still no interviews

[justneedwon]

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Hey guys, long time lurker, first time poster. I'm applying this cycle and as you can probably tell by the title of the thread, my neuroticism is at an all time high (and I am a super chill guy normally!). I applied broadly early June and aside from a few rejections, I don't have any interviews. I don't want this to be a WAMC type thread (I have average stats anyways), but I just want to know from those who've been there before, is it normal that I haven't heard ANYTHING? Are schools just behind? Are only the superstar applicants getting interviews? How common is it for someone who applied very early to start hearing about interviews very late?

Sorry for all the questions, I'm just worrying about the whole process. I've read on here a few times before that you "shouldn't start worrying until December," but I just don't know what to think anymore.

 

[AH3]

I'm applying right now as well, so I can't give too much insight. However, I think it is still relatively early and some schools haven't given out many (if any at all) interview invites. I'd say it is somewhat likely that "superstar" applicants are being shown preference, as schools may want to extend them an acceptance as soon as it's allowed. In-state vs. Out of state may also play a factor.

Did you submit your secondaries in reasonable time? I sent in some pretty quickly, but got lazy on a few so I don't expect to hear back from those schools too soon.

Best of luck , hoping for an interview invite for you soon

 

[2050vlsb]

I don't have an answer for you, but I can definitely say I feel your pain .. I was verified early June, and sent a lot of my secondaries in as soon as possible .. except for a few I sent in during September, all of my stuff was in by August. And I'm still waiting too. The only difference really is .. well, I've always been neurotic 😉

I'm thinking its still quite early, and if we applied broadly enough, we should get a few hits somewhere or other .. But yeah, if anyone from previous cycles has any insight, it'd be much appreciated 🙂

 

[Remuneration]

If it makes you feel better, I have to start working weekends to make rent because of interviews every week of October and the first two weeks of November.

But seriously, it's hard to generalize. Unless you're both a stellar (stat-wise, EC time) and an early applicant, you shouldn't expect a deluge (or necessarily any) early interviews. Given that you haven't been rejected yet either, they're most likely waiting to see how the applicant pool develops. It's not uncommon for schools to sit on an application until Nov/Dec before offering an interview. How long you sit depends on where you fall desirability-wise in terms of applications processed, further applications expect, type of admissions, number of interview slots and the months over which they are spread...

Months of anxious waiting, pre- and post-interview are a common experience for applicants.

 

[eablackwell]

How common is it for someone who applied very early to start hearing about interviews very late?

I applied with the same time line as you. Don't worry too much. It's very very early, and there are a bunch of people on here that apply early and don't get interviews until after the new year. I wrote a reply to the UCF thread a few days ago and an admin from the school quoted my post and said we should all not lose hope, because there were so many spots left to interview no one can be sure who will get one until it's all said and done.

So hopefully that makes you feel better. Often times if you have stellar stats or something in your AMCAS/secondary just clicks with the school, you get early interviews early, but it's not always the case.

 

[justneedwon]

Thanks for the encouraging words everyone.

I guess it's just hard to hear from other posters about how they didn't start getting interviews until much later in the season when they preface it with "I was complete around September/October." I turned in most of my secondaries around July/August pretty quickly after they came out. I'm sure it happens, but is it common for people complete early to start getting their interviews much later?

I guess my anxiety is also compounded bc I'm a reapplicant who got 1 early interview then nothing else last year, and my application is much better this year. Go figure...

Anyhow, thanks for the responses and good luck to all of you 🙂

 

[curlytop]

I know it's almost impossible to do this, but try not to worry too much! I don't have experience previous to this cycle, but don't assume SDN is the norm in the medical school application world. You get superstars on here, yes, but you also get people who just plain make things up or exaggerate. On here, I "know" approximately 5 bazillion people with 100+ interviews. In real life? I have 2 friends out of about 20+ applying pre-meds, each with one interview (and one of them is EDP to boot).

So, SDN =/= real life.

 

[GoWiththeFlo]

I know it's almost impossible to do this, but try not to worry too much! I don't have experience previous to this cycle, but don't assume SDN is the norm in the medical school application world. You get superstars on here, yes, but you also get people who just plain make things up or exaggerate. On here, I "know" approximately 5 bazillion people with 100+ interviews. In real life? I have 2 friends out of about 20+ applying pre-meds, each with one interview (and one of them is EDP to boot).

So, SDN =/= real life.

Agree 100%

 

[Calipers]

Although SDN forums would have you believe that if you're not the first one to get an interview then you have zilch chance of getting in, it's pretty common to not hear back from schools for a while. It's still early in the season - my school has only had a couple of interview days so far and they interview into Feb/Mar - so I would try to sit tight and not check SDN every hour. Easier said then done, but now would be a perfect time to work off that extra energy by rock climbing, learning to dance, etc. If you're truly worried, then it doesn't hurt to politely call/e-mail to let them know of anything that you've done over the past 2-3 months and asking for a status update.

 

[ChoboKing]

I echo what a lot of people have said here: it is still early. People on SDN are generally on the extreme end of pre-med spectrum. In fact, I feel the same way as you. I have my cellphone synced to the Gmail. And everytime I get a new email, I will get excited, to later find out that my professor has posted a new assignment. So what can you do to notch down on this obsession? Simple. Don't read the "School-Specific" discussion forums.

 

[gravitywave]

it's mad early. find something to do to occupy your time and burn up your extra energy. regular exercise is great. come back in january and tell us how things are by then.

you could also call the schools that rejected you and see what they considered your weaknesses to be that made you un-interviewable.