How many IIs before I can stop freaking out about acceptance?

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Premedguy75 said:
I was fortunate to receive IIs from LUCOM, DMU-COM and MSUCOM but have not heard anything from LMU, MWU-CCOM, OU-HCOM, LECOM or MUCOM. Every secondary was submitted within 1 week of eachother. I am wondering if those schools simply had a greater number of applications, better stats on those apps or if I was screened to a "2nd pile." MSUCOM is not too suprising having been a graduate and MI resident. Any thoughts?
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No worry. I did not hear anything from ATSU too. Ever since 06/29 lol... Email them and they said I'm still in the screening process
 
femmegoblue said:
I received 4 interviews, attended 2, and was admitted to both. It's nice to have my cycle over before October, that's for sure. I will say, I did A LOT of interview prep and I think it was worth it, even if it was overkill.
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I may just need a lot of interview prep. Mind sharing any tips on how you prepped? I'd really appreciate it! Feel free to PM me if you don't want to post that on this thread.
 
lnguyen1412 said:
Be confident in yourself. That's my piece of advice. I am worried abt my stats too and many things...but once you step in that room, have confident that you will make it
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True. Thanks a bunch. I'll have to just be confident and own it. I just suck at answering questions about myself and possibly getting grilled - why the low GPA during undergrad, for example. I just don't know if I can find an answer to that question that the interviewer won't think is a shabby excuse. Any advice or tips on that?
 
Premedguy75 said:
I was fortunate to receive IIs from LUCOM, DMU-COM and MSUCOM but have not heard anything from LMU, MWU-CCOM, OU-HCOM, LECOM or MUCOM. Every secondary was submitted within 1 week of eachother. I am wondering if those schools simply had a greater number of applications, better stats on those apps or if I was screened to a "2nd pile." MSUCOM is not too suprising having been a graduate and MI resident. Any thoughts?
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You'd know if you were screened. I think I got an II to LMU so fast because I am IS and really rural medicine driven. Also interviewed at LUCOM. Hated it.


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lnguyen1412 said:
Got 6 interviews, attended 3. Cancelled 3. So far accepted to one. Don't know about others 2 until end of September.
Same as @femmegoblue , I did tons of interview practice too!!! Even go to my pre-health organization to practice. Before the interview day, also did tons of practice in front of mirror.
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I've never really done mock interviews other than the required ones for my Pre-med Committee Letter, but I do this weird thing where I read the questions asked for that school and answer them out when I'm alone or in the car. It lets me catch my deficits and come up with a better answer


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ATPsynthase123 said:
You'd know if you were screened. I think I got an II to LMU so fast because I am IS and really rural medicine driven. Also interviewed at LUCOM. Hated it.


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Makes sense why you received one so quickly then. I'm not so worried then, being OOS and not as driven to rural practice. What did you dislike about LUCOM's II?
 
Premedguy75 said:
Makes sense why you received one so quickly then. I'm not so worried then, being OOS and not as driven to rural practice. What did you dislike about LUCOM's II?
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I felt like I was interviewing for a job as a pastor rather than a seat in a medical school. Like easily 60% of my interview was about religion. I was largely ignored by the med students and faculty at the complementary lunch and I felt like I was constantly being watched and judged by the admissions staff, even outside of interviews


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ATPsynthase123 said:
I felt like I was interviewing for a job as a pastor rather than a seat in a medical school. Like easily 60% of my interview was about religion. I was largely ignored by the med students and faculty at the complementary lunch and I felt like I was constantly being watched and judged by the admissions staff, even outside of interviews


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Ah I see. Certainly can see how it could've been an uncomfortable experience for non-Christians. I had mission work and a few church-related ECs in my application so I'm assuming that is why I didn't receive any related questions. I realized how strict they were when I aksed the associate director about alcohol. He said it was very frowned upon to even be seen in public with a friend (without any LUCOM gear on) with a drink. I'm sorry you felt you were being judged during the process. In one way, I'm sure it certainly makes your decision on where to attend easier. They want a good fit as much as I'm sure we do. Anyways, best of luck with LMU and the others.
 
Premedguy75 said:
Ah I see. Certainly can see how it could've been an uncomfortable experience for non-Christians. I had mission work and a few church-related ECs in my application so I'm assuming that is why I didn't receive any related questions. I realized how strict they were when I aksed the associate director about alcohol. He said it was very frowned upon to even be seen in public with a friend (without any LUCOM gear on) with a drink. I'm sorry you felt you were being judged during the process. In one way, I'm sure it certainly makes your decision on where to attend easier. They want a good fit as much as I'm sure we do. Anyways, best of luck with LMU and the others.
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See the weird thing is that I am Christian, but the interview made me feel like I wasn't "Christian enough" to be a serious candidate. But yeah, if by some miracle I do get accepted they will not be my first choice. The only reason why I would consider them is because the pre-clinical faculty seemed very knowledgeable and the facilities were the definition of "state-of-the-art"


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how much is "a lot of interview prep"?
femmegoblue said:
I received 4 interviews, attended 2, and was admitted to both. It's nice to have my cycle over before October, that's for sure. I will say, I did A LOT of interview prep and I think it was worth it, even if it was overkill.
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lnguyen1412 said:
Got 6 interviews, attended 3. Cancelled 3. So far accepted to one. Don't know about others 2 until end of September.
Same as @femmegoblue , I did tons of interview practice too!!! Even go to my pre-health organization to practice. Before the interview day, also did tons of practice in front of mirror.
Click to expand...
 
ATPsynthase123 said:
About how many is a good number to where my chances are good for acceptance? I'm sitting at 3 right now, all DO and my State schools have not started interviewing the bulk of candidates yet or sending out the many IIs at all for that matter.

I know most people are lucky to get 1-2 IIs all year, so is it a good sign to have 3 this early?

Is there any truth to the 3 II rule, or is that just a product of neurotic premed reasoning?


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Until you have an acceptance in your hand-- I've attended a few interviews as of now-- but I'm still just hoping for one acceptance to have that relief of knowing that I won't have to apply next cycle. It's a crazy process man, but I will say that after your first interview it feels more comfortable-- as for the result who is to say?
 
Here're a few facts:

1) Your stats matter jack once you have been II.
Your acceptance is 100% based on your interview.

2) Your chances of an acceptance jumps to 35-45% once you get the II.

3) If you have 3+ more IIs and zero acceptance, you need to work on your interview skills.
 
68PGunner said:
Here're a few facts:

1) Your stats matter jack once you have been II.
Your acceptance is 100% based on your interview.

2) Your chances of an acceptance jumps to 35-45% once you get the II.

3) If you have 3+ more IIs and zero acceptance, you need to work on your interview skills.
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I read somewhere when @Goro said basically the opposite of your point #1.

Edit: you're not adcom and can lead naive premeds down the wrong road with unproved "facts".
 
Not true for people with marginal stats. Yes, we do interview people like this.
1) Your stats matter jack once you have been II.

LORs, and ECs also count. Yes, people do get interviewed with red flag LORs. My students in particular tend to eat interviewees alive when they show up with little patient contact volunteering.
Your acceptance is 100% based on your interview.

Totally depends upon the school. Look at MSAR Online and check out # of applicants to # of interviewees to # of matriculants. Multiply the last number by ~ 3 to get the Apps to accept ratio.
2) Your chances of an acceptance jumps to 35-45% once you get the II. i agree that it does take some talent to get outright rejected at an interview.

Agree 1000%! (well, or fix whatever holes there are in the app too)
3) If you have 3+ more IIs and zero acceptance, you need to work on your interview skills.[/QUOTE]
 
68PGunner said:
Here're a few facts:

1) Your stats matter jack once you have been II.
Your acceptance is 100% based on your interview.

2) Your chances of an acceptance jumps to 35-45% once you get the II.

3) If you have 3+ more IIs and zero acceptance, you need to work on your interview skills.
Click to expand...

Although I wouldn't say it's 100% based on your interview (as your stats still do mean a good deal for post interview review (maybe 15-20%)) I would say this is good advice. 3 interviews seems to be the magic number.


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@ATPsynthase123 Congrats! Still waiting to hear from them about a II... How does it feel to have that pressure gone? I imagine the rush is similar to jumping out of a plane. (With a chute of course):laugh:
 
Premedguy75 said:
@ATPsynthase123 Congrats! Still waiting to hear from them about a II... How does it feel to have that pressure gone? I imagine the rush is similar to jumping out of a plane. (With a chute of course):laugh:
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It feels pretty great to be honest! I'm probably going cancel my WVSOM interview (and maybe CUSOM)and hold out for a VCOM interview. Then decide between LMU, VCOM, and KYCOM.

Only thing that sucks though is that I probably am getting a post secondary rejection from my #1 MD school. Called admissions today to get an update on my application since it had been 6 weeks since submission and I had no updates. The admissions office told me that they finished evaluating my application Monday and that I will receive an update in the mail by the end of the week. That school only snail-mails rejection letters...


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I had 3 interviews, which became 3 waitlists, which ultimately became 2 acceptances with the third program offering me a seat in their master's program. I would say you're fine since you're getting these interviews early (which I did as well). Try to avoid getting on waitlists by nailing your interviews, though, waitlists are torture.
 
munchmeat said:
I had 3 interviews, which became 3 waitlists, which ultimately became 2 acceptances with the third program offering me a seat in their master's program. I would say you're fine since you're getting these interviews early (which I did as well). Try to avoid getting on waitlists by nailing your interviews, though, waitlists are torture.
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What schools?
 
KoolKeith said:
For those worrying about Marian's interview, I interviewed there recently and it was neither "vicious" nor "brutal".
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I was going to give him/her the benefit of the doubt but I figured someone else would chime in to signify n=1
 
JB50 said:
I was going to give him/her the benefit of the doubt but I figured someone else would chime in to signify n=1
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The rest of my interview group also said that it wasn't bad, though it's possible they were just saying that and deep down they were traumatized from the brutality
 
femmegoblue said:
I received 4 interviews, attended 2, and was admitted to both. It's nice to have my cycle over before October, that's for sure. I will say, I did A LOT of interview prep and I think it was worth it, even if it was overkill.
Click to expand...

Which school did you say nah too for MSUCOM?
 
ATPsynthase123 said:
You'd know if you were screened. I think I got an II to LMU so fast because I am IS and really rural medicine driven. Also interviewed at LUCOM. Hated it.


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Click to expand...

I wish I could screenshot this with only Goro liking it. It should go down as an SDN meme.
 
@Premedguy75 why would MSUCOM gravitate towards you because you're a graduate? just curious.
 
JB50 said:
Weird. Atleast their facilities are sick.
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Yeah, that's the only thing good about them. I gave them the benefit of a doubt and went in with a low bar. They still managed to be lack luster with my very low expectations.

That says something about the school


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femmegoblue said:
I received 4 interviews, attended 2, and was admitted to both. It's nice to have my cycle over before October, that's for sure. I will say, I did A LOT of interview prep and I think it was worth it, even if it was overkill.
Click to expand...

In excruciating detail, would you please talk about how you prepped for these interviews?
 
cantcatchme said:
In excruciating detail, would you please talk about how you prepped for these interviews?
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Sure. I read "The DO's: A History of Osteopathic Medicine in America", "The Medical School Interview", and "The Healing of America" to learn about the us healthcare system. I watched the entire MMI practice video series on YouTube, and then did a mock interview at my local university. I then prepared answers for "why DO", "why ACOM", and "Why Msucom"?
 
If you're a normal human you don't need to prep as much as people tell you. SDN has a lot of mindless stat robots that simply don't have interview skills. If you're reasonably competent at talking to others and can explain your interest in Osteopathic Medicine you'll be fine.
 
liquidstatic said:
If you're a normal human you don't need to prep as much as people tell you. SDN has a lot of mindless stat robots that simply don't have interview skills. If you're reasonably competent at talking to others and can explain your interest in Osteopathic Medicine you'll be fine.
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On the contrary, I prepped simply because I wanted to be as informed as possible. I have always interviewed very well. Being well prepared doesn't mean you're a mindless stat robot.
 
liquidstatic said:
If you're a normal human you don't need to prep as much as people tell you. SDN has a lot of mindless stat robots that simply don't have interview skills. If you're reasonably competent at talking to others and can explain your interest in Osteopathic Medicine you'll be fine.
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While i agree with your main point interview prep isnt necessary for everyone. There's absolutely nothing wrong with being well prepared. Advising against stressing over interview prep is a good piece of advice, but condemning it to just being necessary for "non-normal" people is not a good piece of advice. Also I'm unsure why you choose to perpetuate the stereotype that if you have good stats you cant be social, i've met quite a few extrovert geniuses in my day.


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Sorry, I wasn't trying to stereotype or be negative. I was just trying to say there is no need to spend in excess of a few hours prepping for interviews if you can already talk about yourself and hold a conversation. And yes, there are plenty of people with awesome stats who have solid social skills. I wasn't trying to be disparaging!
 
Interviews attended: 1. Acceptances: 1. You only need one II opie!

liquidstatic said:
If you're a normal human you don't need to prep as much as people tell you. SDN has a lot of mindless stat robots that simply don't have interview skills. If you're reasonably competent at talking to others and can explain your interest in Osteopathic Medicine you'll be fine.
Click to expand...

I tend to agree with this. I did ZERO interview prep besides reading over the schools website the night before. However, I did have an eight hour car ride in which I talked to myself literally out loud answering interview questions.

I have not had an MMI yet. I will prepare significantly differently for that beast at MSUCOM.
 
Premedguy75 said:
Ah I see. Certainly can see how it could've been an uncomfortable experience for non-Christians. I had mission work and a few church-related ECs in my application so I'm assuming that is why I didn't receive any related questions. I realized how strict they were when I aksed the associate director about alcohol. He said it was very frowned upon to even be seen in public with a friend (without any LUCOM gear on) with a drink. I'm sorry you felt you were being judged during the process. In one way, I'm sure it certainly makes your decision on where to attend easier. They want a good fit as much as I'm sure we do. Anyways, best of luck with LMU and the others.
Click to expand...


My department hosts an open bar once a month...
 
cliquesh said:
My department hosts an open bar once a month...
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Must just have been one person's interpretation of the environment there. I'm a bit relieved it is not as strict as one made it seem.
 
Any idea when would be considered "late" in submitting more secondaries? Would it still be okay to add more schools/ send in secondaries that I never filled out (for example MSUCOM cuz of that 80K tuition, but if that's my only acceptance - I would take it and sell a liver and kidney to pay for school...) (Joking obviously about the liver and kidney, but serious about the submitting apps, just thought I would clarify). Thoughts?
 
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