Home › Archive for Calling about your status
Blog Archives

Being the Squeaky Wheel

Posted on by by

Medical School and Residency Admissions

Several years ago I helped a strong applicant who had been rejected by a top medical school. He thought he was a very good fit for this particular institution, so he called the school to make his case. Surprisingly, after the applicant’s phone call, the school granted him an interview, reversing their original rejection.

It was at this time when I met the applicant; we conducted a mock interview so he would be well-prepared.

Ultimately, after being initially rejected, this applicant was admitted to that top school.

Of course, this is an exceedingly rare occurrence. But to me, the moral of this story is that it is worth being assertive (not aggressive!) in the medical school and residency admissions processes: Send an update letter, call institutions (politely) to inquire about your status (if they do not expressly prohibit phone calls), and be proactive during your interviews.

You need to advocate for yourself in order to be noticed.

Tags: , ,

Contacting Medical Schools

Posted on by by

Recently, one of my clients, who had been invited for interviews at other institutions, was rejected from a medical school he wanted to attend. Much to his credit, he emailed the Dean of Admissions and wrote a cogent note expressing his interest and requesting a second consideration. Within twenty-four hours he had been offered an interview.

I’m not saying this is typical, but generally, I do recommend politely contacting institutions if you haven’t heard anything or if you’ve been rejected from a school for which you think you are competitive.

Contact me for help.

Tags:

Inquiring About Your Status

Posted on by by

Please see my previous blog entry about contacting institutions regarding your status. When you call you can gently say, “I’m attempting to make some travel arrangements and was wondering if you could give me an update on my status.” As long as you are polite, you won’t hurt your candidacy. (Of course, if an institution specifically requests on their website or brochures that you not call, I would advise against it.)

Tags:

Contacting programs

Posted on by by

Medical School, Residency and Fellowship

I recommend that if you have not heard from a medical school, residency or fellowship program to which you applied that you contact the institution to inquire about your status. (The Match has passed, so, of course, this will no longer work for residency applicants for this year.)

This week I received an email from a client who told me that this technique served her well in getting a fellowship interview. The applicant had not been invited to interview at a particular program, and I suggested she call to ask about her status. By phone she was offered an interview. Two medical school applicant clients told me about similar experiences when they called schools.

Of course if the school or program explicitly asks in their written materials that you don’t contact them about your status then calling is not a good idea.

Check me out: www.InsiderMedicalAdmissions.com . I am already assisting applicants for next year.

Tags:

About Dr. Michelle Finkel

Dr. Michelle Finkel

Dr. Finkel is a graduate of Stanford University and Harvard Medical School. On completing her residency at Harvard, she was asked to
stay on as faculty at Harvard Medical School and spent five years teaching at the world-renowned Massachusetts General Hospital.
She was appointed to the Assistant Residency Director position for the Harvard Affiliated
Emergency Medicine Residency where she reviewed countless applications, personal statements and resumes. Read more

Receive FREE Insider Medical Admissions Tips.

Sign Up

Listen to Dr. Finkel’s interview on the White Coat Investor podcast:

Listen to Dr. Finkel’s interview on the FeminEm podcast: