Is reapplication that bad?

[onthetopo]

I heard reapplication files are thrown in garbage pile right away in the evaluation process. Is that true?

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[Iwy Em Hotep]

You have a zero chance of acceptance if you never apply.

 

[medschool22]

I heard reapplication files are thrown in garbage pile right away in the evaluation process. Is that true?

You're right. Also, Med Schools divide Applicants up by those who got A's in Organic and those who didn't. They then divide you up on whether or not you received an odd or even-numbered score on the MCAT (psssst, odd scores have a better chance of getting in).

Then they look at your application picture. They scan your picture into one of their many programs and measure the true distance of your smile. You must have an overall smile greater than alpha-2 (what they assign for really good smiles) to even get an interview...

 

[WatchingWaiting]

I heard reapplication files are thrown in garbage pile right away in the evaluation process. Is that true?

No.

 

[aishoo84]

no that is not true..they do not throw away your files.. in fact...they keep both your old and new application in the same folder..n they compare the two...they wanna see how u have improved urself from when the first time u applied....basically things that u did different

 

[prana_md]

I know that's probably what it feels like right now (I did it, I know) but no. I wish I could find some stats on how many MDs were reapplicants, but it's googling easily. Maybe it's in the MSAR?

 

[Instatewaiter]

The average med school matriculant is 24 and change (aamc published data). That means a very significant portion of any med class will be reaplicants. That or people who took 6 years to finish college. My money is on first one.

 

[vkhalsa]

The average med school matriculant is 24 and change (aamc published data). That means a very significant portion of any med class will be reaplicants. That or people who took 6 years to finish college. My money is on first one.

keep in mind that avg also includes the 40 year old non-trad. the median is still 21.

 

[NapeSpikes]

The average med school matriculant is 24 and change (aamc published data). That means a very significant portion of any med class will be reaplicants. That or people who took 6 years to finish college. My money is on first one.

Not everyone applies their last year of college.

 

[UCLAMAN]

I heard reapplication files are thrown in garbage pile right away in the evaluation process. Is that true?

i am a reapplicant...went from 2 interviews the first time around to 13 interviews.

 

[Apparition]

i am a reapplicant...went from 2 interviews the first time around to 13 interviews.

That is awesome! What did you improve?

 

[UCLAMAN]

That is awesome! What did you improve?

during the first year i was applying(and subsequently was rejected) i did not stop my hustle. i continued my research(leading to publications that year), rose to leadership ranks in all the activities i was involved with, addded a few more extra curriculars, added stronger letters of recs. So when i reapplied i had all of these "improvements" to my application that I could list. i also retook the mcat in august the year i RE-applied(only improved like 2 points). i figure that had i not had the delay of taking the august mcat, i probably would have gotten more interviews and accepts.

i don't know where some of you guys get your advice about not talking about reapplication but from my experience i think its useful to inform schools about the fact that you are reapplying BUT....i REPEAT....BUT, you MUST make sure to HIGHLIGHT HOW YOU HAVE BECOME A BETTER CANDIDATE.

for example...if you were trying to get drafted by the NBA, you go to all these workouts with various teams and ultimately come draft time you go undrafted...well the next time you try out for these teams you better make damn sure that you have improved your game....make sure you added a mid-range jumpshot and worked on your defensive foot work, and worked on driving to your left, etc.

i am not a fan of reapplying immediately thereafter...your barometer for whether you should reapply is whether or not you improved your resume. if you have not improved your resume then do not reapply until you do so.

 

[EZMcFlo]

This may not be entirely relevent, but I wanted to post it somewhere. I am now officially a re-applicant! I just submitted my AMCAS for the 2nd time around. I really hope the OP has it wrong because I only re-applied to one school, Early Decision, where I am currently waitlisted!

Good luck to everyone re-applying.

 

[ekydrd]

keep in mind that avg also includes the 40 year old non-trad...

I resemble that remark!!!

 

[kypdurron5]

I resemble that remark!!!

Me too, I just turned 22 yesterday, I'm practically in the grave already! Oh well, maybe I'll still have a few years to practice medicine before I retire. It would be such a shame to have to retire during residency....

 

[MicroBugs]

during the first year i was applying(and subsequently was rejected) i did not stop my hustle. i continued my research(leading to publications that year), rose to leadership ranks in all the activities i was involved with, addded a few more extra curriculars, added stronger letters of recs. So when i reapplied i had all of these "improvements" to my application that I could list. i also retook the mcat in august the year i RE-applied(only improved like 2 points). i figure that had i not had the delay of taking the august mcat, i probably would have gotten more interviews and accepts.

i don't know where some of you guys get your advice about not talking about reapplication but from my experience i think its useful to inform schools about the fact that you are reapplying BUT....i REPEAT....BUT, you MUST make sure to HIGHLIGHT HOW YOU HAVE BECOME A BETTER CANDIDATE.

for example...if you were trying to get drafted by the NBA, you go to all these workouts with various teams and ultimately come draft time you go undrafted...well the next time you try out for these teams you better make damn sure that you have improved your game....make sure you added a mid-range jumpshot and worked on your defensive foot work, and worked on driving to your left, etc.

i am not a fan of reapplying immediately thereafter...your barometer for whether you should reapply is whether or not you improved your resume. if you have not improved your resume then do not reapply until you do so.

Reading all your posts before this I was getting worried that I had casually mentioned my reapp status. Of course I'd say a majority of the schools on my list are from the first time around. And a lot of advice I had received (not on this site) said you should metnion it. SO I did in less than a sentence. It served as a jump point into all the things I have added to my EC's and such to become a better candidate. Thanks U for the boost of confidence on that one, since my app is already in for this cycle. Luck to all the '07 re-apps!

 

[UCLAMAN]

Reading all your posts before this I was getting worried that I had casually mentioned my reapp status. Of course I'd say a majority of the schools on my list are from the first time around. And a lot of advice I had received (not on this site) said you should metnion it. SO I did in less than a sentence. It served as a jump point into all the things I have added to my EC's and such to become a better candidate. Thanks U for the boost of confidence on that one, since my app is already in for this cycle. Luck to all the '07 re-apps!

i don't know where some of these people are getting their advice about not mentioning your reapplication status. i even applied to essentially the exact same schools the second time around.

someone in some other post mentioned something about "well..what if i am reapplying only because i was late in doing so the previous cycle?" thats probably the only reason i would not mention the fact that i was a reapplicant. otherwise, if you've done the work to improve your app i don't see how telling people you tried once, failed, but improved on all of your faults can be bad.

and ya know what? i am living proof that it is not a bad thing at all. in fact, during one interview the interviewer even told me..."the problem is not reapplying. the problem is that many people who reapply do not improve their application the second time around. good thing you did."

 

[gocoastal]

I had a moment of panic reading that question...

so glad there have been no affirmative responses, otherwise i would be crying myself to sleep right now.

 

[medstylee]

I heard reapplication files are thrown in garbage pile right away in the evaluation process. Is that true?

no way! i went from 3 interviews and 0 acceptances to 8 interviews and 4 acceptances this year. and, all 4 of the schools i was accepted to were schools that i had applied to before. and, in fact, only 1 of those 4 schools had even offered me an an interview previously.

as for schools keeping your apps on file, i think things vary from school to school. at some schools, i felt like i was starting off blank slate again, while at other schools (suny upstate comes to mind), my previous application was still on file.

so, definitely dont take anymore advice from whoever told you that reapps are thrown out! best of luck.

 

[UCLAMAN]

no way! i went from 3 interviews and 0 acceptances to 8 interviews and 4 acceptances this year. and, all 4 of the schools i was accepted to were schools that i had applied to before. and, in fact, only 1 of those 4 schools had even offered me an an interview previously.

as for schools keeping your apps on file, i think things vary from school to school. at some schools, i felt like i was starting off blank slate again, while at other schools (suny upstate comes to mind), my previous application was still on file.

so, definitely dont take anymore advice from whoever told you that reapps are thrown out! best of luck.

see...another person that concurs. gees...so much misinformation and rumors started on sdn. hope medstylee was the nail in the coffin for the "reapps in the garbage" rumor.

 

[Mutt]

The average med school matriculant is 24 and change (aamc published data).

Wow, that is off.

Try again: average MCAT score is a 24, average applicant is 26-28, average matriculant is a 29-30!

 

[UCLAMAN]

Wow, that is off.

Try again: average MCAT score is a 24, average applicant is 26-28, average matriculant is a 29-30!

Try again: the previous poster was referring to age not MCAT score. Understand what you read before you call someone out.

 

[jdawt]

I'm reapplying this year. My personal statement starts out with why I want to pursue medicine and goes into how that was hindered by not getting in (2005). I then mention how that made feel overall, what I decided to do, and what I actually did do to improve my application.

My application last time was hindered by a low MCAT, which I raised 6 points in April 2006. Therefore, I'm thinking that improving that alone helped, but I also highlighted how I've done well in my MPH program, shadowed doctors for over 300 hours, taken a research position, and a county health department position to detail that I wasn't just looking to improve my MCAT, I was looking to improve myself.

I'm hoping that I did not make a mistake by doing this. I don't think I did, even though many schools are seeing my applicatino for the first time (meaning I did not apply to these schools last time). Any comments are welcome, but the main goal of my post is to show that I'm an example of a person putting that he is a reapplicant out there, for better or worse.

 

[UCLAMAN]

I'm hoping that I did not make a mistake by doing this. I don't think I did, even though many schools are seeing my applicatino for the first time (meaning I did not apply to these schools last time). Any comments are welcome, but the main goal of my post is to show that I'm an example of a person putting that he is a reapplicant out there, for better or worse.

i think it is fine to mention that you are reapplying to schools you may be applying to for the first time. i did not apply to northwestern the first time around. but they knew i was a reapplicant to medical school in general because i mentioned it in my personal statement the second time i applied to medical school. and i think i am doing alright since i am meeting with my residency advisor today and am in the residency application process.

conversely, i also interviewed and was accepted at schools i had applied to the first time around.

 

[2DEG]

I heard reapplication files are thrown in garbage pile right away in the evaluation process. Is that true?

Its true..all true!!






being sarcastic.

 

[waitman192]

see...another person that concurs. gees...so much misinformation and rumors started on sdn. hope medstylee was the nail in the coffin for the "reapps in the garbage" rumor.

In case medstlyee wasn't the nail in the coffin, I can attest to it. I applied 3 times, and finally got in this time around... so they definitely don't throw them away, even on the 3rd time around (3rd time's the charm, right?)

And I also applied to the place I was accepted to all 3 times. Like others have said, just show what you have done to improve yourself. Persistance pays off.

Don't ever think they throw your application away.

 

[susan_williams]

Thanks for the info. I appreciate it when i read it.

 

[susan_williams]

what other things can u teach?i'l appreaciate ur time.thanks a lot.

 

[domsport]

I was a reapplicant... after being waitlisted and ultimately rejected by the school that I am now attending. I can absolutely assure you guys that are questioning reapplication that it looks GREAT when you improve your app and reapply. As a matter of fact, I recently had a very long discusssion with an associate dean with whom I was discussing the issues of retention and perfomance among accepted students. He stated emphatically that it has been shown that reappliants and those that show a "never give up " attitude by retaking courses, reapplying, improving scores...do better overall in the curiculum compared with those that were admitted with super high MCAT scores and GPA's on the first try!

It's also great to rub it in to admissions that I was waitlisted/rejected and now in the top 10% of the class!...

So...definitely, absolutely, positively reapply if you want to pursue medicine!!!
the admissions system in NOT perfect

 

[Chinorlz]

I'm joining the ranks of the reapplicant pool... but slightly concerned based on what people have said here (*slightly*!).

I interviewed at only one place last time around but only applied essentially to top 30 schools. I added middle tier (AECOM, Tufts, BU, etc.) at the end of the application window and subsequently was rejected from all those. Only Sinai gave me an interview last time around.

After talking with the dean at UC Pritzker, she said that the only reason she saw that I wasn't offered an interview was lack of volunteering and maybe i should take a course or two to show that i was still academically inclined/capable.

So, having volunteered in the ER and currently taking Biochem, I'm reapplying and this time pretty much to lower/middle tier schools only. A few reaches.

But how much can change in a year (or closer to... 9 months really)? I reworked my personal statement and I'm not recycling essays from last time. I've got a publication being peer-reviewed now etc. etc. Hope that's enough. Hehe, I definitely haven't been slacking!

I just feel a bit rushed since A). I'd like to start on this long road to the MD and I'm already 24 with friends I graduated with entering their 3rd years B). my MCAT scores are valid just this last time and they're pretty good.

I figure I'll be fine. Learned a lot from the last time around!

Do you all have suggestions or new approaches for yourselves as reapplicants?

 

[Nodelphi]

In case medstlyee wasn't the nail in the coffin, I can attest to it. I applied 3 times, and finally got in this time around... so they definitely don't throw them away, even on the 3rd time around (3rd time's the charm, right?)

And I also applied to the place I was accepted to all 3 times. Like others have said, just show what you have done to improve yourself. Persistance pays off.

Don't ever think they throw your application away.

Ditto here, I applied three times as well. The last time I applied I pulled up my MCAT score 4 points and I added about 160 hours of shadowing. This seemed to do the trick. I also added a first-author publication but oddly enough that didn't come up at all in my interviews which leads me to believe it didn't help much. People gushed about the shadowing experience though.

 

[UCLAMAN]

I'm joining the ranks of the reapplicant pool... but slightly concerned based on what people have said here (*slightly*!).

I interviewed at only one place last time around but only applied essentially to top 30 schools. I added middle tier (AECOM, Tufts, BU, etc.) at the end of the application window and subsequently was rejected from all those. Only Sinai gave me an interview last time around.

After talking with the dean at UC Pritzker, she said that the only reason she saw that I wasn't offered an interview was lack of volunteering and maybe i should take a course or two to show that i was still academically inclined/capable.

So, having volunteered in the ER and currently taking Biochem, I'm reapplying and this time pretty much to lower/middle tier schools only. A few reaches.

But how much can change in a year (or closer to... 9 months really)? I reworked my personal statement and I'm not recycling essays from last time. I've got a publication being peer-reviewed now etc. etc. Hope that's enough. Hehe, I definitely haven't been slacking!

I just feel a bit rushed since A). I'd like to start on this long road to the MD and I'm already 24 with friends I graduated with entering their 3rd years B). my MCAT scores are valid just this last time and they're pretty good.

I figure I'll be fine. Learned a lot from the last time around!

Do you all have suggestions or new approaches for yourselves as reapplicants?

well...there isnt much you can do now that you are in the reapplication process other than continue what you have been doing. but i suppose you could add a few more quick andeasy things to become involved with and continue to update admissions committees through the process.

for example...its summer...summer camp for kids with illnesses(ie cancer) is a great(and FUN!) way to get more volunteering in. plus, you'd be surprised how much you can learn from these cancer kids in a week! it would give you tons of stuff to talk about during an interview as well(especially when they ask you about challenges and stuff....try taking care of 10 cancer kids in a cabin...they are just as active as other kids in many cases too mind you.)

definitely keep updating adcoms with letters about significant things you've accomplished during the application process.

i find it hard to believe that the reason you werent offered an interview was because you had a lack of volunteer work...did you not volunteer in anything at all?

sounds like you have made some improvements and changes to your application this time around. that pending publication could be made to look like a big thing during interviews. the ER volunteering sounds a little hokey...hopefully you were able to describe some meaningful experiences you've gained from it in some of your essays. hopefully adcoms see your changes as significant(that will be the key!)

24 isnt too old. i mean...you'll have an md by 30. thats not too bad at all.

 

[Chinorlz]

well...there isnt much you can do now that you are in the reapplication process other than continue what you have been doing. but i suppose you could add a few more quick andeasy things to become involved with and continue to update admissions committees through the process.

for example...its summer...summer camp for kids with illnesses(ie cancer) is a great(and FUN!) way to get more volunteering in. plus, you'd be surprised how much you can learn from these cancer kids in a week! it would give you tons of stuff to talk about during an interview as well(especially when they ask you about challenges and stuff....try taking care of 10 cancer kids in a cabin...they are just as active as other kids in many cases too mind you.)

definitely keep updating adcoms with letters about significant things you've accomplished during the application process.

i find it hard to believe that the reason you werent offered an interview was because you had a lack of volunteer work...did you not volunteer in anything at all?

sounds like you have made some improvements and changes to your application this time around. that pending publication could be made to look like a big thing during interviews. the ER volunteering sounds a little hokey...hopefully you were able to describe some meaningful experiences you've gained from it in some of your essays. hopefully adcoms see your changes as significant(that will be the key!)

24 isnt too old. i mean...you'll have an md by 30. thats not too bad at all.

Thanks for the suggestions. The ER volunteering is a pretty nice gig though. I get to see a lot and interact with all sorts of people.

Prior to that, i had zero volunteering experience (well aside from middle school/high school boy scout related volunteering).

We'll see what happens this time around!

Thanks again mate,
A

 

[winthug]

Since we're on the topic of reapplication, I was wondering if anybody can help me ou Right now, I'm on waitlist with UCLA, AECOM, and Wake Forest (school started already, so no hope for that school). I got interiewed to those schools and Duke and Pitt after applying to 34 top tier schools (all but 3 ranked top 50 in at least research or primary care). I applied extremely early at the beginning of my Senior year at Cal with a 3.85 GPA in Bioengineering, 2 years of research, 2 years of working as a lab tech, 100+ hrs in volunteering at hospitals, pretty good LORs, President and VP of two clubs (strong EC), strong personal statement (several interviewers complimented me on it). However, my MCAT is kind of unbalanced. V = 7, B = 12, P = 15 W = Q (I can thank my verbal to princeton review and their crummy strategy). I applied to really good schools because I thought my application was kick azz and that they would look past my verbal score since I did pretty well in writing. 3/5 of my interviews i felt were pretty strong, especially UCLA because we talked for 1.5 hrs instead of the planned 30 min, however I still got waitlisted. It is really hard for me to believe that I didn't get in just cause of my verbal since my MCAT overall score looks pretty good. Can anybody think of another reason for my unsuccessful year?

Anyways, I have done more stuff in the past year: 1 really good LOR, tutored in a prison, more EC, and am currently taking an EMT-B class which includes a clinical internship at the ED where I actually get to help patients and doctors with minor treatments (ventilate, clean wounds, spike IV bags, hook them up to monitors, vitals, etc.). Also, I'm going to retake MCATs this August (I'm currently averaging a 9-10 on verbal and hoping to get 14-15 on Biology/Physical Sciences, i know i can do it!). The schools I will be applying to will probably be mid-low tier.

I was intially planning to apply next summer, but I really don't want to wait another two years and work as an EMT for that long. My current plan is to wait to see how I do on my MCAT and if it's more balanced and higher, then I'd apply. The problem is that I won't be able to apply until late October which is when the scores come out. I would be seriously jeopardizing my chances of getting any interviews, but it seems like I still have a decent shot after reading a previous post on this thread. What do you guys think? I want to go into orthopedic surgery (4 + 5 + 2 years) so I kinda want to get started on med school asap so that I'm not 34-35 when i finally get a job.

Anyways, should I submit my primary now when it's early or will that not matter because they won't look at it until August MCATs come out? Please help!!!

 

[UCLAMAN]

Anyways, should I submit my primary now when it's early or will that not matter because they won't look at it until August MCATs come out? Please help!!!

when i went through the reapplication process i was also an august MCATer.

As I am sure you realize, as an august mcater you are already behind the ball compared to your peers who have had their applications complete several months before you. With that said...if you are positive that you want to reapply as an august mcater, then you MUST make sure that your applications are complete BEFORE your august mcat scores are released. Yes... that means, your primaries, your LORs, any secondaries that you can get your hands on should be returned to the schools BEFORE your august scores are released.

WHY?

As an august mcater you are already delayed. No sense in delaying your application even more by waiting to turn in your application materials AFTER the schools receive your mcat scores.

Turn EVERYTHING you can turn in to the schools BEFORE your august scores are released so the scores will be all they will be waiting for and once they receive them they can begin assessing your application and decide whether or not to give you an interview. Make sure as many of your applications are essentially COMPLETE and are just waiting on the results of your mcat score(again, when i say "essentially complete", i mean primary, secondaries, and LORs should be in).

Make sense?

good luck

 

[rwlake]

I just thought I'd share a re-app story (I applied 3 times before being accepted). I re-took the MCAT before applying for the second time but got the same score as I had the first time. I did not release my scores because I did not want to drive home the fact that "I was mediocre". I didn't get an interview (I was only applying to one school). I spoke to the selection committee chairman and asked him why. He told me there was no evidence that I was trying to improve my application. I hadn't even re-taken the MCAT. When I told him what had happened, he told me I had messed up and that I should have released the scores regardless. So I did, and I got an interview.

 

[winthug]

Thanks for the advice, but will I even get any secondaries if I submit my application before taking the August MCAT? I always thought that they don't start looking at the application until they receive the scores. I could always use my old MCAT so that I can at least get the secondaries, but I'd rather not do that. As an August MCATer, did you receive your secondaries before you even took the MCAT?

 

[UCLAMAN]

Thanks for the advice, but will I even get any secondaries if I submit my application before taking the August MCAT? I always thought that they don't start looking at the application until they receive the scores. I could always use my old MCAT so that I can at least get the secondaries, but I'd rather not do that. As an August MCATer, did you receive your secondaries before you even took the MCAT?

i figured you were going to ask this...i should've explicitly pointed this out...

yes, a lot of schools(not all, but defnitely quite a few) will give you their secondaries before you even take the august mcat as long as your primary is submitted.

don't waste another second in submitting your primary. submit as soon as your personal statement is revamped and ready to go.

good luck man

 

[winthug]

Wow. I wish i knew that earlier. Guess I gotta start on my AMCAS and find another 1 grand to spend on it.

 

[UCLAMAN]

...in fact...a lot of schools give out their secondaries before the primary is even verified just as long as you have submitted the application and they have access to your address.

 

[kypdurron5]

i find it hard to believe that the reason you weren't offered an interview was because you had a lack of volunteer work...did you not volunteer in anything at all?

My rejection letter from my state school stated "obtain some hands-on clinical experience and reapply." Nothing about academics, nothing about MCAT, nothing about interview. The basis of the reason they rejected me was because I had only done a tiny bit of volunteering...I hadn't followed a doctor around or spent unending hours in a hospital. I understand why medical schools want this, but the whole attitude that we should have these things as apart of some checklist bothers me. For the last four years I was in school full time and working part time. My day began around 8 or 9 AM, I finished classes around 2 or 3, I went to work at 4, I got off at 8. After this I went home, ate supper, did some homework, and finally played a video game or read a book for a half hour or so and went to bed. That was my day. When exactly was I supposed to fit in feeding hungry children or helping old ladies across the street? Sure, volunteering shows a "spirit of service," but is it too much for them to recognize this without us having volunteer notches on our belts? Shouldn't they be more concerned with what kind of doctors we're going to make rather than who had the best volunteer or shadowing opportunity? Am I to be penalized because my family couldn't afford to pay for my college and I had to do it myself? I also realize that most applicants have volunteer stuff, if for no other reason than because it's expected, but why is it so hard to understand when someone doesn't have this on their application? I simply wish this process relied less on these sorts of things. It should be enough that we keep our GPA's near perfect, that we strive for great MCAT scores, and certainly enough that we're willing to commit our very lives to the study and practice of medicine. As it is, that's just not enough to get into medical school.

 

[winthug]

You question about the whole application process and I totally agree with you. From my experience, volunteering really doesn't mean anything about your potential to be a good doctor nor does it really give you any idea of how life in the hospital really is. Of all the times I've volunteered, my duties were totally meaningless (gives patients food, blankets, escort them, talk to them, tell their nurse whenever they ask for them). Most people add a lot of fluff to this though and make it seem really significant, as I did, but it really doesn't say much. The sad thing is, medical schools want you to have 1000000+ hours of this nonsense thinking that it actually means something. Unless you actually get do SOMETHING in the hospital, you'll have no idea what being a doctor is like and to be able to do SOMETHING, you can't just be a volunteer or shadower. You gotta be a ED Tech, RN, intern, whatever, because a hospital will never give a student volunteer enough responsibility to do more than take someone's weight. They can't afford to, especially since the volunteer has no malpractice insurance and what not. I hated every time I volunteered at the Cancer Center because it was so BORING. I didn't get to do anything cool because the hospitals didn't want the liability of something bad happening because of a volunteer. Now that I'm actually interning at an ED as an EMT student, I'm loving every minute of it because I getting involved with the blood and guts. For example, last time a patient coded but the paramedics got her pulse back and I got to bag the patient while the docs did chest compressions. Ask a volunteer if they ever got to do that?

Maybe that's what they're asking for you when they want more "hands-on experience", but the fact is that most applicants don't have it and they exaggerate their application to make it look like they do. What's the reasoning behind having a good number of volunteering hours? It's the same reason for having a good Verbal or Physical Sciences score on the MCAT, and the same reason they expect students from a large public university to get a personalized LOR from their professor with 500 students in a class. THERE IS NO REASON. But how else are they going to shrink their list of 5000 applicants to the 200 who they can interview? Sure, they get rid of a lot of potentially good applicants who don't have the same # of volunteering hours as the typical pre-med student, but they also retain a lot of them in those who have the hours. It's like if for some reason you have got a DUI. Med school (or any field in medicine) will probably be impossible to get into, even if it was just three beers and it was either walk 5 miles at 4 am or drive it, that's one way to narrow the 5000 applicants down to 4900. It's just something you gotta do, just like learning 3000 new words for the SAT I, half of which you won't remember since the ONLY TIME you see them is in the SAT I. I'm sure that when you get into med school and eventually volunteer to become an admissions committee member for a year, you'll be looking for some criteria to reduce the 200 applications you gotta read, whether it be GPA, MCAT score, volunteering hours, or if the first line in their PS is "I want to be a doctor because I like helping people." In the back of my head, I'd be telling myself "Some of the students I'm filtering out this way would be great doctors, despite their below average MCAT score," but after finishing a 36 hour rotation, I really wouldn't give a ****. I'd really say, "If I had to do it, then there's no way these applicants are going to get the easy way out."

 

[Law2Doc]

keep in mind that avg also includes the 40 year old non-trad. the median is still 21.

Agree -- reapplicants are not a big factor in the higher age of matriculation. There will be a number of nontrads ages 25-30, and a smaller handful over 30, which pull up the average age. All those folks who took postbacs because they didn't take sciences classes in undergrad, all those folks with prior graduate degrees, all those folks who delayed school for armed services, the handful who did the peace corps, etc serve to drive the average age up much more significantly than the reapps, who frequently are applying again just one year after the normal age.

 

[Law2Doc]

What's the reasoning behind having a good number of volunteering hours? It's the same reason for having a good Verbal or Physical Sciences score on the MCAT, and the same reason they expect students from a large public university to get a personalized LOR from their professor with 500 students in a class. THERE IS NO REASON.

Part of the adcoms job is to select students who will follow through on their medical training and become doctors. Someone who has realistic expectations, and through his actions has shown a bona fide interest in learning more about the field, is more likely to do this than someone who only knows medicine from what they've see on Scrubs or through a rich uncle. Thus clinical exposure is essential. And you actually should want it, because it's kind of crazy to launch yourself on a lifelong career and incur $200k of debt on something you know nothing about. So adcoms want to see students who have actually gotten into the hospital, seen doctors, patients and their interaction. Hopefully also talked to newly minted doctors about their career decisions. One interviewer told me that the ideal clinical experience was one in which there was a substantial chance of getting thrown up on. LizzyM, who seems to be an adcom who frequents these boards, says a good experience is one where you actually smell the patients. More exposure of this kind leads to better decisions, and adcoms can sniff out a lame, puffed up experience in an application a mile away. When you get to med school, you will find that most of your classmates had pretty impressive experiences, regardless of whether they were sought out for the right reasons. So there is a reason. You just perhaps don't like or agree with it.

 

[UCLAMAN]

Part of the adcoms job is to select students who will follow through on their medical training and become doctors. Someone who has realistic expectations, and through his actions has shown a bona fide interest in learning more about the field, is more likely to do this than someone who only knows medicine from what they've see on Scrubs or through a rich uncle. Thus clinical exposure is essential. And you actually should want it, because it's kind of crazy to launch yourself on a lifelong career and incur $200k of debt on something you know nothing about. So adcoms want to see students who have actually gotten into the hospital, seen doctors, patients and their interaction. Hopefully also talked to newly minted doctors about their career decisions. One interviewer told me that the ideal clinical experience was one in which there was a substantial chance of getting thrown up on. LizzyM, who seems to be an adcom who frequents these boards, says a good experience is one where you actually smell the patients. More exposure of this kind leads to better decisions, and adcoms can sniff out a lame, puffed up experience in an application a mile away. When you get to med school, you will find that most of your classmates had pretty impressive experiences, regardless of whether they were sought out for the right reasons. So there is a reason. You just perhaps don't like or agree with it.

i agree...and i have comments to add...but i hafta go to church!...i shall add them later...

 

[MinnyGophers]

As someone who has to work to put myself through school, I find it very difficult to find time to volunteer/shadow.... it is already hard enough to keep up with school + work and find time to study. Do adcomms realize that? Or are people who are not silver spoon fed a way through school even more disadvantaged?

 

[Law2Doc]

As someone who has to work to put myself through school, I find it very difficult to find time to volunteer/shadow.... it is already hard enough to keep up with school + work and find time to study. Do adcomms realize that? Or are people who are not silver spoon fed a way through school even more disadvantaged?

They realize it, but the expectation is not going to be much lower. You are always going to be compared to those handful of folks who managed to do work, school and the rest. If you can do it all you are a strong applicant. If you can only do two out of three, not so much.

 

[MinnyGophers]

They realize it, but the expectation is not going to be much lower. You are always going to be compared to those handful of folks who managed to do work, school and the rest. If you can do it all you are a strong applicant. If you can only do two out of three, not so much.

Even if you work close to 40 hours/ week ( research job) + full time school as a chemistry major?
It's physically impossible to do anything else