3rd Times the Charm...

[roboticpenguin]

Hey everyone,

So I'm currently a re-applicant who had 4 interviews and am currently sitting on 3 alternate lists and 1 post interview hold. I'm going to start preparing for another cycle but could anyone tell me how I can improve?

MCAT 1: 27 (P:9, V: 9, B: 9)
MCAT 2: 29 (P: 9, V: 10, B: 10)

GPA: 3.6
BCPM GPA: 3.4

Experience:
- 3 years EMT
- 1.5 years free clinic volunteer
- 2 years biochemistry research, with 2nd author publication
- medical mission to South America
- currently working in a lab at a university doing clinical research
- LORs: 1 from my PI, 2 from professors

What's will be different for the next cycle:
- shadowed a cardiologist for a week
- LORs: 1 from my boss (a MD) and 1 from the cardiologist I shadowed


Should I retake the MCAT even though I already took it twice? I'm just not sure what else I could be missing unless I just sucked at all the interviews.

Thanks

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[MedBound1]

I'm just not sure what else I could be missing unless I just sucked at all the interviews.

It's easy to think like this. Your EC's look pretty good, there are no activities that are blatantly 'missing'. You don't really have any activities that an adcom would be like "WOAH" when they read it, but it's all good stuff (especially all the clinical exp, big bonus! ). The problem is the competitiveness of the process. The average GPA of accepted applicants is 3.65 and the average MCAT for accepted apps is 31.2.

Those averages are also deceiving because the people that pull the MCAT averages down by getting in with a 29, 30, etc. usually have 3.8 - 4.0 GPA's to go along with them to boost the other side of the spectrum.

The fact you are on 3 wait lists and a hold means that you seem to be doing fine on your interviews. An SMP program to boost GPA or another shot at the MCAT is probably the most direct route to seeing results although I wouldn't be surprised if you see a wait list acceptance or a lucky acceptance next year without a retake. However, just shadowing a cardiologist isn't a very big application improvement to an app that already had a lot of clinical experience. Explore unique service outlets, learn a new language, found a new organization, etc. something where your passion for medicine will shine through.

 

[roboticpenguin]

Thanks for the advice. I shadowed the cardiologist because my friends were telling me that there was a difference between working with a physician and actually shadowing. They said that while I had a lot of experience working in the field, I wouldn't be able to really know what a physician does without shadowing...I don't know if I agree with that or not, but I did it anyways.

 

[dragonfly99]

The problem is the MCAT and GPA.
Can you do something to improve one of those?

 

[roboticpenguin]

Well I could retake the MCAT in July. I don't really want to go into a masters program or something like that cause I have a pretty nice job going right now...realistically I think I could get a 30-31 would that be able to off set the GPA?

 

[pkwraith]

Have you gotten any feedback on your interviewing skills? Four interviews with no acceptances just screams lack of closing at the interview.

Stats gets you the interview, the interview gets you the seat. With four interviews, you should have over a 90% chance of acceptance somewhere.

 

[roboticpenguin]

Have you gotten any feedback on your interviewing skills? Four interviews with no acceptances just screams lack of closing at the interview.

Yeah that's what I was worried about too.

 

[FrkyBgStok]

what schools did you apply to? did you apply smart or was everything a dream school? you might have been lucky with 4 interviews.

 

[roboticpenguin]

what schools did you apply to? did you apply smart or was everything a dream school? you might have been lucky with 4 interviews.

I didn't take a second semester of organic so that limited my schools. I thought I applied pretty realistically but feel free to disagree. I applied to:
MSU, WSU, GWU, UIC, Loyola, VCU, Vermont, Tulane, Iowa, Medical College of Wisconsin, Arizona.

If I reapply I am going to take another orgo class so I can apply to more schools.

 

[Jamie561]

I didn't take a second semester of organic

Given your GPA this doesn't exactly inspire confidence.

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[roboticpenguin]

Given your GPA this doesn't exactly inspire confidence.

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I know a 3.6 GPA isn't stellar but I think I can handle one course.