3rd time reapplicant

[Vivladi]

Hi everyone I know the cycle is well underway and I've already submitted 11 secondaries, but I was just hoping to get some kind of feedback about whether I should continue doing this or not because I've heard a lot of negative things about reapplicants, especially on this site.
Some info:
4.0 gpa, 519 MCAT, good research experience with 2 publications (not primary author), ~100 hrs clinical volunteering and shadowing, full year of working as a clinical research tech, ~250 hours non clinical volunteering, long term involvement in a professional chemistry fraternity, WI resident
I'm applying in a wider geographic radius this time and my schools are:
Columbia
Pitt (Applied 2 years ago)
Emory
GW
GT
Hofstra
MCW (Applied 2 years ago)
OUWB (Applied last year)
Toledo
Tufts
Colorado
Cincinnati (3rd time applying, top 50% waitlist last year)
Wisconsin (3rd time applying, 1st year very low WL position, 2nd year rejected likely due to a bad interview)
Wake Forest
Wayne (Didn't finish secondary last year)
WMich

Are there any other schools you guys would suggest? If I don't get in this year should I just give this up? I don't know how many years I can delay starting my life by working mediocre jobs to desperately try to show ADCOMs that I'm serious.
I'm honestly really lost right now and would appreciate any kind of comments or insights on where you think I stand.

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[Dr panda]

Did you meet with admissions to figure out why you didn't get in last 2 times? I am afraid your clinical experience is too weak. 100 hours over 6 years (assuming you applied after junior year 1st time) is like 1-2 hours per months spent in a hospital throughout undergrad, it seems that you want to be a scientist, not a physician.

 

[Vivladi]

Did you meet with admissions to figure out why you didn't get in last 2 times? I am afraid your clinical experience is too weak.

That was the feedback I got, but I'm not particularly sure what I can do about it. The clinical research job was the best I could do to find some middle ground between gaining some form of long term clinical experience and having enough money to, well... live. I really can't afford to take on a significantly lower paying job like a scribe. I try to supplement my current job with continuing volunteering at my local hospital.

 

[Dr panda]

That was the feedback I got, but I'm not particularly sure what I can do about it. The clinical research job was the best I could do to find some middle ground between gaining some form of long term clinical experience and having enough money to, well... live. I really can't afford to take on a significantly lower paying job like a scribe. I try to supplement my current job with continuing volunteering at my local hospital.

You don't have to get a job! You can do something as a volunteer (none of my clinical hours are paid). You can sacrifice just 3-4 hours once a weak and be solid enough over a year. Hospitals and hospices always need volunteers and have very flexible schedules.

 

[Catalystik]

Hi everyone I know the cycle is well underway and I've already submitted 11 secondaries, but I was just hoping to get some kind of feedback about whether I should continue doing this or not because I've heard a lot of negative things about reapplicants, especially on this site.
Some info:
4.0 gpa, 519 MCAT, good research experience with 2 publications (not primary author), ~100 hrs clinical volunteering and shadowing, full year of working as a clinical research tech, ~250 hours non clinical volunteering, long term involvement in a professional chemistry fraternity, WI resident
I'm applying in a wider geographic radius this time and my schools are:
Columbia
Pitt (Applied 2 years ago)
Emory
GW
GT
Hofstra
MCW (Applied 2 years ago)
OUWB (Applied last year)
Toledo
Tufts
Colorado
Cincinnati (3rd time applying, top 50% waitlist last year)
Wisconsin (3rd time applying, 1st year very low WL position, 2nd year rejected likely due to a bad interview)
Wake Forest
Wayne (Didn't finish secondary last year)
WMich

Are there any other schools you guys would suggest? If I don't get in this year should I just give this up? I don't know how many years I can delay starting my life by working mediocre jobs to desperately try to show ADCOMs that I'm serious.
I'm honestly really lost right now and would appreciate any kind of comments or insights on where you think I stand.

What have you improved since you last applied?
Do you have 100 hours each for clinical volunteering & shadowing, or for both added together? How much of that is shadowing?
Did the research position require direct patient interaction? If so, in what way and what percent of the time?

Colorado, BTW has historically given extra points to reapplicants, but they expected active clinical experience in the hundreds of hours.

 

[Vivladi]

You don't have to get a job! You can do something as a volunteer (none of my clinical hours are paid). You can sacrifice just 3-4 hours once a weak and be solid enough over a year. Hospitals and hospices always need volunteers and have very flexible schedules.

Yeah and that's definitely what I'm doing, I just don't know when it will finally be "enough". That isn't to say that I'm only doing the volunteering because of box-checking or that I don't find personal growth in it, but that from a practical stance this is my third time reapplying and if I'm going to have to go through this again I'll need to retake the MCAT, and at that point I want to make sure that I can present to ADCOMs what they want to see. I

 

[rdyotz]

You need to step up those clinical volunteering hours or do part-time clinical work. Have you applied the past three cycles (including this one)? What has changed in your packet over this time? Volunteering 4 hours per week for a year would net 200 hours of clinical time, how much have you been doing?

 

[Dr panda]

Yeah and that's definitely what I'm doing, I just don't know when it will finally be "enough". That isn't to say that I'm only doing the volunteering because of box-checking or that I don't find personal growth in it, but that from a practical stance this is my third time reapplying and if I'm going to have to go through this again I'll need to retake the MCAT, and at that point I want to make sure that I can present to ADCOMs what they want to see. I

Predominant wisdom on this forum is 200 hours of direct patient interaction, but if you want to aim high may be it is worth to get 300 hours (just don't cram em all in 3-4 weeks).

 

[Vivladi]

What have you improved since you last applied?
Do you have 100 hours each for clinical volunteering & shadowing, or for both added together? How much of that is shadowing?
Did the research position require direct patient interaction? If so, in what way and what percent of the time?

Colorado, BTW has historically given extra points to reapplicants, but they expected active clinical experience in the hundreds of hours.

For the majority of these schools I'm a new applicant, but for the ones that I am reapplying to I've added the job in clinical research which is 100% of the time interaction that involves taking vital signs, ECGs, venipuncture and other various minutiae involved in monitoring wellbeing. I've also added 2 publications in organic chemistry, and added some more hours to the volunteering I've been doing which for other reasons I wasn't able to keep up a good portion of the year and am just now restarting. The 100 hours are each, not together. I would also say that I am lucky that both experiences have been pretty informative, much more so than at least my friends who have been admitted have described their shadowing and volunteer experiences to be

 

[Vivladi]

In another sense what I'm asking is whether I should at one point just give up? Not because I'm not willing to continue trying necessarily, but everything I've ever seen on this site is dismally negative of reapplicants, and if being a reapplicant is as bad as people portray it to be, when should I just acknowledge that it won't happen?

 

[Catalystik]

For the majority of these schools I'm a new applicant, but for the ones that I am reapplying to I've added the job in clinical research which is 100% of the time interaction that involves taking vital signs, ECGs, venipuncture and other various minutiae involved in monitoring wellbeing. I've also added 2 publications in organic chemistry, and added some more hours to the volunteering I've been doing which for other reasons I wasn't able to keep up a good portion of the year and am just now restarting. The 100 hours are each, not together. I would also say that I am lucky that both experiences have been pretty informative, much more so than at least my friends who have been admitted have described their shadowing and volunteer experiences to be

To put your experiences into perspective, 100 active volunteer clinical experience hours are below the average of 150 hours, but with the clinical research added on you should be fine (if you didn't just start the job), provided you emphasized the patient interaction or listed it as clinical employment rather than research. For shadowing, 50 hours is average, so you can stop now, provided you included a primary care doc.

In what area is the nonmedical community service?

 

[Catalystik]

In another sense what I'm asking is whether I should at one point just give up? Not because I'm not willing to continue trying necessarily, but everything I've ever seen on this site is dismally negative of reapplicants, and if being a reapplicant is as bad as people portray it to be, when should I just acknowledge that it won't happen?

Reapplicant status is a negative at some schools, but not at the majority.

Have you gotten any interviews in past cycles? Any waitlists? Edit: sorry, I see you included some information about this in the initial post.

 

[rdyotz]

I think you need to sit down and really think about this path. Why you want to be a physician and what you are willing to do to become one. Assuming you work 40 hours a week, that leaves ~70 non-sleeping hours you can utilize to get some more clinical time in.

It seems like your 1st cycle may have been severely deficient and likely why no acceptances, did you have any interviews? As for your second cycle, how did you improve your app over the 1st one, and was Wisconsin your only interview? Your 3rd cycle now includes a clinical research position for 1year (good) and some more volunteer hours (still on the lower end for clinical), so at least some improvements. Considering a great GPA and MCAT you should get some interviews.

Have you begun working on your interview skills?

 

[Vivladi]

To put your experiences into perspective, 100 active volunteer clinical experience hours are below the average of 150 hours, but with the clinical research added on you should be fine (if you didn't just start the job), provided you emphasized the patient interaction or listed it as clinical employment rather than research. For shadowing, 50 hours is average, so you can stop now, provided you included a primary care doc.

In what area is the nonmedical community service?

I've been working in clinical research for 1 year now so that's about 2200 hours. And yes I listed it was clinical and emphasized that aspect of it.
I'll admit that I didn't include primary care in my shadowing. I did a long run through pathology and radiology and then spent about 50 hours in ultrasound radiology which is where the more meaningful emotional aspects of the shadowing came from because I was constantly accompanying the doctor to do procedures in the ICU.

The nonmedical service was tutoring chemistry while I was in college and I just started volunteering for a suicide hotline but that didn't make it onto my primary.

And yes over the past 2 applications I have gotten II's at Madison x2, Indiana, and Cincinnati x2. I was top 50% waitlist for Cincinnati the cycle thats just closing out now. To put it in perspective though I didn't really apply to many places my first two years as I limited it geographically pretty heavily and applied to a lot of schools that I was honestly not a good fit for but were the only ones that I could, given my constraint. Aside from Pitt, anything east of Ohio is a completely novel application for me.

 

[Dr panda]

I've been working in clinical research for 1 year now so that's about 2200 hours. And yes I listed it was clinical and emphasized that aspect of it.
I'll admit that I didn't include primary care in my shadowing. I did a long run through pathology and radiology and then spent about 50 hours in ultrasound radiology which is where the more meaningful emotional aspects of the shadowing came from because I was constantly accompanying the doctor to do procedures in the ICU.

The nonmedical service was tutoring chemistry while I was in college and I just started volunteering for a suicide hotline but that didn't make it onto my primary.

And yes over the past 2 applications I have gotten II's at Madison x2, Indiana, and Cincinnati x2. I was top 50% waitlist for Cincinnati the cycle thats just closing out now. To put it in perspective though I didn't really apply to many places my first two years as I limited it geographically pretty heavily and applied to a lot of schools that I was honestly not a good fit for but were the only ones that I could, given my constraint. Aside from Pitt, anything east of Ohio is a completely novel application for me.

If you just tutored your classmates, then, it is not really good nonclinical exp. Non clinical volunteering means helping others less fortunate then yourself outside of your nice suburban campus. Try homeless shelter, food pantry, tutor kids in poor districts.

 

[Vivladi]

I think you need to sit down and really think about this path. Why you want to be a physician and what you are willing to do to become one. Assuming you work 40 hours a week, that leaves ~70 non-sleeping hours you can utilize to get some more clinical time in.

It seems like your 1st cycle may have been severely deficient and likely why no acceptances, did you have any interviews? As for your second cycle, how did you improve your app over the 1st one, and was Wisconsin your only interview? Your 3rd cycle now includes a clinical research position for 1year (good) and some more volunteer hours (still on the lower end for clinical), so at least some improvements. Considering a great GPA and MCAT you should get some interviews.

Have you begun working on your interview skills?

Yeah, I've begun practicing my interviewing.

Another question I have is how people suss out "fit". There are a bunch of OOS friendly schools, how do people choose which ones of the many to apply to?

 

[Dr panda]

Yeah, I've begun practicing my interviewing.

Another question I have is how people suss out "fit". There are a bunch of OOS friendly schools, how do people choose which ones of the many to apply to?

MSAR.

 

[Catalystik]

I've been working in clinical research for 1 year now so that's about 2200 hours. And yes I listed it was clinical and emphasized that aspect of it.
I'll admit that I didn't include primary care in my shadowing. I did a long run through pathology and radiology and then spent about 50 hours in ultrasound radiology which is where the more meaningful emotional aspects of the shadowing came from because I was constantly accompanying the doctor to do procedures in the ICU.

The nonmedical service was tutoring chemistry while I was in college and I just started volunteering for a suicide hotline but that didn't make it onto my primary.

And yes over the past 2 applications I have gotten II's at Madison x2, Indiana, and Cincinnati x2. I was top 50% waitlist for Cincinnati the cycle thats just closing out now. To put it in perspective though I didn't really apply to many places my first two years as I limited it geographically pretty heavily and applied to a lot of schools that I was honestly not a good fit for but were the only ones that I could, given my constraint. Aside from Pitt, anything east of Ohio is a completely novel application for me.

-Use your contacts at work and where you volunteer to find a primary care doc to shadow. You can knock out 8-10 hours in one session and include it on Secondaries and update letters where allowed.

-Ditto with the Suicide Hotline volunteering.

-Teaching is a valued experience for a future physician and you have lots of hours volunteering as a Chem tutor. But spb1703 is right: you needed to get out of your comfort zone and show that you can connect with folks who aren't like you when you are giving service to others.

 

[Vivladi]

MSAR.

That doesn't really answer my core problem, anyone can look up statistics about IS/OS; I'm asking how people get a more nuanced understanding of what schools want, because honestly their public faces seem basically copy/pasted. And yes, some can be obvious based on what they include in their curriculum or the special partnerships they have, but a lot seems to be incredibly diffuse. As in, what does having a research program or international elective say about a long established school, really? Most of the older ones have had time to all set up these kinds of programs so how can you divine what exactly they want individually?

 

[Vivladi]

-Use your contacts at work and where you volunteer to find a primary care doc to shadow. You can knock out 8-10 hours in one session and include it on Secondaries and update letters where allowed.

-Ditto with the Suicide Hotline volunteering.

-Teaching is a valued experience for a future physician and you have lots of hours volunteering as a Chem tutor. But spb1703 is right: you needed to get out of your comfort zone and show that you can connect with folks who aren't like you when you are giving service to others.

Okay that's a fair criticism, thank you. I'll try to do that.

 

[Catalystik]

Are there any other schools you guys would suggest?

Rosalind Franklin in Northern Illinois? UIowa takes about 30% OOS.

 

[Dr panda]

That doesn't really answer my core problem, anyone can look up statistics about IS/OS; I'm asking how people get a more nuanced understanding of what schools want, because honestly their public faces seem basically copy/pasted. And yes, some can be obvious based on what they include in their curriculum or the special partnerships they have, but a lot seems to be incredibly diffuse. As in, what does having a research program or international elective say about a long established school, really? Most of the older ones have had time to all set up these kinds of programs so how can you divine what exactly they want individually?

Sorry, cannot help with that.

 

[Dr panda]

I only had like 50 clinical volunteer hours that I did last minute in the months leading up to the applications. I had a bunch of acceptances. I don’t think that’s the main thing holding you back.

I think the issue is school choice and number of apps. You didn’t even apply to all your state schools last year. You have a good, but generic application (from what you’ve written).

Have a bigger list. Include lower ranked privates like Albany, NYMC, St Louis University, Rosalind Franklin, Rush. Add schools like Loyola, Wright State, etc

The schools you added for geographic diversity are schools that get a ton of applications or are upper tier schools that have unique and competitive applicants applying for the first time

That sounds very interesting, could you please share your stats and other ECs you had when applying?

 

[MyOdyssey]

OP

Post a WAMC thread on that SDN sub forum and tag Faha, Goro and Gonnif. They seem to know the schools that reward reinvention. Having read their comments on that board, I’ve learned that Brown and Dartmouth reward reinvention for example.

Definitely do some non clinical volunteering with the underserved - tutoring disadvantaged kids, soup kitchen for the homeless or anything else where you get to rub shoulders and talk with people different from yourself.

Your original school list really was too small.

Add all your state schools, Brown, Dartmouth, Boston U, Case Western, Cleveland Clinic and any other schools suggested by Faha, Goro or Gonnif.

 

[Faha]

I suggest adding all these schools to your application in order to increase your chances for more interviews:
Mayo (MN and AZ)
Iowa
Illinois
Indiana
Ohio State
Case Western
Washington University
Miami
USF-Morsani
Duke
NOVA MD
Seton Hall
TCU-UNT
Jefferson
Einstein
Mount Sinai
Rochester
Boston University
Dartmouth
Brown
There is no problem with being a reapplicant. You just need a better school list and apply to 30+ schools.

 

[rdyotz]

I only had like 50 clinical volunteer hours that I did last minute in the months leading up to the applications. I had a bunch of acceptances. I don’t think that’s the main thing holding you back.

I think the issue is school choice and number of apps. You didn’t even apply to all your state schools last year. You have a good, but generic application (from what you’ve written).

Have a bigger list. Include lower ranked privates like Albany, NYMC, St Louis University, Rosalind Franklin, Rush. Add schools like Loyola, Wright State, etc

The schools you added for geographic diversity are schools that get a ton of applications or are upper tier schools that have unique and competitive applicants applying for the first time

Definitely not Rush, they require more volunteering.

 

[Catalystik]

Definitely not Rush, they require more volunteering.

Ditto with Loyola. Both are mission-driven schools that want to see the type of service we've been referring to, that helps those in need.

 

[Vivladi]

Thanks very much for the suggestions everyone. Some of these schools I'm not applying to because I don't meet some requirement (like having taken physiology) or another, others (like Case Western or Ohio) because I have applied there in the past and been denied twice. Though, my clinical experiences were a bit dismal at that time so its hard for that denial to be very informative.

Does it make sense for me to add some of these schools that are suggested now, though? I could realistically do 4-5 secondaries a week after august 9th or so, would that be too late to submit?

 

[and 99 others]

OP, did you previously apply with a low mcat and retake to get that score? I can't imagine someone with a LizzyM of 76-77, pubs, and that level of volunteering would need to apply 3 times. Is there something I'm missing?

 

[Vivladi]

OP, did you previously apply with a low mcat and retake to get that score? I can't imagine someone with a LizzyM of 76-77, pubs, and that level of volunteering would need to apply 3 times. Is there something I'm missing?

Nope that was my first time taking it. The pubs weren't on my first two applications.. What killed me was lack of clinical experience for sure

 

[MyOdyssey]

Thanks very much for the suggestions everyone. Some of these schools I'm not applying to because I don't meet some requirement (like having taken physiology) or another, others (like Case Western or Ohio) because I have applied there in the past and been denied twice. Though, my clinical experiences were a bit dismal at that time so its hard for that denial to be very informative.

Does it make sense for me to add some of these schools that are suggested now, though? I could realistically do 4-5 secondaries a week after august 9th or so, would that be too late to submit?

There are schools that require physiology? Are you sure? I’ve never seen that.

The timing question is a good one but better answered by one of the ad coms.

 

[Vivladi]

There are schools that require physiology? Are you sure? I’ve never seen that.

The timing question is a good one but better answered by one of the ad coms.

I remember that being one of the reasons why I didn't apply for a school. I could be misremembering though. One thing that knocks out a number of schools for me is needing a letter from a non-science faculty.

 

[Vivladi]

Also thanks for the suggestions, I think I'm going to add about 7 more schools to get to about 20-22

Honestly I can't manage 30+ schools, both time and finance wise

 

[BoneBroCO]

Also thanks for the suggestions, I think I'm going to add about 7 more schools to get to about 20-22

Honestly I can't manage 30+ schools, both time and finance wise

The question is can you imagine applying to 30+ schools more or less than getting rejected for the third application cycle in a row? If someone told you that those extra 10 apps and the money spent on them would be the difference between an acceptance or not, would it be worth it then?

 

[deleted952058]

Hey, I know applications can take a lot of time, effort, and money, but you have worked too hard these past 6 years to be admitted to medical school. The pain of filling out secondaries is temporary, the reward is forever if/when it leads to an interview. Also you'll see that secondary prompts are very similar (talk about a challenge, talk about working in a team, etc). so you can definitely reuse your answers and essays. If it's money, ask your parents or relatives to help you out. I think this cycle can be successful for you if you just apply more broadly and as close to 30 schools as possible.

 

[Faha]

Thanks very much for the suggestions everyone. Some of these schools I'm not applying to because I don't meet some requirement (like having taken physiology) or another, others (like Case Western or Ohio) because I have applied there in the past and been denied twice. Though, my clinical experiences were a bit dismal at that time so its hard for that denial to be very informative.

Does it make sense for me to add some of these schools that are suggested now, though? I could realistically do 4-5 secondaries a week after august 9th or so, would that be too late to submit?

Add all those schools this weekend (minus Case and Ohio State ) and submit all the secondaries by the end of August). August is not late for secondaries.

 

[deleted966008]

First off, I want to say that I do sympathize regarding your not wanting to get clinical experience - hospital “volunteering” has little to nothing to do with being a good physician imo. That being said, you need to play the game and get those hours up.

Also, you need to apply to 20 schools at a minimum. I would even do 30 - you need to do everything you can to maximize your chances. Wishing you well!

 

[Goro]

That doesn't really answer my core problem, anyone can look up statistics about IS/OS; I'm asking how people get a more nuanced understanding of what schools want, because honestly their public faces seem basically copy/pasted. And yes, some can be obvious based on what they include in their curriculum or the special partnerships they have, but a lot seems to be incredibly diffuse. As in, what does having a research program or international elective say about a long established school, really? Most of the older ones have had time to all set up these kinds of programs so how can you divine what exactly they want individually?

When you aim high, you have to BE high. YOU need more patient contact experience. What exactly is your clinical research? Do you interact with patients? Do anything for them?

You need to show Adcoms that you know what you're getting into and really want to be around sick people for the next 40 years. Otherwise, you're just another lab rat who should get a PhD, because the danger is that you're telegraphing that you like research more than Medicine, even at the Stats and research ******.

 

[MyOdyssey]

When you aim high, you have to BE high. YOU need more patient contact experience. What exactly is your clinical research? Do you interact with patients? Do anything for them?

You need to show Adcoms that you know what you're getting into and really want to be around sick people for the next 40 years. Otherwise, you're just another lab rat who should get a PhD, because the danger is that you're telegraphing that you like research more than Medicine, even at the Stats and research ******.

OP’s post #9 on this thread explains his/her clinical research.

 

[Goro]

In another sense what I'm asking is whether I should at one point just give up? Not because I'm not willing to continue trying necessarily, but everything I've ever seen on this site is dismally negative of reapplicants, and if being a reapplicant is as bad as people portray it to be, when should I just acknowledge that it won't happen?

You need to figure out what your deficits are. First off, rewrite all your essays and have multiple eyeballs vet them. Make sure that you emphasize the patient contact experience you had during your research endeavor, and for Gawd's sake, don't come across as a lab rat! You want to touch patients, not pipettors.

Also, as a 3rd time reapplicant, beggars can't be choosy, so you need to have DO schools on your list.

Get off campus and out of your comfort zone and engage in service to others less fortunate than yourself.

Work on interviewing skills

The stigma against reapplicant is mostly hype.
I suggest the following:
NYU
Vanderbilt
WashU
Yale
JHU
U Chicago
U Penn
Northwestern
Columbia
Harvard
Stanford
Mayo
Cornell
Sinai
BU
U VA
Duke
Baylor
Case
UCSF
UCSD
UCLA
U MI
Albert Einstein
Hofstra
Ohio State
Pitt
U Cincy
USF Morsani
Dartmouth
Rochester
USC/Keck
Western MI
Emory
Jefferson
Miami
SLU
Tufts
U IA
U VM
U WI
MCW
Any DO program. I can't recommend Touro-NY, Nova, Wm Carey, LUCOM, for different reasons. MSUCOM? Read up on Larry Nasser and you decide. LMU has an accreditation warning, which concerns me. CalHS is too new and appears to be too limited in rotations sites.

 

[Vivladi]

The question is can you imagine applying to 30+ schools more or less than getting rejected for the third application cycle in a row? If someone told you that those extra 10 apps and the money spent on them would be the difference between an acceptance or not, would it be worth it then?

I really appreciate that people are trying to look out for me here, and I get what you're trying to say, but that argument is built around predicting the future. Ideally we would all apply for every school, but realistically that is not possible. I have a good sense of my time/money/burnout limits and I really don't want to just throw money at secondaries where I know I won't produce a good product and/or the school becomes less and less of a good admission chance/fit.

I mean, I'm getting suggestions to apply to top 10's and Cali schools, and I can't possibly see how that is a reasonable use of my time. I'm not saying this as a way of spurning everyone's advise, I very much appreciate everything given to me in this thread and I've already pinged my primary out to more schools and have started working on those secondaries, as suggested. I'll consider adding more schools that I can finish before September on a case by case basis.
For the curious my list is now:

Hofstra
Emory
Quinnipiac
GW
GT
MCW
OUWB
Stony Brook
Toledo
Tufts
Tulane
Morsani
Cincinnati
Colorado
Pitt
Rochester
UVirginia
Wisconsin
Wake Forest
Wayne
WMich
EDIT: Added WashingtonU and Boston

By the end of today I should have 15 done and will consider adding some more of the suggested schools, but again I'm incredibly hesitant to add any Ivy's or top 10s. My understanding is that you have to be pretty remarkable for those programs and I agree with Pepe that I'm a fine, but rather standard candidate.
Some of the ones suggested (like Einstein and NYMC) are excluded because I don't have the proper LoR's for them

Oh one other question. I see some state schools like Vermont are OOS friendly: but being where they are, are these schools that are looking for more rural focused candidates?

 

[MyOdyssey]

Don’t know about Vermont.

Have heard that Jesuit schools like Gtown and Tulane are very service oriented. Might want to check that.

 

[Vivladi]

Don’t know about Vermont.

Have heard that Jesuit schools like Gtown and Tulane are very service oriented. Might want to check that.

I don't think Tulane is Jesuit?

 

[Faha]

Some schools like applicants with high stats like yours. For example, Washington University offers interviews to 1/3 of all applicants who complete secondaries. Those are good odds, especially since a significant number of those applicants will have a GPA less than 3.7 or a MCAT less than 515. Your odds are much higher than 1/3 .

 

[MyOdyssey]

I don't think Tulane is Jesuit?

I am confused. Loyola U (next door to Tulane and sharing some facilities) is Jesuit.

However, caring for the underserved is part of Tulane Med’s mission statement.

Mission & Vision | Medicine

medicine.tulane.edu

 

[RJ McReady]

Have heard that Jesuit schools like Gtown and Tulane are very service oriented. Might want to check that.
[/QUOTE]
Tulane is definitely not Jesuit

 

[MyOdyssey]

Some schools like applicants with high stats like yours. For example, Washington University offers interviews to 1/3 of all applicants who complete secondaries. Those are good odds, especially since a significant number of those applicants will have a GPA less than 3.7 or a MCAT less than 515. Your odds are much higher than 1/3 .

I agree with Faha that you’re better off targetting higher stats, research oriented schools than targetting more service driven schools.

Boston U >> GTown for someone like you.

 

[Vivladi]

I agree with Faha that you’re better off targetting higher stats, research oriented schools than targetting more service driven schools.

Boston U >> GTown for someone like you.

Okay I'll add both Boston and Washington, thank you; this is exactly the kind of stuff I was hoping to get out of this thread. I was initially nervous to apply to Boston because it seems like it receives a lot of applications and has higher stats comparative to others

To be clear, this is Washington in St. Louis, correct?

 

[DokterMom]

If this is your third application cycle, you've been wanting to go to medical school for at least 4 years, right?

Unfortunately, my opinion is that your low cumulative volunteering hours (service to others less fortunate than yourself) over all this time and the nature of the volunteer work you did (chemistry tutoring) speaks pretty clearly to your priorities. Sorry, but it does paint a picture of someone with questionable interpersonal skills (just part of the stereotype) who belongs in a lab and not in a patient-contact environment...

If this is NOT who you are, I'd abort this application cycle and set about proving decisively that you are a caring and compassionate human who relates well to others and is giving of herself. Volunteer with a hospice organization, in memory care units, working with the disabled, the homeless, or children with autism. Hospital volunteering will seem like box-checking for you, so don't even go there now.

 

[Vivladi]

If this is your third application cycle, you've been wanting to go to medical school for at least 4 years, right?

Unfortunately, my opinion is that your low cumulative volunteering hours (service to others less fortunate than yourself) over all this time and the nature of the volunteer work you did (chemistry tutoring) speaks pretty clearly to your priorities. Sorry, but it does paint a picture of someone with questionable interpersonal skills (just part of the stereotype) who belongs in a lab and not in a patient-contact environment...

If this is NOT who you are, I'd abort this application cycle and set about proving decisively that you are a caring and compassionate human who relates well to others and is giving of herself. Volunteer with a hospice organization, in memory care units, working with the disabled, the homeless, or children with autism. Hospital volunteering will seem like box-checking for you, so don't even go there now.

Thanks for the advice, but I'm already about 75% of the way through secondaries and I was close to getting in last year, so I'm not going to be scrapping it this point