3.75 cGPA 3.7sGPA 33 MCAT Reapplicant. Chances?

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e2cp1

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I am a reapplying applicant, and I wanted to know what you guys think about my chances of getting into a MD program.

Here's a little back story:
I applied during the end of my junior year (hoping to go straight into medical school). The first time I applied I had a 31 mcat score and a 3.70 gpa and a 3.60 sgpa. I received absolutely no interviews....I should have applied to more safeties the first time. Since then I've retaken the mcat and increased my gpa.

I'm hoping to apply in 2015, so I will be taking two years off.

Any feedback on school list/how to make my app stronger would be much appreciated!

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I am a reapplying applicant, and I wanted to know what you guys think about my chances of getting into a MD program.

Here's a little back story:
I applied during the end of my junior year (hoping to go straight into medical school). The first time I applied I had a 31 mcat score and a 3.71 gpa and a 3.66 sgpa. I received absolutely no interviews....I should have applied to more safeties the first time. Since then I've retaken the mcat and increased my gpa.

I'm hoping to apply in 2015, so I will be taking two years off. Right now I have a few options for my gap years. I am applying to USC's masters in global medicine. I am applying to work with a physician being kind of a secretary. I am also applying to a job in boston helping write school curriculums and textbooks for schools in Africa. I am already working on a project with the gates foundation trying to translate pub med databases for Gates foundation.

In Terms of EC's here is what I have done (very brief and not detailed):

-California Resident
-Went to a UC school
-president of a sport: national champion and other awards
-2 years wet lab research
- shadowing experience
-Coordinator for a student resesarch group and volunteering in a hospital for 2 years
-working on collecting data for a phyisician's research project
-Traveled to Uganda intreviewing farmers for an agircultural textbook
-Global Med Brigades trip to Honduras
-Tutored disadvantaged student

Any feedback on school list/how to make my app stronger would be much appreciated!
You are already a fine candidate for many OOS schools as long as you apply to enough (usually around a dozen) of them with median stats at or below yours. Did you do this last time? Any interviews?
 
That was my mistake last time. I don't think I applied broadly enough to lower/middle tier schools. Some of the schools I applied to were Georgetown, GW, albert einstein, Loyola Stricht, tufts, brown, tulane, and all of my state schools besides Loma Linda. I did not receive any interviews.

Any suggestions on what path I should take in my gap years? I'm debating between the 3 opportunities I have (posted above)
 
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I think all three options sound great. Its just about what you will personally enjoy and believe in. Working with a physician will definitely give you hands on experience in the medical office environment and perhaps a good recommendation letter also. Writing school books/curriculum for students in Africa is very inspiring. Your gpa is good so I dont know about the Masters program.
 
I'm surprised you literally didn't get a single interview. How do you feel your personal statement is?
 
The next time you could add Quinnipiac, Hofstra, New York Medical College, Albany, Drexel, Temple, Jefferson, Commonwealth (PA), Oakland Beaumont, Western Michigan, St. Louis, Creighton, Rosalind Franklin. Your stats could get you an interview at any of those schools. It would be worth reapplying to the schools you applied to before since your MCAT is higher. There may also be some new medical schools opening up for 2016 ( ? Northstate Sacramento, ? King VA, etc.) so check AMCAS every month to see if any new schools have been added. Also apply in June and submit all your secondaries before the end of July.
 
I think all three options sound great. Its just about what you will personally enjoy and believe in. Working with a physician will definitely give you hands on experience in the medical office environment and perhaps a good recommendation letter also. Writing school books/curriculum for students in Africa is very inspiring. Your gpa is good so I dont know about the Masters program.

The reason the masters program is appealing is because i would be taking classes with med students (its an SMP program). I'm hoping that I could also get a letter out of the program, and it would probably make me more competitive at USC specifically.
 
I'm surprised you literally didn't get a single interview. How do you feel your personal statement is?

I was surprised too! I thought it was fine. I've been working on making it better.
 
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The next time you could add Quinnipiac, Hofstra, New York Medical College, Albany, Drexel, Temple, Jefferson, Commonwealth (PA), Oakland Beaumont, Western Michigan, St. Louis, Creighton, Rosalind Franklin. Your stats could get you an interview at any of those schools. It would be worth reapplying to the schools you applied to before since your MCAT is higher. There may also be some new medical schools opening up for 2016 ( ? Northstate Sacramento, ? King VA, etc.) so check AMCAS every month to see if any new schools have been added. Also apply in June and submit all your secondaries before the end of July.

I applied the first day the app opened the last time and finished my secondaries by the end of August, but ya i'm probably going to apply to all those schools you mentioned above.

I'm just scared that I'm going to have the same thing happen the next time!
 
The reason the masters program is appealing is because i would be taking classes with med students (its an SMP program). I'm hoping that I could also get a letter out of the program, and it would probably make me more competitive at USC specifically.

You should really do more research about the global medicine program if you think you will have an advantage going into USC. I recommend talking to any of the students in that program, and they'll tell you USC does not show any more love to those students. TBH, your stats are fine, you don't need a SMP. If I were you, i would dedicate my time and money on other areas of your application.
 
Your biggest problem last year by far was your age. Its very rare to get into medical school with only three years of college, even if you graduated. I was thinking about trying to go three years of undergrad and then straight into medical school and my advisor told me it was pretty rare medical schools ever took anyone with only three years of college. Its mainly a maturity thing. Apply again with your statistics and you have a great chance of getting in.
 
You should really do more research about the global medicine program if you think you will have an advantage going into USC. I recommend talking to any of the students in that program, and they'll tell you USC does not show any more love to those students. TBH, your stats are fine, you don't need a SMP. If I were you, i would dedicate my time and money on other areas of your application.

I talked to someone in the program currently, and he said that they do take it into consideration. I'm also interested in global medicine, but it is a very expensive program....i'm interviewing for jobs now.
 
Your biggest problem last year by far was your age. Its very rare to get into medical school with only three years of college, even if you graduated. I was thinking about trying to go three years of undergrad and then straight into medical school and my advisor told me it was pretty rare medical schools ever took anyone with only three years of college. Its mainly a maturity thing. Apply again with your statistics and you have a great chance of getting in.

I know some people who got straight in, but i do agree that didn't help my application.
 
I know some people who got straight in, but i do agree that didn't help my application.
I misread your original post. I thought you applied at the beginning of your junior year, meaning you would have applied to matriculate into a medical school without a bachelors. Brain fart. Disregard what I said lol!
 
I misread your original post. I thought you applied at the beginning of your junior year, meaning you would have applied to matriculate into a medical school without a bachelors. Brain fart. Disregard what I said lol!

I do think though that they prefer people who have taken time off. The only people I know who got in straight out of college had 35+ 3.7+
 
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