A question for former waitlisted students

[mcp5016]

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This question is directed at people who were not accepted off the waitlist on year but accepted within the next few years.

I was waitlisted last year at PCOM and LECOM and was unsuccessful. I wanted to know what you did in your off year to strengthen your apps and ensure acceptance? My weak point is my MCAT, but technically that should not be factored in if I am offered an interview (although I disagree with this thought). So far I have been lucky enough to get an internship with a top oncology practice with multiple shadowing and health related experiences. I have also written a few articles that will be published within the year. I am in a Kaplan course for the MCAT . I have been searching for a research tech/assistant job for months and am unsuccessful, although I do have a good bit of experience (1.5 yrs undergrad micro research). I am running out of ideas to strengthen my app and already LECOM told me they won't look at me until I retake the MCAT in January. That means I am not going to be reviewed until March.

Any ideas?

 

[jkmph]

I guess my question is, why did you/ are you waiting until January to retake your MCAT? Looking at your application it's your obvious weakness as you're par for course on GPA and have great EC's. From where I stand, and not to be a jerk, it looks like you should have signed up to retake last spring when you were double wait-listed and have taken it again this summer...

Also why only apply to 3 schools??? The rule of thumb is cast a WIDE net and 3 is not wide.

 

[mcp5016]

I guess my question is, why did you/ are you waiting until January to retake your MCAT? Looking at your application it's your obvious weakness as you're par for course on GPA and have great EC's. From where I stand, and not to be a jerk, it looks like you should have signed up to retake last spring when you were double wait-listed and have taken it again this summer...

Also why only apply to 3 schools??? The rule of thumb is cast a WIDE net and 3 is not wide.

My answer is really because I wasn't ready to take the MCAT in Spring with all the 400's I was taking and I thought that I would be able to study for the MCAT in the Summer but stuff happens. So I am in the Kaplan course now. I know that some people are all about being able to take 8 courses and still study for the MCAT, but I wasn't.

I have been asked about my decision to only apply to a few schools before and I guess its cause in addition to applying to those three schools, I had 9 other MD schools on the list. They all would not wait for my January MCAT, so I'm down to three. If you have any suggestions on DO schools that don't necessarily rely on the MCAT for me to apply to, I'm open.

Another reason I applied to those schools is because I am engaged and my fiance has an amazing job outside of Philly. If I get accepted somewhere far away, that can be pretty stressful. I guess I do need to open up my options, though.

You weren't being a jerk either, I appreciate your taking the time to hear me out

 

[swamprat]

It sounds like you just spent the last year setting yourself up for failure for round #2... If you are not going to retake the mcat and won't broaden your school list and wait this long to ask about it ... well idk what kinda advice you want. You should have retaken the mcat and applied to more than 3 schools... and the whole fiance thing doesnt mean much. LECOM isn't in philly.

 

[call me x]

My answer is really because I wasn't ready to take the MCAT in Spring with all the 400's I was taking and I thought that I would be able to study for the MCAT in the Summer but stuff happens. So I am in the Kaplan course now. I know that some people are all about being able to take 8 courses and still study for the MCAT, but I wasn't.

I have been asked about my decision to only apply to a few schools before and I guess its cause in addition to applying to those three schools, I had 9 other MD schools on the list. They all would not wait for my January MCAT, so I'm down to three. If you have any suggestions on DO schools that don't necessarily rely on the MCAT for me to apply to, I'm open.

Another reason I applied to those schools is because I am engaged and my fiance has an amazing job outside of Philly. If I get accepted somewhere far away, that can be pretty stressful. I guess I do need to open up my options, though.

You weren't being a jerk either, I appreciate your taking the time to hear me out

would you consider holding off your application for another year? you are still young, and if you are interested in pursuing both md and do schools, specifically in the philly area, by nailing the january mcat you would be in a pretty strong position to apply to a bunch more schools for the next cycle...i know it is hard to wait the extra year when you feel like you're there, but i think your shot would be significantly greater using your january score for the 2010-2011 cycle

 

[mcp5016]

would you consider holding off your application for another year? you are still young, and if you are interested in pursuing both md and do schools, specifically in the philly area, by nailing the january mcat you would be in a pretty strong position to apply to a bunch more schools for the next cycle...i know it is hard to wait the extra year when you feel like you're there, but i think your shot would be significantly greater using your january score for the 2010-2011 cycle

The problem with waiting the extra year is that I would need to take a job outside my bio degree, which I don't really want to do. I have been applying like a madmen to any job on career builder with the work "research" in it, and no luck yet. My feeling is that if the MCAT comes back and I stunk it up, then maybe I should just go on with my masters and see how I feel. I just don't want to get to an interview and have them ask me "what have you done in your year(s) off" and say "nothing."

Doxycycline - my only response is that I am human, just like you so don't judge me please. I am frustrated with myself but I really don't understand how someone who doesn't know me can seem so frustrated. Maybe your situation is different, but my fiance is an important component to my life, so to say that she is irrelevant is uncalled for. As for LECOM not being Philly, she could visit more frequently than say taking the plane ride to Oklahoma or California.

I am trying to gain insight into what options others have pursued, please don't bash me.

 

[swamprat]

The problem with waiting the extra year is that I would need to take a job outside my bio degree, which I don't really want to do. I have been applying like a madmen to any job on career builder with the work "research" in it, and no luck yet. My feeling is that if the MCAT comes back and I stunk it up, then maybe I should just go on with my masters and see how I feel. I just don't want to get to an interview and have them ask me "what have you done in your year(s) off" and say "nothing."

Doxycycline - my only response is that I am human, just like you so don't judge me please. I am frustrated with myself but I really don't understand how someone who doesn't know me can seem so frustrated. Maybe your situation is different, but my fiance is an important component to my life, so to say that she is irrelevant is uncalled for. As for LECOM not being Philly, she could visit more frequently than say taking the plane ride to Oklahoma or California.

I am trying to gain insight into what options others have pursued, please don't bash me.

I'm not and I did not say your fiance was irrelevant. It's just that you know what you need to do there is no reason to ask it. You need to retake the MCAT. And yeah I understand life goes on, but unfortunately medicine is one of those things that needs to take priority if you want to succeed. Sacrifices need to be made, there is no shoe-in at any particular school and beggers cant be choosers. You need to retake the MCAT and apply more broadly. There really is no other advice that makes sense to give other than choose another career which I am sure you don't want.

 

[sassilysweet]

My answer is really because I wasn't ready to take the MCAT in Spring with all the 400's I was taking and I thought that I would be able to study for the MCAT in the Summer but stuff happens. So I am in the Kaplan course now. I know that some people are all about being able to take 8 courses and still study for the MCAT, but I wasn't.

I have been asked about my decision to only apply to a few schools before and I guess its cause in addition to applying to those three schools, I had 9 other MD schools on the list. They all would not wait for my January MCAT, so I'm down to three. If you have any suggestions on DO schools that don't necessarily rely on the MCAT for me to apply to, I'm open.

Another reason I applied to those schools is because I am engaged and my fiance has an amazing job outside of Philly. If I get accepted somewhere far away, that can be pretty stressful. I guess I do need to open up my options, though.

You weren't being a jerk either, I appreciate your taking the time to hear me out

I am unsure why you would even be applying MD with a <25 MCAT unless you are URM, and not really even then....

You could try to find an entry-level job in healthcare. Work there to gain more clinical experience and then take a bunch of science classes post-bac to get your science gpa up at least (I know overall it is hard to raise gpa when you have a degree, but keep with your upward trend). You REALLY need to do well on the MCAT. I would put off applying again until you have around a 27 for DO. Make sure you have strong LORS, too.

I'm not sure anything is really going to help you this cycle...

 

[lawyerdoc2b]

Some straight talk is in order.

I applied last year late in the cycle and relied upon the results of the January MCAT. I was interviewed at PCOM Georgia in March as I recall (could be wrong here) but regardless of when I was interviewed the seats were filled. I didn't get in.

It is safe to say, as a rough rule of thumb that 2/3 of the seats will be filled by 1/3 of the applicants (ealy birds) by the end of December and the remaining 1/3 (or less) of the seats will be filed after the first of the year by the other 2/3 of the applicants who are either late applicants or earlier applicants who were deferred for later consideration.

Relying on the January MCAT is near fatal - though not impossible. Bad for this year - early for next year. While you may have legitimate reasons for not being ready for the Spring or even early Summer MCAT, tens of thousands of medical school applicants needed no excuse - candidly, your excuse rings sort of hollow to say it. The problem is the scores for the January MCAT are not released until early March - too late for most places to consider.

So, as a long shot, if you kill the MCAT in January some school may take notice. If not, you're out of luck until next year. The painful lesson is apply early and have a complete application early. I sucked it up, completed some additional science courses, accumulated more than the minimum number of LORs, kicked my shadowing and volunteer work into overdrive and re-applied on the first day AACOMAS went live for 2010 admission. I was complete in all respects before mid August.

I was accepted last week. So, what do you do if you don't get in. Consider going to a D.O. or an M.S. school with a special masters degree program or one-year certificate program. You stay in the game this way.

Forgive my bluntness. I mean no insult. But you need to hear it straight. If you do get in this year then great! If not, you need to press on with a plan B. Just don't give up. Good luck.

 

[mcp5016]

I'm not and I did not say your fiance was irrelevant. It's just that you know what you need to do there is no reason to ask it. You need to retake the MCAT. And yeah I understand life goes on, but unfortunately medicine is one of those things that needs to take priority if you want to succeed. Sacrifices need to be made, there is no shoe-in at any particular school and beggers cant be choosers. You need to retake the MCAT and apply more broadly. There really is no other advice that makes sense to give other than choose another career which I am sure you don't want.

I don't think that all I need is the MCAT. I did receive those two interviews last year and was waitlisted, so maybe it wasn't the MCAT. I think it was, but they wouldn't tell me. In the meantime, I am stuck in limbo and I was wondering what people did in their time-off that helped them. Obviously, the MCAT is step one, but I still have alot of free time on my hands. I don't want to waste any more opportunities, so I was looking for other ideas. What is a good way to keep busy that will grab a medical schools attention? That is what I wanted to find out. At this point, I just don't think that shadowing will have much more of an effect. Get me?

 

[mcp5016]

Some straight talk is in order.

I applied last year late in the cycle and relied upon the results of the January MCAT. I was interviewed at PCOM Georgia in March as I recall (could be wrong here) but regardless of when I was interviewed the seats were filled. I didn't get in.

It is safe to say, as a rough rule of thumb that 2/3 of the seats will be filled by 1/3 of the applicants (ealy birds) by the end of December and the remaining 1/3 (or less) of the seats will be filed after the first of the year by the other 2/3 of the applicants who are either late applicants or earlier applicants who were deferred for later consideration.

Relying on the January MCAT is near fatal - though not impossible. Bad for this year - early for next year. While you may have legitimate reasons for not being ready for the Spring or even early Summer MCAT, tens of thousands of medical school applicants needed no excuse - candidly, your excuse rings sort of hollow to say it. The problem is the scores for the January MCAT are not released until early March - too late for most places to consider.

So, as a long shot, if you kill the MCAT in January some school may take notice. If not, you're out of luck until next year. The painful lesson is apply early and have a complete application early. I sucked it up, completed some additional science courses, accumulated more than the minimum number of LORs, kicked my shadowing and volunteer work into overdrive and re-applied on the first day AACOMAS went live for 2010 admission. I was complete in all respects before mid August.

I was accepted last week. So, what do you do if you don't get in. Consider going to a D.O. or an M.S. school with a special masters degree program or one-year certificate program. You stay in the game this way.

Forgive my bluntness. I mean no insult. But you need to hear it straight. If you do get in this year then great! If not, you need to press on with a plan B. Just don't give up. Good luck.

Your opening actually made it seem like it would be alot worse. I do agree with you, though. You said you took additional science courses, where at and which courses? I have my B.S. in Bio and took Physio, Anatomy, Biochem, Molecular, Immuno, all those suggested extras, so I don't know what else I could take.

 

[swamprat]

I honestly think if you raised your mcat score and applied more broadly and earlier you'd be in this cycle. That 6 in PS is killing you and your overall score of 22 is also, its too low. Your GPA is about average with most DO schools right now so that is fine and I don't think any type of post-bac or SMP will help you. My advice would be to raise your MCAT score to a 26+. Also continue some volunteer work and continue your research. Maybe try and get a fresh LOR too and apply to more than 3 schools and you should be fine.

 

[JaggerPlate]

This question is directed at people who were not accepted off the waitlist on year but accepted within the next few years.

I was waitlisted last year at PCOM and LECOM and was unsuccessful. I wanted to know what you did in your off year to strengthen your apps and ensure acceptance? My weak point is my MCAT, but technically that should not be factored in if I am offered an interview (although I disagree with this thought). So far I have been lucky enough to get an internship with a top oncology practice with multiple shadowing and health related experiences. I have also written a few articles that will be published within the year. I am in a Kaplan course for the MCAT . I have been searching for a research tech/assistant job for months and am unsuccessful, although I do have a good bit of experience (1.5 yrs undergrad micro research). I am running out of ideas to strengthen my app and already LECOM told me they won't look at me until I retake the MCAT in January. That means I am not going to be reviewed until March.

Any ideas?

MCAT, MCAT, MCAT, MCAT .... your score is too low. I'm not trying to be mean about it or anything, but it's just too low. You need to figure out why you are scoring at this level (deficiency in knowledge, not practicing well, etc) and correct this. Good luck.