Rejected Post MMI Interview. Competitive stats for the school. How to improve?

[manohman]

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I was rejected by my state school who just had MMI’s. 🙁

I was above the median mcat/gpa (LizzyM 75), as a non trad, lots of clinical and 1000+ nonclinical volunteering. Research with two pubs.

Since I was invited to interview, it cant be Yield Protection (is that a thing?). So it has to be my MMI right?

How should I go about improving myself? I thought it went well, but shows what i know!

 

[crazymedguy123]

Practice, practice, practice. Try to recall every question that you had and think about every answer you gave. How could you answer it differently? What were your responses to follow ups? Practice those same questions with a friend or peer and see how the conversation flows and get feedback. Also have a peer look up questions you haven't done and practice those as well. Basically just practice a ton. And be open-minded and honest. Choose a side you stand with and understand that other opinions exist, and during your answer acknowledge other opinions but use them to support why your opinion is stronger

 

[Goro]

I was rejected by my state school who just had MMI’s. 🙁

I was above the median mcat/gpa (LizzyM 75), as a non trad, lots of clinical and 1000+ nonclinical volunteering. Research with two pubs.

Since I was invited to interview, it cant be Yield Protection (is that a thing?). So it has to be my MMI right?

How should I go about improving myself? I thought it went well, but shows what i know!

Practice makes perfect.
See these:
Crayola227's Interview Tips (General and MMI)

HomeSkool's Guide to Multiple Mini Interviews

 

[Goro]

Resource protect is a thing, but not at your state schools.

 

[manohman]

Practice makes perfect.
See these:
Crayola227's Interview Tips (General and MMI)

HomeSkool's Guide to Multiple Mini Interviews

Practice, practice, practice. Try to recall every question that you had and think about every answer you gave. How could you answer it differently? What were your responses to follow ups? Practice those same questions with a friend or peer and see how the conversation flows and get feedback. Also have a peer look up questions you haven't done and practice those as well. Basically just practice a ton. And be open-minded and honest. Choose a side you stand with and understand that other opinions exist, and during your answer acknowledge other opinions but use them to support why your opinion is stronger

Thank you both. I will definitely practice.

Most of the questions were How would you act in X situation or Have you ever been in X situation.

I answered truthfully and based on my own experiences. Maybe I should have spent more time acknowledging other potential scenarios/perspectives? It was strange though because most of them were biographical.

One question asked about hardship and i discussed growing up in a broken/violent home. However the emphasis was on what i learned and the resources i employed/relied on for support like friends since family was not a thing.

Did i shoot myself in the foot there? Creating a Question of my own competence?

Im going to really think about how I did/spoke. Especially because it seemed to go well with most people I spoke to. (which is even more problematic since i got Rejected lol).

thank you both!

 

[dodolol21]

Did you feel like the interview went bad afterward? This is kinda scary lol. Especially considering the rest of your app was up to par so you couldn't have been a borderline applicant.

 

[manohman]

Did you feel like the interview went bad afterward? This is kinda scary lol. Especially considering the rest of your app was up to par so you couldn't have been a borderline applicant.

Thats the thing. I actually thought it went pretty well, even conservatively. Not that people were in tears lol, but they always seemed to agree with my points and i didnt feel i missed anything.


but there must be something i completely missed or forgot to do.

 

[LAIsTheBestPlaceEver]

OMG this post gave me so much anxiety

 

[ays0110]

This just happened to me and I was looking around for advice threads. I have a LizzyM if 80 and was rejected post MMI interview from a school safely within reach, stats-wise.

I never thought I was a terrible interviewee, but considering around 40% of interviewees probably receive offers or waitlists, an outright rejection signals to me that I’m raising red flags. I’m worried that I will botch my other interviews, since this school was supposed to be my easiest/“safety” (if such a thing exists, it doesn’t.)

The interview I did was with professional actors at nine stations, very roleplay heavy, with one station that was a group interview with the dean. Coming out from it, I didn’t think I did poorly at all, so it makes diagnosing the problem pretty difficult.

 

[Goro]

This just happened to me and I was looking around for advice threads. I have a LizzyM if 80 and was rejected post MMI interview from a school safely within reach, stats-wise.

I never thought I was a terrible interviewee, but considering around 40% of interviewees probably receive offers or waitlists, an outright rejection signals to me that I’m raising red flags. I’m worried that I will botch my other interviews, since this school was supposed to be my easiest/“safety” (if such a thing exists, it doesn’t.)

The interview I did was with professional actors at nine stations, very roleplay heavy, with one station that was a group interview with the dean. Coming out from it, I didn’t think I did poorly at all, so it makes diagnosing the problem pretty difficult.

Most people are terrible judges of thier own interview performances.

Practice makes perfect.

 

[stubblesmcgee]

Look up "100 mmi practice questions" and "big list of all med school interview questions for mmi". There are 2 lists in particular that I'm thinking of, but you may find more. There's a lot of overlap in the questions, but frankly they cover a lot and a big chunk of whatever you see in the interview will likely be a variation of something on one of these two lists. It's a lot to go through, but just practice them with friends.

 

[MyOdyssey]

What is MMI?

 

[chaim123]

I never thought I was a terrible interviewee, but considering around 40% of interviewees probably receive offers or waitlists, an outright rejection signals to me that I’m raising red flags

How do you reach this conclusion? That means 60% of interviewees will be rejected. Not everyone who interviews can be accepted. It isn't always about your performance.

 

[stubblesmcgee]

How do you reach this conclusion? That means 60% of interviewees will be rejected. Not everyone who interviews can be accepted. It isn't always about your performance.

I assume the thinking is that since she was solidly ahead of the curve stats-wise, and any issues in her writing would have been issues before being offered an interview, the biggest factor left in play after that would be her interview performance.

 

[chaim123]

I assume the thinking is that since she was solidly ahead of the curve stats-wise, and any issues in her writing would have been issues before being offered an interview, the biggest factor left in play after that would be her interview performance.

I think the general guidelines are that post-interview, the committee reviews applicants holistically, including their interview performance. Getting an interview does not, in itself, put everyone on equal ground. An amazing applicant may have a bad interview and move down in the opinion of the committee, while an average applicant may move up. However, those other application materials are still just as important to the final decision.

 

[ays0110]

I assume the thinking is that since she was solidly ahead of the curve stats-wise, and any issues in her writing would have been issues before being offered an interview, the biggest factor left in play after that would be her interview performance.

I think the general guidelines are that post-interview, the committee reviews applicants holistically, including their interview performance. Getting an interview does not, in itself, put everyone on equal ground. An amazing applicant may have a bad interview and move down in the opinion of the committee, while an average applicant may move up. However, those other application materials are still just as important to the final decision.

Yes, for clarification, this is what I meant. Ego aside and factually speaking, my stats were much higher than their posted medians, so the only remaining factor could have been the interview. For me to have been rejected, to me, signals a major red flag in my interview that outweighed any benefit my above average stats gave me. It's pretty alarming! I will definitely practice more, but it hurts not knowing what exactly happened that day.

 

[chaim123]

For me to have been rejected, to me, signals a major red flag in my interview that outweighed any benefit my above average stats gave me

That's just not correct. Rejections happen for a lot of reasons - maybe you had a great interview, but someone felt your personal statement didn't make you the right fit, or that your activities weren't as in line with the schools missions with another applicant? Perhaps it was your interview, but there are people, every year, who get into some medical schools and rejected from others. It's not because they interviewed better at one (although it could be).

 

[pooppooppoop]

Yes, for clarification, this is what I meant. Ego aside and factually speaking, my stats were much higher than their posted medians, so the only remaining factor could have been the interview. For me to have been rejected, to me, signals a major red flag in my interview that outweighed any benefit my above average stats gave me. It's pretty alarming! I will definitely practice more, but it hurts not knowing what exactly happened that day.

Maybe you just weren't a good fit for what the school was looking for, which may have been realized on interview day. Not that you aren't a strong candidate, more that you may not have meshed with that particular school from their point of view. I know a school I interviewed at emphasized that when this happens they give a post-II R to avoid keeping you in limbo when they know they won't accept you.

 

[ays0110]

That's just not correct. Rejections happen for a lot of reasons - maybe you had a great interview, but someone felt your personal statement didn't make you the right fit, or that your activities weren't as in line with the schools missions with another applicant? Perhaps it was your interview, but there are people, every year, who get into some medical schools and rejected from others. It's not because they interviewed better at one (although it could be).

Maybe you just weren't a good fit for what the school was looking for, which may have been realized on interview day. Not that you aren't a strong candidate, more that you may not have meshed with that particular school from their point of view. I know a school I interviewed at emphasized that when this happens they give a post-II R to avoid keeping you in limbo when they know they won't accept you.

Thank you both for your perspective, I find them comforting. I suppose I am panicking a bit right now, I can only “hope” that maybe it was an issue with fit, and less of a reflection of my general ability. Of course, I will assume the worst and do my best to be more prepared for next time.

Do either of you (or anyone?) have any recommendations for interview coaches or consultants? I’m a non traditional student, so my counseling resources are a bit limited. I would really like to get some kind of formalized feedback on my interview ability. I’ve interviewed successfully numerous times for jobs in industry (and have also been an interviewer myself!), but I’m getting the feeling that medical school MMIs are a completely different game with different expectations.

 

[ays0110]

Two thoughts here:

1) This is an Olympic class event with highly competitive contenders but only the first few get the medal. It can a fraction of a second from a medal to nothing.
2) I almost exclusively deal with non trads and about a 1/3 are like you: top candidates who cant seem to make it past an interview. I often find it is the target school list. You may have made it to an interview on your stats but not fit elsewhere. In other words, for example, a so-so written application can be overcome with great stats for an II.

Thank you very much for your valuable feedback. I’m trying to understand the full implications of it, particularly point (2). Is it that non-trad candidates like me have the numbers, but don’t a convincing enough story behind our motivations for wanting to go to medical school? I had imagined that non trads would be able to make a more convincing argument, as our decision to go to medical school is based on empirical life experience and (arguably) more purposeful decision-making.

I feel that this particularly applies if we're transitioning from a relatively lucrative industry, like tech or engineering. We had to make a certain sacrifice in order to pursue this career change, so I imagine that is one that most people don't take lightly (at least I didn't!). Honestly, I'm surprised to learn that this is a trend with non-traditional applicants, and wonder if there's some kind of perspective I'm missing that more traditional students may have.

On a completely different note as well, I only learned of the concept of "yield protection" this morning. Is this something that might apply to a state school if an applicant's MCAT is much greater (6 points) than the school's 90th percentile?

Thank you again for sharing your thoughts on this!