***UPDATE*** Looking towards next cycle after no IIs

[endlessnic]

Hey Everyone!
Older non-trad here thinking about how to improve for next cycle. 520 MCAT, 3.5 cgpa 3.8 sgpa after 42 credits of 4.0 postbac. 600 hours of clinical volunteering (suicide hotline, psych ward rec therapy, patient care in med/surg) but no research. Location is very important to me for family reasons and have only applied to MD schools in the NY tri-state area. So far 1 R(NYU) 1 hold(NYMC) and silence from everywhere else - complete early August. I know there can be many things that are holding me back, but how large does my lack of research loom in the picture and should this be my main focus in improving my app for the next cycle? Will all of a sudden doing research look like straight box checking?

Thanks!

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[CharmCity94]

I think it's one or a combination of: 1. bad school list/not applying broad enough 2. poor essays or 3. lack of non-clinical community service for the underserved. Research and GPA may be a problem if you applied very top-heavy, but otherwise you have a really strong MCAT and adequate GPA. Best of luck!

 

[Goro]

OP, you need to have DO schools on your list, and apply more broadly

 

[jarednogeek]

Apply more broadly, it’s hard to pick and choose location for MD schools. Apply to 20ish schools broadly and include DO. Volunteer 100ish hours with underserved, get 50 hours of shadowing, you could do a little research to check the box

 

[LukaDoncicLuk]

You wouldn't have had any issues if you applied more broadly. If you can find a research position I would go for it. The majority of activities that premeds are involved in are for the purpose of improving their application.

 

[Gurby]

IMO, research will probably hurt you at this point. It will make you less appealing to DO schools and the lower tier MD's who yield protected you this cycle, and yet you won't be able to accomplish enough in ~6 months for Columbia/NYU/Cornell to care.

There may still be hope for this cycle if you contact the admissions offices of schools you haven't heard from, and send them love letters explaining how strong your ties to the area are if you didn't spend your whole PS talking about how staying in NY is your absolute top priority.

 

[endlessnic]

Thanks for the advice everyone! I wasn't thinking yield protection would really be a possibility given my average cgpa 3.5?

 

[altblue]

Thanks for the advice everyone! I wasn't thinking yield protection would really be a possibility given my average cgpa 3.5?

A lot of lower-tier schools also value non-clinical volunteering and service to others, though I think suicide hotline volunteering can fill that niche to an extent

I second writing an LOI if the schools would be receptive. Generally I've gotten invites from programs where I was a strong fit or had delivered a non-formulaic secondary, so making your interest clear might be helpful

Best of luck!

 

[endlessnic]

Listening to all the advice given, I need to put together a way broader school list including DO programs for next cycle. Should I base my list of my cGPA(3.5) or postbac GPA(4.0) or MCAT? Just sounds like I'm stuck in the middle somewhat - not good enough for the research schools but also getting yield protected from lower tier according to @Gurby. Any advice on school list is appreciated. Thanks again to all for chiming in with input!

 

[Gurby]

I think you should consider yourself as a high stat applicant...I think the 3.8 sGPA, 520 MCAT, and 42 post-bac credits in a row of straight A's pretty well makes up for any mishaps you might have had 5-10 years ago when you were an undergrad.

As an "older" non-trad, it's not out of the question that you might be "good enough" for the research schools. Unless you've been living at home playing video games all day since graduating college, it's likely you have an interesting story. You don't need research to get into top schools, especially if you bring some unique or diverse perspective to the table.

But to make that work, you kind of need to apply to like 30 schools (unless you're a superstar). Your odds of getting into any one specific school are very low... But if you shotgun applied to the top 30 schools in the country it's not unlikely you'd get a handful of bites, and be able to convert at least one of those into an acceptance.

Please post your school list from the current cycle. We are assuming it was bad, but it's possible there are other factors at play. Also, how much did you emphasize your geographic ties in your PS/other essays?

 

[endlessnic]

SUNYs
Columbia
NYU
NYMC
Hofstra
Einstein
Icahn
Cornell

I know it looks bad now lol.

I wouldn't say I played up my geographic ties except in schools that asked about living in an urban environment, as well as being a lifelong NYC resident including college.

 

[precisiongraphic]

SUNYs
Columbia
NYU
NYMC
Hofstra
Einstein
Icahn
Cornell

I know it looks bad now lol.

I wouldn't say I played up my geographic ties except in schools that asked about living in an urban environment, as well as being a lifelong NYC resident including college.

From others' experiences, I think 520+ MCATs and 3.5-3.6 gpa applicants - especially non-trads, should apply to higher stats schools instead of lower where they are yield protected. For next year, what about UVermont (which now has a Connecticut campus option), Dartmouth (likes non-trads), Boston and Tufts (quick train ride home)? Even Cooper and Seton Hall would be close to home. And then Pennsylvania schools. East coasters are lucky that there are so many schools (not even counting DO) less than a 5 hour drive from home. That doesn't happen out here in the pacific northwest.

 

[DubbiDoctor]

SUNYs
Columbia
NYU
NYMC
Hofstra
Einstein
Icahn
Cornell

I know it looks bad now lol.

I wouldn't say I played up my geographic ties except in schools that asked about living in an urban environment, as well as being a lifelong NYC resident including college.

Half of the schools you applied to are research powerhouses and you have no research, which close to 90% of all matriculants have. If staying in or within one hour of Manhattan is so important to you, you should have applied to the Touro and NYIT DO programs. You definitely are MD caliber, and if you're set on MD, apply more broadly next cycle, if necessary.

 

[Goro]

Hey Everyone!
Older non-trad here thinking about how to improve for next cycle. 520 MCAT, 3.5 cgpa 3.8 sgpa after 42 credits of 4.0 postbac. 600 hours of clinical volunteering (suicide hotline, psych ward rec therapy, patient care in med/surg) but no research. Location is very important to me for family reasons and have only applied to MD schools in the NY tri-state area. So far 1 R(NYU) 1 hold(NYMC) and silence from everywhere else - complete early August. I know there can be many things that are holding me back, but how large does my lack of research loom in the picture and should this be my main focus in improving my app for the next cycle? Will all of a sudden doing research look like straight box checking?

Thanks!

I suggest the following:
Columbia
Duke
Pitt
BU
Case
Your state schools
Dartmouth
Keck (maybe)
Emory
Tufts
Drexel
SLU
Tulane
U Miami
Wake
gtown
GWU
Netter
EVMS
Albany
NYMC
Hofstra
Wayne State
Any DO school (except the four on my Bad Boy list).

 

[alprazoslam]

I suggest the following
Any DO school (except the four on my Bad Boy list).

Not to derail but who’s on your 2018 naughty list ?

 

[Goro]

Not to derail but who’s on your 2018 naughty list ?

It's a valid question!
I can't recommend Touro-NY, Nova, Wm Carey, LUCOM, for different reasons. MSUCOM? Read up on Larry Nasser and you decide. LMU has an accreditation warning, which concerns me.

 

[alprazoslam]

It's a valid question!
I can't recommend Touro-NY, Nova, Wm Carey, LUCOM, for different reasons. MSUCOM? Read up on Larry Nasser and you decide. LMU has an accreditation warning, which concerns me.

I’ll pass it along to Santa.

 

[Walter Raleigh]

You applied to way too few schools. If you tripled the size of your school list, you might get an acceptance. If you absolutely must stay in the tri-state area, you'll need DO schools on your list.

 

[endlessnic]

You applied to way too few schools. If you tripled the size of your school list, you might get an acceptance. If you absolutely must stay in the tri-state area, you'll need DO schools on your list.

Update:

I did end up needing to reapply and vastly widened my school list. Applied to 30 MD and 2 DO schools. No love from any MD schools in NY but did receive 2 DO interviews and 3 interviews at OOS public schools including 2 top 20, not a single private MD interview. I managed to convert all 3 MD Interviews into As and will be matriculating this fall.

The biggest improvement to my app, besides the much-improved school list, was research - got heavily involved in 2 projects and was asked about it in depth at every interview.

Thanks to the SDN community for all the advice!

 

[CorgiLoaf]

Update:

I did end up needing to reapply and vastly widened my school list. Applied to 30 MD and 2 DO schools. No love from any MD schools in NY but did receive 2 DO interviews and 3 interviews at OOS public schools including 2 top 20, not a single private MD interview. I managed to convert all 3 MD Interviews into As and will be matriculating this fall.

The biggest improvement to my app, besides the much-improved school list, was research - got heavily involved in 2 projects and was asked about it in depth at every interview.

Thanks to the SDN community for all the advice!

Congrats on the As! I'm very surprised none of the NY schools, especially the SUNYs, showed any love for 2 cycles.