Reapplicants 2011-2012 Success Story!

[ppappui]

So who's been successful this cycle as a reapplicant? I think it'd be great to share some stories just to let some stress out and give hope to current reapplicants who're still undergoing this grueling cycle and to the future reapplicants

Here's my story. A third time reapplicant this cycle, I screwed the last 2 cycles by believing that some school "had" to accept me just like college.
Only applied to top 20 schools the first cycle, and BOOM, all rejections without interviews.
Applied to only 12 schools the second cycle, with a broader mix, and BOOM, all rejections without interviews. I thought that having some research under my belt during this cycle would boost my app and get me into med school. Oh how naive I was.
I lacked clinical experience and had a subpar GPA (3.4) even though had a good MCAT (36). Clearly research was not the problem.

So I decided to study all the schools in the US, see which schools are a good fit for me and whether my stats are somewhat competitive, and applied to 35 MD schools and 3 DO schools. In the meantime, I volunteered in 2 hospitals.
And voila, after 3 MD interviews and 1 DO interview, got accepted
Now waiting for more schools to respond back, but it sure is nice to get that first acceptance after 3 years of hard work and challenging times

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[DrMike89]

Great story man and congrats on the acceptance!! What school did you get accepted to? Also what factors did you decide by on applying to specific schools during that 3rd time. Any of them depend on your state of residency?

 

[GoZags]

2nd time applicant here!

Last year I had no idea what I was doing with AMCAS, started late, submitted even later, and finally had all of my secondaries submitted by the end of November / Early december. Had no rhyme or reason when selecting schools. Managed to get 3 interviews with a ~3.5 26 MCAT with 1 wait-list and 2 rejections.

Spent the summer improving my MCAT score and got a job as an Ophthalmic Technician and also volunteering up at a local hospital. Chose schools based on where my GPA and MCAT were using the MSAR online (Great resource for $15 online version btw). Submitted AMCAS earlier this time around and secondaries (almost 1.5 months before last year, which still can be considered late). Got 4 interviews this cycle including 1 to my dream school and I was accepted to said dream school! Needless to say it was the best feeling ever.

I also applied to a few DO programs and just received my first acceptance this week, but I respectfully declined the position since I was accepted to my #1.

Take home message is to take a rejection as a means to improve instead of a reason to pout and feel sorry for yourself! This was one of the MAIN points in all of my interviews, especially to schools that I re-applied to. Don't be ashamed that you were rejected, how did you improve? Why should they accept you this time? Let them know you're ready . Good luck to all of you re-applicants. I think the most important thing is, If it didn't work the first time, DO SOMETHING DIFFERENT!

 

[Chiroptile]

Just want to share my personal experience here.. My folks never pushed me to puruse any particular career path coming out of high school and I chose to go into business.. This was some 11 years ago when I was eighteen, and in retrospect I really had no good reason for going that route. In undergrad I did the work but didn't try to excel by any means. I graduated with a BS in business administration/marketing.. 3.1 GPA and no science course work.

After working in the field for one year I was able to reflect on my life and made the decision to pursue medicine. This time was different, as I was genuinely interested and excited to enter the field. I went back to school to complete the necessary premed requirements, took the MCAT and applied to all MD schools. I was 27 years old and was flat out rejected everywhere I applied. Not even one interview. My MCAT was a 31Q.. 11p/10v/10b.. My science gpa was a 3.7.. 700+ volunteer hours at a children's hospital. Volunteer work as a counselor at a camp for children with life challenges.. No research.. Tried a second round of MD applications, and again.. Not one interview. Was getting a bit frustrated at this point..

Then my prehealth advisor suggested I look at some DO schools. Very grateful to her for this piece of advice as I hadn't seriously considered this path before.. This would be my last round of apps before my MCAT score essentially expired, and it was already late October. This time I did not apply to a single MD school, only Applied to DO. At the end of January I interviewed and was accepted at my top choice Osteo Medical school.. I will be starting OMS1 at age 30.

MD schools tossed my app.. DO school gave me a chance. Thinking of all the secondary application fees over the course of the first two rounds of apps (I applied to 15+ schools each time).. Very expensive rejections, Regardless of whether they built character or not. I guess the schools just look for different things in applicants. Wish all the MD vs DO flame wars would stop already. Premeds sure are a proud bunch. Congrats to all you successful reapplicants!

 

[TwinsFan]

Congrats Chiroptile!

There are definitely schools that value experience over ancient academic mistakes/indifference. I'm glad you found one.

 

[CaliforniaAppli]

my story :http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=885685

 

[Jack1919]

Congrats -- all of you!!

 

[help2]

I applied 2 years ago just after my senior year of college. I was working as a medical assistant full time in GYN at the time. I had a rather disappointing mcat score of 26, but a stronger GPA of 3.7. Numerous volunteer, research, etc etc. I thought I'd done everything right.

Schools didn't feel the same way. 25-ish rejections....all MD.

I didn't have a back up plan at the time, but something magical happened. The GYN I was working for put me in touch with faculty at her old MPH program- and they accepted me in late April- with a scholarship!! I was oh so grateful.

I spent my 2 years in the MPH doing various part time research. In the meantime I'd also retaken the mcat (for a third time, yes). Despite my hard work and high hopes, my score did not change. My heart sank. But around the same time my premed advisor suggested DO schools (which I'd never heard of before). After much soul searching, research, and shadowing, I realized that the DO route really fit better with my overall understanding of health and medicine. So that's what I did.

This cycle, I applied to about 10 DO and 10 MD schools. I couldn't be happier with the outcome! I was accepted to my top choice school (DO) back in November, and cried when I got the letter (tears of happiness, of course!).

Rejection hurts. But it's all worth it when that one acceptance letter arrives and your whole world changes instantly.

 

[Slowpoke]

congrats to everyone here, you all really (REALLY) deserve it.

 

[Southern girl 4]

Congrats! I guess we shouldn't give up hope, huh?

 

[AvidAvatar]

Hi, thanks for sharing:

I failed my first cycle applying to start in 2008. I quickly switched to applying to medical school rather than going into a PhD program and I just wasn't ready to start. It was a rush job. I had a few interviews and got wait-listed at them all. My second year, to enter 2009, I also had a few interviews but I aborted the cycle because of terminal illness in my family. The cycle was sucking as well, I don't know how it would have turned out.

I just applied for the entrance in 2012 and it was amazing. I'm 27 now, and I just kind of knew that I had to get in this year. I spent the last three years since my last application doing fun jobs in the medial arena volunteering. This is without really even knowing that I was going to re-apply this year. Eventually I decided too. The result of this year?

Schools - 25
Interview invites - 16
Attended - 10
Accepted - 4
Wait-list - 6

I even got to interview at 3 schools in the top fifteen. Right now I'm sitting on one GREAT acceptance and one even GREATER wait-list. Overall a good year!

 

[MDinthemaking2]

Thank you for sharing your story! When you reapplied how did you change your application (in the way it was written)? I am worried that I have to write an entirely new personal statement and descriptions of activities. I spent a very long time perfecting them the first time around so it seems almost impossible to create new essays. Any advice on this? Do schools look at what a re-applicant submitted the first time?

 

[happytobeme]

wow congrats to everyone!

I graduated in 2010 with a bs in bio. subpar gpa (<3.3) and mcat scores (<30), but stellar EC and patient care experience. got a full time position at a medical group, living independently (not with my parents), and continued volunteer work when i could.

2010-2011: applied to 20 md and 10 do, received around 15 secondaries and 0 invites. great
continue working hard at the medical group and climbing the ladder.

2011-2012: applied to 18 DO schools by mid-June, secondaries start coming in july/aug. Got my first interview invite in August, and then two more in September. First interview in November, then December, and then January. got accepted to two of them and high priority waitlist for the other. i have been truly blessed.

I am by no means the perfect applicant and there were some serious deficiencies in my app, but i'm living proof that there is a way to overcome low stats to get into med school. UNDERDOGS OOH RAHH!

 

[Spurg]

Schools - 25
Interview invites - 16
Attended - 10
Accepted - 4
Wait-list - 6

I even got to interview at 3 schools in the top fifteen. Right now I'm sitting on one GREAT acceptance and one even GREATER wait-list. Overall a good year!

Good stuff Avatar, Congrats!