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Faze2

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Whenever I am feeling good about myself I like to go into the Pre Allo forum and look at the MDApplicant profiles until I feel like a complete f*ck up and want to slash my wrists.:laugh: But I'll skip that part and go to the question.

I see some profiles of kids who have >3.8 gpa's with high 30"s MCAT scores and volunteer, research, shadowing, etc. How do they get rejected "post interview" from a lot of these schools? I know schools look at other things than just grades, but to be flat out rejected when your numbers and EC's are like some of the ones I see, just seems crazy. Makes me feel like I have NOOOOOOOOOO chance. I know that is not true, and I will NEVER stop working until I get in somewhere. Then it's just smooth sailing and nothing but partying all the time.:laugh: :laugh:

I am sure this has been covered before, and I am totally serious when I ask this. I am not trying to be funny or anything.

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I see some profiles of kids who have >3.8 gpa's with high 30"s MCAT scores and volunteer, research, shadowing, etc. How do they get rejected "post interview" from a lot of these schools?

Hmmm...if it was pre-interview, I might be shocked, but if they are going and interviewing poorly, or give off a bad vibe, etc....I could easily see it.

Basically, just because you've got great stats doesn't mean you are definitely a good fit for any particular school...

I known lots of people with great intelligence and I'm sure scored well that were very "uninteresting" to speak with.
 
Some people can seem like the perfect candidate on paper, but I guess if you sit down and speak with a few of them they could be complete jerks. Others may have a thousand hours of volunteer service, but may not have actually done anything during those hours. And perhaps they could have past psychologically issues that the ADCOM may think could prevent them from successfully handling the rigors of medical school. This of course is all hypothetical, because I have no way of knowing what weeds one seemingly excellent candidate out. We all know what is required to make it into Med School, so most candidates are outstanding and well-rounded. However the importance of mastering interpersonal skills can sometimes be overlooked, and those play a large part in the post- interview decision.
 
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Whenever I am feeling good about myself I like to go into the Pre Allo forum and look at the MDApplicant profiles until I feel like a complete f*ck up and want to slash my wrists.:laugh: But I'll skip that part and go to the question.

I see some profiles of kids who have >3.8 gpa's with high 30"s MCAT scores and volunteer, research, shadowing, etc. How do they get rejected "post interview" from a lot of these schools? I know schools look at other things than just grades, but to be flat out rejected when your numbers and EC's are like some of the ones I see, just seems crazy. Makes me feel like I have NOOOOOOOOOO chance. I know that is not true, and I will NEVER stop working until I get in somewhere. Then it's just smooth sailing and nothing but partying all the time.:laugh: :laugh:

I am sure this has been covered before, and I am totally serious when I ask this. I am not trying to be funny or anything.
People get rejected for all kinds of reasons. Even if the interviewer likes you, s/he is only one vote on a committee that probably consists of dozens. You cannot distill much of anything useful from other people's experiences because there is a very large subjective factor to medical school admissions.

I would advise you to find a new hobby. Seriously. This one is not very good for your mental health. You do not ever have the entire story when you read someone's profile--you did not get to read their actual application, and you were not present at their interview to see how it went. Keep in mind also that you should take everything you read on mdapplicants with a huge shaker of salt, as there is absolutely NO verification of any of the information that is posted there. In general, it is best to focus on making YOURSELF the strongest applicant possible, rather than constantly trying to see how well you perceive yourself to be measuring up to others.
 
People get rejected for all kinds of reasons. Even if the interviewer likes you, s/he is only one vote on a committee that probably consists of dozens. You cannot distill much of anything useful from other people's experiences because there is a very large subjective factor to medical school admissions.

I would advise you to find a new hobby. Seriously. This one is not very good for your mental health. You do not ever have the entire story when you read someone's profile--you did not get to read their actual application, and you were not present at their interview to see how it went. Keep in mind also that you should take everything you read on mdapplicants with a huge shaker of salt, as there is absolutely NO verification of any of the information that is posted there. In general, it is best to focus on making YOURSELF the strongest applicant possible, rather than constantly trying to see how well you perceive yourself to be measuring up to others.

Oh believe me I know. I definately do not measure myself by what others do or have done. The first paragraph of my original post was a joke. I do read people's profiles, but as you said before, I take it all with a "shaker of salt". I worry about myself and what I can do, that's it. But I appreciate your advice.:thumbup:
 
Oh believe me I know. I definately do not measure myself by what others do or have done. The first paragraph of my original post was a joke. I do read people's profiles, but as you said before, I take it all with a "shaker of salt". I worry about myself and what I can do, that's it. But I appreciate your advice.:thumbup:
I'm glad your first paragraph was a joke. Where are you at in the process? Applying this summer?
 
A few notes...

The sharing of opinions about a wide variety of schools throughout the country is only useful for people applying broadly. That tends to be the lion's share of SDN'ers, and to stand a chance oos or at a well-respected private school that draws thousands of apps, you've got to carry a 30+ to even bother ponying up the cash unless you don't mind a slew of waitlists. As previously mentioned by myself, nearly all of my classmates were only accepted to my state school. SDN and mdapps would thus be useless venues for them in the pre-allo stage.

A lot of people misrepresent their numbers on mdapps. Some post "projected" scores while others list their best attempt at each section.

Look at how many of those rejects/waitlists are to oos and top tier private schools. If you look at an MSAR, you'll see that their acceptance odds usually correlate with their outcomes. You will also see people who were way too ambitious given their applications.

Just looking at a person's posts, you can often see some glaring problems with grammar/usage. This is a sign that maybe their essays had some red flags.

What disappoints me (and without mentioning any names), I see a lot of mdapps profiles that simply don't match their applications. I often feel like if they would have consulted an MSAR (or me) before they applied, I could have found a good school for their application or suggested ways to improve.

If all else fails, just establish residency in a red state. If you carry a 30 in the midwest or south, it's tough for them not to take you given the relative number of in-state applicants.
 
MDApps is self-reported information meaning the folks could likely embellish their profile. The AMCAS/ACOMAS application requires accurate reporting of GPA, (MCAT transcript comes from outside) and extracurrculars. To place false information on these documents can carry severe penalties.

A case that I often point to is the child of a chairman of Biochemistry at one of the medical schools. This person (22 years old) had an MCAT score of 43 and a undergraduate GPA of 3.98 with a double major in biology and economics. This person applied to three medical schools and was rejected post interview from all three. The problem was that this person was extremely immature and conveyed a strong sense of "entitlement" and arrogance terms of the interview. The person joined the Peace Corps, came back after a successful tour and was admitted and is doing fine.

Numbers may get your foot in the door but you can "shoot yourself in that foot" if you have no idea of how to interview or interact with people.

Take MDApps with a "jaundiced eye" and not as a source of comparision.
 
For top notch schools, having the numbers will only get you the interview, many will still get rejected despite having competitive numbers for these top schools. Only state schools will allow in students with good stats with little fuss (and even then, some state schools will not treat their instaters very kindly).

I know friends who have competitive stats who don't get in for little things. One girl had good stats but her class load was very, very light. This meant that the top schools she applied for (Harvard/Yale/Stanford) may glance at her stuff but not let her because taking two science classes plus music appreciation, music theory and piano playing classes did not look as nicely as someone taking calculus, genetics, biochem, and british lit.

Another girl I knew was waitlisted at six out of the seven top schools she applied to despite having competitive stats for those schools. Maybe it was b/c she was kind of young (21), or had only cursory clinical stuff....not sure, but something was off on her application which made the school eventually reject her. Both these girls later got into lower tiered/state schools with little problem.
 
stats on mdapps are inflated. and i totally understand what you mean about how you feel once you go through all those profiles! hahahha makes you all paranoid and nutso. i eventually got over it. also, nontrads tend to get in with lower stats and adcoms seem to favor us so yay for that!
 
stats on mdapps are inflated. and i totally understand what you mean about how you feel once you go through all those profiles! hahahha makes you all paranoid and nutso. i eventually got over it. also, nontrads tend to get in with lower stats and adcoms seem to favor us so yay for that!

Yes, the profiles on mdapps are likely inflated but no particular "group" of applicants are favored. The whole application is taken into consideration not just numbers. For any applicant, it is good to make your application as strong as possible both from an academic and extracurricular standpoint but make no mistake, being "non-traditional" is not going to confer special status.

We look for students who show evidence (by competitiveness of application) of being able to navigate a very rigorous and demanding medical school curriculum. Many non-traditional (and traditional) students have shown that they have been able to overcome difficulties (academic and otherwise) which make them competitive but just being "non-traditional" does not confer any special status. You are in the same pool as every applicant.
 
I'm glad your first paragraph was a joke. Where are you at in the process? Applying this summer?

No, I am not appyling until next summer. But one thing I have learned from all of my screwups is not to proscrastinate with anything, especially something as intense and serious as applying to med school, so that is why I have been on this site for a while, and been doing all of my healthcare experience for over a year now, and even talking to med schools and SMP program directors, so when I finish my pre req's and get to the application process, I am prepared.:thumbup:
 
also, nontrads tend to get in with lower stats and adcoms seem to favor us so yay for that!
I wouldn't be so sure of that. If anything, being older may work against you at some schools that tend to favor more traditional applicants. The nontrads who have the most application success are the ones who have the most competitive, well-rounded applications. They can more than hold their own numerically against the equally competitive trad applicants. And the most successful trads may be young, but they have ECs that would seriously knock your socks off. I met some pretty incredible college kids on the interview trail last year, and I currently attend med school with a bunch of them. You'd be amazed what some of these kids have done before the age of 21, all while managing to maintain near-perfect grades and earning stellar MCAT scores.
 
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