No II yet...

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premedlross23

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Hey everyone, I hope you are doing well. So it's peak interview season, and I have yet to receive any II... I thought my stats were very competitive (LizzyM > 72), and I thought I was very well-rounded. I submitted most secondaries end of July to early-August, so I am starting to get a little worried given that it is already peak interview season. Given that I didn't receive any of the early II (all my friends have and I thought I was more competitive than them based solely on paper), does this mean that I am not as competitive as I thought? Should I be worrying (I know that schools stratify apps, but again I thought I would be near the top (I'm not trying to sound arrogant, I was just really confident in my application at the time). I did get placed on a hold at a top 5 medical school so I am assuming that there are no red flags in my application. I also got 1 R, though again, this was a top 5 medical school and a reach for me.
 
I know people say all the time "start worrying in November", I just can't help feeling a little anxious at the moment. I know SDN isn't suggestive of the entire pre-med population, but seriously, seeing some people with over 5 II already (not talking about you, but regardless, congratulations on that!!!!) makes me feel like I'm behind. Honestly I thought that I would be among those people with a decent amount of II by now (again, I'm not trying to sound arrogant).
 
My thoughts:
i) Interview invites are still ramping up at most schools
ii) As you know, there's more to the application than just raw stats. Did you have good ECs, LORs, and breadth and depth of experiences? Are your essays well-written and do they convey your story? These are all common reasons for a high-stats applicant to be rejected.
iii) Did you apply broadly enough? Could you have overestimated your competitiveness and aimed for primarily reach schools? Depending on the circumstances, you might benefit from applying to a few more schools. Good luck
 
My thoughts:
i) Interview invites are still ramping up at most schools
ii) As you know, there's more to the application than just raw stats. Did you have good ECs, LORs, and breadth and depth of experiences? Are your essays well-written and do they convey your story? These are all common reasons for a high-stats applicant to be rejected.
iii) Did you apply broadly enough? Could you have overestimated your competitiveness and aimed for primarily reach schools? Depending on the circumstances, you might benefit from applying to a few more schools. Good luck
Thank you for your message.

ii) Yes, I have good/well-rounded EC (research, service, medical), and I think my essays are well written (or at the very least, average).
iii) Also yes. I'm from CA, but from the very beginning, I underestimated my school list (but luckily, my stats are at the range where I wouldn't be "yield protected"

Given all of this, am I being delusional? Clearly, if I don't receive an II by March, for example, I am clearly wrong about one of the above. But given that I have yet to receive any II, does that mean I am not as competitive as I thought (more competitive than 85% of applicants but less than 95%)?
 
I underestimated my school list (but luckily, my stats are at the range where I wouldn't be "yield protected"
This could be a problem. Having a good list is critical. Aiming “too low” can be as bad as aiming “too high” (really, it’s not so much about low and high as it is about fit). I applied broadly because of my unbalanced stats, but I have had much more luck at institutions where my background matches their values, regardless of stats. I haven’t gotten any II from service-oriented schools, but several from research-heavy schools, even when some of my numbers are below 10th percentile.

given that I have yet to receive any II, does that mean I am not as competitive as I thought (more competitive than 85% of applicants but less than 95%)?
Not necessarily. It could mean you just haven’t been reviewed yet.

FWIW, I know some people who went through this process already and many of them didn’t get any IIs until Nov/Dec and are now medical students or MDs.
 
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This could be a problem. Having a good list is critical. Aiming “too low” can be as bad as aiming “too high” (really, it’s not so much about low and high as it is about fit). I applied broadly because of my unbalanced stats, but I have had much more luck at institutions where my background matches their values, regardless of stats. I haven’t gotten any II from service-oriented schools, but several from research-heavy schools, even when some of my numbers are below 10th percentile.


Not necessarily. It could mean you just haven’t been reviewed yet.

FWIW, I know some people who went through this process already and many of them didn’t get any IIs until Nov/Dec and are now medical students or MDs.
I think my school list is still good because I am still within their stats range on MSAR even though I am above the median and often 75%tile, and I share the mission that they have if I am way over (the ones with the lowest stats are service based and I have a pretty service rich application).
 
I think my school list is still good because I am still within their stats range on MSAR even though I am above the median and often 75%tile, and I share the mission that they have if I am way over (the ones with the lowest stats are service based and I have a pretty service rich application).

Mind sharing the list?
 
Hey everyone, I hope you are doing well. So it's peak interview season, and I have yet to receive any II... I thought my stats were very competitive (LizzyM > 72), and I thought I was very well-rounded. I submitted most secondaries end of July to early-August, so I am starting to get a little worried given that it is already peak interview season. Given that I didn't receive any of the early II (all my friends have and I thought I was more competitive than them based solely on paper), does this mean that I am not as competitive as I thought? Should I be worrying (I know that schools stratify apps, but again I thought I would be near the top (I'm not trying to sound arrogant, I was just really confident in my application at the time). I did get placed on a hold at a top 5 medical school so I am assuming that there are no red flags in my application. I also got 1 R, though again, this was a top 5 medical school and a reach for me.
I think you know the answer, but at the risk of stating the obvious, here goes -- as others have said, and as indicated below, there is really no reason to worry until December, because it will take that long for schools to mine the vast majority of their apps and give out the majority of their IIs. As you probably know, this process continues into the spring, but if you don't have anything by Christmas, it's probably time to get at least a little concerned.

So, the good news is that your worries are probably premature. Regardless of how arrogant you might have been before, you definitely don't sound arrogant now -- you sound worried. The bad news, which is probably obvious to you, is that you were clearly wrong about how, competitive is probably not the right word, but superlative your app is because you haven't scored any early IIs while hundreds if not thousands have gone out. It's not the end of the world, and still way too early to panic or be depressed, but, yeah, for whatever reason, with no IIs on 9/15 after being complete in the beginning of August, you're not as close to the top of the pool as you apparently thought.
 
Hey everyone, I hope you are doing well. So it's peak interview season, and I have yet to receive any II... I thought my stats were very competitive (LizzyM > 72), and I thought I was very well-rounded. I submitted most secondaries end of July to early-August, so I am starting to get a little worried given that it is already peak interview season. Given that I didn't receive any of the early II (all my friends have and I thought I was more competitive than them based solely on paper), does this mean that I am not as competitive as I thought? Should I be worrying (I know that schools stratify apps, but again I thought I would be near the top (I'm not trying to sound arrogant, I was just really confident in my application at the time). I did get placed on a hold at a top 5 medical school so I am assuming that there are no red flags in my application. I also got 1 R, though again, this was a top 5 medical school and a reach for me.
Patience is a virtue. The need for instant gratification is not.

Schools do not process applications in chronological order.

Not targeting OP, but people should avoid thinking, "I sent in my applications; where are my interviews???"
 
Hey everyone, I hope you are doing well. So it's peak interview season, and I have yet to receive any II... I thought my stats were very competitive (LizzyM > 72), and I thought I was very well-rounded. I submitted most secondaries end of July to early-August, so I am starting to get a little worried given that it is already peak interview season. Given that I didn't receive any of the early II (all my friends have and I thought I was more competitive than them based solely on paper), does this mean that I am not as competitive as I thought? Should I be worrying (I know that schools stratify apps, but again I thought I would be near the top (I'm not trying to sound arrogant, I was just really confident in my application at the time). I did get placed on a hold at a top 5 medical school so I am assuming that there are no red flags in my application. I also got 1 R, though again, this was a top 5 medical school and a reach for me.

I believe we are just about to hit peak season from now until October so I wouldnt be concerned until early October or so. Maybe you can try adding some MD schools just in case? I dont think DO schools are necessary just going by your LM (granted that you have good LORs, at least clinical volunteering etc)
 
I believe we are just about to hit peak season from now until October so I wouldnt be concerned until early October or so. Maybe you can try adding some MD schools just in case? I dont think DO schools are necessary just going by your LM (granted that you have good LORs, at least clinical volunteering etc)

Yea
Today was peak season: for holds and R’s. 2 holds, 2 R’s and one “you’re under consideration “ email for me.
Brutal.
 
Yea
Today was peak season: for holds and R’s. 2 holds, 2 R’s and one “you’re under consideration “ email for me.
Brutal.

Perhaps, Im speaking too soon. but it was just silence all around for me :sorry::sorry::sorry:
 
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