Should I call?

[extremelyrealname]

Is it a bad look to call admissions at some places to show interest and check on my status? I haven't received any interview invites from my state schools but I don't want to seem impatient, just want to show I'm really interested

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[Spectar]

Is it a bad look to call admissions at some places to show interest and check on my status? I haven't received any interview invites from my state schools but I don't want to seem impatient, just want to show I'm really interested

I don't think that's a good idea. They know you're interested, you sent a primary and secondary. I'm in the same boat I suggest just waiting it out.

 

[Goro]

Is it a bad look to call admissions at some places to show interest and check on my status? I haven't received any interview invites from my state schools but I don't want to seem impatient, just want to show I'm really interested

Terrible idea. Shows that you're both needy and desperate.
They know you're interested because you sent them your app.

Don't be a special snowflake.

 

[USERX]

Terrible idea. Shows that you're both needy and desperate.
They know you're interested because you sent them your app.

Don't be a special snowflake.

If a snowflake is what I gotta be, then I will do it at this point.

 

[Goro]

If a snowflake is what I gotta be, then I will do it at this point.

Good way to never be a doctor. Just saying.

 

[USERX]

Good way to never be a doctor. Just saying.

Better than being a 4.0 bookworm who has no people skills in my opinion. Just saying.

 

[Disciple of Sattar]

You can usually check on your status through the application portal, I wouldn't call.

 

[GCS-15]

If you were complete early in the cycle and have things worthy of an update, and schools accept them - I would send one.

 

[USERX]

If you were complete early in the cycle and have things worthy of an update, and schools accept them - I would send one.

Agree, I wouldn't call but you can send an email.

 

[daisy408]

Terrible idea. Shows that you're both needy and desperate.
They know you're interested because you sent them your app.

Don't be a special snowflake.

Goro as usual coming through with the clutch bad advice. I received 3 interviews this month 2-5 days after calling each school.

 

[TexasSurgeon]

Is it a bad look to call admissions at some places to show interest and check on my status? I haven't received any interview invites from my state schools but I don't want to seem impatient, just want to show I'm really interested

If you have some kind of update, that honestly might be better since you would call with a purpose other than you wanting to hear something back. Make sure you know what makes you want to go to the school you're calling other than "i want to get in here". tbh I honestly don't know how you would phrase your words on the call though.

I know someone who was in a city with 2 med schools, interviewing at one of them. He literally drove to the other med school after his interview to just check out the place and ended up at one of the offices and just mentioned he was here to interview at the other place and wanted to see it for himself. he got an interview shortly after that.

 

[Goro]

Goro as usual coming through with the clutch bad advice. I received 3 interviews this month 2-5 days after calling each school.

Yes, cases in point are always proof of concept.

 

[daisy408]

Yes, cases in point are always proof of concept.

Certainly better proof of concept than the opinion of a single adcom at a single DO school.

 

[xochitl]

Goro as usual coming through with the clutch bad advice. I received 3 interviews this month 2-5 days after calling each school.

did you just ask your status?

 

[daisy408]

did you just ask your status?

I started with my name, asked if my app was under review, then asked if they could please let the admissions committee know that I still am highly interested in their school. I didn't embellish or anything, just said exactly that.

 

[lpp06]

Goro as usual coming through with the clutch bad advice. I received 3 interviews this month 2-5 days after calling each school.

What role do you think your LM of >80 played in an adcom's decision to interview you?

 

[Goro]

What role do you think your LM of >80 played in an adcom's decision to interview you?

Ahhh, those confounders

 

[daisy408]

What role do you think your LM of >80 played in an adcom's decision to interview you?

So I suppose high numbers don't allow you to be perceived as "needy and desperate"? That's nice to know, perhaps I should call Stanford and beg them to rescind my rejection.

 

[bananafish94]

Good way to never be a doctor. Just saying.

Come on, now. They're not going to reject somebody for inquiring about their status. Don't be ridiculous.

 

[daisy408]

Come on, now. They're not going to reject somebody for inquiring about their status. Don't be ridiculous.

Not sure how someone can engage in a pattern of excessive hyperbole and telling people they won't be doctors, and still have people take their advice seriously.

 

[Goro]

Smells like aformerstudent is back in action

 

[bananafish94]

Not sure how someone can engage in a pattern of excessive hyperbole and telling people they won't be doctors, and still have people take their advice seriously.

I actually think he gives good advice the overwhelming majority of the time. But when someone says something patently absurd I'll disagree with it regardless of his credibility.


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile

 

[lpp06]

So I suppose high numbers don't allow you to be perceived as "needy and desperate"? That's nice to know, perhaps I should call Stanford and beg them to rescind my rejection.

This makes zero sense, but I only scored 128 in CARS so there's that.

Your academics put you in at least the top 2% of applicants. It is negligent to give advice based on personal anecdotes without providing context.

@Goro is certainly brash, and may be a bit sensationalist, but there is something to take from his advice - and that is to use tact when communicating with the admins in the admissions office. If you call them and come off as selfish, at best they'll ignore your call and at worst they'll put a negative note in your file.

If you have ever worked in a customer service/admin/office manager role, you will instantly understand how annoying it is having to pick up the phone to answer the same question a dozen times.

@extremelyrealname - Be mindful and considerate of the admission's office time - if you want to call - avoid inconsiderate times (late/early in the day, lunch hours - 11am is usually a sweet spot in most office cultures) and be polite and conversational when you inquire about your status. Personally, I'd utilize email to follow up because it would allow me to flesh out a tangible update, or add a short note regarding my specific interest/fit for the school.

 

[sss1219]

Come on, now. They're not going to reject somebody for inquiring about their status. Don't be ridiculous.

Funnily enough I do know someone who was told by the admissions office of his state school to be more frugal in contacting them after he was never pulled off waitlist. Turns out he was inspired by one of the many 'constant contact to show interest = gr8 move' threads here on SDN and decided it would be a good idea to send monthly LOIs and call in about waitlist movement every couple days, and from this wording it seems like he managed to tick someone off. Don't know if it affected his waitlist position, but it certainly didn't help! (although obviously a very extreme example either way)

 

[Goro]

Come on, now. They're not going to reject somebody for inquiring about their status. Don't be ridiculous.

It's the bottom of the 9th, and I'm rooting for the Astrs, so let me reply more fully tomorrow.

But heed the wise @gonnif S words about the necessity of reducing risk in this process.

 

[Terror Billy]

daisy408 you come off really bad and immature in almost all your posts on this thread. FYI before you give people advice, consider their situations instead of applying your worldview so easily onto them

 

[USERX]

Ok so here are my two cents, SDN is crap for personal advice and you should not take anything at face value. People like @Goro will tell you the most safest option which often means very down-to-earth and realistic (read: more negative). This is no different from you getting advice from someone you do not know well like your advisor. I believe that medical school fall into this unfortunate concept as well as they only look at the surface by only considering your scores (Yes this is true no matter what the school says about their "hollistic" review on their page).

Furthermore, all schools are different. Some like you calling and others hate it. Make sure you know which your school is. In my experience, I know two people whos MCATs and/or GPAs were pretty bad and they wrote to the schools and eventually interviewed there and are now attending one of them (MDs schools BTW). So I think it is very much possible. Just be smart about it and don't go crying every week to the school about updates. That is definitely not ok, but a strategic singular call/letter cannot hurt, especially if it's to the school you really want to go to.

 

[daisy408]

daisy408 you come off really bad and immature in almost all your posts on this thread. FYI before you give people advice, consider their situations instead of applying your worldview so easily onto them

Worldview? Is it a worldview to call an admissions office?

 

[Disciple of Sattar]

Worldview? Is it a worldview to call an admissions office?

It is a worldview to think that calling would be beneficial for any applicant just because it was for you.

 

[daisy408]

It is a worldview to think that calling would be beneficial for any applicant just because it was for you.

Understood, I see that I'm just being stubborn now. Anyway, maybe OP should give it a shot if he can be polite about it. I don't think they'll leave a bad note if you're polite and don't do it more than once.

 

[ReapPremed]

To be fair, when I first applied I called a lower-tier MD school I had silence from in February. The portal said I was complete but the secretary told me the secondary payment didn't reach them for whatever reason. I made the payment and got an interview a week later. It was in March and I was waitlisted. Sometimes things happen and its still something I kick myself over.

When you call you're going to get an administrative assistant. Maybe they'll be nice or maybe they'll be cranky. It seems highly unlikely they'll remember you 24 hour later, or put a gold star or frowny face sticker on your file for asking. Be nice and don't call back in 2 weeks.

 

[Goro]

Not gloating, but I do wish to give a shout out to the mods for their diligence in keeping these fora troll and loose-cannon free.

 

[Tchotchke]

I'm having serious deja vu with this post

 

[Goro]

OK, now that the Astros are World Champs (and I was rooting for them, which is odd because I adopted the Royals as my fave team), here's my rationale for being cautious in these matters. Let's dissect the OP:

Is it a bad look to call admissions at some places to show interest and check on my status? I haven't received any interview invites from my state schools but I don't want to seem impatient, just want to show I'm really interested?

1) As mentioned earlier, the school already knows you're interested.
2) There are needy schools, and/or those that like to see people grovel. These are in the minority and more schools issue instructions to NOT contact them and/or send updates (like Wake).
3) What could they possibly tell you about your status? That you're complete? That you're number 556 out of 7000 apps? That you're on pre-interview hold? What I'm trying to get across is that the info you'll get will be worthless.
4) As mention above, this process is about reducing risk. The OP know that there is a risk of appearing impatient.
5) OP may want to show off his/her interest, but that won't save a bad or < avg app. Remember, 60% of applicants never get even a single II.
6) Not picking on the OP, but the tone of many of these types of SDN posts fall into three categories, which is probably why I'm cynical about this type of communication:

• The special snowflake who can't follow instructions or thinks that the rules don't apply to them
• The needy snowflake that thinks that somehow, the school might have forgotten about them
• The ego-driven snowflake, who thinks "Where are my IIs?" I sent in my apps...why don't I have IIs now?" as if applying to med school is like taking a number at the local deli.

Even if the example given banned poster above were true (which it was not), just because you called before an II, it doesn't mean that the call caused the II.

 

[Disciple of Sattar]

Goro as usual coming through with the clutch bad advice. I received 3 interviews this month 2-5 days after calling each school.

Even if the example given banned poster above were true (which it was not), just because you called before an II, it doesn't mean that the call caused the II.

I was going to respond with "I received 3 interviews this month after not calling any of my schools" to make this point.