MD & DO Please Help Me Find My Weakness!

[Sage101]

Hello,

I just got denied from OHSU last night. I'm 22, in-state, and a first time applicant but have been working in the medical field for 2 years now. Here is my pertinent information. Please help me figure out what I need to add/fix/remove!!! I have only a few months to strengthen my application because it all starts over in June...

MCAT: 9P11V10B
Science GPA: 3.77
Overall GPA: 3.74

Physician Shadowing:
2560 hours shadowing a primary care doctor. (I worked full-time for him as a medical assistant for 18 months)
30 hours shadowing an ENT in surgery.
I am now working at ZoomCare full time as a Clinical Associate. I work one-on-one with a Naturopathic Doctor.

Non-clinical Volunteering:
2 months volunteering in a Moldovan children's hospital doing non-medical tasks and helping with government projects. I also volunteered in about 15 different orphanages during my two months living in Moldova.

Research and Clinical Volunteering:
No "research" other than the last three months volunteering with the Critical Care Academics Associates Program at OHSU gathering data on Catheter Related Urinary Tract infections and Healthcare Associated Infections in the Medical ICU. I am also working on the new Passive Range of Motion exercises designed to help lessen the effects of PICS (Post Intensive Care Syndrome). But this CCAAP volunteering wasn't started until after my secondary app was submitted. OHSU said they would add it to my file but ... there isn't a guarantee the admissions committee saw any of this.

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[Faha]

Where else did you apply to this cycle? Any other interviews besides OHSU? Did you apply to any DO schools? Did you apply early -in June or July ?

 

[gyngyn]

If your only applicatiion was OHSU, your weakness is strategy.

 

[Sage101]

I applied to University of Washington and Davis in northern california. Both denied me before my secondary application or interview because I was out of state. My husband's job can't move out of the NW so... it really limited me. And, no, I didn't apply for any DO programs.

 

[Sage101]

I got my application in by mid-July but they weren't able to complete my application until the end of october because my MCAT scores didn't become available till september.

 

[Sage101]

Where else did you apply to this cycle? Any other interviews besides OHSU? Did you apply to any DO schools? Did you apply early -in June or July ?

I applied to University of Washington and Davis in northern california. Both denied me before my secondary application or interview because I was out of state. My husband's job can't move out of the NW so... it really limited me. And, no, I didn't apply for any DO programs.
I got my application in by mid-July but they weren't able to complete my application until the end of october because my MCAT scores didn't become available till september.

 

[gyngyn]

I got my application in by mid-July but they weren't able to complete my application until the end of october because my MCAT scores didn't become available till september.

You have confirmed my suspicion, You applied late to essentially one school.
An early application to at least a dozen schools that might interview you would have a much higher chance for success.

 

[Sage101]

You have confirmed my suspicion, You applied late to essentially one school.
An early application to at least a dozen schools that might interview you would have a much higher chance for success.

So, since my husband can't move out of the NW, is there anything I should do to fix my application other than applying early?

 

[gyngyn]

So, since my husband can't move out of the NW, is there anything I should do to fix my application other than applying early?

Apply DO.

 

[Goro]

You have the options of PacNW and Western-OR. And, since you applied to UCD, Touro-CA is also an option.

 

[Faha]

It would be worth applying again to OHSU in June but their are no other current MD schools in the NW where you would be competitive. There may be a MD school at Northstate Sacramento opening in 2016 so follow their website. You would definitely be competitive for DO and PNWU-COM and WesternU/COMP are in your area. TUCOM and TUNCOM are also not too far from you.

 

[gyngyn]

It would be worth applying again to OHSU in June but their are no other current MD schools in the NW where you would be competitive. There may be a MD school at Northstate Sacramento opening in 2016 so follow their website. You would definitely be competitive for DO and PNWU-COM and WesternU/COMP are in your area. TUCOM and TUNCOM are also not too far from you.

I wouldn't bet on it.

 

[spartan25]

I would redact the PDFs you provided or remove them completely if you would like to maintain some level of anonymity

 

[Sage101]

Thanks for all your responses! So it looks like the popular opinion that I should have applied to a LOT more schools! This time I'm going to apply to every school, whether DO or Medical, that is in the Northwest. Besides strategy, what can I do over the next few months to improve my actual application? Do I need to get into another research project or maybe shadow a DO or.... anything?

 

[candbgirl]

It's getting late(June 1 is just a few months away) but maybe get into some non clinical volunteering. Based on what you have reported you don't have any in the US. If you can find a DO to shadow that would be good too.
Sent from my KFOT using Tapatalk 2

 

[Sage101]

It's getting late(June 1 is just a few months away) but maybe get into some non clinical volunteering. Based on what you have reported you don't have any in the US. If you can find a DO to shadow that would be good too.
Sent from my KFOT using Tapatalk 2

Thanks for the advice! Everything starts over again so soon!