Letters of Rejection... :(

[MrAnonymous]

I just got my first rejection letter today from Eastern Virginia Medical School and wonder what I should do next. Should I contact the Assistant Dean of Admissions and ask why I was rejected? I wanted to know why I was rejected and if there were areas in which I could improve upon my application. Lastly, I wanted to know how many letters of rejection I should be prepared for... 20%, 50%, 75% rejections?? Obviously I am devastated at my rejection and the lost of the $85 application fee, what are your thoughts??

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[GeoLeoX]

Mr. A:

Don't worry, I am here for you with some more helpful words of advice. EVMS sucks! Just kidding. They really do screw it to you there, don't they? $85!! Isn't it supposed to be easy to get into there? Yeah, I thought so, too by looking at the stats. But the stats can be very misleading. If you are like most of us poor slobs (i.e., me) then you will apply to a greater number of schools than you will get acceptances. The worst was U. of Michigan with their "pay-us-before-we-decide-to-let-you-submit-a-completed-secondary-application" fee. This was my first time trying and I applied to 8 schools in total. Got secondaries from almost all, one interview, placed on the waiting list, waited, waited, waited, Accepted! It's a grueling process. So much so that I am having a bit of difficulty with the transition from trying to get into medical school to being in medical school. If you think about it - it takes at least 2 years of preparation and application for 4 years of medical school (I know that anyone can inflate these numbers, it's just a simple example).

You never get used to getting rejection letters. They still hurt to get even after I had received my acceptance from a school that I preferred over the one that was sending me the rejection. Nobody likes being rejected. At least they usually print the rejections on nicer paper.

Geo

[This message has been edited by GeoLeoX (edited 08-25-2000).]

 

[carolyn]

Originally posted by MrAnonymous:
I wanted to know how many letters of rejection I should be prepared for... 20%, 50%, 75% rejections?? Obviously I am devastated at my rejection and the lost of the $85 application fee, what are your thoughts??

I'm assuming you're referring to getting letters of rejection WITHOUT getting a secondary... In my case it was about 25%.

Don't take it personal. The process is beyond arbitrary. I didn't get secondaries from lower-ranked schools but got secondaries from some reaches. In the end, I got rejected at 87% [ouch] of the schools I applied to... [some after forking over the big bucks and filling out the secondary... hence it's ~$140 a school x MANY schools]. However, among the schools that gave me a secondary... I got into my top two choices, and will be attending a UC!

As someone pointed out on the TPR boards... "Here?s the math. At lease half of the people who apply to MD schools don?t get accepted. Of the applicants that are accepted approximately 65% are accepted to only one school (based on AMCAS published stats). Therefore, less than 20% of the applicants are accepted to more than one school - the others are grossly disappointed that they didn?t get in or thrilled to death that they did."

Just keep the faith and concentrate on the secondaries and interviews that you do get. In a way, I actually appreciated schools that screened apps and rejected me outright... that way, I didn't have to fork over more money and time to fill out stupid secondaries they were going to throw in the trash anyway. [I'm glad as heck that I didn't have to fill out that long-as-heck Stanford secondary!!] Anyhow, best of luck. Keep your spirits up.

carolyn

 

[abbeydesert]

I feel for you. I got a rejection letter w/o secondary the other day - another one of those that takes your money first, then decides whether or not they want to bother with you. I don't exactly have lots of money, so the loss of that $80 really hurts!

 

[Methuselah]

Hmm, we jump through hoops and experience humiliation in hopes of experiencing an ultimate prize. All we need is cameras, and I think we'll have a hit TV show on our hands!

 

[MSTP I]

Originally posted by MrAnonymous:
I wanted to know why I was rejected and if there were areas in which I could improve upon my application.

If you were rejected without a secondary, means that something on your AMCAS is amiss. This is likely your GPA, MCAT, extracurriculars and/or personal statement.

 

[Riesling]

Dear Mr. Anon,

I'm sorry to hear about EVMS...I'm also a non-VA resident applying to EVMS. I got a letter from them asking for $85 today, and I'm having a second thought about the school. My stats are pretty low and I'm quite surprised that I made the initial cut. They do screen, right? Do you know anything about how many get a secondary and stats for non-VA residents? It did say that non-VA res are held up to a higher standard but I am not quite sure what that means. If you don't mind me asking, what are your stats? I would appreciate any input.

Good luck!

Riesling

 

[UHS2002]

I got rejected outright from EVMS 3 years ago, even though my numbers were well within their entering class average. Why?! I don't have the foggiest idea but I didn't even bother to call them.

Previously, I had called another school which had also rejected me outright and their reason was that they didn't like the grade I had gotten in one class. I was amazed, since I had literally over 200 credit hours from other classes (I went to grad school after undergrad, and even my undergrad GPA was not that shabby - I graduated with honors)but there was this one class and they got stuck on it. So, I figured, it is pretty useless to call schools that reject you right off the bat, because their reasons are probably very arbitrary. I would save the phone calls for later, for schools where you got an interview and were put on an alternate list.

To my thinking, if they didn't like you enough to even send you a secondary, there is little you are going to be able to improve to please them.

As for resident status, they give first preference for residents of the Hampton Roads area, second for VA residents in general and then for the rest.

 

[Djanaba]

Don't waste your time asking them why you were rejected. Most likely it was a committee decision, and you were one of many they rejected that day. They will not remember the specifics of why. It is likely that you can find your own weaknesses in your application and improve on them without jumping through the hoops to get their version of why.

As for application fees... yeah, $80+ right now stings. But med school will cost tens of thousands of dollars. These fees are a tiny drop in the bucket. They suck, but hopefully the rejections, waits, and app rounds all teach you something about how to get in. I wish you the best of luck!

 

[Cobragirl]

Well, now I'm concerned! I've evidently made EVMS's first cut and have already sent back my $85 and the secondary. So far, no rejection letter, but I just to the MCAT so they don't have my scores yet. Wait and see, I guess. I too am out of state (Florida) but my husband is in the Navy and I spent a year at Old Dominion while we were stationed in Norfolk. Maybe that's why I've made it this far (I do have fairly good stats too...but no MCAT's yet, so who knows).

I am curious to know how many people HAVE received rejection letters before secondaries were sent? And for those of you that have gotten them, try not to berate yourself so much...at least you aren't spending all that money (when they know damn well that their going to reject you later!) to send in secondaries (not to mention having to write more HUGE self-describing essays!)! So far I've gotten 7 out of 9 schools to send me secondaries, and I'm on "hold" at the last two because they're waiting on my scores, but I'm facing the dilemma of forking out about $400 (that I DON'T have) to 7 schools that are possibly going to axe me as soon as they get my money.

He who jumpeth thru the most loops, doctor shall thy be.....

 

[MrAnonymous]

Oh, I received their secondary and I believe that they only send it to 30% out-of-state applicants. So I did make the initial cut obviously with the $85 secondary fee when I sent in my secondary. I am just bummed that they rejected me without an interview. The $85 may be small change later in my career BUT as of right now... every penny counts and that is what STINGS...

 

[David511]

Mr A,

Hey, don't feel too bad!! You have company

EVMS sent me a secondary, I paid the $85, and in return got a nice little letter of rejection. At first it depressed me (they could have waited till December, then I would have at least thought they had used my money to seriously consider my app!). Now, it just makes me want to work harder. Besides, from what I've heard, EVMS is kinda random in its decision to interview...they're pretty 'luck of the draw'.

My explanation is that me and you were the last two applications of the day, and were looked at by someone who just had his dog run over by his wife driving his pickup while in the process of eloping with his brother

Keep your head up...our luck WILL improve! (Never underestimate the power of positive thinking!!!!)

-d

 

[imtiaz]

I have a feeling that this thread will flourish in the months to come. I just hope I don't have to post to it *too* much, or anyone else does, for that matter. =) I'll fill you guys in on what's going on with me as soon as I hear. Don't worry just yet, it's only one school, I know it hurts but at least you had the guts to apply!

-imtiaz

 

[youngjock]

good news, the number of med. school applications have gone down for the 3rd year.

let's just keep our spirit high.

 

[MTY]

youngjock,

what is the number of applicants applying this year?
i have spoken to several school adcom, they told me the number is not so much different from last year. as a matter fact, some schools have higher applicants applying than last year.

thanks

 

[lilycat]

It's one of those double-edged swords -- what I heard on NPR yesterday is that JAMA has released that med school applications are down 7% this year from last year, boosting the overall odds of acceptance up to 1/2 from 1/3. However, most of the "top schools" are still getting about the same number of apps, and the quality of those applicants is still very high. So, essentially what can be assumed is that pre-meds who were only in it for the "prestige and financial security" of a medical career, are being weeded out by the white-hot job market. Typically, numbers of grad school apps run inversely proportional to the state of the economy--case in point, law and biz school apps are down a little too. Of course, not as much so, since they aren't referred to as "managed care wage slaves." Sorry in advance for the rambling.

 

[Mango]

I've heard people around here saying that although the numbers have been dropping significantly over the last few years, the average GPA/MCAT scores for accepted students have been steadily increasing. Which goes along with what the last poster said; that is, less marginally interested applicants are applying, leaving a stronger applicant pool. Translation: the bar is rising, even though the number are dropping...

 

[Katie]

I wouldn't worry too much, everyone gets some rejection letters (this is for the original poster).. So far I have two rejections (Nebraska and U Chicago-Pritzker) and no interviews, and I too got rejected from EVMS in the '98-'99 app cycle. hang in there..

 

[baylor21]

I would agree with Mango that the average scores are rising... however a greater percentage of applicants is getting admitted since there are fewer people applying.

I think the trend is that more people will be getting in off wait lists...

That is, unless the med schools suddenly decide to reduce their admitting class to compensate for the decrease in applicants? Anybody know this to be the case?


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"There is nothing more powerful on this Earth as a man who has nothing to lose. It does not take ten such men to change the world--one will do." Elijah Mohammed

 

[glands75]

You should be prepared for a good amount of rejections especially if you've set your sights too high and have applied to several schools.
Some things to note:
1. If either parent is a physician, your chances of gaining admission with mediocre scores rises dramatically (ol' boys network is in full effect)
2. Don't wait on wait-lists. Contrary to what people on this board will admit, FEW people come off wait-lists.
3. The earlier your interview, the better chance of admissions... a fact of rolling admissions.
The general rule is:
September-October is early in the season, chance of acceptance after interviewing ~20% greater than neutral
November-January is mid season, chance of acceptance after interviewing is neutral (neither better nor worse)
February-March is late season, chances decline by ~20%
April - Retake your MCAT, apply next year 'cause your chances approach zero!

 

[WingZero]

I disagree with your statement on wait lists. As a student who got off a wait list myself (UMich) I can tell you that from my and many others' experience, waitlist acceptances do happen, and are actually pretty common for almost all schools. The two exceptions are top schools (like top 10) and "lower reputation" schools which everyone with poorer numbers apply to.

While I too am hesitant to believe claims of 1/3 to 1/2 of classes coming from wait lists, I think it would be fair to say that about 15% of students at most schools came off of wait lists. Again, like many have said, your status on a wait list is greatly affected by your own follow-up actions.

People also need to keep in mind that not all schools are on rolling admissions. Some schools like Yale don't even start mailing out acceptances until late March, after all interviews are complete.

Finally, having parents as physicians DOES NOT increase your chance of acceptance unless your parents are ALUMNI of the school you are applying to - in which case the ol' boys network is in full effect. In fact, with non-alumni parent physicians, interviewers often question the applicants true sincerity/motivation to be a doctor since parental influence often plays a large role in people applying to medical school.

WingZero

[This message has been edited by WingZero (edited 12-12-2000).]

 

[glands75]

True, following-up with letters, calls, bribery, etc. while on the wait-list is extremely important and maybe at some schools the only way to get through the front door.
As for the nepotism issue, what is on the FIRST page of most med school applications?
"What immediate relatives have attended this or any other med school?", or a question similar to that.

If you think that this does not play a factor in the admissions process, you are blinded to the truth. I even had an interviewer at SUNY Buffalo ask me what my parents and siblings did for a living... too bad they wore meak, unaffecting blue-collars. Consequently, I was NOT accepted. Hold on, dissenters!! This is not to say this was their only basis for rejection, but I'm sure the outcome would have been different if Big Daddy Doctor was listed on that front page!

 

[Cobragirl]

Just an update to my earlier posts....I have an interview at EVMS in November!

 

[Katie]

Congratulations! I seem to remember that you were waiting on August MCAT scores; just wondering out of curiousity if EVMS and any other schools will interview people without MCAT scores? Not applicable to me since I took the April MCAT and have an interview at Penn State next week, but just wondering..

 

[Cobragirl]

You are correct...I AM still waiting on my MCAT scores! Actually, I just took my retest today (my test, and 32 others were lost before they made it to the scoring center and we only had 3 weeks notice for the retest). No, I don't believe they normally offer interviews without MCATs but due the the extenuating circumstances (my scores will be reported MUCH later than everyone else's) they decided to interview me without them. If it weren't for their generousity of giving me the benefit of the doubt (for now, anyway), I probably would have been cheated out of all chances of an interview due to a mistake FAR beyond my control. You also should know that my application is fairly strong, so they're not just doing this because they feel sorry for me...it's just that if I/they waited for the scores to come back first, I'd miss the deadline. Obviously, I will still have to do well on the test to get in...they're just doing things a little backward in my case. Incidently, the MCAT I took today was MUCH harder than the one I had in August so who knows what's going to happen now. I guess I'll wait to get my scores and then call them to see if I should still come for the interview! If you feel like I'm getting some kind of unfair special treatment, just step back for a moment and think about how YOU'D feel if you got a letter one Saturday (5 weeks after the fact) saying you MCAT was lost and you'd have to take it over in 3 weeks! THAT'S UNFAIR! My applications have been in since June and my secondaries since early September...my money's been spent...had I not received this one interview, all of my time, effort, and money for the last 6-8 months would have gone to a complete waste!

 

[Katie]

Sorry to hear about your troubles with the MCAT office snafu, but it's good that EVMS is understanding. If other schools are not as understanding (of course they should be over something that you had no control over!) and the screw-up on the MCAT test center's part causes your application to be overlooked because of deadlines, etc, then you really should look into getting some legal representation. best of luck..

Oh, back to the original topic of this thread for anyone who is interested, I got rejected from Albany Med this last week; but do have an interview at another school at the end of this week.

 

[Eric]

I also got rejected from Albany med. last week but I have gotten numerous interviews from other schools. Some a lot better than Albany (not that it's a bad school by any means) which makes me curious about the selection process. Perhaps a school like Albany med. has really rigid people on it's committee. Just my opinion.

 

[lilycat]

I have friends who have gotten into UCSF and Yale, and didn't even get interviews at UC-Davis or UCLA. The process is EXTREMELY arbitrary.