Is not hearing anything yet possibly a good thing?

[Jersey Girl]

I have a tough question for you guys. If you can't answer it, no problem. I applied to several medical schools this year for the first time. I didn't to well on my MCAT so I have pretty much been rejected from every school but three,. So my question is, if I haven't heard anything from a school yet, does that mean that they are possibly considering me? Wouldn't they have rejected me already? I have really unusual EC's that make me stand out. I shadowed a forensic pathologist and watched autopsies, Volunteered at a Tiger preserve in my state, research with a geneticist from Johns Hopkins, stuff like that. But like I said, my MCAT is is poor. So what do you think? Have they just not got around to my rejection? Or is there a glimmer of hope?

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[brandonite]

It depends on the school. If they reject pre-interview (ie, send out letters of rejection to people as soon as they decide they don't want to interview the), then I would think that not hearing anything would be good news. Or at least indifferent news... Stanford does this.

On the other hand, some schools don't reject pre-interview. That means that they send out all of their rejection letters at once. Harvard doesn't reject pre-interview. That means they're just starting to send out their rejection letters now.

You sound like you should have a pretty good shot at getting into a good school, especially with those EC's... But med school admissions is a very random process.

 

[Jersey Girl]

Thank you for the helpful answer. On the contrary, I have been rejected from just about every school. I haven't even had any interviews. Very upsetting. I have just always struggled with standardized tests. I tend to do very average. I am hoping these last couple of schools will surprise me in the next couple of weeks. I won't get my hopes to far up though. Thanks again.

 

[johnM]

Honestly, I don't think your chances are very good at this point. Not impossible, some schools are still sending interview invites, but just about. I highly suggest that you re-evaluate your stats (or tell us, SDNers are usually glad to evaluate people!) and consider fixing what needs to be fixed and getting ready to re-apply.

 

[serpiente]

Elaina--you said you applied to "several" medical schools. With not-so-hot stats you need to apply to many schools. Also you need to apply to a good variety of schools. Where and to how many schools did you apply?

 

[shorrin]

absolutely!

don't be afraid to share. We're here to help. I'm in a position many of us are in: no accepts yet. But from these discussions I've learned for next year (I hate to say that since I am still hopeful) what I need to do to improve. Hopefully you can too!!

 

[Jersey Girl]

Well, the only not so hot stat is my MCAT. Everything else in beyond great. Double B.S in Biology and Chemistry. 3.9 science Cum, well over 100 credits in lab sciences alone (I am very hard-core). V-President of 3 major honor societies, recently honored by the American Chemical Society, it goes on longer. Numerous scholarships, and awards. Lots of community service, clinical and non-clinical. My MCAT was the only weak spot. There is really nothing else for me to fix. It's just that, I always have done average on standardized tests. As far back as grade school. It's just me. I applied to 10 schools. 7 allopathic, 3 osteopathic. All on the northeast coast. Didn't want to go to far away.

 

[sandflea]

your chances for getting any good news at this point really do depend on what schools you have left to hear from. many schools have already stopped interviewing, so if the schools you haven't heard from fall into this group, then it just means they're slow in getting your rejection letter out. if the schools you're waiting on are still actively interviewing, then you're in a better place, although it is getting very late in the year and at some schools the best you can hope for is an interview for the waitlist at this point (which is of course better than nothing).

nothing personal, but the ECs you listed won't make you stand out as much as you think. i'm saying this not to criticize, but just so that you don't put too much stock into what you've done outside the classroom, because generally speaking, your numbers have to be solid for your ECs to really matter. plenty of people around here have done some great research, shadowed doctors with unusual experiences, etc, etc. those kinds of things are almost standard pre-med stuff, although of course you don't have to do them to be admitted. the tiger thing is neat, but some schools might not care since it's not people-oriented volunteer work (some schools, i'm not saying all). also, what do you mean your MCAT scores are 'average'? average means different things to different people on this board--like, a 30 is hardly average.

but i agree with the other person who mentioned that if your stats are borderline, you shouldn't be applying to just 'several' med schools--you need to apply to a broad range.

 

[moo]

I think a better question is WHAT med schools you applied to. If you applied to only top 10 schools then chances of getting in are slim, even with your great stats but "average" MCAT. If you applied to a wide-range then I don't see why you haven't gotten at least one interview, seeing your GPA is as high as it is, unless your MCAT was in the teens or something ridiculous like that.

 

[Jersey Girl]

No, My MCAT is not in the teens, and yes now that I look back, I did apply to very competative schools on the North East Coast. However, I should have had a decent shot with my NJ school. Even they rejected me. As of now I am attending an Osteopathic med school this august. I really like the school, I am not hung up on the DO/MD thing. It's just that there is always one med school that is your favorite (regardless of DO/MD). It happens to be that school which I haven't heard from yet. Thank you for all of your advice. I really appreciate it. So I guess I can safely conclude it's unlikely I will get an interview at the school I am waiting to here from.

 

[brandonite]

Take a look at the "Acceptances, Waitlists, and Rejections" thread. If there are a lot of rejections on there, then the school has been rejecting people all the way along, and your chances now are as good as any. And while most top 10 schools may be almost done (except for Stanford!), there are a lot of schools that are still going. If they haven't rejected anyone yet, then they are probably waiting to send off all their rejections in one batch at the end. That, of course, would not be good news.

If you're nervous about doing a DO, you could always consider taking a year off, and reapplying next year, this time to a wider variety of schools...

 

[megkudos]

•••quote:•••Originally posted by Elaina:
•No, My MCAT is not in the teens, and yes now that I look back, I did apply to very competative schools on the North East Coast. However, I should have had a decent shot with my NJ school. Even they rejected me. As of now I am attending an Osteopathic med school this august. I really like the school, I am not hung up on the DO/MD thing. It's just that there is always one med school that is your favorite (regardless of DO/MD). It happens to be that school which I haven't heard from yet. Thank you for all of your advice. I really appreciate it. So I guess I can safely conclude it's unlikely I will get an interview at the school I am waiting to here from.•••••Hi Elaina,
So are you going to SOM as of now? I'm from Central Jersey also.
I was wondering, what is the school you have been waiting to hear from? I'm sure you've heard this all before, but just go ahead and send them a letter and interest/update letter now, you have nothing to lose. Also keep calling them to check on the status of your application, they should be able to give you more information over the phone. Well good luck

 

[johnM]

Elaina, could you do better on the MCAT if you re-take it? maybe it would be worth the trouble in your case. I think that with a decent score, your grades will put you in to a top program. good luck to you.

 

[A. Caveman]

•••quote:•••Originally posted by sandflea:
•your chances for getting any good news at this point really do depend on what schools you have left to hear from. many schools have already stopped interviewing, so if the schools you haven't heard from fall into this group, then it just means they're slow in getting your rejection letter out. if the schools you're waiting on are still actively interviewing, then you're in a better place, although it is getting very late in the year and at some schools the best you can hope for is an interview for the waitlist at this point (which is of course better than nothing).

nothing personal, but the ECs you listed won't make you stand out as much as you think. i'm saying this not to criticize, but just so that you don't put too much stock into what you've done outside the classroom, because generally speaking, your numbers have to be solid for your ECs to really matter. plenty of people around here have done some great research, shadowed doctors with unusual experiences, etc, etc. those kinds of things are almost standard pre-med stuff, although of course you don't have to do them to be admitted. the tiger thing is neat, but some schools might not care since it's not people-oriented volunteer work (some schools, i'm not saying all). also, what do you mean your MCAT scores are 'average'? average means different things to different people on this board--like, a 30 is hardly average.

but i agree with the other person who mentioned that if your stats are borderline, you shouldn't be applying to just 'several' med schools--you need to apply to a broad range.•••••Sandflea, i'm not sure, but it's quite possible that you're OUT OF YOUR FRICKIN' MIND!!! i don't get it. why do people like you lose it? the ECs i have, have gotten me some attention and compliments. i've been a vp for ONE honor society (not THREEEE), i've shadowed a physician, volunteered in an ER, done some other volunteer activities. while it might be exagerrating to say i've been complimented on them, they're not a problem with my application, and friends have told me I'm good in that department..that i'm strong enough there. so with all the stuff she's done, i'd say she's got plenty of ECs. you must not realize that there's a BIG difference b/w the SDN crowd and the majority of applicants that are accepted. SDN people have awesome stats and awesome ECs and generally are Awesome applicants. compared to the average Joe, her ECs are exceptional (****, even compared to most people Here). her gpa is great too, no matter where she goes to school b/c a double major is very difficult even at a "no-name" school. so wake up! smell that coffee.

elaina,
i'm curious what your MCAT score is and what the allo and osteo schools are that you applied to. also, how late did you apply, how good was your PS, did you market your ECs as good as you could have, etc.

 

[Jersey Girl]

HI, Thanks for complementing my EC's. My MCAT was poor, but over 20. Very slighty though. I don't have it in me to post it. Sorry. I have been accepted to NYCOM, and I am going there. I loved NYCOM when I interviewed there. I had visited another osteo med school and didn't like it. NYCOM was different. Very impressive. I applied to PCOM and SOM, and still have not heard from them. I applied to U.Penn, albert Einstein, Robert Wood, New Jersey Medical School, Jefferson, Temple, which I have all been rejected by recently. It really stinks when you get all the letters together. I am waitin on one allopathic school, and it is the school of my dreams. I visite it twice, once I was given a persona tour by the assistant director of admissions. It was about 1 year ago. I sent a letter of intent to her last month. I even put my picture on the letter so she would remember me. So the whole point of this thread was to ask you guys if you thought I might still have a chance at this school since its late and I haven't heard a thing. My application has been complete at this school since November. I took the august MCAT so allot of my applications were done a little late. Thanks for all of your ideas guys.