Why does one really good school interview you and others don't?

[iamhere]

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I was wondering why a school such as Hopkins would interview someone and then other schools like Penn or Cornell won't. I know it is a priveledge to interview at any of these schools and all that, but it just seems weird. Any thoughts? Other people experiencing the same thing? I have friends who have interviewed at Harvard, Hopkins, Wash U, but haven't heard anything from schools like Northwestern, Penn, and Yale. Any rhyme or reason?

 

[elias514]

Same crap happened to me. The whole process seems a bit random at times. I guess that's why people apply to so many schools.

 

[ehd327]

Exactly. In my opinion, the random process is in effect once you send your primary app. Think about it, the people that review your primary and secondary apps are all different with varying interests and ideas about what makes a 'good candidate' for their program. If, by random chance, your file ends up in the hands of a reviewer that likes ice-fishing just as you do (just an example, unless you truely do love ice-fishing!), then luck was on your side, and now you have been invited for an interview. Obviously a 4.0 GPA,a >35 on the MCAT , and various publications/extracurriculars looks good to any reviewer, but there is still that randomness factor (for those of us that are less fortunate) to make the whole process very ambiguous. It is not uncommon to hear people being rejected post-secondary to their 'back-up schools'! But, being interviewed at a top notch school is a great thing. Now that I look back, I wish I had applied to more top-notch schools...you never know what can happen. Good Luck

 

[iamhere]

Yeah I have heard it is random and looking at that mdapplicants.com site it appears that there are people in a similar situation. It is weird though when you picture an adcom member looking at your app and saying to him/herself...hmm, I don't think we should invite this person to interview. I am not saying my app is the best in the world, but many people I know are in this situation and have 37+, 3.9+, tons of extracurriculars, and basically everything that is supposed to be med school gold. Oh well, I guess I will just keep telling myself some of these other schools are going to offer me an interview any day now.😕

 

[robotdancing]

i didn't believe it until i experienced it this year, but this process is a total crapshoot

 

[jlee9531]

Originally posted by iamhere
Yeah I have heard it is random and looking at that mdapplicants.com site it appears that there are people in a similar situation. It is weird though when you picture an adcom member looking at your app and saying to him/herself...hmm, I don't think we should invite this person to interview. I am not saying my app is the best in the world, but many people I know are in this situation and have 37+, 3.9+, tons of extracurriculars, and basically everything that is supposed to be med school gold. Oh well, I guess I will just keep telling myself some of these other schools are going to offer me an interview any day now.😕

there is no med school gold....

if they see something they like then you are invited....having the strong numbers and ECs are things top schools expect from the majority that are applying there....so just because you have those things doesnt really mean anything. to them you are just the basic run of the mill applicant like the thousands of others that apply to their institution....

they cant invite you all to an interview so they find things they might like....as obsure as those things may be....you never know what they are...

all the reviewers are different...they dont have a guidebook telling them exactly what to look for....so yeah.

unlike Jerry Seinfeld's "roundtine" bit.....nothing is gold in med school application process..

 

[DrWuStar]

different programs have different philosophies and are looking for different things. contrary to popular belief, your GPA and MCAT are not the deciding factors. schools are looking for applicants who will excel in THEIR particular program. most of us are smart enough and hard-working enough to become good doctors. med schools recognize that, but that isn't enough to get your foot in the door at a particular school. they have to see something in your application that makes them believe you will be an asset to their program and do well in it.

it is true that the process is somewhat a crapshoot... after all, the AMCAS and two pages of essays on the secondary might not be enough for the school of your dreams to see how perfect you are for them. but i think it makes a lot more sense to actually research the schools beyond their ranking in US News so that you know where you might fit. here is my best example: northwestern and u of chicago are tied in the US news rankings. northwestern accepted me. u of chicago did not even interview me. i pretty much could have told you that would happen from the beginning. northwestern and i are a perfect match (although i may end up going somewhere else for location, financial, and family reasons). anyway, my point is that applying to 10 schools you actually know something about and feel you would enjoy and be successful in makes a lot more sense to me than applying to 30 schools based on their US news rankings and average MCAT scores.

 

[ehd327]

Very good point. I think letters of intent should be focused on the 'best fit' philosophy

 

[iamhere]

Originally posted by jlee9531
there is no med school gold....

if they see something they like then you are invited....having the strong numbers and ECs are things top schools expect from the majority that are applying there....so just because you have those things doesnt really mean anything. to them you are just the basic run of the mill applicant like the thousands of others that apply to their institution....

they cant invite you all to an interview so they find things they might like....as obsure as those things may be....you never know what they are...

all the reviewers are different...they dont have a guidebook telling them exactly what to look for....so yeah.

unlike Jerry Seinfeld's "roundtine" bit.....nothing is gold in med school application process..

I did not say that these applicants were "med school gold". I said they had everything most people consider to be golden. Perhaps you are right though and the majority of the people applying to these schools do have really high mcats, gpas, volunteer, ec stuff. So then it appears it is somewhat random if they all want something different.
To the post about applying to ten schools you are a fit for, I think that is kind of difficult. I don't know about you, but most people can't really tell where they will be a good fit. Furthermore, maybe I apply to the ten i think i will be a good fit at, but that school has the opposite opinion. Probably best to apply to a ton of schools just to be safe