Official 2015-2016: Oh no, I don't have a single Interview Invite thread!

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EDlover23 said:
Hey guys posting here for the people on this thread who are always so encouraging! I applied in october and everyone told me it was a death wish and that im stupid for applying. got my first interview a couple days ago at an awesome school!! LM 69. The invites are coming guys 🙂
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Good thing you followed your heart! Congrats on the ii
 
EDlover23 said:
Hey guys posting here for the people on this thread who are always so encouraging! I applied in october and everyone told me it was a death wish and that im stupid for applying. got my first interview a couple days ago at an awesome school!! LM 69. The invites are coming guys 🙂
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+1, are you me haha? I took a late August MCAT and a lot of people told me to wait a year but I just wanted to get going. Congratulations, I hope more people here experience the same thing. <3
 
No invites. Completed secondaries mid-August. 3.8+/33. Wide range of schools. Decent extracurriculars and experience of both medical/clinical and non-medical. Could a bad LOR (I know, don't ask how it got to this point, it's complicated) ruin my chances at everything? What the hell went wrong...? 🙁
 
Cytonic1378 said:
No invites. Completed secondaries mid-August. 3.8+/33. Wide range of schools. Decent extracurriculars and experience of both medical/clinical and non-medical. Could a bad LOR (I know, don't ask how it got to this point, it's complicated) ruin my chances at everything? What the hell went wrong...? 🙁
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It could be a bad LoR, but it could be so many other things as well. And honestly, unless someone absolutely hates you they won't write a bad LoR. Someone who just dislikes you would probably just refuse to write you one or write you a generic one.

The main point is not to focus on what you could have done differently with the LoR or try to figure out what they could have written or might have said. Start planning for your next cycle. Look into what needs to be improved, think about a timeline for how that should be done. Improve your MCAT, improve your ECs and get new letters.

There have been people on SDN who have had to go through 4 cycles to get into med school. 1 year will fly by. Do something you enjoy and do it well. You'll make it because you have the determination to make it and nothing can stop you; if not this cycle, then the next cycle for sure. PM me with more details if you want. I'm curious about your situation.
 
Cytonic1378 said:
No invites. Completed secondaries mid-August. 3.8+/33. Wide range of schools. Decent extracurriculars and experience of both medical/clinical and non-medical. Could a bad LOR (I know, don't ask how it got to this point, it's complicated) ruin my chances at everything? What the hell went wrong...? 🙁
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Roughly the same situation, know people with much lower stats who have gotten in to schools I've applied to (including the one school I did interview at and was waitlisted). Trying not to get actually depressed but it's hard. Don't really know where to start with a plan B. I'm already doing a master's this year. Hope you hear something these next couple of months, good to know I'm not alone.
 
LuluLovesMe said:
There have been people on SDN who have had to go through 4 cycles to get into med school. 1 year will fly by. Do something you enjoy and do it well. You'll make it because you have the determination to make it and nothing can stop you; if not this cycle, then the next cycle for sure. PM me with more details if you want. I'm curious about your situation.
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How I wish this was actually true.
 
For the people who will view this thread in 2016-2017 to see how things turned out for us, I decided to update my earlier posts in this thread with positive news of the IIs I got in November and December. I have 4 now, one of which turned into an acceptance. I know fellow thread denizen bearintraining also got a lot of positive news later on in the cycle with 4 IIs, two of which are to really incredible schools that are better than any programs I got interviews at.

Best wishes to everyone here.
 
Cytonic1378 said:
No invites. Completed secondaries mid-August. 3.8+/33. Wide range of schools. Decent extracurriculars and experience of both medical/clinical and non-medical. Could a bad LOR (I know, don't ask how it got to this point, it's complicated) ruin my chances at everything? What the hell went wrong...? 🙁
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Your stats are better than mine (3.4/33) and I've received several II's and 1 acceptance so far. I wouldn't suggest improving your GPA or MCAT - those are already competitive. Your application is clearly missing something or has a red mark on it somewhere (a bad LOR like you suggested). If you do re-apply, review your LORs, put a lot more thought into where you are applying and where you will be competitive, improve your essays (as my 8th grade English teacher said, there's no such thing as a rough draft), and continue gaining clinical experience. I've been scribing now for 4 months and love it - tbh, can't believe I didn't do it sooner.

Another user suggested improving your MCAT - thought I'd chime in and suggest not doing that. Waste of your time...study for weeks/months for what? 1, maybe 2 higher points? at the risk of getting the same score or worse, a lower one? Use that time instead to improve other parts of your app...your stats are fine. Something else is missing. Good luck!!
 
LuluLovesMe said:
Any other people get II's recently that haven't posted?
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3 weeks ago I got my first MD II at one of my state schools. They asked if I could make it to their last date of 2015, which would be a week later. Problem was.... I moved to the other side of the country so that plane ticket price was tough to swallow. I still feel incredibly lucky though!
 
Ugh... Still at 1 MD II. I also have a DO II, and attended another DO II that has not even yielded a post-interview decision (4 months and counting....). Feeling kind of nervous since I feel highly pressured to have to nail my only interview for MD...
 
Is there a waitlist support group for this cycle?
And no I don't mean this insensitively....
 
Hoping I get in this cycle. Just submitted my DO apps a few weeks ago so we'll see how the new year goes. 515 MCAT, 3.4 cGPA and 3.85 sGPA. No II's as of yet. Luckily I love my job, and have a plan for next cycle, but here's hoping to hearing something sooner rather than later.
 
So apparently there were a ton of rejections/interviews/interview wait lists at Rosalind Franklin this week. GUESS WHO GOT ABSOLUTELY NOTHING? The waiting game is hard.

:lame:
 
Cytonic1378 said:
No invites. Completed secondaries mid-August. 3.8+/33. Wide range of schools. Decent extracurriculars and experience of both medical/clinical and non-medical. Could a bad LOR (I know, don't ask how it got to this point, it's complicated) ruin my chances at everything? What the hell went wrong...? 🙁
Click to expand...

We're twins. Same stats and complete dates. 4 rejections, 4 waitlists and silence from 16 schools. Not sure where I went wrong, but unfortunately my MCAT expires after this cycle so I'll have to retake it if I have to apply again next cycle. Pretty bummed out, but I guess there's still hope.

I know it's late but I'm considering sending in updates to schools who are receptive. Have had some pretty good clinical work experience the past few months and I'm going on a medical mission trip in a few weeks. Good idea? Is there a thread on how to properly write update letters? Thanks guys and good luck to everyone else in the same boat as cytonic and myself.
 
bananafish94 said:
I just got my first interview. On my last day of such a rough semester I get an interview invite to one of my dream schools. It's truly a Christmas miracle. I'm currently openly sobbing on a bus ride home. You will all get what you deserve, I know it! Thank you to everyone on this forum for helping me through this difficult few months.
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I hope you get in. Very best of luck.
 
AngelintheOutfield said:
We're twins. Same stats and complete dates. 4 rejections, 4 waitlists and silence from 16 schools. Not sure where I went wrong, but unfortunately my MCAT expires after this cycle so I'll have to retake it if I have to apply again next cycle. Pretty bummed out, but I guess there's still hope.

I know it's late but I'm considering sending in updates to schools who are receptive. Have had some pretty good clinical work experience the past few months and I'm going on a medical mission trip in a few weeks. Good idea? Is there a thread on how to properly write update letters? Thanks guys and good luck to everyone else in the same boat as cytonic and myself.
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I'm in a very similar position...my MCAT isn't quite as good but I hadn't heard anything until I got my first interview a week ago. I think it would be a great idea to send in updates! I sent in an update to one school that takes them and got a personalized response back.

I have been critically evaluating my own application and come up with a few possibilities as to the silence:
A) Bad LOR--probably not likely anymore since I have an interview...probably not likely in your case either because I still think it would take a true monster to do that.
B) Bad personal statement--I've thought this could be an issue for me. I thought mine was good, but who knows if admissions officers would agree? Does it have clichés, bad grammar, a poor reason to go into medicine, or anything like that?
C) Major deficiency in a certain "checkbox." For example, I only have minimal shadowing experience. Are there any necessary ECs that you've shirked in any way?
D) This is essentially what I think my problem is--not special enough. I don't want to sound presumptuous, but my application definitely demonstrates that I'm qualified for medical school. Problem is that everyone else is as well. Is there something that really sets you apart from the crowd?

Also--I truly believe that there is still hope for the spring! I was reading another thread about not having an interview by thanksgiving and LizzyM was propagating this doom and gloom mentality that if you haven't heard by then you won't hear at all. I counter that with the fact that everything good that's happened to me this cycle happened after my fall semester ended! After the holidays there will be more movement. We may not be superstars but they've kept us around for a reason.
 
bananafish94 said:
I'm in a very similar position...my MCAT isn't quite as good but I hadn't heard anything until I got my first interview a week ago. I think it would be a great idea to send in updates! I sent in an update to one school that takes them and got a personalized response back.

I have been critically evaluating my own application and come up with a few possibilities as to the silence:
A) Bad LOR--probably not likely anymore since I have an interview...probably not likely in your case either because I still think it would take a true monster to do that.
B) Bad personal statement--I've thought this could be an issue for me. I thought mine was good, but who knows if admissions officers would agree? Does it have clichés, bad grammar, a poor reason to go into medicine, or anything like that?
C) Major deficiency in a certain "checkbox." For example, I only have minimal shadowing experience. Are there any necessary ECs that you've shirked in any way?
D) This is essentially what I think my problem is--not special enough. I don't want to sound presumptuous, but my application definitely demonstrates that I'm qualified for medical school. Problem is that everyone else is as well. Is there something that really sets you apart from the crowd?

Also--I truly believe that there is still hope for the spring! I was reading another thread about not having an interview by thanksgiving and LizzyM was propagating this doom and gloom mentality that if you haven't heard by then you won't hear at all. I counter that with the fact that everything good that's happened to me this cycle happened after my fall semester ended! After the holidays there will be more movement. We may not be superstars but they've kept us around for a reason.
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Gotta watch out for that PS, it helped give me a post-interview rejection I was told.
 
Figured I would post this here since alot of us have no or few invites. After reviewing last years threads I have seen:

SUNY Downstate: many interviews given out in January.
Albany: Invites given out in January and March...but not a ton.
FIU: Invites given January and Feb.
Jefferson: Invites given out 12/31 thru 3/11..many dates!
Temple: Invites given out 1/16 through 3/9..decent amt of invites!
NYMC: Invites given out Jan through April. Alot of waitlist acceptances on May 6.
Einstein...not alot of invites..I did see one or two..1/30 and 2/18.
Wake...some invites in Jan and Feb...most look like instate.
Stoney...very few Jan interviews..
Tufts..bit of action in Jan and Feb...

So its not over..just for some schools the chance seems smaller than others...
I'll look at some more when I get a chance.
Hope this was helpful...
 
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catie_jane said:
How did that work? I feel like they wouldn't have invited you for an interview in the first place if it was the PS?
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Yeah, "This guys PS was so bad we rejected him for it, but not bad enough that we wouldn't waste time and resource interviewing him". Can't see the logic here.
 
bananafish94 said:
Actually, after going through the application process for the past six months, I wouldn't put that past them for a second.
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I feel like being waitlisted is the same in the sense that they don't want to crush you with a rejection but just want to politely decline you.

I'm salty
 
whatsupdr said:
Figured I would post this here since alot of us have no or few invites. After reviewing last years threads I have seen:

SUNY Downstate: many interviews given out in January.
Albany: Invites given out in January and March...but not a ton.
FIU: Invites given January and Feb.
Jefferson: Invites given out 12/31 thru 3/11..many dates!
Temple: Invites given out 1/16 through 3/9..decent amt of invites!
NYMC: Invites given out Jan through April. Alot of waitlist acceptances on May 6.
Einstein...not alot of invites..I did see one or two..1/30 and 2/18.
Wake...some invites in Jan and Feb.
Stoney...very few Jan interviews..
Tufts..bit of action in Jan and Feb...

So its not over..just for some schools the chance seems smaller than others...
I'll look at some more when I get a chance.
Hope this was helpful...
Click to expand...

Bummer about Einstein 🙁
 
whatsupdr said:
Figured I would post this here since alot of us have no or few invites. After reviewing last years threads I have seen:

SUNY Downstate: many interviews given out in January.
Albany: Invites given out in January and March...but not a ton.
FIU: Invites given January and Feb.
Jefferson: Invites given out 12/31 thru 3/11..many dates!
Temple: Invites given out 1/16 through 3/9..decent amt of invites!
NYMC: Invites given out Jan through April. Alot of waitlist acceptances on May 6.
Einstein...not alot of invites..I did see one or two..1/30 and 2/18.
Wake...some invites in Jan and Feb.
Stoney...very few Jan interviews..
Tufts..bit of action in Jan and Feb...

So its not over..just for some schools the chance seems smaller than others...
I'll look at some more when I get a chance.
Hope this was helpful...
Click to expand...
Jefferson gives me hope! I sent an update into them and got a very nice response from one of the two doctors who run the show. Others got rejected when they sent in their updates so...I guess that's a good sign? I'd add to that list Rush and Loyola. I know a guy who got an invite to Loyola in March and an acceptance in April.
 
bananafish94 said:
Jefferson gives me hope! I sent an update into them and got a very nice response from one of the two doctors who run the show. Others got rejected when they sent in their updates so...I guess that's a good sign? I'd add to that list Rush and Loyola. I know a guy who got an invite to Loyola in March and an acceptance in April.
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It could be a coincidence that they got rejected around the same time they sent an update.

In your case, I would followup with that adcom again in a few months to show your continued interest and include any college/CV updates.
 
My offerings (approximately as well):

Loyola - plenty of IIs until end of February

MCW - few IIs, last II was 2/19 but the last batch(es?) had the caveat of interview for the waitlist

Wayne State - few-ish IIs, last was 2/11

South Florida - few-ish IIs, last was 3/18
 
catie_jane said:
How did that work? I feel like they wouldn't have invited you for an interview in the first place if it was the PS?
Click to expand...

I used to know an adcom at one school who discussed the process with me, they read personal statements, rate them on a number scale, and do the same with each secondary essay. Interviews are MMIs and I know that those get numbers too. Maybe the school had a similar system? And the PS score combined with other things made it high enough for an II, but then when reviewing candidates after, the PS score was too low in comparison?
 
ifnotnowwren said:
I used to know an adcom at one school who discussed the process with me, they read personal statements, rate them on a number scale, and do the same with each secondary essay. Interviews are MMIs and I know that those get numbers too. Maybe the school had a similar system? And the PS score combined with other things made it high enough for an II, but then when reviewing candidates after, the PS score was too low in comparison?
Click to expand...

I think it would help to look at the school's interview/acceptance statistics. With some schools, they only interview people that they actually want and then accept a big percentage of them (I.e. 50-60+%) At those schools, I think it's fair to say that they've deemed all of your application material good enough to get in and they want to see how you match your application in person. At other schools, they interview obscene amounts of people and probably have a system more similar to that, if I had to guess. And everything in between.
 
FumblyBumbly said:
My offerings (approximately as well):

Loyola - plenty of IIs until end of February

MCW - few IIs, last II was 2/19 but the last batch(es?) had the caveat of interview for the waitlist

Wayne State - few-ish IIs, last was 2/11

South Florida - few-ish IIs, last was 3/18
Click to expand...
I submitted my application to MCW in July and wasn't marked complete until October...so I don't know what in gods name is going on over there.
 
I thought I would post this for posterity, specifically to ease the minds of people who may be reading this thread in future application cycles. I applied to 24 schools in a timely fashion, submitting most of my secondaries in July. I got a couple of expected rejections from OOS-prejudiced schools and super long shots, and then I heard nothing. Silence. For months, and months, and months. I watched my peers get accepted in October when I had yet to hear from a single school. They told me interviews would come before Thanksgiving. They never did. These past few months have been among the most difficult of my entire life. I felt like a fraud and a failure often. And right around the end of the semester, I essentially gave up.

In the past two weeks, starting with the very first day of winter break, I have received three (count 'em, three) interviews from really solid MD schools.

I don't know if I will be accepted at any of these schools, but I do know this. Some people are superstars. Some people have some kind of ancillary factor that makes them attractive to medical schools. Some people, for whatever reason, get into medical school without much difficulty. I am not a superstar. If you are reading this, you probably aren't a superstar either. I'm just a normal person who has tried to do everything in my power to put myself in the best possible position. If I do get into medical school, I will be incredibly grateful that it took this long--because this has been an irreplaceably humbling and absolutely human experience that will eventually make me a better doctor.

So, if you are reading this in October or November or December some years from now, I urge you to not give up hope. You haven't received a rejection yet because somebody sees something in you. And I truly believe that if you are a good and decent person who has worked hard and not cut any corners, it will manifest itself in your application and somebody, somewhere will recognize it, and you will go on to do great things.
 
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