The LGBTQ Applicant Thread!

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Ellie Arroway

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It's that time of year: Some of you are prepping your app to go out or getting ready for secondaries, others are starting early drafts of your PS for next year, still others are on the fence about whether med school is even a reasonable idea. Things have gotten better lately, but those among us who identify somewhere on the LGBTQ spectrum still remember that social acceptance was nowhere near as rosy even 10 years ago, and the question of being "out" on a med school application is one that we all weigh at some point.

This is a question that has been asked before on SDN and I wanted to aggregate some of those threads here for quick reference along with some relevant articles. Also, as someone who applied as an "out" transgender person & gained multiple acceptances, I wanted offer to be here to answer questions about how to integrate LGBT-related experiences into a med school application in a way that makes sense. I can also say a little bit about how that played in interviews. Ask away!

I invite any of the other LGBTQ SDN'ers to participate as well, and if anyone has suggestions on threads or articles that should be included in the list below, please list them!

_________________________________
PAST THREADS
_________________________________

LGBT students: are you out on your applications?
Any Gay/Lesbian/Bi/Transgender students applying this year?
Gay friendly medical schools
Gay Pre-Med Students - UNITE!
I'm transgendered. Chance me for Harvard?
Mentioning LGBT in Medical School Admissions?
Personal Statement Advice, Controversial Topic
Some of my tips to share as a gay applicant
Med Schools Recruiting for LGBT Students
_________________________________
ARTICLES
_________________________________

Providing the Best Care for LGBT Patients (SDN)
Does Medicine Discourage Gay Doctors? (NY Times)
On Being Gay in Medicine (Academic Pediatrics)

_________________________________
OTHER RESOURCES
_________________________________

Pritzker Podcast Episode 34: LGBT Life at Pritzker (Part 1/2), Part 2/2
Point Foundation: For people with ECs with an emphasis on LGBT issues who also have substantial leadership experience, I recommend applying for a Point Scholarship as you apply to medical school. Their scholarship application opens in the fall for the following year.
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I'm a recently out gay man. I'm not applying this cycle but I'm getting my stuff together for my committee's ePortfolio, which is pretty much a basic, incomplete version of the amcas application. Not sure I'll mention my sexuality on my application. It's honestly not a huge part of my identity, or at least not yet. If I do have questions about including it, though, I'll definitely reference this thread. Thanks OP!
 
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Applying currently. Non-trad, openly gay. Including sexuality in secondary essays as appropriate. Thanks for resources.
 
I came out during undergrad forcibly to my Iraqi family. My brother hacked into my Facebook and found some private conversations between my ex and I. As a result: I was beaten, verbally & mentally abused, kicked out by family, experienced homelessness, and my life was threatened. I was depressed, suicidal, and defeated.

I always thought to mention it in my PS, as it was the most legit extenuating circumstance to detail.

What did I do instead? I learned that using that as my preamble to med school might put me in a bad mindset and negative mindset regarding my situation and may negatively affect my well being AND studies.

For three years following graduation, I worked, volunteered, researched, and developed my support system. I traveled the world and breathed a sigh of relief. Heck I went to NY pride!

I know every LGBT story is different, but had I gotten into med school on bad terms with myself, I think my former outlook would've come back to destroy me.

I got into medical school, sans mention of being gay. The hatred I experienced drives me to help all people who are hurting, of any and all ailments, be it a physical or mental manifestation.

Good luck to anyone suffering for any reason, gay or straight. Do what makes you comfortable in terms of applications, but also do what's best for your well being first.
 
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Glad everything worked out for you, akademiks. Thanks for sharing :thumbup:
 
akademiks1989 said:
I came out during undergrad forcibly to my Iraqi family. My brother hacked into my Facebook and found some private conversations between my ex and I. As a result: I was beaten, verbally & mentally abused, kicked out by family, experienced homelessness, and my life was threatened. I was depressed, suicidal, and defeated.

I always thought to mention it in my PS, as it was the most legit extenuating circumstance to detail.

What did I do instead? I learned that using that as my preamble to med school might put me in a bad mindset and negative mindset regarding my situation and may negatively affect my well being AND studies.

For three years following graduation, I worked, volunteered, researched, and developed my support system. I traveled the world and breathed a sigh of relief. Heck I went to NY pride!

I know every LGBT story is different, but had I gotten into med school on bad terms with myself, I think my former outlook would've come back to destroy me.

I got into medical school, sans mention of being gay. The hatred I experienced drives me to help all people who are hurting, of any and all ailments, be it a physical or mental manifestation.

Good luck to anyone suffering for any reason, gay or straight. Do what makes you comfortable in terms of applications, but also do what's best for your well being first.
Click to expand...

Wow, that is an intense story, and thank you for sharing. People definitely have different ways of talking about their experiences. I dealt with some adversity because of who I am, but like you I always knew that adversity alone is never enough to put on an application; It's how you overcome it and what you do with the perspective you've gained. It sounds like you've done a lot!
 
Ellie Arroway said:
Wow, that is an intense story, and thank you for sharing. People definitely have different ways of talking about their experiences. I dealt with some adversity because of who I am, but like you I always knew that adversity alone is never enough to put on an application; It's how you overcome it and what you do with the perspective you've gained. It sounds like you've done a lot!
Click to expand...

You're most welcome.

I think adversity is such an amazing catalyst to improve someone tremendously. I was pushed so far beyond my limits that I was getting sick. Anxiety and depression seemed to take over my life. I wanted to end my life.

I learned that there are truly amazing people out there in this world. From employers, professors, friends, PHYSICIANS (yes, I had a team of doctors treated me for various conditions that seemed to get worse with increased depression and suicidal thoughts, including an autoimmune disease), and extended family. What I learned from my family is that they suffered an extreme form of group mentality. I accepted that they were the ones with the issue, not me. It's actually remarkable because I am openly gay now and I feel unstoppable. This new confidence really helped me become the best that I can be.

I actually loved to volunteer at the cancer center. I was there for two years, and I volunteered at huge philanthropic events in hopes of gaining resources for my patients. I saw my patients as diverse as I saw the LGBTQ community. They come from all walks of life and all have their own stories. I volunteered there because I needed to beef up my medical school application, but it quickly dawned on me to be less self-serving and to be more sincere. The second that happened, I began feeling happy again. I felt the abandonment from my family was healthily replaced with providing comfort to strangers! I actually felt like I was "living and twirling" and loved every minute of my life. My positive outlook and compassion translated to great networking opportunities, which included landing me a professional job as a CRC at the major cancer institute I was volunteering at, and also publishing as an author in a medical journal for a sleep apnea study.

I think an LGBTQ applicant faces unique challenges as a student in the first place. Not only do we feel shunned from the community (whether it is true or not), but we also might seek acceptance that can contribute to distractions. For me, it was being in a dead-end relationship that I couldn't confide in anyone about because I was so ashamed of my sexuality (not anymore, and NEVER again).

These are my recommendations for students of the LGBTQ community:
1. Focus on your studies first and foremost
2. Seek professional help, even if you have amazing friends and family, to help you learn to accept yourself from within. This world is a cruel place for us. We are living in a heterocentric world that is likely to not change uniformly in our lifetimes (although legislation changing in favor of gay marriage is AWESOME).
3. Have empathy and compassion: give it to people who need it because you know what it feels like when it wasn't available to you.

We always talk about EC activities, MCAT, GPA, etc, but I think having the qualities and passion first really translate to success in all arenas and aspects of the pre-med experience.

Good luck.

Anyone student, whether LGBTQ or not, it welcome to ask me any questions or ask for advice here or via private message.

Oh and one more thing: happy PRIDE month 2013!!!
 
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akademiks1989 said:
I came out during undergrad forcibly to my Iraqi family. My brother hacked into my Facebook and found some private conversations between my ex and I. As a result: I was beaten, verbally & mentally abused, kicked out by family, experienced homelessness, and my life was threatened. I was depressed, suicidal, and defeated.

I always thought to mention it in my PS, as it was the most legit extenuating circumstance to detail.

What did I do instead? I learned that using that as my preamble to med school might put me in a bad mindset and negative mindset regarding my situation and may negatively affect my well being AND studies.

For three years following graduation, I worked, volunteered, researched, and developed my support system. I traveled the world and breathed a sigh of relief. Heck I went to NY pride!

I know every LGBT story is different, but had I gotten into med school on bad terms with myself, I think my former outlook would've come back to destroy me.

I got into medical school, sans mention of being gay. The hatred I experienced drives me to help all people who are hurting, of any and all ailments, be it a physical or mental manifestation.

Good luck to anyone suffering for any reason, gay or straight. Do what makes you comfortable in terms of applications, but also do what's best for your well being first.
Click to expand...

Got chills reading both your posts. Mass respect to you! Happy to hear you're doing well and I hope school is going great!
 
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I'm queer and applying this cycle. I partially picked schools based on whether they included sexuality in their non-discrimination blurb on the MSAR and whether I thought my soon-to-be-wife and I would be happy living there. Right now we live in TX, where we can be legally fired for being gay so it'd be nice to live somewhere we had more protections under the law.

I didn't mention my sexuality in my primary, but I did talk about trans advocacy in my personal statement. I suppose I will mention it in secondaries/interviews as is relevant.

Yay, queer docs!
 
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DR MOM said:
I'm queer and applying this cycle. I partially picked schools based on whether they included sexuality in their non-discrimination blurb on the MSAR and whether I thought my soon-to-be-wife and I would be happy living there. Right now we live in TX, where we can be legally fired for being gay so it'd be nice to live somewhere we had more protections under the law.

I didn't mention my sexuality in my primary, but I did talk about trans advocacy in my personal statement. I suppose I will mention it in secondaries/interviews as is relevant.

Yay, queer docs!
Click to expand...
Come to CA where medical schools make videos like this!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GTD3LpgTSYw
:D
 
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Ellie Arroway said:
It's that time of year: Some of you are prepping your app to go out or getting ready for secondaries, others are starting early drafts of your PS for next year, still others are on the fence about whether med school is even a reasonable idea. Things have gotten better lately, but those among us who identify somewhere on the LGBTQ spectrum still remember that social acceptance was nowhere near as rosy even 10 years ago, and the question of being "out" on a med school application is one that we all weigh at some point.

This is a question that has been asked before on SDN and I wanted to aggregate some of those threads here for quick reference along with some relevant articles. Also, as someone who applied as an "out" transgender person & gained multiple acceptances, I wanted offer to be here to answer questions about how to integrate LGBT-related experiences into a med school application in a way that makes sense. I can also say a little bit about how that played in interviews (I had 6, check the MDApps). Ask away!

I invite any of the other LGBTQ SDN'ers to participate as well, and if anyone has suggestions on threads or articles that should be included in the list below, please list them!
.
Click to expand...

Which schools seemed trans-friendly or at least trans-neutral?

I have done some transgender activism and want to write about it, put it on my application, etc., but have been cautioned by advisers about doing so.

Also, do you have any tips or suggestions about being "out" to admissions? ...Like how to go about it or how not to.

Other things I'm curious about: Did adcoms really know that you are "out?" And I noticed that you have really good marks (on your profile), any chance schools "overlooked" trans, more so than accepted or liked it? What's your sense?
 
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Hey y'all I've been using this http://www.amsa.org/gender/programreviews.cfm to try and figure out how queer friendly schools are. Has anyone else used it? Many schools have only one survey response if any, so I don't know how accurate it is-- but better than nothing I suppose.
I just took the MCAT on the 20th and I'm trying to finalize me apps before sf pride!
 
Gauss44 said:
Which schools seemed trans-friendly or at least trans-neutral?

I have done some transgender activism and want to write about it, put it on my application, etc., but have been cautioned by advisers about doing so.

Also, do you have any tips or suggestions about being "out" to admissions? ...Like how to go about it or how not to.

Other things I'm curious about: Did adcoms really know that you are "out?" And I noticed that you have really good marks (on your profile), any chance schools "overlooked" trans, more so than accepted or liked it? What's your sense?
Click to expand...

I say go ahead & put activism on your application, as long as it's more than just waving a sign at a protest. The LGBT work on my application mostly involved doing trans 101 trainings for med students, nursing students, and nonprofit staff, as well as coordinating appointments for a monthly trans health clinic.

Adcoms definitely did know about my being trans because it was in my primary essay. I always had a context for talking about being trans. The experience of transitioning was not an easy one and I think I learned a lot about vulnerability & living with uncertainty, which are huge parts of medicine, and I wrote about that. I benefitted from a trans-friendly free clinic, drew some inspiration from that, and went on to do a lot of volunteer work there later on. I also had a lot of other stuff to talk about other than being trans, because I didn't want it to seem like it was a gimmick that my whole application rested on - it was just one part of my experience that has been powerful in shaping who I am, why I want to be a physician, and what kind of physician I will be.

When I looked for schools, I mostly screened by what schools seemed like they had a commitment to social justice & public health (as opposed to specifically looking for lgbt-friendliness). I based that on websites, missions statements, and whether they had an MD/MPH as a degree option (though now I have decided I am not going to do that). By looking around on SDN, going through the MSAR, and looking at a lot of websites I found a handful of schools that really seemed to prioritize diversity.I was also looking at places that prioritized primary care - The appropriate school for you will also depend on your career interests.
 
Hey everyone. There was a post in the forums a few weeks ago about an AMSA LGBT Panel video conference call tomorrow, Sunday, September 8 at 7 PM ET. The original post has been deleted. Does anyone know if the event is still on? I copied the information from the original post and the link looks like it still works.

http://bit.ly/gettingincomingout
The event password is lgbt. For just the audioconference, the call-in toll number is 1-650-479-3208, access code 664497794.
 
Do Something said:
Hey everyone. There was a post in the forums a few weeks ago about an AMSA LGBT Panel video conference call tomorrow, Sunday, September 8 at 7 PM ET. The original post has been deleted. Does anyone know if the event is still on? I copied the information from the original post and the link looks like it still works.

http://bit.ly/gettingincomingout
The event password is lgbt. For just the audioconference, the call-in toll number is 1-650-479-3208, access code 664497794.
Click to expand...

Loots like it is still on(according to their facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AMSAGS?ref=stream).
 
Great, thanks! I wonder why they took that post down though...
 
akademiks1989 said:
I came out during undergrad forcibly to my Iraqi family. My brother hacked into my Facebook and found some private conversations between my ex and I. As a result: I was beaten, verbally & mentally abused, kicked out by family, experienced homelessness, and my life was threatened. I was depressed, suicidal, and defeated.

I always thought to mention it in my PS, as it was the most legit extenuating circumstance to detail.

What did I do instead? I learned that using that as my preamble to med school might put me in a bad mindset and negative mindset regarding my situation and may negatively affect my well being AND studies.

For three years following graduation, I worked, volunteered, researched, and developed my support system. I traveled the world and breathed a sigh of relief. Heck I went to NY pride!

I know every LGBT story is different, but had I gotten into med school on bad terms with myself, I think my former outlook would've come back to destroy me.

I got into medical school, sans mention of being gay. The hatred I experienced drives me to help all people who are hurting, of any and all ailments, be it a physical or mental manifestation.

Good luck to anyone suffering for any reason, gay or straight. Do what makes you comfortable in terms of applications, but also do what's best for your well being first.
Click to expand...

Props.

That last bit of advice is important. Remember that being LGBT gives you a unique perspective, and while it doesn't qualify you to be a physician in and of itself, it's very likely that being faced with this hurdle will help you understand the barriers that other minorities face to getting healthcare. For that reason alone consider including your sexual orientation or gender identity in your application. Just make sure you have something meaningful to say about it if you do.
 
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I've been very delicate about mentioning it unless it seems appropriate. I've been oddly lucky in that the main people who have hassled me about being gay were my family, which made for some uncomfortable fights and not much else. Wife and I have run into some other stuff, but it's not related to our being gay for the most part...except for that bull**** part where we had to pay extra for our federal taxes because we're not married on the federal.

Going to file for a damn refund ASAP. :D
 
Perhaps another time it'll be set up. :)
 
akademiks1989 said:
I came out during undergrad forcibly to my Iraqi family. My brother hacked into my Facebook and found some private conversations between my ex and I. As a result: I was beaten, verbally & mentally abused, kicked out by family, experienced homelessness, and my life was threatened. I was depressed, suicidal, and defeated.

I always thought to mention it in my PS, as it was the most legit extenuating circumstance to detail.

What did I do instead? I learned that using that as my preamble to med school might put me in a bad mindset and negative mindset regarding my situation and may negatively affect my well being AND studies.

For three years following graduation, I worked, volunteered, researched, and developed my support system. I traveled the world and breathed a sigh of relief. Heck I went to NY pride!

I know every LGBT story is different, but had I gotten into med school on bad terms with myself, I think my former outlook would've come back to destroy me.

I got into medical school, sans mention of being gay. The hatred I experienced drives me to help all people who are hurting, of any and all ailments, be it a physical or mental manifestation.

Good luck to anyone suffering for any reason, gay or straight. Do what makes you comfortable in terms of applications, but also do what's best for your well being first.
Click to expand...

Inspiring!!!!!!!!!:thumbup:
 
Some pretty cool stories on this thread, thanks for that folks. I'm applying this cycle and talked about being gay whenever it made sense to. I did have one interviewer tell me that she was shocked that I would include that in my application, but after we talked a little more (and I sweated a little bit) she clarified that she thought it was good that I did. That has been my only experience with it so far, and up to this point I haven't seen much to indicate whether it has helped or hurt me.

However, I will say that after spending the vast majority of my life deep, deep in the closet, it is incredibly refreshing to be open about things from the get go, regardless of the impact it has on my applications.
 
Ellie Arroway said:
I say go ahead & put activism on your application, as long as it's more than just waving a sign at a protest. The LGBT work on my application mostly involved doing trans 101 trainings for med students, nursing students, and nonprofit staff, as well as coordinating appointments for a monthly trans health clinic.

Adcoms definitely did know about my being trans because it was in my primary essay. I always had a context for talking about being trans. The experience of transitioning was not an easy one and I think I learned a lot about vulnerability & living with uncertainty, which are huge parts of medicine, and I wrote about that. I benefitted from a trans-friendly free clinic, drew some inspiration from that, and went on to do a lot of volunteer work there later on. I also had a lot of other stuff to talk about other than being trans, because I didn't want it to seem like it was a gimmick that my whole application rested on - it was just one part of my experience that has been powerful in shaping who I am, why I want to be a physician, and what kind of physician I will be.

When I looked for schools, I mostly screened by what schools seemed like they had a commitment to social justice & public health (as opposed to specifically looking for lgbt-friendliness). I based that on websites, missions statements, and whether they had an MD/MPH as a degree option (though now I have decided I am not going to do that). By looking around on SDN, going through the MSAR, and looking at a lot of websites I found a handful of schools that really seemed to prioritize diversity.I was also looking at places that prioritized primary care - The appropriate school for you will also depend on your career interests.
Click to expand...


Hello! I am a transgender woman and a medical school applicant. I stumbled upon your thread because someone referenced me here after my post: http://forums.studentdoctor.net/threads/how-to-apply-as-a-transgender-woman.1055091/ Check out that thread ti get more details, but essentially I am wondering how you presented yourself during interviews. You are M-to-F I am assuming? Did you present yourself as a woman to interviewees? Was their nervousness in the air from them? Did they ask you specifics about you identity? I am not 100% passable and have not legally changed my name nor the M to an F on my ID. I want to be taken seriously as an applicant and not mocked. I do not want ti be viewed as a "man in women's clothes", but as a med school applicant. Any input is greatly appreciated. You inspire me greatly and thank you for being here. Even if I did censor my application bout my trans identity and activism it will be apparent at interviews unless I come male presenting.
 
I apologize for all the typos I was sort of caught up in excitement to hear from a successful trans applicant and thus typing faster than normal to follow my mind's fast train of thoughts.
 
I only mentioned being gay in one of my secondaries, when they asked how I would contribute to their diversity. Other than that, I guess it didn't seem relevant. My family is very supportive, which is fantastic but doesn't make for a very good "overcoming obstacles" story. I guess I've been very fortunate in that I haven't had too many issues due to my sexuality. Oh, except that one guy who wouldn't rent me and my girlfriend an apartment. Jerkface.
 
Zelda840 said:
I only mentioned being gay in one of my secondaries, when they asked how I would contribute to their diversity. Other than that, I guess it didn't seem relevant. My family is very supportive, which is fantastic but doesn't make for a very good "overcoming obstacles" story. I guess I've been very fortunate in that I haven't had too many issues due to my sexuality. Oh, except that one guy who wouldn't rent me and my girlfriend an apartment. Jerkface.
Click to expand...

As a gay dude, I just want to say that girls are gross. Cooties.
 
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How are you guys evaluating the lgbt friendliness of the school/surrounding area for the schools not listed on AMSA? Coming from NYC, I'm really nervous about possibly leaving to a super conservative place. I tried reading autostraddle's queer girl city guide but I think they exaggerate how friendly and gay each city is haha.
 
the only 2ndary application i came out on was Stanford's. funny thing, I interviewed there on a Friday, and on Monday the director of admissions called me to accept me. guess being gay helps at stanford :D
 
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"Med school is so heteronormative. I'm here to change that."
 
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I think you should present however you will feel most comfortable, regardless of gender markers. You could also email the admissions staff beforehand to give them a heads up if the gender marker on your app is not your presenting gender. Good luck on your cycle!
 
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DR MOM said:
I think you should present however you will feel most comfortable, regardless of gender markers. You could also email the admissions staff beforehand to give them a heads up if the gender marker on your app is not your presenting gender. Good luck on your cycle!
Click to expand...
You can email the admissions staff beforehand? I had no idea. I like that.
 
crimsonkid85 said:
the only 2ndary application i came out on was Stanford's. funny thing, I interviewed there on a Friday, and on Monday the director of admissions called me to accept me. guess being gay helps at stanford :D
Click to expand...

I just wanted to follow up, Stanford and UCSF are overall very LGBT friendly.

Just by way of example points about Stanford, the person who runs the quarter long neuroscience class for med students, is a very prominent transgender physician & scientist: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ben_Barres

There is an elective course on issues in LGBT medicine, where they have great guest speakers, and an active umbrella organization that does all kinds of stuff, from giving out rainbow caduceus pins (the most popular thing students here wear on their white coats) to social activities and activism.
https://med.stanford.edu/lgbt/

And our sexual history training is very inclusive:
http://www.projectprepare.org

There are several students in the medical school who are out to faculty, administration, and fellow students alike. I am not aware of any current transgender students (a few faculty I do know about), but gender reassignment surgery is even covered but the student health insurance (don't know the details about this, just saw it mentioned in the health insurance plan).

I can't speak for other schools, but there are at least a few places out here in California to consider for medical school and residency.

Good luck in your applications and interviews!
 
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Transgenderinmedicine said:
You can email the admissions staff beforehand? I had no idea. I like that.
Click to expand...
Definitely! When you are invited to interview they will always give you some sort of contact in admissions so you can ask questions.
 
Hello!

Just wanted to throw myself in here for the DO side of things. I'm an out queer woman IRL. I wasn't explicitly out in my applications, but with my ECs I think it was pretty obvious. I also asked about LGBTQ friendlyness at interviews. I will be matriculating DMU, which appears to be very gay friendly.

Please feel free to ask me any questions here or PM me. :)
 
Hi guys! I'm so happy I found this thread :)
 
Just an FYI to everyone else, Santana is not a member of the LGBT community, but instead his "friens" wants to game to system by pretending to be gay in order to get URM points from adcoms. Dat post history
 
Thanks, @touchpause13 !

I also wanted to reach out to LGBT applicants who gearing up for the upcoming season. I was explicitly out (as a gay woman) on about half of my applications and had a few great conversations with my interviewers and LGBT students at various schools. I will be matriculating next fall and although I am not sure where I will end up, I am doing my best to scope out the queer community at each of the schools I am considering.

Best,
Kyamh
 
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I am a non-trad. I may also be a re-applicant if this cycle does not work out. I came out literally my last day as a college student. My GPA is not bad, but it is a little low. My MCAT is excellent. This was because I was depressed and had no direction because I couldn't see a future where I was happy, so why bother deciding on a career? Now that I am happy and healthy a few years later, I am passionate about becoming a physician. How do I address the reasons surrounding my lower GPA (particularly a dip my junior year below 3.0) without bringing on the specter of "mental illness?" Should I just not go there?
 
What is ur gpa?
I had a dip where I was below a 3.0 but I was never asked about it
 
Ok. Well we had about the same GPA... but your MCAT is a bazillion times better than mine. I think your excellent MCAT proves you can do the work, don't mention anything about your crap semester.

I would apply both MD and DO for the greatest chance of getting in. I'm not sure why you weren't accepted this year with stats like that unless you applied too top heavy or too late
 
touchpause13 said:
Ok. Well we had about the same GPA... but your MCAT is a bazillion times better than mine. I think your excellent MCAT proves you can do the work, don't mention anything about your crap semester.

I would apply both MD and DO for the greatest chance of getting in. I'm not sure why you weren't accepted this year with stats like that unless you applied too top heavy or too late
Click to expand...

I am definitely applying DO next cycle. I am still waiting to hear back from my only interview out of ~30 schools (not really that top-heavy), which happens to be my state school and my number one choice. I am HOPING that my problem this cycle was that I submitted my primary application mid-July and that there is not some glaring red flag I am not seeing.
 
PreciousHamburgers said:
I am definitely applying DO next cycle. I am still waiting to hear back from my only interview out of ~30 schools (not really that top-heavy), which happens to be my state school and my number one choice. I am HOPING that my problem this cycle was that I submitted my primary application mid-July and that there is not some glaring red flag I am not seeing.
Click to expand...

With any luck, one of your other 29 schools will be willing to chat with you about what you can do to improve your application. Maybe wait until after March 15th and give everyone a call to find out whether they offer this service. Two of my 17 schools offered the service up front, so I hope it's not too rare :) Good luck hearing back!
 
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I'm a sophomore and applied to an early acceptance program. I didn't explicitly mention being queer, but I did start a queer STEM group on my campus :)

If early acceptance doesn't work out, I'm taking my MCATs this upcoming August! A bit nervous.
 
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Poll for 2024 applicants: Geography and school choices
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