Medical Are these red flags and how should I address them?

[Goro]

Hi, I submitted my secondaries in mid Aug/early September, but have not received any IIs. I am also a reapplicant. As I was looking over my applications and reflecting on my activities, I got worried that I may have some red flags, which I've listed below. I was wondering if these are actually red flags and how I should best address them moving forwards?

- 3rd MCAT retake (499 on 6/19, 506 on 8/19, 510 on 6/20)

- downward GPA trend: (cGPA: 3.7, 3.8, 3.59, 3.6) (sGPA: 3.47, 3.8, 3.5, 3.46)

- no second science LOR (had a strong first science LOR from neuroscience professor who knew me well, strong LOR from english professor, strong LOR from current doctor I scribe for)

- no LOR from PI but instead from postdoc supervisor (following 3 years of research and honors research thesis, unfortunately had a deteriorating relationship in last year of research and PI told me they would write me a "good LOR" but not a strong LOR)

- 3rd MCAT retake (499 on 6/19, 506 on 8/19, 510 on 6/20)

You might be asked how you managed to improve on the MCAT; conversely, you might be asked about why you did so poorly the first time.

- downward GPA trend: (cGPA: 3.7, 3.8, 3.59, 3.6) (sGPA: 3.47, 3.8, 3.5, 3.46)

The cGPA trend is somewhat downward. The sGPA hints that the 3.8 was more of a fluke and that the 3.4-3.5 is more your normal performance.

In any event, just tell the truth.


- no second science LOR (had a strong first science LOR from neuroscience professor who knew me well, strong LOR from english professor, strong LOR from current doctor I scribe for)


Some schools require two science LORs. For those that don't it's not a red flag. A clinical LOR will be useless for MD but fine for DO.

- no LOR from PI but instead from postdoc supervisor (following 3 years of research and honors research thesis, unfortunately had a deteriorating relationship in last year of research and PI told me they would write me a "good LOR" but not a strong LOR)

No one will really care if you're not aiming for MD/PhD. It's a common premed delusion that a PI LOR helps. Med schools aren't looking for grad students.

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[TheBoneDoctah]

Although you took the MCAT three times, at least you improved. It would look way worse if you didn't improve or your score decreased.

With your GPA, it's a slight downward trend...not like you went from 3.7 to 3.4 to 3.0. I think as long as you are honest with your interviewers it shouldn't be a red flag.

 

[GoSpursGo]

- no LOR from PI but instead from postdoc supervisor (following 3 years of research and honors research thesis, unfortunately had a deteriorating relationship in last year of research and PI told me they would write me a "good LOR" but not a strong LOR)

No one will really care if you're not aiming for MD/PhD. It's a common premed delusion that a PI LOR helps. Med schools aren't looking for grad students.

FWIW, I do actually think it's at least a minor red flag for this particular OP that he doesn't have a PI LOR. Sure, if you did a summer of research, or even a year that led to nothing tangible, then a PI LOR may be worthless. In this case the OP clearly spent a long time in the lab and completed an honors research thesis, and this may be a major part of the OP's application. If the OP spends a significant amount of time in their application talking about their research in Dr. So-and-so's lab and how Dr. So-and-so mentored them, produced an honors thesis and maybe even a publication... then yeah, I expect a letter from Dr. So-and-so. It's absence would strike me as weird. Conversely, if your research DOESN'T play a prominent role in your application, then getting a letter from, frankly, a no-name postdoc is REALLY odd. In either case, the fact that you have a letter from this post-doc tells me that you clearly thought the research was a meaningful experience, but that your real supervisor either: 1) never got to know you over the course of 3 years; 2) couldn't be bothered to write you a letter; or 3) actively dislikes you. Even if a med school isn't looking for a grad student, none of those are good conclusions to draw. It sucks, because this deteriorating relationship may have not been your fault--but that's kind of where my thoughts go when I see a post-doc letter in the space of where I would expect a PI letter.

By itself, that probably wouldn't be a killer, more just something that seems weird. I honestly might not even think about it that hard if the stats were just a little better. But in conjunction with everything else like a 3rd MCAT attempt, and depending on which state the OP lives... it could be just enough minor red flags to cause a reviewer to stay away.

Caveat: I say this as someone who is primarily involved with research as a fellow, so to me not seeing a letter from a clearly defined mentor sticks out to me, and if that mentor can't write a letter then I would probably just avoid having an LOR from the experience at all and try to downplay its importance in my overall application. I am absolutely open to the idea that I'm overthinking this in a way that a regular med school reviewer might not delve into.