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kikikat said:
Reapplicant, 3.69 GPA, 519 MCAT, T5 undergrad. Applied to 21 schools and haven't heard back for IIs, except I submitted late in Sept-Oct. (I will probably get flamed for applying so late - was unsure and burnt out from my last app).

Last cycle I applied to 10 schools, 2 II from T20 schools -> 2 WLs. Was thinking of reapplying if I didn't get in the first time, and here I am.

Maybe my app this time just focused too much on community health and not enough research even though I've had pubs. Maybe I need an X-factor in my app. But many fellowship deadlines for 2024 have passed.

DO is another option, but it just feels so freaking bad since I've gotten into BS/MD programs before.

I just want to come on here and vent.
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You don’t really need research on your resume to be considered, but reapplicants need to 1. Apply early in the season
2. Add something (more experiences, more work, more volunteering) to your application for your second round to show improvement from the first time.
 
I don't mean it as flaming, but...

Yeah, a resubmission in Sept - Oct is... not great, and might explain less success this time around.

As for having 2 WL last year, did you apply to the same schools this year? Did you have significant improvement from last year? Did you talk to the schools about what you felt like the app was missing?

One thing I see a lot that is often lethal in my students re-applying is that their application is substantially the same as the cycle they didn't have success, when that's an indication that it needs to be significantly improved in some (or multiple) areas.
 
Yeah, the application timing is def not great, and I messed up on that. I'm a slow writer, which doesn't help.

I tried to reach out to schools to find out what I was missing, but none said they were able to give app review. My premed advisor said that the app looked fine and I just needed to apply earlier, but I was skeptical about it and wasn't sure what I should change.

This year, I tried to write the personal statement in a different twist (took out an entire paragraph on research and replaced it with public service and education relating to socioeconomic determinants of health). Not sure if it backfired on me. What's new to my app: another manuscript-in-progress, more clinical research hours, a published abstract, working towards medical interpretation license.

Just a week ago, I was adding schools to my primary app just in case if I wanted to submit secondaries to more target schools. Is this too late of a time in the app cycle to do so?

Sorry, I just feel really low now. Thanks for the suggestions.
 
Yes, it's too late to add this year.

Were you late your first cycle too? In general, it seems like you're falling behind and then rather than waiting to submit a strong and on-time application, are rushing to submit a late one that's not as good as it could be.
kikikat said:
What's new to my app: another manuscript-in-progress, more clinical research hours, a published abstract, working towards medical interpretation license.
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I would not consider this really anything significantly new: it's more of the same (clinical research) and a few minor additions.

If your advisor thought the main issue was that you didn't apply early enough, then it seems like your priority this year would have been to apply earlier rather than re-working what had been an already successful personal statement.

My advice to you moving forward is to stop working on this years application, and start working on next years application so it's ready to submit in June. You might also consider a WAMC post to get some general feedback on where you need to most focus on improving things in your application over the next 5-6 months.

FWIW, this isn't uncommon. I have an applicant I'm working with that has now submitted in October 3 cycles in a row. No successes, but nothing changes for the next cycle, and that's likely one of the major reasons why. I've tried to encourage them to take a year off and get on track so they can submit early but... I can only advise, and sadly many applicants don't want to listen.
 
eigen said:
Yes, it's too late to add this year.

Were you late your first cycle too? In general, it seems like you're falling behind and then rather than waiting to submit a strong and on-time application, are rushing to submit a late one that's not as good as it could be.

I would not consider this really anything significantly new: it's more of the same (clinical research) and a few minor additions.

If your advisor thought the main issue was that you didn't apply early enough, then it seems like your priority this year would have been to apply earlier rather than re-working what had been an already successful personal statement.

My advice to you moving forward is to stop working on this years application, and start working on next years application so it's ready to submit in June. You might also consider a WAMC post to get some general feedback on where you need to most focus on improving things in your application over the next 5-6 months.

FWIW, this isn't uncommon. I have an applicant I'm working with that has now submitted in October 3 cycles in a row. No successes, but nothing changes for the next cycle, and that's likely one of the major reasons why. I've tried to encourage them to take a year off and get on track so they can submit early but... I can only advise, and sadly many applicants don't want to listen.
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Thanks for your kind advice. I might just hold off on submitting secondaries with deadlines approaching soon.

I took my MCAT in January 2022. Would that still be considered for the next cycle, and should I plan to retake it?

I'm also not sure if I should stay in my clinical research coordinator job. Would applying for a MPH degree or fellowship for next year be a bit more different, as you mentioned, for a reapp?

Thanks again.

wysdoc said:
What happened with the BS/MD programs you mentioned?
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I gave it up because T5 had better financial aid, and I hoped that the school name might help with future med school admissions.
 
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kikikat said:
Thanks for your kind advice. I might just hold off on submitting secondaries with deadlines approaching soon.

I took my MCAT in January 2022. Would that still be considered for the next cycle, and should I plan to retake it?

I'm also not sure if I should stay in my clinical research coordinator job. Would applying for a MPH degree or fellowship for next year be a bit more different, as you mentioned, for a reapp?

Thanks again.



I gave it up to go to T5 for financial considerations and thought that the school name might help with future med school admissions.
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Oof.
 
What schools did you apply to? Do you have any clinical experience and volunteering with the underserved? Are you continuing with these activities, if you do? Research focused schools are mostly upper tier schools that are harder to get into.
 
kikikat said:
I'm also not sure if I should stay in my clinical research coordinator job. Would applying for a MPH degree or fellowship for next year be a bit more different, as you mentioned, for a reapp?
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Without knowing more about your goals (any physician, competitive specialty) and the rest of your application, I don't think any of us can tell you about what you need to strengthen it.

I'd suggest a WAMC if you haven't.
 
kikikat said:
Just a week ago, I was adding schools to my primary app just in case if I wanted to submit secondaries to more target schools. Is this too late of a time in the app cycle to do so?
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It's too late, especially for MD.
Why do you think that you'd have any more success at this time in the cycle?

If you were relying on your MCAT alone to get you into Really Top Schools, that was a mistake.

Take a gap year and improve your app. Add more service to others less fortunate than yourself. And if you really want to be a doctor, have DO schools on your list. Beggars can't be choosy.

And apply as early as possible.
 
I'm sorry about this man.

I don't want to offend you but there's basically no shot you'd get in applying that late. I'm just saying, don't lose hope, if you follow the advice in this thread and apply in June this coming cycle you should probably get in somewhere.

And like you said there's always DO. I'm mystified at how many people seem to think DO isn't an option. If you're already dead set on ortho or derm, I guess it's not ideal, but then you probably shouldn't be going into medicine anyway
 
To all who have commented, I appreciate your feedback.

My applying late this year has no excuse, just trying to revise my application, and fear and burnout. Coming from last year, I believe there must be a reason why I got only two IIs (one from my home school and another T20 state school) AND didn't get in. Even though I applied to a small list, I was applying to both target and reach schools. The interviews themselves were fine (although one of them cut out in the middle).

Just as I described in my WAMC, I tried to rewrite my activities/PS, which ended up taking multiple drafts and revisions, hence the fear and procrastination setting in. But there's no turning back in time now.

I am considering applying DO, but not sure if that might limit the specialty choice that I will go into.

Moving forward for the next cycle, would my January 2022 MCAT be screened out for next year's application? Should I change out of my CRC job and pursue something else instead, given my WAMC?
 
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I don't see anything in your WAMC; deleted now. You must have great credentials if you gave up a BS/MD to try to get to a top ranked med school.

Anyway, this "fear, burnout, procrastination" can't coexist with applying to med school, being a med student / resident, and working as an attending. Is this a common theme in your life, or did it start just now, because this is the most difficult thing you've pursued? There will be many very difficult times in the future if you continue this trek.

I'll stop flogging now; I think you got the message from all those who posted. Improve your app with more EC's between now and your next cycle if you don't get II's. The AAMC has a chart on MCAT administration dates.
 
kikikat said:
To all who have commented, I appreciate your feedback.

My applying late this year has no excuse, just trying to revise my application, and fear and burnout. Coming from last year, I believe there must be a reason why I got only two IIs (one from my home school and another T20 state school) AND didn't get in. Even though I applied to a small list, I was applying to both target and reach schools. The interviews themselves were fine (although one of them cut out in the middle).

Just as I described in my WAMC, I tried to rewrite my activities/PS, which ended up taking multiple drafts and revisions, hence the fear and procrastination setting in. But there's no turning back in time now.

I am considering applying DO, but not sure if that might limit the specialty choice that I will go into.

Moving forward for the next cycle, would my January 2022 MCAT be screened out for next year's application? Should I change out of my CRC job and pursue something else instead, given my WAMC?
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You just need to apply early in the cycle.

It's a common pattern of human error to look past the huge, glaring, blinking-in-red-neon issue and instead fixate on minor ones (aka flailing). That's why you wasted time revising activity descriptions and are now contemplating an 11th hour job change. @GoSpursGo is right, your behavior is ultimately self-sabotaging. Apply in June with a decent school list and you'll probably have some luck.

Your January 2022 MCAT should be fine for a June 2024 submission, as it will be less than 3 years old.
 
I agree with @Med Ed
I don’t think there is something major lacking in your application and the problem the first time was a very small list (10) of very competitive schools. Second time was a very late submission but I don’t know if your list changed much.
 
I can feel that you are pretty much discounting DO and that is just fine. It is what you decide and are uncomfortable with. I know next cycle will be your third cycle. Perhaps if you really don’t want DO then treat next cycle as your first and go full throttle in producing an exemplary application and submit it early in June. Then if you are successful you’ll be set. If not and you decide to go round 4 , you’ll know to consider DO very seriously. You stated above “I am considering applying DO, but not sure if that might limit the specialty choice that I will go into.” If you don’t get into med school, speciality choice won’t happen.
Good luck.
 
kikikat said:
My applying late this year has no excuse, just trying to revise my application, and fear and burnout.
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One more thing. In the event that your unsuccessful application cycles come up in a future interview, I'd give some thought to how you phrase this. There are quite a few months that pass between completing secondaries and the opening of AMCAS the following year, so I'm going to need something more than "burnout" to explain successive late applications.

That said, the fact that you made this thread indicates you are actively self-analyzing your choices, and are prepared to make the changes needed to be successful. So perhaps there's a touch of redemption in that.

Assuming, of course, you heed our sage advice.
 
kikikat said:
My applying late this year has no excuse, just trying to revise my application, and fear and burnout. Coming from last year, I believe there must be a reason why I got only two IIs (one from my home school and another T20 state school) AND didn't get in. Even though I applied to a small list, I was applying to both target and reach schools. The interviews themselves were fine (although one of them cut out in the middle).
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Weren't you on the WL for both?

That indicates that they'd be happy to have you, but you just weren't at the top of the application pile. It doesn't indicate anything majorly wrong with your application, especially if you applied late.
 
So just to be clear because you don't seem to be coming clean with your contrition. You are already on your second attempt. You only had 2 WL in your first cycle. What did you get this cycle? Sounds like zero according to the title of this post.

I don't understand why you waited, but I also don't understand why you didn't apply DO. You didn't get an invitation from the two schools that invited you the first time it sounds... which is not good news. You ought to get another invitation from your in-state unless you didn't improve your application significantly or you burned your bridge with your first attempt. No way we know.

Your fear and doubt is self-sabotaging your application behavior, and I'm not sure it won't get better once you are in medical school. We don't have your application, and I still am not sure what your purpose is. It still sounds like you are chasing offers rather than showing you are ready to care for patients and a community. You seem to be chasing prestige over a profession. And maybe that is what the schools are sensing.
 
Mr.Smile12 said:
So just to be clear because you don't seem to be coming clean with your contrition. You are already on your second attempt. You only had 2 WL in your first cycle. What did you get this cycle? Sounds like zero according to the title of this post.

I don't understand why you waited, but I also don't understand why you didn't apply DO. You didn't get an invitation from the two schools that invited you the first time it sounds... which is not good news. You ought to get another invitation from your in-state unless you didn't improve your application significantly or you burned your bridge with your first attempt. No way we know.

Your fear and doubt is self-sabotaging your application behavior, and I'm not sure it won't get better once you are in medical school. We don't have your application, and I still am not sure what your purpose is. It still sounds like you are chasing offers rather than showing you are ready to care for patients and a community. You seem to be chasing prestige over a profession. And maybe that is what the schools are sensing.
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My information is disjointed because it's posted on different threads, not because I do not intend to "come clean with my contrition". This thread was never intended to be a contrition in the first place, but rather a spontaneous post out of frustration, and I prefer not hashing all of my information together to preserve some form of anonymity. I thank all who have posted their helpful suggestions and warnings. But I really hope that this does not spiral into a questioning of my motive for the career, just because I haven't yet thought of applying DO, as I have been focusing on broadly applying to MDs after being so close in my last cycle, nor am I completely ruling it out.

I'm sorry if you thought that I was chasing prestige over a profession. From my WAMC thread that you kindly advised, I did incorporate more clinical experiences and underserved community service in my new PS. It was actually mostly rural/community medicine centered.

Regarding no reinterview offers from the two schools: it might be because the center theme in my story isn't tailored to their missions anymore (writing less about research and more community-focused), or my app just isn't good enough, or I just applied later this year. Either way, I am staying true to myself and my personal story. Last year, I got the IIs in late November - December. I really do not know, but we will see.

Without seeing my entire application, it will probably be difficult to see what I mean.

I think I've gotten some helpful advice and will lock this thread for now. Thank you for all your comments - I'll work your suggestions into the future.
 
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