Should I reapply?

SDN Members don't see this ad. (About Ads)

I am a nontraditional applicant. I graduated college 4 years ago with a BS in neuroscience and history. I have worked at different jobs since graduation and finally applied to medical school in the 2012 AMCAS cycle.

I have not received any interview invites. I applied to 24 schools, and I have been rejected from 11 of them. The other 13 will probably reject me but have not given any word thus far. These are the schools remaining: Albert Einstein, Drexel, Howard, Jefferson Medical College, LSU NO, LSU Shreveport, Morehouse, NE Ohio Med, Oakland, Rosalind Franklin, Rush Medical College, Vermont, and Minnesota.

Here are my stats:
3.6 GPA
28O MCAT
3 years of work experience as ER scribe
No significant research experience. Did brief undergraduate research for senior honors thesis.

In the past week, I applied to St. George's University in Grenada. I should get in there. However, I am apprehensive about actually going there if accepted because of potential problems with obtaining a residency spot in a few years.

If I were 22 and a traditional applicant, I would definitely reapply. However, since I am approaching 28 and hate my current full-time job, the SGU option is looking promising.

So, any advice on what I should do? I have reserved a seat for the May 23rd MCAT just in case. I know this is the biggest problem of my application. My PS is well-written. I have significant experience in a direct patient care setting. My undergraduate GPA, while not stellar, does show an upward trend.

If I do reapply, I would apply earlier. Last year, I submitted late August, which was later than I wanted. I would also apply to DO schools as well as MD schools.

Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks in advance.

What's your sGPA, MCAT breakdown, and state of residency? Do you have any volunteering or shadowing experiences?

We have enough on the stats, the MCAT is the only issue there. State of residence is interesting.

When did you submit AMCAS, when was your MCAT score released, and when did you complete secondaries?

How certain are you that your letters of recommendation are positive?

Don't go to the Carib.

My sGPA is about a 3.46. My MCAT breakdown is as follows: 11 BS, 8 PS, 9 VR. I do not have volunteering or shadowing experiences, though working in the ER is pretty much shadowing but with pay.

Originally Posted by DrMidlife

We have enough on the stats, the MCAT is the only issue there. State of residence is interesting.

When did you submit AMCAS, when was your MCAT score released, and when did you complete secondaries?

How certain are you that your letters of recommendation are positive?

Don't go to the Carib.

State of residence is LA. Submitted AMCAS in late August. MCAT score released mid August. Completed most secondaries by late September.

I'm certain that my letters were positive.

I really do not want to go to the Caribbean because of any potential residency issues in the future. However, I don't know if I can hold out for another year at my full-time job because I feel I am losing my sanity little by little each week I am forced to stay here. My supervisor is a complete idiot, and I have to interact with her daily for about 8 hours per day.

If I were to offer feedback, your application looks fairly average (though, disclaimer, I'm applying this upcoming cycle). My advice to you would be to NOT to to SGU and re-apply. Your numbers are good enough for DO and likely will get you into a Louisiana (assuming that is your state of residence) state school if you build other halves of your application. In the meantime build more activities (shadowing/research and other medically related items).

In all honesty, you'll probably match going to SGU (assuming you graduate), but you won't have much say in where you go (how does a family practice residency in Iowa sound... that is actually where the most recent person I know that went to SGU matched).

And, even though I know you don't want to hear this, but, you may consider an MCAT re-take. If you could get your score around 32/33 you should be golden next cycle. If you don't work on other halves of your applications and you can get into DO and your state school.

I don't know if you are male or female, but I'm older than you. Passion > Age. I'm turning 30 this year... hurray!

Originally Posted by mspeedwagon

If I were to offer feedback, your application looks fairly average (though, disclaimer, I'm applying this upcoming cycle). My advice to you would be to NOT to to SGU and re-apply. Your numbers are good enough for DO and likely will get you into a Louisiana (assuming that is your state of residence) state school if you build other halves of your application. In the meantime build more activities (shadowing/research and other medically related items).

In all honesty, you'll probably match going to SGU (assuming you graduate), but you won't have much say in where you go (how does a family practice residency in Iowa sound... that is actually where the most recent person I know that went to SGU matched).

And, even though I know you don't want to hear this, but, you may consider an MCAT re-take. If you could get your score around 32/33 you should be golden next cycle. If you don't work on other halves of your applications and you can get into DO and your state school.

I don't know if you are male or female, but I'm older than you. Passion > Age. I'm turning 30 this year... hurray!

I honestly don't care where I go. I don't have much ties in my state anyways. I know someone who went to SGU, and he got into his residency of choice. He's now a ER MD. But he also started school in 2002, and the match situation is going to be a different story.

I am considering the MCAT retake and have already reserved a seat for May 23rd so I can get the scores back in time if I were to reapply. I don't think it's a coincidence that on the second day I started studying for the MCAT again, I ended up with a fever of 101.6. lulz

It's amazing what the MCAT does to you physically. Can't wait to put it behind me personally. I know quite a lot of people that have gone to SGU and a very small minority end up in their first choice. I actually don't know anyone that didn't match, but some were to places I would hate to go to areas.

You have a good application. Throw in some volunteer experience, see if you can work with a PI in a hospital and apply DO and you should be golden next cycle.

Originally Posted by fluorescing

I honestly don't care where I go. I don't have much ties in my state anyways. I know someone who went to SGU, and he got into his residency of choice. He's now a ER MD. But he also started school in 2002, and the match situation is going to be a different story.

I am considering the MCAT retake and have already reserved a seat for May 23rd so I can get the scores back in time if I were to reapply. I don't think it's a coincidence that on the second day I started studying for the MCAT again, I ended up with a fever of 101.6. lulz