List of unaccepted SDNers who don't know what else they needed

[vitaminX]

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I seriously don't know what else I needed to have a more successful application year this year. Are there people like me out there?

i also applied to a wide spectrum of schools, which i would rather not specify, though.

My stats are:
gpa 3.9
MCAT 38
Volunteer 2.5 yr (ER)
Research 1.5 yr (award, honors, etc.)
Got rejected mostly AFTER SECONDARIES WITHOUT INTERVIEWS, meaning that my primary application essay should be okay.

a lot of schools that rejected me post-secondary did not have secondary application essays, so secondary essays should not be a factor.

my recommendation letter writers were nice enough to give me copies of their letters, which look great. i DID NOT ask for them, but my letter writers just gave them to me after signing the confidentiality waivers.

what else could be wrong? anyway, i want to know whether there are people out there like me who don't know what they lacked. (and schools won't
tell me!)

 

[Resident Alien]

Please. You're much better off asking the medical schools what was wrong in your application. You dont need anyone here to tell you that your academic credentials are outstanding.

 

[daisygirl]

•••quote:•••
Got rejected mostly AFTER SECONDARIES WITHOUT INTERVIEWS, meaning that my primary application essay should be okay.

a lot of schools that rejected me post-secondary did not have secondary application essays, so secondary essays should not be a factor.••••Are you sure that the schools that did give you secondaries actually screened before distributing them? I think that many schools this year did not screen applicants prior to sending secondaries because of the AMCAS fiasco. Also, many schools don't screen normally anyway (secondaries are a good way to make a quick buck). Did you have many people read your personal statement? It may not be as sound as you think.

 

[Flack Pinku]

I am so sorry to hear that vitaminX. Things like these make me so scared because I don't even know how I could beat your scores and ECs.

If its not your essays, or your scores & GPA, or your recommendations, or your ECs, then the only thing I can put my finger on is perhaps your Transcript? Or maybe Citizenship issues? Also if your list of schools were Harvard, JHU, and the likes, then maybe that's the problem.

I've heard of someone who was rejected from UMDNJ-RWJ with a 45 MCAT, 4.0 GPA, and everything else just like you because his school didn't send out his Transcripts to AAMCAS. He's also an In-state student (a US citizen) for RWJ.

He had stellar recommendations from not only his professors but from his Hospital where he volunteered (Physicians he shadowed, etc). AAMCAS reported of him not having sent them the transcript in mid-May, just after he was rejected from all the schools without even an interview.

<img border="0" alt="[Pity]" title="" src="graemlins/pity.gif" />

It might also be that someone wrote you a bad recommendation but lied to you by giving you a different one?

God bless.

 

[pocwana]

when did you get your application in?
early summer? late fall?

what is your state of residence?

 

[Assassin]

how many schools total did you apply to? also define "wide spectrum" (i.e. top 10 schools + 1 state school doesn't cut it, regardless of your stats)

 

[Doctora Foxy]

I'm so sorry this has happened to you 🙁

Aside from what others have said, I wonder if you wrote your PS about a controversial topic? Maybe you're a CA resident and only applied to a few out of state? Maybe you only applied to 5 schools?

I'd also like to reiterate what daisygirl said---most schools gave out secondaries without screening, so there may be a problem with your primary application.

😕 Who knows? We'll need more details. :wink: You should definitely arrange a meeting with your premed advisor or even call up the adcoms of your state school to arrange a meeting. There must be one part of your application that was a red flag for schools this past year, and you should figure that out before reapplying. <img border="0" title="" alt="[Frown]" src="frown.gif" />

 

[encee]

vitaminX:
I would seriously consider calling up the admissions offices at every school you applied to and asking them about your application.

1) What could I do to be a more competitive applicant?
2) What particular weakenesses do you see in my application?

Some schools may not speak w/ you, but if you are persistent and polite when you call, I am sure some admissions officers will speak with you. Good luck, and hang in there. You will make it!

 

[Papa Smurf]

Personally, I think this thread is a prank. Nice to read all the well thought out replies though. :wink: This process is random. It's not THAT random though people. Unless this dude has the personality of a 2 by 4, he should be in somewhere.

 

[sng33]

I agree Papa Smurf there is no way this post is legit...

 

[Doctora Foxy]

With a quick look at vitaminX's recent posts, I saw lots of posts in threads for 3 Cali schools.....so I'm betting the OP didn't apply to many schools out of state....problem solved for next cycle. 🙂

Vitamin, you can't just leave us hanging! Are you gonna tell us anything else?

 

[Doc Oc]

This might sound dumb, but check your primary application for spelling errors, or for corrections made by AMCAS (eg maybe you put the wrong grade for a course by accident and they corrected it, etc.) Also, although I'm sure you know your stats are fine, maybe you needed more EC's? Was the volunteer work in the ER and the research it? Not that that's bad, but there are tons of applicants whose non-stat qualifications look like yours, and maybe you didn't stand out to them. Finally, I echo the advice to review your primary essay. It's weird for you to have not received any interview invites.

 

[Fenrezz]

Umm...did vitaminx forget to mention his conviction for triple homicide? Unless he has 666 tattooed to his forehead I don't understand how anyone with those stats could get rejected from all schools.

 

[vitaminX]

•••quote:•••Originally posted by Resident Alien:
•Please. You're much better off asking the medical schools what was wrong in your application. You dont need anyone here to tell you that your academic credentials are outstanding.•••••If you could read English, I think you should understand that I am not trying to show off or whatever. And if you could read English, I think you should understand the sentence "...and schools won't tell me!"

 

[Assassin]

•••quote:•••Originally posted by vitaminX:
• •••quote:•••Originally posted by Resident Alien:
•Please. You're much better off asking the medical schools what was wrong in your application. You dont need anyone here to tell you that your academic credentials are outstanding.•••••If you could read English, I think you should understand that I am not trying to show off or whatever. And if you could read English, I think you should understand the sentence "...and schools won't tell me!"•••••maybe they won't tell you cause you're rude <img border="0" alt="[Laughy]" title="" src="graemlins/laughy.gif" />

 

[geneman]

VitaminX,

If you are from a school that does a "Committee Interview" (i.e., one person on their committee interviews you and also writes the Committee Letter), then by process of elimination (since your stats, letters, essays, are OK) that committee member must have not recommended you as a candidate.

I know one of the committee members of my school very well, and he told me of a person with stats like yours who he gave a negative evaluation for medical school. It kept the student out for that application cycle; he subsequently got in the next time around.

If the above seems like it might represent your situation, I would advise you to speak with the person you interviewed with to find out what was wrong and request a new interview with a different person if possible.

 

[jack786]

•••quote:•••Originally posted by vitaminX:
• •••quote:•••Originally posted by Resident Alien:
•Please. You're much better off asking the medical schools what was wrong in your application. You dont need anyone here to tell you that your academic credentials are outstanding.•••••If you could read English, I think you should understand that I am not trying to show off or whatever. And if you could read English, I think you should understand the sentence "...and schools won't tell me!"•••••Look here special K, A 3.9 GPA these days is dime a dozen especially for a rich while male such as your self. BtW was it from auto diesel college doesn?t count. Hours spend volunteering to watch ER on TV doesn?t count as a substantial experience. Washing glass pipettes in the lab doesn?t count as real research. Publishing in high school news paper doesn?t count as a publication.

I agree with the .Fenrezz about the triple homicide just like OJ the glove doesn?t fit huh?
Take two Flintstones and see me tomorrow.

 

[slavetochem]

Duh! This just goes to show....GPA is not the be-all end-all. I'm very sorry that you are having a hard time, Vitamin X. I hope that you get in after all of the hard work....but let this be a lesson to all of us....Med. schools these days are not solely interested in high GPA's. Like someone said, any old schmuck can get straight A's these days.....I know so many similar stories. It seems that all of my friends with the highest GPA's keep getting rejected, while one girl I know (from UCLA) who had a 3.2 got accepted to two schools! hmmmm.........

 

[Bikini Princess]

•••quote:•••Originally posted by Papa Smurf:
•Personally, I think this thread is a prank. •••••me too!

 

[08031982]

•••quote:••• --------------------
A ton of ephedrine plus a dash of viagra,
VitaminX is what it is.
You know you need me, UCSD.
Take me now with some colace.
••••i guess that explains it all!

 

[superdood68]

hehe, poor guy... i'm rooting for ya man... i hate to see someone fail =/
tho there's something really wrong with your app.

 

[Papa Smurf]

•••quote:•••Originally posted by Bikini Princess:
• •••quote:•••Originally posted by Papa Smurf:
•Personally, I think this thread is a prank. •••••me too!•••••It's even more fake than that bogus pic you have up! 😛

 

[relatively prime]

•••quote:•••Originally posted by Bikini Princess:
• •••quote:•••Originally posted by Papa Smurf:
•Personally, I think this thread is a prank. •••••me too!•••••Well... it could be true if he only applied to the top 5 schools. I know people who have done that.

 

[spacecadet]

VitaminX,

Your stats are obviously excellent. Your EC's sound good too, although with stats like that they probably aren't even that important. What is your major?

It sounds to me like there is some kind of "red flag" in your application. Perhaps you could show it to someone with admissions experience and see if they find anything. There are a few people who do this professionally, or if you are really persistant one of the schools might help you out. It's important that you ask them to evaluate your application for strengths/weaknesses to improve for the next application cycle. Don't ask them why you didn't get an interview. It seems like someone at one of the "wide spectrum" of schools would talk to you. It doesn't need to be the dean.

When it comes down to it, this process can be quite random. It surprises me that you didn't get any interviews though.