How many interviews to go to? extreme case

[zaben]

So SDN,

I was fairly spooked at the beginning of this cycle. I had applied to a smaller amount of schools, and seemingly the day after I applied I got rejected from one school and then placed on hold (rejection?) from my top choice (U Michigan). Understandably, I applied to a bunch more schools and brought my total schools applied to up to 30. I am now up to 20 interview invites as of today, and have been to 9 with 5 more scheduled before October 16th. I am starting to get very burnt out and very poor and am wondering if I should cancel these interviews before I am holding an acceptance. My interviewers have generally told me that I interview well, and I am starting to feel like a jerk seeing people who have no interview invites while I am interviewing at schools I would have never applied to if I hadn't been so scared early on. Is there just a "magic number" where someone with average to good interviewing skills can stop going to interviews? Note that at least 7 of these schools will let me know on Oct 15/16 and some of these schools the interview seemed incredibly conversational and not really "evaluative" so I don't even know how they will decide from that.

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[Make Or Break]

Wooooow..... 20 invites.....

 

[NoDakDok]

I ... am wondering if I should cancel these interviews before I am holding an acceptance.

No.

The best you can do is schedule schools you are less interested in as far in the future as possible, and rescind your interview dates if you receive an acceptance to a higher priority school before that date.

As I have said before and will say many times again, even in your case, going to more interviews is far less expensive than a second application cycle.

 

[kthxbai]

October 15th isn't too far off.

YOU CAN DO IT!!!

 

[godawg300]

Same situation here. I'm gonna wait until after October 15th.

 

[breakintheroof]

No.

The best you can do is schedule schools you are less interested in as far in the future as possible, and rescind your interview dates if you receive an acceptance to a higher priority school before that date.

As I have said before and will say many times again, even in your case, going to more interviews is far less expensive than a second application cycle.

This is the conventional wisdom, good idea to listen to it.

Hypothetical question for @NoDakDok --would you say the same thing if OP were sitting on 25 interview invitations? 30? If so, perhaps OP should add more schools to get to the optimum number of interviews, since 20 ain't enough to be sure of an acceptance!

 

[NoDakDok]

This is the conventional wisdom, good idea to listen to it.

Hypothetical question for @NoDakDok --would you say the same thing if OP were sitting on 25 interview invitations? 30? If so, perhaps OP should add more schools to get to the optimum number of interviews, since 20 ain't enough to be sure of an acceptance!

My response is independent of the number of interviews you receive. Manipulating N does not modify my answer. You attend interviews until you have an acceptance in hand. Your best bet is to manipulate your interview schedule such that you can avoid attending less appealing interviews granted you receive an acceptance to a school you desire to attend more than the others.

Even if you had interview invites to all 150 or so medical schools I would simply advise putting off your bottom 140 until after October 15th. I would also always suggest attending local interviews. You never know what they might offer you to attend...

 

[SN12357]

So SDN,

I was fairly spooked at the beginning of this cycle. I had applied to a smaller amount of schools, and seemingly the day after I applied I got rejected from one school and then placed on hold (rejection?) from my top choice (U Michigan). Understandably, I applied to a bunch more schools and brought my total schools applied to up to 30. I am now up to 20 interview invites as of today, and have been to 9 with 5 more scheduled before October 16th. I am starting to get very burnt out and very poor and am wondering if I should cancel these interviews before I am holding an acceptance. My interviewers have generally told me that I interview well, and I am starting to feel like a jerk seeing people who have no interview invites while I am interviewing at schools I would have never applied to if I hadn't been so scared early on. Is there just a "magic number" where someone with average to good interviewing skills can stop going to interviews? Note that at least 7 of these schools will let me know on Oct 15/16 and some of these schools the interview seemed incredibly conversational and not really "evaluative" so I don't even know how they will decide from that.

I honestly wouldn't turn down interviews before you have an acceptance. However, what you can do is schedule dates further out and cancel some of the interviews after you get an acceptance. Nothing wrong with doing that.

 

[Pluto2]

Fitting in to this is the merit scholarship question and/or financial package/aid, which I still do not understand. If you invest now and that results in discovering schools you might like to attend of they were say, "free", then the only way to get to that limit equation is to interview. From there you can/will/might(? ) be in a postion to work for a cost reductions in a couple of fully acceptable schools.

I have been considering canceling interviews, but to have 20 out of 30 this early, .. wow, congratulations!

Can anyone comment on how having multiple acceptances can add cost leverage, and perhaps help add a dimension to answer the OP Q, to the actual cost of attending?

 

[Law2Doc]

Agree with what's been said-- run scared --keep interviewing until you get an acceptance in hand and even then only cancel those places you wouldn't want to go to over the one that accepted you. Every year we have someone who convinces themselves that they interview well and cancels a bunch of interview and gets nada. Don't be an SDN "I know of a guy" statistic.