Allo re-app, getting more and more nontraditional

[thekrzyasn]

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I identify as Korean, an over-represented minority in medicine and live on Long Island, NY.

Applied in July 2014 for Fall 2015 cycle
-Received BS in Chemistry from SUNY Binghamton in May 2015, 3.42 cum GPA, 3.52 s GPA
-American Chemical Society Analytical Chemistry Undergraduate Award, 2013
-33 (10 Bio/11 Phys/12 Verbal, 92nd percentile) on June 2014 MCAT
-Two medical missions to Honduras, one as Vice President of Global Medical Brigades
-5 Semesters of gen chem lab TAing, 1 semester physics lab TAing
-3 Semesters of inorganic synthesis research
-200+ hours hospital volunteer
-100+ hours shadowing internist, electrophys, and CT surg
-Institutional action: 1 year non-academic disciplinary probation in December 2012 by my college for possession of cannabis. The file has been expunged by the school but I've been continuing to report this during applications. There were no legal implications.
-Received a C+ in biochem
-Two II's, Eastern Virginia and West Virginia, no admissions

Applied July 2017 for Fall 2018
-Completed Master of Public Health in epidemiology from New York University in May 2017, 3.63 GPA
-Two semesters of clinical neurocritical care research, abstract was presented at 15th Neurocritical Care Society Conference in October 2017, manuscript to follow
-Studied abroad winter semester in Israel, attended International Emergency Preparedness conference
-Additional letters of rec by PI, thesis advisor, and epidemiology concentration advisor
-Year of full-time employment as report analyst for clinical peer reviews and independent medical examinations

I should have retaken my MCAT during the gap years, but my pre-med advisor "advised" me not to as he argued my score was competitive enough. As such, I was limited to schools that would accept my 2014 MCAT. I also should have applied to DO schools using this last year of my MCAT, but alas, I am stupid.

So far, I've been rejected from:
Wisconsin, Vanderbilt, Brown, Pittsburgh, Rush, Missouri, Wake Forest

I have yet to hear back from:
Albert Einstein, BU, Harvard, Buffalo, Hopkins, Michigan State, UPenn, Rutgers, St. Louis, Ohio State, Tufts, Iowa, Rochester, Washington U, and Yale

I know my C+ in biochem, the institutional action, and my consistently low GPAs are weighing down my app.

I know that my best chances are to re-take the MCAT, but as I took the old one, I was able to avoid taking Psych, Sociology, Med Anthro, etc in college. I also am getting to the point where I don't know if I can afford another application cycle (which would be at least 2 years out, as I wouldn't want to go back to back), as I am starting to pay back my grad school debt. I'm very determined to go to med school, even more so by the fact that my degrees seem lackluster. Back in 2016, with a BS in chem and almost having a Masters, I was only able to find employment as a minimum wage deli clerk, despite hundreds and hundreds of applications. I only got my current peer review/IME job by chance through my neighbor.

At this point, I'm dreading the prospect of continuing my life as an office monkey, and am considering going foreign. I am absolutely in love with medicine, and am the type of person who consistently remembers points out little med facts, to others chagrin. I have three friends currently at St. George's and one at Ross, and they recommend it, even above DO. I've looked over St. George's match rate, and feel confident that I would definitely be able to prove myself as an excellent gen surg candidate even from a foreign school. So basically, how do you guys think my chances are this application season, and assuming I don't get in, how late in the 2017/2018 application cycle is a good time to apply to a foreign school? Or, if you were me, what would you do in this situation?

 

[s_tian]

To answer your last question, I would definitely take the new MCAT so you'd be able to apply to a broader range of schools (MD & DO) in 2 years. Your small school list is pretty top-heavy & your best bet in general are the NY state schools which mostly require the new MCAT. On a side note, according to this thread apparently Upstate doesn't...

If you're resolute in your studying taking Psych/Soc isn't an absolute must for the MCAT (I didn't think it helped), but be aware it is recommended by many med schools in their academic requirements. I don't have any commentary on Caribbean schools because it's been discussed so often in other threads, but I do think you'll be successful with the new MCAT & taking the next two years to work on ECs. Being a report analyst is pretty cool but you'll also need some recent volunteering that's not abroad. I think that by 2019, applying broadly to MD and DO, you'll have chance. My stats are pretty similar to yours. Good luck!

 

[Blanky]

Take the MCAT and come back.

 

[thekrzyasn]

Should I take some form of psych/soc, anthro, or re-take bchem in the interim? Or is that taking on too much while working full time and additionally trying to find more volunteering opportunities. If yes, should I shell out the money and take graduate level versions of the class at NYU? I know some posts on here say a C+ is fine for bchem, but like I said, I'm only getting more and more nontrad.

 

[DelayedGratification]

I think you should still submit an application to DO schools, you are plenty competitive.

 

[candbgirl]

How did you develop your list for this cycle? It seems that it is very top heavy with your stats. You also need some current ECs. I’m not sure what the issue is with your app but you probably need to not reapply next cycle and figure out where your gaps are. Good luck!

 

[thekrzyasn]

I think you should still submit an application to DO schools, you are plenty competitive.

Yea, I think I am going to sort through the DO schools tomorrow to see if any will take my old MCAT.

How did you develop your list for this cycle? It seems that it is very top heavy with your stats. You also need some current ECs. I’m not sure what the issue is with your app but you probably need to not reapply next cycle and figure out where your gaps are. Good luck!

The schools I applied to are the literal only schools that will accept my June 2014 MCAT. I had never retaken the new one as my pre-med advisor advised me that I was plenty competitive. After my first rejection I went for an MPH and considered dropping med altogether, which only furthered my hesitance to take the new one. As far as ECs now, how much do they expect from nontrads? I'm currently working full-time as well as interning in a neurocritical care lab around 4 hours a week. I'm additionally starting volunteering at the local animal shelter, but probably only around 2 hours a week. I loved shadowing, but realize ECs should focus on leadership and service, but at the same time should be clinical and involve patient contact.

 

[Faha]

You need to retake the MCAT in the spring of 2018 and then develop a school list based on your score. If you score over 500 you would be competitive for the majority of DO schools. MD will depend on how high your score is.