Withdrawing my position on the waitlist

[BlackBox]

It is 80% black. As a Hispanic, I would prefer to go somewhere with a class that is diverse in several ways (not limited to race), so going to a school that is 80% black would be the same as going to a school that is 80% white.

And yes, in one of my interviews, the interviewer said, "Your MCAT is low--very low." It's only a 27. The rest of my interview went pretty well I thought...My student interview went especially well. I was waitlisted, though. The 80k price tag is total cost of attendance--tuition is around 40k, and is for an MD program.

Ahhh- got it. 6 of one, half dozen of another I suppose. 27 is low, but not "very low." I retook the MCAT and went from a 27 to a 31 in less than a month with intense studying. So if you are certain you can improve, go at it hardcore. If you feel in your heart-of-hearts that you can't see yourself eking out a few years (not quite 4 b/c you'll be in clinics), withdrawal. The AAMC has statistics on re-applicants please consider these before making a decision.

However, I have a feeling it's better to hold the waitlist spot. I would hate to read posts from you next year wishing you had stayed put.

Also, that price is fine (it's all relative, I know). In fact, it's cheaper than a lot of schools. I would not factor 40K/yr into your decision.

Best of luck.

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[pietachok]

Given what LizzyM posted above, you absolutely should not withdraw. You should sit on the waitlist until you are forced to make a decision. You might get other interviews or admissions and find this a moot point.

The tuition and cost of attendance you have given is not out of the norm.

I very much understand why you don't feel like the school is a good fit and are worried about attending it. That said, you have to seriously consider how much stronger your application will be next year. What if you study your butt off and only get your MCAT up to a 29? Meharry will be off the table. You might not get interviews at schools that interviewed you this year because of the stigma against reapplicants (unpredictable). My last application cycle, I applied to Meharry and got an interview -- even though it would have been a bad fit, I would have gone rather than reapplying, and I am not URM.

Just the way life works, I feel like being humble and sitting on the waitlist is the action that's most likely to lead more interview invites to your inbox, anyhow.

 

[tantacles]

Well I guess I'm kind of at a loss for how I can do that. I already typed and memorized well thought out responses to 100 potential interview questions, memorized my application, and made a list of reasons for "why this school". I feel like that's helped a little, although they've only asked me probably 1-2 questions aside from the why this school one. I am always very outgoing in my interviews since that's just my personality, but idk. I guess I could focus on being more articulate. I think I am generally pretty articulate but obviously I could improve. Do you have any other suggestions?

Try to take an interest in the person you're interviewing with. If they introduce themselves and mention a word about their research, ask them about the research. If they mention a hobby, ask them about it. Medicine is all about being interested (or at least pretending VERY WELL) in very small details that may not make a difference to you, but might play a big role in someone else's life.