Wondering the reason for my post interview rejection at KCUMB :(

[bookworm_92]

Hey Y'all,

I'm a Texas resident who applied to all Texas Schools and about 9 DO schools. I knew I wasn't a competitive applicant for MD schools but I thought I had stats decent enough to get me into DO schools. Well I got secondaries from all DO schools and I got invited for interviews to one MD school (Texas Tech) and 4 DO schools.

Here are my stats: I have a 3.54 cumulative gpa (3.2 science) and 509 MCAT score. I have tons of community service and leadership experience and I have also done 2 years worth of health psychology research. I also have 2 years of job experience. I also have lots of clinical experience ( volunteering, shadowing and being research assistant in the Emergency Department of a hospital for a year).

I feel like though my science gpa is low, my mcat score combined with my extracurricular experiences counters that and that overall I'm an extremely well rounded person.

Unfortunately, I haven't been so successful in the application process so far. I have already been rejected from Texas Tech post interview which I'm not too surprised about since they interview a large amount of people (I think close to 800). However, when I interviewed at KCUMB 2 weeks ago, I felt very confident that I had a good shot there. My interview went really well and I listed on my application that I would go to either of their campuses. I really thought that I would be accepted to their Joplin campus if not the main one and at the very least I would be wait listed. However, less than 3 weeks after interviewing with them, I got a straight up rejection from them saying the usual stuff about how my application is good but there weren't enough seats. It's an understatement to say that I was shocked to find out this and reading other sdn posts, it seems that post interview acceptance rate is usually high in this school. I'm just racking my brains trying to figure out what could have been the reason for my rejection so early. I'm wondering if its one of my LOR's. I had very good LOR's but one of my science one was a little weak. It wasn't that it was bad but it wasn't very descriptive because my prof felt like he didn't know me too well to write a really good one. I took what he gave me because I was hard pressed to find any science professors I'd really connected with in college and besides I had 4 really good ones.

Anyways, I'm just in full blown panic mode now and I feel like I wont be accepted into any school because of whatever reason KCUMB rejected me for. I'm still waiting to hear LECOM's decision where I interviewed a couple of weeks ago and I'm also about to interview at 2 other DO schools so I might still get into any of these 3 schools but I just feel very pessimistic about the whole process now. Can anyone tell me what might me the reason for my rejection? Are my stats just not competitive enough for these schools? Please I would appreciate any insight into the matter.

Thanks!

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[Ho0v-man]

Hey Y'all,

I'm a Texas resident who applied to all Texas Schools and about 9 DO schools. I knew I wasn't a competitive applicant for MD schools but I thought I had stats decent enough to get me into DO schools. Well I got secondaries from all DO schools and I got invited for interviews to one MD school (Texas Tech) and 4 DO schools.

Here are my stats: I have a 3.54 cumulative gpa (3.2 science) and 509 MCAT score. I have tons of community service and leadership experience and I have also done 2 years worth of health psychology research. I also have 2 years of job experience. I also have lots of clinical experience ( volunteering, shadowing and being research assistant in the Emergency Department of a hospital for a year).

I feel like though my science gpa is low, my mcat score combined with my extracurricular experiences counters that and that overall I'm an extremely well rounded person.

Unfortunately, I haven't been so successful in the application process so far. I have already been rejected from Texas Tech post interview which I'm not too surprised about since they interview a large amount of people (I think close to 800). However, when I interviewed at KCUMB 2 weeks ago, I felt very confident that I had a good shot there. My interview went really well and I listed on my application that I would go to either of their campuses. I really thought that I would be accepted to their Joplin campus if not the main one and at the very least I would be wait listed. However, less than 3 weeks after interviewing with them, I got a straight up rejection from them saying the usual stuff about how my application is good but there weren't enough seats. It's an understatement to say that I was shocked to find out this and reading other sdn posts, it seems that post interview acceptance rate is usually high in this school. I'm just racking my brains trying to figure out what could have been the reason for my rejection so early. I'm wondering if its one of my LOR's. I had very good LOR's but one of my science one was a little weak. It wasn't that it was bad but it wasn't very descriptive because my prof felt like he didn't know me too well to write a really good one. I took what he gave me because I was hard pressed to find any science professors I'd really connected with in college and besides I had 4 really good ones.

Anyways, I'm just in full blown panic mode now and I feel like I wont be accepted into any school because of whatever reason KCUMB rejected me for. I'm still waiting to hear LECOM's decision where I interviewed a couple of weeks ago and I'm also about to interview at 2 other DO schools so I might still get into any of these 3 schools but I just feel very pessimistic about the whole process now. Can anyone tell me what might me the reason for my rejection? Are my stats just not competitive enough for these schools? Please I would appreciate any insight into the matter.

Thanks!

Man, it's a crapshoot. I got rejected from places I thought I'd have no prob getting into and ended up turning down interviews to places I thought would screen me out. Just can't ruminate on it because it does no good.

No idea how anyone can have any semblance of an ego after going through this process. Focus your energy on being prepped for your next interview.

 

[rxpture]

I just wanted to wish you the best of luck, especially coming from a TX resident that didn't get any TX love, either. Your stats are great for DO, so I'm not sure why you didn't get more love there, unless you chose several regional bias schools like pcom/rowan. No love from TCOM? I know it's not what you want to hear, but have you considered applying to TCOM's masters? I'm pretty sure you'd get a lot of interviews from TX if you did well in that program.

 

[bookworm_92]

Man, it's a crapshoot. I got rejected from places I thought I'd have no prob getting into and ended up turning down interviews to places I thought would screen me out. Just can't ruminate on it because it does no good.

No idea how anyone can have any semblance of an ego after going through this process. Focus your energy on being prepped for your next interview.

It really is a crapshoot. I keep constantly reminding myself that I'm not worthless after being rejected from these schools. I mean I've put so much effort into the whole process and its so discouraging when med schools reject and you don't even know what the real reason is.

I will definitely try to focus on the next interview and hopefully not let all this negativity ruin it. Thanks for responding!

 

[bookworm_92]

I just wanted to wish you the best of luck, especially coming from a TX resident that didn't get any TX love, either. Your stats are great for DO, so I'm not sure why you didn't get more love there, unless you chose several regional bias schools like pcom/rowan. No love from TCOM? I know it's not what you want to hear, but have you considered applying to TCOM's masters? I'm pretty sure you'd get a lot of interviews from TX if you did well in that program.

Thanks for the wishes @rxpture ! I didn't get any love from TCOM and I was very interested in that school. I submitted their secondary before any other school and I thought I had a very decent shot there being a TX resident and all. And yes I have considered the post bacc program especially now that I'm getting turned down from school. But the thought of not going to med school for another 2 years and spending tons of money on post bacc just discourages. Sigh. I wish there were better alternatives.

 

[tony101]

What Roger said is 100% correct, unless you call them and ask, you can't really tell what the reason was. It could literally be anything and I mean anything! It could of been the interview, maybe you didn't fit the school statement, maybe the letter of recs, etc. I don't want to ask you how the interview went or other things like that because no one really on these forums can answer that, only the school can. So if you really want to know, I suggest you call them ^.^

 

[LutGholein]

There's a few reasons this may have been the result--most notably it could of been interview performance-- but given that it's later in the interview season it's could be a lot of reasons-- did you apply late to DOs?

Your GPA is on the lower side but not lethal--I don't think it's your MCAT--given that there's a few Texas schools that may be around that region or below that score like the Paul Foster School of Medicine(avg MCAT for matriculant: 503) (http://elpaso.ttuhsc.edu/som/admissions/plfsom_stats_ey_2009.aspx)

Maybe you should email KCUMB.

 

[FutureD.O]

Please, please, please read the medical school interview by Samir Desai. It'll definitely help you and it's an extremely quick read. I based my interview experiences off that and was extremely successful relatively late into the app cycle.

 

[Wjldenver]

UIW? I bet they have a preference for Texas residents.


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[ritts]

Your stats are well above average for DO schools. I wouldn't fixate on that one rejection. Rather, just focus on interviewing well. Your chances are phenomenal to turn one of those interviews into an acceptance.

 

[luckyely91]

I would also have to agree and say that your stats are well above average for DO schools. I wouldn't take this rejection to heart; many, including myself, have been rejected before when applying to medical school, and I would have to say getting accepted the second time around is a more humbling experience. You not only get another year to work on your application (which it sounds like you don't have to), but you can also apply early (not sure how early you applied last year)!

 

[JB50]

Yo fam realize the cycle is a **** show. There is literally no rhyme or reason to any of it. I think half the time adcoms just reject like every third application to reduce the load (lol). keep your head up. There's a lot of great med schools and honestly, once you're in, it's what you make of it.




Keep going man!

 

[Goro]

Three things come to mind:

Worries about the weak SGPA
Poor interview skills.
Possible red flag LOR

Hey Y'all,

I'm a Texas resident who applied to all Texas Schools and about 9 DO schools. I knew I wasn't a competitive applicant for MD schools but I thought I had stats decent enough to get me into DO schools. Well I got secondaries from all DO schools and I got invited for interviews to one MD school (Texas Tech) and 4 DO schools.

Here are my stats: I have a 3.54 cumulative gpa (3.2 science) and 509 MCAT score. I have tons of community service and leadership experience and I have also done 2 years worth of health psychology research. I also have 2 years of job experience. I also have lots of clinical experience ( volunteering, shadowing and being research assistant in the Emergency Department of a hospital for a year).

I feel like though my science gpa is low, my mcat score combined with my extracurricular experiences counters that and that overall I'm an extremely well rounded person.

Unfortunately, I haven't been so successful in the application process so far. I have already been rejected from Texas Tech post interview which I'm not too surprised about since they interview a large amount of people (I think close to 800). However, when I interviewed at KCUMB 2 weeks ago, I felt very confident that I had a good shot there. My interview went really well and I listed on my application that I would go to either of their campuses. I really thought that I would be accepted to their Joplin campus if not the main one and at the very least I would be wait listed. However, less than 3 weeks after interviewing with them, I got a straight up rejection from them saying the usual stuff about how my application is good but there weren't enough seats. It's an understatement to say that I was shocked to find out this and reading other sdn posts, it seems that post interview acceptance rate is usually high in this school. I'm just racking my brains trying to figure out what could have been the reason for my rejection so early. I'm wondering if its one of my LOR's. I had very good LOR's but one of my science one was a little weak. It wasn't that it was bad but it wasn't very descriptive because my prof felt like he didn't know me too well to write a really good one. I took what he gave me because I was hard pressed to find any science professors I'd really connected with in college and besides I had 4 really good ones.

Anyways, I'm just in full blown panic mode now and I feel like I wont be accepted into any school because of whatever reason KCUMB rejected me for. I'm still waiting to hear LECOM's decision where I interviewed a couple of weeks ago and I'm also about to interview at 2 other DO schools so I might still get into any of these 3 schools but I just feel very pessimistic about the whole process now. Can anyone tell me what might me the reason for my rejection? Are my stats just not competitive enough for these schools? Please I would appreciate any insight into the matter.

Thanks!

 

[NecrotizingFasciitis]

Like everybody has said: it's hard to tell; it's a *** show.

There was a point in this cycle that I was wait-listed three times in a row and I was seriously worried about my interviewing skills, despite thinking I nailed my interviews. I was freaking out two weeks before my KCU interview, because I thought I would never get in (it was a reach school for me b/c of my lower gpa) and it was one of my favorite schools I had applied to. Here's what I did:

1.) Watch this video!!!


2.) Read the schools' website a few times to become familiar with what the school is all about (mission statement), how you (as a student) will thrive in the schools' curriculum (super important), and how you (as an individual) will fit in well with the surrounding environment (rural, urban, city, etc.)

3.) Practice answers to generic questions:
Why medicine?
Why DO?
Why physician vs. PA/NP?
Stance on *insert controversial topic here* and why?

Do this out loud so are used to hearing yourself answering these questions (it seriously helps a ton.) Practice this in the car or whenever you have an extra minute or two. Answer the questions differently each time so that when you answer, you have points you want to touch on, but it isn't practiced word-for-word; your answer should sound natural and flowing, not memorized.

I was able to land an acceptance after doing these things. I don't know if it had anything to do with my prep, or if I just got lucky, but hey... it's worth a shot!

Good luck OP!

 

[aspiringDOcWV]

Like everybody has said: it's hard to tell; it's a *** show.

There was a point in this cycle that I was wait-listed three times in a row and I was seriously worried about my interviewing skills, despite thinking I nailed my interviews. I was freaking out two weeks before my KCU interview, because I thought I would never get in (it was a reach school for me b/c of my lower gpa) and it was one of my favorite schools I had applied to. Here's what I did:

1.) Watch this video!!!


2.) Read the schools' website a few times to become familiar with what the school is all about (mission statement), how you (as a student) will thrive in the schools' curriculum (super important), and how you (as an individual) will fit in well with the surrounding environment (rural, urban, city, etc.)

3.) Practice answers to generic questions:
Why medicine?
Why DO?
Why physician vs. PA/NP?
Stance on *insert controversial topic here* and why?

Do this out loud so are used to hearing yourself answering these questions (it seriously helps a ton.) Practice this in the car or whenever you have an extra minute or two. Answer the questions differently each time so that when you answer, you have points you want to touch on, but it isn't practiced word-for-word; your answer should sound natural and flowing, not memorized.

I was able to land an acceptance after doing these things. I don't know if it had anything to do with my prep, or if I just got lucky, but hey... it's worth a shot!

Good luck OP!

I can attest to all of this! Watch both parts 1 and 2 of the series if you can, though a lot of the material in my opinion was common knowledge, they reinforce what you need to know going into an II and handling certain questions.

 

[bookworm_92]

Like everybody has said: it's hard to tell; it's a *** show.

There was a point in this cycle that I was wait-listed three times in a row and I was seriously worried about my interviewing skills, despite thinking I nailed my interviews. I was freaking out two weeks before my KCU interview, because I thought I would never get in (it was a reach school for me b/c of my lower gpa) and it was one of my favorite schools I had applied to. Here's what I did:

1.) Watch this video!!!


2.) Read the schools' website a few times to become familiar with what the school is all about (mission statement), how you (as a student) will thrive in the schools' curriculum (super important), and how you (as an individual) will fit in well with the surrounding environment (rural, urban, city, etc.)

3.) Practice answers to generic questions:
Why medicine?
Why DO?
Why physician vs. PA/NP?
Stance on *insert controversial topic here* and why?

Do this out loud so are used to hearing yourself answering these questions (it seriously helps a ton.) Practice this in the car or whenever you have an extra minute or two. Answer the questions differently each time so that when you answer, you have points you want to touch on, but it isn't practiced word-for-word; your answer should sound natural and flowing, not memorized.

I was able to land an acceptance after doing these things. I don't know if it had anything to do with my prep, or if I just got lucky, but hey... it's worth a shot!

Good luck OP!

Hey @NecrotizingFascitis !

Thank you for all the tips. I just finished watching the video and got a lot of good information from it. I'm going to try it at my upcoming interview at ACOM this week. Thanks for taking the time to help me out with this! Congrats on your acceptance!

 

[bookworm_92]

Please, please, please read the medical school interview by Samir Desai. It'll definitely help you and it's an extremely quick read. I based my interview experiences off that and was extremely successful relatively late into the app cycle.

I found it on amazon and have started reading parts of it! Thanks for the recommendation!

 

[bookworm_92]

There's a few reasons this may have been the result--most notably it could of been interview performance-- but given that it's later in the interview season it's could be a lot of reasons-- did you apply late to DOs?

Your GPA is on the lower side but not lethal--I don't think it's your MCAT--given that there's a few Texas schools that may be around that region or below that score like the Paul Foster School of Medicine(avg MCAT for matriculant: 503) (http://elpaso.ttuhsc.edu/som/admissions/plfsom_stats_ey_2009.aspx)

Maybe you should email KCUMB.

Yea I'm considering calling or emailing KCUMB. I don't know if I'll get a useful answer from them but I'll try. And yes I was little bit late in the cycle so that could be the reason. However, since I got an interview with them, I figured it wouldn't matter when I applied.

 

[JB50]

Thank God for MMI's. Brb everyone coming in like a robot.

 

[DocWinter]

It's not you, it's the system.

Best i can offer is to walk into the next interview with confidence. If you have such good numbers it could be a social or interview issue holding you back. Practice interviews

 

[Doc-Thor]

As others have said above, the process is sometimes a total crapshoot. Keep your head up and kill the next few interviews!