I’m looking for some advice on when I should reapply. Here are my stats for the 2020-2021 cycle, where I was interviewed and waitlisted at 2 MD schools.
ORM, California resident
GPA: cGPA 3.77, sGPA 3.67
MCAT: 521 (only attempt, 131/131/130/129)
Research experience:
1600 hours as an undergraduate researcher in a basic science lab for course credit (1 publication, fourth author)
Clinical experiences:
Volunteering: 250 hours volunteering at various hospices and residential care centers as part of a student organization I started. Before COVID, I interacted with patients on a day-to-day basis. During COVID I made phone calls to recently-diagnosed patients and caregivers weekly
Shadowing: 60 hours shadowing a PM&R
Nonclinical experiences:
Volunteering: 80 hours volunteering at a local animal shelter, 100 hours volunteering at library foundation (running a free writing workshop with community members)
Leadership: Leader of undergraduate science journal (400 hours throughout college), co-founder and president of a student organization that puts together volunteering opportunities at local hospices and organizes fundraising and advocacy events supporting dementia patients and caregivers throughout the year (250 hours)
Miscellaneous extracurricular: 200 hours as a staff writer for the school newspaper, 1000 hours of writing as a hobby (I have several publications in literary journals)
School List:
Emory, Boston University, Albert Einstein, Stony Brook, Drexel, Loyola, New York Medical College, Tufts, UC Davis, UC Irvine, UCSD, UCLA, UCSF, Wash U, U Michigan
I’m aware my list was very top-heavy, and I want to reapply with an adjusted school list (and also apply to all CA schools). Last year my publication for my research work came out in August, which was in the middle of my secondary submissions, and I let most schools know about it in update letters. The biggest changes to my application in the last year would be an increase in clinical volunteering hours, research hours, and a change in a leadership position of an undergraduate science journal. I haven’t gained much new/varied clinical experience but I’m shadowing an oncologist and an orthopedic surgeon in the near future, as well as applying for clinical research coordinator jobs.
I’m unsure if I should reapply this year (the 2021-2022 cycle) with my adjusted school list and send update letters about the new clinical experience I will gain, or if I should wait until the 2022-2023 cycle, when I’ve really increased my clinical hours and bettered my non-clinical volunteering, which I’m planning to do by volunteering at a local nonprofit supporting the homeless population. I took the MCAT in January of 2020, so I think I’d have to look into school-specific MCAT expiration deadlines if I delay reapplying.
I would appreciate any advice on if it would be worth reapplying for this cycle with an improved school list, or if I should wait until the following year. Thank you!
