You know what's annoying?

[JamesBond15]

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People getting into schools without knowing much about the school. All these questions popping up about schools that can easily be answered with a few minutes of research. How did they risk not knowing basic info about the school during the interview? Or not asking earlier. And then people who invested hours into researching the school aren't getting in. Sad. 🙁

When I am a student interviewer, yes I got in just annoyed at the whole thing, I will make sure to ask "Why this school". The applicant better have good answer or else no stamp of approval from me. Just looking for the basics here that can be found on the website.

Crappy process. :/

 

[BlueElmo]

People getting into schools without knowing much about the school. All these questions popping up about schools that can easily be answered with a few minutes of research. How did they risk not knowing basic info about the school during the interview? Or not asking earlier. And then people who invested hours into researching the school aren't getting in. Sad. 🙁

When I am a student interviewer, yes I got in just annoyed at the whole thing, I will make sure to ask "Why this school". The applicant better have good answer or else no stamp of approval from me. Just looking for the basics here that can be found on the website.

Crappy process. :/

It's the name of the game, man. We're just trying to get in. Just trying to get that one acceptance.

 

[greatnt249]

People getting into schools without knowing much about the school. All these questions popping up about schools that can easily be answered with a few minutes of research. How did they risk not knowing basic info about the school during the interview? Or not asking earlier. And then people who invested hours into researching the school aren't getting in. Sad. 🙁

When I am a student interviewer, yes I got in just annoyed at the whole thing, I will make sure to ask "Why this school". The applicant better have good answer or else no stamp of approval from me. Just looking for the basics here that can be found on the website.

Crappy process. :/

Just because someone happens to know a few fun facts about the school doesn't necessarily make them a qualified medical applicant.

 

[FuturaDocta]

I'd say it is fair. If the interviewer thinks the applicant fits the student body, then the applicant should be allowed into the school.

I know it doesn't seem fair to some, but it really is part of the "game."

Most students are just trying to get whatever they can get. They can't really choose their dream school and stick to it unless they have some stellar resume that allows them to do so. Even then it would be iffy.

 

[JamesBond15]

Just because someone happens to know a few fun facts about the school doesn't necessarily make them a qualified medical applicant.

For the most part, if you get an interview you are pretty qualified.

At one of my interviews, a fellow applicant came out from her interview and said "They asked me if I had any questions for them, I wasn't prepared for that." And I was just thinking .. waa? How can someone not be prepared for that question? (Don't know if she was accepted or not).

 

[Zoom-Zoom]

From my interviews there seemed to be two schools of thought. Some schools wanted to impress you and were very respectful of your accomplishments and were sincerely interested in selling the school. Other schools kind of make you prove that you deserve to be there. The first group would be less inclined to care about how much you know about them... they want to build a good class, period.

Granted, almost all schools will ask you "why us" and want to know you're interested... but not all demand an encyclopedic knowledge.

 

[Zoom-Zoom]

It's the name of the game, man. We're just trying to get in. Just trying to get that one acceptance.

Totally. Here's the sad part, IMHO:

It would be relatively simple to limit the number of schools we are allowed to apply to. This is basically how the match works. It sounds scary, but you have a much higher chance of going somewhere you actually like.

Some people think it's all the "neurotic" applicants who drive acceptance rates low, but the schools are actually responsible. We'd be nuts not do everything in our power to get in after all we've done to make it this far... it's simple statistics. And, there's no way as applicants that we can be expected to apply to 20 or more schools and be legitimately interested in all of them. Most interviewers seem pretty aware of this, although others, somehow, are not.

The schools, too, are negatively affected by the number of applicants because there's no way they can legitimately read 10,000 applications on much more than a very superficial level. In the end, med schools have chosen to sacrifice the quality of their incoming class for a relatively small but not insignificant pay-off in application fees. Perhaps economics force them to do so. Who knows. As it stands it will continue to be a numbers game. Hate the game, not the playa'.

 

[phospho]

People getting into schools without knowing much about the school. All these questions popping up about schools that can easily be answered with a few minutes of research. How did they risk not knowing basic info about the school during the interview? Or not asking earlier. And then people who invested hours into researching the school aren't getting in. Sad. 🙁

When I am a student interviewer, yes I got in just annoyed at the whole thing, I will make sure to ask "Why this school". The applicant better have good answer or else no stamp of approval from me. Just looking for the basics here that can be found on the website.

Crappy process. :/

It sucks for the people who didn't get in, but maybe that tells you that they should've focused more on their stats and intangibles instead of researching the school's website.

You make it sound like this process should be fair. There is nothing ethical about medical admissions. It's a dog eat dog process. The whole process is a sham, and you would be kidding yourself if you believed otherwise.

We're just trying to get into medical school dude... no matter what it takes. Just one freakin' acceptance. That's all.

 

[JonathanMD]

I wouldn't use the word "annoying."

It'd be nice if everything were very idealistic. I'm a starry-eyed idealist myself. Unfortunately, you have to reality check yourself when dealing with almost everything in life. Medical school admissions is no different.

 

[mednsports]

People getting into schools without knowing much about the school. All these questions popping up about schools that can easily be answered with a few minutes of research. How did they risk not knowing basic info about the school during the interview? Or not asking earlier. And then people who invested hours into researching the school aren't getting in. Sad. 🙁

When I am a student interviewer, yes I got in just annoyed at the whole thing, I will make sure to ask "Why this school". The applicant better have good answer or else no stamp of approval from me. Just looking for the basics here that can be found on the website.

Crappy process. :/

chill out jamesbond15...geez. "And then people who invested hours into researching the school aren't getting in. Sad. 🙁" personally i wouldnt want you to be in my medical school with that attitude. Who cares?! ppl just try to get into school. its what you do after you are accepted that truly matters. good luck getting into school and being successful!

mednsports

 

[Narmerguy]

chill out jamesbond15...geez. "And then people who invested hours into researching the school aren't getting in. Sad. 🙁" personally i wouldnt want you to be in my medical school with that attitude. Who cares?! ppl just try to get into school. its what you do after you are accepted that truly matters. good luck getting into school and being successful!

mednsports

Well as a student that really cared about the school they were attending, I can see how it would be demoralizing to see other schools crapping on the school on a daily basis because they didn't really care about it or buy into its methods in the first place. Some medical schools are more than "a medical school" to some applicants, some applicants actually care. Not saying that makes others who are just trying to get in wrong but I don't think we should be wailing on Jamesbond for wanting applicants to value his school enough to care.

 

[MilkmanAl]

So...you're disappointed by just about every single applicant who gets accepted? Hours of research on a school don't mean jack if you haven't spoken at length with a couple current students. I think it's safe to say that literally everyone makes at least a partially blind choice of which schools to apply to. There's just no way you can have an educated opinion about all of them.

 

[BravesFanMD]

I researched schools heavily before my early interviews, only to find that I often got a totally different feel for the school during the interview day. Even when the school was as expected from the webpage, I still learned more about the school in the first ten minutes on campus than after perusing the website for a few hours. After my first interview or two I stopped researching schools before my interview (I picked schools to apply to by geographic location and rank anyway). My later interviews were much more enjoyable and informative, and I just took the attitude of "I'm here to learn about your school just like you invited me here to learn about me." I even expressed this to a couple of my interviewers and they thought it a reasonable approach.

 

[JamesBond15]

chill out jamesbond15...geez. "And then people who invested hours into researching the school aren't getting in. Sad. 🙁" personally i wouldnt want you to be in my medical school with that attitude. Who cares?! ppl just try to get into school. its what you do after you are accepted that truly matters. good luck getting into school and being successful!

mednsports

So you prefer to have fellow students who picked the school just because they got accepted (backup school) versus students who really want to go there. Got it.

(Yes, if you have only been accepted to 1 school then you really don't have a choice).

 

[JamesBond15]

So...you're disappointed by just about every single applicant who gets accepted? Hours of research on a school don't mean jack if you haven't spoken at length with a couple current students. I think it's safe to say that literally everyone makes at least a partially blind choice of which schools to apply to. There's just no way you can have an educated opinion about all of them.

I am not talking about when you pick the schools to which you want to apply. I don't expect anyone to research 20+ for hours. I am talking about before the interview. Yes, the website doesn't offer you a very good picture but I expect people to know something before they show up on interview day. Some do... some don't.

 

[tjluke25]

So you prefer to have fellow students who picked the school just because they got accepted (backup school) versus students who really want to go there. Got it.

(Yes, if you have only been accepted to 1 school then you really don't have a choice).

I applied to 20 schools: my state schools, mid-range schools, and reaches. My only criteria aside from making a well-rounded school list were 1. Geographic location, and 2. My impression from the students I have met at these schools (i visited them all beforehand). With regards to knowing a lot about the schools, I will research them the night before my interview so that I don't waste the interviewer's time with frivolous questions. I don't really care about most of this information til I decide to go anyway (all med schools are good enough to prepare me for residency, so why should it matter before I get there?)

 

[Quadratic]

 

[movax]

I think I'd have to agree with OP somewhat; coming from the corporate arena (four years+ engineering) and being close to most people here in age (probably), I know from sitting in on interviews that it does make a difference when you ask some questions about the school that you're planning on spending the next four years at.

I mean, it isn't the MCAT...read up on the school a bit the night before (or at the airport), perhaps prepare some questions. When the interviewer(s) ask, "Do you have any questions for us?", surprise them with "Well, actually, yes, I noticed it said x on your website, could you clarify a bit?". They will probably be happy to tell you more about the school, and it can serve as a good indicator of how the interview went too (terse, concise answer, assuming the interviewer isn't like that normally, well...you might have done badly).

I think an applicant would be remiss applying to a school, and not knowing anything but its name, and its position on the school selection spreadsheet. I wonder how many candidates have hitched on "so, what city are we in?" questions.

 

[JamesBond15]

I think I'd have to agree with OP somewhat; coming from the corporate arena (four years+ engineering) and being close to most people here in age (probably), I know from sitting in on interviews that it does make a difference when you ask some questions about the school that you're planning on spending the next four years at.

I mean, it isn't the MCAT...read up on the school a bit the night before (or at the airport), perhaps prepare some questions. When the interviewer(s) ask, "Do you have any questions for us?", surprise them with "Well, actually, yes, I noticed it said x on your website, could you clarify a bit?". They will probably be happy to tell you more about the school, and it can serve as a good indicator of how the interview went too (terse, concise answer, assuming the interviewer isn't like that normally, well...you might have done badly).

I think an applicant would be remiss applying to a school, and not knowing anything but its name, and its position on the school selection spreadsheet. I wonder how many candidates have hitched on "so, what city are we in?" questions.

Exactly. I am not saying the applicant needs to be walking encyclopedia. I just want people that put in the time to learn about the school before the interview get accepted (assuming good stats, but if you get an interview, you have the stats required) and the clueless ones that think they are too good for the school be rejected. Wishful thinking.. I know.

 

[JamesBond15]

Oh please.. go ........

 

[dw2158]

For the most part, if you get an interview you are pretty qualified.

At one of my interviews, a fellow applicant came out from her interview and said "They asked me if I had any questions for them, I wasn't prepared for that." And I was just thinking .. waa? How can someone not be prepared for that question? (Don't know if she was accepted or not).

that reflects the fact that the interviewee was unprepared for the interview or just kind of a dumba ss... in otherwise, slightly underqualified. so i disagree with the bolded.

It sucks for the people who didn't get in, but maybe that tells you that they should've focused more on their stats and intangibles instead of researching the school's website.

You make it sound like this process should be fair. There is nothing ethical about medical admissions. It's a dog eat dog process. The whole process is a sham, and you would be kidding yourself if you believed otherwise.

We're just trying to get into medical school dude... no matter what it takes. Just one freakin' acceptance. That's all.

for realsies.

and, OP, i think you're conflating having knowledge about the school with being a good fit for the school. it's possible to have one, the other, both, or neither.