Soft R?

[deleted969405]

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At what point in the cycle would it be appropriate to call admissions office to get an update on application (1 month after secondary submission, 2 months, etc.)? In other words, is there any way to find out if a school has given you the "soft R" by calling or emailing admissions?

 

[Moko]

At what point in the cycle would it be appropriate to call admissions office to get an update on application (1 month after secondary submission, 2 months, etc.)? In other words, is there any way to find out if a school has given you the "soft R" by calling or emailing admissions?

Don't call. Calling about this can only hurt your chances

 

[deleted969405]

Don't call. Calling about this can only hurt your chances

so never call or email with regards to application status?

 

[keanureaves]

so never call or email with regards to application status?

That does appear to be what they said, yes.

 

[deleted987519]

NEVER double text, playa

 

[Dr. Stalker]

It's simply too early on in the cycle to tell if it is a polite "soft R." DO NOT call admissions or e-mail them. What would they tell you anyway? Probably "No pchemdestr8 you're not rejected, we received 4000 applications so far and are reading every single one!!!"

Also, at the end of the cycle (April, May) go have your fun. I'm at a T20 medical school finished my first year. I'm still waitlisted at weill cornell lmfao. Maybe I should send my USMLE step 1 at the end of this year as a letter of update??

 

[deleted969405]

In order to fill all seats, Schools will hold a majority of applications until the end of the cycle. Make no mistake, this process is designed for schools to fulfill their mission of producing physicians. Applicants are merely the raw material for their production. There is no way to find out if you have a soft R until you have no II by Feb 1, 2020 (yes next year). For some of you, the cycle will continue until early next August (yes a year from now) as the last WL are given acceptance.

Also be aware, no school is required to ever inform you of rejection. They only have to decide on acceptance and inform you of such

So Feb. 1st is the deadline for schools to send out II? In other words, if I don't receive any notification by then, I am SOL for this cycle?

 

[deleted969405]

No there is no deadline and it isnt unheard of to have late invites in Feb. so it over til its over

Shux. There's something comforting knowing that there is a deadline, even if it's as early as feb

 

[deleted969405]

I had a student this past cycle get a late invite nearly March and got in

Hopefully I join the A gang as well, though I hope it won't be as late as March, can't imagine the anxiety there!

 

[Goro]

At what point in the cycle would it be appropriate to call admissions office to get an update on application (1 month after secondary submission, 2 months, etc.)? In other words, is there any way to find out if a school has given you the "soft R" by calling or emailing admissions?

Never.

BTW
You should consider yourself rejected until you have that accept email in your Inbox, and be working on your Plan B.

 

[Angus Avagadro]

We had 2 students start on the second day of classes. We interview through April

 

[907914]

Is it safe to assume a soft R if one has not yet received a secondary when many people are already receiving interviews (primary application verified the same day as them way back in June)?

 

[Cornfed101]

This whole concept of worrying about soft Rs baffles me... if you think you got a soft R and then you get an interview will you respond back and say, “no way, I hadn’t heard from you so I’m not interested!”

Just worry about the interviews you do have (if any) and live your life...

 

[deleted903608]

I had a student this past cycle get a late invite nearly March and got in

Back when I applied my latest II was in mid March, interviewed in April and here I am now at that school as an M2. The cycle really stretches out at some schools.

 

[Goro]

Is it safe to assume a soft R if one has not yet received a secondary when many people are already receiving interviews (primary application verified the same day as them way back in June)?

Nope. Not at all.
Patience is a virtue, the need for instant gratification is not.

Schools stratify the apps as they come in and don't send out secondaries or IIs merely in chronological order.

Secondaries are often a tax on the hopelessly naïve, if not pathologically optimistic.

Not you, but SDNers are advised to NOT think in the mindset of “I sent in my apps; where are my interviews???”

 

[Matthew9Thirtyfive]

The only time I think it’s appropriate is if at the interview they tell you that you will hear at a certain time. One of my schools told us that we would hear right on October 15 no matter what the decision was. Two weeks later, I still hadn’t heard anything so I called and got an answer.

But outside of that likely uncommon situation, you just have to be patient. And right now it is WAY too early to even be concerned.

 

[710118]

The only time I think it’s appropriate is if at the interview they tell you that you will hear at a certain time. One of my schools told us that we would hear right on October 15 no matter what the decision was. Two weeks later, I still hadn’t heard anything so I called and got an answer.

But outside of that likely uncommon situation, you just have to be patient. And right now it is WAY too early to even be concerned.

Was the answer what you expected?

 

[Matthew9Thirtyfive]

Was the answer what you expected?

Yep.

 

[Nugester]

Is it safe to assume a soft R if one has not yet received a secondary when many people are already receiving interviews (primary application verified the same day as them way back in June)?

I'll go against the grain and say it may be okay to contact the university in certain situations. For example, I e-mailed like 4 schools because I did not receive their automated "we got your app, it's going to take a few months to sort through yada. You may or may not get a secondary". All responded nicely saying my app got thrown into the holistic pile. So if you haven't heard back, probably got thrown in the lower priority pile and hopefully will get reviewed later.

 

[KnightDoc]

Is it safe to assume a soft R if one has not yet received a secondary when many people are already receiving interviews (primary application verified the same day as them way back in June)?

Is it a school that is known to screen? If not, it can't hurt to throw in a call and ask. If so, you still have nothing to lose, since things happen and the failure to send a secondary might be unintentional. By the way, is it a soft R if they didn't even let you complete the application???? 🙂 To build on what @Goro has been saying, maybe you should send them a thank you for saving you the "secondary tax"!!!

 

[907914]

Is it a school that is known to screen? If not, it can't hurt to throw in a call and ask. If so, you still have nothing to lose, since things happen and the failure to send a secondary might be unintentional. By the way, is it a soft R if they didn't even let you complete the application???? 🙂 To build on what @Goro has been saying, maybe you should send them a thank you for saving you the "secondary tax"!!!

They are known to screen, but by GPA, MCAT, and by service. This year, not a single person with an IA has received any secondary or communication yet. My IA is about as inconsequential as can be...Are hard screens at an IA a known thing at all?

 

[KnightDoc]

They are known to screen, but by GPA, MCAT, and by service. This year, not a single person with an IA has received any secondary or communication yet. My IA is about as inconsequential as can be...Are hard screens at an IA a known thing at all?

I'm not an expert, and I fully appreciate the quest for perfection, especially if the reason for the R seems arbitrary or inconsequential. That said, you have a 95% hit rate on primaries, and more IIs at this point than many are going to receive all cycle, so you really don't need it. I think @Goro's point about taxes is brilliant, and you probably should be grateful they aren't taking your money for the secondary if for whatever reason they are inclined to create an unreasonable obstacle to your potential to receive an A.

If it were me, I'd assume you are correct about the IA, and would throw caution to the wind and call them on the off chance it's a mistake. If your primary was in early (I assume they all were based on your signature), and they have already started issuing IIs, your failure to receive the secondary is either a mistake or not. If not, it's almost certainly not due to their not getting to your primary yet, so I think you are entitled to some closure.

It's always possible that you are not yet R, and that they are manually reviewing every IA to decide what to do with them, but, as the calendar inches toward September, it's getting a little late to first submit a secondary while your peers are attending interviews. I'd assume you are not getting a secondary (to me it's not a soft R if you never submitted a secondary; it's a pre-R -- don't steal that, I'm going to copyright it! 🙂) unless it's a mistake. If you are not willing to focus on the 4.5 IIs you already have and the 15.5 you are still waiting for, you have nothing to lose by calling them asking what up!

 

[907914]

If you are not willing to focus on the 4.5 IIs you already have and the 15.5 you are still waiting for, you have nothing to lose by calling them asking what up!

All highly valid points and relatively close to my thought process as well. I am focusing on what I have already received and anticipate at least a few more interviews. Even if they do send me a secondary, I will likely not submit it for the reasons you point out. I didn’t think I am a hopelessly naive applicant. Guess I am to the one school!

 

[KnightDoc]

All highly valid points and relatively close to my thought process as well. I am focusing on what I have already received and anticipate at least a few more interviews. Even if they do send me a secondary, I will likely not submit it for the reasons you point out. I didn’t think I am a hopelessly naive applicant. Guess I am to the one school!

No, you are not naive because you didn't know how they would react, and 20 other schools didn't share their reaction, so you weren't wrong. You might be, however, if you eventually receive the secondary after their hesitation, and think that you are now over the hump and proceed to write that 21st check. 🙂

 

[907914]

No, you are not naive because you didn't know how they would react, and 20 other schools didn't share their reaction, so you weren't wrong. You might be, however, if you eventually receive the secondary after their hesitation, and think that you are now over the hump and proceed to write that 21st check. 🙂

But...I want that geffen scholarship 🙁

But nah, you are right I am not going to.

 

[KnightDoc]

But...I want that geffen scholarship 🙁

But nah, you are right I am not going to.

If you are unaware, check out that school's 2018-19 school specific thread. They experienced some late-cycle management turnover issues that seemingly have not yet been fully addressed. I wouldn't be shocked if that was a factor in their not knowing what to do with your primary (i.e., no secondary and no R).

 

[907914]

If you are unaware, check out that school's 2018-19 school specific thread. They experienced some late-cycle management turnover issues that seemingly have not yet been fully addressed. I wouldn't be shocked if that was a factor in their not knowing what to do with your primary (i.e., no secondary and no R).

Huh, maybe it may be worthwhile then if it ever does come around?

But yah, I hear there is turmoil in that school.

 

[KnightDoc]

Huh, maybe it may be worthwhile then if it ever does come around?

But yah, I hear there is turmoil in that school.

Obviously, it's not my place to try to tell you what to do, but it's pretty clear that you are going to have some really good choices when it's all said and done, so I wouldn't bother unless it's been your dream school since you decided to embark on this adventure.

The turmoil in the office really shouldn't be an issue for the typical applicant, but it caused them to put you aside (unless what is happening with you is their SOP and has nothing to do with lack of direction from the top), and thereby put you at somewhat of a disadvantage to applicants that were verified when you were and have already received IIs.

Personally, if I had 4 IIs in the middle of August, I would write off the one school that waited two months to send me a secondary rather than chase it. The only exception to this would be if you called them and they acknowledged that it was a mistake on their part, and you should have received it along with everyone else. Otherwise, given the delay, even if they ultimately clear you to receive a secondary, you'll have to explain and overcome a nothing IA that nobody else cared about, AND deal with whatever disadvantage stems from filing a secondary after IIs started going out. I'd put the $80 towards one of my interviews and move on.

 

[907914]

Obviously, it's not my place to try to tell you what to do, but it's pretty clear that you are going to have some really good choices when it's all said and done, so I wouldn't bother unless it's been your dream school since you decided to embark on this adventure.

The turmoil in the office really shouldn't be an issue for the typical applicant, but it caused them to put you aside (unless what is happening with you is their SOP and has nothing to do with lack of direction from the top), and thereby put you at somewhat of a disadvantage to applicants that were verified when you were and have already received IIs.

Personally, if I had 4 IIs in the middle of August, I would write off the one school that waited two months to send me a secondary rather than chase it. The only exception to this would be if you called them and they acknowledged that it was a mistake on their part, and you should have received it along with everyone else. Otherwise, given the delay, even if they ultimately clear you to receive a secondary, you'll have to explain and overcome a nothing IA that nobody else cared about, AND deal with whatever disadvantage stems from filing a secondary after IIs started going out. I'd put the $80 towards one of my interviews and move on.

That’s a solid. Can dig.