Preparing for re-application; 3 II, 2 WL and 1 post-II R

[drgoldenboy]

Demographics:
White, CA Resident, non-trad, first-generation college student (graduated 2016). Science and humanities double major.

sGPA ugrad: 2.75
sGPA post-bacc: 3.74 (45 credits) (14 units pending)
sGPA total: 3.13

cGPA ugrad: 3.01
cGPA total: 3.18

-Slight upward trend in undergraduate, and then major uptick for my post bacc. However, one-quarter of post-bacc work killed me, where I took 19 credits and got a B+, B+, B+, and B. Everything else is A/A-.

MCAT: 512 (BB = 126, C/P = 127, CARS = 129, P/S= 130)

My LOR’s are very strong apparently, as one interviewer noted to me.

• Clinical: 8 months as a part-time medical scribe for family medicine physician (current position).
• Research (1 first author publication, 2 pubs as 3rd/4th author, multiple poster presentations).
  • 2 years + 1 summer of full-time in psychiatric research
  • A semester of neuroscience research at UG
• Shadowing
  • 150 hrs (Psych, ID, Neurology)
• Non-clinical volunteering:
  • ~ 250 hours as a tutor to underprivileged learners
  • Organized academic fairs for underprivileged students (~16 hours)
  • Meals on Wheels (starting)
  • Crisis text line (starting)
• Clinical volunteering:
  • ~150 hours in hospital setting with geriatric patients
  • ~75 hours in memory disorder clinic
• 2 theses written in undergrad

Schools applied to:

MD:
Albany (Rejected)
Rosalind (Rejected)
Creighton
Temple (Rejected)
Loyola
Oakland
Tufts (Maine Track, WL)
Tulane (pre-II hold)
Wayne (Rejected)
NYMC (Rejected)
TCU (Rejected)
Wake Forest (WL)
CalU
Cal Northstate
UC Davis (Rejected)
UC Irvine
Seton Hall
LSU New Orleans (just cause they had the 30 hr credit rule)
Rutgers RWJ (they specifically say they “encourage OOS” applications and I have family from there).
EVMS (rejected pre-secondary)
Michigan State (Rejected)
Toledo (Rejected)
CMU
Drexel (pre-II hold)
USUSH (pre-II hold - Rejected)
Quinnipiac
UVM (Rejected)
OUWB
Kaiser
NEOMED (Rejected)
Nova

DO:
UNECOM
Western (pre-II hold)
DMU (pre-II hold)
Touro’s (pre-II hold at Nevada)
NYITCOM
LECOMs
PCOMs
CCOM
AZCOM (pre-II hold)
Campbell (presecondary rejection)
Edward Via (didn’t even get secondary)

Submitted primary 7/23, and got in secondaries by late July/early August.

Can anyone give me some recommendations please on what I ought to do to strengthen my app? I pretty much feel like I’ve done everything I can. I don’t want to do an SMP or formal post-bacc at this point, as I’ve pretty much done most of the coursework those programs offer.

Thank you so much for your time and consideration! I really do appreciate it.

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[drgoldenboy]

Normally, I think people might suggest an SMP because your GPA is still a little bit low. But I realize you're looking to avoid that.

So,
- Have you prepped to send a letter of intent to Wake after April 30? You have good updates you can include if you haven't already. After the CTE date, stay in touch with them and continue to show interest.
- Same with the remaining deferral, make sure you send in a letter of interest with updates.
- Will any of the schools that rejected you provide feedback? Especially the one you interviewed at? Contact them during the timeline they recommend.
- Have you written letters or contacted any of the DO schools you haven't heard from?
- Who read your PS, activities, and secondaries? Make sure you know they are strong, not just good.
- Make sure to submit as early as you can (early June), July's not late but don't chance if you have to reapply.
- I don't think taking 1 additional class would tip the scale either way. You're doing so much great experiential stuff that I think would be more valuable than a potential 0.01 GPA improvement.

Overall, push for the schools that haven't rejected yet. It's not over! Keep doing your ECs and try to get feedback from the school you interviewed at but got an R to find out if you can improve your interviewing skills.

This is thoughtful advice. Thank you.

 

[cheesecurds]

I more or less have a similar background as you: ORM from CA, ~3.4 cGPA including post-bacc work, same MCAT. I interviewed at Wake Forest back in November, got WL, sent in a letter of interest almost immediately after that, and was recently taken off the WL. I definitely think that preparing for a re-application is wise and do follow the strong advice as stated above (especially the one about your PS/secondaries - based on your stats you seem like a solid applicant for DO). However, don’t lose all hope just because your stats are below the average. Coming from me, it’s certainly still possible. Send in that letter of interest with those updates when you can. Best of luck - I know how it feels to be in limbo while being poor during this process. It is exceptionally trying. I, along with many people on here, am rooting for you, and I know you can do it!

 

[Faha]

If you need to reapply, apply broadly to DO schools and include all these:
ACOM
ARCOM
NYIT-ARKANSAS
UIWSOM
UP-KYCOM
WVSOM
LUCOM
WCU-COM
LMU-DCOM
MU-COM
BCOM
ICOM
PCOM Georgia and South Georgia
LECOM (all schools)
CHSU-COM
You could still receive DO interviews since the interview season for DO schools extends through April.

 

[drgoldenboy]

Hello All,

Unfortunately it looks like this cycle isn't going to pan out for me. Much to my surprise, I received 3 MD interviews yet only ended up getting 1 DO interview. I had applied to 23 MD and 17 DO programs. I am not really sure why this happened, but I can only speculate that it might be due to a combination of me having a good research background and being first generation which maybe MD programs screen for more than DO programs? Anyways, given this unexpected result, I am not sure which school type I should be prioritizing. I was wondering whether those more qualified and wise than myself might be able to give a good look at the list and make final recommendation? The list is huge, and I would love to cut it down some more given the expense, but this process is also so agonizing that if there's a remote shot I'd keep a school on the list. @Goro , @Faha , @gyngyn, @LizzyM. Stats/profile are in my first post. Thank you, I really appreciate your time!

@Faha, thanks for previously looking, just want to be sure on the list before pulling the trigger, so whenever you have a chance.
MD:

Reapply school:

Albany
Rosalind
Creighton
Temple
Loyola
Oakland Beaumont
Tufts (interview)
Tulane
Wayne
NYMC
TCU (interview)
Wake Forest (interview)
CalU
Cal Northstate
UC Davis
UC Irvine
Seton Hall
Drexel
USUSH
Quinnipiac
UVM
Nova

New Schools?
SJB? (basic spanish/ties to hispanic communities)
Ponce? (basic spanish/ties to hispanic communities)
Western Michigan
Geisinger
USC Keck (from so-cal) -- but probably way too much of a reach?
MCW
Rush
Sidney Kimmel Medical College
UCR (not from IE, and I'm ORM)
UCLA/Charles Drew? (a fair amount of work done with underserved communities and I am first gen, so perhaps I fit the mission statement?)

I took Kaiser, LSU-NO, Rutgers RWJ, NEOMED, EVMS, Michigan State, Toledo, Central Michigan off of the list.

DO Schools:
UNECOM
Western
DMU
Touros (interview)
NYITCOM
LECOMs
PCOMs
CCOM
AZCOM
ACOM
ARCOM
LUCOM
LMU-DCOM
MU-COM
BCOM
ICOM
LECOM (all schools)

Thanks all again.

 

[Faha]

For new MD schools you could add these:
MCW
Western Michigan
Rush
For DO schools add the others on my list that you did not include:
UIWSOM
UP-KYCOM
WVSOM
WCU-COM
CHSU-COM
PCOM Georgia and South Georgia

 

[gyngyn]

Are you aware that Northstate has chosen to deny its students access to federal loans and payback mechanisms?

 

[Goro]

1) Work on interview skills
2) rewrite all essays and have multiple eyeballs vet them
3) see if you can get feedback on your rejections from Admissions Deans
IF you don't have them already, shadow a DO and get LOR from same.

Forget about Drew unless you have something like > 1000 hrs of volunteering with communities of color. Dead serious about this.

I like Faha's list of DO schools but delete WCU and CalHS
ADD:
Seton Hall
Emory
SLU
EVMS
Miami
MCW

 

[drgoldenboy]

For new MD schools you could add these:
MCW
Western Michigan
Rush
For DO schools add the others on my list that you did not include:
UIWSOM
UP-KYCOM
WVSOM
WCU-COM
CHSU-COM
PCOM Georgia and South Georgia

Are you aware that Northstate has chosen to deny its students access to federal loans and payback mechanisms?

1) Work on interview skills
2) rewrite all essays and have multiple eyeballs vet them
3) see if you can get feedback on your rejections from Admissions Deans
IF you don't have them already, shadow a DO and get LOR from same.

Forget about Drew unless you have something like > 1000 hrs of volunteering with communities of color. Dead serious about this.

I like Faha's list of DO schools but delete WCU and CalHS
ADD:
Seton Hall
Emory
SLU
EVMS
Miami
MCW

Thank you all. @gyngyn, I knew something about that, but that sounds pretty shady. Maybe that is one school I can do without then. @Goro, thank you again for your wisdom.

 

[Davidfromcali]

Are you aware that Northstate has chosen to deny its students access to federal loans and payback mechanisms?

Any idea why NorthState would want to do that?

 

[gyngyn]

Any idea why NorthState would want to do that?

Yes, but it might be misconstrued as libel for me to opine.

 

[Goro]

Any idea why NorthState would want to do that?

The needs of their investors outweigh those of their students. Their match list are comparable to mediocre DO schools as well.

 

[drgoldenboy]

The needs of their investors outweigh those of their students. Their match list are comparable to mediocre DO schools as well.

No bueno.

 

[dial1010usa]

Don't waste money on MD app because you are not competitive for MD.
Just concentrate on DO schools, shadow DO and ask someone to read you PS.

 

[drgoldenboy]

Don't waste money on MD app because you are not competitive for MD.
Just concentrate on DO schools, shadow DO and ask someone to read you PS.

Originally I thought so too. But then I applied and ended up with 3 MD interviews to competitive programs, and only 1 DO interview invite. So, I am gonna try MD again this cycle just given that. But thank you!

 

[djiboutiman]

I don’t have any schools to add here, but you have some awesome ECs and accomplishments. Great work on your post-bac GPA. 3 IIs shows that some schools definitely found you an appealing applicant. You definitely need to apply broadly and to DO schools too. Also get your app/secondaries in ASAP. Other then that goodluck on your next cycle if you don’t get in off the WL!

 

[dial1010usa]

Originally I thought so too. But then I applied and ended up with 3 MD interviews to competitive programs, and only 1 DO interview invite. So, I am gonna try MD again this cycle just given that. But thank you!

Have you shadow DO? If not that might be the reason.
All the best!

 

[drgoldenboy]

Have you shadow DO? If not that might be the reason.
All the best!

I have, and had an LOR from same.

 

[drgoldenboy]

@Goro @Faha

Would Georgetown be another school I should apply to? Thank you.

 

[drgoldenboy]

Earned another 4.0 semester of Dev Bio, Micro, Histology, and Biomed Ethics. Plus took an Americorps position.

 

[Dave1980]

@Goro @Faha

Would Georgetown be another school I should apply to? Thank you.

Only if you are looking to make a small donation to Georgetown.

 

[Goro]

@Goro @Faha

Would Georgetown be another school I should apply to? Thank you.

With a 512 MCAT score, I lean against it.

 

[drgoldenboy]

With a 512 MCAT score, I lean against it.

Thank you

 

[drgoldenboy]

Got that A to an MD program. Just FYI to anyone who reads this later in time. You can do it too!

 

[drgoldenboy]

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