MD 4.0 GPA, 516 MCAT REJECTED. Help!

[jackherbold]

My info:

Submitted primary for class of 2028 early June
Schools attended: two CC's from '20-'22, UCI '22-'24
Major: BA psychology, 4 AA's earned
Medical prerequisites: all completed
Overall GPA: 3.98, MCAT: 516, preview exam: 92nd percentile
Work experience: 9 months/500 hours hands on in mental health facility. All mental disorders and addiction clients.
Volunteering: ~2 years/500 hours kids special needs ministry
Shadowing: two MD oncologists, 110 hours
Experiences: traveled the United States with a drum corps (like pro marching band), black belt martial artist, ameteur triathlon, powerlifting
Awards: John Philip Sousa national band award 2020
School list: All the California (IS)MD schools minus a few, plus a mix of private and public OOS. 25 total.
Cycle results: (thus far) 13 rejections, 12 no answer.

I can only assume a few things. Possibly:
1. I have no research EXP
2. my essays sucked
3. they don't like mental health work as opposed to physical health
4. they don't like my major
5. they want more leadership
6. my non-work experiences are irrelevant
7. They don't like that I went to CC and did most my prereqs there
8. My letter writers could've crapped on me
9. Also, in my essay I just reread, I mention I am religious and am honest about my shortcomings in the past. Maybe they read that as "jerk cultist".

Plan: I think reapplying this May would be unwise since all that's changed is I'll have my degree. So I'll have a full two gap years before med school. With that time I could:
1. Get a masters in something I like, maybe biopsychology. That way these years will still open doors outside of medicine (my favorite idea)
2. Seek research experience (perhaps in that masters)
3. Work as an EMT for more medical job exp
4. Volunteering more somewhere
5. Attempting to lead/found something for leadership
6. Some combo of the above (i.e. masters + research + emt ...)
7. Something else


Please tear my app apart and give full honesty! I was devastated at first when the rejections rolled in, but I'm ready to get working again now! Thank you! I am willing to consider DO btw

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[ClashRoyaleKing]

Drop your full school list. This probably was a large factor in your rejections. CA MD schools are incredibly competitive. Depending on which public OOS schools you applied to, you might have even further limited your options for potential IIs. Many medical schools prefer that you take your major prerequisites at a university as opposed to a CC. This could potentially be an issue, however I'll let someone else speak to that.

I also did most of my clinical work (80%) at a psychiatric facility working with mental health and addiction patients and I too have had rotten luck this cycle. So I'm not entirely sure about that as a potential cause. Getting research experience would probably help, but is in no way mandatory unless you plan to shoot for top schools (UCI, UCSF, UCLA, USC probably all expect research). I don't think you need a masters.

Did you apply to any of the following schools? I took off some of the research heavy schools I know although there might be some other heavy research schools below:

Albany
TCU
Wake
Nova
NYMC
Penn State
Hackensack
Quinnipiac
Geisinger
Virginia Commonwealth
NEOMED
Colorado
Belmont (can still apply here)
MCW
Rush (service oriented)
Loyola (service oriented)
University of Illinois (high OOS tuition)
Rosalind Franklin (service oriented)
Temple (service oriented)
Drexel (service oriented)
Hofstra
Vermont
George Washington (service oriented)
Georgetown (service oriented)
Tulane (service oriented)
SLU (service oriented)
Sidney Kimmel


I think the main issue might have been your school list + taking prerequisites outside of UCI. Maybe someone else can provide insight into how that could affect an app.

 

[jackherbold]

Drop your full school list. This probably was a large factor in your rejections. CA MD schools are incredibly competitive. Depending on which public OOS schools you applied to, you might have even further limited your options for potential IIs. Many medical schools prefer that you take your major prerequisites at a university as opposed to a CC. This could potentially be an issue, however I'll let someone else speak to that.

I also did most of my clinical work (80%) at a psychiatric facility working with mental health and addiction patients and I too have had rotten luck this cycle. So I'm not entirely sure about that as a potential cause. Getting research experience would probably help, but is in no way mandatory unless you plan to shoot for top schools (UCI, UCSF, UCLA, USC probably all expect research). I don't think you need a masters.

Did you apply to any of the following schools? I took off some of the research heavy schools I know although there might be some other heavy research schools below:

Albany
TCU
Wake
Nova
NYMC
Penn State
Hackensack
Quinnipiac
Geisinger
Virginia Commonwealth
NEOMED
Colorado
Belmont (can still apply here)
MCW
Rush (service oriented)
Loyola (service oriented)
University of Illinois (high OOS tuition)
Rosalind Franklin (service oriented)
Temple (service oriented)
Drexel (service oriented)
Hofstra
Vermont
George Washington (service oriented)
Georgetown (service oriented)
Tulane (service oriented)
SLU (service oriented)
Sidney Kimmel


I think the main issue might have been your school list + taking prerequisites outside of UCI. Maybe someone else can provide insight into how that could affect an app.

School list:
Albert Einstein
Duke
Dartmouth
Georgetown
Harvard
USC
Loma Linda
Oregon H&S
Penn state
Stanford
UA Tucson
UA Phoenix
UC Davis
UCI
UCLA
UCR
UCSD
UCSF
U of H
Rochester
Virginia Tech
U of Cincinnati
Rutgers (NJ)
U of Ohio

I know a masters isn't necessarily a great idea, I just hate the possibility of working+research for free/minimum wage 2 years, getting rejected again, and having less opportunities outside of medicine. I'd rather do both if anything.

And yeah maybe they hate my CC stuff but there's nothing I can do now. I thought my stats would've been good enough. I think you're on to something about the school list.

Thanks so much for your advice, it's much needed 🙂

 

[ClashRoyaleKing]

School list:
Albert Einstein
Duke
Dartmouth
Georgetown
Harvard
USC
Loma Linda
Oregon H&S
Penn state
Stanford
UA Tucson
UA Phoenix
UC Davis
UCI
UCLA
UCRS
UCSD
UCSF
U of H
Rochester
Virginia Tech
U of Cincinnati
Rutgers (NJ)
U of Ohio

I know a masters isn't necessarily a great idea, I just hate the possibility of working+research for free/minimum wage 2 years, getting rejected again, and having less opportunities outside of medicine. I'd rather do both if anything.

And yeah maybe they hate my CC stuff but there's nothing I can do now. I thought my stats would've been good enough. I think you're on to something about the school list.

Thanks so much for your adv

ice, it's much needed 🙂

Of the schools on this list, you probably had a decent shot at (with your profile):
UCR (if ties to the Inland Empire)
UC Davis (if ties to Northern CA)
Penn
Loma Linda
UA Tucson might give you a shot with your stats
Maybe UCLA
Maybe Georgetown
+ others where I don't know their mission.

A lot of the schools on your list were research heavy. I have seen people get admitted to Harvard, Duke, Stanford, and Rochester with like 100-200 hours of clinical experience and like 3000 hours of research experience and a handful of publications. They value research highly.

If you are able to add research to your profile, you could be competitive at most of the schools on your list. You do have some really interesting experiences on your profile that might catch the eyes of some schools. Your school list is most likely why your cycle has not been successful. I'll let someone else go into some of the specifics about your profile, since they are more qualifies (Mr. Smile/Goro/Faha), but my analysis would be your school list in the context of having no research.

Look at the schools I have listed above and consider adding them to your application for next cycle (if you are not accepted). You could also add Belmont if you wanted to apply there this cycle. Your application would be competitive, even though it is late(ish) in their cycle. Consider adding research to your profile. Increasing clinical exposure in different facets might be beneficial too. Try shadowing another specialty or try a small volunteering commitment that gives you exposure to a different view of clinical medicine (hospice, ER volunteer, other clinic volunteer).

 

[Mr.Smile12]

If you are a California resident, the UC schools love CC students. But they also want more than perfect metrics. There's no way to rip up your application without your actual application. But most of your possible reasons don't seem to explain other than your writing showed no mission fit and/or your references were not up to expectations for someone with a 4.0/52x profile. Actually receiving "deny pre-II" notices from half of your schools suggests your application was completely off-target. If you said you were religious and got ghosted or rejected from LL, something was off.

You don't say what you did in your activities.

 

[jackherbold]

If you are a California resident, the UC schools love CC students. But they also want more than perfect metrics. There's no way to rip up your application without your actual application. But most of your possible reasons don't seem to explain other than your writing showed no mission fit and/or your references were not up to expectations for someone with a 4.0/52x profile. Actually receiving "deny pre-II" notices from half of your schools suggests your application was completely off-target. If you said you were religious and got ghosted or rejected from LL, something was off.

You don't say what you did in your activities.

I just haven't heard anything from loma linda, they havent rejected me yet. And I actually did recieve like 4 or 5 "preinterview holds" but they all closed but one. Maybe that changes something.

I honestly thought 4.0/516 was pretty good. I guess by more than perfect you really mean like 99-100th percentile?

I can drop my app if that helps, I honestly am a bit lost.

 

[HollowJ@1]

I just haven't heard anything from loma linda, they havent rejected me yet. And I actually did recieve like 4 or 5 "preinterview holds" but they all closed but one. Maybe that changes something.

I honestly thought 4.0/516 was pretty good. I guess by more than perfect you really mean like 99-100th percentile?

I can drop my app if that helps, I honestly am a bit lost.

Hey, just an FYI, ur name is on ur pdf. I would suggest redacting all personal information. I will leave the advice to the professionals but thought u should know

 

[jackherbold]

Hey, just an FYI, ur name is on ur pdf. I would suggest redacting all personal information. I will leave the advice to the professionals but thought u should know

Much appreciated. Fixed it. Thanks for looking out for me 🙂

 

[ClashRoyaleKing]

After reading some parts of your app, WOW, you have a lot of hours. Perhaps ADCOMs were concerned that you spent more time doing your hobbies and extracurriculars than by getting direct patient care? 9K hours in these activities is insanely high in comparison with your clinical activities.

Your PS does answer why medicine. However, it also felt like a life story and testimony and there were some negative aspects about yourself that you touched upon that perhaps turned off ADCOM staff. I don't have experience with crafting personal statements (outside my own, but idk if I did it well...), but I think that you should focus more on your reflections about your clinical experience. You can include some aspects of your life story and testimony, if they are relevant to your why medicine, but they shouldn't be the majority of your essay.

I think what Mr. Smile means by having "more than perfect metrics" is that your stats will not carry you to a medical school admission. Your stats are amazing, they are not the reason for you getting rejected. Your writing, mostly your personal statement (I thought your activity descriptions were decent) and your school list are your primary culprits for your cycle.

For this cycle, I would definitely apply to Belmont (I think its deadline is this upcoming week!). Loma Linda has been awful quiet this cycle so perhaps they will come through too given your mission alignment with theirs.

 

[jackherbold]

After reading some parts of your app, WOW, you have a lot of hours. Perhaps ADCOMs were concerned that you spent more time doing your hobbies and extracurriculars than by getting direct patient care? 9K hours in these activities is insanely high in comparison with your clinical activities.

Your PS does answer why medicine. However, it also felt like a life story and testimony and there were some negative aspects about yourself that you touched upon that perhaps turned off ADCOM staff. I don't have experience with crafting personal statements (outside my own, but idk if I did it well...), but I think that you should focus more on your reflections about your clinical experience. You can include some aspects of your life story and testimony, if they are relevant to your why medicine, but they shouldn't be the majority of your essay.

I think what Mr. Smile means by having "more than perfect metrics" is that your stats will not carry you to a medical school admission. Your stats are amazing, they are not the reason for you getting rejected. Your writing, mostly your personal statement (I thought your activity descriptions were decent) and your school list are your primary culprits for your cycle.

For this cycle, I would definitely apply to Belmont (I think its deadline is this upcoming week!). Loma Linda has been awful quiet this cycle so perhaps they will come through too given your mission alignment with theirs.

These are great tips! PS, school list, Maybe insuffient medical activities. Thanks for the insight!

 

[Faha]

Few of the OOS schools on your list were realistic for various reasons. I suggest these OOS schools when you reapply:
TCU
Creighton
St. Louis
Rosalind Franklin
Medical College Wisconsin
Western Michigan
Oakland Beaumont
Wayne State
Belmont
NOVA MD
Wake forest
Virginia Commonwealth
Eastern Virginia
George Washington
Drexel
Temple
Jefferson
Penn State
Hackensack
Hofstra
New York Medical College
Albany
Vermont
Quinnipiac
Any new schools that open for 2025 (Alice Walton, Roseman, etc,)
For DO schools I suggest these:
WESTERN
TUCOM-CA
TUNCOM
AZCOM
KCU-COM
ATSU-KCOM
DMU-COM
NYITCOM
Touro-NY
CUSOM
PCOM

 

[jackherbold]

Few of the OOS schools on your list were realistic for various reasons. I suggest these OOS schools when you reapply:
TCU
Creighton
St. Louis
Rosalind Franklin
Medical College Wisconsin
Western Michigan
Oakland Beaumont
Wayne State
Belmont
NOVA MD
Wake forest
Virginia Commonwealth
Eastern Virginia
George Washington
Drexel
Temple
Jefferson
Penn State
Hackensack
Hofstra
New York Medical College
Albany
Vermont
Quinnipiac
Any new schools that open for 2025 (Alice Walton, Roseman, etc,)
For DO schools I suggest these:
WESTERN
TUCOM-CA
TUNCOM
AZCOM
KCU-COM
ATSU-KCOM
DMU-COM
NYITCOM
Touro-NY
CUSOM
PCOM

Thank you for the reccomendations! I appreciate it! Do you think I should reapply this May or seek more experience first?

 

[Faha]

You could apply in June but accumulate more clinical volunteering hours in a setting besides mental health.

 

[ClashRoyaleKing]

You could apply in June but accumulate more clinical volunteering hours in a setting besides mental health.

My profile is also similar. Lots of mental health work but maybe a bit more clinical than OPs. Do you think mental health work is less appealing to ADCOMs? I supplemented with emergency department volunteering (200 hours).

 

[Faha]

My profile is also similar. Lots of mental health work but maybe a bit more clinical than OPs. Do you think mental health work is less appealing to ADCOMs? I supplemented with emergency department volunteering (200 hours).

Nothing wrong with mental health work but diversity in clinical experiences is helpful and you have 200 hours in the ER.

 

[Mr.Smile12]

Do you think mental health work is less appealing to ADCOMs?

I agree a variety of clinical environments is ideal and will resemble what students do when clerking. If you want to do mental health as a career, do clinical psychology.