I got my rejection from Stanford a in early April, but I really couldn't figure out why they rejected me. My stats are okay, 36 MCAT, 3.95 GPA and decent letters of Rec. Both of my interviewers at Stanford told me that my interviews when really well. My faculty interviewer even told me that he thinks that I am a good fit for Stanford and he really hopes that I would go there. Then four weeks later, I get flat out rejected by them. I really can't figure out why? they should at least put me on the waitlist, since there doesn't appear to be anything wrong with my application and interviews. Has this happened to anyone else? does this kind of things happen at other schools?
Strange Post Interview Rejection from Stanford
- Thread starter iljhamv
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Stanford does reject people post-interview, unlike some schools that waitlist virtually everyone they interview whom they don't accept. I'm sorry you got rejected, but with a school as competitive as Stanford there are never any guarantees no matter how good an applicant you are. Given what you've said, I would've also thought they'd at least waitlist you, but who knows how or why they make these decisions. Hopefully with your stats you have some other good options. Try not to take it personally.
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Call the dean! and find out.
Once school rejected me and the interviewer also said they liked me and hoped i'd go there and were pretty sure i'd get in blah blah. Well I called the dean, more than anything I wanted them to know that there is some kind of funny business going on and that I am a real person with feelings and that they rejected a good candidate likely in favor of some "interesting" one. Anyhow the only real information they gave me was that my application they recieved late, which was really their own fault because the LOR went to the wrong office so it delayed it by a month and than i applied for the MSTP so they waited for that information even though they say it will not hurt your chances it does.
Once school rejected me and the interviewer also said they liked me and hoped i'd go there and were pretty sure i'd get in blah blah. Well I called the dean, more than anything I wanted them to know that there is some kind of funny business going on and that I am a real person with feelings and that they rejected a good candidate likely in favor of some "interesting" one. Anyhow the only real information they gave me was that my application they recieved late, which was really their own fault because the LOR went to the wrong office so it delayed it by a month and than i applied for the MSTP so they waited for that information even though they say it will not hurt your chances it does.
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I've heard that at places like Stanford and Harvard - damn near everyone they interview has great stats like you - which means the stats don't really work in your favor - since everyone has them. Unless you have something that stands out, you probably got lost in the shuffle. It sucks, but with your stats you will probably get into some great schools so don't sweat it!
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At Stanford, the interviewers are not part of the ad com. They write a report on the interview and the ad com (which I believe is only 12 people) reviews your application. So, it is conceivable that your interviewer may have thought you were a great match, while the ad com did not. Stanford's class is also very small and from past people's experience an interview in April is on the late side. I'm sure if you interviewed at Stanford, you have many other options. Good luck.
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To the OP,
I have better stats than you and was still rejected(my only rejection) by Stanford post-interview, approx 3-4weeks. I interviewed in March. Stanford greatly values diversity and that is harder to do with the small class size. They must have been looking for very specific qualities at this stage in the game and it seems neither you nor I filled the bill. Oh well, Palo Alto drained every bit of life I had and threw it into this suburban wonderland. Best of luck!
I have better stats than you and was still rejected(my only rejection) by Stanford post-interview, approx 3-4weeks. I interviewed in March. Stanford greatly values diversity and that is harder to do with the small class size. They must have been looking for very specific qualities at this stage in the game and it seems neither you nor I filled the bill. Oh well, Palo Alto drained every bit of life I had and threw it into this suburban wonderland. Best of luck!
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as far as i know, im the only one on SDN to be rejected post-interview from UCLA. i have relatively good stats, and my interviewer and i seemed to click pretty well. and it wasn't an issue of a late app either, since i interviewed in november. i didn't get the reject letter until april. keep in mind that ucla has a waitlist and a hold list, and i didn't make it onto either. i never bothered to call and ask why since i don't care at this point, but it was surprising at first.
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Its not all about stats at Stanford. One of my friends had a 3.9 33 from UCLA and got her rejection letter exactly 2 weeks after her interview late Feb.
I had a 30Q and a 3.77 and I was waitlisted after an early March interview. I also took the August MCAT.
The waitlist doesn't move there, huh? .
I had a 30Q and a 3.77 and I was waitlisted after an early March interview. I also took the August MCAT.
The waitlist doesn't move there, huh? .
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numbers definitely are not impt at that place
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my word. that is VERY humbling. 😱 😱
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well, i applied to med school ages ago but from my experience i can tell you that a lot of it makes no logical sense and its not a foolproof system. a few great people get rejected while a few subpar people get accepted. in the end, most people who are good candidates get in and it all works out.
i remember i had a 4.0 and a 42 MCAT (back when the top end was 45, i have no clue what it is now) and at many of the schools i interviewed at many of the interviewers seemed like they were almost begging me to come to their school but in the end i was rejected by them. one top tier school, i even had a glowly letter of recommendation from one of their own department chairs who i did research with during a summer in college. and yup, they were one of the schools that rejected me. to this day i have no clue why and honestly, in retrospect it didnt matter at all. im in a great residency now and i had a wonderful time at the med school i went to.
so i know this stuff is troubling for you guys now (i know i was stressed out), but i just wanted to let you guys know that it all works out in the end for the vast majority of you and if you dont happen to go to your top choice med school, it's not the end of the world (like i thought) and you can still have a great time in med school, find a awesome residency and become an amazing doctor.
good luck to you.
i remember i had a 4.0 and a 42 MCAT (back when the top end was 45, i have no clue what it is now) and at many of the schools i interviewed at many of the interviewers seemed like they were almost begging me to come to their school but in the end i was rejected by them. one top tier school, i even had a glowly letter of recommendation from one of their own department chairs who i did research with during a summer in college. and yup, they were one of the schools that rejected me. to this day i have no clue why and honestly, in retrospect it didnt matter at all. im in a great residency now and i had a wonderful time at the med school i went to.
so i know this stuff is troubling for you guys now (i know i was stressed out), but i just wanted to let you guys know that it all works out in the end for the vast majority of you and if you dont happen to go to your top choice med school, it's not the end of the world (like i thought) and you can still have a great time in med school, find a awesome residency and become an amazing doctor.
good luck to you.
