"We are sorry you choose not to attend your interview"... wait, WHAT INTERVIEW?!

[pianola]

Good luck...

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[phospho]

*sigh*

I called them right when they opened. Checked my application and said that yes, I had been selected for an interview and they sent me an email "several weeks ago".

I got transferred to like 5 people in a row telling my story to each one. Most of the people I talked to said "oh... wow..." and a few sounded generally sympathetic. The last lady I talked to though sounded a bit annoyed if anything "Well it obviously must have gone to your spam folder, that's not our fault". I asked her if they could do anything or reschedule, she said only the Director can make that call and he is out of town until late Friday or early Monday. I should expect a call around them.

So great, I'm at the mercy of Michael Istwan. And even if he is generous and puts me into the next interview slot, I will be lucky to have an interview in mid to late Feburary... instead of January 9th


I really don't know my luck, i also got screwed over by UW-Madison in December. I get a letter in the mail saying "You're application has been withdrawn, thank you for applying". I call the next day to ask why and they say "Oh, you werent supposed to get one of those unless you withdrew the application yourself, please ignore it"
...but then 5 days later I got officially denied

i know the guy... when i called to withdraw my application, he came on the phone and asked me why, and i told him i got into my state school, etc etc etc...

my point is that he was an AWESOME guy... very friendly, and very understanding. It was only a 5 minute phone call that we had, but it definitely gave me the impression that he would help anyone if he could...

I wish you the best of luck... PLEASE keep us posted...

 

[Ogenki]

Make sure to keep reminding them every few weeks. They're probably busy so they might hope inaction would cause you to go away.

Be polite cause screw ups are bound to happen considering the volume med schools have to deal with and don't pester them but try to play up to their guilt and sense of responsibility (unless of course it really is your fault, in which case you're screwed.)

Try to get evidence that an email was never sent to you. Maybe you can ask your email service provider for records of what servers they've recieved email from that are for you around the time MCW claimed to have sent you an email.

I know someone who got an interview two months after a school's interview season and eventually got in. He got a rejection claiming he did not complete his application on time. He had a letter they sent him saying his application was complete though and pursued it.

 

[futureboy]

Make sure to keep reminding them every few weeks. They're probably busy so they might hope inaction would cause you to go away.

Be polite cause screw ups are bound to happen considering the volume med schools have to deal with and don't pester them but try to play up to their guilt and sense of responsibility (unless of course it really is your fault, in which case you're screwed.)

Try to get evidence that an email was never sent to you. Maybe you can ask your email service provider for records of what servers they've recieved email from that are for you around the time MCW claimed to have sent you an email.

I know someone who got an interview two months after a school's interview season and eventually got in. He got a rejection claiming he did not complete his application on time. He had a letter they sent him saying his application was complete though and pursued it.

I know someone in admissions (not med school, though), and these types of screwups happen more often than one would think. It's so important to keep on top of your application (without being a pest), like verifying with the school that you app is complete and checking on the status of interviews. All it takes to mess up your app is a hung over student working in the processing department forgetting to click a box on the computer screen saying that your professor's recommendation letter was received...

 

[cubssox2000]

Mr. Istwan is incredibly nice. He seemed like a great guy and helped me in scheduling my interviews. I needed to make sure that I got early interviews as opposed to late ones, and he was very willing to help, even after I said that I would have to leave the interview day early. He is very nice and I really hope he helps you out. Best of luck!

 

[Excelsius]

Okay, what the heck, I applied to five school in the fall and have been waiting all this time with nothing but denials in my email and post inbox. My last hope lay with MCW in Wisconsin. I got the email in August saying "THIS IS NOT AN INTERVIEW invitation: You have be been favorably reviewed and moved to a smaller pool of applicants, we hope to interview you if time allows"

Fast forward to present day. I get a letter from MCW in the mail. Expecting a rejection from my last school I open it up. "We are sorry you choose not to attend your interview. We assume you no longer are interested in tending MCW, your application has been pulled. Please fill out the following survey about why you choose another school"

My hands were visibly shaking after i read the letter. I had an interview this whole time.... and i blew it?

I don't get it, my email address didn't change, the first notification they sent me in August got to me just fine.... so what happened? This ever happen to anyone else? and more importantly, for christ's sake is there any chance they will give me a 2nd interview if I talk to them?!

To avoid missing e-mails, I think it is a good idea to use a software like Outlook. That way you receive every single e-mail, including junk. You just have to look into the junk mail folder and it is easy to see when it is full. It also helps to use a good e-mail server, like gmail (sites like hotmail really suck). Before the application process starts, you should disable ALL of your junk filters. Another thing: try to have at least two e-mail addresses and use one of them for personal use and for important things, like work or med school application, and the other e-mail for internet "junk" sites, like ebay, amazon, credit card sites, and even forums. The reason for this is because once you sign up with your e-mail for any account, there is a high probability that it is going to be stolen at some point and be sold to spam companies, even if the original site did not voluntarily disclose your e-mail address. Then you start receiving a vast amount of spam and in the process miss important e-mails. I recieve less than two spam e-mails per year on my personal e-mail account. The other accounts are irrelevant since I only use them as needed - such as when selling something on ebay, etc. I don't think it will be in your favor to show medical schools that you aren't too organized, even though accidents do happen.

 

[locus000]

I think that this is everyone worst nightmare, getting an interview and not knowing.

Now you gotten me all paranoid about my situation...

Good luck

 

[BTC]

In gmail you can add exceptions to the spam filter. I just put an exception to allow all mail that has '.edu' in the address and to send it right to my inbox.

This is not to say this is definitely a spam filter problem. These schools deal with thousands of applicants a year. Sooner or later someone has to makea mistake.

 

[Optimus123]

I just wanted to point out that I was small pooled at MCW, and I use GMail, and I was *never* sent a message about it. I had to call them to find out I was small pooled. I regularly check my spam folder (particularly during the application season), and there was DEFINITELY nothing. It is totally ridiculous.

 

[phospho]

In gmail you can add exceptions to the spam filter. I just put an exception to allow all mail that has '.edu' in the address and to send it right to my inbox.

This is not to say this is definitely a spam filter problem. These schools deal with thousands of applicants a year. Sooner or later someone has to makea mistake.

BTC, been trying to do that since I saw your post, but I can't seem to figure out how...

I went to settings, and there's no option there... is it under filters? if so, do you make a new filter? but how would you indicate that it's for spam then?

me=confused

any help would be appreciated

 

[luckyducky87]

BTC, been trying to do that since I saw your post, but I can't seem to figure out how...

I went to settings, and there's no option there... is it under filters? if so, do you make a new filter? but how would you indicate that it's for spam then?

me=confused

any help would be appreciated

What if you go to:

"Create a filter" >> in the "From" box, type in ".edu" >> "Next Step" >> check the box that says "Never send it to Spam" (at the bottom of the list)

Sounds sensible to me but I don't know if that's what you guys have been doing

 

[Wants2give]

Good luck!!!

 

[phospho]

What if you go to:

"Create a filter" >> in the "From" box, type in ".edu" >> "Next Step" >> check the box that says "Never send it to Spam" (at the bottom of the list)

Sounds sensible to me but I don't know if that's what you guys have been doing

awesome, it worked!

thank you very much!

 

[lola12]

i sent am email to Istwan enquiring about interviews....and he said they send it out periodically, however the next invites are for alternate list only. I hope they still take you into the Jan 9th group. Does any1 know if ppl who get wait listed have a chance of getting in?

 

[atomi]

Okay, what the heck, I applied to five school in the fall and have been waiting all this time with nothing but denials in my email and post inbox. My last hope lay with MCW in Wisconsin. I got the email in August saying "THIS IS NOT AN INTERVIEW invitation: You have be been favorably reviewed and moved to a smaller pool of applicants, we hope to interview you if time allows"

Fast forward to present day. I get a letter from MCW in the mail. Expecting a rejection from my last school I open it up. "We are sorry you choose not to attend your interview. We assume you no longer are interested in tending MCW, your application has been pulled. Please fill out the following survey about why you choose another school"

My hands were visibly shaking after i read the letter. I had an interview this whole time.... and i blew it?

I don't get it, my email address didn't change, the first notification they sent me in August got to me just fine.... so what happened? This ever happen to anyone else? and more importantly, for christ's sake is there any chance they will give me a 2nd interview if I talk to them?!

Why are asking an internet message board instead of their admissions office?

Geez people, come on...

 

[235009]

Why are asking an internet message board instead of their admissions office?

Geez people, come on...

i think for this matter consulting an online forum can be very helpful and give you good advice and perspective before calling the school.

 

[RoadRunner17]

So OP... what happened?

 

[scottyT]

So OP... what happened?

Really OP, you can't leave us hanging this long ...

what happened?

 

[FuturDocteur]

I'm also curious to find out what happened...

 

[nontrdgsbuiucmd]

had something similar happen for Louisville. Got a call 2 days before, asking me to confirm that I would be attending the interview (um.. that's 2,000 miles away and last minute plane fares = $$$)

called the school to advise them that the phone call was my first notification of an interview invite, they first checked that my e-mail address was correct on file (it was). When I asked them when the interview invite e-mail was sent, they could not find confirmation that it was..(no way I could have missed this) so they offered to reschedule in a few weeks. Very nice, and considerate, of the school!

 

[cure0008]

I don't really know how the application works but I think someone has access to your account and they are messing with you or something. Having two bad things happen to you - 1. not knowing you had an interview (you had to schedule an interview to actually have a date) and 2. the cancellation of your application to one of the schools that you applied to-. And you said you only applied to 5 schools. And having this happen to you twice during one cycle is pretty unlikely. Someone must have access to your account- either you told them, they figured it out, or they saw what it was- either way I would recommend you change it. Good luck- I hope you get in :]

 

[cure0008]

Also don't forget to inform us what happened !!!