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[B_Ray23]

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[KnightDoc]

Hello,

I am a current applicant for this cycle (3.8 cGPA, 3.7 sGPA, 514 MCAT, ORM, Utah Resident) All secondaries were complete by mid September, would have liked to submit primary earlier but had multiple MCAT cancellations. I have had two II's so far, still waiting to hear back from one and deferred at the other. I will list my school list and EC's below. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. My main concern is reapplying without boosting my application in any significant ways.

School List:
Utah
GW
Georgetown
Tufts
NYMC
Hofstra
Sinai
Einstein
Rochester
Albany
Thomas Jefferson
Drexel
Temple
Netter
Pitt
Michigan
Case Western
Ohio State
Cincy
MCW
Rosalind Franklin
St. Louis
Colorado
Vermont
Brown
Dartmouth

In hindsight, there are a few schools I would not have applied to. I would have also added a few schools like Wayne State and Oakland.

EC's:

Clinical Volunteering: 425 hours - Internal medicine volunteer, homeless clinic, hospice, nursing home. Leadership position with a volunteer organization.

Non-clinical volunteering: 200 hours - Refugee resettlement, foster care tutor, LGBTQ service trip. Program director within University volunteer department.

Research: 150 hours - undergraduate assistant in neuro-rehab lab.

Physician Shadowing: 30 hours - shadowed in 4 different specialties. I know this is an obvious weak spot in my application. I had several shadowing opportunities cancelled with covid.

Other: O Chem TA for 3 semesters, full-time business/marketing internship during one summer, medicine related learning abroad, employed at law firm for majority of undergrad.

I had several trustworthy people revise my personal statement and most of my secondary essays. I do not think my writing was an issue, but I will work to improve that with the new app. I thought all of my LOR's were strong, some more than others. I do not have any red flags or IA's on my record. Was my application simply too late into the cycle? Was my school list way off? I am worried about reapplying with limited ability to improve my application during covid, most volunteering and shadowing has been cancelled in my area. Thanks for the help!

Nothing is jumping out, and the good news is that you are still very much in the game with two IIs (and maybe more to come) with no Rs from them yet. The bad news is that, with limited ability to improve due to COVID, you probably should not reapply next cycle if it comes down to that, since that application simply will not be materially different from this one.

My advice would be to allow this cycle to play out. If it doesn't work out, reach out to schools for feedback, and act on whatever they tell you. Some will blow you off, but others will be helpful after the cycle is over. Good luck!!

 

[RapidEyeMovementLearning]

Be patient but do not avoid applying next year. Apply, apply, apply until you get in somewhere. Even if you don't have opportunity to improve due to COVID. Schools are aware of that. When did you get your apps in? Time can make a big difference even if you applied in July-August. Have your essays pre written and ready to go on the first day. Get another community volunteering in if you can. In my experience schools value this more than clinical work. GL

 

[Goro]

Hello,

I am a current applicant for this cycle (3.8 cGPA, 3.7 sGPA, 514 MCAT, ORM, Utah Resident) All secondaries were complete by mid September, would have liked to submit primary earlier but had multiple MCAT cancellations. I have had two II's so far, still waiting to hear back from one and deferred at the other. I will list my school list and EC's below. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. My main concern is reapplying without boosting my application in any significant ways.

School List:
Utah
GW
Georgetown
Tufts
NYMC
Hofstra
Sinai
Einstein
Rochester
Albany
Thomas Jefferson
Drexel
Temple
Netter
Pitt
Michigan
Case Western
Ohio State
Cincy
MCW
Rosalind Franklin
St. Louis
Colorado
Vermont
Brown
Dartmouth

In hindsight, there are a few schools I would not have applied to. I would have also added a few schools like Wayne State and Oakland.

EC's:

Clinical Volunteering: 425 hours - Internal medicine volunteer, homeless clinic, hospice, nursing home. Leadership position with a volunteer organization.

Non-clinical volunteering: 200 hours - Refugee resettlement, foster care tutor, LGBTQ service trip. Program director within University volunteer department.

Research: 150 hours - undergraduate assistant in neuro-rehab lab.

Physician Shadowing: 30 hours - shadowed in 4 different specialties. I know this is an obvious weak spot in my application. I had several shadowing opportunities cancelled with covid.

Other: O Chem TA for 3 semesters, full-time business/marketing internship during one summer, medicine related learning abroad, employed at law firm for majority of undergrad.

I had several trustworthy people revise my personal statement and most of my secondary essays. I do not think my writing was an issue, but I will work to improve that with the new app. I thought all of my LOR's were strong, some more than others. I do not have any red flags or IA's on my record. Was my application simply too late into the cycle? Was my school list way off? I am worried about reapplying with limited ability to improve my application during covid, most volunteering and shadowing has been cancelled in my area. Thanks for the help!

Your app looks fine and you've had two IIs. Most people have either one, or none.

If you get shut out, for starters, work on interview skills.

Add some DO schools on your list as insurance.

 

[JimKimSlim]

I don’t think you should despair too soon, since you already got two ii’s and one deferral. Your stats look good but I’m not sure if it’s average as an ORM (correct me if I’m wrong).

Regardless, you start rejected until an A, so it’s never too late to start preparing for reapp. Your EC’s look good, and I would recommend getting more shadowing and leadership if possible. I don’t think an MCAT retake is necessary, unless you’re certain you can score 520+.

Just take it easy and wait. Even if you do have to reapply, med schools won’t go anywhere

 

[B_Ray23]

Thank you for all of the advice. I will stay positive and hope for that A!