Another Reapp, please chance

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DrDee99

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Hey all!

I'm a longtime lurker on this site, and I just wanted to share where I am so far in the app cycle. I am hoping to gain some advice on how to proceed, so please bear with me as this post may be long!

I applied this past cycle 2015-2016 with the following app:

Residency: CA

Stats:

cGPA: 3.89 (from top 20 public university)
sGPA: 3.8

MCAT: 27, 29

ECs (at the time of first application):

-2000+ hours working in dev. biology lab
- 4 years of competitive dancing on national award winning collegiate dance team
-served on board of said dance team for 1 yr (my senior year)
- served as VP and Prez of a different club for 2 consecutive years
- 40 hrs shadowing
-100+ hrs volunteering in cardiology clinic
-completed a research award grant awarded by the AGA
-various honors and awards for academic performance throughout undergrad years
-service in Global Brigades in Honduras for 2 consecutive summers (cumulative 100 hrs)

List of Schools I applied to:

SUNY downstate
stony brook
U of Rochester
GW
OUWB
Georgetown
FIU
TCMC
Quinnipiac
U of Michigan
SUNY Buffalo
U of Virgina
Tufts
Tulane
U Vermont
cooper rowan
NYMC
EVMS
UC Davis
U maryland
Wake Forest
Albany Medical College
Penn State
UCSD
Temple
wayne state
Drexel
U Utah
VCU
UC Irvine
UCLA
WVU

Submitted on June 7th, secondaries all done by mid to late August (most finished by end of July)

I received interviews from Quinnipiac and U of Vermont, and have been waitlisted by both. Everywhere else at this point I have been rejected.

My weaknesses:

MCAT: I know that many of you are going to say I am barely within distance of US MD with these scores, and for those who want to demean me, you can save it---I have already gone through many telling me as such. I had hoped that my others ECs would overcome it, but it has become clear I will need to take it again for a reapp.

Residency: It is what it is, but there is a plan to rectify that I will detail soon.

Interviews: It is possible I underperformed at these, and should I get more in another cycle, I will devote far more time to prep.

Written PS: I had a lot of eyes on my PS and my secondaries, but I guess I will expand the net further in a future app.

What has changed since my last app:

-1 full year of being a research associate in the lab that I worked in as an undergrad, transitioned to a full-time position upon graduating, so now upwards of ~3500 research hours.
- Recently published in December 2015 with two more publications on the way
-poster presentation at a regional dev. biology conference
- 100 hours of shadowing between a gastroenterologist and a pediatrician with a potential to gain some more before another reapp
-250+ hours clinical volunteering ( and will be continuing in upcoming year)
- Worked as a fitness instructor for this past year, which was a new and unexpectedly inspiring job which has only further cemented my passion for medicine and will feature in a future PS. I will continue to work this job this upcoming year.
-Starting volunteer at a Women's Center
-Potential Position as a CRC in the research hospital affiliated with my school. If I get the position, I would be working it for two years.

My Plan to apply in the 2017-2018 cycle:

-Rectify MCAT by taking it in August 2016
-Apply with the rest of my app early, similar to the timeline I followed for my previous app cycle
-Apply as a Michigan resident, which I have now gained status as since I have been living and working here for a year and will continue to be here for the upcoming year before a reapp a year from now (Note: different from CA resident in initial cycle)
-Apply DO as well ( which I did not do last time)

My Question to the SDN community is:

1. Is this plan sound or is the additional year unnecessary and should I be applying this cycle?
2. What else can I improve plan-wise or EC wise?
3. Is there anything else I am missing?
4. How much will a three time MCAT + reapp hurt?

Please keep the feedback as constructive as possible! And thanks for all who made it through the post!

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MCAT: I know that many of you are going to say I am barely within distance of US MD with these scores, and for those who want to demean me, you can save it---I have already gone through many telling me as such. I had hoped that my others ECs would overcome it, but it has become clear I will need to take it again for a reapp.

I think what you have mistaken as demeaning was actually a very clear explanation as to why you didn't have much luck last cycle. there are dozens other applicants just like you. You will get passed over simply because the others have higher MCAT scores. your EC's look decent. i would add more service oriented volunteering, especially with underserved and low SES populations. can't say much about your school list, those with more expertise will probably be able to provide better commentary on that. GPA is also solid.

-Rectify MCAT by taking it in August 2016

for a retake, this is too late. Honestly, you shouldn't be taking it any later than June because it will delay the completion of your application. Given that you're a re-applicant, you need every thing submitted as early as is possible.

the multiple MCAT scores will hurt you a lot for MD schools, especially because you didn't exactly ace it on your second attempt. you will be fine for DO schools, and submitting later will not hurt you for DO. If you're boning for MD, you need to take a year off. Get feedback from the programs that rejected you, fix what they tell you to fix, and apply again in 2017.

Best of luck.
 
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If you will be a Michigan resident, I believe you will definitely get love from Central and MSUCOM. OUWB wants more service volunteering. But make sure to apply to all the in state programs, but save your money and forget UMich.
 
I think what you have mistaken as demeaning was actually a very clear explanation as to why you didn't have much luck last cycle. there are dozens other applicants just like you. You will get passed over simply because the others have higher MCAT scores. your EC's look decent. i would add more service oriented volunteering, especially with underserved and low SES populations. can't say much about your school list, those with more expertise will probably be able to provide better commentary on that. GPA is also solid.



for a retake, this is too late. Honestly, you shouldn't be taking it any later than June because it will delay the completion of your application. Given that you're a re-applicant, you need every thing submitted as early as is possible.

the multiple MCAT scores will hurt you a lot for MD schools, especially because you didn't exactly ace it on your second attempt. you will be fine for DO schools, and submitting later will not hurt you for DO. If you're boning for MD, you need to take a year off. Get feedback from the programs that rejected you, fix what they tell you to fix, and apply again in 2017.

Best of luck.
OP isn't applying till next cycle, so an August 2016 retake is just fine.
 
OP isn't applying till next cycle, so an August 2016 retake is just fine.

Apologies, I misread. agree with the above. Just be sure not to take the MCAT until you're 100% ready for it.
 
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