School You Would Never Apply to Again

[redsoxfan]

good idea for a thread... I would def have to say GW--I went there undergrad, spent 3.5yrs doing lab research (which i published) at their med school, and got rejected a week after they cashed my check!

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[prana_md]

... sent me three rejection letters! One before the secondary, one before my non-existent interview, and one final one saying they couldn't offer me a place in the class of 2009. OKAY! I got the hint!

Also Columbia ... their secondary is like another AMCAS ... life is too short!

 

[eag]

PCOM
Mount Sinai
EVMS
Wake Forest
Drexel
George Washington

 

[16hoursleeper]

Couple of schools...

-Dartmouth because its just not for me and I didn't realize it in time to not go to the interview.
-Yale because the students I met were uber-rude (may have just been circumstance) and it takes forever(!) to get to New Haven from NYC and I didn't realize that either.
-Northwestern. It seemed like they emphasized their social life to a point of sacrificing their studies and I'm kind of a nerd. They kept telling me how they got "sooo wasted" like three weeknights a week.

 

[jjmack]

I loved the NYU email saying you will be rejected in a month or so just don't call the office...so classy.

... sent me three rejection letters! One before the secondary, one before my non-existent interview, and one final one saying they couldn't offer me a place in the class of 2009. OKAY! I got the hint!

Also Columbia ... their secondary is like another AMCAS ... life is too short!

 

[irlandesa]

I'm about to graduate from Tufts and I'm honestly not sure I would have applied there again. Sure, I love Boston, and the Dean of Admissions is cool, but most of my interactions with the administration here make me want to run for the hills. And after talking to my friends and acquaintances, I know I am not alone in this sentiment. Also, if you want to graduate in 4 years and get a top residency (I really didn't care that much about the latter, but many do) at the same time, don't count on it. With 10% of the class failing Physiology during the first year, and a number of that 10% failing again the 2nd time, and people who are so afraid of their chances of getting a good residency that they get pressured into doing another yr or two of research to make up for their "deficiencies", I would say that at best 75-80% will be 4-yr grads going directly into residency. Also, our "flagship" hospital, T-NEMC, sucks (except for Surgery and maybe Psych), do your 3rd year rotations elsewhere (esp. Baystate and Faulkner) and you will be MUCH less miserable.

 

[Ambs]

I'm about to graduate from Tufts and I'm honestly not sure I would have applied there again. Sure, I love Boston, and the Dean of Admissions is cool, but most of my interactions with the administration here make me want to run for the hills. And after talking to my friends and acquaintances, I know I am not alone in this sentiment. Also, if you want to graduate in 4 years and get a top residency (I really didn't care that much about the latter, but many do) at the same time, don't count on it. With 10% of the class failing Physiology during the first year, and a number of that 10% failing again the 2nd time, and people who are so afraid of their chances of getting a good residency that they get pressured into doing another yr or two of research to make up for their "deficiencies", I would say that at best 75-80% will be 4-yr grads going directly into residency. Also, our "flagship" hospital, T-NEMC, sucks (except for Surgery and maybe Psych), do your 3rd year rotations elsewhere (esp. Baystate and Faulkner) and you will be MUCH less miserable.

I would never apply to Tufts again either. A couple of my friends went there, and they had negative experiences also. Whenever I called the office for status information, they were not especially kind nor helpful. Additionally, they took unbelievably long to make any form of a decision.

I would also not apply to NYU again - I agree with the above poster that their pre-rejection email was classless.

 

[DeterminedMD]

University of Rochester-Didnt like the area at all. Everyone seemed so happy
that it seemed fake and hand an eery feel. Guess it just
wasnt for me.

Georgetown- Did you bother looking at my secondary? Or was that just an
excuse. to cash my check. Got a rejection 4 days after sending my
secondary. And I am on the west coast!

 

[scattered]

Wake Forest might make my list. In my rejection letter, they mentioned that I had been selected as an "interview-worthy" candidate. However, they couldn't interview all of the worthy candidates so they rejected without an interview instead.

 

[qnisis]

USC…for taking so long to get back to me. And when they finally sent me the email that sent me off to check my status on the webpage…the webpage didn’t work and wouldn’t load. They could have just put it in the email. Of course I knew it was a rejection notice (final status—what else could it be) but at least have the decency to not make me wait around for my rejection!

 

[skiracer90]

Wake Forest might make my list. In my rejection letter, they mentioned that I had been selected as an "interview-worthy" candidate. However, they couldn't interview all of the worthy candidates so they rejected without an interview instead.

No way! You're in scattered?! What a freakin small world... I've seen you guys play and you're pretty good.

 

[lemurlover]

I've read great things about NYU. I applied there for fall 04 and didn't get in, but was really hoping to. Great rotations, and some very well known psychiatry text writers are on faculty. And their style seemed cooperative instead of the silly ego mess sponsored by GPA frenzy.

 

[st. pius v]

ok....i sent my secondaries in right after Christmas, twiddling my thumbs for the next 4.5 months....and nothing!
i must have called and e-mailed at least a thousand times to check and the person in charge (deborah davis) replied my e-mailswith a cut-n-paste style....from her database of e-mails she probably sent to applicants....finally got in touch w/ the high and mighty Mr. Moseley and found out that my file was just sitting there waiting for a decision....
lousy inter-office communication and i actually released the beast on deborah davis bcoz she sounds like a bloody broken record....anybody heard of any applicants blasting and semi-insulting the admissions staff of the school that he/she is waiting for a decision on???? i think i'm the first!
this is the lousy excuse....computer system broken, everthing has to be done the paper way and i guess that's why my file was seating down somewhere collecting dust!!
boo to meharry....

 

[sockandmittens]

keck (long secondary), bu, gw, jefferson, baylor, rochester, northwestern (grr panel interview) and i guess that's it. the above schools because i knew they weren't for me, and those that just took 100 dollars (bu, gw).

oh right- no out of state schools other than uva, umich, and osu (who all like out of staters!)

 

[ofoshoukno]

MSUCOM= Seriously who do they think they are? Someone should remind them that they aren't an IVY league Medical school.

Toledo Medical School= a certain PHD professor back stabbed me in the interview asked me all these weird questions
kept making counter points about everything I say
I knew I was screwed
so then decision day for the admissions committee
she told the Dean of the Medical school
that I was a liar
and fraudulent
said that "I put my legs on the table" when I spoke to her
made up all this bullcrap about me
I got rejected, my stats were better than Toledo by a long shot...

The sad part was that after all the thank you letters I wrote, and a$$ kissing I did, it was all undone because some jag PHD didn't like my demeanor? I mean if this is a way of letting under qualified applicants accepted, then it sure as heck works.

 

[Textuality]

Dartmouth (b/c everything is via snail mail...gah)
GT and GW (crazy high application fees)

 

[MilkmanAl]

GW and Georgetown. $130+ automatic secondary that has nothing but generic crap on it? Seriously?

 

[scowdeva]

MSUCOM= Seriously who do they think they are? Someone should remind them that they aren't an IVY league Medical school.

Toledo Medical School= a certain PHD professor back stabbed me in the interview asked me all these weird questions
kept making counter points about everything I say
I knew I was screwed
so then decision day for the admissions committee
she told the Dean of the Medical school
that I was a liar
and fraudulent
said that "I put my legs on the table" when I spoke to her
made up all this bullcrap about me
I got rejected, my stats were better than Toledo by a long shot...

The sad part was that after all the thank you letters I wrote, and a$$ kissing I did, it was all undone because some jag PHD didn't like my demeanor? I mean if this is a way of letting under qualified applicants accepted, then it sure as heck works.

Expand on the MSUCOM hatin'...I'm intrigued!

Also, I vote for VCU with their coded status updates. They went something like this:
1) You are so lucky! Only a set number of people get secondaries, and you made the cut! Congrats!
2) Your file is complete, but we don't know what to think of it. We'll review thousands of other applicants, then try to come back and make a decision about you.
3) Five months later...yeah, we're gonna have to pass. Sorry we didn't quite want to give you a shot earlier in the season, and we sure aren't wasting an interview spot on you this late! They are far to precious! See ya, better luck next time!

 

[lex]

My first rejection came from Wake where I didn't even recieve an interview. The worst part about it is that I have lived in winston-salem for the last 15 years, volunteered at Wake's Med Center since middle school, did summer interships there in the cancer center, and even worked there for two years as a lab tech after graduating from Duke undergrad. They took my money but I don't even get an interview? F%&* you Wake.

I almost fell off my chair LOL reading the last sentence of the post.

The lucky winners on my black list are:
UC Davis (boo hoo Davis!! Who wants to live in god-forsaken town Sacramento anyway?!?)
UCSF (WTF?!? I'm your neighbor dude!)
UCLA
Darmouth (Slow slow slow and freakin' slow).
UNC Chapell Hill
Cornell
UChicago (thanks a lot for making me write those essays for nuthin').
U Missouri
U New Mexico

 

[onemoreyear]

University of MN - Twin Cities

I sent my recs twice electronically (both times they confirmed that my letters had arrived when I called to double check). I have an email confirming that my application was complete.

They were unable to review my application because my letters of recommendation never arrived...

 

[RenegadeSynapse]

I made some really bad decisions with schools I applied too. I wasted money that I didn't really have to waste, but what's done is done. It's easy to say I shouldn't have applied to these schools now, because I got into my top choice. But here goes:

• Temple / UPenn / Jefferson - I'm from a small town in NC. I'd be miserable living in philly for 4 years.
• Yale - Because well, it's Yale. This is purely conjecture, but I do not think I would be happy in that atmosphere. Had I been lucky enough to interview there, I suspect I would have found it to be a bad fit.
• Dartmouth - NH. Cold. Too far from family. Did I mention cold?
• BU and Tufts - Boston. Basically the same reason as the schools in philly. I do not think I would be happy in Boston.
• GW Gtown - DC. Again, it was not a great decision on location for me. Also, the secondary fees are absurd. Tulane - meh. Didn't really want to move that far away.
• Duke - the only school that I wouldn't apply to again for personal reasons. I had issues with their webpage updating when I payed my secondary fee. When I called the admissions office, the person I spoke with was fairly rude and acted as if my calling about a concern was just putting a huge kink in his day. Not to mention there secondary is a pain, and in retrospect, I really don't think I would like the curriculum.

All of the schools I wouldn't apply to again were schools that I didn't get an interview at, so it would not have affected my current plans, but I obviously didn't know that when I applied. I'd also say that I have nothing against any of those schools, they were just bad decisions and I don't think I'd be happy there. Everything worked out great in the end, I just spent more money that I should have in the process. -RS

 

[ofoshoukno]

Expand on the MSUCOM hatin'...I'm intrigued!

Also, I vote for VCU with their coded status updates. They went something like this:
1) You are so lucky! Only a set number of people get secondaries, and you made the cut! Congrats!
2) Your file is complete, but we don't know what to think of it. We'll review thousands of other applicants, then try to come back and make a decision about you.
3) Five months later...yeah, we're gonna have to pass. Sorry we didn't quite want to give you a shot earlier in the season, and we sure aren't wasting an interview spot on you this late! They are far to precious! See ya, better luck next time!

Class of 2012 ahy?

Nifty! Anyways MSUCOM's requirements are more strict than some allopathic schools.

 

[spilledmilk]

whatever that school in burlington vermont is. that was the worst two days of my life.

haha ok thats a gross exaggeration, but it really was terrible.

 

[paradocs we are]

GW, Albany, NYMC and VCU were a waste of my money...

 

[taponthecloud]

you know how we could really flex our muscles in this matter? make a poll or tally up all the nay votes and encourage folks applying in the upcoming cycle (in fact, make that four consecutive cycles) to completely overlook that one school voted the worst. that way, the targeted school will make less money in secondaries, fewer top applicants will consider them (mostly from SDN's influence)... next year their matriculating class will be crap and their rankings will soon drop.

 

[taponthecloud]

You overestimate the power of the internet.

you underestimate the power of resentful SDN pre-meds.

 

[bashini]

GW: I hate you
Gorgetown: I hate you more for sending me a rejection right after i submitted my seconday along with the exorbitant $130. I'm actually telling everyone that ask me for advice not to apply to this school.

Yale: long shot

UC Irvine: They denied me an interview couple of weeks after I submitted the secondary and I saw the status page during another interview. Thanks for spending 5 minutes on my app. OC is full of snobs anyways.

USC: Not worth the crazy tuition

U Pittsburgh: My interviewer was very mean to me. COndescending, rude, arrogant. I hated the Oakland area. Looks like there are just bunch of students and hobos living together. I'm surprised I'm on the waitlist

Tufts:

 

[fizzle]

U Pittsburgh: My interviewer was very mean to me. COndescending, rude, arrogant. I hated the Oakland area. Looks like there are just bunch of students and hobos living together. I'm surprised I'm on the waitlist

I didn't know U Pittsburgh was in Oakland

 

[olemissbabydoc]

Tulane.

Those 2x a week for 9 months "YOUR APPLICATION IS UNDER REVIEW" emails got to me. And yes, it was always in caps.

Finally got the "WE ONLY HAVE 178 SEATS AND YOU ARENT ONE OF THEM" this week. Like I expected differently after 9 months.

 

[bellacnella]

Jefferson, Drexel, and Dartmouth...if someone paid you in July, why shouln't there be a decision by now?!?!?

I mean I really have regrets about wasting money on these schools. You can't even find anything out if you call.

NYMC-terrible interviewers, ask illegal questions, I just found the school's whole day to be unflattering. Same goes for UPitt.

 

[Green Apple]

Drexel. Gave them a deposit, still haven't heard back from them. Also, they make it so hard to track the status of your app! I still can't figure out what happened. Not like I care, I wouldn't go there over MSU.

Ditto, I don't think I've heard a peep from Drexel since I submitted my secondary. But who cares, it's Drexel

 

[RoadRunner17]

I didn't know U Pittsburgh was in Oakland

It is. Just not that Oakland you're thinking of.

 

[Chuckwalla]

Toledo Medical School= a certain PHD professor back stabbed me in the interview asked me all these weird questions
kept making counter points about everything I say
I knew I was screwed
so then decision day for the admissions committee
she told the Dean of the Medical school
that I was a liar
and fraudulent
said that "I put my legs on the table" when I spoke to her
made up all this bullcrap about me
I got rejected, my stats were better than Toledo by a long shot...

How did you find out she lied about you and what did you do about it?

 

[fisko82]

I wish I didn't apply to Pritzker (their secondary question sucked) and Mayo (rejected PRE-secondary).

MSUCOM's requirements are more strict than some allopathic schools.

How so? They accept the majority of their class without interviewing them. I thought it was easier to get in that way; all I did was complete their secondary and I was accepted. (Granted, the secondary and custom LORs stunk, but not having to interview made it easier, or so I thought.)

 

[sunnyskies]

It's not a specific school that I would never apply to again, but I would never have applied to anywhere outside of the south again. I got interviews at the top two schools I applied to (and into one of them) but No one outside of the south bothered to ever even contact me. I think a lot of schools ignore people that are not from their geographic region unless they are an unbelievably spectacular candidate. Oh I guess I do have to call out George Washington. I would never apply there again. 11,000 applicants= like 0 chance of getting in. And I threw away $125 on the most expensive secondary!

 

[sandler743]

I would never apply to St. Louis again. They told me my application was incomplete for over 2 months that it was complete from Sept. to Nov. Finally I got them to realize my committee letter and my virtual evals were all the same. Still haven't gotten a single update from them. Also for all the schools that I am obviously rejected from that STILL haven't updated my status, go ef yourselves. I paid good money for my rejection letters!

 

[bashini]

I didn't know U Pittsburgh was in Oakland

no there's an area called oakland in pitt. i loved my ride from airport to pitt. but once i got to oakland area, it was hard to see anything except bunch of small stores packed together. just wasn't my cup of tea. Oh and I think female M.D or PhD interviewers have something against female interviewees (or maybe just me). All the schools where i had a female faculty interviewer waitlisted me. Upitt was one

 

[clearmysix]

I'd say I wouldn't apply to Indiana again.

Indiana was the only school I applied to more than 100 miles from the ocean. I went to my interview as a SOCAL kid, surfer, raging neck tan from the wetsuit. The interviewers looked at me and thought, "This kid will never leave the coast for a school in a small city without any mountains where it is freezing cold in the beginning of November." <- Absolutely right!!!!!

I got asked this question during my interview.

PhD - What do you do to relieve stress?

Me - I surrrr
(interrupted)
PhD - BESIDES SURFING!

Me - uhhhh

 

[tdsbird2]

tulane...do they even care...most impersonal admissions staff

 

[scowdeva]

no there's an area called oakland in pitt. i loved my ride from airport to pitt. but once i got to oakland area, it was hard to see anything except bunch of small stores packed together. just wasn't my cup of tea. Oh and I think female M.D or PhD interviewers have something against female interviewees (or maybe just me). All the schools where i had a female faculty interviewer waitlisted me. Upitt was one

I kinda suspect the same thing about the female interviewers....Out of five interviews, two of them were with females. Those two I was outright rejected, and one of them was MSU which doesn't really reject after interviews, AND they are my alma mater. The other three with male interviewers I was waitlisted (but I interviewed much later and with lower stats, so I don't necessarily see all of them as failures).

Also, the three where I have been waitlisted I didn't send thank yous (couldn't get them out in a reasonable time due to circumstances), while my two post-interview rejections were sent thank yous. Still think it's a nice courtesy, but definitely don't think it could help your file out any.

 

[3shtr]

Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine. I wanted to apply to the Bradenton campus. Well my ACOMAS went to Erie, and my secondary went to Bradenton. I just found out about it last month. Apparently the whole 2 campus thing is just too much for them.

Same thing happened to me! They also accused me of not paying the secondary fee. Very unprofessional over the phone.

 

[pride4jc727]

University of Florida because I was an OOS applicant and wasn't qualified enough. Period, that was enough for me not to consider them again.

 

[GL68]

I would like to chime in on BU, Wake, and Tulane. Future apps, just don't waste the time unless you can really justify it.

Wake screened out half of SDN in the first week of July via mass email (thanks), BU had an especially odd "tell me about anything" secondary essay, a high app fee, and it's a pretty strict numbers game there for interview there. But Tulane takes the cake with it's once-a-week Friday AM emails (they love the capslock) encouraging you TO MAINTAIN YOUR DELUSIONAL HOPE for an interview.

Surely someone on SDN can design a program that would send an auto-email to the Tulane Admissions office once a week on Friday morning for the rest of our lives explaining how we chose to go somewhere else in the end.

 

[MilkmanAl]

YES!!! Those emails were the worst. That and their "don't contact us in any way" policy is just unbelievable.

 

[daaarn]

GWashinton because the admissions office has got to be the most inefficient gagglefuk known to man.

Tell me about it. I haven't started applying for med school yet, but I applied to GWashington for undergrad and law school and they lost my application both times! Needless to say, I'm not gonna bother this time (among other reasons).

 

[ofoshoukno]

How did you find out she lied about you and what did you do about it?

because #1. She said I put "my feet on the freaking table"
I found out after I spoke to the Dean of the Medical school on the phone. Seriously, the 8 year old kid I tutor couldn't believe I did that. I don't know how she managed to convince the entire admissions committee of such a forgery. Not to mention my first interview went awesome and the interviewer said I had all the major characteristics to become a successful physician. This lady must of had some clout because she managed to convince the entire admissions committee to over look my grades, scores, my first interview as well as my 7 letters of rec.

I wish I didn't apply to Pritzker (their secondary question sucked) and Mayo (rejected PRE-secondary).





How so? They accept the majority of their students without interviewing them. I thought it was easier to get in that way; all I did was complete their secondary and I was accepted. (Granted, the secondary and custom LORs stunk, but not having to interview made it easier, or so I thought.)

I need a hug

 

[ofoshoukno]

Jefferson, Drexel, and Dartmouth...if someone paid you in July, why shouln't there be a decision by now?!?!?

I mean I really have regrets about wasting money on these schools. You can't even find anything out if you call.

NYMC-terrible interviewers, ask illegal questions, I just found the school's whole day to be unflattering. Same goes for UPitt.

What do you mean illegal questions? Examples? NYMC is supposed to be famous/infamous for their "Bringing study back" song on youtube!

 

[wishintobedoc]

MSUCOM= Seriously who do they think they are? Someone should remind them that they aren't an IVY league Medical school.

Toledo Medical School= a certain PHD professor back stabbed me in the interview asked me all these weird questions
kept making counter points about everything I say
I knew I was screwed
so then decision day for the admissions committee
she told the Dean of the Medical school
that I was a liar
and fraudulent
said that "I put my legs on the table" when I spoke to her
made up all this bullcrap about me
I got rejected, my stats were better than Toledo by a long shot...

The sad part was that after all the thank you letters I wrote, and ***** kissing I did, it was all undone because some jag PHD didn't like my demeanor? I mean if this is a way of letting under qualified applicants accepted, then it sure as heck works.

I think this is funny since I just saw you were accepted today to MSUCOM...lol

 

[mmmcdowe]

Old thread, but I would never apply to University of Michigan or Duke again. Both were great schools with great programs, but I had extremely poor experiences on the days that I interviewed there.

 

[FuSoYa]

LOL i just spent who knows how long reading 125+ posts before realizing it was from 2005. oh well, it was entertaining.