Waitlisted... missed call from admissions head

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SoMinty

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I applied this cycle to like 15 schools, only even got an interview at 1 and was ultimately waitlisted. Earlier today I get a call from an unknown number so I let it go to voicemail and kind of forget about it. Check it an hour later and its the admissions head of the school asking me to call him back, also he sent me an email when I checked. I called him back right away but only got his voicemail.

I can only assume he was calling to say I got off the waitlist... Anyone know how time sensitive these offers are? If the first guy doesn't pick up do they just move along the list? Am I wrong to assume I got in? Excited but pretty nervous...😕
 
I don't know man.

My cousin missed a call and was given 4 hours to make a decision and return the call/email and she was too late, losing her offer to someone else on the waitlist.

Lesson to future applicants: Always pick up.
 
pandahunter said:
I don't know man.

My cousin missed a call and was given 4 hours to make a decision and return the call/email and she was too late, losing her offer to someone else on the waitlist.

Lesson to future applicants: Always pick up.
Click to expand...

It's mid-May. The OP is safe.
 
@panda Well that would really suck if that what ends up happening. Worst part is that it isn't the first time this has happened to me, I missed a call about an internship last summer too. Didn't end up mattering but still... I should stop screening calls.
 
pandahunter said:
I don't know man.

My cousin missed a call and was given 4 hours to make a decision and return the call/email and she was too late, losing her offer to someone else on the waitlist.

Lesson to future applicants: Always pick up.
Click to expand...

Wow, that is literally the dumbest policy I have ever heard of. Apparently everyone has cell service at work, or the ability to interrupt work to take a phone call.
 
pandahunter said:
I don't know man.

My cousin missed a call and was given 4 hours to make a decision and return the call/email and she was too late, losing her offer to someone else on the waitlist.

Lesson to future applicants: Always pick up.
Click to expand...

Rofl that's ******ed.
 
circulus vitios said:
Wow, that is literally the dumbest policy I have ever heard of. Apparently everyone has cell service at work, or the ability to interrupt work to take a phone call.
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It's unfair and crushing for the person missing the call, but such measures may be necessary with up-to-the-wall waitlist offers that are often made due to last second withdrawals
 
OP, I assume you left a message on his voicemail and replied to his email right? I'm sure you're fine.
I felt super bad because my interviewer had to call me 3 times because the call was dropped because of my ****ty reception... He was quite nice about it though. 😀
 
He surprised me and called back just now... I got in! It was a really stressful application because I didn't get interviews but I'm so happy now. Good luck everyone else!

Edit: Yes I left him a voicemail when I called him back.
 
RogueUnicorn said:
It's unfair and crushing for the person missing the call, but such measures may be necessary with up-to-the-wall waitlist offers that are often made due to last second withdrawals
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True, but the school should have at least informed the remaining waitlisters of the possibility of that happening.
 
SoMinty said:
He surprised me and called back just now... I got in! It was a really stressful application because I didn't get interviews but I'm so happy now. Good luck everyone else!

Edit: Yes I left him a voicemail when I called him back.
Click to expand...

woot. partay in the citay
 
You're in, congrats! Don't worry, I missed my acceptance call from the waitlist, emailed them the same evening and got my official acceptance the next day. It's a pretty draconian school if they take back their acceptance just because you didn't answer your phone.
 
Congrats! Happened to my friend (also got voicemail, called back next day everything was ok, still admitted). Definitely good news. No one calls to say: "We regret to inform you that you were not qualified enough to be taken off the waitlist. Better luck next cycle." Those things are left for impersonal emails 🙂

Think of it as a job acceptance. If you are the best person for the job, they're not going to NOT give you the opportunity to respond to their offer just b/c you missed their call. However, if you waited a week or something like that, that's a different story.
 
sinombre said:
Wow, that is a ridiculous policy.
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Haha, wait until you get residency interview offers and have 15 minutes to respond or you don't get to interview there.

I got a smart phone specifically for that reason. It is typical for programs to send out mass invites to everyone they are interested in with all their interview dates and then book people on a first come, first serve basis. For some places it was less than 30 minutes for ALL of their interview dates. For one program I had applied to, I was scrubbed into a case and called 20 minutes after they sent the e-mail and the only two dates I could go were full.
 
SoMinty said:
He surprised me and called back just now... I got in! It was a really stressful application because I didn't get interviews but I'm so happy now. Good luck everyone else!

Edit: Yes I left him a voicemail when I called him back.
Click to expand...

Nice man congrats!!!
 
mimelim said:
Haha, wait until you get residency interview offers and have 15 minutes to respond or you don't get to interview there.

I got a smart phone specifically for that reason. It is typical for programs to send out mass invites to everyone they are interested in with all their interview dates and then book people on a first come, first serve basis. For some places it was less than 30 minutes for ALL of their interview dates. For one program I had applied to, I was scrubbed into a case and called 20 minutes after they sent the e-mail and the only two dates I could go were full.
Click to expand...

Wow. What about people who don't have smart phones? I've seen a lot of residents still* without them actually haha...
 
dudewheresmymd said:
Wow. What about people who don't have smart phones? I've seen a lot of residents still* without them actually haha...
Click to expand...

You freak out when you miss out on an interview because of it, like everyone else... But in the end, it really isn't that big of a deal. Not every place does it, and most people end up interviewing at a ton of places anyways 😉.
 
mimelim said:
Haha, wait until you get residency interview offers and have 15 minutes to respond or you don't get to interview there.

I got a smart phone specifically for that reason. It is typical for programs to send out mass invites to everyone they are interested in with all their interview dates and then book people on a first come, first serve basis. For some places it was less than 30 minutes for ALL of their interview dates. For one program I had applied to, I was scrubbed into a case and called 20 minutes after they sent the e-mail and the only two dates I could go were full.
Click to expand...

And I thought med school applications were a nightmare. I thought it only got that bad for SOAP.
 
SoMinty said:
He surprised me and called back just now... I got in! It was a really stressful application because I didn't get interviews but I'm so happy now. Good luck everyone else!

Edit: Yes I left him a voicemail when I called him back.
Click to expand...

awesome! it only takes one
i figured they wouldn't unaccept you that easily if they wanted you enough to include you in their class
 
SoMinty said:
He surprised me and called back just now... I got in! It was a really stressful application because I didn't get interviews but I'm so happy now. Good luck everyone else!

Edit: Yes I left him a voicemail when I called him back.
Click to expand...

Congrats, time to really enjoy your summer :naughty:
 
pandahunter said:
I don't know man.

My cousin missed a call and was given 4 hours to make a decision and return the call/email and she was too late, losing her offer to someone else on the waitlist.

Lesson to future applicants: Always pick up.
Click to expand...

How late in the season was it?
 
Missed a call from one of the two schools I ultimately received an interview at. If I had picked up, the interview would have been a month earlier and I would have had a greater chance at an acceptance 🙁
 
pandahunter said:
really late. like sometime in late may.
Click to expand...

Lol, that's not generally considered really late. Some schools can call people up to the first day of classes. A lot of wait list movement occurs in June.

It might depend on the school, though.
 
mimelim said:
Haha, wait until you get residency interview offers and have 15 minutes to respond or you don't get to interview there.

I got a smart phone specifically for that reason. It is typical for programs to send out mass invites to everyone they are interested in with all their interview dates and then book people on a first come, first serve basis. For some places it was less than 30 minutes for ALL of their interview dates. For one program I had applied to, I was scrubbed into a case and called 20 minutes after they sent the e-mail and the only two dates I could go were full.
Click to expand...

Ha yup, was just going to say that. The worst is when you're at an interview and you get the email from a place you like better, and it's late in the season so there's maybe only one date you can do without having to cancel a whole bunch of other ones...and you try to surreptitiously check your email while at your interview and answer it in the bathroom. Fun times.
A couple of times that happened to me because i was on the plane going to another interview. So pissed.
My friend who interviewed in plastics (where they have maybe 2-3 interview dates total) lives in California and he'd wake up at 5am every day to make sure he was available when East Coast offices opened. He'd never be anywhere without great reception until past 5:30pm west coast time. It's just nuts.
 
Anon212 said:
Ha yup, was just going to say that. The worst is when you're at an interview and you get the email from a place you like better, and it's late in the season so there's maybe only one date you can do without having to cancel a whole bunch of other ones...and you try to surreptitiously check your email while at your interview and answer it in the bathroom. Fun times.
A couple of times that happened to me because i was on the plane going to another interview. So pissed.
My friend who interviewed in plastics (where they have maybe 2-3 interview dates total) lives in California and he'd wake up at 5am every day to make sure he was available when East Coast offices opened. He'd never be anywhere without great reception until past 5:30pm west coast time. It's just nuts.
Click to expand...

Wow not looking forward to that.
 
circulus vitios said:
Wow, that is literally the dumbest policy I have ever heard of. Apparently everyone has cell service at work, or the ability to interrupt work to take a phone call.
Click to expand...

This is, in fact, how it works toward the end of the summer. In May, you are probably looking at 2 weeks or so, maybe 1 week in June, a couple days in July.... fast forward to the weekend before Orientation and from what I have always heard it suddenly really can be, "Hey, we just had a spot open up, start calling down the wait list until you get an affirmative answer." I know a girl who missed the call the Sunday before Orientation here last summer. She called back 2 hours later only to find out her spot had been offered to the next person on the list (who took it). She ended up being the last person in our class to be accepted (and got a small scholarship as a result) when she was accepted the end of the first day of orientation (when another student didn't show up for roll call). It gets ugly... definitely pick up when you get a call.
 
music2doc said:
This is, in fact, how it works toward the end of the summer. In May, you are probably looking at 2 weeks or so, maybe 1 week in June, a couple days in July.... fast forward to the weekend before Orientation and from what I have always heard it suddenly really can be, "Hey, we just had a spot open up, start calling down the wait list until you get an affirmative answer." I know a girl who missed the call the Sunday before Orientation here last summer. She called back 2 hours later only to find out her spot had been offered to the next person on the list (who took it). She ended up being the last person in our class to be accepted (and got a small scholarship as a result) when she was accepted the end of the first day of orientation (when another student didn't show up for roll call). It gets ugly... definitely pick up when you get a call.
Click to expand...

I hear so many stories of this but I wonder how often this actually happens.
 
TheShaker said:
I hear so many stories of this but I wonder how often this actually happens.
Click to expand...

I'm not really sure, either. But I have multiple anecdotes of similar situations. I already mentioned my cousin earlier in this thread, who had that happen to her last year. My roommate from college during his graduation ceremony (around mid-June) got a call from Drexel. Someone was on stage giving a speech and he had to duck his head down, whisper into the phone, and quietly suppress his elation as he accepted the offer of admission while everyone sitting next to him thought he was a douche for picking up his phone in the middle of graduation. Now he should be graduating from med school this month or next. Time flies...
 
SoMinty said:
I applied this cycle to like 15 schools, only even got an interview at 1 and was ultimately waitlisted. Earlier today I get a call from an unknown number so I let it go to voicemail and kind of forget about it. Check it an hour later and its the admissions head of the school asking me to call him back, also he sent me an email when I checked. I called him back right away but only got his voicemail.

I can only assume he was calling to say I got off the waitlist... Anyone know how time sensitive these offers are? If the first guy doesn't pick up do they just move along the list? Am I wrong to assume I got in? Excited but pretty nervous...😕
Click to expand...

Congrats that you got in but dude, why would you not pick up the phone!? Haven't you been waiting anxiously from just such a call from a random number?!?

Survivor DO
 
mimelim said:
Haha, wait until you get residency interview offers and have 15 minutes to respond or you don't get to interview there.

I got a smart phone specifically for that reason. It is typical for programs to send out mass invites to everyone they are interested in with all their interview dates and then book people on a first come, first serve basis. For some places it was less than 30 minutes for ALL of their interview dates. For one program I had applied to, I was scrubbed into a case and called 20 minutes after they sent the e-mail and the only two dates I could go were full.
Click to expand...

Forget about stress on applicants, this seems like it would be a horrible approach solely from the program's perspective... they'd potentially miss out on their top pre-interview candidates this way. Not to mention it would be a big turn-off for many applicants (well, for someone like me anyway). But yeah if you're applying for a specialty that's actually fairly competitive - where every interview matters - that would really suck. :scared:
 
music2doc said:
This is, in fact, how it works toward the end of the summer. In May, you are probably looking at 2 weeks or so, maybe 1 week in June, a couple days in July.... fast forward to the weekend before Orientation and from what I have always heard it suddenly really can be, "Hey, we just had a spot open up, start calling down the wait list until you get an affirmative answer." I know a girl who missed the call the Sunday before Orientation here last summer. She called back 2 hours later only to find out her spot had been offered to the next person on the list (who took it). She ended up being the last person in our class to be accepted (and got a small scholarship as a result) when she was accepted the end of the first day of orientation (when another student didn't show up for roll call). It gets ugly... definitely pick up when you get a call.
Click to expand...

I guess I'd better hope I don't get waitlisted. I get literally 0 reception at work.
 
Congrats OP! 15 applications + 1 interview+ 1 waitlist = Acceptance + WINNING 👍
 
circulus vitios said:
Wow, that is literally the dumbest policy I have ever heard of. Apparently everyone has cell service at work, or the ability to interrupt work to take a phone call.
Click to expand...

Not when you think about it. They need to get their class filled ASAP. If you are out of the country or whatever, they can't wait to hear if you will accept. They could be losing the guy behind you on the list.

mimelim said:
Haha, wait until you get residency interview offers and have 15 minutes to respond or you don't get to interview there.

I got a smart phone specifically for that reason. It is typical for programs to send out mass invites to everyone they are interested in with all their interview dates and then book people on a first come, first serve basis. For some places it was less than 30 minutes for ALL of their interview dates. For one program I had applied to, I was scrubbed into a case and called 20 minutes after they sent the e-mail and the only two dates I could go were full.
Click to expand...

Yep - this exactly. Applying for residency is cut-throat. If you don't call the second your cell phone dings, just expect that you can't get the interview. It rough, but it is what it is.

I haven't heard of a med school running their admissions process like this, but it wouldn't surprise me and it isn't wrong. Med schools and residencies need to fill their classes. Period. Sure, you could argue that there is a better way, but you have to get a lot done in a very short period of time.
 
TheShaker said:
I hear so many stories of this but I wonder how often this actually happens.
Click to expand...

From what I hear, there are usually 0-2 students (out of 200) who miss roll call and get "replaced." And if they are replacing matriculants during orientation, you are pretty much guaranteed to have a "respond now or lose the spot" approach because they needed someone at the beginning of the week, not tomorrow.
 
CityLights said:
Forget about stress on applicants, this seems like it would be a horrible approach solely from the program's perspective... they'd potentially miss out on their top pre-interview candidates this way. Not to mention it would be a big turn-off for many applicants (well, for someone like me anyway). But yeah if you're applying for a specialty that's actually fairly competitive - where every interview matters - that would really suck. :scared:
Click to expand...

I think you may be overestimating the difference in quality between candidates. Consider that these people all made it to medical school and that in many cases the very PDs of these programs -- if interviewing for their current program now -- would not have gotten into them as students. At least I know that's how it is for med school at some places (from what I have heard from directors and deans of admissions).
 
survivordo said:
Congrats that you got in but dude, why would you not pick up the phone!? Haven't you been waiting anxiously from just such a call from a random number?!?

Survivor DO
Click to expand...

Honestly Id Given Up, Figured I'D Be Working For A Year. (DonT KnoW Why My Phone Is Capping Every Word)

BioBeaver said:
Congrats OP! 15 applications + 1 interview+ 1 waitlist = Acceptance + WINNING 👍
Click to expand...

Lol, Thanks
 
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