Longtime lurker; chance I'm facing a third application cycle

[Fried Plantaris]

Hey, first post but I'm in somewhat of a pickle. Of the three schools I interviewed at this year, I am now rejected from the first and still on hold at the other two. No acceptances. Last year I received one interview and was rejected in April.

I worked hard to improve my app this time around yet still came up short at my top choice (MUSC). Still plausible I receive acceptances at USC Greenville or USC Cola this year but I am desperate to avoid falling behind in case worst comes to worst. So here goes as far as my app and stats, etc: 3.60 cGPA, 3.67 sGPA (3.93 cGPA during my final 3 semesters). Originally I had planned on different career and I stepped up my grades after becoming premed. Anyways the MCAT I have taken many times...25 first attempt...506 second attempt...510 third attempt. Taken the MCAT twice this cycle to improve my app (506 in July, 510 in Sept.)

ECs include at least three or four organizations in college that benefitted diseased individuals, but never more than 20 hours per organization. ~20 hours of tutoring children. Was in fraternity(required service hours). About 200 hours of research working with pharmaceuticals in the environment. Weeklong mission trip to the Caribbean. About 8 months working front office of a practice after graduating college...Advice after last cycle was that I needed more clinical experience and that I had no shadowing. So I went out and got 40 hours of shadowing last summer. Started phlebotomy certification last year and currently work as one in a bus that sees homeless patients. On the side I volunteered to screen patients in a free clinic that sees uninsured (~80 hours).

Think the reason I was put on hold and rejected is partially due to the timeline of how last year played out. When I submitted my primary (early August) and secondaries (early Sept.) I had not yet volunteered at the free clinic or gotten hired as a phlebotomist. In fact during the time of my three interviews, late Jan early Feb, I had only been hired for two month. So I believe in the eyes of ADCOMS I really hadn't done anything significantly different from last year or at least didn't have the hours to back it. I believe my interviews were between good and okay, like I felt I conveyed all the info I needed too and additionally had practiced for over 40 hours.

I'm anticipating the only way I'll get accepted will be off the WL so right now I'm scrambling so I can avoid a repeat of this year. There are currently two routes I can take. Option A try and get a one year research position at MUSC, but that likely leaves all my eggs in one basket. Also it will be moderately difficult to get a position like with only 200 hours prior research experience. Option B is I begin a two year MBA program. I had toyed with MD/MBA combined in the past but given I might have another year off I can be productive long term through this idea. This route I would probably take a gap year and apply for 2017-2018 cycle. The downside is it shall cost more and may be seen as non committal to medicine (although I still plan to volunteer and find work as a phleb). However this way I can better my cGPA and invest in the long run. Can anyone who read all this offer any help or advice on what to do? It is such a hard time going through right now with the waiting game and all lol

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[italiancowgirl]

From the looks of it I would say your GPA is only part of your issue. It looks to me like you have to continue to seriously develop your ECs to be more competitive. Your EC's look like they are being tacked on last minute so you need to take a year off and focus on committing to service, shadowing, and other opportunities to grow and learn. I will also say your multiple MCATS are certainly not helping. A 510 is not the same as a 510 on the third try. Ask the schools for feedback because they should have a clear picture (though each may be different) of what you are missing for their school.

 

[Fried Plantaris]

Maybe so but my sGPA is still real good. Does it really matter that I took the MCAT 3x if I showed improvement every time? Also I'm sure for next cycle they won't even look at my 25 bc it will be so old (>3 years). Honestly I'm concerned that if I just keep doing what I am (continue working full time, volunteering on the side, add a few more shadow hours) that it will not be viewed as that much improvement over this cycle. My goal is to get into MUSC and they are the most competitive school in my state. Really I just wish I could know if a year of research would do enough for me to get in there or if it will take a two year masters while earning extra clinical hours to do the job.

 

[GrapesofRath]

Does it really matter that I took the MCAT 3x if I showed improvement every time? Also I'm sure for next cycle they won't even look at my 25 bc it will be so old (>3 years).

Yes it does matter. AAMC recommends schools average multiple MCAT scores; a number of them follow suit. In reality it might be best to think of yourself as having roughly a 28-29(say a 505 equivalent) instead of a 510. All scores are always visible. The 25 still matters.

I think you are looking at this the wrong way. The schools you called last cycle gave you feedback. Did you really follow it? I would say not really. 80 clinical volunteer hours is hardly much and most of it came after you applied. You still dont have much service with the less fortunate which is important. Look at MSAR and see how many schools have a mission to service; its very relevant. These are far bigger issues than a "lack of research". It's just not a great sign when a school gives feedback and you dont really follow it.

So what I would say is take a step back. Really reassess your app and your weaknesses and how you have addressed them. Doing an MD/MBA or more research with the issues in your app(that a school explicitly told you about) is like spending all your time obsessing over what kind of icing youll use to make a cake but ignoring the fact you dont have any flour or butter. If you dont have the cake, the icing doesnt matter. More research is useless when you dont have what the school tells you need to improve on. The key is to fix what's broken. Prioritize. Dont reapply until you have; as a 3rd time applicant the standard will be high(make sure actually to see if your state schools consider 3rd time applicants some schools arent really receptive to them). Youll really need to show something different and that isnt going to happen overnight. Good luck.

 

[Fried Plantaris]

Their advice was to get more clinical hours. I shadowed and got certified to work as a phlebotomist. Finding a full time job as one is difficult w no experience and shouldn't be confused w not following advice. I finally found employment working with homeless patients. That should be considered as service. I am already up to 500 hours and would be at 1,200 hours if I applied this year. At that point how does an extra 800 hours of clinical experience (that I'd complete after submitting) help more than 800 hours of research or attempting masters? Then I would go so far to say that clinical is no longer a weakness for me and that my research would be lacking (or some other part of my app like GPA). I'm trying to be proactive about this cycle to avoid a repeat of this year where all my efforts go unnoticed.

 

[GrapesofRath]

Your problem is you didnt accomplish any of this before you applied last year. This is all what you are during your gap year now. By and large you are judged by what you have done the time you submit your app. So yes, to a school that tells you "get more clinical experience" if your plan is to get more clinical experience after you submit your application that isnt really going to work.

Look research in general is often overstated in terms of importance by pre-meds, particuarly at state schools. There was a survey Ohio State did of 120 ADCOMs a few years ago. 57% said lacking in service was grounds for rejection. Guess what % of people said lacking in research was grounds for rejection? 3%. You have to prioritize. Research is nice. But it's not what has been tanking you.

It sounds like you have more clinical experience and service now. Unfortunately the problem is you are a 3rd time applicant. If you were a 1st time applicant, even with 3 MCAT scores, youd have a pretty reasonable shot at your state schools in SC. But as a 3rd time applicant? It make things tough. First make sure your state school accept applications from 3rd time applicants; not all do. There's no easy solution here. But your goal really has to be not apply more than once more. Make your app the absolute best it can be; show them something really different and impressive which is what youll need as a 3rd time applicant where the standards will be very high. From the sound of things, Id seriously consider waiting a year to apply again to allow time to be able to make this happen. Also consider DO programs which youll be fine for.

 

[italiancowgirl]

I agree with the previous poster. To be blunt you are quickly painting yourself into a corner by reapplying without all of your ducks in a row. When you are a 3rd time applicant they want to see you really stopped to re access everything before throwing your name in the mix. They start to assume after a point that there must be a good reason no one has accepted you yet (even if that isn't true in your opinion). I appreciate this criticism is frustrating but you are focusing a lot on the things you did after the submit deadline. When they said they wanted clinical experience they didn't have a set number in mind so much as evidence that you had invested time and effort into being around patients and in hospital environments. They want to see longevity and variety in your experiences. They want to see that you explored, learned about different environments and interacted with a variety of staff. I did hospice volunteering, visited children's wards through a volunteer program and even spent time with dialysis patients. I also shadowed 22 physicians over a 5 year span. I was also a third time reapplicant and had I not gotten in I might not have ever had the chance (most 4th+ time reapplicant don't get a happy ending). We are trying to help you be successful and the opinions so far have been to take a year to continue learning and building your experiences before you return and say, I took your advice to heart and really improved these areas which also helped me to understand these important things. Honestly the year off will be much easier than a third time not getting in. Prove to them you have the patience and ability to become an outstanding applicant that they can not say no to.

 

[VagabondKing]

Your problem is you didnt accomplish any of this before you applied last year. This is all what you are during your gap year now. By and large you are judged by what you have done the time you submit your app. So yes, to a school that tells you "get more clinical experience" if your plan is to get more clinical experience after you submit your application that isnt really going to work.

Look research in general is often overstated in terms of importance by pre-meds, particuarly at state schools. There was a survey Ohio State did of 120 ADCOMs a few years ago. 57% said lacking in service was grounds for rejection. Guess what % of people said lacking in research was grounds for rejection? 3%. You have to prioritize. Research is nice. But it's not what has been tanking you.

It sounds like you have more clinical experience and service now. Unfortunately the problem is you are a 3rd time applicant. If you were a 1st time applicant, even with 3 MCAT scores, youd have a pretty reasonable shot at your state schools in SC. But as a 3rd time applicant? It make things tough. First make sure your state school accept applications from 3rd time applicants; not all do. There's no easy solution here. But your goal really has to be not apply more than once more. Make your app the absolute best it can be; show them something really different and impressive which is what youll need as a 3rd time applicant where the standards will be very high. From the sound of things, Id seriously consider waiting a year to apply again to allow time to be able to make this happen. Also consider DO programs which youll be fine for.

This. Aside from what was said, why not consider the DO route from the beginning? You would've been about a year away from residency - practice is the same and based on specialty, pay's the same - might just be me but it seems silly to keep re-applying over and over again in hopes of an MD acceptance. Otherwise I wish you all the best of luck and hopefully an acceptance somewhere in the future.

 

[Fried Plantaris]

This. Aside from what was said, why not consider the DO route from the beginning? You would've been about a year away from residency - practice is the same and based on specialty, pay's the same - might just be me but it seems silly to keep re-applying over and over again in hopes of an MD acceptance. Otherwise I wish you all the best of luck and hopefully an acceptance somewhere in the future.

The honest reason is that I set a goal for myself to get into an M.D. school (back in college) and I don't want to handle the regret I would feel the rest of my life if I sell myself short by going D.O. Also the whole idea of manipulative medicine seems like a bunch of smoke and in my personal opinion I do not believe it to be effective. Going back to the original subject, while I'm not fully opposed to taking another year before reapplying I do think the best use of my time would be to get an MBA. The schools in my state will give me an advantage for having another degree. Also it allows spare time to volunteer, and possibly continue part time work as a phlebotomist. I certainly could improve my gpa in the process too. Getting an MBA would serve as a backup in case I don't get accepted my third time because I know how arbitrary the admissions process can seem.

 

[VagabondKing]

The honest reason is that I set a goal for myself to get into an M.D. school (back in college) and I don't want to handle the regret I would feel the rest of my life if I sell myself short by going D.O. Also the whole idea of manipulative medicine seems like a bunch of smoke and in my personal opinion I do not believe it to be effective. Going back to the original subject, while I'm not fully opposed to taking another year before reapplying I do think the best use of my time would be to get an MBA. The schools in my state will give me an advantage for having another degree. Also it allows spare time to volunteer, and possibly continue part time work as a phlebotomist. I certainly could improve my gpa in the process too. Getting an MBA would serve as a backup in case I don't get accepted my third time because I know how arbitrary the admissions process can seem.

Gotcha, well without debating the merits of manipulative medicine I'd say you should look at it over the long-term, plenty of DO's don't use osteopathy and focus on whatever their specialty is. At the very least your musculoskeletal knowledge/actual human contact skills will be considerably better than the MD counterparts initially. On the other hand have you looked into Caribbeans? You'll have considerably more challenges than the DO's in getting a residency but it seems like the MD title is very important to you. Also, would you be willing to leave medicine and only working in business with the MBA? (Referring to the part-time option). It's just applying so many times usually raises eyebrows and if you don't get accepted during the 3rd cycle your odd's in the 4th,5th,6th, umpteenth time won't be too great. Overall you do seem to be very driven and have a lot of endurance to go through the process so many times so I wish you the best of luck in the future and hope you make it through this time around!

 

[Tenk]

Sup. Granted I am an attending now, but I was in a similar boat in college. I applied late my first year, way too narrow my third year and just pretty much everywhere I could find my third and got in. Grab an MSAR and apply to every school that has over ~25-30% out of state and isn't a Harvard or UCSF. It's your only hope at this point. Good luck.

 

[Fried Plantaris]

Sup. Granted I am an attending now, but I was in a similar boat in college. I applied late my first year, way too narrow my third year and just pretty much everywhere I could find my third and got in. Grab an MSAR and apply to every school that has over ~25-30% out of state and isn't a Harvard or UCSF. It's your only hope at this point. Good luck.

The best chance of me getting in is at one of my three state schools, realistically if they won't accept me what are the chances I could get into an OOS school? Anyways some stats for all matriculants from South Carolina are mean MCAT of 29.4, mean sGPA of 3.62, and mean cGPA of 3.69 (source-Table A-20, AAMC) I don't know if I'll get accepted this year or not but I wouldn't say I am doomed to not getting in ever. My stats are comparable to the average matriculant from my state!

 

[Tenk]

The best chance of me getting in is at one of my three state schools, realistically if they won't accept me what are the chances I could get into an OOS school? Anyways some stats for all matriculants from South Carolina are mean MCAT of 29.4, mean sGPA of 3.62, and mean cGPA of 3.69 (source-Table A-20, AAMC) I don't know if I'll get accepted this year or not but I wouldn't say I am doomed to not getting in ever. My stats are comparable to the average matriculant from my state!

Incorrect. You are a re-applicant therefore you are less desirable and therefore less likely to get in. However, at any other school you are a first time applicant. This is a numbers game. The more you apply to, the more likely you are to get in. It's really that simple.

 

[ThoracicGuy]

Gotcha, well without debating the merits of manipulative medicine I'd say you should look at it over the long-term, plenty of DO's don't use osteopathy and focus on whatever their specialty is. At the very least your musculoskeletal knowledge/actual human contact skills will be considerably better than the MD counterparts initially. On the other hand have you looked into Caribbeans? You'll have considerably more challenges than the DO's in getting a residency but it seems like the MD title is very important to you. Also, would you be willing to leave medicine and only working in business with the MBA? (Referring to the part-time option). It's just applying so many times usually raises eyebrows and if you don't get accepted during the 3rd cycle your odd's in the 4th,5th,6th, umpteenth time won't be too great. Overall you do seem to be very driven and have a lot of endurance to go through the process so many times so I wish you the best of luck in the future and hope you make it through this time around!

The Caribbean is a bad idea. Don't go there.

 

[VagabondKing]

The Caribbean is a bad idea. Don't go there.

I completely, 1000% agree - his chances of a decent residency would be nearly shot and that's if he makes it through the Carribean's "culling" process in the first place. But OP seems to REALLY want the MD and is willing to forego the DO option so I brought it up.

 

[ThoracicGuy]

I completely, 1000% agree - his chances of a decent residency would be nearly shot and that's if he makes it through the Carribean's "culling" process in the first place. But OP seems to REALLY want the MD and is willing to forego the DO option so I brought it up.

Still not a good idea... and I wouldn't want future people reading this thread to think the Caribbean is a viable option because they don't like the idea of being a doctor as a DO...

 

[VagabondKing]

Still not a good idea... and I wouldn't want future people reading this thread to think the Caribbean is a viable option because they don't like the idea of being a doctor as a DO...

I concur, am in a DO school - for anyone reading this in the future you should think about your long-term plans and if a US MD isn't for you then a US DO >>>>>>>> Carribean MD for reasons in my prior post and many others.

 

[Goro]

Your improvement for a 3x test taker is marginal at best. Your GPAs are fine; it's the MCATs that are the problem.

Maybe so but my sGPA is still real good. Does it really matter that I took the MCAT 3x if I showed improvement every time? Also I'm sure for next cycle they won't even look at my 25 bc it will be so old (>3 years). Honestly I'm concerned that if I just keep doing what I am (continue working full time, volunteering on the side, add a few more shadow hours) that it will not be viewed as that much improvement over this cycle. My goal is to get into MUSC and they are the most competitive school in my state. Really I just wish I could know if a year of research would do enough for me to get in there or if it will take a two year masters while earning extra clinical hours to do the job.

Beggars can't be choosy. If you want to be a doctor, going to VCOM-SC or any other DO school is your fastest and best bet.

The honest reason is that I set a goal for myself to get into an M.D. school (back in college) and I don't want to handle the regret I would feel the rest of my life if I sell myself short by going D.O. Also the whole idea of manipulative medicine seems like a bunch of smoke and in my personal opinion I do not believe it to be effective. Going back to the original subject, while I'm not fully opposed to taking another year before reapplying I do think the best use of my time would be to get an MBA. The schools in my state will give me an advantage for having another degree. Also it allows spare time to volunteer, and possibly continue part time work as a phlebotomist. I certainly could improve my gpa in the process too. Getting an MBA would serve as a backup in case I don't get accepted my third time because I know how arbitrary the admissions process can seem.

 

[ChrisMack390]

ECs include at least three or four organizations in college that benefitted diseased individuals, but never more than 20 hours per organization.

At the ChrisMack390 School of Medicine, this would be a major red flag.

 

[hopefulERdoc251]

The honest reason is that I set a goal for myself to get into an M.D. school (back in college) and I don't want to handle the regret I would feel the rest of my life if I sell myself short by going D.O. Also the whole idea of manipulative medicine seems like a bunch of smoke and in my personal opinion I do not believe it to be effective. Going back to the original subject, while I'm not fully opposed to taking another year before reapplying I do think the best use of my time would be to get an MBA. The schools in my state will give me an advantage for having another degree. Also it allows spare time to volunteer, and possibly continue part time work as a phlebotomist. I certainly could improve my gpa in the process too. Getting an MBA would serve as a backup in case I don't get accepted my third time because I know how arbitrary the admissions process can seem.

Lulz you should really educate yourself before spraying nonsensical **** like that to demean a large portion of the physician population. Sure OMM might not be therapuetic in ALL cases, but I've seen OMM performed in many situations where it temporarily improved a patient's symptoms (and no, I'm not talking about dreaded cranial).

At the end of the day, DO = MD in terms of what you know in the basic sciences, disease process, anatomy, physiology, microbiology, ect. Learn something about DO's. Read "The DO's" by Norman Gevitz. How you treat CHF, COPD, Diabetes, Hypertension, any disease process will be identical to your MD counterpart. Hell read this forum and learn what a DO does before saying you'll be selling yourself short.

 

[ChrisMack390]

For whatever it's worth, my mother has lupus, which is associated with a lot of joint pain, and she LOVES omm. She only goes to DOs for that reason.

I know n=1 and all, but in this case n is a real patient and 1 is relief from chronic pain, so DBAA.

 

[Fried Plantaris]

Now that I officially am done with this app cycle do you think the best move would be to stay at my current job? I don't like the location, and for lack of personal growth I want to move as it would be the best for me. I do not know what the feedback is going to be, but I suspect it will have something to do with not really being known too well by the writers of my recs. It sucks, but I'm not the most outgoing. Is no-one really seeing the opportunities that lie with the research plan? Correct anything wrong with my plans:

Move to Charleston and start research. Find time to meet Dr.'s at the school and to make friends with insiders. I know my time will be sparse but see about MBA night classes. Sit for the MCAT another time if I have too. Begin applying to many schools + DO during 2017-2018 cycle.

Please tell me kindly if there is an issue with this plan and if anyone knows what I need to do, say it cause now is the time to get my **** in order.

 

[GrapesofRath]

You know at some point you have to reflect back and take a look at the decisions youve made. And if you do that, youll start to see some of the decisions youve made in the past havent been great. Taking the MCAT 3X is red flag number one about someone's decision making. Having a school tell you you need more clinical exp then reapplying right after that before actually getting any in and of itself is something else. This in particular, really just doesnt come across well at all.

But the biggest problem isnt necessairly the past its that you still arent recognizing your issues or addressing them. Just like you didnt really listen to your state schools feedback reapplying before completing clinical hours, you havent shown much interest in listening on here. It's been pretty clear what the message on here has been: you need to change your approach. Ways of doing this include needing more service hours/volunteering particularly with less fortunate populations. You need this. Research is a marginal consideration. An MBA wont do anything to bolster your odds. You need to keep up with the clinical exp. What's your plan? If it's what you just described it's basically do the opposite of what's said on here. In particular, going for an MBA when a school tells you you need clinical exp and you just quit after 6-8 months if anything might signal to schools "you might not be all that invested in this career choice". As a 3X reapp, that's the last thing you want.

I think at the end of the day we kind of have to step back for a second and acknowledge this: there's a reason someone ends up a 3X reapplicant. ADCOMs at some point start making assumptions about these type of applicants which arent good. This is especially true when you are in such a good state for MD admission, have a good GPA and showed the capability of getting a 510. Getting an MBA and just focusing on research with the flaws you have wouldnt be showing positive change and significant improvement: rather itd be doing the opposite and in some ways proving some of those presumptions to be true.

 

[Fried Plantaris]

You know at some point you have to reflect back and take a look at the decisions youve made. And if you do that, youll start to see some of the decisions youve made in the past havent been great. Taking the MCAT 3X is red flag number one about someone's decision making. Having a school tell you you need more clinical exp then reapplying right after that before actually getting any in and of itself is something else. This in particular, really just doesnt come across well at all.

But the biggest problem isnt necessairly the past its that you still arent recognizing your issues or addressing them. Just like you didnt really listen to your state schools feedback reapplying before completing clinical hours, you havent shown much interest in listening on here. It's been pretty clear what the message on here has been: you need to change your approach. Ways of doing this include needing more service hours/volunteering particularly with less fortunate populations. You need this. Research is a marginal consideration. An MBA wont do anything to bolster your odds. You need to keep up with the clinical exp. What's your plan? If it's what you just described it's basically do the opposite of what's said on here. In particular, going for an MBA when a school tells you you need clinical exp and you just quit after 6-8 months if anything might signal to schools "you might not be all that invested in this career choice". As a 3X reapp, that's the last thing you want.

I think at the end of the day we kind of have to step back for a second and acknowledge this: there's a reason someone ends up a 3X reapplicant. ADCOMs at some point start making assumptions about these type of applicants which arent good. This is especially true when you are in such a good state for MD admission, have a good GPA and showed the capability of getting a 510. Getting an MBA and just focusing on research with the flaws you have wouldnt be showing positive change and significant improvement: rather itd be doing the opposite and in some ways proving some of those presumptions to be true.

Well taking the MCAT three time was needed since I had no better score. Its not that I wasn't prepared but rather the old version was an arse kicking. And I did listen to the advice but they had to see the two updates I sent in about getting my job...etc! On top of that I tried to get in this year and failed, it happens. I'm not happy to hear the research won't work, I was looking forward to having a change. Lastly I wanted to know if retaking mcat is smart if I am able to get a 510+?

 

[Fried Plantaris]

Also that response was helpful and I'm do think I needed to know

 

[Fried Plantaris]

The admissions committees both told me to work on my interview skills. Fixing my personal statement was also a suggestion. Also MUSC and USCola said my multiple MCAT scores made no difference (MUSC uses the top score). Whoever wanted to know now knows, hope it helps.

 

[MSTPMotorcyclist]

Hey, first post but I'm in somewhat of a pickle. Of the three schools I interviewed at this year, I am now rejected from the first and still on hold at the other two. No acceptances. Last year I received one interview and was rejected in April.

I worked hard to improve my app this time around yet still came up short at my top choice (MUSC). Still plausible I receive acceptances at USC Greenville or USC Cola this year but I am desperate to avoid falling behind in case worst comes to worst. So here goes as far as my app and stats, etc: 3.60 cGPA, 3.67 sGPA (3.93 cGPA during my final 3 semesters). Originally I had planned on different career and I stepped up my grades after becoming premed. Anyways the MCAT I have taken many times...25 first attempt...506 second attempt...510 third attempt. Taken the MCAT twice this cycle to improve my app (506 in July, 510 in Sept.)

ECs include at least three or four organizations in college that benefitted diseased individuals, but never more than 20 hours per organization. ~20 hours of tutoring children. Was in fraternity(required service hours). About 200 hours of research working with pharmaceuticals in the environment. Weeklong mission trip to the Caribbean. About 8 months working front office of a practice after graduating college...Advice after last cycle was that I needed more clinical experience and that I had no shadowing. So I went out and got 40 hours of shadowing last summer. Started phlebotomy certification last year and currently work as one in a bus that sees homeless patients. On the side I volunteered to screen patients in a free clinic that sees uninsured (~80 hours).

Think the reason I was put on hold and rejected is partially due to the timeline of how last year played out. When I submitted my primary (early August) and secondaries (early Sept.) I had not yet volunteered at the free clinic or gotten hired as a phlebotomist. In fact during the time of my three interviews, late Jan early Feb, I had only been hired for two month. So I believe in the eyes of ADCOMS I really hadn't done anything significantly different from last year or at least didn't have the hours to back it. I believe my interviews were between good and okay, like I felt I conveyed all the info I needed too and additionally had practiced for over 40 hours.

I'm anticipating the only way I'll get accepted will be off the WL so right now I'm scrambling so I can avoid a repeat of this year. There are currently two routes I can take. Option A try and get a one year research position at MUSC, but that likely leaves all my eggs in one basket. Also it will be moderately difficult to get a position like with only 200 hours prior research experience. Option B is I begin a two year MBA program. I had toyed with MD/MBA combined in the past but given I might have another year off I can be productive long term through this idea. This route I would probably take a gap year and apply for 2017-2018 cycle. The downside is it shall cost more and may be seen as non committal to medicine (although I still plan to volunteer and find work as a phleb). However this way I can better my cGPA and invest in the long run. Can anyone who read all this offer any help or advice on what to do? It is such a hard time going through right now with the waiting game and all lol

You need more shadowing time fam. I got well over 100 hours of shadowing time in over a summer, with more than one physician. It's good to shadow at a private practice as well as a hospital if possible. Travel if you have to -I shadowed in two different states. I shadowed a concierge medicine internist (most low key practice I've ever seen, a ton of fun) as well as an MD/PhD ophthalmologist at a university hospital (each appointment lasted ~10-15 minutes). Having that sort of dichotomous shadowing experience gave me a lot to talk about during my interviews, and having good things to say about both styles of practice seemed to go over well with my interviewers.

Also, with your research, did you publish anything? Names on papers, abstracts? Oral/poster presentations? ADCOMs seem to like when you stick with a project all the way through. It doesn't take long to do enough work for a poster presentation at a regional conference, and it looks good on a CV.

Just my .02

Hope to see you at USC this fall!