The Randomness of Medical School Acceptances...

[MDRus]

---

Members do not see this ad.

whoa, i didn't even see a problem with "less". anyway, i certainly would have liked to apply to 300 schools this time around, but that would have involved taking out a home equity loan.

you can have "less" milk, or less ice cream or less self-esteem. but if the commodity you are talking about comes in individual items, like med schools, it is "fewer."

 

[UFMed]

I don't think "random" is the right word. Better word is "unpredictable." Schools don't randomly choose candidates to interview. They choose people who they think would be a good fit for their school AND would realistically want to go there. Unfortunately as an applicant, you cannot know which schools like you and which don't. You either have to pick your list of schools wisely, or simply apply to a lot and see what happens.

I agree completely. It seriously isn't all about numbers. You just need to have solid scores, not perfect or even near perfect, just enough to show you know what you're doing. After you've jumped through that hoop you'll hopefully be able to show that you did more than study and compete with other students. Getting involved in your community, hospital and campus shows that you're not another "cut throat gunner."
Schools not only want good students, they want to build a cohesive classroom, and train people that will have laudable bedside manner. Doctors need to potray leadership and compassion too- not just a good understanding of physics. Since this is way more subjective, no school is a guarantee.

It is not random at all- it may seem so because people don't believe that ADCOMS look at the applicant holistically. I remember a chairman of an ADCOM saying "We prefer bringing on someone we can go have a beer with, than someone who is going to be trapped and isolated in the library."

you mean "fewer" schools. how was your verbal?

wow! you're not a gunner. will you be correcting your patients too? 🙁

 

[ChubbyChaser]

Medical school acceptances are like a Box of Chocolates, you never know what you're gonna get.

 

[flaahless]

I don't think "random" is the right word. Better word is "unpredictable." Schools don't randomly choose candidates to interview. They choose people who they think would be a good fit for their school AND would realistically want to go there. Unfortunately as an applicant, you cannot know which schools like you and which don't. You either have to pick your list of schools wisely, or simply apply to a lot and see what happens.

👍

I don't think I'm the only person who wishes they'd applied to less schools this year, not more...

Word.

 

[flaahless]

I agree completely. It seriously isn't all about numbers. You just need to have solid scores, not perfect or even near perfect, just enough to show you know what you're doing. After you've jumped through that hoop you'll hopefully be able to show that you did more than study and compete with other students. Getting involved in your community, hospital and campus shows that you're not another "cut throat gunner."
Schools not only want good students, they want to build a cohesive classroom, and train people that will have laudable bedside manner. Doctors need to potray leadership and compassion too- not just a good understanding of physics. Since this is way more subjective, no school is a guarantee.

It is not random at all- it may seem so because people don't believe that ADCOMS look at the applicant holistically. I remember a chairman of an ADCOM saying "We prefer bringing on someone we can go have a beer with, than someone who is going to be trapped and isolated in the library."

Nicely done.

 

[dan0909]

4th yr medstudent here.

after seeing it from this side, i'd have to say it seems like there's more randomness than predictability in acceptance.

you have a few stellar candidates that are safe acceptances, then hundreds and hundreds of people in the middle of the pack. its impossible to really know what you're getting in those middle of the packers, even after the long application and even after an interview. just keep trying if you don't get in.

 

[45408]

I mean, it seems some of you with great numbers are just not getting a break

And some of these people are terribly awkward in person, which is reflected by their LORs and interviews, and they haven't really thought out why they'd like to be a doctor, because their parents/culture coerced them into applying for med school. SDN gives everyone the benefit of the doubt on their PS/LORs/interview skills, but the adcom sees a very different picture sometimes.

 

[Twiigg]

And some of these people are terribly awkward in person, which is reflected by their LORs and interviews, and they haven't really thought out why they'd like to be a doctor, because their parents/culture coerced them into applying for med school. SDN gives everyone the benefit of the doubt on their PS/LORs/interview skills, but the adcom sees a very different picture sometimes.

That's so true. I had never really thought of that... 🙄

 

[Cestmoi]

And chances are, someone's going to court and losing half their money.

Whine and complain.. yea yea.. u keep chasing them, keep coming back (reapplying), proud to show off what you got out of her (baby/degree).. seriously guys, u save the bull****

 

[erica31]

Wow. I'm a female... all for equal rights.... and even I could barely keep up with your post!!

Whine and complain.. yea yea.. u keep chasing them, keep coming back (reapplying), proud to show off what you got out of her (baby/degree).. seriously guys, u save the bull****

 

[BrokenGlass]

When med school rejects an applicant, there is always something in her/his file the committee didn't like. So why not indicate this in the rejection letter? Instead of sending one generic rejection letter to everybody, they can have a dozen or so letter types so that people have a better idea about what went wrong. This way med schools also save themselves a lot of trouble answering individual inquries after the application season is over. This approach is not that hard to implement.

It's entirely possible that the real reason med school don't do this is because they have something to hide in terms of how the admission decisions are reached.

 

[45408]

That's so true. I had never really thought of that... 🙄

I didn't say that you didn't think of it, I'm just saying that you have no way of knowing the rest of the story.

 

[drizzt3117]

They dont necessarily dislike applicants they reject, they just think other applicants are better. One could be rejected one cycle and accepted the next at the same school w/o substantiative changes in their app.

Thanks for the correction. I was posting on my phone (as I am now) so I take somewhat less care w/ my posts.

 

[phantom limb]

I just had to comment on a signature:

In the U.S., there are 18 doctors called Dr. Doctor, and one called Dr. Surgeon. There is also a dermatologist named Dr. Rash, a psychiatrist called Dr. Couch and an anesthesiologist named Dr. Gass.


I also know of a dermatologist named Dr. Scales. That is all.

 

[PreMD86]

I agree... This process makes so little sense. My numbers and ECs are far from spectacular, but I'm getting action from some incredible places (and then a barrage of waitlists). Of course, I don't think that any of the top, top places are actually serious about me. To use the analogy between med schools and women... I feel like the top 10 schools are flirting with me, but they don't actually want a long-term relationship.

Did you just refer to 36/3.7 'far from spectacular'? You really need to get off SDN!

 

[Textuality]

Did you just refer to 36/3.7 'far from spectacular'? You really need to get off SDN!

Haha, agreed! Man, if a 36/3.7 is "far from spectacular" I guess I'm an underdog? lol.

 

[PreMD86]

Haha, agreed! Man, if a 36/3.7 is "far from spectacular" I guess I'm an underdog? lol.

I just noticed we're MCAT score twins. Even down to the writing score!
s.hit, I guess I'm an underdog as well...

 

[etf]

you can have "less" milk, or less ice cream or less self-esteem. but if the commodity you are talking about comes in individual items, like med schools, it is "fewer."

med schools are commodities? that's not the image that they're trying to put forth, what with all the talk about pbl-this, and non-competitive atmosphere that

 

[BrokenGlass]

They dont necessarily dislike applicants they reject, they just think other applicants are better. One could be rejected one cycle and accepted the next at the same school w/o substantiative changes in their app.

Thanks for the correction. I was posting on my phone (as I am now) so I take somewhat less care w/ my posts.

Semantics. Unless decisions are random or arbitrary, there is a reason for a rejection. Allz I am saying is they should state their reason(s) in a rejection letter.

 

[Twiigg]

I didn't say that you didn't think of it, I'm just saying that you have no way of knowing the rest of the story.

I wasn't being sarcastic! I really had never thought of that! 🙂

 

[drizzt3117]

What if said rejectee was no. 1 on a ranked waitlist but there was no movement? Clearly the school found them acceptable, but had others they liked more.

 

[BrokenGlass]

What if said rejectee was no. 1 on a ranked waitlist but there was no movement? Clearly the school found them acceptable, but had others they liked more.

I guess my definition of acceptable differs from yours. To me, acceptable means they actually make you an offer of acceptance.

 

[neuroprotector]

Because in an emergency, "Let me through, I was number 1 on a medical school waitlist!" just doesn't make anyone feel safer.

 

[BrokenGlass]

Yes, kind of like a girl telling me that I am number one, except she found someone better.

 

[neuroprotector]

Yes, kind of like a girl telling me that I am number one, except she found someone better.

Now you're making me sad about Mayo...

 

[BrokenGlass]

Now you're making me sad about Mayo...

I hope things turn out well for you this admission cycle so that you can tell Mayo that you found someone better.

 

[drizzt3117]

Acceptance and rejection may be decided by who else goes there.

Would you rather get a SDN-style rejection?

Dear Applicant:?
After a cursory glance at your application, the committee has decided you are rejected. We cou lie to you and tell you it was a difficult decision, but it really wasnt. Your MCAT was 4 points below our mean, your GPA was low, your ECs sucked and your referees thought you were a douchebag.
In other words, you suck at life, wtf did you apply here?

Adcom

PS: Thx for the money.

 

[ChubbyChaser]

Acceptance and rejection may be decided by who else goes there.

Would you rather get a SDN-style rejection?

Dear Applicant:?
After a cursory glance at your application, the committee has decided you are rejected. We cou lie to you and tell you it was a difficult decision, but it really wasnt. Your MCAT was 4 points below our mean, your GPA was low, your ECs sucked and your referees thought you were a douchebag.
In other words, you suck at life, wtf did you apply here?

Adcom

PS: Thx for the money.

While its harsh, atleast it would supply some type of feedback

 

[neuroprotector]

Acceptance and rejection may be decided by who else goes there.

Would you rather get a SDN-style rejection?

Dear Applicant:?
After a cursory glance at your application, the committee has decided you are rejected. We cou lie to you and tell you it was a difficult decision, but it really wasnt. Your MCAT was 4 points below our mean, your GPA was low, your ECs sucked and your referees thought you were a douchebag.
In other words, you suck at life, wtf did you apply here?

Adcom

PS: Thx for the money.

I can't tell whether I should laugh or cry.

 

[BrokenGlass]

Acceptance and rejection may be decided by who else goes there.

Would you rather get a SDN-style rejection?

Dear Applicant:?
After a cursory glance at your application, the committee has decided you are rejected. We cou lie to you and tell you it was a difficult decision, but it really wasnt. Your MCAT was 4 points below our mean, your GPA was low, your ECs sucked and your referees thought you were a douchebag.
In other words, you suck at life, wtf did you apply here?

Adcom

PS: Thx for the money.

The real reason med schools don't tell you why you were rejected is because they are afraid of lawsuits. Because if they tell you your GPA or MCAT is low but take someone with even lower scores, it's an open invitation to be sued.

ps: I do prefer an honest rejection letter to sugarcoated bs.

 

[ChubbyChaser]

The real reason med schools don't tell you why you were rejected is because they are afraid of lawsuits. Because if they tell you your GPA or MCAT is low but take someone with even lower scores, it's an open invitation to be sued.

ps: I do prefer an honest rejection letter to sugarcoated bs.

Good pt.

 

[Dendrite]

Wow. I'm a female... all for equal rights.... and even I could barely keep up with your post!!

haha. I knew she was taking a shot at my post, but I didn't understand how.

Just trying to keep the joke going, no offense intended.


😀

 

[Cestmoi]

haha. I knew she was taking a shot at my post, but I didn't understand how.

Just trying to keep the joke going, no offense intended.


😀

Thanks for understanding my apparently 'unique' sense of humor.. i try not to croos paths too often with other females.

 

[emttim]

I have also been amazed by the responses (and non-responses) I have received so far. Some of the schools that I thought would welcome me with wide open arms have rejected me outright, and schools I thought would never take a look have invited me for interview (and accepted me).

What is our secret weapon? I will tell you without a doubt....

APPLYING BROADLY!!! (assuming your numbers are at least mediocre)

If you REALLY want to be a doctor and be accepted on your first try...no matter where you may have to live or what tuition you may have to pay...shouldn't you bite the bullet and spend the extra $5000 (or whatever it is) to apply to EVERY school you would consider that accepts OOS students, etc.? Wouldn't you want to throw your hat in the ring with EVERY admissions committee that you could? Who knows which person will say, "I like this kid!" and give you an interview? Who knows what strange "quota" you might fill for that school (althought they say they don't use these)?

After all, if, by statistics, we may get one interview for every ten schools to which we apply (assuming our list is well-chosen), wouldn't applying to sixty schools give you twice the chance of acceptance than applying to thirty? And four times the chance of acceptance than applying to fifteen?

So why, then, do we pinch a few bucks (after spending thousands on our undergrad and planning to spend thousands more on our med school) on the app process?

Any thoughts?

All I gotta say is 60 schools? I think the law of diminishing returns would kick in and be like "this ****'s ridiculous, ima handle this" at that point. 😛

 

[emttim]

I just had to comment on a signature:

In the U.S., there are 18 doctors called Dr. Doctor, and one called Dr. Surgeon. There is also a dermatologist named Dr. Rash, a psychiatrist called Dr. Couch and an anesthesiologist named Dr. Gass.


I also know of a dermatologist named Dr. Scales. That is all.

So I wonder if it'd be overdone if I changed my last name to Slaughter or Jigsaw if I ended up going into surgery...(hey I'm an EMT, black sense of humor's a given...)

 

[Bonsai]

The type of rejection that I understand the least is the pre-secondary rejection. Now, there are some circumstances where I guess this makes sense (you're applying to John Hopkins with a 26M and no ECs or something radical like that) but for the most part, lots of people are qualified for lots of schools. And AMCAS says next to nothing about you or what kind of doctor you would make. So I find it curious when a school can reject someone pre-secondary who is well within that school's range of stats. I really would like to be a fly on the wall for that decision.

 

[flaahless]

The type of rejection that I understand the least is the pre-secondary rejection. Now, there are some circumstances where I guess this makes sense (you're applying to John Hopkins with a 26M and no ECs or something radical like that) but for the most part, lots of people are qualified for lots of schools. And AMCAS says next to nothing about you or what kind of doctor you would make. So I find it curious when a school can reject someone pre-secondary who is well within that school's range of stats. I really would like to be a fly on the wall for that decision.

I'm pretty sure that's when the personal statement comes into play.