0 acceptances, 1 interview, 15 rejections so far

[nontradmusician]

The title explains my status so far...
Applied to 24 MD schools... broadly applied
The one interview (public state school) I had, I got rejected. All other state schools I have been rejected.
Still have 9 schools left to hear from.
I'm just trying to figure out what I'm significantly missing that's contributing to my lack of interviews.

Any advice and help would be appreciated!

My information is below:

1. cGPA and sGPA as calculated by AMCAS or AACOMAS: UG (c3.49, s3.34) SMP Grad (c3.92, s3.84)
2. MCAT score(s) and breakdown: 511 (130, 124, 129, 128)
3. State of residence or country of citizenship (if non-US): GA
4. Ethnicity and/or race: Asian
5. Undergraduate institution : Large state school
6. Clinical experience (volunteer and non-volunteer): 780 hours as a medical scribe
7. Research experience and productivity: None written in my application
8. Shadowing experience and specialties represented: 104 hours of shadowing in various specialties
9. Non-clinical volunteering: 280 hours of working as a choir director for a homeless choir, 600+ hours prepping and working as an orientation leader for international students
10. Work experience: Non-traditional applicant (538 hours as a piano teacher, 1190 hours as a teaching assistant in graduate school, 3000+ hours as a music director at a church)
11. Other extracurricular activities: Lifelong pianist and singer. Have undergraduate and graduate degrees in music.

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[Frigidcold]

I'm inclined to blame stats in this case. Probably best to send out a few DO apps. Hopefully your writing balances your passion for music with medicine.

You're not international yourself, are you?

 

[nontradmusician]

I'm inclined to blame stats in this case. Probably best to send out a few DO apps. Hopefully your writing balances your passion for music with medicine.

You're not international yourself, are you?

Nope, American.

 

[Mr.Smile12]

I'm really sorry to hear.

What community service did you do that took you out of your comfort zone? I really admire you for working as a choir director, but is there anything else where you are really working to alleviate distress in a role where you are not the expert?

Describe your interview prep.

 

[nontradmusician]

I'm really sorry to hear.

What community service did you do that took you out of your comfort zone? I really admire you for working as a choir director, but is there anything else where you are really working to alleviate distress in a role where you are not the expert?

Describe your interview prep.

Thank you. And I appreciate the prompting.

I have not thought of community service in that way, so the answer to that is I do, but not enough to form a reflective experience in the format of the AMCAS application.

My interview preparation was a lot of research on MMIs and how to properly articulate myself. I personally felt that my interview went well based off of my willing to investigate more into the thoughts of others, and justifying that every action and behavior comes from a place of being human.
And generally, I tried to avoid being formulaic and speak more from the heart.

 

[Faha]

Which schools did you apply to ?

 

[Aksea23]

I think your writing may also share some of the blame in this case. You seem to articulate yourself well, but it also comes across a bit regimented and stoic. It might be worth it to reach out to an editing service to ask them to edit for tone, and just all around, in case that was the issue. Make sure to also have your activity descriptions and secondaries edited also if you can afford it. Finally, I would try to reach out to the schools that rejected you to see where you went wrong. They might not all offer advice, but you could get lucky with a couple.

 

[chilly_md]

The work as an orientation leader is not really community service since it is dealing with fellow students on-campus. Additionally, did you receive any compensation for it? I would be surprised if you weren’t, and most reviewers would probably think similarly based on the title.

 

[lacrossegirl420]

Sorry to hear about that! Hoping your next cycle is successful.
I would suggest retaking the MCAT and going for a 515+

 

[USN2MD]

Sorry your cycle hasn’t gone well. What has changed in your application between when you submitted last summer and now?

 

[Goro]

As a reinventor, you needed DO schools on your list. Beggars can't be choosy.

 

[LunaOri]

How well does your PS articulate your “journey to medicine”? When you described your activities, did you explain what you learned/how you grew from them?