2025 - 2026 Cycle Reapplication- Lost

[MDhopefullymaybepls?]

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Hello all,

I just finished my first MD cycle (2024-2025) and am ending with a deferral at Drexel (my only II). I received secondaries from every school I applied to, and was put on interview hold at UCSD, Tulane, Arizona Tucson, and George Washington. I don't know where to start with tackling my reapp. I used my undergrad advisors for this past cycle, but after going over reapplication with another advisor at the school, they pretty much said the previous advisor's guidance was the reason I didn't get in. To be specific, they said my personal statement, not having 3 most meaningfuls (I had 2), and not having letter of recs from all my most meaninfuls was the reason I didn't get more interviews. These were all things I passed through the previous advisor before submitting.

As far as I can tell my interview with Drexel went overwhelming well based on the faculty interviewers feedback at the end of it (something along of the lines of "we would love to have you here").

I am thinking of working with this new advisor, but who can really say whether they know what they are talking about or if they are similar to the last undergrad advisor I used. I have looked into paid services, but I have no way of knowing which aren't scams and my parents want me to use a ghost writer which I refuse to do.

I just don't know who to turn to for: 1. seeing the reasons I didn't get more interviews, and 2. what parts need to be improved and how.

Let me know if more information is needed:
GPA:
cGPA 3.79
sGPA 3.76

MCAT
514 (low cars, high everything else)

Caspar 1st quartile
Preview 5

Letter of recs:
3 from my clinical hours (2 Phycisians and my boss)
2 science teachers (one of which is my lab PI)

My non-clinical boss said they would just write me a general letter so I did not get a letter of rec from them.

(most meaningful 1)Clinical hours- 1800 hours
(most meaningful 2)Non-clinical work w/ underserved- 1100 hours
Volunteer (clinical)- 100 hours
Volunteer (non-clinical)- 40 hours
Volunteer (non-clinical+underserved)- 0 hours
Leadership- 60 hours
Research- 172 hours
Shadowing- 56 hours

Going into next cycle:

Clinical hours- 3,600
Non-clinical work w/ underserved- 1100 hours
Volunteer (clinical)- 100 hours
Volunteer (non-clinical)- 40 hours
Volunteer (non-clinical+underserved)- 100 hours
Leadership- 60 hours
Research- 172 hours
Shadowing- 96 hours

School list:

Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Oakland University School of Medicine
UCI
UMass Chan Medical School
University of Arizona- Phoenix
University of Colorado
Kaiser Permanente School of Medicine
USC
New York Medical College
Thomas Jefferson University
UCLA
UCSD
Drexel University
George Washington School of Medicine
Rosalind Franklin School of Medicine
Temple
Tulane University School of Medicine
UC Davis
University of Arizona- Tucson
University of Vermont
UNLV
UCSF​

 

[Mr.Smile12]

after going over reapplication with another advisor at the school, they pretty much said the previous advisor's guidance was the reason I didn't get in. To be specific, they said my personal statement, not having 3 most meaningfuls (I had 2), and not having letter of recs from all my most meaninfuls was the reason I didn't get more interviews. These were all things I passed through the previous advisor before submitting.

... Really? Can we get a few more details about this?

• What was specifically wrong with the PS?
• You don't have to have 3 MME's, but yeah, it would be nice.
• Any comment about your OIE?
• You don't have to have LOR's from all of your MME's.

More importantly: what did you do?

We got your back, but for a WAMC profile, it's not a transaction. The details of what you did are very important as well as the hours. You are not a calculation.

 

[MDhopefullymaybepls?]

... Really? Can we get a few more details about this?

• What was specifically wrong with the PS?
• You don't have to have 3 MME's, but yeah, it would be nice.
• Any comment about your OIE?
• You don't have to have LOR's from all of your MME's.

More importantly: what did you do?

We got your back, but for a WAMC profile, it's not a transaction. The details of what you did are very important as well as the hours. You are not a calculation.

Hi Mr.smile,

Thanks for your response! Sorry, this is my first time posting so I wasn't sure what this post would be classified as/what information would be needed.

For added context, I have taken 2 gap years where I got my EMT license and started working as a medical assistant (see below). I also started volunteering with undeserved during this past cycle.

I can send you my personal statement privately, but to sum it up, he said it was a rendition of my resume with insight into why medicine instead of insight about myself and how my life turned towards medicine. He is saying I should rewrite it and talk about my time wrestling in high school because if one of the reviewers is a wrestler its going to get me an interview (I am now ~8 years from when I wrestled in hs so it is barely impactful on who I am today).

He said my work/activities are great and that I don't need to change it for reapplication. I used the Dr. Gray method and told stories for the ones that were clear and included insight on how it formed my views of healthcare. For the activities that weren't clear, I added a description of them and added a short story about an experience and how it impacted my views of medicine. OIE was good according to him, I wrote about having to balance going full-time at work to help my parents while finishing my bachelors degree, being part of a fraternity, and working on my EMT license after my mom suddenly lost her job.

The actual activities are as follows:

(most meaningful 1)Clinical hours, Medical Assistant at a neuro clinic- 1800 hours
(most meaningful 2)Non-clinical work w/ underserved, Patient financial counselor working with under insured/uninsured patients in the hospital- 1100 hours
Volunteer (clinical), Volunteer in the emergency department- 100 hours
Volunteer (non-clinical), Tutor/peer-mentor for fellow undergrad students- 40 hours
Volunteer (non-clinical+underserved)- 0 hours
Leadership, Philanthropy chair for my fraternity- 60 hours
Research, wet lab experience working with marine tunicates. No publications, but one research proposal- 172 hours
Shadowing, Neuro, Derm, Cardio- 56 hours

Going into next cycle:

Clinical hours, Medical Assistant at a neuro clinic
took on more leadership/responsibility and have helped developed policies and questionnaires to help in patient evaluations- 3,600
Non-clinical work w/ underserved, Patient financial counselor working with under insured/uninsured patients in the hospital- 1100 hours
Volunteer (clinical), Volunteer in the emergency department- 100 hours
Volunteer (non-clinical), Tutor/peer-mentor for fellow undergrad students- 40 hours
Volunteer (non-clinical+underserved), working in a homeless shelter making and serving food, along with passing out food to homeless in the community- 100 hours
Leadership Philanthropy chair for my fraternity- 60 hours
Research,wet lab experience working with marine tunicates. No publications, but one research proposal- 172 hours
Shadowing, Neuro, Derm, Cardio- 96 hours

 

[Mr.Smile12]

Without actually looking at your AMCAS, I'm hard-pressed to guess if the advice you took on your AMCAS application was correct. I don't agree with "show, not tell" in W/A descriptions, and I think it's a waste of space to throw a story into work descriptions. You wouldn't do it for a resume, which is what W/A is. We have a pinned thread on the topic so you can rummage through the collective wisdom of this forum.

Now that we're talking reapplication, we're looking at a rewrite or significant editing of your PS. I am not a fan of using your wrestling accomplishments as a hook though I suppose you can make it a metaphor for your struggles to get to med school... resilience/focus... adaptability... yada yada yada.

Having zero non-clinical community service hours probably screened you out at most schools (little surprised with Drexel, but who knows). Tutoring/teaching/mentoring are academic activities on every premed's application, so it doesn't help you. You have started as a shelter volunteer, and you should get closer to 150 hours to avoid getting screened out for your next cycle. You're on your way, but keep pressing on.

Your clinical experience feels focused on administrative questions on patient satisfaction and quality improvement. Nothing wrong with that, but I am interested how you will work that into your application essays. Health systems science is a huge part of your education in medical school that is underappreciated when it comes to the question of "why medicine," but few doctors enjoy that aspect. I think you could have an interesting perspective with "access" to care but it could also risk being very niche.

 

[MDhopefullymaybepls?]

Without actually looking at your AMCAS, I'm hard-pressed to guess if the advice you took on your AMCAS application was correct. I don't agree with "show, not tell" in W/A descriptions, and I think it's a waste of space to throw a story into work descriptions. You wouldn't do it for a resume, which is what W/A is. We have a pinned thread on the topic so you can rummage through the collective wisdom of this forum.

Now that we're talking reapplication, we're looking at a rewrite or significant editing of your PS. I am not a fan of using your wrestling accomplishments as a hook though I suppose you can make it a metaphor for your struggles to get to med school... resilience/focus... adaptability... yada yada yada.

Having zero non-clinical community service hours probably screened you out at most schools (little surprised with Drexel, but who knows). Tutoring/teaching/mentoring are academic activities on every premed's application, so it doesn't help you. You have started as a shelter volunteer, and you should get closer to 150 hours to avoid getting screened out for your next cycle. You're on your way, but keep pressing on.

Your clinical experience feels focused on administrative questions on patient satisfaction and quality improvement. Nothing wrong with that, but I am interested how you will work that into your application essays. Health systems science is a huge part of your education in medical school that is underappreciated when it comes to the question of "why medicine," but few doctors enjoy that aspect. I think you could have an interesting perspective with "access" to care but it could also risk being very niche.

Thank you once again for your response. Yeah, currently working on getting my non-clinical volunteering up and was surprised by Drexel as well.

My clinical experience is clinical, sorry if I didn't expand on it enough. I take patient's bp, take a chief complaint, and verify meds and allergies. I also administer vaccines and injections. I tend to go above and beyond in my role and help create things like a tracker for the office to track pre-med labs and orders so we can keep track of our more complicated medications that we prescribe. I also helped develop a migraine follow-up questionnaire (not my main role, but stuff I started doing to improve the care we can provide). Beyond that, the normal stuff, like making sure patients can afford their medication through advising them on assistance programs and copay cards.

Probably going to use the direct access advising since I am lost on who to turn to for consistent advising. Thanks for you for commenting, wasn't aware of that resource.

 

[HuskyMD Emeritus]

Hi Mr.smile,

Thanks for your response! Sorry, this is my first time posting so I wasn't sure what this post would be classified as/what information would be needed.

For added context, I have taken 2 gap years where I got my EMT license and started working as a medical assistant (see below). I also started volunteering with undeserved during this past cycle.

I can send you my personal statement privately, but to sum it up, he said it was a rendition of my resume with insight into why medicine instead of insight about myself and how my life turned towards medicine. He is saying I should rewrite it and talk about my time wrestling in high school because if one of the reviewers is a wrestler its going to get me an interview (I am now ~8 years from when I wrestled in hs so it is barely impactful on who I am today).

He said my work/activities are great and that I don't need to change it for reapplication. I used the Dr. Gray method and told stories for the ones that were clear and included insight on how it formed my views of healthcare. For the activities that weren't clear, I added a description of them and added a short story about an experience and how it impacted my views of medicine. OIE was good according to him, I wrote about having to balance going full-time at work to help my parents while finishing my bachelors degree, being part of a fraternity, and working on my EMT license after my mom suddenly lost her job.

The actual activities are as follows:

(most meaningful 1)Clinical hours, Medical Assistant at a neuro clinic- 1800 hours
(most meaningful 2)Non-clinical work w/ underserved, Patient financial counselor working with under insured/uninsured patients in the hospital- 1100 hours
Volunteer (clinical), Volunteer in the emergency department- 100 hours
Volunteer (non-clinical), Tutor/peer-mentor for fellow undergrad students- 40 hours
Volunteer (non-clinical+underserved)- 0 hours
Leadership, Philanthropy chair for my fraternity- 60 hours
Research, wet lab experience working with marine tunicates. No publications, but one research proposal- 172 hours
Shadowing, Neuro, Derm, Cardio- 56 hours

Going into next cycle:

Clinical hours, Medical Assistant at a neuro clinic
took on more leadership/responsibility and have helped developed policies and questionnaires to help in patient evaluations- 3,600
Non-clinical work w/ underserved, Patient financial counselor working with under insured/uninsured patients in the hospital- 1100 hours
Volunteer (clinical), Volunteer in the emergency department- 100 hours
Volunteer (non-clinical), Tutor/peer-mentor for fellow undergrad students- 40 hours
Volunteer (non-clinical+underserved), working in a homeless shelter making and serving food, along with passing out food to homeless in the community- 100 hours
Leadership Philanthropy chair for my fraternity- 60 hours
Research,wet lab experience working with marine tunicates. No publications, but one research proposal- 172 hours
Shadowing, Neuro, Derm, Cardio- 96 hours

"...He is saying I should rewrite it and talk about my time wrestling in high school because if one of the reviewers is a wrestler its going to get me an interview ..." Not sure about other application reviewers but of the hundreds of applications I have reviewed, I never sent one through for interview because the applicant and I had something or activity or hobby in common. I'm also not sure if there are that many admissions folks who are also wrestlers.
For me, and I think most file reviewers will agree, it's the whole application, not just an activity. It's your ability to reflect, demonstrate empathy, humility and gratitude and put in in 250 or less words that matter.

 

[chilly_md]

What is your state of residence? Did you go to undergrad in NV or AZ? Many of the 22 schools you applied to were unrealistic.

You should get another 100 hours at that homeless shelter by the end of May, for a total of 200 there.

 

[ophthoaspirant]

Hello all,

I just finished my first MD cycle (2024-2025) and am ending with a deferral at Drexel (my only II). I received secondaries from every school I applied to, and was put on interview hold at UCSD, Tulane, Arizona Tucson, and George Washington. I don't know where to start with tackling my reapp. I used my undergrad advisors for this past cycle, but after going over reapplication with another advisor at the school, they pretty much said the previous advisor's guidance was the reason I didn't get in. To be specific, they said my personal statement, not having 3 most meaningfuls (I had 2), and not having letter of recs from all my most meaninfuls was the reason I didn't get more interviews. These were all things I passed through the previous advisor before submitting.

As far as I can tell my interview with Drexel went overwhelming well based on the faculty interviewers feedback at the end of it (something along of the lines of "we would love to have you here").

I am thinking of working with this new advisor, but who can really say whether they know what they are talking about or if they are similar to the last undergrad advisor I used. I have looked into paid services, but I have no way of knowing which aren't scams and my parents want me to use a ghost writer which I refuse to do.

I just don't know who to turn to for: 1. seeing the reasons I didn't get more interviews, and 2. what parts need to be improved and how.

Let me know if more information is needed:
GPA:
cGPA 3.79
sGPA 3.76

MCAT
514 (low cars, high everything else)

Caspar 1st quartile
Preview 5

Letter of recs:
3 from my clinical hours (2 Phycisians and my boss)
2 science teachers (one of which is my lab PI)

My non-clinical boss said they would just write me a general letter so I did not get a letter of rec from them.

(most meaningful 1)Clinical hours- 1800 hours
(most meaningful 2)Non-clinical work w/ underserved- 1100 hours
Volunteer (clinical)- 100 hours
Volunteer (non-clinical)- 40 hours
Volunteer (non-clinical+underserved)- 0 hours
Leadership- 60 hours
Research- 172 hours
Shadowing- 56 hours

Going into next cycle:

Clinical hours- 3,600
Non-clinical work w/ underserved- 1100 hours
Volunteer (clinical)- 100 hours
Volunteer (non-clinical)- 40 hours
Volunteer (non-clinical+underserved)- 100 hours
Leadership- 60 hours
Research- 172 hours
Shadowing- 96 hours

School list:

Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Oakland University School of Medicine
UCI
UMass Chan Medical School
University of Arizona- Phoenix
University of Colorado
Kaiser Permanente School of Medicine
USC
New York Medical College
Thomas Jefferson University
UCLA
UCSD
Drexel University
George Washington School of Medicine
Rosalind Franklin School of Medicine
Temple
Tulane University School of Medicine
UC Davis
University of Arizona- Tucson
University of Vermont
UNLV
UCSF​

Your GPA and MCAT score are not high enough for many schools on your list. About 15% of your schools can be reaches but you have far more. I suggest MCW, Creighton, Quinnipiac, Sam Walton and Belmont.

 

[LindaAccepted]

Hello all,

I just finished my first MD cycle (2024-2025) and am ending with a deferral at Drexel (my only II). I received secondaries from every school I applied to, and was put on interview hold at UCSD, Tulane, Arizona Tucson, and George Washington. I don't know where to start with tackling my reapp. I used my undergrad advisors for this past cycle, but after going over reapplication with another advisor at the school, they pretty much said the previous advisor's guidance was the reason I didn't get in. To be specific, they said my personal statement, not having 3 most meaningfuls (I had 2), and not having letter of recs from all my most meaninfuls was the reason I didn't get more interviews. These were all things I passed through the previous advisor before submitting.

As far as I can tell my interview with Drexel went overwhelming well based on the faculty interviewers feedback at the end of it (something along of the lines of "we would love to have you here").

I am thinking of working with this new advisor, but who can really say whether they know what they are talking about or if they are similar to the last undergrad advisor I used. I have looked into paid services, but I have no way of knowing which aren't scams and my parents want me to use a ghost writer which I refuse to do.

I just don't know who to turn to for: 1. seeing the reasons I didn't get more interviews, and 2. what parts need to be improved and how.

Let me know if more information is needed:
GPA:
cGPA 3.79
sGPA 3.76

MCAT
514 (low cars, high everything else)

Caspar 1st quartile
Preview 5

Letter of recs:
3 from my clinical hours (2 Phycisians and my boss)
2 science teachers (one of which is my lab PI)

My non-clinical boss said they would just write me a general letter so I did not get a letter of rec from them.

(most meaningful 1)Clinical hours- 1800 hours
(most meaningful 2)Non-clinical work w/ underserved- 1100 hours
Volunteer (clinical)- 100 hours
Volunteer (non-clinical)- 40 hours
Volunteer (non-clinical+underserved)- 0 hours
Leadership- 60 hours
Research- 172 hours
Shadowing- 56 hours

Going into next cycle:

Clinical hours- 3,600
Non-clinical work w/ underserved- 1100 hours
Volunteer (clinical)- 100 hours
Volunteer (non-clinical)- 40 hours
Volunteer (non-clinical+underserved)- 100 hours
Leadership- 60 hours
Research- 172 hours
Shadowing- 96 hours

School list:

Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Oakland University School of Medicine
UCI
UMass Chan Medical School
University of Arizona- Phoenix
University of Colorado
Kaiser Permanente School of Medicine
USC
New York Medical College
Thomas Jefferson University
UCLA
UCSD
Drexel University
George Washington School of Medicine
Rosalind Franklin School of Medicine
Temple
Tulane University School of Medicine
UC Davis
University of Arizona- Tucson
University of Vermont
UNLV
UCSF​

I completely agree with @Mr.Smile12's advice. Some of the schools you applied to were no realistic based on MCAT/GPA (Einstein for example) and some strongly favor IS applicants (UNLV for example). Almost all the schools you apply to you should be competitive at based on MCAT/GPA and IS vs OOS acceptance rates. Mission fit is also important in choosing schools, but don't forget the statistical basics.

Apply to DO programs next time around.

Increase your service to the underserved and marginalized.

I can imagine touching on your wrestling, but without seeing the essays, I would advise against using something that old. I would hope you'd have something more recent that you could highlight.

In terms of whom to believe, there's lots of info on the internet and on SDN. You will start to see common threads and use your own logic to determine what really makes sense.

 

[AsclepiusAdvisingLLC]

Hello all,

I just finished my first MD cycle (2024-2025) and am ending with a deferral at Drexel (my only II). I received secondaries from every school I applied to, and was put on interview hold at UCSD, Tulane, Arizona Tucson, and George Washington. I don't know where to start with tackling my reapp. I used my undergrad advisors for this past cycle, but after going over reapplication with another advisor at the school, they pretty much said the previous advisor's guidance was the reason I didn't get in. To be specific, they said my personal statement, not having 3 most meaningfuls (I had 2), and not having letter of recs from all my most meaninfuls was the reason I didn't get more interviews. These were all things I passed through the previous advisor before submitting.

As far as I can tell my interview with Drexel went overwhelming well based on the faculty interviewers feedback at the end of it (something along of the lines of "we would love to have you here").

I am thinking of working with this new advisor, but who can really say whether they know what they are talking about or if they are similar to the last undergrad advisor I used. I have looked into paid services, but I have no way of knowing which aren't scams and my parents want me to use a ghost writer which I refuse to do.

I just don't know who to turn to for: 1. seeing the reasons I didn't get more interviews, and 2. what parts need to be improved and how.

Let me know if more information is needed:
GPA:
cGPA 3.79
sGPA 3.76

MCAT
514 (low cars, high everything else)

Caspar 1st quartile
Preview 5

Letter of recs:
3 from my clinical hours (2 Phycisians and my boss)
2 science teachers (one of which is my lab PI)

My non-clinical boss said they would just write me a general letter so I did not get a letter of rec from them.

(most meaningful 1)Clinical hours- 1800 hours
(most meaningful 2)Non-clinical work w/ underserved- 1100 hours
Volunteer (clinical)- 100 hours
Volunteer (non-clinical)- 40 hours
Volunteer (non-clinical+underserved)- 0 hours
Leadership- 60 hours
Research- 172 hours
Shadowing- 56 hours

Going into next cycle:

Clinical hours- 3,600
Non-clinical work w/ underserved- 1100 hours
Volunteer (clinical)- 100 hours
Volunteer (non-clinical)- 40 hours
Volunteer (non-clinical+underserved)- 100 hours
Leadership- 60 hours
Research- 172 hours
Shadowing- 96 hours

School list:

Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Oakland University School of Medicine
UCI
UMass Chan Medical School
University of Arizona- Phoenix
University of Colorado
Kaiser Permanente School of Medicine
USC
New York Medical College
Thomas Jefferson University
UCLA
UCSD
Drexel University
George Washington School of Medicine
Rosalind Franklin School of Medicine
Temple
Tulane University School of Medicine
UC Davis
University of Arizona- Tucson
University of Vermont
UNLV
UCSF​

Another component to consider was how you approached the secondary application phase of the cycle. Did you submit your secondaries early (within a week of receipt)? Many applicants are exhausted by the time secondaries roll around, and they forget that this is one of the only opportunities to describe specifically why you would choose a SPECIFIC school and why they should choose YOU out of the thousands of applications that they read. This is a key component to receiving interview invitations, because with only around 500 slots for a given application cycle, schools ensure that they only extend offers to candidates that are not only qualified but that have proven to be genuinely interested in that school's program.

Consider taking another look at your secondary application submission timeline and content material. Having the secondaries compliment the AMCAS without repeating everything you initially reported is both an art and a skill. If you were to approach a reapplication for the 2026 cycle, this would be a fantastic place to start.

 

[Faha]

Where is your state of residence ?

 

[MDhopefullymaybepls?]

Where is your state of residence ?

California, with strong ties to NV (family lives there, and I have worked there during a couple past summers)

 

[chilly_md]

Out of the schools you applied to, these were the realistic ones:

Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Oakland University School of Medicine
UCI
University of Colorado
New York Medical College
Thomas Jefferson University
Drexel University
George Washington School of Medicine
Rosalind Franklin School of Medicine
Temple
Tulane University School of Medicine
UC Davis
University of Vermont

No service to those less fortunate further limited you even at these and made the very competitive CA schools like USC, UCLA and UCSF essentially a donation.

 

[Faha]

I suggest these schools if you reapply:
Vermont
Quinnipiac
UMass
Tufts
Albany
New York Medical College
Rochester
Hackensack
Drexel
Temple
Jefferson
Georgetown
George Washington
Virginia Commonwealth
Eastern Virginia
Wake Forest
Methodist (when it opens)
Belmont
NOVA MD
Tulane
Alice Walton
TCU
Creighton
St. Louis
Rosalind Franklin
Medical College Wisconsin
Western Michigan
Oakland Beaumont
Wayne State
Iowa
Illinois
Colorado
Arizona (Phoenix)
Roseman
California University
Kaiser
UC Davis
UC Irvine