Originally posted by kidmel45
First, sorry about the rejection. Second, I disagree with Bolton. No numbers are "too good" for a particular school. SIU is VERY clinically oriented. Not only are you learning the "basic sciences," but you're also learning how things relate clinically, some thing most school's don't bother with until 3rd year. The curriculum is very similar to the "Top Tier Schools." More and more programs are recognizing that incorporating clinical skills with science is very beneficial. As for being from northern IL, there are quite a few people from northern Illinois there now. SIU has a tendency to admit people from central and southern IL in hopes that they will STAY in central and southern IL and serve the people there. That's the mission of SIU. If you in some way projected that you were not even thinking about staying in that area, they might have singled you out based on that. No one (except the admissions committee) knows why you were rejected. Did you have solid EC's? Did you prove your ability to lead? Do you work well with others (since SIU is PBLM)? PBLM is different and if an admissions person didn't feel you would fit well there, it was probably better for you if you didn't go there. Based on your numbers, I'm sure you'll get into a great school. UIC and Loyola are probably very real possibilities for you. Shake this one off and move on. But seriously, if you really want to know why you were rejected, ask the admissions committee why. I'm almost positive there's a line in that letter that lets you do just that. (by the way, I'm assuming the letter was a flat out rejection and not a "we're putting you on the back burner until we interview all the applicants from central and southern IL.") Good luck. I'm sure you've heard it before, but med school admissions is a crap shoot. It sucks, but we've gotta play the game in order to get in.
