MD No II, need help figuring out what went wrong and what I can change

[drdogg]

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[zorcandpals]

It would be nice to get a higher MCAT but I doubt thats the reason why you're not getting IIs.

I'd wager its the way you're writing your app but without seeing it I can't tell. Applying to 50 schools is alot and unless you prewrote secondaries or are a naturally talented writer 2-3 days is quick turnaround. You've definitely checked all the boxes it seems, though.

 

[Faha]

When you reapply I suggest applying to DO schools also and include these:
WESTERN
TUCOM-CA
TUNCOM
AZCOM
DMU-COM
KCU-COM
ATSU-KCOM
MU-COM
PCOM (all schools)
LECOM (all schools)
CUSOM
VCOM (all schools except Monroe)
ACOM
WVSOM

 

[drstranger]

Being from CA is your problem... It was mine. Had similar stats but no love from MD schools at all. If you don't want to take a year off I would suggest listening to FAHA and adding DO schools to your list

 

[KendallJennerSniperLady69]

My personal opinion is that your MCAT could be the problem.

510 is below the average for matriculants I believe. You know the average is continuing to go up when TPR ads are now guaranteeing a 515+ instead of the 510 the previously promised lol.

 

[drstranger]

Then your only option is to retake the MCAT and hope for 515+. But I will say DO only takes off uber specialties like NS, everything else is still fair game. Also, consider every year you are not accepted is 200-400k of attending salary

 

[EdgeTrimmer]

If you can focus on MCAT prep and get above 515 you should try. Seems like your lower scores are in science sections and you need to figure out how much you can improve there. Also improve essay writing skills. May be take professional help.

 

[drstranger]

On paper, you seem like a great applicant, but not getting interviews from 50 schools is a little bit of a red flag something might be below the surface (this is only my personal speculation). And you can not count on past cycles because each year the applicant pool gets bigger and more competitive. Also saying ONLY option is a little extreme but that is the one thing you can significantly change in the next 6 months, the other two are take a gap year or apply DO. Which even @Faha suggested you apply to DO and he the go-to for SDN when it comes to school lists.

I know it sucks but CA is just not a very friendly state for medical school, if you had your same stats and lived a few hundred miles east you would have multiple A's but that's the game and we can't change the rules sadly.

 

[candbgirl]

What kind of issues? Your secondaries are very important so depending on what you mean by “issues” that could be the cause of your bad cycle. One of the ADCOMS on here always tell reapplicants to rewrite all secondaries and have lots of people review them before submission.
If you are basing your MCAT retake on two people who were accepted in the past, I’m not sure that’s wise. You don’t know what else is on their applications, where they applied etc. It is well known not use one metric when talking about your application. We don’t know where you applied so maybe it’s your list that is the problem . Or it could be your letters- are you confident they are excellent and strong? See there are several possibilities. But until you figure It out you shouldn’t plan on reapplying. Good luck.

 

[456432]

Your app looks good on paper, which supports my theory that your essays are at fault. 50 schools is a lot, and you can never treat a secondary like it's nothing. It can make or break an amazing app. Are your essays all strong AND as specific to each school as possible?

I know others are pointing to the MCAT, but honestly I think your GPA and ECs make up for it a little. You have average stats for matriculants.

The September secondaries also were very late, so that could be another reason.

 

[Moko]

When did you apply to all the 40 schools ?? Are you a late applicant l(Sept/Oct)like me.... I never heard back from 30 schools with 3.88, 525 MCAT (ORM) , I am seeing folks with less GPA and less MCAT ( being ORM) getting acceptance. I am planning to re-apply and add DO schools this year in my list. Also can I know what is the match issues in DO ???

You should not have to apply to DO schools with your stats. Apart from applying early (if you need to reapply), make sure you've addressed any other weaknesses in your application.

And to the OP, even though your MCAT is a couple points below the median for ORM matriculants, it is surprising that you have 0 interviews assuming these 50 schools were appropriately selected. Apart from your essays being weak, make sure there are no other red flags as others have pointed out. Good luck

 

[rb1]

I'm going to jump onto this thread for advice (if that's okay), since I'm in a similar boat.

I was complete later than recommended (verified Sept 22--transcript issues from going to MIT over a decade ago, and never setting up an alum account), nontrad, and I'll be honest--I was not well-prepared for the flood of secondaries. I didn't have a lot of PTO saved up, so writing secondaries after a day of writing papers/lab things (I'm a research scientist) was more difficult than I'd expected. I also added on a couple of schools later on (in November) that I should've just not bothered with. My stats aren't amazing, but also not terrible (uGPA 3.1, grad GPA 3.93, post-grad certificate of all the MS1 classes 3.8, MCAT 525, ORM from FL, ~1000 hrs of paid clinical work, ~500 hrs of non-clinical volunteering with kids, >>2000 hrs research, Student Senate President in undergrad for a year, etc.).

Would my most likely issues be my secondary essays, and my late app? How much does applying late stop you from succeeding? Also, two of my LoRs were incredible, and one was okay, but it's been so long since undergrad that I was reaching a bit for that last one. I ended up only submitting around 25/30 secondaries I had; I just got tired/burnt out from churning out essays. And because of how late I was verified, some of these secondaries were right up on the deadlines.

What is a good number of schools to apply to? A good spread? There seems to be so much conflicting information--or maybe it's just extremely specific to the applicant. I thought, other than the late app, I was solid for this cycle, but the lack of IIs says otherwise.

 

[CorgiLoaf]

What is a good number of schools to apply to? A good spread? There seems to be so much conflicting information--or maybe it's just extremely specific to the applicant. I thought, other than the late app, I was solid for this cycle, but the lack of IIs says otherwise.

Being complete late Sept/early Oct might hurt your chances a little bit but it shouldn't be an app killer. The one A I have so far was from a school I was complete at early Oct. But since you mentioned deadlines, I'm assuming you submitted them even later than that? If most of your apps were Nov/Dec submissions, then that'll probably be the reason why you received no IIs yet.

Your activities look good. If you are confident in your essays/LoRs, rewrite parts of your PS and make sure to apply as soon as applications open up this year. With a ~3.86 grad GPA/525, you'll probably get tons more IIs next cycle. Good luck!