What % of a medical school's applications are junk?

[Matthew9Thirtyfive]

I'd take the heat over the Arctic Tundra that I inhabit.

I'll take a little social regression over the oppressive communist state I live in now. I can always go to Austin.

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[NeuResurgens]

I'll take a little social regression over the oppressive communist state I live in now. I can always go to Austin.

Haha, which state is the communist one?

 

[libertyyne]

Haha, which state is the communist one?

The only state in the union that i can say is even close to socialist is Oregon.

 

[BombsAway]

Haha, which state is the communist one?

He's in the navy. Cali would offer the highest odds.

Poor guy. All that sunny, gorgeous, oppressive communism.

 

[jesie]

http://www.prospectivedoctor.com/chance-predictor/


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile

 

[Matthew9Thirtyfive]

Haha, which state is the communist one?

Kalifornia.

He's in the navy. Cali would offer the highest odds.

Poor guy. All that sunny, gorgeous, oppressive communism.

Actually, it's been the wettest winter since I've lived here. But yeah, a state that has almost 10% sales tax, fines for speeding tickets in the hundreds of dollars (talking $250 for 60 in a 55), and gun laws so restrictive that I can't buy an AR, have to submit to a full background check to buy a box of ammo, and kiss any hope of ever exercising my second amendment right goodbye is not my kind of place.

But weed is legal now. Go figure.

 

[Nommonnom]

Kalifornia.



Actually, it's been the wettest winter since I've lived here. But yeah, a state that has almost 10% sales tax, fines for speeding tickets in the hundreds of dollars (talking $250 for 60 in a 55), and gun laws so restrictive that I can't buy an AR, have to submit to a full background check to buy a box of ammo, and kiss any hope of ever exercising my second amendment right goodbye is not my kind of place.

But weed is legal now. Go figure.

You can't figure out why weed would be legal but an AR would not be? Really?

 

[Matthew9Thirtyfive]

You can't figure out why weed would be legal but an AR would not be? Really?

I can figure out why a bunch of liberals who don't understand guns would want to restrict my right to own a rifle but would be okay with making a drug legal, yes.

But this isn't the lounge, so if you want some info on why it's stupid to restrict the sale of ARs, PM me.

 

[Gryffindor20]

.

 

[Holmwood]

I can figure out why a bunch of liberals who don't understand guns would want to restrict my right to own a rifle but would be okay with making a drug legal, yes.

But this isn't the lounge, so if you want some info on why it's stupid to restrict the sale of ARs, PM me.

Well not all liberals.... Look at Vermont. You get weed and guns.

 

[LoveBeingHuman:)]

Dangerously low GPA/MCAT OR IA for serious cheating OR absolutely lack or severe deficiency of adequate clinical experience are automatic rejections. But each school has a different opinion about what GPA or MCAT is too low. Or what amount of clinical volunteering is too low.

 

[BombsAway]

Seriously though, @gyngyn Do I need to tailor my app to assuage those Texas fears? I could throw a GI-bill name drop to nullify the tuition issue?

Or is it all for naught? You've been hurt too many times before?

 

[numbersloth]

Dangerously low GPA/MCAT OR IA for serious cheating OR absolutely lack or severe deficiency of adequate clinical experience are automatic rejections. But each school has a different opinion about what GPA or MCAT is too low. Or what amount of clinical volunteering is too low.

Don't forget criminal record

 

[Matthew9Thirtyfive]

Well not all liberals.... Look at Vermont. You get weed and guns.

Fair enough.

 

[gyngyn]

Seriously though, @gyngyn Do I need to tailor my app to assuage those Texas fears? I could throw a GI-bill name drop to nullify the tuition issue?

Or is it all for naught? You've been hurt too many times before?

As soon as a TX applicant gets accepted to a state school, it takes a full tuition scholarship to get him to consider coming here. We tend to interview applicants that are going to get into Baylor and UTSW, though.

 

[BombsAway]

As soon as a TX applicant gets accepted to a state school, it takes a full tuition scholarship to get him to consider coming here. We tend to interview applicants that are going to get into Baylor and UTSW, though.

So having my own full tuition scholarship would be worth mentioning (in some graceful manner) to try and combat the TX bias?

Excuse the barrage of questions, I'm just desperate to escape this purgatory.

 

[gyngyn]

So having my own full tuition scholarship would be worth mentioning (in some graceful manner) to try and combat the TX bias?

Excuse the barrage of questions, I'm just desperate to escape this purgatory.

It could only help.

 

[BombsAway]

It could only help.

Devote a sentence in the PS to address it right away, or wait and mention in secondaries? I suppose if worded properly, there really wouldn't be any harm done.

 

[libertyyne]

As soon as a TX applicant gets accepted to a state school, it takes a full tuition scholarship to get him to consider coming here. We tend to interview applicants that are going to get into Baylor and UTSW, though.

Are there any other states besides Texas that you think the applicant will matriculate in state and you don't bother interviewing?

 

[starspells]

Devote a sentence in the PS to address it right away, or wait and mention in secondaries? I suppose if worded properly, there really wouldn't be any harm done.

Couldn't you just list your parent's address if they live in another state? Is that not allowed @gyngyn

 

[gyngyn]

Are there any other states besides Texas that you think the applicant will matriculate in state and you don't bother interviewing?

Although applicants from states with high IS matriculation and low IS tuition are not "high yield," TX stands out because of their separate application system, exceptionally low IS COA and having UTSW and Baylor. If the applicant attended an OOS undergrad, it changes the equation considerably, though.

 

[pseud0]

It honestly goes back to the 60s and 70s but has culminated in modern day fox news. Communism, a very specific doctrine that has only been attempted by a relatively low number of governments in history is now a replacement word for "progressive ideas that make me uncomfortable"

 

[Nommonnom]

Although applicants from states with high IS matriculation and low IS tuition are not "high yield," TX stands out because of their separate application system, exceptionally low IS COA and having UTSW and Baylor. If the applicant attended an OOS undergrad, it changes the equation considerably, though.

What is the advantage of rejecting low yield candidates rather than offering them late interview dates, which they will decline if they already have an offer they will already take?

 

[gyngyn]

What is the advantage of rejecting low yield candidates rather than offering them late interview dates, which they will decline if they already have an offer they will already take?

The number of interviews that can reasonably be conducted is limited.
They are offered to the best candidates that are likely to come.

 

[Nommonnom]

The number interviews that can reasonably be conducted is limited.
They are offered to the best candidates that are likely to come.

But if it's late in the cycle and they accept, then they are likely to come?

 

[Goro]

SPF is that way ->

It honestly goes back to the 60s and 70s but has culminated in modern day fox news. Communism, a very specific doctrine that has only been attempted by a relatively low number of governments in history is now a replacement word for "progressive ideas that make me uncomfortable"

 

[Goro]

You are assuming the med schools can't fill their seats several time over, with really good candidates who WILL come.

But if it's late in the cycle and they accept, then they are likely to come?

 

[Nommonnom]

You are assuming the med schools can't fill their seats several time over, with really good candidates who WILL come.

I suppose I was operating under the assumption that med schools would prefer the best candidates over the "really good" candidates, perhaps this was incorrect? I suppose I still don't understand why medical schools don't feel a need to maximize when people will die when they don't.

 

[Goro]

You're assuming that somehow those really good, low yield candidates won't have offers by the end of the cycle. But med schools have finite resources to invest in interviewing applicants, and they know from actual data who is NOT likely to attend, no matter how wonderful they are, and how much the sing the praises of the school. I have no idea what you meant by "maximize when people will die when they don't", though.

I suppose I was operating under the assumption that med schools would prefer the best candidates over the "really good" candidates, perhaps this was incorrect? I suppose I still don't understand why medical schools don't feel a need to maximize when people will die when they don't.

 

[gyngyn]

I suppose I was operating under the assumption that med schools would prefer the best candidates over the "really good" candidates, perhaps this was incorrect? I suppose I still don't understand why medical schools don't feel a need to maximize when people will die when they don't.

We've already offered interviews to all the most amazing applicants that we think might attend.
Using historic norms, we can calculate how many interviews we can afford to offer to get the number we want.
We make these offers at the beginning of the cycle, not the end.

 

[Nommonnom]

You're assuming that somehow those really good, low yield candidates won't have offers by the end of the cycle. But med schools have finite resources to invest in interviewing applicants, and they know from actual data who is NOT likely to attend, no matter how wonderful they are, and how much the sing the praises of the school. I have no idea what you meant by "maximize when people will die when they don't", though.

I suppose I was operating under the assumption that med schools would prefer the best candidates over the "really good" candidates, perhaps this was incorrect? I suppose I still don't understand why medical schools don't feel a need to maximize when people will die when they don't.

Sorry, left out a comma! "I suppose I still don't understand why medical schools don't feel a need to maximize[,] when people will die when they don't."

 

[Nommonnom]

We've already offered interviews to all the most amazing applicants that we think might attend.
Using historic norms, we can calculate how many interviews we can afford to offer to get the number we want.
We make these offers at the beginning of the cycle, not the end.

My point is simply that the cycle is long, things change and the people likely to attend at the beginning of the cycle are not the same people likely to attend at the end of the cycle. You can do better by tuning the process to tap both pools of people.

And yes, I understand you can get tons of "really good" people without trying. But I always try to do my best...

 

[gyngyn]

My point is simply that the cycle is long, things change and the people likely to attend at the beginning of the cycle are not the same people likely to attend at the end of the cycle. You can do better by tuning the process to tap both pools of people.

And yes, I understand you can get tons of "really good" people without trying. But I always try to do my best...

Many schools make this a lot more complicated by not giving accepted students this information until mid-March.
Offering a late interview to someone who is an excellent candidate for every school in the country means that they will show up for an interview (even in March) since they haven't even heard back from the school that they are most likely to attend.

 

[Nommonnom]

Many schools make this a lot more complicated by not giving accepted students this information until mid-March.
Offering a late interview to someone who is an excellent candidate for every school in the country means that they will show up for an interview (even in March) since they haven't even heard back from the school that they are most likely to attend.

Maybe AMCAS should do some sort of hidden ranking release...isn't that how the residency match works?

 

[bricktwelve]

If you have a quality that is in short supply and adds significantly to a class, you are a recruitment scholar.

Could you give some examples of what such a quality might be? Everyone has such a generally similar app that I'm having trouble thinking of what might "be in short supply" or even "add significantly to a class". Would it be things like a proven commitment to research with a history of lots of productivity/pubs, prior unique high-level clinical jobs, etc, or?

 

[BombsAway]

Could you give some examples of what such a quality might be? Everyone has such a generally similar app that I'm having trouble thinking of what might "be in short supply" or even "add significantly to a class". Would it be things like a proven commitment to research with a history of lots of productivity/pubs, prior unique high-level clinical jobs, etc, or?

Malala Yousafzai?

 

[gyngyn]

Could you give some examples of what such a quality might be? Everyone has such a generally similar app that I'm having trouble thinking of what might "be in short supply" or even "add significantly to a class". Would it be things like a proven commitment to research with a history of lots of productivity/pubs, prior unique high-level clinical jobs, etc, or?

Each school places a different value on each of these activities and on other qualities or experiences that are less common in the applicant pool.
Extraordinary communication skills (e.g. speaks Hmong), commitment to service or other strong evidence of a core competency are highly valued.

 

[Lucca]

Could you give some examples of what such a quality might be? Everyone has such a generally similar app that I'm having trouble thinking of what might "be in short supply" or even "add significantly to a class". Would it be things like a proven commitment to research with a history of lots of productivity/pubs, prior unique high-level clinical jobs, etc, or?

I'm from Texas and have seen a handful of people apply, be accepted, and leave Texas. Very few people are actually interviewed out of state. The few that are and have been accepted usually receive scholarship money. They have all been traditional applicants as well as ORM. Here's what I've noticed about them:

1) Very high stats (Lowest I know 75 LM as ORM)
2) Very significant research, with a senior thesis (basic science or otherwise)
3) All boxes checked
4) Strong writers
5) Extremely neurotic people who obsessed over every detail of their app.

How much of that is relevant to your question? I would wager 1-4 are and 5 is a consequence of the type of person that brings 1-4 to the table. Nothing particularly insane or special about them, to be totally honest, just excellent all around students who were very involved.

@EODguy c'mon Texas is not *that* bad. When I was up on the east coast last summer I found the elitism of many of the people there and general unfriendliness to strangers much more annoying than the general social environment in Texas, and I am quite literally a socialist. At least in Texas, if someone is racist and doesn't like you they will let you know right away. Do you live in Dallas? Because Dallas seriously sucks.

That being said, wouldn't want to live here forever....especially as a woman or obgyn

https://www.thenation.com/article/t...rate-in-texas-is-even-sadder-than-we-realize/