Is Yield-Protection Real?

[NYCVillain]

So I showed my preliminary school for the 2019-2020 cycle to my pre-med advisor, and he's saying that at some of the schools I apply to, there's a good chance I may get "yield-protected". When I asked him what this means, he pretty much said that these schools where I am 90th% + for what they accept will probably not give me a medical school interview because they do not want to waste time and resources interviewing someone that probably will end up rejecting them. So from my understanding , it's like the medical schools are rejecting us before we have a chance at rejecting them. My MCAT score is a 521 and my sGPA is a 4.0 (cGPA is a 3.94), but my ECs are very cookie-cutter, and nothing special, although I do have a 1st author ABSTRACT publication in a peer-reviewed journal (don't really think abstract publications are going to come off nearly as impressive as supposed to an actual manuscript).

My pre-med advisor pretty much told me to apply to schools with median accepted MCATs below 514-515 sparingly, as it's a good chance the money I spend will just end up being a donation. How can I prevent this, because for me geographical location is very important. I want to stay in the Northeast and in urban areas (NYC resident), thus schools near NYC, Boston, Philly,Baltimore, and DC are very high on my list, even if they don't have the best prestige like Temple, Drexel, Jefferson,etc.

So what's the recommended plan of action? Can I still apply to these schools but indicate on my secondary that I actually am considering these schools very intensely due to wanting to stay in the Northeast? Also, I'm just scared that if I apply to Top-20 esque schools that I will only get 2-3 interviews due to my generic ECs (they're not bad, just not anything extraordinary). I hear that at top 20-esque schools the post-interview acceptance rate is around 20-25% so that doesn't do much to appease my worries.

Advice will be much appreciated.

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[chaim123]

So I showed my preliminary school for the 2019-2020 cycle to my pre-med advisor, and he's saying that at some of the schools I apply to, there's a good chance I may get "yield-protected". When I asked him what this means, he pretty much said that these schools where I am 90th% + for what they accept will probably not give me a medical school interview because they do not want to waste time and resources interviewing someone that probably will end up rejecting them. So from my understanding , it's like the medical schools are rejecting us before we have a chance at rejecting them. My MCAT score is a 521 and my sGPA is a 4.0 (cGPA is a 3.94), but my ECs are very cookie-cutter, and nothing special, although I do have a 1st author ABSTRACT publication in a peer-reviewed journal (don't really think abstract publications are going to come off nearly as impressive as supposed to an actual manuscript).

My pre-med advisor pretty much told me to apply to schools with median accepted MCATs below 514-515 sparingly, as it's a good chance the money I spend will just end up being a donation. How can I prevent this, because for me geographical location is very important. I want to stay in the Northeast and in urban areas (NYC resident), thus schools near NYC, Boston, Philly,Baltimore, and DC are very high on my list, even if they don't have the best prestige like Temple, Drexel, Jefferson,etc.

So what's the recommended plan of action? Can I still apply to these schools but indicate on my secondary that I actually am considering these schools very intensely due to wanting to stay in the Northeast? Also, I'm just scared that if I apply to Top-20 esque schools that I will only get 2-3 interviews due to my generic ECs (they're not bad, just not anything extraordinary). I hear that at top 20-esque schools the post-interview acceptance rate is around 20-25% so that doesn't do much to appease my worries.

Advice will be much appreciated.

This is exactly why you need to apply broad. T20 schools can easily reject you, as they have lots of options.Schools with lower stats may think you aren't serious about their program, or, even more so, they can only interview so many people. A lower stat school would not want to spend all its interview slots on high stat applicants who will ultimately go other places - they need to interview broad as well!

Honestly, there's no way to predict what will happen. I had stats a bit better than yours, an applied to 23 schools out of the Top 50 research.

 

[gyngyn]

Would you interview you if you had to interview 100 to get one matriculant?

 

[NYCVillain]

Would you interview you if you had to interview 100 of you to get one?

If I had a 1/100 chance of getting with the girl of my dreams after a date, I’m taking my chances. Not saying I’m a supermodel (that’s more of a 525+, crazy ECs, 4.0, if we apply the analogy to medical students)

 

[DokterMom]

Your plan to highlight geography in your secondaries is a good one. Do that --

 

[Goro]

If I had a 1/100 chance of getting with the girl of my dreams after a date, I’m taking my chances. Not saying I’m a supermodel (that’s more of a 525+, crazy ECs, 4.0, if we apply the analogy to medical students)

That's not what he asked you.


Think about harder, and put yourself in the shoes of an Admission Dean who has only a finite number of interview slots, dates, and interviewers, but 1000s of applicants for 100 to 200 seats.

 

[NYCVillain]

Would you interview you if you had to interview 100 to get one matriculant?

That's not what he asked you.


Think about harder, and put yourself in the shoes of an Admission Dean who has only a finite number of interview slots, dates, and interviewers, but 1000s of applicants for 100 to 200 seats.

Yeah you’re right, but it just sucks because I actually would legitimately seriously consider these schools if they accepted me.

 

[deleted938090]

Admissions deans will have access to stats about the matriculation % of students from different geographic, economic, and racial backgrounds, as well as their stats and activities.

It then becomes an economic problem: how do you best allocate a fixed number of interview spots to maximize the number of people who matriculate?

If you would legitimately consider these schools, then send an interest letter.

 

[gyngyn]

If I had a 1/100 chance of getting with the girl of my dreams after a date, I’m taking my chances. Not saying I’m a supermodel (that’s more of a 525+, crazy ECs, 4.0, if we apply the analogy to medical students)

How about if you had to date 100 to have a chance at one (including all expenses).
Wouldn't a closer match be better?

 

[NYCVillain]

How about if you had to date 100 to have a chance at one (including all expenses).
Wouldn't a closer match be better?

Yes

 

[stubblesmcgee]

You're going to have to really nail those "why this school" questions if you want to give yourself the best shot at interviews at mid-tier schools. Really do your homework, reach out to any med students you know to find out things not listed on the website, highlight your ties to the area and why you want to stay local. I'd even go so far as to write them each from scratch if you can, because I feel like it's usually apparent where cutting and pasting happened.

 

[Goro]

So I showed my preliminary school for the 2019-2020 cycle to my pre-med advisor, and he's saying that at some of the schools I apply to, there's a good chance I may get "yield-protected". When I asked him what this means, he pretty much said that these schools where I am 90th% + for what they accept will probably not give me a medical school interview because they do not want to waste time and resources interviewing someone that probably will end up rejecting them. So from my understanding , it's like the medical schools are rejecting us before we have a chance at rejecting them. My MCAT score is a 521 and my sGPA is a 4.0 (cGPA is a 3.94), but my ECs are very cookie-cutter, and nothing special, although I do have a 1st author ABSTRACT publication in a peer-reviewed journal (don't really think abstract publications are going to come off nearly as impressive as supposed to an actual manuscript).

My pre-med advisor pretty much told me to apply to schools with median accepted MCATs below 514-515 sparingly, as it's a good chance the money I spend will just end up being a donation. How can I prevent this, because for me geographical location is very important. I want to stay in the Northeast and in urban areas (NYC resident), thus schools near NYC, Boston, Philly,Baltimore, and DC are very high on my list, even if they don't have the best prestige like Temple, Drexel, Jefferson,etc.

So what's the recommended plan of action? Can I still apply to these schools but indicate on my secondary that I actually am considering these schools very intensely due to wanting to stay in the Northeast? Also, I'm just scared that if I apply to Top-20 esque schools that I will only get 2-3 interviews due to my generic ECs (they're not bad, just not anything extraordinary). I hear that at top 20-esque schools the post-interview acceptance rate is around 20-25% so that doesn't do much to appease my worries.

Advice will be much appreciated.

I suggest the following. Note that the one sin bold are in your preferred geographic area.

NYU
Yale
U Penn
Columbia
Harvard
Sinai
Cornell
U VA
BU
Pitt
Hofstra
Albert Einstein
Dartmouth
Rochester
Jefferson
U VM
ALL SUNYs
JHU
Case
Ohio State
U Cincy
U MI
Western MI
Vanderbilt
Duke
WashU
Northwestern
U Chicago
Mayo
USF Morsani
Miami
U IA
Emory
UCSD,
UCSF
USC/Keck
Stanford

 

[NYCVillain]

I suggest the following. Note that the one sin bold are in your preferred geographic area.

NYU
Yale
U Penn
Columbia
Harvard
Sinai
Cornell
U VA
BU
Pitt
Hofstra
Albert Einstein
Dartmouth
Rochester
Jefferson
U VM
ALL SUNYs
JHU
Case
Ohio State
U Cincy
U MI
Western MI
Vanderbilt
Duke
WashU
Northwestern
U Chicago
Mayo
USF Morsani
Miami
U IA
Emory
UCSD,
UCSF
USC/Keck
Stanford

Wow this is amazing

 

[ihaveagf]

I got rejected from Harvard. Yield protection is real.

 

[LizzyM]

I got rejected from Harvard. Yield protection is real.

 

[Psai]

How about if you had to date 100 to have a chance at one (including all expenses).
Wouldn't a closer match be better?

Are they hot tho

 

[DirtyNewYorker]

lmao then what's the point of getting a 521+ on the mcat when if you get a 517-518 you can apply to so many more schools and not have to worry about yield protection

 

[Goro]

lmao then what's the point of getting a 521+ on the mcat when if you get a 517-518 you can apply to so many more schools and not have to worry about yield protection

There are plenty of schools that you could apply to and not have to worry about resource protection.

Stanford or Harvard class caliber applicants should apply to the really top schools, and their state schools. There are at least 30 schools that one can say are in the top 10 of American Medical Schools.

 

[Tenk]

Umm just apply to the schools you want to apply to and on any secondaries just state your reason for applying to that specific school. If you don’t get an interview, just call them and express your sincere interest. While this clearly won’t work for Harvard, a generic state school would love an applicant with those stats and ties to the area.

 

[chaim123]

just call them and express your sincere interest.

I think calling the admissions office for no good reason is generally frowned upon. It's annoying, and shows a lack of patience. I didn't receive an interview to my state school until later in the cycle, and I imagine that annoying them about it would not have helped.

 

[Tenk]

I think calling the admissions office for no good reason is generally frowned upon. It's annoying, and shows a lack of patience. I didn't receive an interview to my state school until later in the cycle, and I imagine that annoying them about it would not have helped.

Depends on if you’re a baller like this kid is or not. This applicant is a badass. All they have to do is call/write a letter to a lower tier school, give a heart felt sincere reason why they want to go there and I guarantee you 9/10 times they will get an interview if they have good reasons and stats like that. You obviously don’t do this until around November/December or after a rejection because yes it’s a long process and it takes time.

What the OP is describing is in fact a real phenomenon that actually does happen. To get interviews (both for med school and residency) at middle-lower tier schools/programs can actually be extraordinarily difficult for high grade applicants without ties to the area. That’s why your secondary application should be filled with reasons you want to go there. If you cookie cutter secondaries you may just get tossed aside by a school thinking they are your backup.

 

[NYCVillain]

Depends on if you’re a baller like this kid is or not. This applicant is a badass. All they have to do is call/write a letter to a lower tier school, give a heart felt sincere reason why they want to go there and I guarantee you 9/10 times they will get an interview if they have good reasons and stats like that. You obviously don’t do this until around November/December or after a rejection because yes it’s a long process and it takes time.

What the OP is describing is in fact a real phenomenon that actually does happen. To get interviews (both for med school and residency) at middle-lower tier schools/programs can actually be extraordinarily difficult for high grade applicants without ties to the area. That’s why your secondary application should be filled with reasons you want to go there. If you cookie cutter secondaries you may just get tossed aside by a school thinking they are your backup.

Wow thanks for the such kind words, and I will definitely follow your advice. Thanks a million!!!

 

[adamg26]

I suggest the following. Note that the one sin bold are in your preferred geographic area.

NYU
Yale
U Penn
Columbia
Harvard
Sinai
Cornell
U VA
BU
Pitt
Hofstra
Albert Einstein
Dartmouth
Rochester
Jefferson
U VM
ALL SUNYs
JHU
Case
Ohio State
U Cincy
U MI
Western MI
Vanderbilt
Duke
WashU
Northwestern
U Chicago
Mayo
USF Morsani
Miami
U IA
Emory
UCSD,
UCSF
USC/Keck
Stanford

I wish i had joined this site and had a Goro before my cycle.

 

[LonelyBoi]

Does anyone know if schools like Tufts and Jefferson will yield protect students with a LizzyM around 78? I’m looking for some “safety” schools outside the top 30s where I would have a reasonable chance at interviewing

 

[chemdoctor]

... so having great stats CAN be a bad thing ;P

 

[donutzebra]

Given that OP describes his ECs as "generic ECs (they're not bad, just not anything extraordinary)," would it be possible that middle- and lower-tier schools might recognize this as well and think, "He might not actually get in to a top-20 program. Let's give him an interview instead of yield-protecting"?

 

[863168]

Given that OP describes his ECs as "generic ECs (they're not bad, just not anything extraordinary)," would it be possible that middle- and lower-tier schools might recognize this as well and think, "He might not actually get in to a top-20 program. Let's give him an interview instead of yield-protecting"?

No. Because you don't have any reason to believe the hot girl will choose you out of the 50 other programs even if she's been rejected by the 20 hotter candidates ahead of you. Also, you don't have time to wait on her because you need to come up with a governing theory for.... interviewing candidates who actually have a strong interest and are likely to guarantee a match.

 

[altblue]

... so having great stats CAN be a bad thing ;P

If you don't play your cards right, it can be.

I still wouldn't mind a few more MCAT points, or a better transcript. Lol

 

[altblue]

Given that OP describes his ECs as "generic ECs (they're not bad, just not anything extraordinary)," would it be possible that middle- and lower-tier schools might recognize this as well and think, "He might not actually get in to a top-20 program. Let's give him an interview instead of yield-protecting"?

People with high stats and average ECs, with no gaping flaws, can def get into top 20 programs. It's just more challenging to get into a place like Mayo or Harvard if they're otherwise a standard applicant

 

[deleted938090]

... so having great stats CAN be a bad thing ;P

It can. Past a certain point, they may look at your application and ask bizarre questions like what fun activities do you do? People seem to think that it takes a lot of time to prepare for the MCAT or get good GPA but there's definitely enough time in a day do other things.

Also the part about yield protection really is quite scary but at that point, just apply to only the schools that you know won't yield protect. There's nothing wrong with applying just t30 + instate or something because odds are high that you get in somewhere anyway.

 

[MyOdyssey]

What criteria do Ad Coms use to yield/resource protect? MCAT? GPA? LizzyM? Whether an applicant comes from a state with great instate options?

And by how much does an applicant have to outperform? 2 points>median MCAT? 4 points>median MCAT?

.2>median GPA?

Which states’ applicants are shunned by OOS (besides TX)?

 

[Goro]

What criteria do Ad Coms use to yield/resource protect? MCAT? GPA? LizzyM? Whether an applicant comes from a state with great instate options?

And by how much does an applicant have to outperform? 2 points>median MCAT? 4 points>median MCAT?

.2>median GPA?

Which states’ applicants are shunned by OOS (besides TX)?

Historical norms.

 

[letsgetstarted1234]

Your plan to highlight geography in your secondaries is a good one. Do that --

Does highlighting geography and/or interest hold any weight at top 20 schools?

If you have a strong network in a city, and geographical ties (lived east coast all your life) does that merit an update/letter of interest?

or do top schools not really care about interest letters?

 

[DokterMom]

Does highlighting geography and/or interest hold any weight at top 20 schools?

If you have a strong network in a city, and geographical ties (lived east coast all your life) does that merit an update/letter of interest?

or do top schools not really care about interest letters?

None of the top 20's are wondering why you'd want to go there -- It's lower stat schools that might hesitate and therefore yield protect. A strong NYC applicant doesn't need to tell Duke why s/he's interested, but does need to tell Ole Miss.

 

[Wasntmi]

Depends on if you’re a baller like this kid is or not. This applicant is a badass. All they have to do is call/write a letter to a lower tier school, give a heart felt sincere reason why they want to go there and I guarantee you 9/10 times they will get an interview if they have good reasons and stats like that. You obviously don’t do this until around November/December or after a rejection because yes it’s a long process and it takes time.

What the OP is describing is in fact a real phenomenon that actually does happen. To get interviews (both for med school and residency) at middle-lower tier schools/programs can actually be extraordinarily difficult for high grade applicants without ties to the area. That’s why your secondary application should be filled with reasons you want to go there. If you cookie cutter secondaries you may just get tossed aside by a school thinking they are your backup.

Hey I am in a unique situation (I think) in that I applied really late (Oct) because I received a really great MCAT score (524) and was urged by friends and family to consider the US (Canadian applicant). As a result, I applied to about 18 schools, have got 1 II, and 4 Rs (seem to be as a result of yield protection), 1 Hold (also likely yield protection), and the rest silence. I think the late application is why I am getting a lot of silence. I think I still have strong ECs, just mediocre secondary essays given I was rushing them.

I have yet to send any updates, or LOI to people pre-II, but I could really use some advice of the pros and cons of doing this. I am not in the position to be being "picky" with my IIs, would attend any school that invited me, and strongly consider anywhere for matriculation.

If anyone has advice on how best maximize my chances at this stage in the cycle. Much appreciated!

 

[Tenk]

Hey I am in a unique situation (I think) in that I applied really late (Oct) because I received a really great MCAT score (524) and was urged by friends and family to consider the US (Canadian applicant). As a result, I applied to about 18 schools, have got 1 II, and 4 Rs (seem to be as a result of yield protection), 1 Hold (also likely yield protection), and the rest silence. I think the late application is why I am getting a lot of silence. I think I still have strong ECs, just mediocre secondary essays given I was rushing them.

I have yet to send any updates, or LOI to people pre-II, but I could really use some advice of the pros and cons of doing this. I am not in the position to be being "picky" with my IIs, would attend any school that invited me, and strongly consider anywhere for matriculation.

If anyone has advice on how best maximize my chances at this stage in the cycle. Much appreciated!

This is less yield protection and more applying way too damn late. It is ultra taboo to apply that late in the cycle; you should have waited but that’s not important now. I hope you get an acceptance but if you don’t, next year apply early!

 

[chaim123]

Hey I am in a unique situation (I think) in that I applied really late (Oct) because I received a really great MCAT score (524) and was urged by friends and family to consider the US (Canadian applicant). As a result, I applied to about 18 schools, have got 1 II, and 4 Rs (seem to be as a result of yield protection), 1 Hold (also likely yield protection), and the rest silence

Late, Canadian applicant. This isn't yield protection.