At some point I remember someone saying that if you are immediately rejected from a school, i.e. no secondary for you! you can appeal in a way and ask for your file to be reviewed and may get a secondary, while this has not happened to me (at least not yet), is this true? How would one do that?
(I like to prepare myself for things I don’t want to happen, it’s a goofy hobby of mine).
I know someone who did something along these lines. I think it was a post-secondary rejection… she appealed, requested that her file be re-evaluated, and not only did she end up getting an interview invitation but she ended up accepted to the school.
A rejection from a school that pre-screens (pre-secondary), I’m not so sure. I’ve gotten the impression that the pre-screen process is pretty numbers-driven, but I could be wrong. Besides, if you get rejected either pre- or post-secondary, what do you have to lose when you ask for reconsideration of your application? The worst that can happen is they say no - and they’ve said it once already.
Having listened to folks talk about the application process for years and years, I think the worst thing for applicants is the school that leaves people hanging - not inviting them for an interview but also not rejecting them and cutting them loose. You can’t appeal a rejection that you haven’t gotten yet - all you can do is keep calling the AdCom office and plead with them. Bleah.
Mary
Do you know how they did that – did they just call? I got my first rejection today and think I am going to call tomorrow and ask them to revire my file. 
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Do you know how they did that – did they just call? I got my first rejection today and think I am going to call tomorrow and ask them to revire my file.
This is a very busy time for admissions offices. I would recommend that you write rather than call, expressing your interest in the school, and with specific details as to why you are interested, noting experiences of your own that support your reasons.
I am a firm believer in the “if you don’t ask, they can’t say yes” approach. However, you can carry this to an extreme. If you think you really are a qualified applicant for the school then ask for reconsideration. When these requests crossed my desk, the response I gave to the applicant was one of three possibilities (paraphrased): 1. We made the right decision and will not be sending a secondary; 2. It’s a serious uphill battle, but if you want to spend the time & money to fill out a secondary, please do; and 3. Here is a secondary.
Bottom line…if you feel that you are a reasonably well-qlualified applicant for the school, ask. If this is really a stretch school, then perhaps you might want to rethink asking for reconsideration.
Cheers,
Judy
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the response I gave to the applicant was one of three possibilities (paraphrased): 1. We made the right decision and will not be sending a secondary; 2. It’s a serious uphill battle, but if you want to spend the time & money to fill out a secondary, please do; and 3. Here is a secondary.
I’m curious to know if your decision was based solely on the numbers. For example, if both the GPA/MCAT are below your schools average did you say #1 for example? Or if one or the other were below, #2???
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Do you know how they did that – did they just call? I got my first rejection today and think I am going to call tomorrow and ask them to revire my file.
Hey Calvin,
Sorry to hear about the rejection. It’s their loss! If you are really interested in this school, then I would write to them and ask for reconsideration. But you might want to wait a few days to reconsider it. The first day after the first rejection is pretty harsh. But if you applied to enough schools, you will get plenty of secondaries very soon! Things will turn around!
What Mary said about the schools that keep you waiting for the rejection is really true. That practice is much, much worse. I actually have a certain appreciatian for the schools that rejected me right off the bat (to a point, at least).
Hang in there!
p.s. I hope it didn’t come in a business envelope with a see-through screen, like my first rejection did. I thought it was a bill at first.
I am sorry I should have been more clear – I actually got secondaries from all the schools to which I sent applications but got a rejection from one that does NOT screen before they send out said secondaries. The thing is I do think that I am a good candidate for the school in question and if they crunched the numbers and I didn’t pass, I still think my application deserves a second look as I fit the model they claim to want so I think I am going to write a letter outlining why I want to go there and what experience and qualities I bring to the table. The worst they can do is say no but you can’t say ‘yes’ to a question not asked so I think I am going to try.
Funny thing, I got that letter and it was in with a batch of letters from schools and they were all the same size and weight so when I was one was a rejection, I assumed they all were and braced myself for a hard afternoon. The other letters were confirmation that my secondary applications had been received as had my supporting documents! Not the bad new afternoon – at least not that day!
Never surrender!
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the response I gave to the applicant was one of three possibilities (paraphrased): 1. We made the right decision and will not be sending a secondary; 2. It’s a serious uphill battle, but if you want to spend the time & money to fill out a secondary, please do; and 3. Here is a secondary.
I’m curious to know if your decision was based solely on the numbers. For example, if both the GPA/MCAT are below your schools average did you say #1 for example? Or if one or the other were below, #2???
I read the whole AMCAS application, not just “the numbers.” The numbers (computer screen) had already put the applicant in the reject category. It wouldn’t have done any good to just repeat what the computer screen had decided. I was evaluating the complete application. I was looking for evidence, beyond the numbers (e.g. the non-cognitive variables/experiences) to justify saying “yes.”
Cheers,
Judy
Judy – do you have any thoughts about rejections post-secondary (when they don’t screen before the secondary), is it worth writing the letter or will that just annoy the school?
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Judy – do you have any thoughts about rejections post-secondary (when they don’t screen before the secondary), is it worth writing the letter or will that just annoy the school?
As before , if you don’t ask, they can’t say yes. Now, you do need to be thoughtful about whether you feel you really are a competitive candidate for that med school. As far as annoying the school…you have nothing to lose, right?
They’ve already said “no.” The worst that can happen is that they say “no” again. But you have to give them enough information so that they have a reason to say “yes.” A three sentence letter saying “please reconsider me for an interview” won’t do it. Nor will a two/three page missive. However, getting an interview after post-secondary rejection is far more difficult than getting a secondary after a primary screening rejection.Cheers,
Judy
Thank you, that’s what I thought. I do think I would be a good candidate for this school but I can see where if they just went by the numbers, it would be easy to put me in the no column and feel it cannot really hurt to ask, I just did not want to be annoying.
I thought I would wait until after the Thanksgiving holiday but am mailing the letter today. You know it was hard when I started it but then I felt there were some things that might not stand out in my application. And if they say no again, well, it’s not the only school to which I applied.