Why do people get rejected?

[Toffey]

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So I'm talking about schools in big cities, who get like 7k applications, and 100 matriculants. How do they sift out 6900 people throughout the process?

Do people just apply with crappy grades and low MCAT scores hoping for a miracle?
Do people apply with no ECs?
Are we all not "interesting" enough?

Once one is at the interview stage it seems to make more sense, and there seems to be about the same rationale as any job interview.

But yeah..if everyone who applies are is like the average pre-med on SDN then I don't see how anyone has a chance😵

Also, this isn't meant to be complaining or snarky in any way, I'm legitimately interested how such a huge applicant pool is whittled down, when all the pre-meds I've come in contact with, both on SDN and in real life, are brilliant and competitive.

 

[TxC]

Pretty much for any reason you can think of, someone didn't get into med school because of that reason.

Low numbers, institutional action, late apps, bad LORs......

The list is endless, my friend.

 

[Faha]

To begin with, applicants apply to many schools, often 15 or more. For your example a school may receive 7,000 applicants. However, only 4,500 may return the secondaries and most of the other 2,500 do not or may be screened out (usually the former). The school may offer interviews to 1,100 of those 4,500 . Those are good odds, almost 25% for an interview offer. Of those 1,100 only 900 actually interview. The other 200 decline the interview, usually because they already have an acceptance elsewhere or multiple interviews elsewhere. Of the 900 interviewed perhaps 300 withdraw their application post interview but before a final decision is made. This could be either before any decision is made or after an applicant is on the waiting list. While the school will matriculate 100 students they may accept 300 students to fill the class. Many accepted students may have one or more acceptances at another school and decide to matriculate elsewhere. An applicant who receives an interview invite and actually attends the interview and never withdraws their application could have a 50% chance of an acceptance at this school. This process goes on at ever other school the applicant applies to which is why over 40% of applicants to MD schools receive at least one acceptance. If you include DO schools more than half of all applicants will be accepted to either an MD or DO school.

 

[Goro]

At least 50% of those rejectees have no business setting foot in a medical school even as a cadaver, much less applying to one.

Yes, it's a seller's market and cookie cutter applicants tend to get culled out early on.

So I'm talking about schools in big cities, who get like 7k applications, and 100 matriculants. How do they sift out 6900 people throughout the process?

Do people just apply with crappy grades and low MCAT scores hoping for a miracle?
Do people apply with no ECs?
Are we all not "interesting" enough?

Once one is at the interview stage it seems to make more sense, and there seems to be about the same rationale as any job interview.

But yeah..if everyone who applies are is like the average pre-med on SDN then I don't see how anyone has a chance😵

Also, this isn't meant to be complaining or snarky in any way, I'm legitimately interested how such a huge applicant pool is whittled down, when all the pre-meds I've come in contact with, both on SDN and in real life, are brilliant and competitive.

 

[gyngyn]

We can stratify the quality of applicant in each MCAT score and interview the number needed to meet institutional goals.

Most schools have more than enough applicants with scores in their target range. People get rejected before interview because other applicants with the same scores told a more compelling story.

 

[csx]

what they all said above me lol