I don't understand...can anyone offer some insight???

[Wifey]

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Hi, I've posted here a few times before. My husband is applying to medical school next year for the first time. We tought that he had a good chance of getting in somewhere this year but it really doesn't seem like that will happen.

He got a 36S on the mcat and has a 3.89 undergrad GPA. He is 21 and has been out of college for two years now, since graduation he has worked as an EMT and a high school bio/chem/physics teacher. He did a little medical volunteering in college and not any research (he graduated from a private liberal arts college with a major in pre-med).

So far he has been rejected post-secondary from one school and had an interview a couple of weeks ago at a state school. He said that he felt like the interview went well...his interviewer even commented that the school would be honored to have someone like him as a student there. But he just got a call today saying that he was placed very very low on the waitlist and probably won't be admitted there this year.

The rest of the schools he hasn't even heard from yet.

What's going on...what is his application missing???

Any insight would be appreciated.

 

[avinash]

Hi, I've posted here a few times before. My husband is applying to medical school next year for the first time. We tought that he had a good chance of getting in somewhere this year but it really doesn't seem like that will happen.

He got a 36S on the mcat and has a 3.89 undergrad GPA. He is 21 and has been out of college for two years now, since graduation he has worked as an EMT and a high school bio/chem/physics teacher. He did a little medical volunteering in college and not any research (he graduated from a private liberal arts college with a major in pre-med).

So far he has been rejected post-secondary from one school and had an interview a couple of weeks ago at a state school. He said that he felt like the interview went well...his interviewer even commented that the school would be honored to have someone like him as a student there. But he just got a call today saying that he was placed very very low on the waitlist and probably won't be admitted there this year.

The rest of the schools he hasn't even heard from yet.

What's going on...what is his application missing???

Any insight would be appreciated.

Having research certianly doesnt hurt your chances, so maybe he should get some research done. Did he apply to a wide variety of schools, and did he apply early? I think hes Mcat score should be ok, as in its not outdated. Maybe he needs some more medically oreintated work as in volunteering and internships, its good that hes a EMT. Just my opinion

 

[acl3623]

wow...his stats are great. did he apply to a wide range of schools? i am assuming that youre talking about the FL schools since youre in w. palm...his extracurriculars seem ok...how about his letters of recommendation? i have a theory that sometimes when a stellar app is getting the shaft its cause someone may have written something shady in one of their letters...if hes sure that is not the case...is he "well-rounded"? does he have non-medical volunteer work on his app? sometimes i think that those extras make a difference when someone has really good #s. adcoms want to see this person just hasnt spent the past 4 years with their nose in a book letting the world go by....interviewing skills? did he have any trouble with the questions? is he a social person? i dont know...theres many unknowns...i would suggest he call the school he got waitlisted at and find out what did him in. sometimes theyre able to offer that information. other than that, i hope he applied to a good amount of schools because it seems like hes a strong applicant. good luck!

 

[Khenon]

The only thing I could offer is that maybe his volunteering is holding him back. Don't get me wrong. I'm kind of confused why he's having such a hard time too. His app seems really strong. Did he apply to alot of schools (ie 10 or more)? I think this can be key too. Anyway, back to the volunteering. I think (and could be wrong) that adcoms are looking for applicants that can prove some level of wanting to help their fellow man/woman/child via volunteering. It doesn't have to be medical volunteering either (your hubby should be fine in the clinical area with his EMT experience). Many people will volunteer with their church, local clubs, university clubs, etc. I'm out of school right now too, so I've decided to mentor minority students that are just starting college. There's a multitude of things he could do, but I guess if he's actually stuck with reapplying next year, that's where I would start. He obviously doesn't need to retake the MCAT, and his undergrad GPA is fine (so he doesn't need to waste any time on a post-bacc program). It seems like volunteering would be the only thing he could do to improve his application.

Oh, and just to comment on the research thing. It's really not necessary, and I highly doubt that's why he's not being accepted right now. Obviously, if he has no acceptances by next spring, he can call the adcoms and ask them what was weak in his app, so that will bring more light to this confusion. But overall, research is a nice plus, but not a requirement for applying to medical school.

I wish him the best, and hopefully things will turn around and all of this will be moot! 🙂

 

[biendesalud]

You have just tapped the exact reason that this web site exists: there is no formula and nobody has completely decoded the process.

Most of these posts are either trying to re-assure other applicants that they are really ok or they are trying to speculate into the minds of the admissions committee, but good luck finding an exact answer.

He's got great scores, so I would imagine that he'll get more interviews. Just remember that people still get accepted well into summer. If he has not already done so, have a pre-health advisor look over his application for possible problems.

 

[Khenon]

wow...his stats are great. did he apply to a wide range of schools? i am assuming that youre talking about the FL schools since youre in w. palm...his extracurriculars seem ok...how about his letters of recommendation? i have a theory that sometimes when a stellar app is getting the shaft its cause someone may have written something shady in one of their letters...if hes sure that is not the case...is he "well-rounded"? does he have non-medical volunteer work on his app? sometimes i think that those extras make a difference when someone has really good #s. adcoms want to see this person just hasnt spent the past 4 years with their nose in a book letting the world go by....interviewing skills? did he have any trouble with the questions? is he a social person? i dont know...theres many unknowns...i would suggest he call the school he got waitlisted at and find out what did him in. sometimes theyre able to offer that information. other than that, i hope he applied to a good amount of schools because it seems like hes a strong applicant. good luck!

This is a great point with the LOR's. I'd check into that as well. I really think LOR's could easily make or break a person who's applying to medical school.

 

[boardchic]

He is 21 and has been out of college for two years now.

I'm a little confused... did he graduate from college when he was 19? how old was he when he graduated from high school? how long did he take to finish college? maybe there's something weird going on there...

 

[japhy]

as some one who has many friends serving on interview and admissions committees, i have to wonder about his writing and communication skills. i am not making any claims about them, but i know from firsthand accounts how horrible most personal statements are. the other point would be to look into his lor. they have been known to sink an application faster than anything.

the lack of research definitely hurts as more and more schools are requiring it.

anyway, back to my original point, my fellow med students have told me horror stories of applicants who look fantastic on paper, but who cannot communicate and cannot offer one good reason why they want to be a doctor. i always laugh at the pre-meds who talk about how random the process is. it really isnt. once you meet the academic standards of a school (which your husband certainly does) they look for things like research and volunteer to work to "show" your commitment to medicine. I can't tell you how many applicants say they have this committment (in the personal statement or other essay), but they have done nothing to demonstrate the commitment.

this may be totally random as well, but i also worry about your husband's age. it wouldn't be the overriding concern but i could see schools questioning his maturity and commitment to medicine at such a young age.

best of luck to you and your husband

 

[mercaptovizadeh]

CHECK THE RECOMMENDATIONS! It is better to have someone with less prestige write a great letter, than to have a wishy-washy letter (or one giving off mixed signals) by someone with a good name.

 

[Wifey]

Hi, thanks to everyone who has replied..you all have a lot of great info to share.

He did graduate college at 19 because he finished high school at 16 (skipped 3rd and 4th grade) does that really make a difference?? He did all of the college requirements?

As far as his writing...he is a great writer...got a S on the MCAT writing section, has published several poems/essays.


Very, very social....very good communicator and everything.

His volunteering is pretty varied...medical and non-medical (church, etc.) but I'm sure he could do better here.

His research is definitely weak.

As far as I know his LORs (the one's I saw) are great except that one, from his EMT supervisor had quite a bit of grammatical mistakes...but what can you do, the guy is relatively uneducated. Could that be a problem??

Oh, and he did not apply to very many schools (only 6 but they were mostly lower-tier schools and state schools)...at the time he wasn't sure how many was a good number. If he applies next year he will definitely apply to many more.


Ahh, this process is so random. Again, thanks for all of your time and info!

 

[Will Ferrell]

I think the problem is because he already has a good and important job. From what I have seen (statistics), nurses, pharmacists, and other health professionals have a hard time getting into medical school because they are needed and are already working for the good of people. I can imagine a HS science teacher being viewed the same way because of the shortage of them. If he wants to go to medical school to "help other people", then why isn't he satisfied now? I think the best thing he can do is quit his job and reapply next year..... just kidding. I don't really know what is going on; he should be getting in with no problem. Tell him to ask the medical schools that rejected what the problem was and fix it.

 

[k-monger]

As far as I know his LORs (the one's I saw) are great except that one, from his EMT supervisor had quite a bit of grammatical mistakes...but what can you do, the guy is relatively uneducated. Could that be a problem??

It sounds like he didn't waive his right to view the LORs. Perhaps this piqued the attention of the adcoms.

 

[JonnyG]

I think the problem maybe he applied to lower tier schools when he is a first tier candidate. The schools might feel he will not go there and therefore why should they waste their time interviewing someone who turns them down. I could see the states schools defintely doing this.

 

[skypilot]

Hi, I've posted here a few times before. My husband is applying to medical school next year for the first time. We tought that he had a good chance of getting in somewhere this year but it really doesn't seem like that will happen.

He got a 36S on the mcat and has a 3.89 undergrad GPA. He is 21 and has been out of college for two years now, since graduation he has worked as an EMT and a high school bio/chem/physics teacher. He did a little medical volunteering in college and not any research (he graduated from a private liberal arts college with a major in pre-med).

Those stats are in the 99th percentile so it has to do with something other than stats. Maybe interviewing style or a bad letter or recommendation.

 

[nicholonious]

Wifey,

When did he apply? Was it early or late into the application process? If it's late, then he might be losing precious spots that early applicants get. Kind of like waiting last in the lunch line with little food left to offer.

Your husbands stats are stellar, are there any weaknesses that we're not aware of? I'm just curious because although there might be great strengths, there might be something else hindering his profile.

How many schools did he apply to? How many interviews did he recieve?

This seems so odd, I would probably accept him based on his experiences...

 

[Tiki]

What school would call to tell someone that they've been placed really really low on a waitlist? That is really harsh, specially considering most schools don't even have a waitlist ranked this early in the game.

 

[opinionkitten]

i have similar stats and have not had a problem getting interviews. my guess is
1) not enough schools. 6 is about half of what i was suggested to apply to from my med advisor.
2)the volunteer stuff may be a problem. i dont have a lot of volunteer experience but ive played it up in every interview ive had, i suggest your husband learn to do the same if he is not already doing this. have anecdotes and analysis of the experience ready to go, let it fly at a moments notice in the interview.
3) some big obvious problem is torpedoing him at some stage. call that waitlist school and ask what the deal is. if he has no chance this year, there is nothing to lose. ask why he got killed on the waitlist, a bad LOR or a problem with the app somewhere else may be revealed to you in this way. it could be as easy as an inconsistency on the amcas info or an LOR that is responsible and can easily be remedied.
4) perhaps this is just a problem with small sample size. one interview is hard to draw conclusions from, and ive got 5 schools that ive not heard from since september, maybe its just a little early. the old wait and see is the only good advice anyone ever gets on these threads, perhaps this is the best course...

 

[jiy76]

it could be only 4 things. 1) as mentioned before his personal statement was weak-i don't think thats why cause he did get interviews and the adcoms thought he was fine at the interviews but its still a possibility. 2) his age and experience- he may be really super smart and be too young and the schools may think he hasn't demostated the commitment to medicine yet. 3) Someone wrote a bad or unsatisfactory LOR -may very well be the case 4) Do you have any children? entering med school is a full time commitment and being very young married and with children is a huge responsibility and they may think it may play a factor while he attends school.-THIS may be the reason although I don't know if any adcom will admit to it. I wish you guys the best of luck, with those numbers I still think he will get in somewhere even if all 3 of the points i mentioned are true.

 

[biendesalud]

I think the problem maybe he applied to lower tier schools when he is a first tier candidate. The schools might feel he will not go there and therefore why should they waste their time interviewing someone who turns them down. I could see the states schools defintely doing this.

one thing is for sure is that schools are looking to find students who 'fit' into their school (whether it be homogenous or diverse), so that is something to consider.

 

[CarleneM]

it could also be that he applied to the wrong tier of schools! What is he doing applying to only low-tiered and state schools??? The schools may not be that interested in him because they figure he's applied to higher tier schools and would go to those over their low tier ones. many schools really care about how many students accept their offers since that statistic gets tied to prestige/rankings/etc. I suggest he write letters of interest to the schools he has not yet heard from and the one that put him on the waitlist. Alternatively, if he waits a year and gets more research/volunteer experience he could probably get into a top 20 or even top 10 school. I know that many of us on here have been "ignored" by so-called "safety schools" and gotten attention from the top 20 instead so i really think this may have something to do with it.

 

[Wifey]

Thank you again for the advice, I'll pass all of this along to him.

Just to answer a few questions that were asked:

no, we have no children

he did waive his right to see the LORs from his pre-med advisors but other people did show him theirs.

He didn't apply to many schools, just ones in nearby states b/c he doesn't want to have to move too far......I think this is a big weakness.


I don't know, hopefully he will reapply next year if he doesn't get in this year but I think he is starting to feel very discouraged b/c he thought his scores were good enough to get him in somewhere!

Oh, and he also applied somewhat late in the process...he took the august MCAT and was not complete until oct. in many of the schools....that is probably hurting him too.

 

[Doc Ivy]

I have to agree with others on a few points You asked the following:

As far as I know his LORs (the one's I saw) are great except that one, from his EMT supervisor had quite a bit of grammatical mistakes...but what can you do, the guy is relatively uneducated. Could that be a problem??

YES!!! If you can't even find someone to write a decent legible LOR, adcoms just won't take this person's comments seriously. Next time around, ask to edit the LOR before he sends it in, sound like your husband has a good relationship with this person, so it shouldn't be a problem. Also, how sure are you that the other LORS are glowing? Make sure.

Your husband is young, he needs to be able to show that he is SUPER mature in interviews. If he even comes off as a little juvenile, they'll look at his age and say, "try again next year buddy"
Your husband also needs to have a great reason for why he is switching careers. They want to know he doesn't have a committment problem. Lots of teachers get into medical school, but you've got to be able to explain why teaching was a pit-stop in your overall plan.
As for volunteering and such, I agree with others, more is better. And I also agree that he needs to apply to at least 15 schools High, mid, and low tier, with stats like his he should aim high. Generic Advice: Apply early, have a great personal statement--his experience as a teacher should make for great anecdotes here. And if he's not playing up his writing awards in his applications he should.
Good luck to you both 👍

 

[medic170]

I think the problem is because he already has a good and important job. From what I have seen (statistics), nurses, pharmacists, and other health professionals have a hard time getting into medical school because they are needed and are already working for the good of people. I can imagine a HS science teacher being viewed the same way because of the shortage of them. If he wants to go to medical school to "help other people", then why isn't he satisfied now? I think the best thing he can do is quit his job and reapply next year..... just kidding. I don't really know what is going on; he should be getting in with no problem. Tell him to ask the medical schools that rejected what the problem was and fix it.

What stats have you seen that say this. ADCOMS look upon health care experience FAVORABLY!!! No ADCOM would deny a great applicant their dream because it thinks that person is need more as a nurse or whatever. I was a Paramedic for 6 years as well as a tech, and every interviewer looked upon it favorably.

4) Do you have any children? entering med school is a full time commitment and being very young married and with children is a huge responsibility and they may think it may play a factor while he attends school.-THIS may be the reason although I don't know if any adcom will admit to it. .

they will not look down on any applicant because they are married or have kids. Even if they ask (which is illegal) they just want to know the applicant and they will not deny admissions based on family status. Maturity, however, is VERY important, which is what I think jiy was talking about. Unfortunatly, because of his age, immaturity will often be assumed and he will have the burden of proving his maturity.

 

[Will Ferrell]

What stats have you seen that say this. ADCOMS look upon health care experience FAVORABLY!!! No ADCOM would deny a great applicant their dream because it thinks that person is need more as a nurse or whatever. I was a Paramedic for 6 years as well as a tech, and every interviewer looked upon it favorably.

Yea, you are right. I was looking at this http://www.aamc.org/data/facts/2004/mcatgpabymaj1.htm , but it seems other factors (lowest average MCAT/GPA) may have been why health related majors have the lowest acceptance rate. I guess they aren't discriminated against.

 

[QofQuimica]

Hi, I've posted here a few times before. My husband is applying to medical school next year for the first time. We tought that he had a good chance of getting in somewhere this year but it really doesn't seem like that will happen.

He got a 36S on the mcat and has a 3.89 undergrad GPA. He is 21 and has been out of college for two years now, since graduation he has worked as an EMT and a high school bio/chem/physics teacher. He did a little medical volunteering in college and not any research (he graduated from a private liberal arts college with a major in pre-med).

So far he has been rejected post-secondary from one school and had an interview a couple of weeks ago at a state school. He said that he felt like the interview went well...his interviewer even commented that the school would be honored to have someone like him as a student there. But he just got a call today saying that he was placed very very low on the waitlist and probably won't be admitted there this year.

The rest of the schools he hasn't even heard from yet.

What's going on...what is his application missing???

Any insight would be appreciated.

You're asking the wrong people. Your husband should phone the school that rejected him and also the one that waitlisted him, and ask THEM why. He can tell them that he'd like to be a stronger candidate for when he reapplies next year (assuming he has to reapply) and he'd like to know how he can improve his application. Don't ask us; get it from the horse's mouth! They WILL tell him why they made these decisions if he asks them!

 

[medic170]

You're asking the wrong people. Your husband should phone the school that rejected him and also the one that waitlisted him, and ask THEM why. He can tell them that he'd like to be a stronger candidate for when he reapplies next year (assuming he has to reapply) and he'd like to know how he can improve his application. Don't ask us; get it from the horse's mouth! They WILL tell him why they made these decisions if he asks them!

This is the best advice you can get. Let us know what they say. I know I, for one, am very curious since his stats are excellent and he seems to have some clinical experioence. Coming across as immature and having little "life experience" at interviews is the only thing I can think of, but then, we have not seen his application and the schools have. Call them up!

 

[Fusion]

Hi, I've posted here a few times before. My husband is applying to medical school next year for the first time. We tought that he had a good chance of getting in somewhere this year but it really doesn't seem like that will happen.

He got a 36S on the mcat and has a 3.89 undergrad GPA. He is 21 and has been out of college for two years now, since graduation he has worked as an EMT and a high school bio/chem/physics teacher. He did a little medical volunteering in college and not any research (he graduated from a private liberal arts college with a major in pre-med).

So far he has been rejected post-secondary from one school and had an interview a couple of weeks ago at a state school. He said that he felt like the interview went well...his interviewer even commented that the school would be honored to have someone like him as a student there. But he just got a call today saying that he was placed very very low on the waitlist and probably won't be admitted there this year.

The rest of the schools he hasn't even heard from yet.

What's going on...what is his application missing???

Any insight would be appreciated.

Wifey, I know exactly what medical school you are referring to because I interviewed there last month and was told the exact same thing by the admissions coordinator (I am low on the waitlist and will probably not get in this year). I was very disappointed with the outcome because it is my top choice school and would have been a perfect fit for me. I had a great interview experience (my interviewer told me: "I enjoyed speaking with you and I hope to see you in the fall"), I have friends at the med school putting in good words for me, work at an affiliated hospital, and submitted a letter of intent the day after I interviewed. I applied there last year also (did not interview) and I did everything that they suggested to me to increase my chances with the school. Granted there are a few blemishes on my record, some that have gotten me some pretty quick pre-interview rejections. But I am confident in my abilities as well as in my qualifications. Apparently the two other medical schools that I will be interviewing at next month agree with me (at least enough to give me an interview 🙂 )

With that said, however, I am still surprised at your husband's outcome. His numbers are great, and as an EMT and HS teacher, he obviously has some great clinical and community service experiences in addition to people skills. His lack of research experience is not the problem, as this school does not really care all that much about research experience, so I hear. I myself have ten months of experience working as a clinical research assistant, so that is perhaps a little more evidence to this theory. I really don't know how in the world some of these schools choose people. But please do not despair. I don't know which schools or how many your husband has applied to, but w/ his stats and qualifications, he will probably get a multitude of acceptances.

 

[Childe]

You should tell us what schools and what state residence he has. This could have a huge impact on his chances.