3.7 GPA. 35 MCAT. Been applying for 3 years, no acceptance

[GHETTO THUGG]

hey guys, ive been an applying for 3 years. im doing something wrong, lol

heres my stats:
-TX resident
-3.7 biochem major, chem minor
-35 mcat (12,11,12)
-lots of volunteering, shadowing, tutoring etc
-1 year of research
-good personal statement
-good letters of rec
-no criminal record
-not crazy

i thought my chances for FINALLY getting in this year were awsome when i got interviews at baylor and southwestern.

but its already june, and nothing. theres a longshot that baylor might pick me up sometime this month during their final rounds of acceptance. but thats quite a longshot

i probably should go ahead and send in an application for next year's entering class, but im kind of reluctant to send in an application basically identical to the one i sent in last year. (i spent the past year taking it easy because i thought i had a medical school acceptance in the bag this year, hurr hurr)

how can i boost my chances for getting in next year? do i re-apply early now? is there anything i can do to make my application better?

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[BBender716]

hey guys, ive been an applying for 3 years. im doing something wrong, lol

heres my stats:
-TX resident
-3.7 biochem major, chem minor
-35 mcat (12,11,12)
-lots of volunteering, shadowing, tutoring etc
-1 year of research
-good personal statement
-good letters of rec
-no criminal record
-not crazy

i thought my chances for FINALLY getting in this year were awsome when i got interviews at baylor and southwestern.

but its already june, and nothing. theres a longshot that baylor might pick me up sometime this month during their final rounds of acceptance. but thats quite a longshot

i probably should go ahead and send in an application for next year's entering class, but im kind of reluctant to send in an application basically identical to the one i sent in last year. (i spent the past year taking it easy because i thought i had a medical school acceptance in the bag this year, hurr hurr)

how can i boost my chances for getting in next year? do i re-apply early now? is there anything i can do to make my application better?

Call the schools that have closed your app for feedback. Call them all and you're bound to find one that will provide some of what you're looking for... I'm sorry! I hope the next cycle treats you better. Maybe list out what schools you applied to and how early...?

 

[sshashid87]

How are your interviewing skills? And how many schools did you apply to? A 3.7/35 should net you interviews at a lot of places if you send out apps. semi-broadly, as in not just TX + Ivies...

How about your secondary essays?

 

[unhappytnt]

Wow, this thread is depressing. Those are simply great numbers... As the poster above asked, how many schools did you apply to?

 

[Catalystik]

how can i boost my chances for getting in next year? do i re-apply early now? is there anything i can do to make my application better?

I think it's great that you got interviews at two research giants when you only have a year of research. If you now have two years, you'd be in a stronger position at those schools.

I'd agree that it's essential for you to get feedback from schools that rejected you. Call the dean's offices and make a phone appointment to call back when they have your file. Don't ask "Why did you reject me?" but rather, "What can I do to improve my application?" This is the best way to find out if there is a red flag in one of your letters, poor interview skills, or a misinterpreted "tone" in the PS.

And always, always continue some of your ECs during an application year, "just in case," and for the sake of update letters. I'm really sorry to hear that you may have to go through this again.

 

[GHETTO THUGG]

thanks guys, the idea of calling the dean's offices for feedback never occurred to me. i will definitely do that

i apply very broadly to around 15-20 schools each year....so over the course of 3 years thats alot of rejection letters.

my PS is ok. i had my writer/med student friends to go over it thoughougly. my secondaries are ok too

And always, always continue some of your ECs during an application year, "just in case,"

well i had a feeling that i should be doing something "just in case" around early march this year, so i applied to a bunch of entry jobs in the medical center like lab tech, research tech, courier, information, etc

but the funny thing is, ive been applying for months and i cant get a single interview. so far i mustve applied to around 100 different positions.

i dont know whats going on!!

 

[tartrate]

This sucks. Same thing happened to me, and I have similar stats. My first cycle is coming to an end, and I have no idea where to go from here. I really don't know what happened. Let us know what kind of feedback your schools give you!

 

[Grobe57214]

Is your real name Ghetto Thug? Sorry, I just had to >_>

Seriously though, I feel bad for you. Definitely try to find out what happened from some of the schools that rejected you. I won't even recommend DO because of your stats. Continue doing EC's and reapply, but try to add something in your application that wasn't there last cycle.

 

[Grobe57214]

One more thing, it's extremely difficult to find a paying job right now. Try finding a volunteer EC while you are applying to paid jobs, you don't want to waste precious time doing little.

 

[canjosh]

Did you apply to every Texas school? Something isn't right...maybe your LORs are not what you think. Or you're interviewing poorly...you're botching it somewhere during the interview/review process. Once you get the interview, you're really over the hump unless something other than stats sabotages you.

 

[GHETTO THUGG]

thanks for the feedback guys!

yeah, i applied to all the TX schools. the only two i got interviews from this year were southwestern and baylor.

currently im doing some extra community volunteering while i wait for a job. feels pretty good, and hopefully it will make a difference when the committee sees my app for the 4th time

other than that, i dunno what to say. my interview skills are hit & miss, i can be awsome with the 1st interviewer and then sorta blow it with the 2nd. but even then, ive never did anything lewd or inappropriate that would make them think i was unfit for medicine or something.

 

[morning]

I think your perseverance and determination are really great

Are you absolutely SURE your letters of rec are good? I remember reading someone else's thread where they were a reapplicant and ended up finding out they had gotten a terrible LOR from someone.

Tried applying DO...?

 

[tartrate]

Ok

 

[GHETTO THUGG]

Are you absolutely SURE your letters of rec are good? I remember reading someone else's thread where they were a reapplicant and ended up finding out they had gotten a terrible LOR from someone.

yeah im pretty sure my LORs are good. my pre-med advisor looked at them for me and helped me choose which ones to send out.

Wow, with each cycle being a year, what have you been doing all this time?

entry year 2008: took mcat. graduated from school. 1 interview at a good school. didnt get in, but who gets in on their first try?

entry year 2009: volunteering. interviewed at some low-tier schools. still didnt get in. sucks, but oh well.

entry year 2010: re-took mcat. more volunteering. got interviews at badass schools. kinda slacked off and went travelling thinking THIS IS THE YEAR!!

entry year 2011: volunteering, looking for research work. cry myself to sleep every night.

 

[DarknightX]

With those stats, I would suspect that there is a major problem with your application that you aren't seeing. It might be your letters of rec, but you say they are good, so that's out. Maybe your personal statement just isn't right. I would try to find someone who is actually involved with admissions to take a look at your PS....some pre-med advisors just don't know what medical schools are looking for.

Also, when in the cycle are you applying? You should have submitted your application on June 1st. If you haven't submitted, you need to do that immediately...it makes a huge difference. Last think I would recommend is to apply very broadly...15-20 schools for a 3 time applicant isn't enough. For a first time applicant that might be ok, but you need to apply to 30-40 programs, and half of those should be lower tier schools. It doesn't really matter where you go to med school, just as long as you graduate from a US school.

 

[rslancer]

wow errr very discouraging to say the least...

 

[PianoMajor]

Sorry to be blunt but, are you obese or deformed? Like are you missing an arm and a leg?

 

[mdeast]

Hmmmm... at this point the sheer fact that you've applied 3 times already may be a big red flag. I know for instance that Harvard only allows you to apply 2 cycles before automatically denying your application every subsequent time that you apply.

 

[GHETTO THUGG]

Hmmmm... at this point the sheer fact that you've applied 3 times already may be a big red flag.

yeah....it makes applying for schools a little tricky because i gotta take into account which ones ive been applying to and how many times ive been rejected from them

Sorry to be blunt but, are you obese or deformed? Like are you missing an arm and a leg?

wow errr very discouraging to say the least... are u possibly incredibly hideous?

lol....err....i dunno. i'd consider myself like an 8/10 on a good day. i do have a little flab on the sides but ive been hitting the gym alot lately

 

[GHETTO THUGG]

hey guys, how does this list of schools look? for the most part, ive only applied to these schools once. this year i'm leaving out the schools ive applied to twice or more and didnt get an interview from

Out of State:

Mt Sinai
Tufts
Emory
U of Iowa
St Louis (was interviewed)
Georgetown
U of Kentucky
Wayne State
Creighton
Albany
Jefferson
Loma Linda
U of Hawaii
Loyola
U of Nevada
Buffalo
Toledo
U of Oklahoma
West Virginia
USUHS
U of Utah
U of Arkansas

Total: 22

TX Schools:

Baylor (was interviewed)
Southwestern (was interviewed)
UT-Houston (was interviewed twice)
UT-Galveston
UT-San Antonio (was interviewed)
Texas Tech El Paso
Texas Tech Lubbock (was interviewed)
Texas A&M

Total: 8

looking at the list now, i realize that i've been interviewed seven times over the years

 

[MiniMoo]

Out of State:

Mt Sinai
Tufts
Emory
U of Iowa
St Louis (was interviewed)
Georgetown
U of Kentucky
Wayne State
Creighton
Albany
Jefferson
Loma Linda
U of Hawaii
Loyola
U of Nevada
Buffalo
Toledo
U of Oklahoma
West Virginia
USUHS
U of Utah
U of Arkansas

Hawaii and Nevada are not going to give you secondaries, much less interviews, unless you can prove you're closely tied to the state. Nevada does accept some OOS applicants, but they must be from Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, or specific parts of Northern California. You're also going to have a very difficult time at some of the other state schools like Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kentucky, West Virginia, etc.

You didn't say which schools you decided to remove from your list due to applying 2+ times? But if you haven't already, I would consider more OOS friendly schools like Vermont, MCW, Temple, Tulane, Rochester, Ohio State, Miami, RFU, GW, Penn State, Wake, etc.

Arizona also relatively recently increased their OOS acceptance to up to 25% of the class. So that's another you could consider if you're running out of options.

 

[MiniMoo]

Oh and have you considered some of the new OOS schools that have opened? FIU, Oakland, Commonwealth, just to name a few.

 

[rslancer]

I was just joking...I really can't see anything wrong with your app. In fact I wish my app was as nice as your app. I'm sure they could care less if you were borned ugly. what matters is the inside afterall.

 

[GHETTO THUGG]

ahh.....I had a feeling that those state schools were OOS un-friendly. The data from the Med School Selector excel file says I would have a pretty good chance even though I'm from Texas, but I guess the data isn't perfect.

the schools i applied to twice or more with no interviews are:
U of Pittsburg
NYU
U of Pennsylvania
Boston
Penn State

 

[GHETTO THUGG]

well, i just realised that when the new med school selector calculates your chances, it doesnt really take enough into account how OOS-(un)friendly the school is

so i revised my previous list by identifying and removing the OOS-unfriendly schools and adding some good ones. what do you guys think?

Med School List 2: Reloaded
aka Ghetto Thugg's Big Ass List of Schools That Don't Want Him

Mt Sinai
Duke
Pittsburgh
Emory
Tufts
Rochester
Ohio State
Miami
St Louis
Wake
Penn State
Georgetown
Rosalind Franklin
Creighton
Albany
OSHU
Jefferson
Vermont
MC Winsconsin
Loma Linda
Loyola
Temple
Arizona
GWU
Tulane
USUHS
Virginia Commonwealth

+8 Texas Schools = 35 Total Schools

i definitely need to cut this list down somehow. im concerned that while all these schools are seemingly OOS friendly according to their stats, some of them might just prefer students from their surrounding states.

 

[MiniMoo]

i definitely need to cut this list down somehow. im concerned that while all these schools are seemingly OOS friendly according to their stats, some of them might just prefer students from their surrounding states.

This is your 3rd or 4th time applying? Not to be blunt, but I don't think you should be cutting down your list. I think at this point you need to do all you can to get accepted. That means applying to as many schools as you can afford (including possibly DO if that appeals to you).

 

[panamishe]

Ummm, I've seen a few suggestions for you to apply to DO schools. What about the HBCUs? Howard? Meharry? Morehouse? Do you know that Morehouse has been ranked by US News the last 2 or 3 years in a row for primary care? Usually these schools take lower MCAT and GPA scores so the ones you have should make you a great candidate. Plus, I'm assuming (boldly I know) that you are a man and a minority. HBCUs also tend to look for that. I hope that you will consider this. I was in a panel discussion group this past year with the admissions directors to 3 of the 4 georgia medical schools and they all said that it is best to get your application in as early as possible because they tend to remember the first applications. Good luck!

 

[GHETTO THUGG]

thanks guys for all your help!

This is your 3rd or 4th time applying? Not to be blunt, but I don't think you should be cutting down your list. I think at this point you need to do all you can to get accepted. That means applying to as many schools as you can afford (including possibly DO if that appeals to you).

yeah youre probably right. its just really hard to spend $1,000 i dont have on the amcas application plus probably another $2k on secondaries when i really just want to get into a texas school. but it is better than getting rejected again....so i'll probably just take your advice

i am taking the hbcu's into serious consideration though

 

[GHETTO THUGG]

i just got a call from UT southwestern today! i got in!

right after i spent $1,300 on applications for schools for 2011! but i dont care! IM GOING TO UTSW BABY! WU TANG!!!

thank you all you guys for your support and help!

 

[Namedmymember]

Oh man I am so glad to hear that. This was, until today, the most depressing thread ever. Congratulation!

 

[soundnin]

man oh man i was sweating bullets reading this thread. glad to see a happy ending at the bottom. congratulations! i'm still curious as to why you had so much trouble getting in... any chance of still calling up those schools and finding out?

 

[Turtlespeed]

Congrats man, I do not even know you, but feel you deserved it. You obviously have worked hard. You will be a doctor now!

 

[Eisen]

Congrats! I'm happy for you, Texan!

Eisen

 

[GHETTO THUGG]

oh man, im on cloud nine right now. the best part is that classes start in 4 weeks and i need to move to dallas asap

i'm still curious as to why you had so much trouble getting in... any chance of still calling up those schools and finding out?

i was able to contact some of those schools in the past few weeks. for the most part, they wanted more "community" volunteering. apparently, i was too heavy on "clinical" volunteering. as one of the founding members of a local community volunteering group, that really confused me

 

[Riverdance]

Couldn't but help saying myself, congratulations! I'm really happy for you.

 

[GHETTO THUGG]

you guys are so awsome and nice. internet-hugs for everyone

 

[pennstate4life]

Please don't borrow money from Wu-Tang Financial

 

[twocentnews]

This was getting incredibly discouraging until I saw you got in! Congratulations! That kind of perseverance will make you a great doctor soon enough!

 

[sharksRfriends]

Kind of silly throwing away a 3.7 and 35 for a DO school, but I suppose it's a reasonable plan considering this will be your 4th time applying...

Wow ... are you serious?

 

[The Poet Sings]

Kind of silly throwing away a 3.7 and 35 for a DO school, but I suppose it's a reasonable plan considering this will be your 4th time applying...

Wow, with each cycle being a year, what have you been doing all this time?

Wow ... are you serious?

yea... just let them do their thing. they'd rather apply again (and again?) rather than "waste" their stats, go DO, and start living the dream hahaha. it cracks me up how much people care about the letters behind their name... see also http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=741262

This sucks. Same thing happened to me, and I have similar stats. My first cycle is coming to an end, and I have no idea where to go from here. I really don't know what happened. Let us know what kind of feedback your schools give you!

 

[OldBlue]

man i am so glad to hear this news. i was about to tell you to just take the wide net approach and send apps to any and all schools that will read them. looks like that won't be necessary! you seem like a cool dude and with your stats/experiences it confuses the heck out of me how schools wouldn't want to accept you in past years. oh well you are all good now. the quick move will be hectic but i am sure you are more than happy to do that at this point!!!!

i just got a call from UT southwestern today! i got in!

right after i spent $1,300 on applications for schools for 2011! but i dont care! IM GOING TO UTSW BABY! WU TANG!!!

thank you all you guys for your support and help!

 

[GHETTO THUGG]

yea... just let them do their thing. they'd rather apply again (and again?) rather than "waste" their stats, go DO, and start living the dream hahaha. it cracks me up how much people care about the letters behind their name... see also http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=741262

1. im aware that osteopathic and allopathic training is pretty much indistinguishable now, and it sucks that DO's still have to explain that they're equivalent to their MD counterparts

2. with a name like ghetto thugg, you think i care about the letters that go after my name? i applied to DO schools and still couldnt get in

3. stop acting like a douche

man i am so glad to hear this news. i was about to tell you to just take the wide net approach and send apps to any and all schools that will read them. looks like that won't be necessary! you seem like a cool dude and with your stats/experiences it confuses the heck out of me how schools wouldn't want to accept you in past years. oh well you are all good now. the quick move will be hectic but i am sure you are more than happy to do that at this point!!!!

lol, i did cast a wide net this year. $1,300 amcas application fee, baby. i was working on my secondaries when i got the call. it was a HUGE surprise. i didnt even know they could accept students this late in the season

now i know why they kept ignoring me whenever i emailed them asking how i could improve my application for 2011

 

[littlegreen88]

I AM SO HAPPY FOR YOU!! congrats!!!! with passion and drive you will make a wonderful medical student/doctor

 

[The Poet Sings]

1. im aware that osteopathic and allopathic training is pretty much indistinguishable now, and it sucks that DO's still have to explain that they're equivalent to their MD counterparts

2. with a name like ghetto thugg, you think i care about the letters that go after my name? i applied to DO schools and still couldnt get in

3. stop acting like a douche

how am i being a douche by pointing out the obvious flaw in what someone else said? if they don't want to "waste" their stats like how they said you would be wasting yours to go DO, how am i the douche?!? i must be missing something here...

 

[teenmachinery1]

how am i being a douche by pointing out the obvious flaw in what someone else said? if they don't want to "waste" their stats like how they said you would be wasting yours to go DO, how am i the douche?!? i must be missing something here...

stop being a douche.

 

[teenmachinery1]

congrats ghetto thug- reading through this thread was like watching a movie or something.

a movie where the ghetto thug gets the money and the girls at the end.

 

[WannaBePreMed]

I loved reading this thread, the happy ending was a great surprise.

 

[gasman654]

dang..how could u not get in becus of community service hours??? that has to be a joke u gotta be kidding me man

congrats tho...ur in now baby!

 

[GHETTO THUGG]

how am i being a douche by pointing out the obvious flaw in what someone else said? if they don't want to "waste" their stats like how they said you would be wasting yours to go DO, how am i the douche?!? i must be missing something here...

well yeah i agree that its a little foolish to think you can "waste" your stats by going to a DO school. but from what i got from your post, apparently you take some sort of pleasure in seeing people like me apply again and again and again when they could just "go DO and start living the dream". i dunno what DO schools you've been applying to, but in my experience, theyre not that easy to get in.

besides, some people just dont agree with the philosophy that osteopathic schools teach, or they fell in love with a certain MD school, or maybe the DO schools in their state suck. its not just about the letters that come after their name

also, i never said you were a douche, i said you were acting like a douche. there arent many douches here, and its because i like to think that the nature of the medical field, giving yourself to serve others, filters out most of the douches and they end up going to law school or something

congrats ghetto thug- reading through this thread was like watching a movie or something.

lol my friend who is a script writer in hollywood actually asked me a while back if he could use my story. i figure it would be like a micheal cera movie, but in the ghetto

 

[The Poet Sings]

well yeah i agree that its a little foolish to think you can "waste" your stats by going to a DO school. but from what i got from your post, apparently you take some sort of pleasure in seeing people like me apply again and again and again when they could just "go DO and start living the dream". i dunno what DO schools you've been applying to, but in my experience, theyre not that easy to get in.

besides, some people just dont agree with the philosophy that osteopathic schools teach, or they fell in love with a certain MD school, or maybe the DO schools in their state suck. its not just about the letters that come after their name

also, i never said you were a douche, i said you were acting like a douche. there arent many douches here, and its because i like to think that the nature of the medical field, giving yourself to serve others, filters out most of the douches and they end up going to law school or something

1) no, that wasn't about you. i think if people don't think DO is right for them then that's their business if they don't like it for whatever reason (you can check out my recent post history for evidence of this. i strongly believe in "to each his/her own"). however, for that person to say it's a "waste" really got under my skin, like it's some sort of second rate degree that isn't fit to do squat. and that person was acting like it's only about the letters that come after your name. so that's their business if they want to keep reapplying since they think DO is a waste. it would be another thing altogether if they said it wasn't right for them (or they suggested that perhaps it isn't right for you etc). but to call it a waste of your intelligence to go DO just irked me so badly. it's unfortunate when strong candidates have to reapply and i would never wish this process on anyone. i'm interested in learning about omm so i'm glad, but for others who have a huge problem with it and really want to be doctors, i don't see the harm in keeping an open mind and maybe they'd even find out they like omm. or that they hate it but hey they never have to use it again! i just think it's silly how some people would rather go to a school they deem bad (by whatever criteria they use, location, price etc) just to get that MD when they have the option of a DO school that would be perfect for them, but it's that second rate fake degree so they don't bother. so at least on this we're on the same page (i think... i haven't slept much or eaten so i'm probably incoherent).

2) . that's so bad. i have lawyers in my family but i feel the same way shhh...