Percentage of seats filled

[DocJuan]

I've come across a lot of posts here on SDN saying to start thinking about a backup plan if one has no interviews by Thanksgiving. I'm sure it varies from program to program, but approximately how many seats are filled by this time of year (>50%, >75%, >90%)??

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[Lucca]

I imagine very few seats are filled because people tend to make decisions later in the Spring. What matters is how many interview slots are left.

If the Wash U MSTP statistics are representative of the nation at large (and that is not a given, but it is the data I have)

http://mstp.wustl.edu/admissions/Pages/Statistics.aspx

then about 80% of interview slots have been filled by this point and there are about 2-3 times as many applicants under consideration as there are interview slots.

Again, MSTP cycle is not really like MD cycle and the two could not be comparable. However, if I remember from a UChicago presentation this summer, by mid September there are usually more applicants than there are interview slots and the disparity only grows from there.

 

[DocJuan]

by mid September there are usually more applicants than there are interview slots

Isn't this the case at all times?

What matters is how many interview slots are left.

You're right. I guess I mean to say what percentage of interview invitations are sent by this time.

 

[Lucca]

Isn't this the case at all times?



You're right. I guess I mean to say what percentage of interview invitations are sent by this time.

For MSTP it looks as if for a time there are fewer applicants being considered than interview slots. However MD has a much higher Applicant:Interview Slot ratio so that window may be much shorter or not exist depending on the school for MD

 

[LizzyM]

It is the number of interview slots available that spells the approaching end of hope for the cycle. Once the interview invites are gone, your hope of getting admitted dwindles to almost nothing even if no offers have been made. (Some schools hold all their offers until February-March).

 

[DocJuan]

It is the number of interview slots available that spells the approaching end of hope for the cycle. Once the interview invites are gone, your hope of getting admitted dwindles to almost nothing even if no offers have been made. (Some schools hold all their offers until February-March).

Is it too variable between programs to give a rough estimate of the percentage of interview slots left at this point?

 

[LizzyM]

Is it too variable between programs to give a rough estimate of the percentage of interview slots left at this point?

Yes, some schools finish before Christmas and others run into March or later. So, the proportion left to interview can be almost zero to something closer to 33%.