How many interviews does it take...

[IDoIt4Love]

...before you feel comfortable with your chances of getting into a med school(any school)? To clarify, how many GOOD interviews would you need to have before feeling almost ENTIRELY certain that you will get in somewhere?

I've gotten four interview offers so far, all for mid-december through february, and I'm still kinda freaking out because they're all later interviews, when there are less spots left. Still, it's four interviews, and I'm a pretty good interviewer. Would you still be pretty worried in my position?

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[JJMrK]

Well, I'm about 40% right now, with some decisions still pending. I think that number could be bumped up maybe to 50% by writing LOI to schools I'm WLed at. So I'd feel comfortable with 2-3.

 

[bowlin123]

...before you feel comfortable with your chances of getting into a med school(any school)? I've gotten four interview offers so far, all for mid-december through february, and I'm still kinda freaking out because they're all later interviews, when there are less spots left. Still, it's four interviews. Would you still be pretty worried in my position?

I woudn't feel comfortable until I got my first acceptance. I also have four interviews: 1 waitlist, 1 rejection, 1 hold for possible future acceptance, and my #1 school decision pending. Your stats, however, are better than mine, so I might feel better if I were you.

 

[bravofleet4]

i have 9 interview offers. I went to 6 so far. So far I only have one acceptance, 3 waitlists, and 2 rejections. Let me tell you that right now it's not hard for me to imagine having just that 1 acceptance when the interview cycle is over. You want as many interviews as you can get. Especially if you haven't interviewed before, you might find you're pretty terrible at it. I found out that personally I'm pretty fragile and can't do the whole fly in the night before and wake up fresh as daisies in the morning.

 

[IDoIt4Love]

i have 9 interview offers. I went to 6 so far. So far I only have one acceptance, 3 waitlists, and 2 rejections. Let me tell you that right now it's not hard for me to imagine having just that 1 acceptance when the interview cycle is over. You want as many interviews as you can get. Especially if you haven't interviewed before, you might find you're pretty terrible at it. I found out that personally I'm pretty fragile and can't do the whole fly in the night before and wake up fresh as daisies in the morning.

i've done 2 so far and both went pretty well. then again, none of the ones i have done or will do soon are out of driving distance: one was a 90 min drive, one was a 4 hr drive, and my next two are 4 hour and 7 hour drives, respectively. thankfully, the one that requires a 7 hour drive is on a Monday morning, so I can arrive in town over the weekend and at a leisurely pace. either way, i usually find that i don't get much sleep the night before because i'm anxious and in an unfamiliar bed, but it doesn't end up mattering because of all the adrenaline that's keeping me alert! congrats on your acceptance though!

 

[bannie22]

I think 4. but it might be less. interesting because this is how my run went.

1 MOCK
DEFERRED TILL MARCH
DTM
DTM
ACCEPT
ACCEPT
MARCH
ACCEPT
ACCEPT
MARCH

Can see that with practice it seems to get better, mostly because I understand myself even better when I have to talk about myself.

Thats not to say that I wont get accepted at the first 3 schools, just not very likely. But also shows an interesting trend. Hopefully all the March schools decide that I'm good enough for them.

 

[alibai3ah]

I got acceptances at my 3rd and 4th, haven't heard back from 5th. 1st and 2nd was hold and waitlist, respectively.

But with 4 you should have a good chance if you are friendly.

 

[Hifey]

mine were

WL
WL
WL
Accept
WL
Accept


so I'm guessing i got better towards the end lol.

 

[zempa]

Well since it's a bit later in the cycle for you I'd say something like 5 or 6 would make ME feel safe. With med school, however, there is no such thing as safe. I got 7 interviews, 2 WL, 1 acceptance, 2 withdrew, 1 pending, and one in a week. As someone said before I wouldn't really be surprised at this point to end up with that just one acceptance - in the end you just never know how the cookie will crumble. Either way I wish you the best of luck - ace them.

 

[Zona Pellucida]

It's scary. I got 5 thus far.

WL
WL
WL
WL
?

It's never enough 'til you get one YES.

 

[RevMD]

This thread kind of makes me nervous. I will be applying this year and I know for sure I will probably be sweating bullets come interview time. One thing I really hope for is that my top choice does not end up being my first interview. I'd rather do poorly and get waitlisted at a school that is towards the bottom of my list and then get the better schools as a second or third.

 

[bannie22]

yep Rev. Dont put a top school first.

Reschedule. LOl

 

[bravofleet4]

This thread kind of makes me nervous. I will be applying this year and I know for sure I will probably be sweating bullets come interview time. One thing I really hope for is that my top choice does not end up being my first interview. I'd rather do poorly and get waitlisted at a school that is towards the bottom of my list and then get the better schools as a second or third.

Don't think too much about that. I think you'll find that there are a lot of good schools out there. The only real dream schools that I think are a definite loss are just in-state schools where you can stay close to home. Otherwise you'll find you can do anything you want where you are.

 

[metallica81788]

I would say 3 to 4, but it's different for everybody. Statistically, 1 in 3 interviews is an acceptance.

Mine were: Rejected, No Decision, Rejected, Accepted, Waitlist, Accepted

 

[JJMrK]

This thread kind of makes me nervous. I will be applying this year and I know for sure I will probably be sweating bullets come interview time. One thing I really hope for is that my top choice does not end up being my first interview. I'd rather do poorly and get waitlisted at a school that is towards the bottom of my list and then get the better schools as a second or third.

IMO, that's over-thinking it. The earlier the better.

 

[J ROD]

1

 

[Marcus Brody]

Well the average school accepts something like 30% of its interviewees. So, uh, there is some sort of formula to figure out how many it would take to get ensure like a 90% chance of acceptance. Math was not my strong point.

Of course you might have things going for you (or not going for you) that would make you an above or below average interviewee, like social skills (or lack thereof) and that would put the whole equation back up in the air.

 

[ThaliaNox]

Statistically, 1 in 3 interviews is an acceptance.

I think this, while statistically true, is a little misleading. A lot of people will be accepted at nearly every school, and others will be rejected or waitlisted at nearly every school. This is because you all bring different advantages and disadvantages to your interviews in the forms of stats, stories and personality. It's like fishing... some people are fishing in ponds with more fish than others. You can become a better fisherman, but you can't affect the number of fish.

 

[Marcus Brody]

I think this, while statistically true, is a little misleading. A lot of people will be accepted at nearly every school, and others will be rejected or waitlisted at nearly every school. This is because you all bring different advantages and disadvantages to your interviews in the forms of stats, stories and personality. It's like fishing... some people are fishing in ponds with more fish than others. You can become a better fisherman, but you can't affect the number of fish.

 

[dw2158]

i had (slash have one on monday) 10 interviews.

deferred
accepted
i withdrew
waiting 'til march
accepted
waiting 'til march
accepted
accepted
accepted
waiting 'til march

 

[Marcus Brody]

i had (slash have one on monday) 10 interviews.

deferred
accepted
i withdrew
waiting 'til march
accepted
waiting 'til march
accepted
accepted
accepted
waiting 'til march

I wouldn't say your application is even close to representative of the average matriculant.

 

[zamo28]

Mine were:

accept
accept
accept

Because I only had 3 interview invites this cycle I tried to prepare as best as I could.

 

[jackson1]

i think at ~5+ it's pretty likely you'll get in somewhere (but not guaranteed, so of course the more the better til you get an acceptance!)? here's what my cycle's looked like so far:

waitlist
waitlist
waitlist
acceptance
waitlist
waitlist
acceptance
rejected
waitlist
waiting for decision

so i've had a 20% success rate so far, which will hopefully increase if i get off a waitlis or two.

good luck to all you future applicants!

 

[dw2158]

I wouldn't say your application is even close to representative of the average matriculant.

i didn't claim that it was...?

lots of people were posting their experiences, so i added mine. that's all.

 

[austinap]

This is a meaningless question because it really depends on you. Assuming your stats are competitive for each of the schools you're applying to, you can still end up all over the grid for acceptance rates. You could make a complete ass out of yourself, and ensure you don't get accepted anywhere. You could be a completely 'average' (whatever that means) interviewee and meet each schools expected acceptance rate, you could be truly charming and get accepted everywhere, or you could land anywhere in between.

Second, even if you knew your real chances of acceptance at each school, you have to define what you think is 'low risk of not getting accepted'. Is that a 5% chance? Then if you have a 30% chance at each school, you'd need 8 interviews to be within that margin. If you have a 50% chance at each school, you'd need 5 interviews, and if you think you're a stellar interviewer and have an 80% chance at each school, you still need two interviews to have that confidence. If you completely bomb every interview, it doesn't matter how many you get because you'll never get an acceptance.

 

[therethere]

This is a meaningless question because it really depends on you. Assuming your stats are competitive for each of the schools you're applying to, you can still end up all over the grid for acceptance rates. You could make a complete ass out of yourself, and ensure you don't get accepted anywhere. You could be a completely 'average' (whatever that means) interviewee and meet each schools expected acceptance rate, you could be truly charming and get accepted everywhere, or you could land anywhere in between.

Second, even if you knew your real chances of acceptance at each school, you have to define what you think is 'low risk of not getting accepted'. Is that a 5% chance? Then if you have a 30% chance at each school, you'd need 8 interviews to be within that margin. If you have a 50% chance at each school, you'd need 5 interviews, and if you think you're a stellar interviewer and have an 80% chance at each school, you still need two interviews to have that confidence. If you completely bomb every interview, it doesn't matter how many you get because you'll never get an acceptance.

i agree. there are lots of people who only get one or two interviews and get in. all we can do is to prep as best as we can with challenging mock interviews and go in with a lot of enthusiasm and confidence - and know that we did our very best

 

[calimed214]

I have 12 interviews total. My experience thus far:

accepted
waitlist
accepted
waiting on decision
accepted
accepted
waiting on decision

After being accepted, I withdrew from 3 interviews and have 2 more interviews coming up (including my #1 choice). Also my application is far from extraordinary with a below average GPA. But I think I'm able to present myself with confidence and poise (without being cocky), which has seemed to work well so far. I think as long as your application is solid, you interview well, and your interviews aren't all at like Top 20 schools then you should be safe with ~3-4 interviews.

 

[RevMD]

Just curious, do most of you concentrate your applications within the region you live? Obviously all in-state school are the minimum. But when choosing out-of-state schools, does you picking mostly neighboring states increase your chances of getting an interview, or does it not matter at all? I have read on other threads that the interviewers sometimes may ask you why you want to come so far away from home to study here. It makes it seem like they feel more confident in giving interviews to students who are closer to home and more likely to accept if they get an offer.

 

[Zona Pellucida]

Also, I don't think the interview pulls a huge amount of weight (probably depends on the school). I have had some extremely positive interviews and have been waitlisted everywhere. You have to remember they are trying to build a diverse class so race/gender could be against you and an entire committee will review you and make a decision... not just your interviewer(s).

 

[learnmdabc]

Can anyone comment on that Zona's statement, like LizzyM? I read an article by Jessica Freedman, basically saying that for most schools the interviews are pretty the clincher in the process. Since the interviewers are going to advocate for you at the meeting, they can make or break you when they present you to the committee. If they choose to vote for you, other members will probably also. But that's just conjecture on my part...

Also, I don't think the interview pulls a huge amount of weight (probably depends on the school). I have had some extremely positive interviews and have been waitlisted everywhere. You have to remember they are trying to build a diverse class so race/gender could be against you and an entire committee will review you and make a decision... not just your interviewer(s).

 

[guyski79]

7 interviews so far:

accepted
accepted
accepted
accepted
accepted
accepted
decision in march

Who knows how much interviews really count though. This whole process is a mystery.

 

[Zona Pellucida]

Can anyone comment on that Zona's statement, like LizzyM? I read an article by Jessica Freedman, basically saying that for most schools the interviews are pretty the clincher in the process. Since the interviewers are going to advocate for you at the meeting, they can make or break you when they present you to the committee. If they choose to vote for you, other members will probably also. But that's just conjecture on my part...

Well obviously the interview is a huge part of the process and you want that person on your side at the committee meeting. All I was attempting to say was that just because you had a great interview doesn't mean you will automatically get accepted as you still have the entire rest of the committee to bypass.

 

[learnmdabc]

Yep, I understand. I'm just saying... I can't imagine that the post-interview decision process is long enough for each member of the committee to go over your app again thoroughly. Usually, the presentation by the interviewers to the committee is under 5 minutes, and then the committee does a quick vote to decide if you're in. So this quick process appears way more biased toward the interview. But I get what you mean...and I feel the same way.

Well obviously the interview is a huge part of the process and you want that person on your side at the committee meeting. All I was attempting to say was that just because you had a great interview doesn't mean you will automatically get accepted as you still have the entire rest of the committee to bypass.

 

[DrSmooth]

Also, I don't think the interview pulls a huge amount of weight (probably depends on the school). I have had some extremely positive interviews and have been waitlisted everywhere. You have to remember they are trying to build a diverse class so race/gender could be against you and an entire committee will review you and make a decision... not just your interviewer(s).

Well obviously the interview is a huge part of the process and you want that person on your side at the committee meeting. All I was attempting to say was that just because you had a great interview doesn't mean you will automatically get accepted as you still have the entire rest of the committee to bypass.

????? According to 8 out of 9 of the directors/deans of admissions at schools where I interviewed the interview did pull a huge amount of weight. If they are taking the time to interview you, you already meet their criteria on paper. They want to meet you and see if you are a good fit for the school or if you are a "smart jerk" as one dean put it. And it's easy to confuse a friendly & positive interview with a "good" interview. I would define a "good" interview as one that gets me an acceptance. The school where I was waitlisted (what I felt was my strongest interview by far) I assume that I was not exactly who they were looking for.

As for feeling confident that I was in somewhere. I personally did not feel confident that I would get in somewhere until I got in somewhere. Good luck though and hopefullly you are rocking the interviews.

 

[Zona Pellucida]

????? According to 8 out of 9 of the directors/deans of admissions at schools where I interviewed the interview did pull a huge amount of weight. If they are taking the time to interview you, you already meet their criteria on paper. They want to meet you and see if you are a good fit for the school or if you are a "smart jerk" as one dean put it. And it's easy to confuse a friendly & positive interview with a "good" interview. I would define a "good" interview as one that gets me an acceptance. The school where I was waitlisted (what I felt was my strongest interview by far) I assume that I was not exactly who they were looking for.

As for feeling confident that I was in somewhere. I personally did not feel confident that I would get in somewhere until I got in somewhere. Good luck though and hopefullly you are rocking the interviews.

I think it partly depends on the school... but yes, of course the interview is immensely important. Maybe I'm not being clear ... I could understand why I am not being clear due to my first response... I didn't really mean it is not a huge deal, because it is. I just wanted to say that your interviewer isn't the ONLY person making the final decision.

And I wouldn't pay too much attention to my advice. I've been WL'd everywhere so maybe I suck at interviewing (even though I was verbally told that I gave a 'masterful interview and am a perfect fit for the school' at one location ) or I am not the best 'fit' for any school I went to according to the committees. Who knows.

 

[Zarika]

I had/have 7 interviews

Accept
Accept
No Decision Yet (10+ wks later at a rolling school; I'm guessing reject)
Under Consideration
Wait List
2 more interview coming up

While I'm more than happy with my acceptances, it's going to be ironic if my only two both occurred before Thanksgiving and my last interview is currently scheduled for mid-March. I could have stopped interviewing (read, spending money) a long time ago lol.

 

[ElegantWeapon]

yep Rev. Dont put a top school first.

Reschedule. LOl

true-I think it varies for everyone, but I was offered I think ten interviews, withdrew from 2, and the rest were:

1-WL
2-accept
3-accept
4-accept
5-accept
6-accept
7-won't hear till march
8-won't hear till march (non-rolling)

unfortunately, my first one was one i really wanted to go to...I feel like I learned SO much from each interview, and just got better and better as time went on

 

[MiniMoo]

true-I think it varies for everyone, but I was offered I think ten interviews, withdrew from 2, and the rest were:

1-WL
2-accept
3-accept
4-accept
5-accept
6-accept
7-won't hear till march
8-won't hear till march (non-rolling)

unfortunately, my first one was one i really wanted to go to...I feel like I learned SO much from each interview, and just got better and better as time went on

You bring up an interesting point. Last year I applied and had my first choice interview first. I turned red, stuttered, and pretty much sucked it hardcore. Did not get accepted. This year, I have an interview at that very same school scheduled last out of 12 interviews. I'm hoping for a much different result.

 

[ElegantWeapon]

You bring up an interesting point. Last year I applied and had my first choice interview first. I turned red, stuttered, and pretty much sucked it hardcore. Did not get accepted. This year, I have an interview at that very same school scheduled last out of 12 interviews. I'm hoping for a much different result.

i'm certainly not complaining, because I have been accepted to 2 other of my top choices, however i definitely think (looking back on it) that I didn't do as good a job selling myself as I did in my other interviews. My last interview ROCKED so we'll see how that goes in terms of admission ...good luck to you MiniMoo I hope all goes as you want it!

 

[MiniMoo]

i'm certainly not complaining, because I have been accepted to 2 other of my top choices, however i definitely think (looking back on it) that I didn't do as good a job selling myself as I did in my other interviews. My last interview ROCKED so we'll see how that goes in terms of admission ...good luck to you MiniMoo I hope all goes as you want it!

Yeah, I agree. I've noticed a progression in my performance as my interviews go along as well. It's becoming easier and easier to "read" between the lines of whatever questions are thrown at you. And your list of acceptances is quite impressive. Waitlist is not a rejection, so don't lose hope. Good luck to you as well.

 

[bannie22]

I had a big school to start too.
Wasnt a smart move.

It wasnt like I sucked at interviewing. I still walked out feeling ALRIGHT.

But when you look back and you compare, you realize you just dont know YOURSELF well enough at the first try.

You dont know why you are here, you dont etiquettes (not like the hand shakes and all that, its more like adjusting to speaking at the level of MDs and PhDs), and you are just... obviously... overawed by how amazing med school is compared to undergrad.

Of course, for someone like me who is too lazy to do mock interviews, it would hurt abit more of course. =)

 

[Morsetlis]

But when you look back and you compare, you realize you just dont know YOURSELF well enough at the first try.

This is true.

 

[imnastywitit]

the one part that i haven't seen mentioned here... is the question of the importance of the interview.

i am still convinced that, once at the interview stage, the interview is weighted by far more heavily than any other aspect of the application. infact, i wouldn't b too surprised if some schools consider the rest of the application a wash at the interview stage and pick the class based on the interview.

so if you have a set of social skills that always you to function smoothly and charismatically in a professional situation, while talking to someone who prefers mainstream over left field (as most ppl in medicine do), you should get accepted everywhere you interview.

if you are like me, and are unique, sometimes awkward, and sometimes do and say things that are just completely different than everoyne else, you will get rejected by every school post interview (as i have experienced).

i'm not trying to sound bitter... its just what i've experienced so far.

but whatever... forget my rant, does anyone have any insight on the top part of my comment?

 

[bannie22]

the one part that i haven't seen mentioned here... is the question of the importance of the interview.

i am still convinced that, once at the interview stage, the interview is weighted by far more heavily than any other aspect of the application. infact, i wouldn't b too surprised if some schools consider the rest of the application a wash at the interview stage and pick the class based on the interview.

so if you have a set of social skills that always you to function smoothly and charismatically in a professional situation, while talking to someone who prefers mainstream over left field (as most ppl in medicine do), you should get accepted everywhere you interview.

if you are like me, and are unique, sometimes awkward, and sometimes do and say things that are just completely different than everoyne else, you will get rejected by every school post interview (as i have experienced).

i'm not trying to sound bitter... its just what i've experienced so far.

but whatever... forget my rant, does anyone have any insight on the top part of my comment?

Well. I dont really want to comment on say how much an interview is worth. I am sure at different schools it is very different. I mean, if you go into an interview with 45/4.0 verus someone with a 30/3.5

as long as you can talk normally (and really most people can talk normally... we are talking about just being able to talk!!!), the 30/3.5 will need a terribly impressive interview to knock you off your perch.


What interests most is the area which I have bolded.

I do not think that is true. I think schools are just looking for the right type of people, and you just havent found that school yet.

 

[Bernoull]

To be invited for interviews means that you you look good on paper and the school can envision accepting you. However, they want to get a sense of you as a person, how you interact, think, communicate, your maturity level, knowledge of field, your composure, whether you are a "good fit" etc etc.

Schools tend to accept about half of interviewees, on aggregate, after a couple of interviews, ur chances are very good.

I was most prepared for my first interview, I did mock, read up several days prior. The following ones I spent maybe 4 hrs prepping (due to a crazy schedule at the time), i basically made sure that I could answer: why me/who are you? Why this school? Why medicine? How have/would u handle situation ZYX? Ethical dilemma question.

My exp this season

Accept/Alternate
Accept
Accept
Interview Pending

 

[JJMrK]

7 interviews so far:

accepted
accepted
accepted
accepted
accepted
accepted
decision in march

Who knows how much interviews really count though. This whole process is a mystery.

Now that is just killin' it. Congrats.


Mine was something like:

WL
WL
Still waiting
Still waiting
Rejection
Accepted
Accepted
withdrew
withdrew
withdrew
withdrew
withdrew

 

[Morsetlis]

MCAT and GPA definitely count post-interview. While ANY adcom member may completely fail a subject by speaking up during the panel review (when your photo is put up on a projector screen) and everything about you discussed (for maybe the 3rd time already), a single adcom's impression of you may matter less than you think (just read the posts about the interviewers thinking that the student will be accepted only to find out otherwise later).

In fact, everything about you matter until the end. The interview is one that you "pass", not one that will boost you ahead of somebody who also "passed" but has higher overall stats. At least, this is my impression for now.

 

[Sammich117]

It really does just take one. I got into the first school I interviewed at. I had 4 interview offers and went to two of them. I was waitlisted at the other school. So it really does just take one

 

[imnastywitit]

MCAT and GPA definitely count post-interview. While ANY adcom member may completely fail a subject by speaking up during the panel review (when your photo is put up on a projector screen) and everything about you discussed (for maybe the 3rd time already), a single adcom's impression of you may matter less than you think (just read the posts about the interviewers thinking that the student will be accepted only to find out otherwise later).

In fact, everything about you matter until the end. The interview is one that you "pass", not one that will boost you ahead of somebody who also "passed" but has higher overall stats. At least, this is my impression for now.

For the most part I see what you are saying. Are you basically saying that an interviewer might like a student, give him a good rating, all of that, but then one person on the adcom might say "no, we aren't taking this person. I don't want someone in my class who has ___".

But still, I sort of get the impression that they say OK, everyone in the interview could be in the class. They all have the right paper application to be in our class. We are now looking for these 10 personality traits, maturity, self-control, and communication skills, so lets analyze everyone's interview and see who has those things best, then pick those people.

 

[imnastywitit]

as long as you can talk normally (and really most people can talk normally... we are talking about just being able to talk!!!), the 30/3.5 will need a terribly impressive interview to knock you off your perch.

lol, i swear that i know how to talk, , its just that I guess I have my own unique style, and I've kind of reached the conclusion that that is what has been rubbing these adcoms the wrong way. if not that, then i honestly have no clue what has been getting my rejected..., since actually the speech that comes out of my mouth has been of a high quality (insightful and clear answers to their questions), its just that I manage to give a controversial opinion or two at least once, and have my unique mannerisms and style...

idk, maybe i'm just thinking this because I am convinced that our culture has a strong distaste for uniqueness. I'm of the persuasion that in our culutre, you are best off if you are as mainstream as possible, with a small twist of originality. anymore, and you are a psycho, any less, and you are a square.