What are the steps you need to take AFTER your medical school interview? It’s really hard to wait and wait and wait, and not know what your future holds!
The waiting period that comes after the med school interview can be painful. You want to KNOW already whether you’re accepted or not. Today, I’ll cover a few things you should be doing after each interview – and one thing NOT to do!
If you want to learn more about interview tips, check out my book The Premed Playbook: Guide to the Medical School Interview. And check out all our podcasts on MedEd Media.
[00:50] Sending Thank You Notes or Follow-Up Notes
One of the most important things you should be doing is sending follow-up notes or thank-you notes to your interviewers. This is particularly true when you’re doing a traditional interviewer and getting to speak at length with one interviewer.
Now for an MMI, this isn’t specifically necessary to send follow-up letters or follow-up notes, or thank-you notes to individual interviewers. Depending on the school, however, in many MMI stations you had, you didn’t get to really know the person that was interviewing you in that station or the actor, or whoever was reviewing you. So you don’t need to send individual letters to those people during the MMI.
You can also send a thank you note to the admissions office. It takes a lot of coordination and a lot of work to put on an interview day with the admissions office coordinating with all of the actors, interviewers, and everyone else on that day. So a thank you note to them can go a long way.
'You're probably not going to change a no or a rejection into a Yes, just because you sent a thank you note. But it's still common courtesy to do so and it will help you stand out.'Click To TweetTry to send it as soon as possible after your interview day. Download my free templates for post-interview thank-you notes here.
[02:40] Taking Notes
Another very important thing that you should be doing post-interview is taking notes. Can you see yourself going to that school? Do you have any more questions? How do you see yourself fitting in at that medical school? What did you like about the day? What didn’t you like that stood out? What was something that left you with more questions? What are some follow-up questions that you potentially have?
You don’t want to choose your school just based on cost, scholarship, money, and prestige. Take notes of what you thought after each interview on whether you’d like to go to that school and why.
“You should be taking your own notes after each med school interview.”Click To TweetTake notes even if you only have one interview because you don’t know if you’re going to get another interview in the future.
Pick a medical school based on how you think you’re going to do at that medical school and how well you think you’re going to fit in at that medical school. And your post-interview notes are going to help you really remember what that interview day was like.
[04:39] Possible Responses from Medical Schools
There are a couple of responses that can come post-interview:
1. You could be rejected.
2. You’re put on a waitlist.
After your interview, you may be contacted to say you’ve been put on the school’s waitlist. Here’s my podcast episode on waitlists: http://medicalschoolhq.net/360 and learn more about how they work, how you should be working with them, and what to think through with the waitlist.
3. You don’t hear anything.
Unfortunately, some medical schools won’t even respond if you’re not accepted. They’ll ghost you!
This happens more often if you’re rejected before an interview, but it can happen after an interview, too. They just say, “We’ll contact you if you’re accepted.”
[05:40] What NOT to Do Post-Interview
Here’s what you SHOULDN’T do after your interview: Don’t bug the schools, constantly checking in. Medical schools are too busy for all of those interruptions. So please don’t do that.
“Most medical schools have rules for how you can contact them. Please follow their rules for update letters.”Click To TweetThere are rules of engagement with the medical school application process. And every medical school will have its own rules of engagement – whether they want to be contacted through email or phone or through their portal.
Some schools don’t want updates. If you don’t follow their rules, that could hurt you. If you don’t follow the rules, all you are showing them is that you didn’t take the time to read and understand their rules. So please abide by their rules.
If you have been waitlisted, even if a medical school says not to send them updates, it’s a common courtesy just to say thank you. “Thank you for the waitlist, I look forward to hearing about your final outcome in the future.” That’s all you need to say, you don’t need to say anything more. You don’t need to add any updates to that.
[07:22] Don’t Lose Hope
If a school doesn’t allow updates, if they don’t want you to reach out to them and contact them, there’s really nothing you can do other than wait.
Here is some encouragement: There is often movement on the waitlist right at the end of the application cycle because students will be making decisions and spots will likely open up.
For students who are lucky enough and have worked hard enough to have multiple acceptances, they have to choose one school at the end of the day. And wherever they are holding other acceptances, there will be movement at those schools.
So an acceptance could realistically still come together for you very late in the cycle. It happens. You may get an acceptance right near the start of the school year. And you’re going to have to scramble for housing and scramble to move and figure out all those logistics right before the school year.
That may come with a lot of stress and may come with a lot of extra pressures for starting off your medical school year when you’re needing to move and all that stuff.
So just be prepared.
If you’re on a waitlist later and later in the application cycle, be prepared for that stress as well. And hopefully, you get in and that stress will be more limited.
Links:
The Premed Playbook: Guide to the Medical School Interview
free templates for post-interview thank-you notes
Podcast episode on waitlists: http://medicalschoolhq.net/360
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