3.60 GPA 519 MCAT School List Help

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Walter Raleigh

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Stats:
3.60 cGPA and sGPA: 3.8/3.47/3.47/3.8 (would have been 3.63, but I got a couple Bs in some dual-enrollment college courses I took in high school)
519 MCAT - June 2017

White male
800 hours ambulance corps
800 hours of research with 3 poster presentations
300 hours Habitat for Humanity
450 hours as private MCAT tutor
200 hours developing, building, and testing a device to provide clean water to individuals in developing countries
120 hours volunteering in ER
80 hours shadowing, including primary care
1700 hours as triathlete

School list:
Harvard (because why not; Hail Mary)
Stanford
Columbia (got an interview here)
UCSF
Michigan
NYU (another Hail Mary)
Pitt
Albert Einstein
Ohio State
Rochester
Dartmouth
Iowa
Wisconsin
Vermont
Western Michigan
University of Vermont
Quinnipiac
Rush (do I have the service hours? I think so.)
USF Morsani
Miami
Keck
SUNY Upstate
SUNY Downstate
SUNY Buffalo
SUNY Stony Brook

DO Schools: NYITCOM, UNECOM, LECOM, PCOM, WesternU/COMP Northwest, PNWUCOM, Touro-CA.


@Goro @LizzyM: any thoughts on the list?
 
Walter Raleigh said:
Stats:
3.60 cGPA and sGPA: 3.8/3.47/3.47/3.8 (would have been 3.63, but I got a couple Bs in some dual-enrollment college courses I took in high school)
519 MCAT - June 2017

White male
800 hours ambulance corps
800 hours of research with 3 poster presentations
300 hours Habitat for Humanity
450 hours as private MCAT tutor
200 hours developing, building, and testing a device to provide clean water to individuals in developing countries
120 hours volunteering in ER
80 hours shadowing, including primary care
1700 hours as triathlete

School list:
Harvard (because why not; Hail Mary)
Stanford
Columbia (got an interview here)
UCSF
Michigan
NYU (another Hail Mary)
Pitt
Albert Einstein
Ohio State
Rochester
Dartmouth
Iowa
Wisconsin
Vermont
Western Michigan
University of Vermont
Quinnipiac
Rush (do I have the service hours? I think so.)
USF Morsani
Miami
Keck
SUNY Upstate
SUNY Downstate
SUNY Buffalo
SUNY Stony Brook

DO Schools: NYITCOM, UNECOM, LECOM, PCOM, WesternU/COMP Northwest, PNWUCOM, Touro-CA.


@Goro @LizzyM: any thoughts on the list?
Click to expand...
Delete Harvard, Ohio State, Wisconsin, Iowa, NYU, UCSF

Add Rochester, New York Medical College, Albany, Sinai, and a few DO schools.
 
@Goro: are the seven DO schools I have on my list (NYITCOM, UNECOM, LECOM, PCOM, WesternU/COMP Northwest, PNWUCOM, and Touro-CA) not enough? Also, I understand that Harvard, NYU, and UCSF are reaches and might well be donations with my GPAs, but what is the rationale for deleting Ohio State, Wisconsin, and Iowa?
 
OSU is pretty notorious for their OOS applicants being quite strong with their lower GPAs usually being people with upward trends or people with significant connections to the state. Their 25th percentile is effectively a 3.7/3.8 in light of this.

I wouldn't think they'd be friendly to OP here just because they have their pick of other OOS applicants to consider.
 
Thanks for the advice. Do I need more than seven DO schools on my list? Also, @Goro, what was your rationale for busting out the rock star list last year?
 
Last edited:
Walter Raleigh said:
Stats:
3.60 cGPA and sGPA: 3.8/3.47/3.47/3.8 (would have been 3.63, but I got a couple Bs in some dual-enrollment college courses I took in high school)
519 MCAT - June 2017

White male
800 hours ambulance corps
800 hours of research with 3 poster presentations
300 hours Habitat for Humanity
450 hours as private MCAT tutor
200 hours developing, building, and testing a device to provide clean water to individuals in developing countries
120 hours volunteering in ER
80 hours shadowing, including primary care
1700 hours as triathlete

School list:
Harvard (because why not; Hail Mary)
Stanford
Columbia (got an interview here)
UCSF
Michigan
NYU (another Hail Mary)
Pitt
Albert Einstein
Ohio State
Rochester
Dartmouth
Iowa
Wisconsin
Vermont
Western Michigan
University of Vermont
Quinnipiac
Rush (do I have the service hours? I think so.)
USF Morsani
Miami
Keck
SUNY Upstate
SUNY Downstate
SUNY Buffalo
SUNY Stony Brook

DO Schools: NYITCOM, UNECOM, LECOM, PCOM, WesternU/COMP Northwest, PNWUCOM, Touro-CA.


@Goro @LizzyM: any thoughts on the list?
Click to expand...

OP, what is your rationale for leaving out schools like Emory, Case Western, Tufts, Boston U?
 
Walter Raleigh said:
Thanks for the advice. Do I need more than seven DO schools on my list? Also, @Goro, what was your rationale for busting out the rock star list last year?
Click to expand...

I think as I mentioned in you identical thread earlier, your MCAT is excellent. I'm not taking anything away from that. But certainly not high enough to "carry" your GPA, which is very low for most of the "rockstar schools" you're referring to.

In addition, based on your success rate last year, barring large changes to your PS/secondaries/activities, your EC's weren't compelling enough to land you interviews at these schools. Unless something is drastically different this time around, it's hard to expect drastically different results.

And I'm just talking about RECEIVING T20 interviews, let alone actually getting accepted.

Like I said before, if you truly have your heart set on T20, I would strongly consider a postbac and trying to get published/developing a more substantial hook.

Otherwise, you have a good shot at plenty of mid tiers, which absolutely will still get you where you ultimately want to go. I would add all the mid tier schools from WARS to your list.

You're doing yourself a massive disservice if you don't apply to all of them.
 
Goro said:
I honestly thought that you would do better. Perhaps I was over-optimistic
Click to expand...
Then again, my list was a little small - only 16 schools, and I got an interview at Columbia.

@blurb_123: What do you think my chances at top-20 schools would be with a few thousand hours of research on water filtration systems for developing countries in Africa, a poster or two (maybe a publication if I'm lucky), 30 credits of 4.0 postbacc, and a new MCAT that's around 523?
 
Walter Raleigh said:
Then again, my list was a little small - only 16 schools, and I got an interview at Columbia.

@blurb_123: What do you think my chances at top-20 schools would be with a few thousand hours of research on water filtration systems for developing countries in Africa, a poster or two (maybe a publication if I'm lucky), 30 credits of 4.0 postbacc, and a new MCAT that's around 523?
Click to expand...

No. Do not retake the MCAT. Don't waste your money on a postbacc. Apply smarter this cycle and you're likely to get into a nice medical school. You need to rid yourself of this "Top 20" or bust mentality. It may have been part of why you weren't successful in your interviews the last cycle.
 
@blurb_123: What do you think my chances at top-20 schools would be with a few thousand hours of research on water filtration systems for developing countries in Africa, a poster or two (maybe a publication if I'm lucky), 30 credits of 4.0 postbacc, and a new MCAT that's around 523?
Click to expand...

Why do you want a top 20 so bad? Long term, you can get the same result attending a solid mid-tier MD program. Imo just focus on realistically getting into an MD as soon as you can, the rest will be more about your individual performance.
 
I've been talking to nonprofits and university labs about water filter testing and research; I could conceivably get a job researching this water filter and take classes part-time at the university for a few years, then apply after three years or so of research. Y'all are saying, however, that even if I was successful, the gain generated by attending a school like Columbia or Duke wouldn't be worth the lost three years of physician salary, compared to a school like Tufts or Hofstra. Even if I wanted to become a neurosurgeon.
 
Goro said:
I honestly thought that you would do better.
Click to expand...

He got four interviews. He did fine up until the interviews.


Walter Raleigh said:
I've been talking to nonprofits and university labs about water filter testing and research; I could conceivably get a job researching this water filter and take classes part-time at the university for a few years, then apply after three years or so of research. Y'all are saying, however, that even if I was successful, the gain generated by attending a school like Columbia or Duke wouldn't be worth the lost three years of physician salary, compared to a school like Tufts or Hofstra. Even if I wanted to become a neurosurgeon.
Click to expand...

The "gain" would be practically non-existent. And you still wouldn't be guaranteed a spot at one of those schools.
 
Walter Raleigh said:
I've been talking to nonprofits and university labs about water filter testing and research; I could conceivably get a job researching this water filter and take classes part-time at the university for a few years, then apply after three years or so of research. Y'all are saying, however, that even if I was successful, the gain generated by attending a school like Columbia or Duke wouldn't be worth the lost three years of physician salary, compared to a school like Tufts or Hofstra. Even if I wanted to become a neurosurgeon.
Click to expand...


You can match very well into neurosurgery from a Tufts/Hofstra type school. Maybe not MGH, but still well. For example, I’ll be attending a school ranked around 50 and they just had NS matches at USC and Case Western this past year.

That being said, if you’re set on neurosurgery I would not get a DO. Statistics back this up.
 
Yeah, I've been hearing a lot of things about prestige and its value career-wise, from "it has about as much intrinsic worth as toilet paper" to "it would change your life immensely" and everything in between. As I sit, though, you say I'm competitive for everything short of the top 20 and have a puncher's chance at schools like Columbia. I got a Columbia interview last time around, and my app is a little stronger this time around.

Thanks for all the advice y'all have given me. Regarding an MCAT retake: I understand the risks of doing poorly. However, if I got a 522 or better, would it help me at all?
 
Walter Raleigh said:
Yeah, I've been hearing a lot of things about prestige and its value career-wise, from "it has about as much intrinsic worth as toilet paper" to "it would change your life immensely" and everything in between. As I sit, though, you say I'm competitive for everything short of the top 20 and have a puncher's chance at schools like Columbia. I got a Columbia interview last time around, and my app is a little stronger this time around.

Thanks for all the advice y'all have given me. Regarding an MCAT retake: I understand the risks of doing poorly. However, if I got a 522 or better, would it help me at all?
Click to expand...

Your 519 is not the reason you didn’t get in. Not even WashU splits hairs that much
 
Walter Raleigh said:
Then again, my list was a little small - only 16 schools, and I got an interview at Columbia.

@blurb_123: What do you think my chances at top-20 schools would be with a few thousand hours of research on water filtration systems for developing countries in Africa, a poster or two (maybe a publication if I'm lucky), 30 credits of 4.0 postbacc, and a new MCAT that's around 523?
Click to expand...
Chances should be good at Duke, Vanderbilt, Columbia, UCSF, case, Mayo, Pitt, Emory, Hofstra, Keck, Maybe
 
Yeah - I'd then have a 3.68 to 3.7, thousands of hours of research, maybe a pub, and a couple hundred more hours of clinical and nonclinical volunteering. And a killer MCAT. Thanks for the advice.
 
Walter Raleigh said:
Yeah - I'd then have a 3.68 to 3.7, thousands of hours of research, maybe a pub, and a couple hundred more hours of clinical and nonclinical volunteering. And a killer MCAT. Thanks for the advice.
Click to expand...
What if your app isn't the problem? You got multiple II's, one at a top 20. Imagine you spend an extra few years of your life, thousands of dollars, and retake the MCAT and get higher only to get the same result because of your interview performance. Sounds like it would be better to just be okay with going to mid tiers. Work on your interview performance, and reapply this year.
 
OP, it sounds like you're obsessed with the dream of going to a top tier school. Do you want to be a doctor? To me, it sounds like you don't want to be a doctor. You want to be a doctor from Harvard or from Stanford. This would be fine if you had put in the effort earlier in your life to be competitive for those schools. As it is, your current state of things makes it fairly unlikely for this to happen without extreme work that is only worth it if your goal is to go to Harvard, Stanford, or one of those tiers rather than actually becoming a doctor.

You need to be realistic and think about what you really want. Do you want to be a doctor? Or do you want to go to a prestigious school with a prestigious degree?
 
Walter Raleigh said:
Then again, my list was a little small - only 16 schools, and I got an interview at Columbia.

@blurb_123: What do you think my chances at top-20 schools would be with a few thousand hours of research on water filtration systems for developing countries in Africa, a poster or two (maybe a publication if I'm lucky), 30 credits of 4.0 postbacc, and a new MCAT that's around 523?
Click to expand...
Walter Raleigh said:
I've been talking to nonprofits and university labs about water filter testing and research; I could conceivably get a job researching this water filter and take classes part-time at the university for a few years, then apply after three years or so of research. Y'all are saying, however, that even if I was successful, the gain generated by attending a school like Columbia or Duke wouldn't be worth the lost three years of physician salary, compared to a school like Tufts or Hofstra. Even if I wanted to become a neurosurgeon.
Click to expand...
Walter Raleigh said:
Yeah, I've been hearing a lot of things about prestige and its value career-wise, from "it has about as much intrinsic worth as toilet paper" to "it would change your life immensely" and everything in between. As I sit, though, you say I'm competitive for everything short of the top 20 and have a puncher's chance at schools like Columbia. I got a Columbia interview last time around, and my app is a little stronger this time around.

Thanks for all the advice y'all have given me. Regarding an MCAT retake: I understand the risks of doing poorly. However, if I got a 522 or better, would it help me at all?
Click to expand...


Walter, like I said, I can only talk from my experience being around T3 medical students at an academic hospital I scribe at currently.

They are wonderful. And I have no doubt they have access to a beautiful, well thought out curriculum. However, I don't think the prestige makes some of them special. They are special people because they are happy, driven, and motivated.

Many of the residents I work with on a daily basis matched into clearly an elite program at an elite school, but did not attend a T20-30 medical school.

I have no doubt that school prestige matters some. However, your app as it stands is already good enough for the mid tier range, which is hardly a large drop off. Schools like USC, Hofstra, Boston, etc. or the "mid tiers" have all matched into the school I scribe at. I highly doubt it'll hinder you in your quest, as their match lists are excellent.

The term "mid tier" itself is very subjective. They are all excellent schools from everything I know about them. I don't know where real prestige cutoffs lie. Not many people likely do. Considering how much money many of these med schools have to lavish on their small student classes, I doubt there's a massive massive gap between what you consider a top 20 and "everything else".

Just for perspective about "prestige":

What you have to consider about prestige is unlike college, most med schools have class sizes of 50-200, which are miniscule. That means automatically, you're in such high regard for even being accepted, that you can compare it to "ivy prestige" in terms of accomplishment, if not far greater.

The top 30 med schools probably have a total class size of ~4500. To put that in perspective, that's less than the number of undergraduates who attended JUST Harvard and Stanford.

A lot of those "mid tiers' that we're telling you to apply to are unbelievably good institutions, where esteemed faculty will literally invest in you as a person and mentor/teach you for 4 years of your life. No matter how prestigious your college, there's no way anyone ever got that kind of treatment in undergrad.

And rankings are somewhat subjective too.

So if you really want to spend 3 more years of your life to improve your app to what you perceive to be "top 20 level", so be it. It may work. It may not.

But I'd advise that you instead take that drive and enthusiasm to get in now and absolutely crush M1/M2.

Why retake the MCAT, when you can get into a good school and then demolish the STEP with your work ethic. Wouldn't you rather do that? That certainly will be a much greater future help to where you match.

Some of the most prestigious academic clinicians I've ever met went to "so-so" med schools by SDN standards. I'm not saying it's an end all be all and that school rank doesn't matter. But it certainly won't define you or your career.
 
I don't think we should crap all over OP. I do think his efforts are a bit misguided, but I think all of us at some point in our lives have considered/valued prestige to some extent as part of the "rat race" we all belong to.

Sometimes it's better to gently point someone in the right direction.
 
blurb_123 said:
I don't think we should crap all over OP. I do think his efforts are a bit misguided, but I think all of us at some point in our lives have considered/valued prestige to some extent as part of the "rat race" we all belong to.

Sometimes it's better to gently point someone in the right direction.
Click to expand...

That’s a fair point. I know I for one was momentarily devastated when I got WL from my “dream” T20 this year, so I understand the allure some schools carry.

I didn’t mean to grill OP, I’ve just seen several posts with this same mentality and am trying to get him to understand what is in my mind the ideal path forward in this situation.
 
premedalt said:
What if your app isn't the problem? You got multiple II's, one at a top 20. Imagine you spend an extra few years of your life, thousands of dollars, and retake the MCAT and get higher only to get the same result because of your interview performance. Sounds like it would be better to just be okay with going to mid tiers. Work on your interview performance, and reapply this year.
Click to expand...
That would be ironic and somewhat messed-up: three years and tens of thousands of dollars later, I reapply with 30 credits of 4.0, a few posters, maybe a publication or two, a 524 MCAT...and get shut out once more.
 
blurb_123 said:
Walter, like I said, I can only talk from my experience being around T3 medical students at an academic hospital I scribe at currently.

They are wonderful. And I have no doubt they have access to a beautiful, well thought out curriculum. However, I don't think the prestige makes some of them special. They are special people because they are happy, driven, and motivated.

Many of the residents I work with on a daily basis matched into clearly an elite program at an elite school, but did not attend a T20-30 medical school.

I have no doubt that school prestige matters some. However, your app as it stands is already good enough for the mid tier range, which is hardly a large drop off. Schools like USC, Hofstra, Boston, etc. or the "mid tiers" have all matched into the school I scribe at. I highly doubt it'll hinder you in your quest, as their match lists are excellent.

The term "mid tier" itself is very subjective. They are all excellent schools from everything I know about them. I don't know where real prestige cutoffs lie. Not many people likely do. Considering how much money many of these med schools have to lavish on their small student classes, I doubt there's a massive massive gap between what you consider a top 20 and "everything else".

Just for perspective about "prestige":

What you have to consider about prestige is unlike college, most med schools have class sizes of 50-200, which are miniscule. That means automatically, you're in such high regard for even being accepted, that you can compare it to "ivy prestige" in terms of accomplishment, if not far greater.

The top 30 med schools probably have a total class size of ~4500. To put that in perspective, that's less than the number of undergraduates who attended JUST Harvard and Stanford.

A lot of those "mid tiers' that we're telling you to apply to are unbelievably good institutions, where esteemed faculty will literally invest in you as a person and mentor/teach you for 4 years of your life. No matter how prestigious your college, there's no way anyone ever got that kind of treatment in undergrad.

And rankings are somewhat subjective too.

So if you really want to spend 3 more years of your life to improve your app to what you perceive to be "top 20 level", so be it. It may work. It may not.

But I'd advise that you instead take that drive and enthusiasm to get in now and absolutely crush M1/M2.

Why retake the MCAT, when you can get into a good school and then demolish the STEP with your work ethic. Wouldn't you rather do that? That certainly will be a much greater future help to where you match.

Some of the most prestigious academic clinicians I've ever met went to "so-so" med schools by SDN standards. I'm not saying it's an end all be all and that school rank doesn't matter. But it certainly won't define you or your career.
Click to expand...

Is this a "The expected value of spending 3 years improving your app for top-20 schools isn't worth the lost opportunity cost" kind of thing, or is it more "Even if you do get into a top-20 school, those three years wouldn't be worth it?"

The first is like a game of chance where you pay $3 to flip a coin. Heads, you win $4, tails, you get nothing.
The second is like a game of chance where you pay $3 to flip a coin. Heads, you get $2.50; tails gets you $1.
 
Walter Raleigh said:
Is this a "The expected value of spending 3 years improving your app for top-20 schools isn't worth the lost opportunity cost" kind of thing, or is it more "Even if you do get into a top-20 school, those three years wouldn't be worth it?"
Click to expand...

Both are true.
 
You got an interview at a top 10 school. I don't know how many more times or in how many more ways I need to say this. You are doing yourself a disservice if you try to spend more time and money to improve your app. Improve your school list and your interviewing skills and you will be a medical student.
 
neuro312 said:
Well that’s how the game works. There simply is no GPA / MCAT / extracurricular that guarantees admission to a top school
Click to expand...
True, barring insane things that have never happened in the entire history of medical school applications - and then one can only say that chances are extremely high, not perfect. However, being rejected from every school I applied to - including state schools - would be another ballgame from not getting into a top school!

Any idea on how to improve interviewing skills?
 
EmbryonalCarcinoma said:
Both are true.
Click to expand...
I was a math major. The second being true means that the first must be true; you are stating that even in the victory condition those three years spent improving the application aren't worth it. This is different from "It is worth it if you are successful, although your odds of success do not justify the expenditure of time and effort."
 
Walter Raleigh said:
Is this a "The expected value of spending 3 years improving your app for top-20 schools isn't worth the lost opportunity cost" kind of thing, or is it more "Even if you do get into a top-20 school, those three years wouldn't be worth it?"

The first is like a game of chance where you pay $3 to flip a coin. Heads, you win $4, tails, you get nothing.
The second is like a game of chance where you pay $3 to flip a coin. Heads, you get $2.50; tails gets you $1.
Click to expand...

It won’t be worth it. Considering where you’re capable of getting in, even if you don’t get into t20 this cycle, I’m sure you’ll get into a killer, still very prestigious money rich school. Like I said in my prior post, a lot of these institutions are elite on the relative scale because of their cash/class sizes.
 
New school list:
Stanford
Columbia
UCSF
Michigan
NYU
Pitt
Albert Einstein
Rochester
Dartmouth
Sinai
Albany
NYMC
Western Michigan
University of Vermont
Quinnipiac
Rush
USF Morsani
Miami
Keck
SUNY Upstate
SUNY Downstate
SUNY Buffalo
SUNY Stony Brook
 
Walter Raleigh said:
New school list:
Stanford
Columbia
UCSF
Michigan
NYU
Pitt
Albert Einstein
Rochester
Dartmouth
Sinai
Albany
NYMC
Western Michigan
University of Vermont
Quinnipiac
Rush
USF Morsani
Miami
Keck
SUNY Upstate
SUNY Downstate
SUNY Buffalo
SUNY Stony Brook
Click to expand...

Remove UCSF, NYU
Add Jefferson, Hofstra, Boston, Tufts, Duke, Emory
 
Walter Raleigh said:
True, barring insane things that have never happened in the entire history of medical school applications - and then one can only say that chances are extremely high, not perfect. However, being rejected from every school I applied to - including state schools - would be another ballgame from not getting into a top school!

Any idea on how to improve interviewing skills?
Click to expand...


I can’t say much because I don’t know who you are and how you interact with others, but I can say this much:

you clearly know your stuff about what it takes to get into medical school, and your GPA + MCAT indicate you understand the science of medicine quite well. Factoring in your ECs, you are clearly a strong candidate and honestly have more hours than most admitted students (excluding top schools) in every category. In my limited opinion, with your resume I think you should have gotten into a mid-tier MD this past cycle.

That being said, there’s two things that may be going against you: medicine isn’t pure science and admissions aren’t always objective. As for the first, I’d suggest trying to make your interactions with others a little more conversational and friendly. Not to the point of informality, but enough to make sure the interviewer is left with the impression that you are someone who also enjoys and effectively engages with life outside of medicine. As for the second factor, not much you can do but keep giving it your best shot.
 
Walter Raleigh said:
That would be ironic and somewhat messed-up: three years and tens of thousands of dollars later, I reapply with 30 credits of 4.0, a few posters, maybe a publication or two, a 524 MCAT...and get shut out once more.
Click to expand...
Walter Raleigh said:
True, barring insane things that have never happened in the entire history of medical school applications - and then one can only say that chances are extremely high, not perfect. However, being rejected from every school I applied to - including state schools - would be another ballgame from not getting into a top school!
Any idea on how to improve interviewing skills?
Click to expand...
As a reapplicant, you need some DO schools on the list. Tey PCOM, NYITCOM and UNECOM.

Practice makes perfect for interviewing. If you know anyone who work in an HR context, show them the Interview Feedback pages of SDN and have them give you mock interviews. Ditto for acquaintances.
 
Goro: would you advise DO schools if I am hell-bent on neurosurgery and would rather not be a doctor at all than essentially have no chance at a specialty like neurosurgery? Also, why do reapplicants need DO schools on their lists?
 
Walter Raleigh said:
Goro: would you advise DO schools if I am hell-bent on neurosurgery and would rather not be a doctor at all than essentially have no chance at a specialty like neurosurgery? Also, why do reapplicants need DO schools on their lists?
Click to expand...
Ew.

I personally think that it's your lack of interpersonal skills that is holding you back. You got four interviews and did not get in anywhere. Your ECs are fine and your stats are great. However, from your advice to people to improve their applications by joining the Peace Corps or becoming a Nuclear Submarine Officer(??) I feel as though you may come across in person as someone who lacks interpersonal skills and a sense of pragmatism. I'm a Peace Corps Volunteer. You think it's a good idea to advise people to live in a potentially super stressful environment that, in many people, creates or exacerbates mental health issues just to join medical school? You try to seem like an expert when you're not.

I don't know you and I don't mean this to sound harsh. However, almost every time I read a post by you, my eyes roll into the back of my head and don't come back for quite a while. I would advise (again as someone who only knows you through what you write) that you seek out opportunities to develop interpersonal skills and a better understanding of what you are saying within the context of who your audience is and understand that you don't know everything.
 
What kinds of things might help me get better interpersonal skills?
 
Walter Raleigh said:
Goro: would you advise DO schools if I am hell-bent on neurosurgery and would rather not be a doctor at all than essentially have no chance at a specialty like neurosurgery? Also, why do reapplicants need DO schools on their lists?
Click to expand...
Can't tell if you're trolling or not , but this does explain a lot.

In case you're serious, scratch DO schools. But be warned, the "specialty or bust" mindset gets picked up right away by Adcoms, and so much for being a doctor.

Reapplicants need to have DO on their second try because beggars can't be choosy.
 
Anything that involves you working with other people who are different than you. Maybe take your own advice and join the Peace Corps (mostly joking).

Realistically though, I think that perhaps you should take some time to self-reflect on how you feel you come across in person. Talk to people who know you - these conversations may be uncomfortable but they are valuable. Approach a professor or a friend and be like "Hey, do you ever feel like I display x,y,z traits" Ask for examples.

Open offer - I would be happy to talk to you via voice call and see if I can't perhaps give more insight. I am no expert, but I am a fairly effective communicator and have a lot of experience working with those different than myself.

PM me if interested.
 
Goro said:
Can't tell if you're trolling or not , but this does explain a lot.

In case you're serious, scratch DO schools. But be warned, the "specialty or bust" mindset gets picked up right away by Adcoms, and so much for being a doctor.

Reapplicants need to have DO on their second try because beggars can't be choosy.
Click to expand...
Do you think that Americorps would help me improve my interpersonal skills?
 
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