were good enough to be called in. Again, you might impress them on the interview and still find yourself on the WL. Or not. You have no way to know, so why continue to obsess on it? How does that help you prepare, or benefit you in any way???

 

[mwsapphire]

You not only find it impossible to chill, you are also taking the process wayyyyy too personally. No adcom "really likes" any applicant as a person. They are bodies charged with filling seats at multi million dollar institutions of higher learning with the best possible candidates. Nothing more, nothing less. You passed through a screen and are now among the top candidates for admission (fill in the blank of number of people interviewed versus number of people applied) by virtue of receiving an II.

No need to get your hopes up or down; just do your best. The fact that you received an II in spite of below average stats does not mean you are now equal to everyone with higher stats. It just means you were good enough to be called in. Again, you might impress them on the interview and still find yourself on the WL. Or not. You have no way to know, so why continue to obsess on it? How does that help you prepare???

I meant that rest of my application/how I would be as a student nvm. Not me as a perosn that sounded way to personal didn't mean it like that

 

[deleted972488]

No adcom "really likes" any applicant as a person.

😢

 

[mwsapphire]

😢

My phrasing was off I meant as a potential med student/ the soft parts of my app were good enough I just wanted to emphasize that I'm trying to focus on nailing the interview by thinking that's all I have to do.Did not mean for that to come out that way 🤣Communicating on the internet is hard...XD

 

[KnightDoc]

I meant that rest of my application/how I would be as a student nvm. Not me as a perosn that sounded way to personal didn't mean it like that

You seem to not be fully understanding how it works. Your app is scored, in a very impersonal manner, based on everything in it (GPA, MCAT, ECs, etc.). Your ECs scored high enough to overcome a weak GPA and MCAT, and got you an II. It doesn't necessarily mean that your ECs are so awesome, and you are such a wonderful person, that as long as you don't offend anyone on your interview you will be accepted. It just means your score was high enough to receive an II.

You are likely not at the top of the list, because there are likely people with high stats and high scoring ECs who are above you. What you don't know is whether your total score right now puts you just below the top, close to the middle of the pack, or the lowest scoring person to receive an II.

After your interview, you will receive another score, and then be compared to everyone else as they decide who gets an A and who gets a WL. You have no way to know where you are now, or where you will be then, so there is nothing for you to do except do your best and see what happens. You apparently cannot do that, so you will apparently go back and forth between telling yourself you have no chance because of your stats and telling yourself you're a shoo in due to your ECs, all the while worrying about a multitude of things beyond your control, so, I guess, good luck with that!!! 🙂