In this blog, we’ll answer the question “when do you hear back from medical schools for interviews?” and give you some insights into the medical school application timeline for interview invitations in the U.S., Canada, and the U.K. We also offer some ideas for getting through this difficult period and using the waiting time wisely.

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US Medical School Interview Timeline and Formats Canadian Medical School Interview Timeline and Formats When Do You Hear Back in the US? When Do You Hear Back in Canada? When Do You Hear Back in the UK? Waiting for Medical School Interview Invitations: What To Do Conclusion FAQs

The time between submitting your medical school application and hearing back from medical schools for interviews can be stressful, to say the least. For many, this period can feel like a time of “hurry up and wait” – you’ve put so much time, effort, and care into your primary and secondary applications to get them just right and submitted promptly, only for everything to feel like it hits an absolute standstill, as the time between application and response crawls by. And even after you’re interviewed, you might be put on a medical school waitlist, which will of course, require more waiting. Compulsively refreshing your inbox may seem like the natural thing to do, and – depending on your location (i.e., the U.S., Canada, or the U.K.) – it may be difficult to get a clear answer when you try to figure out when you will hear back from medical schools for interviews, but we are here to help! Still have no medical school interview invites so far? Keep reading our blog to learn what you can do.

US Medical School Application Timeline and Formats

You will notice that most of the schools below follow the MMI interview format. When you’re preparing for the interview, you should make sure to review various types of questions, such as MMI policy questions and answers or MMI ethical questions and answers, to make sure your study is effective.

When do you hear back from medical school interviews? Watch this video to learn more:

Have you researched common medical school interview questions?

  • Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University – August; Traditional interviews
  • Robert Larner, M.D., College of Medicine at the University of Vermont – August; MMI
  • Rush Medical College of Rush University Medical Center -- Mid-August; Virtual
  • Rutgers New Jersey Medical School – July; 45–60-minute interview and an optional 30-minute interview with a medical student
  • Rutgers, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School -- Starting mid-August through March; MMI
  • Saint Louis University School of Medicine – August; One one-to-one interview
  • San Juan Bautista School of Medicine -- October for interviews beginning in November; 4 MMI stations and one personal interview
  • Sidney Kimmel Medical College at Thomas Jefferson University -- Mid-July; One-to-one open-file interview with faculty and one closed-file interview with student
  • Southern Illinois University School of Medicine -- Late July/early August; Two one-to-one interviews for MD, Three one-to-one interviews for MD/JD
  • Spencer Fox Eccles School of Medicine at the University of Utah -- July; MMI
  • Stanford University School of Medicine – August; Hybrid MMI and traditional interview
  • State University of New York Upstate Medical University Alan and Marlene Norton College of Medicine – August; Virtual MMI
  • SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University College of Medicine -- August; One-to-one, one hour interview with faculty plus 20-minute peer-to-peer interview with medical student
  • Texas A&M University School of Medicine -- Interview invitations are sent approximately 2-3 weeks in advance of the interview date; Two 30-minute virtual interviews assessing interpersonal and intrapersonal competencies using behavioral and situational questions
  • Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center Paul L. Foster School of Medicine -- Early July; Two individual 30-minute interviews
  • Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center School of Medicine -- Mid-July; Two on-to-one 20-minute interviews
  • The University of Texas at Tyler School of Medicine – September; In-person
  • The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio Joe R. and Teresa Lozano Long School of Medicine -- July; Two 30-minute interviews
  • The University of Toledo College of Medicine and Life Sciences – July; MMI
  • The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University -- August ; Group session and two individual interviews
  • Tufts University School of Medicine – August; N/A
  • Tulane University School of Medicine – July; One-to-one virtual interviews
  • Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences F. Edward Hebert School of Medicine -- First invitations sent mid-late July, offered through January; Two individual 30-minute interviews
  • Universidad Central del Caribe School of Medicine – November; MMI
  • University of Alabama at Birmingham Marnix E. Heersink School of Medicine – July; Format not determined yet
  • University of Arizona College of Medicine – August; MMI
  • University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences College of Medicine -- Arkansas residents can call after August 15 if they’ve submitted AMCAS and UAMS applications; Blind team interviews
  • University of California, Davis, School of Medicine -- July ; MMI
  • University of California, Irvine, School of Medicine – August; Individual interviews with faculty member and medical student (virtual)
  • University of California, Los Angeles David Geffen School of Medicine – August; Traditional on-to-one open file
  • University of California, Riverside School of Medicine – August; MMI
  • University of California, San Diego School of Medicine -- August of the year preceding matriculation; MMI; MD/PhD – one-to-one and MMI
  • University of California, San Francisco, School of Medicine – September; Two blind interviews (40 mins each)
  • University of Central Florida College of Medicine – August; Two partially closed interviews (virtual)
  • University of Chicago Division of the Biological Sciences The Pritzker School of Medicine – August; Remote interviews
  • University of Cincinnati College of Medicine -- August through January; MMI
  • University of Colorado School of Medicine – August; Group and individual interviews
  • University of Connecticut School of Medicine – August; One-to-one and group sessions
  • University of Florida College of Medicine – July; Two partially blind (GPA withheld one-to-one interviews)
  • University of Hawaii, John A. Burns School of Medicine – August; One-to-one
  • University of Houston Tilman J. Fertitta Family College of Medicine – August; Virtual MMI
  • University of Illinois College of Medicine -- Mid-August; Hybrid interviews including MMI and one-to-one
  • University of Iowa Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine – August; Interviewed by two faculty members for 25 minutes
  • University of Kansas School of Medicine -- September; Two 30-minute interviews (one open file)
  • University of Kentucky College of Medicine -- August ; Two individual interviews
  • University of Louisville School of Medicine -- End of July; Academically blind interviews
  • University of Maryland School of Medicine – August; Two one-to-one 45-minute interviews
  • University of Massachusetts T.H. Chan School of Medicine – August; Virtual MMI
  • University of Miami Leonard M. Miller School of Medicine – August; Two interviews: One open file experiential and one closed file behavioral
  • University of Michigan Medical School – August; Virtual hybrid format (MMI and traditional)
  • University of Minnesota Medical School -- Late August; Twin Cities campus uses MMI. Duluth campus uses traditional interview (one-to-on)
  • University of Mississippi School of Medicine -- Mid-August; MMI
  • University of Missouri-Columbia School of Medicine -- Late September until February; Two open-file interviews
  • University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Medicine -- B.A./MD January, MD September; MMI
  • University of Nebraska College of Medicine – July; N/A
  • University of Nevada, Reno School of Medicine – August; MMI
  • University of New Mexico School of Medicine -- July through January; Two one-to-one interviews
  • University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine -- N/A; Virtual interviews
  • University of North Dakota School of Medicine and Health Sciences -- August for North Dakota residents, November for other applicants; Conducted by three-person team
  • University of Oklahoma College of Medicine -- October through January; One-hour interview with interview committee
  • University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine -- Mid-July; Virtual interview and team exercise
  • University of Puerto Rico School of Medicine -- Last two weeks of November; N/A
  • University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry -- August of year prior to matriculation; Two individual interviews and one 30-minute group session
  • University of South Carolina School of Medicine Columbia – August; Two 30-minute interviews
  • University of South Carolina School of Medicine Greenville – August; One traditional 50-minute interview and 40-minute MMI (5 stations)
  • University of South Dakota, Sanford School of Medicine -- Late August to early September; One-to-one virtual interviews
  • University of Tennessee Health Science Center College of Medicine – October; Two individual interviews: One is academic-focused, the other is more personal (30-45 minutes)
  • University of Texas at Austin Dell Medical School – August; One traditional interview, 5 MMI stations, one group exercise
  • University of Texas Medical Branch John Sealy School of Medicine – July; MMI
  • University of Texas Rio Grande Valley School of Medicine – July; Two 30-minute interviews: One blind, the other open
  • University of Texas Southwestern Medical School – July; Traditional back-to-back 25-minute interviews
  • University of Virginia School of Medicine – July; Two one-to-one virtual interviews (30 mins)
  • University of Washington School of Medicine -- Beginning of September; Three-member panel interviews
  • University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health -- Mid-to-late Augus; One-to-one 30-minute interviews, with group session/interview
  • USF Health Morsani College of Medicine – July; Closed file interview
  • Vanderbilt University School of Medicine – August; One open file 45-minute interview (AMCAS and secondary documents), One closed file 20-minute interview
  • Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine – July; MMI
  • Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine -- Early August, N/A
  • Wake Forest University School of Medicine – August; MMI (virtual)
  • Washington State University Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine -- July, Virtual hybrid: 4 asynchronous interviews
  • Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine -- Mid-August; One open file unstructured interview
  • Wayne State University School of Medicine – July; One-to-one and MMI interviews
  • Weill Cornell Medicine -- Late August; Two virtual 30-minute interviews to discuss life experience and interest in medicine
  • West Virginia University School of Medicine -- N/A; Virtual interviews
  • Western Michigan University Homer Stryker M.D. School of Medicine – August; Traditional one-to-one with group activity
  • Wright State University Boonshoft School of Medicine – August; Two one-to-one interviews (45-60 minutes)
  • Yale School of Medicine -- Early August; One-to-one open file interviews

Canadian Medical School Interview Timeline and Formats

University of Alberta Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry -- Early to mid February; MMI

University of Calgary Cumming School of Medicine -- Late January to early February; MMI

Dalhousie University Faculty of Medicine -- October; MMI

McGill University Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences -- N/A; MMI

McMaster University Michael G. DeGroote School of Medicine -- Late January; MMI

Memorial University of Newfoundland Faculty of Medicine -- October; 8 Station MMI and 30-minute traditional interview

Northern Ontario School of Medicine -- Interviews are scheduled for March 4 & 5; Virtual

Queen’s University Faculty of Health Sciences -- Toward the end of January/beginning of February; MMI

Max Rady College of Medicine, Rady Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Manitoba -- Early January; MMI for Manitoba and out-of-province applicants, Panel interviews for Canadian Indigenous applicant pool

University of Ottawa Faculty of Medicine -- Last week of January; Semi-structured 40-minute interviews with panel of three

University of Saskatchewan College of Medicine -- February; MMI

University of Toronto Temerty Faculty of Medicine -- January; Modified Personal Interview (MPI)

University of British Columbia Faculty of Medicine -- Mid-December; MMI

The University of Western Ontario – Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry -- End of January; Interviewed by one physician, one community person, and one senior medical student

Université Laval Faculté de Médecine -- N/A; N/A

Université de Montreal Faculty of Medicine -- N/A; MMI

Université de Sherbrooke Faculté de Médecine et des Sciences de la Santé -- N/A; MMI

When Do You Hear Back from Medical Schools for Interviews?: U.S.

Medical school application timelines can vary depending on a variety of factors. There’s no easy way to say it: with a large number of medical schools, a similarly substantial number of medical school applicants, and no truly universal timeline for application review, interview invitations, and acceptance offers, U.S. medical school applicants should anticipate a potentially year-long application process. Whether you’ve applied through AMCAS, TMDSAS, or AACOMAS, the wait to hear back from medical schools for interviews may be long. You can review information available online to see if the schools to which you’ve applied make their general timeline public (this would be on the school’s admissions website, or on the AAMC’s Medical School Admissions Requirements [MSAR]), but a concrete answer to the question “When do you hear back from medical schools for interviews?” may be elusive.

Overall, in the U.S., the majority of candidates hear back from medical schools for interviews between October and January, but there’s variation even in that wide spread of time. Here are some general parameters for the med school interview invitation timeline, but – again – these vary by school, and there is no standardized timeline for medical school interview invitations. Of course, you need to avoid a late medical school application if you want to hear back on time.

Medical School Interview Invitations: Considerations and Perspective

As the U.S. has the most variable application evaluation system, by far, and the longest time period during which interviews are conducted (as compared to Canada and the U.K.), it’s worth taking a moment to discuss some important considerations to bear in mind, so that you can maintain perspective during this waiting period.

Why does the wait feel like forever?

There are nearly 200 medical schools in the US, to which upwards of 50,000 aspiring medical students apply each year, and – quite frankly – evaluating that many applicants just takes time. Consider the sheer volume of material you’ve had to submit as an applicant: your CV, transcripts, MCAT score, application essay(s), medical school resume, medical school recommendation letters, medical school secondary essays, and so on. Now, multiply that by 50k to get a grasp of the scope of the task application reviewers face! That’s a lot of information for the admissions committees to review, and it’s in your best interest to have it reviewed carefully and thoroughly. Trust that they’re getting through all that information as quickly as possible, while still giving everyone the evaluation they deserve.

Is there any way for me to hear back earlier?

The rolling admissions system in the U.S. can also factor into the medical school interview invitation timeline, to some extent. That is, in the U.S., those who apply first often have their applications reviewed earliest. So, if you are a highly competitive candidate and you apply early, submit your secondary applications promptly, and have demonstrated a clear alignment with the mission, vision, and values of the institution (that is, you’ve shown that you’re a “good fit” for the program in your primary and secondary application materials), it is possible that you may hear back earlier in the interview cycle. That said, each school has its own timeline for application review, too, and medical schools don’t always necessarily review applications as they come in, so you shouldn’t fret if you submitted your application on the earliest possible date and you haven’t received any interview invitations in the earliest months indicated above – it all just depends on the school.

I submitted early, but still haven’t heard anything – what gives?

That said, if you submitted your application at the earliest date possible and haven’t heard anything by December, it is possible that your application has been put in a category known as “pre-interview hold”. If this is the case, then the school has reviewed your application and found it competitive enough to keep in the proverbial pile, but not competitive enough to offer an interview immediately. However, they may still do so later in the cycle, after they’ve had the opportunity to compare it to the wider pool of applicants. Alas, there isn’t really any way for you to find out if this is the case, and you should not try to contact the school to ask about this status. Applicants are expected to be patient and wait for the process to unfold, so contacting the school can reflect poorly on your patience and ability to manage stress (both of which are needed in the medical profession!). At the end of this post, we’ll discuss some ways to get through this time and make the most of it, so focus on that rather than obsessing over where your application is in the evaluation process (easier said than done, I know!).

Medical School Interview Invitations: When to Become Concerned

If December rolls around and you haven’t received a secondary application, it’s unfortunately unlikely that you will receive one. At the end of this blog, we’ll have some tips and strategies for what to do at this point, so that you can take stock of what happened and put together a more competitive application for the following application cycle. However, you might be interested in looking at the easiest medical schools to get into.

If, on the other hand, December arrives and you have submitted a secondary application, there are a couple of things you can do to try to make the case for your suitability for the program and profession.

1. Have an alumnus reach out to the school on your behalf

First, if you have a supporter who is an alumnus of the program to which you are applying, or who is otherwise able to speak to your fit with the school, you can ask them to call the admissions Dean on your behalf. This could even be one of your letter-writers, particularly if they are scholars or part of the academic establishment. Having a person of stature reach out directly on your behalf speaks to your capability and character, which could encourage the school to give your application another look.

2. Write an update letter or letter of intent

Another option is writing an update letter or letter of intent, which will be discussed at the end of this post. But essentially, these letters function as a way for you to communicate any major changes in your application and your commitment to choosing their program, should you get accepted.

3. Take a step back and evaluate your application honestly

While it’s certainly possible to get a medical school interview invitation after December, particularly for AMCAS and AACOMAS applicants, you will still want to start taking stock and doing a thorough and honest evaluation of your application if you haven’t heard back at this time. Again, refer to the end of this post for further discussion of how to strategize and move forward, if you find yourself anxious and waiting at this stage in the medical school interview invitation timeline.

Preparing for an MMI? Here's how MMI interview coaching can help you:

When Do You Hear Back from Medical Schools for Interviews?: Canada

Because medical schools in Canada don’t have rolling admissions like the U.S., that means that most medical school interview invites tend to come out around the same time, and interviews happen over a much shorter span of time, as well. The good news is that this means much less uncertainty, which might result in less stress and turmoil. That said, it’s still going to be a considerable wait between application and interview invitation, as many Canadian medical schools have an early-October deadline for application submission.

When can I expect to hear back for an interview?

In general, most of the interview invitations in Canada come out in January and February, with interviews taking place between February and April. The exact dates vary from school to school, with some having interviews spread out over a couple of months, and others holding a few big “interview weekends”, completing all interviews in the span of just a few weeks.

Do all schools send their interview requests around the same time?

Note that while many medical schools in Canada follow this general timeline, you must verify dates with individual schools, as there is some variation, particularly for medical schools in Quebec and those in the Maritimes. For example, Dalhousie generally has a late-July deadline for primary applications (with interview invites often coming out in October), and Quebec schools vary widely in their application due dates. These differences can impact the interview invitation timeline.

What can I do if I haven’t received an invitation for a Canadian medical school?

If mid-February rolls around and you haven’t received a medical school interview invitation, look into the suggestions at the end of this post to think through how best to move forward.

No interview invites? Check out our video to learn what to do next:

When Do You Hear Back from Medical Schools for Interviews?: U.K.

In the U.K., the majority of students apply to university through the UCAS application, which has a single, standardized due date for medical school applicants, usually in mid-October. Generally, medical schools in the UK do not have a rolling application process, so the wait is not nearly as arduous as it is for aspiring med students in the U.S., and there is a more straightforward timeline for interview invites and interviews.

How do U.K. schools’ invitation processes vary?

For the most part, UK students will hear back from medical schools for interviews between November and March, with invitations usually coming out approximately 2 weeks before the interview. Many schools endeavor to send out invitations just before or after Christmas, though there are exceptions. For example, Buckingham has rolling interview invitations, and holds a few “Selection Days” each year, where MMIs take place. These generally take place in March/April, July, and September/October. Another exception is the University of Bristol, which sometimes begins sending medical school interview invitations a bit earlier, in mid-October. You can check with individual schools to see what their timeline for medical school interview invitations is, as these vary from institution to institution. The majority of students will know prior to the beginning of the new calendar year whether or not they have an interview.

What can I do if I haven’t received an invitation for a UK medical school?

If January 1 comes and you’ve received no med school interview invites , you can begin planning and preparing to move forward using the suggestions that follow.

What to Do While You’re Waiting for a Medical School Interview Invite 

Regardless of where you’re applying, you’re going to be in for a wait between applying and hearing back from medical schools for interviews. So, it is important to plan ahead and use this time wisely. 

What to Do Instead of Worrying

In the time between submitting the application and the early medical school interview invitation timeline, there really isn’t much you can do to impact your chances of getting that invitation. Most importantly, worrying about it simply isn’t going to help you – quite the opposite! So, here are some things you can do instead of worrying, at various stages of the med school interview invitation timeline.

Prior to medical school interview invitations through the early weeks/months of the medical school interview invitation timeline:

Around the mid-point of the medical school interview invitation timeline:

At this stage of the process, you could consider sending a medical school letter of intent or update letter, especially if you have a specific connection with the school/program or feel you’re a particularly good fit. Keep in mind that the information you provide in your letter should be new; in other words, should be found nowhere in your application materials or secondary essays, including your medical school personal statement. Here are some things that you can include in your letter:

  1. Transcripts (updated grades)
  2. Work and activities
  3. Volunteer work
  4. Leadership activities
  5. Honors/accomplishments/awards
  6. Research activities

Clearly but briefly re-articulate your reasons for applying to this specific program and why you feel your mission, vision, and values align with theirs. For U.S. applicants, this could be done around December; for Canadian applicants, mid-February would be an appropriate time; for U.K. applicants, early January would be the earliest to consider such a move.

Note that if you have received any communication from the school that indicates that they do not welcome update letters or letters of intent, you should not take this step. This is pretty rare – most schools are open to receiving such information. However, it hopefully should go without saying that you shouldn’t do this if you’ve been specifically instructed not to.

As noted previously, another option is to ask an advocate (usually one of your letter writers) to call the admissions Dean on your behalf. If you feel you are a particularly good fit for one particular program, having a person of stature in the academic community reach out to emphasize this can impact the evaluation of your application.

Check out these hardest MMI questions you NEED to know:

Late in the medical school interview invitation timeline:

If the weeks and months have dragged on and you’ve received no interview invitations in the final weeks of the medical school interview invitation timeline, there’s really only one thing left to do: begin damage control and start preparing for the next application cycle. As noted earlier, during this whole process, you should be maintaining or expanding your volunteering activities, clinical experiences, premed research opportunities, and other work related to your professionalization as an aspiring future physician. This keeps you connected to the medical community, but it also helps you continue building your CV, in the event that you are not accepted.

At this late stage in the process, it’s time to start doing an honest and thorough evaluation of your application materials and your education, work, and activities to this point. If you didn’t get a medical school interview invitation, then that simply means that your application wasn’t as competitive as it needs to be or you didn't meet the medical school requirements. That doesn’t need to mean the end of your journey, however. In fact, since resilience and self-correction are key qualities needed for a future as a medical professional, it shouldn’t mean the end of your journey. Rather, it should instead prompt you to examine what went wrong and what you can do to submit a stronger application for the next cycle. And keep in mind that even if you did not get an invite to an interview this cycle, it’s never late to start learning how to prepare for med school interview and how long to prepare for your medical school interview. This initial research can really help in preparation for your next application cycle.

MCAT

Reflect honestly on your MCAT score, particularly in terms of how it compares to the scores of last year’s matriculants at your schools of choice, unless you've applied to medical schools that don't require MCAT. This information is sometimes available on the school’s website, otherwise it can be found on the AAMC’s Medical School Admissions Requirements (MSAR) . Is your score truly competitive? If not, you may want to consider retaking the MCAT and if so, make sure you know when to start preparing for MCAT for the second cycle of your applications and how to study for the MCAT to get a better score. In the meantime, consider these strategies to help improve your performance on the MCAT:

GPA

While it’s possible to get into medical school with a low GPA, it’s all contextual. You should also compare your GPA to last year’s matriculants (this info is also generally available through the school’s website or MSAR). Might it be in your interest to take some extra courses to bump your score up a bit? Are there any modifications you can make to your current course load to help improve your GPA (if you’re still in school)? Would a special master’s program or post-baccalaureate program benefit you? It can be incredibly difficult to make substantial increases to your GPA the further along you are in school, but sometimes additional courses, a post-bacc, or even graduate study can help offset less-than-ideal grades. Be sure you’re aware of medical school GPA requirements early on. Here are some tips to help you improve your GPA:

Date of Application and Applying Strategically 

Next, look over the list of schools to which you applied. Here are some questions you should be asking yourself at this time:

  1. If you’re a U.S. applicant, did you apply early? If not, the rolling admissions process may have worked against you, as the earliest applications generally get first consideration.
  2. Did you apply strategically, focusing only on those schools where you had the strongest chances of admission?
  3. Did you apply only to your “dream schools”, thinking about location, prestige, or other factors over realistically determining what your chances of admission were? Again, you can review medical school acceptance rates on school websites or through MSAR, and you should apply first and foremost based on where you have realistic chances of getting in. This means meeting their GPA and MCAT thresholds, demonstrating relevant skills and experiences, and emphasizing the values and goals they uphold in your application components.
  4. The answer to the question “How many medical schools should I apply to?” is another question: “How many medical schools could I realistically gain admission to?” Make sure to apply to those schools where your profile would be valued. 

Letters of Recommendation and Verifiers

Consider your letters of recommendation and/or verifiers next. While you generally won’t have access to your reference letters, and thus won’t know their content, you can think about who wrote for you and whether these were the best letter-writers for your application. Consider the following to help you evaluate the quality of the letters you submit:

Check out this video to learn how to avoid med school interview errors:

Volunteer and Work Experience

Look over your list of work and activities and consider the following points during your review:

Your Application Materials

Finally, consider your application as a whole, particularly your personal statement, secondaries, or other essays you had to write. Again, you need to be brutally honest – this isn’t the time for excuses, it’s the time for stark reality. Did you devote the time and effort needed to compose something truly great and reflective of your skills and dedication? Did you crank out a draft overnight and send it in, or did you conduct brainstorming and outlining, composing multiple drafts and re-writes, getting expert feedback, reviewing for impeccable grammar and flow, crafting a shining gem of a document over days – if not weeks – of composition, review, and revision for each and every essay?

It is not possible to understate the importance of these documents, and if you didn’t take those steps, then this is the most likely issue with your application (unless there’s something glaringly missing or below par in the other aspects listed above). In short, if your essays weren’t truly exceptional, then they likely didn’t grab the eye of the admissions committee, and if that doesn’t happen, the chances of being invited to interview are pretty much nil.

Interested in BeMo's interview prep? Here's what students have to say about our services:

Conclusion

The period from application submission to hearing back from medical schools for interviews is a difficult and stressful time. Now, you have a better understanding of when to start becoming concerned and when to simply step back and let the process play out. While it may be impossible to completely get rid of the stress and anxiety of this time, there are ways to use that nervous energy productively, ensuring you’re at your best if an interview invitation does come, while also maintaining or increasing your competitiveness if you have to re-apply.

FAQs

1. How much do medical schools vary in the timeline of their interview invitations

Medical school interview interview request dates can vary quite considerably between schools and regions. For example, in Canada, most interview invitations come out in January and February. You can check individual school timelines to know what to expect.

2. I submitted my application early but still haven’t heard back - why?

You might be on what’s considered a pre-interview hold. This means that the school thinks you’re a competitive enough applicant for them to consider inviting you at a later date. There’s no way for you to know if this is the case for you, so be patient. Don’t try to contact the school to find out if you’re among these categorized candidates.

3. What should I do while I’m waiting for a response?

While you’re waiting, try to keep yourself busy. It’s best not to check your email too frequently or think about your application. During this time, you may: pursue research opportunities, get a job, volunteer, or pursue a passion project.

4. What can I do if something major has changed about my application?

You can send an update letter to the school. This letter should be brief and to the point. Mention anything from grades to research or community service; anything related to medical school competencies that the admissions committee should know.

5. How do I know if my letter of recommendation were of sufficient quality?

Your letters of recommendation are a crucial component of your application. If you weren’t sent an interview invitation, you can consider the following possibilities: you didn’t give your referees enough time to write the letter; your referees didn’t know you well enough; your referees weren’t chosen strategically.

6. How do I know if my volunteer and work experience was sufficient?

Sometimes, when you aren’t sent an interview invitation, it can be because your volunteer and work history wasn’t substantial enough. This information should show that you’re committed to the field of medicine, that you go above and beyond, and that you took the steps to compensate for qualities you were lacking in other application components.

7. Is it a good idea to pursue graduate school if I didn’t get an interview invitation?

Pursuing graduate school isn’t necessarily the best choice if your only goal is to improve your chances of getting into medical school. Many medical schools won’t even consider your graduate school GPA. Graduate school can, however, offer more advanced learning opportunities, help you build an advantageous network of professionals, and give you a chance to explore interesting research questions.

8. Do I need admissions consulting to help me get an interview?

There are many benefits of admissions consulting, especially if you weren’t invited to an interview this cycle and you’re wondering how to proceed. A consultant can review your materials and offer tips to help you enhance materials like your personal statement or letters of recommendation. They can also help you apply to schools more strategically and prepare for the interview when you get one!

To your success,

Your friends at BeMo

BeMo Academic Consulting

Image credit: Rawpixel.com


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2 Comments

Sumathi Krishnan

Hi My Son applied to 15 med school 2 two he got accepted which is not his prefrence. But two of them we didn't hear anything. Remaining rejected . Is there a chance that he can get admitted into rejected univerisity during this 2022 academic year?. His MCAT score 521 and GPA 3.89 grom GT bio medical engineer along with premed requirement. my question is , any way to get into med school this 2022 year without gap year.

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BeMo Academic Consulting

Hi Sumathi! Thanks for the comment. If your son wants to attend a school from where he was rejected, he will need to reapply. Therefore, he does not have a chance to attend a school from where he was rejected in 2022.

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Usha Sharma

Hi, My daughter applied 13 medical school in Texas, she got 3 interview out of 13. She has not heard anything after interview. Why?

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BeMo Academic Consulting

Hello Usha! Thank you for your question. The interview is one of the most challenging aspects of the med school admissions. It is possible that your daughter did not meet the expectations of the admissions committee during her interview. Even the smallest missteps can hurt your chances, such as lack of eye contact or the nerves. If you would like, contact us for a free initial strategy call to see if we can help your daughter get another chance to get accepted. 

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