What I learned from applying to MD schools this cycle!

[neuroticmeditation]

Warning... I'm an insane rambler and this post my have nothing of substance. Also I have no idea how post organizations work... so Idk if this is even in the right place. Anyways...

Hiya! I'm a longtime lurker on SDN and applied this past application cycle. I really liked having a resource/ community to fall back on when I was confused/ nervous/ anxious/ neurotic/ etc. I'm currently choosing between my state school (cheaper by a little), a top 20 school (great location, close to home), and a top 10 school (not so great location and far from home but otherwise in love with it). This is my post summarizing a few things I learned.

1. Apply early... but don't freak out if you're a bit late. I submitted my primary mid June... verified sometime in July, but then had to wait for my committee letter's completion in early August. Based off of SDN, I thought my application would really be hurt by this, but everything ended up being fine. I don't think it really affected me at all, although I had no early early interviews (my earliest interview was in mid October).

2. Apply broadly but don't be crazy. There were about 5 or so schools that I really shouldn't have bothered applying to... Either they were in locations I'd never actually be okay with going to, or they had no research opportunities. My application was completely research focused so they didn't even interview me and I wasted time and money.

3. Don't sell yourself short. I almost didn't apply into my favorite school and I'm really glad I did!

4. Don't just apply for rankings sake. Do your research properly about your schools. I know someone who planned on applying to "all the top 20s with a few safeties". Dumb advice and there's really no such thing as safeties for medical school applications.

5. Prepare for your interviews by reading up on science news, current events, health policy, medical ethics, etc. First of all, it's interesting. Second of all, it's a good thing to talk about during interviews.

6. Don't freak out if you don't sleep before interviews (or the MCAT for that matter). Try your best, but know that adrenaline is a powerful thing.

7. Expect the unexpected. I had an interviewer who was kind of inappropriate. (Do you have a boyfriend? What's his name? How many children do you want? Why not more? List all the schools you interviewed at. Rank this one against the others. Etc.) It was really difficult for me because I felt like I completely lost control of the interview, but do try to keep your composure. I ended up not reporting this at the time, although I am still considering reporting it politely now.

8. Get off of SDN for a while. It's nice to have a community but sometimes you need a breath of fresh air and a vacation away from premeds.

Good luck to anyone applying! It's a long, tiring process but things often work out in the end.

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[3member]

Hiya!

 

[Goro]

A lot of wise advice here. I strongly caution all of you that such interview questions below are indeed inappropriate, and should be reported to the Admissions Dean. This is the only way to get rid of bad interviewers.


7. Expect the unexpected. I had an interviewer who was kind of inappropriate. (Do you have a boyfriend? What's his name? How many children do you want? Why not more? List all the schools you interviewed at. Rank this one against the others. Etc.) It was really difficult for me because I felt like I completely lost control of the interview, but do try to keep your composure. I ended up not reporting this at the time, although I am still considering reporting it politely now.

 

[efle]

1. Apply early... but don't freak out if you're a bit late. I submitted my primary mid June... verified sometime in July, but then had to wait for my committee letter's completion in early August. Based off of SDN, I thought my application would really be hurt by this, but everything ended up being fine. I don't think it really affected me at all, although I had no early early interviews (my earliest interview was in mid October).

The SDN rule is to be complete by Labor day. Whoever was telling you early August was late to hit complete was waaaaay off.

7. Expect the unexpected. I had an interviewer who was kind of inappropriate. (Do you have a boyfriend? What's his name? How many children do you want? Why not more? List all the schools you interviewed at. Rank this one against the others. Etc.) It was really difficult for me because I felt like I completely lost control of the interview, but do try to keep your composure. I ended up not reporting this at the time, although I am still considering reporting it politely now.

I'd report this ASAP

8. Get off of SDN for a while.

Never.

 

[neuroticmeditation]

A lot of wise advice here. I strongly caution all of you that such interview questions below are indeed inappropriate, and should be reported to the Admissions Dean. This is the only way to get rid of bad interviewers.

Hi! I know I posted this quite a while ago, but as I'm making my school decisions, I've withdrawn from that particular school and have yet to report anything. I was wondering how I should go about reporting? Should I email the admissions dean directly instead of the admissions general email? I don't want other people to go through this experience but I'm slightly nervous that this could impact me in the future should I try to apply to this school's affiliated residency programs. I really don't want to seem like a complainer, but I know the interviewer's questions were inappropriate.

 

[laxbrah20]

Hi! I know I posted this quite a while ago, but as I'm making my school decisions, I've withdrawn from that particular school and have yet to report anything. I was wondering how I should go about reporting? Should I email the admissions dean directly instead of the admissions general email? I don't want other people to go through this experience but I'm slightly nervous that this could impact me in the future should I try to apply to this school's affiliated residency programs. I really don't want to seem like a complainer, but I know the interviewer's questions were inappropriate.

You have nothing to gain by reporting this. Withdrawing from that school should suffice.

 

[SubliminalNeuralgia]

You have nothing to gain by reporting this. Withdrawing from that school should suffice.

Sometimes we do things not for personal gain, but because it is the right thing to do.

@neuroticmeditation, I suggest either emailing the admissions dean directly and cc-ing the general admissions email or emailing the general admissions email asking for advice regarding the proper way to escalate it. Whichever you feel most comfortable with.

 

[gyngyn]

Email the admissions dean.
S/he may have been trying to get rid of this person for years. Give them the chance!

 

[Welshman]

Hi! I know I posted this quite a while ago, but as I'm making my school decisions, I've withdrawn from that particular school and have yet to report anything. I was wondering how I should go about reporting? Should I email the admissions dean directly instead of the admissions general email? I don't want other people to go through this experience but I'm slightly nervous that this could impact me in the future should I try to apply to this school's affiliated residency programs. I really don't want to seem like a complainer, but I know the interviewer's questions were inappropriate.

Would you really want to do your residency in an environment that enables that kind of behavior??

Worst case senario, I highly doubt whoever you'd report this too is directly involved with residency hiring and in 4 years what are he chances they'll be able to remember your name anyway.

If not for your own vindication, do it for future applicants.. Being a doctor is about helping other people, never too soon to start.

 

[Dr. Stalker]

Warning... I'm an insane rambler and this post my have nothing of substance. Also I have no idea how post organizations work... so Idk if this is even in the right place. Anyways...

Hiya! I'm a longtime lurker on SDN and applied this past application cycle. I really liked having a resource/ community to fall back on when I was confused/ nervous/ anxious/ neurotic/ etc. I'm currently choosing between my state school (cheaper by a little), a top 20 school (great location, close to home), and a top 10 school (not so great location and far from home but otherwise in love with it). This is my post summarizing a few things I learned.

1. Apply early... but don't freak out if you're a bit late. I submitted my primary mid June... verified sometime in July, but then had to wait for my committee letter's completion in early August. Based off of SDN, I thought my application would really be hurt by this, but everything ended up being fine. I don't think it really affected me at all, although I had no early early interviews (my earliest interview was in mid October).

2. Apply broadly but don't be crazy. There were about 5 or so schools that I really shouldn't have bothered applying to... Either they were in locations I'd never actually be okay with going to, or they had no research opportunities. My application was completely research focused so they didn't even interview me and I wasted time and money.

3. Don't sell yourself short. I almost didn't apply into my favorite school and I'm really glad I did!

4. Don't just apply for rankings sake. Do your research properly about your schools. I know someone who planned on applying to "all the top 20s with a few safeties". Dumb advice and there's really no such thing as safeties for medical school applications.

5. Prepare for your interviews by reading up on science news, current events, health policy, medical ethics, etc. First of all, it's interesting. Second of all, it's a good thing to talk about during interviews.

6. Don't freak out if you don't sleep before interviews (or the MCAT for that matter). Try your best, but know that adrenaline is a powerful thing.

7. Expect the unexpected. I had an interviewer who was kind of inappropriate. (Do you have a boyfriend? What's his name? How many children do you want? Why not more? List all the schools you interviewed at. Rank this one against the others. Etc.) It was really difficult for me because I felt like I completely lost control of the interview, but do try to keep your composure. I ended up not reporting this at the time, although I am still considering reporting it politely now.

8. Get off of SDN for a while. It's nice to have a community but sometimes you need a breath of fresh air and a vacation away from premeds.

Good luck to anyone applying! It's a long, tiring process but things often work out in the end.

OP - I love all of your tips. I employed a number of them when I applied (unsuccessfully) last cycle. A tip I'd like to add:

9. Be cautiously optimistic. Simply "wanting" to go to a school is NOT ENOUGH. I don't care if you've shadowed at their hospital, won the 5k volunteer award, did research there, and "know someone whose putting in a good word for you on the admissions committee." A large amount if this "unpredictable" process comes from those blindly optimistic @Goro. If you're applying with stats = or < the 10th percentile MCAT, your ECs will not save you. I was very fortunate and received 3 MD interviews with an extremely borderline MCAT (10th percentile at all of the schools). Despite great interviews, I was waitlisted and ultimately not admitted. The reason I know my MCAT held me back and not the interviews was because, upon rejection, I asked why and what I could do to improve, and 3/3 schools told me I had great post-interview reports, but the admissions committee just wasn't sold on my MCAT. BTW my sGPA was very competitive (>90th percentile for all schools), strong LoRs, and very strong ECs (multiple papers, club leadership, research, volunteer, 500 hours of shadowing split over 5 diff specialties, etc.). Your #s matter getting you an interview AND getting admitted.

 

[efle]

Your #s matter getting you an interview AND getting admitted.

Just to back this up with some official AAMC data: interviews, LoRs and service are higher in relative importance for post-interview decision, but GPAs and MCAT remain important (MCAT only goes from 3.5/5 to 3.4/5).

 

[Dr. Stalker]

Just to back this up with some official AAMC data: interviews, LoRs and service are higher in relative importance for post-interview decision, but GPAs and MCAT remain important (MCAT only goes from 3.5/5 to 3.4/5).

Thanks for the support. I was, admittedly, foolishly optimistic and believed in the whole "your #s get you an interview, a good interview gets you accepted." NOPE.