Why Was I Rejected After My Med School Interview?

So, you got a medical school interview (or a few), but you weren't accepted. What are the possible reasons you were rejected AFTER your med school interview? That's what we'll cover today.

If you are currently in this boat—without an acceptance—consider applying to be on my series Application Renovation to get free feedback on how to improve your app: http://applicationrenovation.com/apply.

So what are some of the reasons you could get rejected after your medical school interview?

The first thing to keep in mind is that, just because you made it to the interview, that doesn't NECESSARILY mean you have a realistic shot at getting in. Some schools will actually interview EVERY in-state applicant, even if they have a low chance of being accepted during this cycle.

So, it's always possible that something in your original application WAS the reason you got rejected after an interview.

One of the biggest reasons that students get rejected after the interview is that they didn't let the interviewer get to know them during the interview. It's because you kept diverting the interviewer's questions into sales pitches.

A lot of students try to sell way too hard in the interview. They try to spin every interview question into a sales pitch. For example, the only time you should really be emphasizing why your experiences or traits will make you a better physician is when that was part of their question.

Another reason why students get rejected after the med school interview is because of being too nervous, not making good eye contact, being closed off, etc. The interviewer may not feel comfortable with your presence, and they won't be able to imagine you taking care of their family members in the hospital.

Hopefully, just knowing that the interview is meant to be a conversation—not a sales pitch—will decrease your anxiety and make you come across more relaxed or natural in your interview.

Another thing that can cause you to be rejected after your interview is being rude or closed off during the rest of your interview day. The whole day is really an interview, not just when you're in the room with the interviewer. If you're being rude to staff or students, that could come back to bite you.

In the end, you need to ask the medical schools for feedback.

Another good idea is checking out our Application Renovation series: http://applicationrenovation.com. In each episode, I go through someone's full application to medical school and help them identify the weak points. By seeing those examples, you'll be able to compare notes with your own app and get an idea how adcoms may be looking at your app.

Unless you do a lot of reflection on why you were rejected, you may not know what you need to improve for your next application cycle. Hopefully this video gave you some ideas on steps to take to figure it out!

Be sure to subscribe to this channel for more premed advice and med school motivation! And check out all my Meded Media podcasts at http://premedpodcasts.com!