Waitlists..Adcom advice wanted

[Jmish1035]

Advertisement - Members don't see this ad

Hoping some adcoms might chime in here...

Given that a school does not rank (or score) its waitlisted applicants, what factors might get someone off the waitlist?

I've seen it frequently mentioned on sdn that at most schools, LOIs mean nothing as they know you are interested if you have not yet withdrawn your app.
I'm assuming that updates are given the most value here (correct me if I'm wrong). If so, what kind of updates tend to stick out?

Obviously not asking for any specific methods used at certain schools. Just curious about the general factors.

 

[Catalystik]

Given that a school does not rank (or score) its waitlisted applicants, what factors might get someone off the waitlist?

When their profile precisely matches that of an accepted applicant who declines the place they were offered.

 

[Mr. Babe]

I'm pretty sure most schools rank those on the waitlist. Usually your stats are good enough for a school if you got an interview so something didn't click with the school during the interview. They might think that you don't fit the mission very well so if you have any updates that fit with the school's mission then that is best. LOI's can do more than you think.

 

[gyngyn]

Unranked waitlists are probably more common.
They allow for the re-balancing of the class.

Unranked waitlists are not random. They can be stratified by any methodology approved by the committee.

 

[MDhopeful324]

I'm pretty sure most schools rank those on the waitlist. Usually your stats are good enough for a school if you got an interview so something didn't click with the school during the interview. They might think that you don't fit the mission very well so if you have any updates that fit with the school's mission then that is best. LOI's can do more than you think.

I agree with the above. I've noticed that some of my interviewers paid particular attention to the ECs I discussed that matched their mission. Reinforcing your fit (especially if you can back it up), doesn't hurts.

 

[Jmish1035]

When their profile precisely matches that of an accepted applicant who declines the place they were offered.

If this is true, why would they have been waitlisted in the first place? By profile you are referring to their written app? If so, that would mean the the applicants interview specifically put them on the waitlist, correct?

 

[Jmish1035]

Unranked waitlists are probably more common.
They allow for the re-balancing of the class.

Unranked waitlists are not random. They can be stratified by any methodology approved by the committee.

Does that mean that an applicant would not be able to move to another stratum if they sent in an update or an LOI? Curious to know examples of said stratification if you are allowed to share general examples.

 

[gyngyn]

Does that mean that an applicant would not be able to move to another stratum if they sent in an update or an LOI? Curious to know examples of said stratification if you are allowed to share general examples.

The value of LoI's varies dramatically by school. They tend to have little effect at "better" schools. If you have been accepted by a better school and would prefer a "lesser" school, an LoI may have an effect.
Stratification can be by any preferred parameter. If there are relatively fewer men, they may be pulled first, for example.

 

[Lawpy]

If so, what kind of updates tend to stick out?

Research productivity updates will help a lot (if you have presentations and accepted publications). Submitted and in review papers likely will have no impact, since they are not accepted yet.

Some say updates with good grades will help but they have no impact if your GPA is already strong.

 

[raiderette]

N=1, after my med school advisor made calls I was pulled off more than one list. I ended up at one of those schools. My letter would have meant nothing, but her phone calls obviously did something.

 

[MDhopeful324]

N=1, after my med school advisor made calls I was pulled off more than one list. I ended up at one of those schools. My letter would have meant nothing, but her phone calls obviously did something.

Interesting. I remember another faculty or committee member mentioning that this will not help in another thread. I suppose it depends where he/she called and if that particular school is receptive to calls.

 

[masnerj]

N=1, after my med school advisor made calls I was pulled off more than one list. I ended up at one of those schools. My letter would have meant nothing, but her phone calls obviously did something.

I am not surprised by this. It is a well-know and unwritten fact that some med schools (if not all) have "feeder schools." I wouldn't be surprised if those feeder schools and their premed advisors/committee have the ability to impact waitlist movements.

 

[Med Ed]

N=1, after my med school advisor made calls I was pulled off more than one list. I ended up at one of those schools. My letter would have meant nothing, but her phone calls obviously did something.

Alternative explanation: your advisor made calls during the time in the application cycle when people are getting pulled off of waitlists. You were one of those people.

 

[DetroitDoc1993]

I'm pretty sure most schools rank those on the waitlist. Usually your stats are good enough for a school if you got an interview so something didn't click with the school during the interview. They might think that you don't fit the mission very well so if you have any updates that fit with the school's mission then that is best. LOI's can do more than you think.

I don't know if i agree with the first part of this. Just because a school put you on the waitlist does not necessarily mean that the applicant does not fit with the mission/school, but instead I am more inclined to say that it is the result of the competitiveness of the school and how many interviews and acceptances they have given out. I don't see anything wrong with submitting update letters and LOI's, at best they can help, and at worst they can do nothing, but definitely don't hurt you in any way.

 

[RaspberrySlushy]

I think it depends on the school and there’s a wide variety. One place I interviewed said they don’t accept anything post-interview, your file is closed as of Interview day. Another school stressed post-interview LOIs so strongly it felt like an unspoken requirement.

 

[Med Ed]

Hoping some adcoms might chime in here...

Given that a school does not rank (or score) its waitlisted applicants, what factors might get someone off the waitlist?

I've seen it frequently mentioned on sdn that at most schools, LOIs mean nothing as they know you are interested if you have not yet withdrawn your app.
I'm assuming that updates are given the most value here (correct me if I'm wrong). If so, what kind of updates tend to stick out?

Obviously not asking for any specific methods used at certain schools. Just curious about the general factors.

The factors that get someone off the waitlist are the same ones that get anyone accepted: experiences, attributes, metrics. As a general rule, the people at the top of our waitlist look an awful lot like the people we accepted, the problem is that we don't have enough seats for everyone we like.

From the applicant side I can certainly understand the desire to reach out, but the message you want to send ("I love you, please give me a chance") may easily be read as "I do not currently have any acceptances." How appealing!

My suspicion about the schools that seem to encourage LOIs/updates is that they tend to have large interview pools, and they are attempting to read the tea leaves and minimize the administrative burden of waitlist movement. If you have no better plans, then by all means, do whatever you have been specifically encouraged to do.