Medical schools blatantly lying

[Rgroov3]

My interview at Northwestern featured Dean Lapin telling my group that they accept 40-50% and reject about 10-20% and w/l the rest. She told us since they were interviewing us so early that they were not going to reject anyone from our group. My interviews went well. I got along with my group, and I really liked the school--it was my first choice.

Feb rolls around and I get a rejection. This is after I send them a letter saying how much I like NW and how much I would like to go there. What a bunch of bs. Screw med schools

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[RxnMan]

My interview at Northwestern featured Dean Lapin telling my group that they accept 40-50% and reject about 10-20% and w/l the rest. She told us since they were interviewing us so early that they were not going to reject anyone from our group. My interviews went well. I got along with my group, and I really liked the school--it was my first choice.

Have you sent an email/letter to Dean Lapin asking wtf (in nicer words, of course)?

Most of these sorts of statements "We accept 90% of applicants from XYZ college" or "100% of our students get in to medical schools" are BS to begin with - they are flukes, or manipulations of the numbers to suit college career offices, so I don't believe them. That the comment came from the Dean is a different story. Check it out.

 

[Depakote]

My interview at Northwestern featured Dean Lapin telling my group that they accept 40-50% and reject about 10-20% and w/l the rest. She told us since they were interviewing us so early that they were not going to reject anyone from our group. My interviews went well. I got along with my group, and I really liked the school--it was my first choice.

Feb rolls around and I get a rejection. This is after I send them a letter saying how much I like NW and how much I would like to go there. What a bunch of bs. Screw med schools

Refer to sig.

 

[BKN]

My interview at Northwestern featured Dean Lapin telling my group that they accept 40-50% and reject about 10-20% and w/l the rest. She told us since they were interviewing us so early that they were not going to reject anyone from our group. My interviews went well. I got along with my group, and I really liked the school--it was my first choice.

Feb rolls around and I get a rejection. This is after I send them a letter saying how much I like NW and how much I would like to go there. What a bunch of bs. Screw med schools

I'm sorry you didn't get in. Where's the lie? They wait listed you for several months and they filled before they got to you.

 

[RayhanS1282]

My interview at Northwestern featured Dean Lapin telling my group that they accept 40-50% and reject about 10-20% and w/l the rest. She told us since they were interviewing us so early that they were not going to reject anyone from our group. My interviews went well. I got along with my group, and I really liked the school--it was my first choice.

Feb rolls around and I get a rejection. This is after I send them a letter saying how much I like NW and how much I would like to go there. What a bunch of bs. Screw med schools

Dude, it's not really a lie. They did say they reject 10-20%. I am not trying to put you down or anything or make any insults, maybe your name came up in the 10-20%. I got a recent rejection from Drexel where I was under the impression that you have a very good chance of acceptance if they invite you. Well, I guess I was in the pool of people who was not to be accepted and that's what happened. I hold no grudge against the school.

 

[Rgroov3]

Dude, it's not really a lie. They did say they reject 10-20%. I am not trying to put you down or anything or make any insults, maybe your name came up in the 10-20%. I got a recent rejection from Drexel where I was under the impression that you have a very good chance of acceptance if they invite you. Well, I guess I was in the pool of people who was not to be accepted and that's what happened. I hold no grudge against the school.

she said 10-20% but she said the group here today will not fit into that category. So it becomes a lie when she says "no one here today will be rejected". then i got rejected

for the person who said i was wait listed for several months? They only have one admissions decision date. It's not called a wait list if they reject you. If they said "you are on the wait list" then you are on a wait list.

 

[hpm4]

she said 10-20% but she said the group here today will not fit into that category. So it becomes a lie when she says "no one here today will be rejected". then i got rejected

for the person who said i was wait listed for several months? They only have one admissions decision date. It's not called a wait list if they reject you. If they said "you are on the wait list" then you are on a wait list.

They have two admissions deadlines...one in November and one in February.

It's too bad that this happened but have you tried contacting the Dean and asking what was wrong with your application?

 

[Depakote]

In all honesty, you shouldn't feel entitled to anything.

Unless you have an acceptance in hand, you're not in. Despite what you may have been told.

The dean is not the adcom.

 

[.ellie.]

My interview at Northwestern featured Dean Lapin telling my group that they accept 40-50% and reject about 10-20% and w/l the rest. She told us since they were interviewing us so early that they were not going to reject anyone from our group. My interviews went well. I got along with my group, and I really liked the school--it was my first choice.

Feb rolls around and I get a rejection. This is after I send them a letter saying how much I like NW and how much I would like to go there. What a bunch of bs. Screw med schools

Are you sure you heard correctly? I just can't imagine that a dean would practically guarantee admission like that. Was this said before or after the interviews?

 

[Law2Doc]

she said 10-20% but she said the group here today will not fit into that category. So it becomes a lie when she says "no one here today will be rejected". then i got rejected

for the person who said i was wait listed for several months? They only have one admissions decision date. It's not called a wait list if they reject you. If they said "you are on the wait list" then you are on a wait list.

Something's not adding up for me here. Are you sure you didn't misunderstand them? Certainly at some places early interviews are more likely to end up waitlisted, as there is a lot of the applicant pool they haven't seen yet. But I've never heard of a place guaranteeing a group that they wouldn't get rejected. And I'm not sure why this result is worse than having them put you low on the wait list, and ultimately rejected in May, which was also a possibility. Either way, it sounds like your interview probably didn't go quite as well as you thought. My suggestion is to contact the dean after the process is over if you don't get in anywhere else, and see what you can do to improve your app for the next cycle. If you did, somehow get inadvertently screwed over, perhaps they will realize that and remedy it in the following year. Good luck.

 

[Dr. Giggles]

That sounds grossly irresponsible on the part of the dean. Even if a hypothetical applicant expresses severe lack of knowledge of the science of medicine, focuses on money, is totally inarticulate, and commits a multitude of other faux pas during the interview, the worst that can result is a waitlist? I don't think that's the case at any school. Not saying you were a disaster during the interview, but it illustrates that the dean likely didn't know what he was talking about.

 

[Law2Doc]

but it illustrates that the dean likely didn't know what he was talking about.

Sounds more like a mismatch between what the dean was trying to say (perhaps inarticulately) and what you (the OP) understood.

 

[ahumdinger]

she said 10-20% but she said the group here today will not fit into that category. So it becomes a lie when she says "no one here today will be rejected". then i got rejected

for the person who said i was wait listed for several months? They only have one admissions decision date. It's not called a wait list if they reject you. If they said "you are on the wait list" then you are on a wait list.

I interpreted this to mean that 10-20% get rejected right away, and the rest go on the waitlist, etc etc. So I think she meant that no one here today will be rejected right away, but that doesn't guarantee anything for the long run.
For example, for students affiliated with WashU (either employees or children of employees), I think they send an automatic invite-- and the letter states that these people will not get rejected right away, that is, this group gets immunity from being kicked out of the subcommittee, and instead, gets reconsidered at every adcom meeting. However this does not mean that an acceptance/waitlist is certain in the end. In fact, most get rejected in the end.

 

[Depakote]

damn, maybe I should have applied to WashU.

Sure I have crappy stats, but I frickin work there.

 

[Wrigleyville]

The people Northwestern invites to interview are all people they would be willing to accept based on the person's application. In other words, they don't bring in people with substandard apps with the expectation that the school might change its mind if the interview goes extremely well or whatever.

The school outright accepts some of the interviewees and pretty much waitlists everyone else. It is rare that we'd outright reject someone after the interview, since their application was good enough to have them interview in the first place (again we don't interview people we'd reject based on their application).

The interview would have to be pretty poor to get an outright rejection after the interview. Maybe the interview was not as great as the OP thought?

 

[ND2005]

My interview at Northwestern featured Dean Lapin telling my group that they accept 40-50% and reject about 10-20% and w/l the rest. She told us since they were interviewing us so early that they were not going to reject anyone from our group. My interviews went well. I got along with my group, and I really liked the school--it was my first choice.

Feb rolls around and I get a rejection. This is after I send them a letter saying how much I like NW and how much I would like to go there. What a bunch of bs. Screw med schools

I think you likely overinterpreted the strength of the dean's comments.

When I interviewed at Cincinnati, the dean commented that it was so early that he "didn't anticipate any problems fitting everyone in the class". This didn't seem like a guarantee of acceptance and I don't think it was intended that way.

 

[lilymoo]

damn, maybe I should have applied to WashU.

Sure I have crappy stats, but I frickin work there.

Me too. They didn't even bother to wait until the end to reject me.

 

[BKN]

she said 10-20% but she said the group here today will not fit into that category. So it becomes a lie when she says "no one here today will be rejected". then i got rejected

for the person who said i was wait listed for several months? They only have one admissions decision date. It's not called a wait list if they reject you. If they said "you are on the wait list" then you are on a wait list.

You really don't understand the process. If everyone on the wait list was guaranteed an admission, then the wait list has no purpose. There may be "one admissions date", but the ADCOM probably makes the division into the three piles on the day of the interviews.

1. accepted= you're in
2. rejected = no
3. wait list = maybe, we'll see on the admissions date how many slots we have left and go down the list. Further as accepted candidates decline, we'll fill from the list. Eventually it will be clear how far down the list we will get and we will reject candidates below a "no hope" line and let them get on with their life.

Again, I'm sorry you didn't get your first choice. I hope you get in an acceptable second.

p.s. The whole purpose of the interview is to try to rank a bunch of seemingly equal excellent students by their perceived potential as a physician (read interpersonal and communication skills). No dean is going to guarantee admission before the interviews.

BKN
PD 10 years
ADCOM member 7 years

 

[medhacker]

And then again, maybe the Dean did lie...
I have "known" some med school deans who act a lot like used car salespeople so in my opinion it would not surprise me to hear of one or two who actually lied.

 

[Dave_D]

You have to remember the number 1 rule of these things. If it's not written down somewhere take it with a grain of salt.

 

[silverjelly]

You have to remember the number 1 rule of these things. If it's not written down somewhere take it with a grain of salt.

Funny - I was just going to say that; as long as you don't have anything in paper, you shouldn't consider it a done deal. Tough break, though.

 

[macadamianut]

Well, OP, I got rejected from NU as well, and I thought I had a good interview. (shrug) I was pissed, but admissions is a crapshoot. Don't take it too hard.

 

[thatguyagain]

My interview at Northwestern featured Dean Lapin telling my group that they accept 40-50% and reject about 10-20% and w/l the rest. She told us since they were interviewing us so early that they were not going to reject anyone from our group. My interviews went well. I got along with my group, and I really liked the school--it was my first choice.

Feb rolls around and I get a rejection. This is after I send them a letter saying how much I like NW and how much I would like to go there. What a bunch of bs. Screw med schools

you're funny.

 

[stephend7799]

My interview at Northwestern featured Dean Lapin telling my group that they accept 40-50% and reject about 10-20% and w/l the rest. She told us since they were interviewing us so early that they were not going to reject anyone from our group. My interviews went well. I got along with my group, and I really liked the school--it was my first choice.

Feb rolls around and I get a rejection. This is after I send them a letter saying how much I like NW and how much I would like to go there. What a bunch of bs. Screw med schools

LOL its just the beginning my friend..

 

[Kix]

I interpreted this to mean that 10-20% get rejected right away, and the rest go on the waitlist, etc etc. So I think she meant that no one here today will be rejected right away, but that doesn't guarantee anything for the long run.
For example, for students affiliated with WashU (either employees or children of employees), I think they send an automatic invite-- and the letter states that these people will not get rejected right away, that is, this group gets immunity from being kicked out of the subcommittee, and instead, gets reconsidered at every adcom meeting. However this does not mean that an acceptance/waitlist is certain in the end. In fact, most get rejected in the end.

bah. washu punks. i was an undergrad there, and i'm a current employee after graduation. never got an invite from them. straight out rejected.

 

[snobored18]

I think it is kind of BS to accuse a Dean of lieing...honestly I think the OP probably misinterpreted what the Dean was trying to say, I can't see someone standing up and saying we accepted this percentage of interviewees, reject this percentage and waitlist the rest...but this group is special you guys don't have to worry about that rejection letter. No way, what the dean likely meant is that they wouldn't be rejecting anyone who interviewed until a certain date...in other words all applications are held (waitlisted in the op's eyes) until a final review where the adcom selects the final group of acceptances and then sets their waitlist. Many schools (like Iowa) put all interviewees on hold and then send out the letters at a predetermined date conveying their decision. Sounds like NW held the OP's application as promised until the final review and then rendered their decision. Even if the dean mispoke, you can't honestly believe that your interview group will be recieving preferential treatment...no one is that naive...