1st time poster -- need advice please

[rasta]

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Hi everyone,

Recently received my last rejection. I don't have a premed adviser and probably should've asked these questions before applying, but oh well.

I ended up being complete at about 15 schools by the end of Sep/Oct. I only got 1 interview and it was at my state school. I felt like the interview went well.. interviewer gave me really good feedback such as "i think you're a great fit". they rejected me when they sent their final decisions last week....

my question is should i apply with my same resume (early this time) and to more appropriate schools, or should I wait and restudy and apply in 2014 (I will be 26 then).

a little about me:

business major from good public school
cgpa: 3.5
sgpa: 3.5
postbac: ~3.7
**my gpa suffers from 2 years of college i took in high school where i got ~3.1**
MCAT: P9 V11 B7 (how the *** did i get a 7?) 27P

EC:
-14 months volunteer in israel (non medical)
-3 months volunteer teaching english in ghana
-3 months volunteer teaching english in costa rica
-Summer accounting internship (my track in business)
-~200 hours volunteering for a nonprofit in my city (education based)
-worked ~25/wk throughout undergrad
-Went to haiti for 2 weeks right after the earthquake (this is when I switched my career from business to medicine--aka it was a life changing trip)
-4 months global health research with the clinton foundation
-shadowed family doc for over a year (5/wk)
-hospice volunteer almost a year now (5/wk)
-lived in jamaica for 6 years before coming to the states for high school (i'm white)

my personal statement was solid. the heart warming kind. however it is very different from PS i've seen from tradition applicants. my application was also solid in terms of the descriptions being written with insight and clarity. my interviewer told me how great of an application i have. I'm different which I thought could be an asset.

I guess... i'm not sure if my mcat score kept me out from schools, applying late, or both. I also don't know if in the end my mcat score didn't get me into the school I interviewed at or perhaps my interview wasn't so great. personally.. i thought the interview was to see if you are normal and not a freak. FYI i interviewed at the university of washington, where i went to undergrad. its slightly competitive there...

what do you all think are my chances of getting admitted without taking the mcat again? i know i can raise my score by at least 2/3 points. I'm sure i can get even higher, but i'm not in a healthy mindset to study again. I've been thinking about going and working for the clinton foundation again, but i don't want to look back and say i gave up.

gah... this is me venting and hoping for some honest feedback. thank you!

PS. I could care less about what school I go to. Important for me though is that it is in the US and has some sort of global health track.

 

[lalalaaaaaa]

Sorry about all of your rejections! I can definitely empathize with you though. I had the same thing happen last year.

What is your postbac? Just pre-med classes or an actual program? Also are you still taking classes and will increase your GPA? Your numbers are a bit low for MD schools, but the upward trend you state is good.

You probably have to retake the MCAT, it would be huge to pull it up to a +32. You would have to retake it ASAP if you want to reapply this cycle. With a 27 you are going to be below average at every MD school and it will be a long shot basically everywhere. DO schools you will probably be good with if you want to apply to those for the coming cycle.

The rest of your app is pretty solid for sure. You definitely are unique and have some awesome experiences. Just make sure you are continuing with volunteering and other activities throughout the next year.

Good luck!

 

[lalalaaaaaa]

THIS: http://www.ted.com/talks/kid_president_i_think_we_all_need_a_pep_talk.html 👍

 

[rasta]

Sorry about all of your rejections! I can definitely empathize with you though. I had the same thing happen last year.

What is your postbac? Just pre-med classes or an actual program? Also are you still taking classes and will increase your GPA? Your numbers are a bit low for MD schools, but the upward trend you state is good.

You probably have to retake the MCAT, it would be huge to pull it up to a +32. You would have to retake it ASAP if you want to reapply this cycle. With a 27 you are going to be below average at every MD school and it will be a long shot basically everywhere. DO schools you will probably be good with if you want to apply to those for the coming cycle.

The rest of your app is pretty solid for sure. You definitely are unique and have some awesome experiences. Just make sure you are continuing with volunteering and other activities throughout the next year.

Good luck!

Thanks for your response. They were premed classes, not an official post-bacc. They didn't get included in my undergraduate gpa either.

I've been thinking about taking a short trip to refresh myself and come back and study for the mcat. I've checked out dates and taking it July 13 would give about 3 months to study. i dont want to repeat the mistake of applying late again -- i'm not sure if taking the test then would do that to me. I'd presumably send my amcas june 1st since I've already done it.

 

[rasta]

THIS: http://www.ted.com/talks/kid_president_i_think_we_all_need_a_pep_talk.html 👍

i'm so happy u posted this. back in undergrad I annoyed the hell out of Rainn Wilson to come to my school and talk to students about innovation and Soul Pancake. He's an awesome dude and ended up coming 3 years in a row. it helped that i volunteered for the nonprofit he's a big supporter of.

 

[lalalaaaaaa]

Thanks for your response. They were premed classes, not an official post-bacc. They didn't get included in my undergraduate gpa either.

I've been thinking about taking a short trip to refresh myself and come back and study for the mcat. I've checked out dates and taking it July 13 would give about 3 months to study. i dont want to repeat the mistake of applying late again -- i'm not sure if taking the test then would do that to me. I'd presumably send my amcas june 1st since I've already done it.

If you have solid postbacc grades you should be in pretty good shape I imagine.

Definitely take a trip. Clear your mind, get some confidence back, come back fresh and nail the MCAT. I don't know how the timing would work for you. You can always update schools with MCAT scores.

Are you not interested in DO?

 

[rasta]

I'm looking more into DO. I will probably apply to a few DO schools this time around. My only hesitation is how that degree is perceived abroad. My ultimate goal is global health, so i'd hate to go somewhere and be told my degree isn't recognized -- highly doubt that's the case -- but nonetheless i do believe reputation pulls weight in other parts of the world. thanks again for your words of support.

 

[SilverCat]

You should be golden for DO. I think lateness+ low GPA and MCAT is what caused the rejection. Tip-- never believe your interviewer when they say you're a great fit. I went to my state school last year, where the interviewer said how much he liked me, and I was among the first post- interview rejectees.

If you want to wait before applying, you could possibly retake the MCAT and get a few more clinical experiences.

 

[NontradICUdoc]

You will need to retake the mcat as the 7 is very borderline and can be hurting you. The DO degree is recognized internationally so you should not have a problem. However, before you venture on your application make sure that all of your ducks are in a row. Change how you study for the MCAT or else you will make the same mistakes.

 

[WillburCobb]

I'm looking more into DO. I will probably apply to a few DO schools this time around. My only hesitation is how that degree is perceived abroad. My ultimate goal is global health, so i'd hate to go somewhere and be told my degree isn't recognized -- highly doubt that's the case -- but nonetheless i do believe reputation pulls weight in other parts of the world. thanks again for your words of support.

Worldwide recognition of DO degrees is getting much better, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doctor_of_Osteopathic_Medicine#cite_note-Int.27l_table-35
See the section on international practice rights.