What Will Send You Straight to a Waitlist?

[medigal97]

I’ve had a lot of waitlists (and only waitlists) over 2 cycles. I’m curious, what are common things that will send an applicant to a waitlist? I’d think a lot of the major red flags would get an R, but does anything in particular account for multiple waitlists?

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[UnitedStates]

bad luck

 

[Goro]

I’ve had a lot of waitlists (and only waitlists) over 2 cycles. I’m curious, what are common things that will send an applicant to a waitlist? I’d think a lot of the major red flags would get an R, but does anything in particular account for multiple waitlists?

Having a meh interview

 

[Rachapkis]

Ad Coms are trying to form the class they want from the applicants they receive. Just because an applicant has been waitlisted does not mean that the applicant has done something wrong. By getting an interview, each applicant has crossed an important threshold--one that most do not. However, the circumstances that land any given candidate on the waitlist may vary. For example, one candidate may have been very high as far as objective stats are concerned but had a meh interview, while another candidate may have been low on stats but had a good, not great interview. Each candidate is a composite of many different factors. After looking at the totality of these factors, candidates who are still in the running, but who are on the cusp, land on the waitlist.

 

[srstudent]

I have been waitlisted at more than half of the schools I interviewed at this cycle. I have very high stats, so it only makes sense to me to attribute it to the interview. As to how this answers your question: it depends on what your weaknesses are. Mine is interviewing. You should know yours (low stats, bad ECs, bad interview skills, etc)

 

[KnightDoc]

I’ve had a lot of waitlists (and only waitlists) over 2 cycles. I’m curious, what are common things that will send an applicant to a waitlist? I’d think a lot of the major red flags would get an R, but does anything in particular account for multiple waitlists?

I'm not sure what classifies as a "lot" of WLs, but I definitely agree with what you and others have said. You're right about red flags resulting in Rs. Moreover, a weak app would not result in a lot of IIs, so that's not the problem either. You either have terrible luck, since you keep being good but not quite good enough, or something is repeatedly, consistently happening in your interviews that is not bad enough to kill you but is preventing you from getting over the hump.

Statistically, at just about all schools your post-II odds of receiving an A are somewhere between 25-75%, so if you have more than 4 interviews without receiving an A, something is going on with the interviews. Is there anything you can think of??

 

[Goro]

Also keep in mind that many schools use waitlist as the default response to interviews and only decide who to pick at the end of the cycle.

 

[medigal97]

I'm not sure what classifies as a "lot" of WLs, but I definitely agree with what you and others have said. You're right about red flags resulting in Rs. Moreover, a weak app would not result in a lot of IIs, so that's not the problem either. You either have terrible luck, since you keep being good but not quite good enough, or something is repeatedly, consistently happening in your interviews that is not bad enough to kill you but is preventing you from getting over the hump.

Statistically, at just about all schools your post-II odds of receiving an A are somewhere between 25-75%, so if you have more than 4 interviews without receiving an A, something is going on with the interviews. Is there anything you can think of??

Thanks for the reply! I had 4 W last year and now 3 so far this year (with no more unattended interviews). I believe I'm a strong interviewer, but I do know I lack a strong "X factor". I'm incredibly worried that there could be something in an LOR that is holding me back. All of my letter writers were good and knew me well, but I hear horror stories about mistakes or errors in LOR that can be disastrous. I have no way of seeing these for myself however.

 

[medigal97]

Also keep in mind that many schools use waitlist as the default response to interviews and only decide who to pick at the end of the cycle.

Thank you so much for taking the time to respond (big fan). I'm hoping this is the case. I may be coming across as just meh, that's a strong possibility. Any quick tips for standing out when you're a good (but not stand-out level) interviewer?

 

[EdgeTrimmer]

I’ve had a lot of waitlists (and only waitlists) over 2 cycles. I’m curious, what are common things that will send an applicant to a waitlist? I’d think a lot of the major red flags would get an R, but does anything in particular account for multiple waitlists?

How are you stats (i.e. percentile) for the schools that put you in WL?

 

[medigal97]

How are you stats (i.e. percentile) for the schools that put you in WL?

My mcat is always above the average and my gpa is around their averages. 2 of my schools this year waitlisted me after having me on the waitlist last year but not taking me off.

 

[Goro]

Thank you so much for taking the time to respond (big fan). I'm hoping this is the case. I may be coming across as just meh, that's a strong possibility. Any quick tips for standing out when you're a good (but not stand-out level) interviewer?

Read this:

• Goro's Guide to Interviews
• Goro's Guide to Interviews: The View from Behind the Curtain
• Goro's Guide to YOUR Interview Questions (2018 edition)

 

[KnightDoc]

Thanks for the reply! I had 4 W last year and now 3 so far this year (with no more unattended interviews). I believe I'm a strong interviewer, but I do know I lack a strong "X factor". I'm incredibly worried that there could be something in an LOR that is holding me back. All of my letter writers were good and knew me well, but I hear horror stories about mistakes or errors in LOR that can be disastrous. I have no way of seeing these for myself however.

I'm just a premed like you, so please feel to weigh my opinions accordingly, but I really don't think it's the LORs at all. If they are used as a screen, it's before the II, not after. No school would "waste" and interview slot on you if there was something in the file that would kill you later on. I also don't think whatever the "X Factor" is is an issue once you have an II. If it's anything, it's what helps you get the II. If your GPA is around average and you don't belong to a demo that receives a preference, I think you probably do have it!

The "good" news from my perspective is that I don't think 4 IIs is really that many, and it's not inconceivable that there is absolutely nothing at all wrong with you, your app or your interviewing skills. Four is on the border of where you should expect one A, and you already received another 3 IIs so far, and the cycle is still many months away from being over.

I know it's easy for me to say as someone who is not in your shoes, but with 3 IIs and no post-II Rs yet, I have a strong feeling you are going to convert at least one of your WLs into an A before this is over. I feel especially good about the schools that chose to call you in for interviews after not pulling you from their WLs last cycle. If you are comfortable posting which schools, either publicly or privately, maybe you could receive some insight into how deep your schools typically go into their WLs to give you more perspective. Honestly, though, I'd be feeling pretty good at this point with 3 WLs, no Rs and the possibility of more IIs at this point in the cycle.

 

[r2med]

Others may disagree, but one other reason I can think of is if the adcom thinks you may not accept, they may place you on WL

 

[KnightDoc]

Others may disagree, but one other reason I can think of is if the adcom thinks you may not accept, they may place you on WL

Yup, disagree! The time for that is pre-II. Post-II, yield protection is not a thing. Once you are on the WL, sure, when they are looking to fill seats from a pool of similarly situated candidates (people in roughly the same position on the WL), a preference will go to the person more likely to actually fill the seat.

Adcoms have repeatedly, and consistently, told us that yield protection is actually resource allocation, and no resources are conserved once the time and effort has gone into a full file evaluation, including interview. Pulling highly motivated candidates off the WL ahead of less motivated ones isn't even yield protection at that point; it's just actually getting the class filled.

 

[Goro]

Others may disagree, but one other reason I can think of is if the adcom thinks you may not accept, they may place you on WL

This type of thought process occurs before the interview.

 

[worried_applicant]

Having a meh interview

What counts as a “meh interview”?

As a follow-up, is this more applicable to certain types of schools (e.g. state schools vs T20s)? Alternatively put, is a “meh interview” more forgivable at certain types of schools if the rest of your application is solid (I’m thinking of LizzyM’s staircase example where an applicant might be relatively high up on the staircase pre-interview but has a “meh interview”)?

 

[Goro]

What counts as a “meh interview”?

As a follow-up, is this more applicable to certain types of schools (e.g. state schools vs T20s)? Alternatively put, is a “meh interview” more forgivable at certain types of schools if the rest of your application is solid (I’m thinking of LizzyM’s staircase example where an applicant might be relatively high up on the staircase pre-interview but has a “meh interview”)?

Think about this. You're trying to sell yourself to the school. Net means you failed at your sales pitch.
I don't think that the type of school is going to matter as much as where you are in terms of your own competitiveness

 

[proudofmykids]

I have been waitlisted at more than half of the schools I interviewed at this cycle. I have very high stats, so it only makes sense to me to attribute it to the interview. As to how this answers your question: it depends on what your weaknesses are. Mine is interviewing. You should know yours (low stats, bad ECs, bad interview skills, etc)

Unless you bombed your interview, I contend that very high stat candidates (top 1-2%) still have an excellent chance to get off of waitlists even at T10/20 schools.

Do the math, assuming nearly all very high stat candidates will get accepted.
T20s will matriculate about ~3000 students.
Typical year is ~50k applicants.
Assume each t20 offers pre-waitlist Acceptances to a similar aggregated group of ~500 top most ppl who are receiving multiple Acdeptances but can only choose one come April 30.
Have hope.

 

[GoPenguinsGo]

Anyone who disrespects Goro or Gyngyn gets put on my personal Rejection list. Anyone who disrespects Moko gets put on my “Come-find-you-like-Im-Liam-Neeson-from-Taken” list

 

[srstudent]

Unless you bombed your interview, I contend that very high stat candidates (top 1-2%) still have an excellent chance to get off of waitlists even at T10/20 schools.

Do the math, assuming nearly all very high stat candidates will get accepted.
T20s will matriculate about ~3000 students.
Typical year is ~50k applicants.
Assume each t20 offers pre-waitlist Acceptances to a similar aggregated group of ~500 top most ppl who are receiving multiple Acdeptances but can only choose one come April 30.
Have hope.

Thank you, appreciate it.