Waitlist desperation

[bufer1]

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After 4 interviews, 2 of which the interviewers effectively guarenteed me admission, I have been waitlisted at three schools: Michigan, SUNY-Syracuse, and Buffalo. I absolutely do not understand why this is happening. I understand that there is a tremendous amount of qualified candidates applying to these schools, but it just doesnt justify why I can't get in: 36P MCAT, 3.72gpa from cornell, emt, volunteer work, great recommendations from faculty and research mentor, and what I thought were good interviews. any thoughts or suggestions? im going a little crazy here

 

[soonerpillow]

I hate waitlist. I wish it would die.

(I'm on the waitlist at Michigan, too)

 

[spinestudent]

bufer,

the only response is that two of those schools(SUNY and Buffalo) are screwing you over. There is clearly no acceptable reason why you shouldn't be accepted quickly to those schools when they know damn well 75% of their class will be clearly inferior to you. It sucks and there is nothing fair about this process....

 

[Lux Aeterna]

bufer, that's a pretty beat situation. but if you are really interested in michigan, you will most likely definitely get in if you keep letting them know. you could send them a LOI and that would definitely help you, but i don't know if you wanna commit this early. The SUNY schools may have waitlisted you cuz they think with your numbers you'd probably go somewhere else....which is a tough pill to swallow, but I guess it's all part of the admissions mind-#@#@! Good luck though, and don't get too down!

 

[bufer1]

thanks for the support- but i really am starting to doubt whether ill get in anywhere this year, as upstate and buffalo were my state safety schools. i have sent a letter of intent to michigan, my first choice. however, right now id be glad to be accepted to any school in the nation.

 

[Alexander99]

Originally posted by spinestudent
bufer,

the only response is that two of those schools(SUNY and Buffalo) are screwing you over. There is clearly no acceptable reason why you shouldn't be accepted quickly to those schools when they know damn well 75% of their class will be clearly inferior to you. It sucks and there is nothing fair about this process....

The other students are obviously not "inferior" if they are getting in and he or she got waitlisted. Admissions is not all about numbers. You'd think that's a simple concept to understand but many people don't.

 

[spinestudent]

Alexander99, he also has been involved in relevant *paid* clinical work and research. Does the fact that he hasdone a little research or worked as an emt mean he should get into medical school? No, tons of premeds have this and more. But it does refute the argument that his application is very weak concerning clinical experience and EC's.

I stand by my assertion. There are tons of non-urm applicants who will get into SUNYs with 3.5-3.6 gpas and 30 mcats who have the "routine" EC's. He's clearly better than them.

 

[Alexander99]

Originally posted by spinestudent
Alexander99, he also has been involved in relevant *paid* clinical work and research. Does the fact that he hasdone a little research or worked as an emt mean he should get into medical school? No, tons of premeds have this and more. But it does refute the argument that his application is very weak concerning clinical experience and EC's.

I stand by my assertion. There are tons of non-urm applicants who will get into SUNYs with 3.5-3.6 gpas and 30 mcats who have the "routine" EC's. He's clearly better than them.

Question. You speak about "inferior" students and ones that are "clearly better" than another student. Do you believe in the caste system as well?

My point is, how do you know what all the other students have done or what their personalities are like. You talk like you can clearly point out that someone is "superior" to most other applicants and should get in. You can do that, but only if you work for the admissions comittee.

I work with a guy that works for a med school admissions comittee and he told me about a guy he interviewed that had a 3.8+, 35+ MCATs, etc. He said after talking to the guy, it was clear he lacked an awareness of what he was getting into and so he gave him a negative recommendation for admission. I don't know if he'll get in or not but some schools weigh heavily on the interview. Obviously he was not a "superior" applicant like you would quickly claim.

 

[Renovar]

Originally posted by bufer1
thanks for the support- but i really am starting to doubt whether ill get in anywhere this year, as upstate and buffalo were my state safety schools. i have sent a letter of intent to michigan, my first choice. however, right now id be glad to be accepted to any school in the nation.

As a fellow Cornell grad, I can tell you that your chance will be strongest at the SUNY campuses. They all take Cornell grads by truckloads every year. Heck, Syracuse even take 3.3/28's if you are a New york resident and have a good attitude on the interview.

My question to you is, why did you only apply to 4 schools?

Just keep plugging away, write them a letter of interest once a month saying you are still interested. I am sure you'll get in somewhere.

 

[Tezzie]

Sometimes state schools waitlist or even reject in-state applicants with great scores because they know that chances are that they will attend a higher ranked institution.

A 35+, 3.75+ with great ECs and a publication is most likely to make one of the top 20 schools and withdraw from Albany.

 

[JM.]

Too early in the process to be getting desperate anyway. It's a long wait ahead if you do. Schools pull from the waitlist as late as July/August/the first day of orientation.

 

[calebho501]

Originally posted by Tezzie
Sometimes state schools waitlist or even reject in-state applicants with great scores because they know that chances are that they will attend a higher ranked institution.

A 35+, 3.75+ with great ECs and a publication is most likely to make one of the top 20 schools and withdraw from Albany.

Yea, I think that may be true. When I was at SUNY Syracuse for an interview, my student interviewer was like, "Did you apply to Harvard and Yale?", my faculty interviewer was like, "You're a UCLA undergrad, did you apply to their med school and get an interview?"

I think technically they're not supposed to ask, but I have to answer honestly. I really want them to feel that Syracuse is still a great school and I'll consider them, but it's hard to do so when they don't think I'll choose them.

 

[usmaple]

I'm an NY-stater with slightly higher stats than yours. I only applied to 1 SUNY and interviewed there a few weeks ago. The interview went very well, but at the end my interviewer (a faculty member who was on the admissions committee) said something along the lines of "Look, I'd love to have you here, but we know how the game works - you'll probably be accepted to a bunch of other schools, and we'll waitlist you and give the spot to someone who's more likely to come here. But, if you decide that you really do want to go here, just send us a letter telling us and if it's not at the last minute we'll let you in."

So, there you have it. I was kind of thrown off guard by how blunt she was about it, but I guess schools have to at least partially base their decision on how likely they think someone is to go there if accepted. The moral of the story is, if you REALLY want to go to Upstate or Buffalo, just let them know within the next couple of months and they'll probably let you in. But, if you're just using them as "safeties" and you get in somewhere else you'd rather go (which seems pretty likely given your stats), then they were probably right to waitlist you. 🙂

 

[jlee9531]

yeah usmaple said some good stuff.

see i dont have this problem because my numbers suck haha. the adcoms only have two options with me...

1. lets throw this guy a bone......or
2. HELL no!

 

[oldtimer]

Interviewing for medical school sounds a lot like interviewing for a job. When I was job hunting in college, I had several experiences where the interview went really well and I was highly qualified but I didn't get an offer. It's because they don't want to give you an offer if they think they have no chance of landing you. During the recession, I heard of stories about laid off people with a masters degree or extensive work experience that got rejected from working at McDonald's because these companies don't want to hire overqualified candidates who will bolt the minute the economy picks up.

 

[spinestudent]

>>Question. You speak about "inferior" students and ones that >>are "clearly better" than another student. Do you believe in >>the caste system as well?


No. But some students are clearly better than others. One of my neighbors went to Emory, put up a 3.97, scored a 13/13/13 on the mcat, has been published 3x as an undergrad, and also has plenty of good clinical experience. He is much better than me and many other applicants. better, stronger, more deserving, etc....it's all the same.


>>My point is, how do you know what all the other students >>have done or what their personalities are like.

First, what is a good personality? Of course certain traits are almost always considered bad(arrogance, rude, etc), but trying to gauge an applicant's personality in 30 minutes is incredibly dependent on the person conducting the interview. What is taken as loud and obnoxious by one interviewer might be seen as outgoing and friendly by another. Arrogance can easily be interchanged with confidence depending on the interviewer's own personality and outlook.


>You talk like you can clearly point out that someone is "superior" >to most other applicants and should get in. You can do that, but >only if you work for the admissions comittee.

I'm not arguing that admission committees dont decide who gets in. My first response to this thread was that they don't always make fair decisions(he got screwed).



>>I work with a guy that works for a med school admissions >>comittee and he told me about a guy he interviewed that had >>a 3.8+, 35+ MCATs, etc. He said after talking to the guy, it was >>clear he lacked an awareness of what he was getting into

How was it clear that he lacked awareness of what he was getting into? Was it some vague "feeling" that the interviewer got based on his personality...or the way he combed his hair? Or was it because he lacked quality exposure to the clinical side of medicine? If it's the latter, then he deserved to get dinged as these things can be objectively analyzed. I'm not arguing that the process should be all about numbers. I'll be the first to say that EC's, work experience, letters of rec, etc should come into play. My problem with this system is when one interviewer dings a candidate because he just didn't get a good "vibe" from him....or when a candidate is dinged just because the school doesn't think he will end up attending their med school.

 

[bufer1]

Originally posted by Renovar

My question to you is, why did you only apply to 4 schools?

.

well to clarify my post- i was interviewed at 4 schools, but applied to 12, a wide range of schools. those included what i thought were places i would have a good chance of getting into (my SUNY state schools) however that did not work out an now i am on their "high priority alternate" HPA list. ive called the admissions office looking for answers... hopefully someone will call me back and let me know what the deal is... thanks for the advice

 

[Smitty75]

Are you on the high priority alternate list at SUNY Upstate?

If so, I think you have a VERY good chance of being accepted. From what I understand, they come close to (or succeed in) clearing that list every year. I would enquire about your chances at the admissions office. Good luck!

 

[PrincetonRocks]

You have amazing stats. Don't worry! It's still early in the process. I haven't heard back from a lot of schools also. Hang in there and have faith in your stats! Patience is a virtue!

 

[MNA]

Buffalo puts a moajority of the people they interview on the waitlist. Either you are rejected or waitlisted with a very few accepted. But they go through almost all of their waitlist. Last year they had already gone through the top 1/3 by May. I would keep calling them and you will know where you stand by april/May.
DOn't worry, waitlist is a good thing!

 

[dstn2bmd]

Originally posted by Alexander99
The other students are obviously not "inferior" if they are getting in and he or she got waitlisted. Admissions is not all about numbers. You'd think that's a simple concept to understand but many people don't.

I agree....I recently interviewed at VCU and they have a scholarhip available only to the last student accepted. Why? There was a guy who was the last student to get admitted to the class, yet, he was the top student in his graduating class. "Inferior"? I don't think so.😉 So now, this student who graduated in the 1970's gives a thousand dollars to the last student admitted. Pretty cool, huh?😀

Heb

 

[Megalofyia]

I really like that idea. That is really cool.

 

[cather]

Originally posted by spinestudent

>>My point is, how do you know what all the other students >>have done or what their personalities are like.

First, what is a good personality? Of course certain traits are almost always considered bad(arrogance, rude, etc), but trying to gauge an applicant's personality in 30 minutes is incredibly dependent on the person conducting the interview. What is taken as loud and obnoxious by one interviewer might be seen as outgoing and friendly by another. Arrogance can easily be interchanged with confidence depending on the interviewer's own personality and outlook.


>You talk like you can clearly point out that someone is "superior" >to most other applicants and should get in. You can do that, but >only if you work for the admissions comittee.

I'm not arguing that admission committees dont decide who gets in. My first response to this thread was that they don't always make fair decisions(he got screwed).


>>I work with a guy that works for a med school admissions >>comittee and he told me about a guy he interviewed that had >>a 3.8+, 35+ MCATs, etc. He said after talking to the guy, it was >>clear he lacked an awareness of what he was getting into

How was it clear that he lacked awareness of what he was getting into? Was it some vague "feeling" that the interviewer got based on his personality...or the way he combed his hair? Or was it because he lacked quality exposure to the clinical side of medicine? If it's the latter, then he deserved to get dinged as these things can be objectively analyzed. I'm not arguing that the process should be all about numbers. I'll be the first to say that EC's, work experience, letters of rec, etc should come into play. My problem with this system is when one interviewer dings a candidate because he just didn't get a good "vibe" from him....or when a candidate is dinged just because the school doesn't think he will end up attending their med school. [/B]

What you have said spinestudent is so true. I have been on a few interviews and without question, some interviewers are biased and won't like someone for whatever reason.

This process is not what I thought it would be. I thought that interviewers, most of them being professional doctors and whatnot, would have the maturity and insight to not prejudge people. But that is not the case. Based on some of my experiences, I can see why the medical field has problem doctors out there. Also, some interviews may just not like your personality for whatever reason.

In a way, the interview is superficial. First off, its short so you really can't get to know a person all that well. Second, you almost have to tailor what you say to fit the personality of the other interviewer.

 

[bufer1]

~

 

[bufer1]

Originally posted by MNA
Buffalo puts a moajority of the people they interview on the waitlist. Either you are rejected or waitlisted with a very few accepted. But they go through almost all of their waitlist. Last year they had already gone through the top 1/3 by May. I would keep calling them and you will know where you stand by april/May.
DOn't worry, waitlist is a good thing!

i know it is a good thing,... but its just so hard to understand how they are evaluating candidates. i called mr rosso (Buffalo admissions) and he pulled up my file and said that i had a very strong interview. the only reason i could think of for my WL is that my interviewer just plain hated me... but now its been confirmed that is not the case. does buffalo really have that many stellar applicants that they would be forced to put me on the waitlist? i feel that my numbers alone should have been a lock for admission- let alone combined with a strong interview, i guess this process really is a crapshoot- and im getting pissed

 

[jlee9531]

reiterating what some of the people have said on here....

but i figure you got waitlisted because they figure with your numbers you will most likely go elsewhere to a better school. they dont want to take acceptances away from students who will actually go there so you got waitlisted.

if you really do want to go here then let them know its your top choice and im sure they will change their mind.

 

[shwtime11]

I've stayed out of this discussion just because I feel it's impossible to say why other people aren't admitted to certain schools. However, I must state my opinion on the issue brought up multiple times, which is that "you were not admitted because of the chance you will attend a different school." I really don't feel that is the case because I also interviewed at Buffalo, I have almost identical numbers to you, and I was admitted on October 17th. So I think the reason you weren't admitted is that we don't have the whole story, and we never will. Only the adcoms know why the waitlisted you. I'm not saying you didn't deserve admission to any of the schools, I'm just saying that there must be another reason other than "you will probably not go there anyway"

 

[kito]

Well show is also the guy who works across the street from the UB admissions office. Lets not forget that.