Advice for reapplication

[premedaci]

Hey everyone! I'm posting this comment as a reapplicant who is sitting on two WLs right now. I know waitlist movement will happen soon, but I have to prepare myself for reapplication in case I don't hear good news from them soon. If anyone has any advice on how I can be a better applicant this time around and help me make a better school list, I would be incredibly grateful!

State/Country of Residence: Currently living in MA, but my residence is NY

• Ties to other States/Regions: N/A
• URM? (Y/N): I don't think so (Filipino)
• Year in School: Graduated 2020
• Undergraduate Major(s)/Minor(s): Health Science Major /Psychology Minor
• Graduate Degrees (if applicable): N/A
• Cumulative GPA: 3.97
• Science GPA: 3.96
• MCAT Score(s): 511 (128/125/129/129)
• Research Experience: Psychology research (lifespan emotional development), poster presentation ~300 hours; clinical research ~300 hours, no pubs but currently writing paper for future pub
• Publications/Abstracts/Posters (include how you were credited e.g. first author, second author, etc.): First author on poster at university's research expo
• Clinical Experience (paid or volunteer): volunteer (50 hours); paid- patient care assistant (600 hours); clinical assistant at major children's hospital (over 5,000 hours, current full time gap year job)
• Physician Shadowing: 100 hours spread among breast surgical oncology, internal medicine, otolaryngology
• Non-Clinical Volunteering: unsure because my premed advisor counted my extracurricular below as "community service/volunteering"
• Other Extracurricular Activities: treasurer->president of global health club
• Other Employment History: Tutor and TA for Orgo 1&2, Gen Bio 1&2
• Immediate family members in medicine? (Y/N): Y; Mother is ER and ICU nurse, one brother is a Physician Assistant, another brother recent MD graduate starting pediatric residency this summer
• Specialty of Interest (if applicable): ENT for now but keeping my options open
• Interest in Primary Care (Y/N): N
• Interest in Rural Health (Y/N): N
• Medical School List:

Loyola
Quinnipiac
NYMC
Tulane
Buffalo
Tufts
SUNY Downstate
SUNY Upstate
George Washington
Georgetown
Drexel
Lewis Katz
Penn State
Maryland
Thomas Jefferson
Wake Forest
Rochester
Brown
BU

What do you guys think my chances are for reapplication? I know I need to find non-clinical volunteering but COVID has made this difficult. I also know I need to bump up my research.
Also, should I apply to DO schools as well?

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[stillwaiting1234]

If you are planning to reapply, make sure to look at MSAR to be sure you aren't applying to a bunch of low yield schools. Take into account how many applications they get vs how many interviews they give. From your list I think some of the lower yield are NYMC, TJU, GW, tulane, and quinnipiac.

I would apply to a few DO schools. I was a reapplicant this year (3.7/514), and while I am lucky enough to have gotten an MD acceptance, It was very late in the spring so it was nice to have a few DO acceptances to know that I was definitely going somewhere this summer.

Hope this helps!

 

[TragicalDrFaust]

You have a strong application but, if it comes to it, I would apply more broadly and throw in some DO schools. A lot of people applying MD apply to 30+ schools and significant chunk of your list is low-yield, as someone else mentioned.

 

[Goro]

Hey everyone! I'm posting this comment as a reapplicant who is sitting on two WLs right now. I know waitlist movement will happen soon, but I have to prepare myself for reapplication in case I don't hear good news from them soon. If anyone has any advice on how I can be a better applicant this time around and help me make a better school list, I would be incredibly grateful!

State/Country of Residence: Currently living in MA, but my residence is NY

• Ties to other States/Regions: N/A
• URM? (Y/N): I don't think so (Filipino)
• Year in School: Graduated 2020
• Undergraduate Major(s)/Minor(s): Health Science Major /Psychology Minor
• Graduate Degrees (if applicable): N/A
• Cumulative GPA: 3.97
• Science GPA: 3.96
• MCAT Score(s): 511 (128/125/129/129)
• Research Experience: Psychology research (lifespan emotional development), poster presentation ~300 hours; clinical research ~300 hours, no pubs but currently writing paper for future pub
• Publications/Abstracts/Posters (include how you were credited e.g. first author, second author, etc.): First author on poster at university's research expo
• Clinical Experience (paid or volunteer): volunteer (50 hours); paid- patient care assistant (600 hours); clinical assistant at major children's hospital (over 5,000 hours, current full time gap year job)
• Physician Shadowing: 100 hours spread among breast surgical oncology, internal medicine, otolaryngology
• Non-Clinical Volunteering: unsure because my premed advisor counted my extracurricular below as "community service/volunteering"
• Other Extracurricular Activities: treasurer->president of global health club
• Other Employment History: Tutor and TA for Orgo 1&2, Gen Bio 1&2
• Immediate family members in medicine? (Y/N): Y; Mother is ER and ICU nurse, one brother is a Physician Assistant, another brother recent MD graduate starting pediatric residency this summer
• Specialty of Interest (if applicable): ENT for now but keeping my options open
• Interest in Primary Care (Y/N): N
• Interest in Rural Health (Y/N): N
• Medical School List:

Loyola
Quinnipiac
NYMC
Tulane
Buffalo
Tufts
SUNY Downstate
SUNY Upstate
George Washington
Georgetown
Drexel
Lewis Katz
Penn State
Maryland
Thomas Jefferson
Wake Forest
Rochester
Brown
BU

What do you guys think my chances are for reapplication? I know I need to find non-clinical volunteering but COVID has made this difficult. I also know I need to bump up my research.
Also, should I apply to DO schools as well?

Your major weakness is that you have no non-clinical volunteering. You need to get off campus and out of your comfort zone, and engage in service to others less fortunate than yourself.
Many of the schools where you would be competitive for our service loving schools, like Drexel or Albany

 

[dgray]

Hey everyone! I'm posting this comment as a reapplicant who is sitting on two WLs right now. I know waitlist movement will happen soon, but I have to prepare myself for reapplication in case I don't hear good news from them soon. If anyone has any advice on how I can be a better applicant this time around and help me make a better school list, I would be incredibly grateful!

State/Country of Residence: Currently living in MA, but my residence is NY

• Ties to other States/Regions: N/A
• URM? (Y/N): I don't think so (Filipino)
• Year in School: Graduated 2020
• Undergraduate Major(s)/Minor(s): Health Science Major /Psychology Minor
• Graduate Degrees (if applicable): N/A
• Cumulative GPA: 3.97
• Science GPA: 3.96
• MCAT Score(s): 511 (128/125/129/129)
• Research Experience: Psychology research (lifespan emotional development), poster presentation ~300 hours; clinical research ~300 hours, no pubs but currently writing paper for future pub
• Publications/Abstracts/Posters (include how you were credited e.g. first author, second author, etc.): First author on poster at university's research expo
• Clinical Experience (paid or volunteer): volunteer (50 hours); paid- patient care assistant (600 hours); clinical assistant at major children's hospital (over 5,000 hours, current full time gap year job)
• Physician Shadowing: 100 hours spread among breast surgical oncology, internal medicine, otolaryngology
• Non-Clinical Volunteering: unsure because my premed advisor counted my extracurricular below as "community service/volunteering"
• Other Extracurricular Activities: treasurer->president of global health club
• Other Employment History: Tutor and TA for Orgo 1&2, Gen Bio 1&2
• Immediate family members in medicine? (Y/N): Y; Mother is ER and ICU nurse, one brother is a Physician Assistant, another brother recent MD graduate starting pediatric residency this summer
• Specialty of Interest (if applicable): ENT for now but keeping my options open
• Interest in Primary Care (Y/N): N
• Interest in Rural Health (Y/N): N
• Medical School List:

Loyola
Quinnipiac
NYMC
Tulane
Buffalo
Tufts
SUNY Downstate
SUNY Upstate
George Washington
Georgetown
Drexel
Lewis Katz
Penn State
Maryland
Thomas Jefferson
Wake Forest
Rochester
Brown
BU

What do you guys think my chances are for reapplication? I know I need to find non-clinical volunteering but COVID has made this difficult. I also know I need to bump up my research.
Also, should I apply to DO schools as well?

Your overall app appears pretty strong, I'm wondering if part of the issue could be your personal statement / LOR - have you gotten feedback on your PS? How strong do you feel your LOR are?