Slowly it's starting to make sense...how this application process works

[ocwaveoc]

---

Members do not see this ad.

I got an interview invite from a school. There is another school about 4 hours driving distance from it and I live beyond the opposite coast from those schools. So, I thought I'd ask the second school if they are granting me an interview or not since if they are I can schedule them on the same week and attend 2 interviews in a week to save money on traveling expenses (I live in Hawaii). I got a response back from the second school stating that they've reviewed my app and the committee has decided to put me on hold and that I should just go ahead with the first interview.

What I realized is that without my email inquiry, I would probably have waited until April or May of next year without a word. So, I think it's safe to say that if you have not heard from a school even a month or two after being complete, you are likely on hold. Some schools let you know that you are on a hold while others don't. Let the games begin!

 

[Bartelby]

I think it's safe to say that if you have not heard from a school even a month or two after being complete, you are likely on hold.

Not always. I have gotten interviews from schools more than a month after being complete. I don't think any of us have this process figured out just yet!

 

[thestudent]

I think its really just all a numbers game. The schools will take a certain number of applications (maybe 20-40%) and just based on a composite of MCAT scores and GPA will reject you post secondary. Then they will look at the rest and pick a certain number to send interviews right away--the people they know they are interested in (maybe 5% i don't know, but probably not very big and also depending on the number of apps they expect to receive) and if they have a decently good interview they will accept. I'm not sure what the acceptance rate is for people who interview early in the season (September), but I would assume the acceptance rate must be pretty high. Then the rest are on hold and depending on the group they already interviewed and their thoughts on whether those people will actually come to their school they will send out more interviews starting with the more desirable people and moving down the list. I know all of these schools could fill 7 classes with people who will become great doctors...they just need to find a certain well-rounded group that they like and make sure that when they extend someone an invitation to matriculate they will accept their offer more often than not. I think it is pretty clear when someone would actually consider coming to their school.

I also think some schools just take longer to send out interviews and maybe some don't even start sending until October. From what I have been reading, a hold isn't a good thing, so i guess if you have heard anything yet that might be a better thing?

This whole process is so consuming for all of us. Just got to be patient I guess. It really doesn't make sense some of the decisions I am getting from the schools, but who knows how they are making them.

Good luck everyone!

 

[mvenus929]

So, I think it's safe to say that if you have not heard from a school even a month or two after being complete, you are likely on hold. Some schools let you know that you are on a hold while others don't.

I was complete at NYU back in July. I got an invite 2 months (almost to the day) that I was complete. But that's mostly because they just started sending out invites two weeks ago.