Unranked Waitlists? C'mon.

[Incognito]

I am on one particular waitlist from a med school who claims not to rank its waitlist. I don't get it. If it were truly unranked, the process of picking students from the waitlist would be totally random - like the lotto. Since we know that schools don't pull students from the waitlists like Jo Blo is selected for the 40 million dollar lotto prize, how do they decide? They must, at some point in time, compare the students' apps or "rank" them. It frustrates me because my ignorance to the status on the waitlist prevents me from making the best decision about schools. Am I at the top of the "unranked" waitlist or at the low end of the stick? I think it's just a easy way for the schools to get out of a lot of tough questions from students. Can anyone make sense of the unranked waitlist?

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[lilycat]

I kind of agree with you in that I think it's an easy way out for schools to take. That being said, I think there are a couple of ways "unranked lists" may work. Wash U claims to have an unranked list, and when spaces open up, supposedly they review their entire waitlist, and fill the spot accordingly -- my guess is by demographics. I think with "unranked lists" how much interest you show can have a strong bearing on the likelihood of getting off of it.

However, I think they must have some sort of ranking system in place to simplify things --maybe by saying unranked, they are just saying that your "ranking" is not set in stone -- depending on interest or updates in your application, your rank can change. Those are just some of my random thoughts.

 

[gower]

Lilycat is one smart cookie! Usually, rigid rankings are avoided because many medical schools look at demographics (m/f ratios, undergrad colleges represented, geography, age, etc.) to select a balanced class.
Grades/MCAT by that time are irrelevant: all applicants on the wait-list are there because those stats are adequate. At this point it is mostly the "intangibles", not amenable to numerical scoring, that become important.

If an accepted candidate withdraws, they might want to fill that spot with someone similar.

 

[mojo]

What I do not get is why they call it a 'list' if it is not ranked. I would call it a 'waiting pool', or 'waiting soup'. Without rankings, you're just a part of the soup.

 

[matopet1]

In cognito. I feel your pain. At GW they call it the alternate list and being an alumni may count against you for demographics.They call it a pool of applicants. They say they try to preserve the diversity of the class. I have shown lots of interest. I have a school lined up though if Gw does not come through. --Good LUck!

 

[Amy]

I'm glad others share my frustration of "unranked" alternate lists. I have no idea what my chances of an acceptance are, especially b/c I don't know the number of people on the list, how full the class is, etc. ARGHHHHHH!

 

[jot]

hey amitha ... i go to the UR as well (still havea long time, going to be a junior) ... how are you making out with the admissions process? you have any school specific tips about it?

 

[Amy]

jot ---

E-mail me, if you'd like. I'll tell you about my experiences so far.