WashU "Invitation to Apply"

[Blue128K]

---

Members do not see this ad.

I got a letter in the mail yesterday from Wash U "inviting me to apply" cause my MCAT score.

Just curious how many of these they send out, if anyone knows.

 

[Carmen Sandiego]

Yes! I was hoping someone would post about that. A similar letter arrived for me over the weekend. I actually wondered whether they were just sending them out specifically to women with certain MCAT scores (apparently they have a history of promoting women in medicine), but apparently that's not the case if gentlemen like yourself are getting them as well.

Think it's worth the money (and a couple more mini-essays) to apply?

 

[bmarms]

i also got it. i'm a little skeptical. especially b/c they sent it to my permanent address (i.e. my parents)... and they sent their initial brochure to my apartment.

 

[Nookular]

Worth it to apply? Well yeah, if you want to go there you should be applying anyway.

Think of it from their point of view, one $0.37 stamp to send you that letter gets them $100 application fee (or whatever it is...). If you're smart enough to get an invitation to apply there you should be smart enough to realize that by convincing people who didn't think they would apply there to apply there, they're making money.

Don't let a formal "hey, apply here" make you apply to a school you dont have interest in going to.

 

[SilverMoon]

I'm a little confused - are they inviting you to apply for the next cycle? It seems like WashU dropped the ball a bit on timing - wouldn't you have had to add them to your AMCAS by Oct 15th?

 

[jlq3d3]

They send it to people who have MCATs way below their average, it means nothing. It's just a slimy way to get more applications, get more application fees, and look more competitive because their acceptance percentage will go down. They did the same thing for undergrad. I must have gotten 10-20 mailings asking me to apply there. I remember reading an article about how they were making an effort to move up in the US news rankings, so I guess they do these things with the med school too.

Having said that, they are a very good medical school. Just don't end up applying just because they send you a "congratulations on your MCAT score" letter.

 

[Blue128K]

They are obviously a good school and the only reason I didn't apply there is due to their ridiculous average stats. and that I already had enough reach schools that I would rather go to.

I was wondering just how many of those they sent out though. It sounds like they do it a decent amount. Their heavy emphasis on the pointless US news rankings kind of deters me from applying though.

Oh, and their AMCAS deadline isn't until December 1st....so there is still time.

 

[tmoorejr]

Got one as well ...

It may be worth an application, but nothing is worth living in St. Louis (just kidding - sort of)

 

[Bartelby]

They send it to people who have MCATs way below their average, it means nothing. It's just a slimy way to get more applications, get more application fees, and look more competitive because their acceptance percentage will go down.

Bingo! WashU and Michigan both do this kind of mailing, and it does seem like a ploy to get a more impressive acceptance rate, although I am sure they have ended up with some good students who would not have otherwise applied as a result of the mailings. It is kind of flattering to get a letter from such a prestigious school praising you for your excellent performance, and I think it gives you a false sense of confidence about your chances at that school.

 

[Aynsl156]

I got that letter when I took my MCATs in 05, I think it's automatic.

I'm applying this cycle, and not to WashU because of those sick average stats.

 

[veaselhaufen]

Bingo! WashU and Michigan both do this kind of mailing, and it does seem like a ploy to get a more impressive acceptance rate, although I am sure they have ended up with some good students who would not have otherwise applied as a result of the mailings. It is kind of flattering to get a letter from such a prestigious school praising you for your excellent performance, and I think it gives you a false sense of confidence about your chances at that school.

agreed! A friend of mine got a 38, got the letter and decided to apply. Since then he has heard nothing. I think ill pass on that sort of a gimmick

 

[searun]

It is crap. Just making the school look better, the school could care less about you. Glad to get your check though, and send the rejection letter. Wash U wins and you look like an idiot. Save your money, unless you had the record to apply there anyway, and thought that you could live in St. Louis for 4 years, not easy.

 

[monkily_stealth]

Yeah... I got one of those last year, and uh... I think in light of that fact, we can safely state that they hand them out rather freely. No offense to OP, those are some awesome stats you got there, so apply if you want.

 

[Magnolia85]

dang... that letter (congrats on the MCAT, WASHU is looking for women like you, etc...) boosted my confidence a bit. I guess it doesn't mean really mean that much...

 

[hereIcome]

Yeah- I got that letter too back in August. I also got an email from UAB and another letter from a different school (I threw it away, can't remember what school it was right now) inviting me to apply for MSTP which is a total laugh for me. The whole thing was a laugh. I don't even have the correct prereq's for WashU. It's just a gimmick to get more money, and I didn't bite because I know I'd be rejected from ALL THREE schools who invited me to apply.

 

[GreenShirt]

I went there for UG and St. Louis is really not all that bad, especially the area around the med school. However, WashU is a bit of a rankings ho so they are very heavy on promoting themselves through mailings. Good school if you have the crazy stats. I think their Step I average is usually two standard deviations above the national average. Crazy.

 

[sunnyskies]

Yeah, I got the letter today too... I was like "whoa for real?" and then I read this thread... makes much more sense now. I think I might have believed it if people like 40+ were only getting the letter, but I think I will refrain from applying. Plus, don't you think that they would know who was genuinely interested (and submitted AMCAS early) rather than those who applied after they got this letter? I am SO done spending money to apply for schools who ask for money and then a week later send out a rejection (At least hold it for a few months so I feel better about myself!!). Not to say this would definitely happen, but we all know what the process is like.

 

[hp540]

I got a letter in the mail yesterday from Wash U "inviting me to apply" cause my MCAT score.

Just curious how many of these they send out, if anyone knows.

I only have one thing to add:

 

[postbaccer2006]

My folks got that letter over the weekend, and they were pretty excited about it. I guessed it didn't mean much, so I tried to convince them not to get their hopes up. Lo and behold, on Monday I got an interview from Wash U. It's unrelated, I'm sure, but now my parents are even more annoyingly optimistic about the whole application process.

 

[wormed7600]

Hey I got the letter too saying 'strong mcat score'. I got a 38 so I thought it could be for real. I'm glad I looked it up here before applying. What's the lowest MCAT people have had and gotten letters? (I know this could be touchy since I'm asking for people to reveal low scores so no pressure). Here's the relevant excerpt from my email to their admissions:

"... I must ask if this is a mass-mailed letter. I also would like to know how many of such letters are sent out each year and what the minimum MCAT score is (or breakdown of scores by section if applicable) for a letter to be sent to an applicant."

And here's their answer:

"Thank you for your interest. Our mailing was based on MCAT scores and we are unable to say whether you would be invited for an interview until we receive your entire application and it is reviewed. We offer interviews based on the entire application not just MCAT scores and GPA. We would welcome the chance to review your application."

So they didn't answer either of my questions. This only confirms my suspicions.

Lastly, does anyone else ever feel like there are some overcompetitive posters (over SDN in general) who try to get people not to apply? Just a thought.

 

[skiqueen]

Hah. Yeah, I got that letter when I was out of town last week, and I interviewed there three weeks ago! When my husband said there was a letter from WashU I was really nervous, assuming it was a rejection. Glad it wasn't, but wasn't happy about the scare.

 

[ohmedschool]

I got one too. My MCAT is a 36, but I didn't apply to this school b/c of my GPA (and I'm still not going to despite that letter). They used to send me letters like this during HS, only to reject me for their undergrad program. I don't necessarily think they send this letter out to people with low MCAT scores just to get them to apply, but I don't think anybody should take the letter seriously. If you wanted to apply to WashU because you thought you were competitive, you would have done it a long time ago.

 

[Myuu]

Got one of these last year and got an interview about a month after being complete. Just sayin'...

 

[Raryn]

I received this letter as well, and it almost gave my mother an aneurysm. I interviewed at WashU last month, and my mother got the letter and thought it was a decision. She was quite amused when she actually saw that it was an invitation to apply...

My favorite part is at the end of the letter:

" P.S.: If you have already applied to Washington University School of medicine, thank you. If you have not already done so, I hope that you will consider applying here - AMCAS school 184. The deadline for application to our school via AMCAS is December 15."

 

[Doublecortin]

yeah, it's a big stinking pile of . Schools do this to boost the # of applicants they get because it figures into their USNews ranking. I think UMich does that too.

If you ask me, it's pretty unethical of schools to do that. I remember receiving like every month a brochure from Columbia about this masters in nutritional science program. WTF?😱

I think schools will do everything in their power to school a few extra $ from applicants, especially in this tight economy

 

[zenlike]

I think the college just wants a better shot at landing some cheap MD/PhD-in-training labor. If they send it out to everyone who gets a 35+, they're bound to hit at least one studly candidate who may not have considered that school before. All of the automatic MCAT invites I got were for MD/PhD programs.

 

[Carmen Sandiego]

Hey, I commented on this thread last year when I got the WashU letter. I decided to apply after I got it. No one ever mentioned it again, but I ended up with an interview, an acceptance, and a full ride. That's just one data point, of course, but thought it might be useful.

 

[Premed Worrier]

I have received a couple of these letters, but not for Wash. (I guess my MCAT score wasn't THAT good). The first one I was like hey that was nice of them. Then after a couple minutes I was like wait they want me to apply to md/phd based solely on my slightly above average MCAT score, what a joke and consider it that to this day.

 

[bigman225]

On the same token, anyone get a packet from Cleveland Clinic?

 

[Raryn]

I have received a couple of these letters, but not for Wash. (I guess my MCAT score wasn't THAT good). The first one I was like hey that was nice of them. Then after a couple minutes I was like wait they want me to apply to md/phd based solely on my slightly above average MCAT score, what a joke and consider it that to this day.

My favorite letter like this was one I got about applying to podiatry school...

 

[MrBlonde]

Don't forget the anesthesiologist assistants program at Emory, yeah that's what I really what to hear when my inbox goes deafening silent from lack of interview invites.

 

[njbmd]

My favorite letter like this was one I got about applying to podiatry school...

That podiatry letter was going out back when I was applying to medical school over ten years ago. Sorry, not interested in crusty feet!

Seriously, if you didn't apply to WashU in the first place, then ignore that letter. It's a money-making gimmick that many schools use. You feel flattered and quickly add them to your list of schools. They send you a secondary application with a hefty fee which you pay. They send you an e-mail rejection (too cheap to send snail mail because of the cost of the stamp). They get a high number of applicants and a lower percentage of acceptees which translates to "more competitive status" for their school at your expense.

If you have money lying around and you want to frame your e-mail rejection from WashU, then apply. If not, ignore this and move on. It's kind of snarky to do this to people just because you have purchased the MCAT test takers list.

 

[Doublecortin]

I went there for UG and St. Louis is really not all that bad, especially the area around the med school. However, WashU is a bit of a rankings ho so they are very heavy on promoting themselves through mailings. Good school if you have the crazy stats. I think their Step I average is usually two standard deviations above the national average. Crazy.

i am curious, what are your sources. my impression was that schools don't release their board scores

 

[Raryn]

i am curious, what are your sources. my impression was that schools don't release their board scores

Schools aren't required to release them, but many do mention them during the interview day. I don't remember what WashU told us, but I'd be quite surprised if they weren't multiple standard deviations above the mean. If you select a group of people who are talented at standardized tests, then you should expect them to excel on... standardized tests.

 

[Myuu]

That podiatry letter was going out back when I was applying to medical school over ten years ago. Sorry, not interested in crusty feet!

Seriously, if you didn't apply to WashU in the first place, then ignore that letter. It's a money-making gimmick that many schools use. You feel flattered and quickly add them to your list of schools. They send you a secondary application with a hefty fee which you pay. They send you an e-mail rejection (too cheap to send snail mail because of the cost of the stamp). They get a high number of applicants and a lower percentage of acceptees which translates to "more competitive status" for their school at your expense.

If you have money lying around and you want to frame your e-mail rejection from WashU, then apply. If not, ignore this and move on. It's kind of snarky to do this to people just because you have purchased the MCAT test takers list.

WashU's application fee is $50, which is pretty much one of the cheapest around. If the cash is around and the numbers are competitive, I say it's worth the effort.

 

[Doublecortin]

Schools aren't required to release them, but many do mention them during the interview day. I don't remember what WashU told us, but I'd be quite surprised if they weren't multiple standard deviations above the mean. If you select a group of people who are talented at standardized tests, then you should expect them to excel on... standardized tests.

yeah, but a lot also depends on the curriculum, and how much time they get to study for the boards.

Of course schools are going to brag about how well they do on the boards at the interviews, what else would you expect them to say, they are trying to sell you their school.

The opinion I've heard is that there isn't much variability in board scores averages among different schools, but there is a great deal of variability in scores of among students of a particular class

 

[Raryn]

Everything I've read points to there being variability between the averages (a few standard deviations), but there being even more variability for individuals. But a lot of the variability between the averages might be explained by the quality of student getting in to each specific school. Either way, we don't have any quality source for comparison of different medical schools, since there is no database available.

 

[chutzpah]

Still...two standard deviations from the mean, is like the top 2.3%, three would be like the top 0.14%. I find those numbers kind of unbelievable.

 

[Raryn]

Well, WashU has the highest MCAT average in the nation (at 38), which is more than a standard deviation greater than the average average (31ish). Who knows?

In all honesty, it doesn't matter. I'm in the camp that thinks any real difference in the school averages is because higher quality schools attract higher quality students. If you take the guy who got a 24 and barely got into <insert "lowly ranked" med school here> and educated him at Harvard, I don't think he'd score in the top percentiles of the board exam.