Who to call after a rejection?

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RaistlinMajere

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I was recently rejected from a school where my stats should have been competitive. Who in admissions should I contact to find out exactly why I was negged prior to the interview? Or should I just email the director of admissions?
 
I would call them. I have many friends who have called before, and almost all of them have gotten a response if the reason is obvious like the person was cocky at the interview or the stats weren't good enough etc. The files will have notes. Usually a person in admissions should be able to pull up your file and give you an answer. Then if you don't like that answer, you can ask to speak or email the dean of admissions. But once they make their decision, there is no way they will overturn it.

Good luck,

GOBUCKY!
 
This whole process is a crapshoot, there seems to be no standard for what "should" be competitive stats. If I were you I wouldn't waste time calling the anyone froma school where you got rejected, I would focus on the schools where you are still in the running.
 
I'd say that you can call and find out what's up; I might recommend asking something like "What can I do/could I have done to be a more competitive applicant?" so that you can get the goods but not seem confrontational. Although I agree that it's ridiculous to not take folks with stats that are obviously good enough for an interview (my friend got the pre-interview dump from U of Rochester with a 3.9/38), I also could see it being in poor form to call and tell the adcomm that you DESERVE an interview.

Medical school application, like life in general, is not fair.

Good luck on the rest...

dc
 
bigdan said:
I'd say that you can call and find out what's up; I might recommend asking something like "What can I do/could I have done to be a more competitive applicant?" so that you can get the goods but not seem confrontational. Although I agree that it's ridiculous to not take folks with stats that are obviously good enough for an interview (my friend got the pre-interview dump from U of Rochester with a 3.9/38), I also could see it being in poor form to call and tell the adcomm that you DESERVE an interview.

Medical school application, like life in general, is not fair.

Good luck on the rest...

dc

I have noticed that U of Rochester has been rejecting a lot of people with super stats. I think they assume that they will not go there, so they just don't bother with them. I got an interview at U of R, and i have mediocre stats, right along their averages. To the OP, don't be discouraged if a school rejects you, your stats is probably too good for them, even though that doesn't sound very logical.
 
Uegis said:
I have noticed that U of Rochester has been rejecting a lot of people with super stats. I think they assume that they will not go there, so they just don't bother with them. .


Hmmm. That sucks. And I agree - that makes no sense. I got an interview there too, with far from superior stats....I think U of R is a great school; wonder why (if?) they have an inferiority complex.

dc
 
rockstar2525 said:
This whole process is a crapshoot, there seems to be no standard for what "should" be competitive stats. If I were you I wouldn't waste time calling the anyone froma school where you got rejected, I would focus on the schools where you are still in the running.

yeah, what's the point? they're not going to change their decision, and you're not going to learn anything new unless you were totally clueless about the unpredictable nature of this whole thing going in. instead, i'd call my mom and cry, maybe...
 
bigdan said:
Hmmm. That sucks. And I agree - that makes no sense. I got an interview there too, with far from superior stats....I think U of R is a great school; wonder why (if?) they have an inferiority complex.

dc

they're a decent school first of all, but the important question is have you ever been there? i interviewed there for the 8-year program when i was in high school and it was absolutely pathetic. there's nothing to do, people are a little off-center, and the weather sucks.
 
bigdan said:
Hmmm. That sucks. And I agree - that makes no sense. I got an interview there too, with far from superior stats....I think U of R is a great school; wonder why (if?) they have an inferiority complex.

dc

I dunno, I got an interview at Rochester with a 42P. Maybe my 3.5 is a sign of desperation? But I wouldn't think so ...
 
I arranged a meeting with the director of admissions of one of the schools I was rejected from as I knew several people with lower MCATs and equal GPAs who were accepted. I found out that my interviewers thought I came off as "naive" but was encouraged to retake the MCAT and reapply for the next year. I ended up getting accepted elsewhere so it didn't really matter but it was nice to know why they rejected me. What they considered a flaw in my personality is something I would not change about myself and I think will help me become a great pediatrician. Talk to them, you may feel better afterwards and you may get some helpful hints for future interviews.
 
interesting, I didn't know that you could do that. That's pretty useful.

GOBUCKY! said:
I would call them. I have many friends who have called before, and almost all of them have gotten a response if the reason is obvious like the person was cocky at the interview or the stats weren't good enough etc. The files will have notes. Usually a person in admissions should be able to pull up your file and give you an answer. Then if you don't like that answer, you can ask to speak or email the dean of admissions. But once they make their decision, there is no way they will overturn it.

Good luck,

GOBUCKY!
 
It can't hurt to call them -- I called several schools, and got responses ranging from jack **** to some unhelpful suggestions (ie. just raise your gpa .3 points -- ummm sure, after 4 years of college, I'd be happy to...), to some very helpful ones. Keep in mind some schools won't schedule anything until after the admissions season is over, and also, it would NOT be in your best interest to be confrontational or demand an interview, just ask what you need to improve should you need to reapply next year.
 
call and ask.

but there are thousands of applicants with stats similar or better than yours. just because your stats are competitive with the school, doesn't mean they can invite all of them for interviews.
 
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