Am I doing enough to be a successful reapplicant?

[Cauchy1]

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[LoveBeingHuman:)]

Someone I know had about the exact same qualifications as you (except he had zero non-clinical volunteering) and he got no II's.
I don't know why you wouldn't receive any acceptances. Yes, your lack of shadowing and clinical volunteering may have been a significant factor. Make sure that you have no red flags on your LOR's or PS.

 

[shopsteward]

The big red flag you have not yet addressed is clinical experience. While clinical research will help a little, it's not enough.

Goro is the guru on these matters -

"Your lack of ECs will be lethal. My own student interviewers would eat you alive.

What are you going to say when asked how you know you are suited for a life of caring for the sick and suffering? “That you just know”? Imagine how that will go over!

Here's the deal: You need to show AdComs that you know what you're getting into, and show off your altruistic, humanistic side. We need to know that you're going to like being around sick or injured people for the next 40 years.

Here's another way of looking at it: would you buy a new car without test driving it? Buy a new suit or dress without trying it on??

We're also not looking for merely for good medical students, we're looking for people who will make good doctors, and 4.0 GPA robots are a dime-a-dozen.

I've seen plenty of posts here from high GPA/high MCAT candidates who were rejected because they had little patient contact experience.

Not all volunteering needs to be in a hospital. Think hospice, Planned Parenthood, nursing homes, rehab facilities, crisis hotlines, camps for sick children, or clinics.

Some types of volunteer activities are more appealing than others. Volunteering in a nice suburban hospital is all very well and good and all, but doesn't show that you're willing to dig in and get your hands dirty in the same way that working with the developmentally disabled (or homeless, the dying, or Alzheimers or mentally ill or elderly or ESL or domestic, rural impoverished) does. The uncomfortable situations are the ones that really demonstrate your altruism and get you 'brownie points'. Plus, they frankly teach you more -- they develop your compassion and humanity in ways comfortable situations can't.

Service need not be "unique". If you can alleviate suffering in your community through service to the poor, homeless, illiterate, fatherless, etc, you are meeting an otherwise unmet need and learning more about the lives of the people (or types of people) who will someday be your patients. Check out your local houses of worship for volunteer opportunities. The key thing is service to others less fortunate than you. And get off campus and out of your comfort zone!

Examples include: Habitat for Humanity, Ronald McDonald House, Humane Society, crisis hotlines, soup kitchen, food pantry, homeless or women’s shelter, after-school tutoring for students or coaching a sport in a poor school district, teaching ESL to adults at a community center, Big Brothers/Big Sisters, or Meals on Wheels."

 

[Faha]

Other schools where you have a chance for an interview with your stats include:
Vermont
Quinnipiac
New York Medical College
Albany
Oakland Beaumont
Medical College Wisconsin
Creighton
any new schools that open for 2018 (Seton Hall, Roseman, etc.)

 

[Cauchy1]

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[gyngyn]

I applied (and did not hear from) Vermont, Quinnipiac, NYMC, and Oakland this cycle, so I plan to omit them from my second round to avoid the reapplicant stigma as much as possible. With regard to Albany, MCW and Creighton, I believe they do not accept CC credits, so I am not eligible to apply to them.

There are schools (like some of the ones you list) that actually get some of their best students in the re-applicant pool...

 

[Scrizzy]

When did you apply? If you sent everything late, then that may be the case.

 

[Cauchy1]

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[Scrizzy]

Most secondaries completed by mid to late July, with a few completed the first week of August.

Can't see the problem, your stats look good, I'm surprised you didn't get at least one or two more IIs. Sadly I don't know the requirement of getting into all these schools, have you compared your LizzyM scores to theirs? It's not 100%, but it should give you an idea if the schools are out of your league.

I sincerely doubt that the clinical volunteer work is the problem, because like you said, you were a ED scribe. In fact, since you already have clinical experience as a occupation, I say non-clinical volunteering is more important.

 

[shopsteward]

Just so I understand, do you mean clinical experience outside of the ~2500 hours of ED scribe work? From what I have been told, this should satisfy the clinical experience requirement, but I may have been misinformed. With regard to EC's, I suspect that this may be a large part of why I was not more successful this cycle. Given my past of ~500 non clinical volunteer hours, do my additional activities this cycle (~110 hours of mentoring, ~120 hours of volunteer clinical research) seem enough to get up to the baseline level where more schools will take a shot on me? I should add, I'm planning on continuing some previous work I had done with homeless outreach this season as well, so that should add a few more altruistic hours on as well.

Sorry, missed the scribe work. My bad. Yes, along with the volunteer clinical research that looks like enough "smell the patients" experience.

You still have a chance to get off the waitlist you are on, but if not, then good luck next year.

 

[gyngyn]

Thanks for the input. If finances limit the number of schools that I can apply to, would you say that it is advisable to reapply to these schools instead of similar ones that I have not previously applied to?



Most secondaries completed by mid to late July, with a few completed the first week of August.

A first application is better if all else is equal.

 

[Cauchy1]

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