Do "lower tier" schools reject "overly qualified" applicants?

[BigRedPingpong]

In terms of GPA and MCAT scores.

For example, would a "not so well known" school reject a person with a 4.0 & 35+ just because they think that he/she wouldn't go there anyway if accepted?

Or is this just a baseless rumor?

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[closertofine]

I've heard that rumor from many pre-meds, too, even though it's a bit hard to believe...but I have several friends who got rejected from their state schools, but got into schools like Cornell, Wash U, etc...so you've got to wonder...I do think it's possible.

 

[jlee9531]

definitely plausable esp if the "lower" schools that you are applying to are out of state and you really have no connection with that school.

they can prolly sense that they are a safety school to you.
just what i think tho.

 

[periodic]

It seems that some schools may delay an interview invite to see whether you withdraw first.

 

[elias514]

It doesn't make any sense for an unranked medical school to reject applicants with truly extraordinary credentials. If a superstar applicant declines an acceptance, the medical school can simply pull someone off the waitlist. That's why waitlists exist--to fill spots left by declined offers of admission.

 

[edik]

Originally posted by elias514
It doesn't make any sense for an unranked medical school to reject applicants with truly extraordinary credentials. If a superstar applicant declines an acceptance, the medical school can simply pull someone off the waitlist. That's why waitlists exist--to fill spots left by declined offers of admission.

Conceptually you are right. Realistically however, a school can only interview a certain number of applicants. So say Georgetown gets 10,000 applicants and can interview only about 1,000. They can't just interview the top 10%. Those top 10% will get into better or cheaper schools, and Georgetown will end up not having enough students.
So they have to make some hard choices. They look for people who are more likely attend their school. Why interview this 40 MCAT, 4.0 GPA applicant from Texas, than you can interview a 30 MCAT, 3.6 GPA applicant from North Virginia.

 

[emanresu]

Originally posted by BigRedPingpong
In terms of GPA and MCAT scores.

Don't forget ECs - they do make a difference.

I'll agree with the rumor mill. Although the lower tier (and state schools) cream over these applicants, I think they are hesitant about offering an acceptance unless they can demonstrate a real attraction to the school/state.

Also, many students would give up a higher ranked school for coveted scholarships.

 

[evines]

Plus, accepting someone that doesn't maltriculate raises the accepted:maltriculated ratio, i.e., something schools don't really want to do (some correlate this ratio with prestige).
I think some schools might interview overly-exceptional applicants, but then waitlist them to see if they continue to show interest.

 

[rikkitikki]

I think Tufts may do this

 

[evescadeceus]

I have to say, I agree with the last post. If you're slightly above the profile range and white, you're more likely to end up on the waitlist. They want to see some real demonstrated interest. This seems to be true for the osteopathic programs as well.

 

[hale-bopp]

Originally posted by rikkitikki
I think Tufts may do this

IF you seem to have an actual interest in the school, they don't pass you over just because of good stats. Any school that accepts 2/3 of its interviewees does not seem to be playing that "we'll waitlist you and let you in if you don't get in anywhere else" game... (statistics from usnews.com)

On the other hand, I didn't apply to BU because I had heard that they don't offer many interviews to people with high numbers. It's definitely true that schools can only interview so many people, and it is important to interview enough people who are likely to go there to get a good class. So I guess I understand why schools might choose to do this.

 

[ZekeMD]

The answer to your question is YES. I applied to MSU (before the august MCAT scores came out, I was getting nervous) as a safety school, but also because I really like the area. I ended up getting a 35 (not too shabby). So last week I was rejected from MSU, I didn't even get a secondary! So yes, schools do filter out those who they feel they are a "safety school" for. Oh well.

 

[uclacrewdude]

UCLA Drew does this. when i interviewed there last year, the interviewer asked me if i had any other acceptances. at the time i had 2 waitlists, 2 rejections, and 2 upcoming interviews, so i told him i felt fairly optomistic. then he gives me this crap about "oh, well we tend to look at applicants who dont have the opportunities you have, people who might not have gotten as many acceptances." dude, wtf!!! its like the total opposite of all the other schools! how come i never got accepted out of pity? very aggravating. but, it turned out for the better, since i am so stoked at temple.

 

[vmiskin]

yeah, that's happened to me as well - got a postsecondary rejection from georgetown and sinai, and no response from nyu, but got interviews at several ivies, of which i've gotten an acceptance at one of them thus far. it's just a function of schools playing a realistic numbers game.

 

[Mylaina]

There is a lot more behind acceptances than high numbers..... attitude, opinions of the applicant by the interviewers, students, etc, essays, ECs.... I know that people with 40s and 3.9s get rejected because they are jerks or can't talk to a person.... and sometimes when people go on interviews to their "safety" schools, they don't bother acting interested in the school-- and if there is a lack in XYZ school shown during the interview, they are not going to think highly of that and can lead to a WL or R rather than an A.

 

[klooless]

I don't really think most of them do. If so, then the whole "safety school" notion would be a wash, and thousands of premed. counselors worldwide should be out of jobs.

 

[Jugador75]

I think the answer is a definite YES. Partly depending on the school. I just got rejected pre-interview by BU. I've interviewed at Harvard, Hopkins, Columbia, Cornell, etc. I have also not heard anything from Jefferson. I can't think of any other way of explaining it.

 

[ny skindoc]

Admissions committees from experience have a pretty good idea of the type of student who will end up matriculating at their school.If a mid-lower level institution accepts what is truly a stellar applicant who then for various reasons holds a place until May,the school will have to move to their waitlist to fill it, often with a lesser candidate then they might have gotten earlier in the application season.There is a tendency for applicants to favor schools which take them earlier in the cycle so schools want to select their optimal candidates sooner than later.

 

[Wrigleyville]

Answer: Yes.

 

[Super Rob]

I'm convinced that schools talk to one another - or give one another a heads up on who's been accepted to where - at least before the applicants receive the information for themselves.

I recently interviewed at one of my dream schools. My #s are above their averages and I get a sense that the rest of my application is on par with what they consider competitive. My first interviewer made it sound like I had a 99% chance of acceptance but instead of asking me why I wanted to attend the school, proceded to put down another good school on the same side of town. The second interviewer joked about how I must have acceptances in the double digits by now (he was off by double digits!) and then made it absolutely clear that he felt I wasn't interested in his school... I think I choked. The minute I left the office, I could think of at least twelve reasons why I wanted to attend that school... I included at least three of them in a brief thank you note I mailed to the interviewer.

Here's my point: if ad com or future ad com people are reading this, ALWAYS assume that an offer of acceptance to an applicant will draw a reciprocal offer of acceptance from the applicant, regardless of whether or not she or he stands a chance at getting into the Ivy league school down the street. An applicant's top choice may not be US News and World Report's top choice... and some applicants are still undecided and need more information to make their decision

end dream

 

[ny skindoc]

Your stats are very good but not "too good" for these schools.You should be highly competitive for most of them,I'd consider a polite inquiry to find out whats happening.

 

[DoctorWannaBe]

Originally posted by ny skindoc
Your stats are very good but not "too good" for these schools.You should be highly competitive for most of them,I'd consider a polite inquiry to find out whats happening.

I tried a polite inquiry at Jefferson and the lady was quite rude to me!

 

[CalBeE]

Personality as portrayed in LORs, Personal Statement, and Interviews do matter.
If you pay attention to some schools, even though there's a diversity of students, many of them tend to have something in common. It's this something in common that often schools look for.

I got rejected post-secondary from Georgetown, but since then got 4 other acceptances. I'd want to think that they rejected me b/c they feel I "over-qualify", but I read something on SDN about how Georgetown looks for students that embrace their teaching philosophy (whatever it is). I have no clue about this when I wrote the secondary, and my essay probably just didn't give Georgetown the sense that I'll fit into their school.

Either way, I don't really care about Georgetown anymore

 

[AverageMan]

Originally posted by periodic
It seems that some schools may delay an interview invite to see whether you withdraw first.

Makes sense to me. I got put on a pre interview "hold" at Buffalo, even though my stats are competitive there, I'm a NY resident, and I had interivews at the other 3 SUNY's. I wouldn't have expected to get stalled at UB, but I suppose they could be waiting for me to withdraw. Looks like it worked for them, since I'll be withdrawing from there sometime next week

 

[Mylaina]

Originally posted by DoctorWannaBe
What about people like me with good stats (3.9 GPA, 31 MCAT) who got rejected by all the top tier schools I applied to, and only have schools like Temple, GWU, OHSU, and Jefferson to hear back from. These aren't the highest ranked schools (except OHSU, which I probably have no chance at being a nonresident), and I've heard nothing except for an interview at Drexel. Do a lot of people get rejected from all schools because they aren't good enough for a top-tier school, but maybe some mid/lower schools think they are over qualified?

DoctorWannaBe-- you are definitely not "too qualified" for Drexel. Your numbers are average for our class (although your GPA is a little higher).

 

[soonerpillow]

My MCAT is 7 points higher and my GPA is also much higher than the averages for the University of Oklahoma. They accept 80% of their interviewees, and I got waitlisted there. The interview went the same as it has everywhere else, it seemed to go very well. I've been accepted to 2 "higher ranked" schools so far. This was the last question they asked in the interview. So I'd like to think that I got waitlisted because of that. *shrug* Or maybe me app is worse than 80% of those interviewed at OU.

 

[ny skindoc]

You may well be right about the Univ of Oklahoma..if you want to go there,send them a letter letting them know they are your first choice(if that is the case),you will likely get off the waiting list at some point.If you are happy to go to the higher ranked schools then forget about trying to figure out the logic of the application process..it can be quite random.

 

[verbalassasin]

Probably You consider a school lower tier just because they don't have the numbers, but perhaps they have a true mission that they are trying to achieve and a person with the 4.0 and 37 MCAT may not want to fit into the mission. These schools that you term "lower tier" are the schools that actually do read the personal statement first and numbers second.

 

[Rendar5]

a lower tier school won't reject an overly qualified applicant. They will wait-list them. If, however, the overly qualified applicant makes clear that they're not interested in the school, then the school won't accept them.

 

[Supadupafly]

You consider GWU, OHSU, and Jefferson "lower tier"?!?! Those schools are all at the top of the game. I think they're all top 40 even.

 

[dalo0228]

I have 39 MCAT and other good stuff - and was perplexed to see an interview offer from Creighton, wherever that is...

 

[rgporter]

Originally posted by Supadupafly
You consider GWU, OHSU, and Jefferson "lower tier"?!?! Those schools are all at the top of the game. I think they're all top 40 even.

Not GWU, not the med school anyway. In response to the orriginal question though, GWU put me on preinterview hold. WashU., and UMich. interviewed me so I can't be that bad. UMich. then waitlisted me and WashU. probably will too. I was accepted at UVa (which is 27th I think) which is fine by me I love it there. I do think GWU waitlisted me because they knew probably wouldn't go there. But it is only a suspicion.

 

[LUBDUBB]

Admissions directors are evaluated based on their ratio of
offers of acceptance to actual enrollments. So if they don't think you'll attend their school, because you will likely go somewhere else, they might reject or waitlist you. For admissions directors it's all about offering acceptances that will translate into matriculants. Otherwise they're not doing their job well.

Thats my take on it anyway.

~lubdubb

 

[CalBeE]

Originally posted by LUBDUBB
Admissions directors are evaluated based on their ratio of
offers of acceptance to actual enrollments. So if they don't think you'll attend their school, because you will likely go somewhere else, they might reject or waitlist you. For admissions directors it's all about offering acceptances that will translate into matriculants. Otherwise they're not doing their job well.

Thats my take on it anyway.

~lubdubb

Yea, I heard similar things too. And interest in the school matters a lot at certain schools (Not neccessarily low-ranked ones). There has been a post about Wake Forest's staff keeping track of how many times you called about your application, as a way to see how interested you are in the school.

 

[gschl1234]

Originally posted by elias514
It doesn't make any sense for an unranked medical school to reject applicants with truly extraordinary credentials. If a superstar applicant declines an acceptance, the medical school can simply pull someone off the waitlist. That's why waitlists exist--to fill spots left by declined offers of admission.

Yes but they only have so many interview spots. I don't think any school would want to waste an interview on someone who may have no intention of matriculating.

 

[gschl1234]

Originally posted by evescadeceus
I have to say, I agree with the last post. If you're slightly above the profile range and white, you're more likely to end up on the waitlist. They want to see some real demonstrated interest. This seems to be true for the osteopathic programs as well.

What about if you're east asian?

 

[Entol]

Ouch, the OP's sig is kind of harsh! ;-)