Need reapplicant/Gap year advice for mid to high stats ORM (soft WAMC too).

[FromKermitsHome]

I’m a 4th year undergrad graduating this May with double STEM majors (Biochem, Neuro) hailing from a large state school in the Southeastern US. My GPA is a 3.9 (probably will either stay or go up slightly at the end of this year) and my MCAT is a 518. I’m ORM, but from a rural area. I’m new here, but I hope that's high enough to get one A in the future. I have 1 little publication, no presentations or anything. However, I’m working hard on it in a lab rn. I’m going to try to write my senior thesis; let’s see how that goes. I just started working as a CNA a few months ago, but I have past volunteering experience (around 300-40 hours total combined). I’ve shadowed 1 doctor and 1 CRNA for a total of 120 ish hours. I have 5 recommenders (potentially 7 if I take a gap year). All I had good relationships with.

Now cutting to the chase. I finished my secondaries less than a week ago, and now I am finally coming to terms with the fact that I may not get into a medical school this cycle after denying it for so long. Honestly, I’m disgusted at myself at my procrastination - I had nearly a 3-month turnaround time for my secondaries. Yes, it was due to the stress of this current semester and depression from dealing with the passing of my grandfather this spring and my father losing his job (he was the sole breadwinner for my family), but that doesn’t excuse laziness. At least I’m learning the ultimate lesson BEFORE med school. Although my dad recently got a job and that has helped me try to pull together the motivation to finish these applications, I honestly know I’m not going to get anything past a II. If I do get on a waitlist, and somehow off it this cycle, that would be a miracle from God.

However, the possibility of that happening is quite low, and I know God doesn’t reward procrastinators (maybe). I’ve come to personal terms with this and am now ready to take the next steps and learn the right lessons to ensure a better cycle next time. I have a few questions as well, and I just need someone to tell me if what I’m doing is the correct approach to this. My premed advisor is telling me to go to the Caribbean, but even I know that’s stupid, so I'm turning to SDN.

• Apply the DAY AMCAS allows me to submit (I submitted my primary in late July). And apply ALL my secondaries WITHIN two weeks of receiving them by prewriting them in advance.
• During this fall, spring, and summer semester, I hope to accumulate at least 350-450 hours as a CNA at a large hospital. I have already had some great interactions with patients that I feel can be used in my essays.
• Can I use the same “spark” I originally wrote about in my primary application essays? The anecdotes have changed but the original experience that introduced me to medicine has not.
• Should I take 1 or 2 post bacc classes (like Biostats and Virology) from my Uni in the summer to show medical schools that I’m not slacking?
• If I follow this program, given my stats/ecs, could I expect an acceptance by December or January of next year? Should I do an SMP/1-yr masters, or should I focus on research and clinical experience/volunteering? (and just get 1 or 2 creds post-bacc)?

If you got this far, thank you. Your honest opinion means a lot to me, and I’m sorry for the long rant. My perspective on things was really ruined by my somewhat lackadaisical friends around me, not to mention my life circumstances. I've changed my lifestyle to make myself ready for med schools. I’m not applying to Harvard or Yale or anything like that; I’m trying to be realistic here. Case Western, Michigan, and Emory are the cream of the crop of my current school list. I've applied to LKSOM and some other less competitive schools; not sure how that will work out since they get thousands of applications. Most likely in rejections. I hope I can redeem myself next cycle, even after messing up so badly this time.

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[LizzyM]

You are very late to the party but you might have enough going for you in terms of GPA and MCAT that someone will notice, want to get you know you more, look at your application, see something they like and send an interview invite. It could happen. Meanwhile, you are smart to be thinking about the next cycle.

Plan on getting a job for your gap year. Do if for the experience, whether or not it provides fodder for your essays.

Do not plan on submitting AMCAS on Day #1. We see too many people who do that and then discover they made an error or omitted something really important. Giving yourself an extra week to review is the smartest move. Pre-writing the secondaries and submitting promptly is a good plan -- now stick with it.


You can certainly use the same essay or tune it up and freshen it a bit.

You don't need to spend money on post-bac courses. Most people do not do so during a gap year. Taking Biostats is a good idea if you can fit it in before you graduate.

Given your GPA/MCAT you do not need a SMP or a post-bac or anything remedial. You do need to take a deep dive into what is holding you back psychologically and how you can get out of the procrastination habit and into behaviors that are more productive in moving you toward your goals.

 

[eigen]

Echoing the idea that Day 1 AMCAS submission isn't that important, you just don't want to be super late in the cycle.

The biggest thing I see from your current application is lack of clinical experience. If you've only been working as a CNA for a few months, then you would have had very few hours when you submitted your primary. Even with good starts and volunteering / research, lacking clinical experience (unless you had something else I missed) is a big deal.

 

[KaiBuzz]

Add some strong leadership positions and ample community service hours.

 

[Mr.Smile12]

Did your submit an AMCAS and all your secondaries for this cycle?

 

[Holland]

Hey there, I'm in a similar situation as you as far as submission time goes—I'm only now starting to see the finish line on mine. I don't really have practical advice on par with the adcoms that have been pitching in, but I just wanted to let you know that you're not alone.

Over the course of writing secondaries, I've been working extended hours most days for up to seven days a week, gotten kicked out of my home (I wrote some of my secondaries in my lab while living out of suitcases in the trunk of my car or hopping around friends' houses), and am actively helping two direct family members navigate some pretty serious mental health stuff. I'm extremely fortunate that a couple IIs have started to trickle in, but frankly I'm aware that my cycle will be less successful than I had initially hoped. It hurts to see something you poured your heart into for multiple years get self-sabotaged right at the end.

I'm sure there was some possible sequence of events that would've allowed the two of us to complete secondaries sooner, but in the moment, it feels like you're juggling a list of 100 conflicting imperatives and med school secondaries are somewhere halfway down the list. Life happens, and unfortunately for us, it decided to happen at the worst possible time. Learn what your psychological blocks were and how you can get around them in the future, but don't beat yourself up over it. The process is already set in motion and you can only look forward from here.

If you (or anybody else who's in the same situation, because I know there's a number of us) ever feel the need to talk or vent, feel free to reach out to me. I'm rooting for you, and I hope you find success in your current cycle. Take care of yourself.

 

[FromKermitsHome]

You are very late to the party but you might have enough going for you in terms of GPA and MCAT that someone will notice, want to get you know you more, look at your application, see something they like and send an interview invite. It could happen. Meanwhile, you are smart to be thinking about the next cycle.

Wow, a message from LizzyM! Thank you so much for the encouragement, I guess I'll wait and see but I'm not getting my hopes too far up.

You do need to take a deep dive into what is holding you back psychologically and how you can get out of the procrastination habit and into behaviors that are more productive in moving you toward your goals.

First off, I took your advice and decided to take the last few days off from social media and school and do some deep introspection about what I can do in the future and what has already happened. The friend group I have currently is either toxic, unmotivating, or is not well informed about the medical school application process in general. I’m going to start cutting them off one by one and trying to find new friends who share my goals and motivations.

Having the wrong friend group around lead me into a false sense of security and complacency which allowed me to procrastinate. And I allowed this to happen. I’m not like this normally so now I’m holding myself accountable to make sure that I’m not going to do this again. No excuses.

Plan on getting a job for your gap year. Do if for the experience, whether or not it provides fodder for your essays.

I already have a job as a CNA, and I’ve already accumulated around 150 ish hours. But when I submitted my primary it was like 75 lol. By next June, I should have accumulated well over 1000 hours. That’s ok, right? I really enjoy it, even if it can get messy at times. Patients, although stressed out, are surprisingly not that confrontational with me – maybe it’s because I’m caring for them and interact with them often, but it is touching to know that they trust me and I enjoy helping them. I could not be a scribe, however, I’m not that great at typing lol.

Do not plan on submitting AMCAS on Day #1. We see too many people who do that and then discover they made an error or omitted something really important. Giving yourself an extra week to review is the smartest move. Pre-writing the secondaries and submitting promptly is a good plan -- now stick with it.

I thought that there is a month space before the primary opens to get stuff inputted in (May 1) and the first submission date (May 30) …. Is there something that I missed? I’ve already submitted a fully loaded primary app before so I wouldn’t think I would miss something…

You can certainly use the same essay or tune it up and freshen it a bit.

I spent countless hours on my primary essay and I’m kind of worried it might go to waste. I’m planning on changing the anecdotes I use within the essay to fit my more recent and memorable experiences, but the initial event that opened the possibility of pursuing medicine for me hasn’t changed. Keeping that would be fine, correct? Also, when it comes to my secondaries – 60%+ of my essays will stay pretty much the same the next application cycle, especially since I’m going to be applying early. I mean, what can I do in less than 1 year? Do medical schools look down on me reusing a good chunk of my essays?

Questions:

1. Also, how much do medical schools look down on reapplicants? I went and searched it up in SDN and on Reddit, but I’m getting mixed signals.

2. Should I keep my current school list – I applied to around 22 schools this cycle, only 2 of them are in the top 20, the vast majority are in T30-T80 range (USNews). There are a couple that are below the top 100 that I originally added because they would be a good fit for me. Is this a good, realistic school list for my GPA/MCAT?

You don't need to spend money on post-bac courses. Most people do not do so during a gap year. Taking Biostats is a good idea if you can fit it in before you graduate.

Given your GPA/MCAT you do not need a SMP or a post-bac or anything remedial.

Thank God – some people were saying that I had to take an SMP during my gap year to make it look like I’m not slacking off. I can’t fit Biostats before school ends, but looking at the registrar, I’m not even sure if undergrads are allowed to register in Biostats at my school. However, if I could, I’m very mathematically inclined and I really enjoy stats, so I think it would be good way to show schools that I’m not slacking off academically.

I don't have to retake my MCAT score, right? I took it this May so I think it should be recent enough for med schools next cycle.

Again, thank you so much for your advice and encouragement. I wonder if you're getting paid because I've seen that med school consulting calls charge money I cannot afford. Thank you for doing this at no charge to me.

Last question: If I do everything correctly (submitting early, adding on my experiences), is it likely that I will get an acceptance by next December? Of course, nothing is guaranteed, but an acceptance would make a great Christmas gift!

 

[FromKermitsHome]

Echoing the idea that Day 1 AMCAS submission isn't that important, you just don't want to be super late in the cycle.

Ok got it. Will avoid a day 1 submission. I just want to avoid a month's gap between primary submission and then verification.

The biggest thing I see from your current application is lack of clinical experience. If you've only been working as a CNA for a few months, then you would have had very few hours when you submitted your primary. Even with good starts and volunteering / research, lacking clinical experience (unless you had something else I missed) is a big deal.

You're right, I am lacking clinical experience, and I think I completely overlooked that honestly. Next cycle however, I should have over 1000 hours as a CNA and at least 400-500 hours as a volunteer. Add a presentation for research as well.

I'm also active in Student Government and won an election term. I learned a lot about leadership, dedication, and compromise during my time there, so that's a thread in my current essays.

 

[FromKermitsHome]

Add some strong leadership positions and ample community service hours.

Yes, I'm currently involved in student government and I'll make sure I keep well involved in it - law is definitely a personal interest of mine (although I couldn't do it full-time).

My next June I should have at least 400-500 hours as a volunteer in hospitals and the community in total.

 

[FromKermitsHome]

Did your submit an AMCAS and all your secondaries for this cycle?

Yes, I submitted an AMCAS primary in mid-July, but I only submitted all the secondaries just a week ago, despite being verified in August. I wish I wasn't here, but I am, .

 

[FromKermitsHome]

Hey there, I'm in a similar situation as you as far as submission time goes—I'm only now starting to see the finish line on mine. I don't really have practical advice on par with the adcoms that have been pitching in, but I just wanted to let you know that you're not alone.

Over the course of writing secondaries, I've been working extended hours most days for up to seven days a week, gotten kicked out of my home (I wrote some of my secondaries in my lab while living out of suitcases in the trunk of my car or hopping around friends' houses), and am actively helping two direct family members navigate some pretty serious mental health stuff. I'm extremely fortunate that a couple IIs have started to trickle in, but frankly I'm aware that my cycle will be less successful than I had initially hoped. It hurts to see something you poured your heart into for multiple years get self-sabotaged right at the end.

I'm sure there was some possible sequence of events that would've allowed the two of us to complete secondaries sooner, but in the moment, it feels like you're juggling a list of 100 conflicting imperatives and med school secondaries are somewhere halfway down the list. Life happens, and unfortunately for us, it decided to happen at the worst possible time. Learn what your psychological blocks were and how you can get around them in the future, but don't beat yourself up over it. The process is already set in motion and you can only look forward from here.

If you (or anybody else who's in the same situation, because I know there's a number of us) ever feel the need to talk or vent, feel free to reach out to me. I'm rooting for you, and I hope you find success in your current cycle. Take care of yourself.

It feels like you've ghost written a memoir of my life's last 6 months. Thank you for all your kind words and empathy. I realize that I had no chance of paying attention to my secondaries with everything that was going on, whether it was family or financial related, or that I didn't expect this semester's courseload to be extremely demanding. I should have planned for a gap year but I self sabotaged myself... arghh.

I've realized what circumstances led me here now. I'm probably going to start reevaluating my friend group and focusing virtually on the experiences that will make me a better doctor. I've decided to take a new less courses (still competitive tho) for next semester so I can focus on things. I'm taking a STEM double major so I don't think that there's any way adcoms think I'll get senioritis.

 

[eigen]

Ok got it. Will avoid a day 1 submission. I just want to avoid a month's gap between primary submission and then verification.

Actually, the gap is often longest on Day 1, and shortens throughout the cycle because of the number of people who all try to submit at the same time.

 

[FromKermitsHome]

Actually, the gap is often longest on Day 1, and shortens throughout the cycle because of the number of people who all try to submit at the same time.

Really? the reason I said that is because I was looking at this chart from AMCAS Tracker, and basically, it looks like for the first week of submission dates, the verification time is only around a week or two. Please tell me if I'm missing anything, I could miss a lot of things.

 

[LeaveNoTrace]

I don't mean to be That Guy - but consider getting evaluated for ADHD and/or some other kind of professional help. Procrastination will eat you alive in medical school or at least hinder you considerably. This being said, good luck; if you have to reapply, you're not in a bad place at all.

 

[lacrossegirl420]

I would suggest waiting a cycle, your application sounds good but definitely not strong enough (IMO) to make up for a November submission

 

[LunaOri]

We don’t necessarily look down on reapplicants, but we do look to see how they have improved their application since the last time they applied.

 

[lacrossegirl420]

Also don't apply caribbean in general, let alone with a 3.9/518

 

[Mr.Smile12]

Questions:

1. Also, how much do medical schools look down on reapplicants? I went and searched it up in SDN and on Reddit, but I’m getting mixed signals.

2. Should I keep my current school list – I applied to around 22 schools this cycle, only 2 of them are in the top 20, the vast majority are in T30-T80 range (USNews). There are a couple that are below the top 100 that I originally added because they would be a good fit for me. Is this a good, realistic school list for my GPA/MCAT?

Thank God – some people were saying that I had to take an SMP during my gap year to make it look like I’m not slacking off. I can’t fit Biostats before school ends, but looking at the registrar, I’m not even sure if undergrads are allowed to register in Biostats at my school. However, if I could, I’m very mathematically inclined and I really enjoy stats, so I think it would be good way to show schools that I’m not slacking off academically.

I don't have to retake my MCAT score, right? I took it this May so I think it should be recent enough for med schools next cycle.

Again, thank you so much for your advice and encouragement. I wonder if you're getting paid because I've seen that med school consulting calls charge money I cannot afford. Thank you for doing this at no charge to me.

Last question: If I do everything correctly (submitting early, adding on my experiences), is it likely that I will get an acceptance by next December? Of course, nothing is guaranteed, but an acceptance would make a great Christmas gift!

1) Depends on how you improved your application, including communicating mission fit.

2) Do we have a WAMC on you?

3) With a 3.9/518, I wouldn't retake the MCAT unless your practices were 525+ consistently for the two weeks before test day. The most significant MCAT change is 3 points on average, so a 10 point swing up would be significant, even if schools average all your attempts for screening. Of course, you also risk going down if you retake, so no need to do this until your score is about to expire. (Like taking a driver's license exam.)

4) There are no guarantees, but if you communicate mission fit well and have the best school list for you, one can leverage the odds. Work on your secondaries early, and know your journey to the profession so you can submit everything when available (June/July).

Yes, you may want to re-write your personal essay and some of your secondaries. The best applicants should have enough to write 3 or more personal essays, and there are enough admissions professionals who advise reapplicants to do a PS re-write.

The prehealth advisor who suggested you apply to the Caribbean needs a chat with us experts.

 

[LeaveNoTrace]

OP: you might add some DO schools if you really want to matriculate this year. The biggest problem and what's probably killed your chances this year is twofold:

- You didn't check the boxes for clinical experience, or just barely did so
- You were complete very late.

Fix those two things next year, and you're pack fodder at top 20 schools - a great place to be!

 

[FromKermitsHome]

I don't mean to be That Guy - but consider getting evaluated for ADHD and/or some other kind of professional help. Procrastination will eat you alive in medical school or at least hinder you considerably. This being said, good luck; if you have to reapply, you're not in a bad place at all.

Hey there, I was also thinking about getting evaled for that, however, I have historically never had a problem with focus and attention, and it was just really these past few months that screwed me over. I’ve started going to a therapist in the last few weeks, and now I’m realizing that I just need better coping mechanisms for tragic situations. At work, we had a code blue the other day, and our patient didn’t make it. Patient’s family didn’t get there in time and was distraught. I was focused before that happened, but after that I found it very distracting. However, I’m getting better at dealing with existential situations like this. I’ve dealt with tough situations in my life, but never so many personal challenges at once.

I’ve never been on any medication other than my vitamins, so I don’t want to unnecessarily add a medication that may change my mood and actions. I mean, I was able to finish most of my apps within 1 week of putting my mind to it. I think only one of those apps had a deadline of Nov. 1. All the other ones are around Dec.1, 15 and Jan. 15, so although I definitely procrastinated, I didn’t push them to the deadline.

Thanks for the reapp encouragement – Right now my focus is on adding more community service, health volunteering, shadowing (it wouldn’t hurt) and clinical experience (the really big kicker). I should have at least 400-500 hours of community service/volunteering, and at least 1000 hours of CNA experience (and a sweet recommendation letter too, my unit manager has taken a liking to me). I mean I already have 6 but why not go above and beyond? My research experience to me is mediocre but I’m ok with just a few presentations and that one publication. Luckily for some crazy reason I chose the right time to get involved with student government so there’s that 😊.

Overall, I’m ready for a gap year. I just hope I’m not shooting myself in the foot by already having applied this cycle. Oof.

 

[FromKermitsHome]

I would suggest waiting a cycle, your application sounds good but definitely not strong enough (IMO) to make up for a November submission

I should have taken your advice... unfortunately, I’ve already finished all my secondaries and applied. Oof. Hope I haven't shot myself in the foot for next year...

 

[FromKermitsHome]

We don’t necessarily look down on reapplicants, but we do look to see how they have improved their application since the last time they applied.

Thank you so much for your honesty! I plan on making substantial improvements to my application in the areas of clinical experience and community service. I have a few questions about reapplication goals:

• Currently, on my app I had less than 100 hours as a CNA and around 300 hours of community service total, but by the time I do a reapp, I should have over 1200 hours as a CNA and 500 ish hours of community service – that sounds competitive for T30-T80 schools, right? All of my dream schools except for 2 are in this range, I don’t think I would enjoy most T20 schools.
• How should I go about redoing or reusing my essays? Some of my secondary essays (like why you want to go to X medical school) will rarely change because my goals are the same. Obviously, some that touch on personal factors will change due to recent experiences. My big worry is my primary application. I have a great “seed” that I don’t want to throw out. Clearly, some of my anecdotes need to be replaced, but overall my desire to pursue medicine and the events that introduced me to medicine won’t significantly change from now to June. I’ll be more confident, more informed, and more mature about my decision to pursue medicine, but that’s probably the extent of what can happen between now and June.

I hope I'm approaching a gap year from the right perspective here. Thanks again!

 

[FromKermitsHome]

Also don't apply caribbean in general, let alone with a 3.9/518

Yeah I'll definitely stay away from there. It looks like my premed advisor actually knows very little about premed in general. My advisor is more experienced with the nursing education side of healthcare.

 

[FromKermitsHome]

1) Depends on how you improved your application, including communicating mission fit.

2) Do we have a WAMC on you?

3) With a 3.9/518, I wouldn't retake the MCAT unless your practices were 525+ consistently for the two weeks before test day. The most significant MCAT change is 3 points on average, so a 10 point swing up would be significant, even if schools average all your attempts for screening. Of course, you also risk going down if you retake, so no need to do this until your score is about to expire. (Like taking a driver's license exam.)

4) There are no guarantees, but if you communicate mission fit well and have the best school list for you, one can leverage the odds. Work on your secondaries early, and know your journey to the profession so you can submit everything when available (June/July).

Yes, you may want to re-write your personal essay and some of your secondaries. The best applicants should have enough to write 3 or more personal essays, and there are enough admissions professionals who advise reapplicants to do a PS re-write.

The prehealth advisor who suggested you apply to the Caribbean needs a chat with us experts.

Thank you so much for your reply! Here are my responses to your questions:

1. While I have applied to schools that do have some research focus, the vast majority of schools I applied to seem to have more blended mission statements with elements of both community service and research. I focus on both aspects of throughout my essays in most of these schools. There are a few that focus almost entirely on clinical/community service and experiences, and my responses to those schools barely covers research. I’ll admit that mission fits are definitely an area that I need to do more research on.
2. No, SDN does not have a WAMC on me. I’ll probably be making one in a few days with more details on my app.
3. Yeah, I took my MCAT this year, so I don’t need to retake the exam for expiration purposes. I was thinking of a retake, but after doing my research, I’m not going to do that and take an unnecessary risk. I’ll focus on other points of my experience, restudying for the MCAT would take up too much time.
4. I’m going to be doing a lot of research. This time around I’m ready, and since I’ve kinda of already done my secondaries, the pre-writing process will be much faster (but not easier) this time around.
5. I will do a PS rewrite. I’m thinking of keeping my “hook” though. I can change the anecdotes, that’s for sure.
6. My premed advisor is more familiar with nursing because that’s what my school is more focused with. I will stay away from their advice. Although, their LOR may be helpful? I dunno, my school doesn’t have a premed committee for letters, but since I already have enough LORs I figure I’m ok.

Again, thank you so much for your response! Answers a lot of questions.

 

[Mr.Smile12]

While I have applied to schools that do have some research focus, the vast majority of schools I applied to seem to have more blended mission statements with elements of both community service and research. I focus on both aspects of throughout my essays in most of these schools. There are a few that focus almost entirely on clinical/community service and experiences, and my responses to those schools barely covers research. I’ll admit that mission fits are definitely an area that I need to do more research on.

Sorry to sound harsh, but you knew this but submitted anyway. We told you to wait until you could better discern your fit with your schools that you sent hundreds of dollars to.

No, SDN does not have a WAMC on me. I’ll probably be making one in a few days with more details on my app.

Again, if you'd really want our help, we need to see what you applied with. You can't expect us to give you good advice if you don't have enough humility to consider our advice. You already have shown an unwillingness to listen to wise experts, and I am thus skeptical you will do what it takes that doesn't agree with what you want to do. Showing your aren't seeking to be taught is going to be a characteristic that will ultimately make you vulnerable to fail.

How should I go about redoing or reusing my essays? Some of my secondary essays (like why you want to go to X medical school) will rarely change because my goals are the same. Obviously, some that touch on personal factors will change due to recent experiences. My big worry is my primary application. I have a great “seed” that I don’t want to throw out. Clearly, some of my anecdotes need to be replaced, but overall my desire to pursue medicine and the events that introduced me to medicine won’t significantly change from now to June. I’ll be more confident, more informed, and more mature about my decision to pursue medicine, but that’s probably the extent of what can happen between now and June.

Needless to say, it is early, and you could still get an invitation (however unlikely but you never know). But that said, strong applicants should be able to make the adjustments. The only essay you shouldn't change is the one about IAs or background checks. Every other essay should be changed up, even if you have a strong core or narrative. Show us you are committed to show growth and maturity; that's a premed competency.

 

[FromKermitsHome]

OP: you might add some DO schools if you really want to matriculate this year. The biggest problem and what's probably killed your chances this year is twofold:

- You didn't check the boxes for clinical experience, or just barely did so
- You were complete very late.

Fix those two things next year, and you're pack fodder at top 20 schools - a great place to be!

I’ve done some basic research into DO schools, and while I do like some of them, I have worries about the curriculum they teach (osteopathic manipulation sounds something more in line with that of a chiropractor). However, I’m not sure if that is a legitimate characterization of most DO schools.

I am also not trying to cast doubt on the quality of DO grads, I do get to meet some of them as a CNA although rarely, and they sound very intelligent and compassionate with their patients. Of course, doctors (both DOs and MDs) do have an uncanny tendency to bestow me with their presence while I am cleaning up my patient’s backside, so my interactions with them are limited.

I’m also quite worried about the fact that there is a good chance I could get “yield protected” at these schools, especially considering I have only shadowed MDs and that none of my activities may indicate a willingness to DO school.

I’m also a little worried about the post-med school options I’ll have. I know if I go US MD, as long as I do my due diligence, most residency paths are open to me, versus if I go DO, even if I am the best in my class, it is still an uphill battle for more competitive residency spots. I would rather practice delayed gratification and take a gap year to get into a medical school that can open these doors than regret going the DO route years in the future.

Lastly, I’m a poor liar (when it comes to nefariously deceiving people) and if I got an II at a DO school, I definitely could not BS my way through it even if I wanted to. I think applying DO would just put me another couple thousand bucks in the red.

I’m willing to take a gap year, because I am still really young (I’m a year and a half younger than the typical 4-year college graduate at my school).

I’ve actually done my research on the T20 schools (I once had a dream lol) but then I quickly realized I would be miserable at schools like Washu, Vandy, JHU, Mayo, Yale or Harvard. There’s only two schools on the T20 list that I would like to attend, and they’re not in the T10. I don’t think I’m cut out for T10s, realistically.

Schools like Umich, Emory, Wake Forest, CWRU, Cincinnati, Upitt, UMiami, Brown, SKMC, URochester would all be my dream schools. I hope these are realistic.

I'm going to make sure that my application is perfect the next time around and submitted very early!

 

[FromKermitsHome]

Sorry to sound harsh, but you knew this but submitted anyway. We told you to wait until you could better discern your fit with your schools that you sent hundreds of dollars to.

I apologize for any confusion I may have caused, but I submitted my secondaries a week before making the first post, so I'm a little confused here. For a good chunk of the schools that I applied to, I made sure that their mission statement aligned with mine - that's why I didn't apply to any T10 and most of my schools are not those type of schools, because the ones I applied to have substantial focus on community health, which I would hope that my community service would demonstrate my interest in and dedication to.

Again, if you'd really want our help, we need to see what you applied with. You can't expect us to give you good advice if you don't have enough humility to consider our advice. You already have shown an unwillingness to listen to wise experts, and I am thus skeptical you will do what it takes that doesn't agree with what you want to do. Showing your aren't seeking to be taught is going to be a characteristic that will ultimately make you vulnerable to fail

I really don't mean to come off that way. I'm willing to listen to what people are saying here and apply that since I haven't had good advice in general. I've been relying mainly on online blogs for most of my premed advice. For example, I was originally thinking about an smp and retaking the MCAT (was on the edge), but I've been advised not to by people here and I will follow their advice. I originally put this in a non-WAMC forum because I was looking for moreso advice rather than a WAMC but now I know I'll have to make a full WAMC for anyone here to fully help me. I'm currently writing it and making sure that everything is included in it. I'm calculating exactly how many hours I will have and what opportunities I can find so it is informative and exhaustive as possible.

Needless to say, it is early, and you could still get an invitation (however unlikely but you never know). But that said, strong applicants should be able to make the adjustments. The only essay you shouldn't change is the one about IAs or background checks. Every other essay should be changed up, even if you have a strong core or narrative. Show us you are committed to show growth and maturity; that's a premed competency.

When it comes to essays, I'm more than willing to rewrite all of them if it comes to that, especially the ones that ask about competencies. The problem is the ones that are more relatively objective, such as "why do you want to go here" secondary essays. I mean, there is only so much that a school offers and what I can offer to the school, right? those are the ones I put a lot of research into, but I'll rewrite them if that is what I must do.

 

[Mr.Smile12]

I apologize for any confusion I may have caused, but I submitted my secondaries a week before making the first post, so I'm a little confused here. For a good chunk of the schools that I applied to, I made sure that their mission statement aligned with mine - that's why I didn't apply to any T10 and most of my schools are not those type of schools, because the ones I applied to have substantial focus on community health, which I would hope that my community service would demonstrate my interest in and dedication to.

I really don't mean to come off that way. I'm willing to listen to what people are saying here and apply that since I haven't had good advice in general. I've been relying mainly on online blogs for most of my premed advice. For example, I was originally thinking about an smp and retaking the MCAT (was on the edge), but I've been advised not to by people here and I will follow their advice. I originally put this in a non-WAMC forum because I was looking for moreso advice rather than a WAMC but now I know I'll have to make a full WAMC for anyone here to fully help me. I'm currently writing it and making sure that everything is included in it. I'm calculating exactly how many hours I will have and what opportunities I can find so it is informative and exhaustive as possible.

When it comes to essays, I'm more than willing to rewrite all of them if it comes to that, especially the ones that ask about competencies. The problem is the ones that are more relatively objective, such as "why do you want to go here" secondary essays. I mean, there is only so much that a school offers and what I can offer to the school, right? those are the ones I put a lot of research into, but I'll rewrite them if that is what I must do.

The tone of your initial post suggested planning for a reapp, and that's where a WAMC helps us. Since you submitted an application, coming up with a WAMC profile will not be that hard. You had to do the work for your application. I don't recall rn if you explicitly said you submitted your applications and secondaries in your first post though you saw our reaction to wait a cycle. As the idiom goes, the horse left the barn. That's why I am confused.

Writing secondary essays isn't like writing the Lord of the Rings trilogy. Most schools have character limits. When you brainstorm, you should write as much as you can think of, but the material should be sufficient for multiple answers.

That said, we will see how well your answers play out with your school list. If you have a strong mission fit including metrics expectations, then you could get an invitation, especially for your in-state programs. You could plan for feedback sessions if some of your schools offer them. If they all say you submitted late, then you know what to do. If they tell you to rewrite your essays completely, you know what to do.