Surprised by schools that are interested/not interested in you?

[otterpop]

I am. Got rejected pre-secondary by Mayo (wasn't too surprised) but got an interview invitation from 2 top ten schools (still shocked by this.) And got put on hold at two lower-ranked schools. I guess this process is a little unpredictable.

Anyone else experiencing the same?

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[Lukkie]

the lower tier schools probably saw your stats, realized they were just safeties for you and weren't gonna waste their and your time.

 

[otterpop]

the lower tier schools probably saw your stats, realized they were just safeties for you and weren't gonna waste their and your time.

Well, my stats really aren't that great. My numbers are definitely solid, but I don't think I can count any school as a safety.

(I'm not posting my stats here because I don't want to turn this into another let's-assess-my-chances thread. I'm just curious if any others are a little surprised by the process.)

 

[nontrdgsbuiucmd]

what schools look for differs quite a bit from what you'd think they look for.

Mayo's got a very low LizzyM min score, think under 65. Have read mixed things about this, one post said they screen before asking you for $85, and then screen again before requesting LORs. I do know that if the Amcas primary is not VERY CLEARLY spelled out for activities, they'll skip over it & reject an applicant. What I learned is that they are primarily focused on leadership & community service, not high grades/scores. Very cool school for the fortune few accepted there.

For other schools, some have a min section score on each mcat section. Others stress ECs such as non-medical volunteer work specifically. Others require shadowing. Others want applicants who have demonstrated an interest in their part of the country, still others want primary care physicians or research oriented applicants. Public schools may or may not limit OOS applicants by using a very high threshold for MCAT scores & GPAs, although the school itself is not highly ranked. Only way that I know of finding out what each school is really looking for is by contacting the school & setting up an advising appointment.

 

[Decicco]

I have been suprised/overwhelmed

 

[nina7123]

Yeah super random!! I got rejected from VCU pre-sec and thought I was doomed for the cycle. But things have been going really well since! (ie. interview at top 10)

Weird. I stopped bothering trying to make sense of it

 

[Vihsadas]

Surprised, elated, and finally, extremely grateful.

 

[rocketbooster]

Surprised, elated, and finally, extremely grateful.

I hope I'm in your guys' shoes in a few weeks when I should start hearing back. I'm expecting 17/18 rejections and MAYBE 1 interview from my state school if I'm lucky.

Vihsadas, I saw some of your interview invites. Congrats, man, you're doing really well!

 

[ButImLETired]

Yup, definitely surprised. And somewhat confused. I still can't figure out what a top 10 saw in me that Georgetown seems to have totally missed.

Ah well, definitely not complaining, but yeah, this process is decidedly unpredictable.

 

[diosa428]

Yup, definitely surprised. And somewhat confused. I still can't figure out what a top 10 saw in me that Georgetown seems to have totally missed.

Ah well, definitely not complaining, but yeah, this process is decidedly unpredictable.

If the top 10 you're referring to is Duke, it's because they tend to look at things differently than other schools. There are people in my class who didn't get accepted anywhere else, or only got into their state school.

Also, I think Georgetown's numbers in the MSAR look lower than they actually are b/c they traditionally accept a certain number of students from their SMP, which brings their numbers down... but those accepted not through the SMP usually have higher numbers....

 

[ButImLETired]

If the top 10 you're referring to is Duke, it's because they tend to look at things differently than other schools. There are people in my class who didn't get accepted anywhere else, or only got into their state school.

Also, I think Georgetown's numbers in the MSAR look lower than they actually are b/c they traditionally accept a certain number of students from their SMP, which brings their numbers down... but those accepted not through the SMP usually have higher numbers....

Hmm well good to know!! Duke is one of my very top choices so I'm thrilled they saw something in me that they liked...

 

[Vihsadas]

I hope I'm in your guys' shoes in a few weeks when I should start hearing back. I'm expecting 17/18 rejections and MAYBE 1 interview from my state school if I'm lucky.

Vihsadas, I saw some of your interview invites. Congrats, man, you're doing really well!

Just keep on trucking, man. Like I said, one year can make all the difference. Be honest, be yourself and be sincere. I think that's an extremely important part of selling yourself. Now it's time to follow through. I hope I can be rooting you on in the same way in the coming months! GL.