3.7/522 reapplicant advice

[ANz206]

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Hi everyone,

I applied 2020-2021 for the first time, and as it stands right now I am most likely going to be a reapplicant. Here's my info:

State of residence: NJ, but I am living in Boston currently
Undergrad: Fairly highly ranked university in Boston, B.S. in Biochemistry, 3.72 sGPA/ 3.71cGPA, graduated 2020
I'm ORM, female, 2nd gen immigrant, fluent in English and Polish

MCAT: 511 (128/129/128/126) retook in July 2020 with 522 (130/129/131/132)
Research experience: I worked at a MGH/Harvard lab throughout most of undergrad with a focus on Alzheimer's research, 5th author on a paper published in Nature in 2019 that was also feature in the NY Times, when I first applied I had around 2100 hours. Since graduating I've continued working as a research assistant in the same lab so about 2000 more hours now. I've also gotten 2 more co-author pubs, one about Covid.

Clinical experience: When I first applied I had around 300 hours through a combo of shadowing various doctors in different specialties. Most of my hours came from a summer internship where I worked at a pediatrician's office in a low-income area as a volunteer/intern, and since I have an EMT cert I did basic stuff like checking in patients, taking vitals, and writing notes for the doctors. About 100 of my hours came from an internship I did in my parents' home country where I volunteered in a hospital under a neurosurgeon. I did basic volunteer stuff like restock supplies and gloves, but he also let me shadow a lot of procedures and the nurses let me help with cleaning sutures.

I know my clinical experience is really limited, so I have picked up a job as an EMT. I just started about a month ago so I only have about 100 hours, hoping to get 100 more by the time I send in my app. I also have about 50 hours volunteering with Covid vaccine clinics.

Volunteer: I have 500+ hours as a volunteer music instructor for students in inner-city schools in Boston, grades K-8. I taught lessons in recorder, flute and piano. I also was a leader of a program in my college where we did college labs in orgo/chem/physics/bio with girls from local high schools as a way to give them some STEM experience (about 100hours). I got an award in college for this program. I was also vice president of a cultural club in undergrad (160 hours) though I don't know if that counts for much.

LORs: I got a committee letter from my school, letters from 2 professors, and 1 from my PI and a postdoc I worked with frequently. I haven't seen any of them, but I'm hopeful that they were all strong. For next cycle the head of my research institute also offered to write me a letter so hopefully that will help.

Here's my school list (I received secondaries for all of them)
Albany Medical College
Albert Einstein
Boston University School of Medicine
Columbia University
Cooper Medical School of Rowan University
Hofstra
Drexel
Quinnipiac
Georgetown
Harvard
Icahn at Mount Sinai
Jacobs School of Medicine at Buffalo
Temple
New York Medical College
NYU Grossman
NYU Long Island
Rutgers, NJMS
Rutgers, RWJ
NY Upstate
Tufts
UC Davis
University of Illinois
UMass
U of Rochester
U of Washington
Cornell
West Virginia

I submitted my primary in June, was verified early July. I submitted all secondaries within 2 weeks of receiving them and I think I was done mid August.

I had 3 interviews, Albert Einstein, Harvard, and Rutgers NJMS. Einstein and Harvard were both Rs, my interview with NJMS was in January and I still don't have a decision from them. I've sent multiple updates and been in contact with the dean, but since it's so late in the cycle I don't know how much chance I have left.

I had all my essays read over by my premed advisors, but my PI read them over recently and said that they were a little vague and generic, so I will definitely be rewriting those. I also did a lot of mock interviews, and I felt good in the interviews I had. They all seemed very conversational and flowed well, but I've heard that if you have 3+ interviews and don't get an acceptance then it's probably an interview skill issue, so if you guys have tips about that please let me know!

Please give me whatever advice you can! If you think I should take another year instead of applying outright, I'm willing to do that too. I'd also like to apply DO, but I don't have a letter of rec from a DO doctor and I'm not sure if I have enough time to get one. Thanks in advance!

 

[Faha]

The problem was partly with your school list. UC Davis admitted only one non resident last year and U Washington accepts less than 1% of applicants who are not from states in the Northwest. Schools such as Albany, Drexel, New York Medical College will "yield protect" since they assume an applicant with your MCAT of 522 will attend elsewhere. If you need to reapply I suggest all these schools:
Your 3 NJ state public schools
Seton Hall
Hofstra
Einstein
Mount Sinai
NYU
Columbia
Cornell
Rochester
Vermont
Boston University
Tufts
Dartmouth
Yale
Harvard
Jefferson
Pittsburgh
Case Western
Ohio State
Cincinnati
U Michigan
Western Michigan
Washington University
St. Louis
Tulane
Miami
USF Morsani
Duke
Kaiser
U Virginia

 

[ANz206]

The problem was partly with your school list. UC Davis admitted only one non resident last year and U Washington accepts less than 1% of applicants who are not from states in the Northwest. Schools such as Albany, Drexel, New York Medical College will "yield protect" since they assume an applicant with your MCAT of 522 will attend elsewhere. If you need to reapply I suggest all these schools:
Your 3 NJ state public schools
Seton Hall
Hofstra
Einstein
Mount Sinai
NYU
Columbia
Cornell
Rochester
Vermont
Boston University
Tufts
Dartmouth
Yale
Harvard
Jefferson
Pittsburgh
Case Western
Ohio State
Cincinnati
U Michigan
Western Michigan
Washington University
St. Louis
Tulane
Miami
USF Morsani
Duke
Kaiser
U Virginia

Thanks for the advice! I will make sure to add these schools to my list

 

[chzsux]

I honestly feel like your clinical hours weren't holding you back necessarily last cycle. The 100 hours in a foreign country are kinda in a grey zone as to whether or not they're viewed as truly clinical but 200 hours in primary care with an active clinical role is nothing to sniff at, although the fact that it all happened in one summer might not look great. I think where you might be having trouble is whether or not you're properly categorizing and writing about this experience.

When did you actually have the 3 interviews? As far as the interview skills, even with good to great interview skills, a late interview usually means you're interviewing for rejections/WLs.

 

[Goro]

1) work on interview skills
2) get in more clinical hours. Get in > 200. You want to aim high, so you have to be high.
3) As you're a reapplicant, add some DO schools to the list if you get no love by November

 

[ANz206]

@chzsux I think I categorized the summer internship as a volunteering/shadowing experience since I wasn't being paid for it, which I think hurt me. I know usually international experiences aren't viewed that well, but since it was in the country I grew up in I thought that might help. I can leave it off next cycle though if you think that's a good idea? I have more hours from my EMT job to make up for it.

I interviewed with Einstein in October, HMS in early December, and NJMS early January.

@Goro I have a few DO schools I am thinking of applying to that aren't that strict on the physician letter requirement. Is it a big red flag if I don't have a DO letter? I might be able to get a physician letter but it would be from an MD.

 

[Goro]

.

@Goro I have a few DO schools I am thinking of applying to that aren't that strict on the physician letter requirement. Is it a big red flag if I don't have a DO letter? I might be able to get a physician letter but it would be from an MD.

Lacking a do letter will not hurt, having one always helps.