Audit my Primary App

[ChemistryisFON]

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Hello! I was wondering, would anyone be interested in reading over my primary application? I have relatively high stats (3.96/522), but I have not received an interview this cycle so far. I do have an IA, so if someone could read over that or look at my experiences to tell me if I am even competitive for this cycle. I am a reapplicant and this time last year I already had an II, so I am not sure if I did something wrong. Please feel free to message me!

 

[candbgirl]

Try filling this out with information. It would also help if you just explain your IA right here. You’ll get a wider amount of guidance.

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[voxveritatisetlucis]

Hello! I was wondering, would anyone be interested in reading over my primary application? I have relatively high stats (3.96/522), but I have not received an interview this cycle so far. I do have an IA, so if someone could read over that or look at my experiences to tell me if I am even competitive for this cycle. I am a reapplicant and this time last year I already had an II, so I am not sure if I did something wrong. Please feel free to message me!

When did you submit your secondaries? Usually there’s a lag, so if you submitted anytime in august it’s pretty normal

 

[ChemistryisFON]

Try filling this out with information. It would also help if you just explain your IA right here. You’ll get a wider amount of guidance.

*~*~*~*IMPORTANT: How to Format Your WAMC Thread for Optimal Results and More!!*~*~*~*

Hello, and welcome to the What Are My Chances (WAMC) forum. The purpose of this forum is to Post threads about your chances of acceptance to MD and/or DO schools Have your school list critiqued and modified by other members of SDN Determine how to strengthen your current application General...

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That's fair, I was more interested in someone reading how I explained my IA/personal statement to see if there was anything that would be deemed as a "red flag".

My IA description:

In September of 2019, I was cited with a "Written Warning" for having an image posted on my door that went against my school's policy of having a gun in images/posters. I originally asked my resident advisor if I could have permission to post the image and was given approval. However, I received an email from the Community Director that I was not allowed to have that image on my door. I was then cited with a warning, and I immediately took down the image. Since this time, I have always ensured that any images that I post are extremely professional. Despite it being an inadvertent mistake with no ill intent that was immediately remedied, this experience reiterated the importance of the need to be extremely critical and aware of what I post or present as a future healthcare provider.

 

[ChemistryisFON]

When did you submit your secondaries? Usually there’s a lag, so if you submitted anytime in august it’s pretty normal

Earliest was 7/10, latest was 8/20 (but I would say 60% were completed in July).

 

[candbgirl]

That's fair, I was more interested in someone reading how I explained my IA/personal statement to see if there was anything that would be deemed as a "red flag".

My IA description:

In September of 2019, I was cited with a "Written Warning" for having an image posted on my door that went against my school's policy of having a gun in images/posters. I originally asked my resident advisor if I could have permission to post the image and was given approval. However, I received an email from the Community Director that I was not allowed to have that image on my door. I was then cited with a warning, and I immediately took down the image. Since this time, I have always ensured that any images that I post are extremely professional. Despite it being an inadvertent mistake with no ill intent that was immediately remedied, this experience reiterated the importance of the need to be extremely critical and aware of what I post or present as a future healthcare provider.

Thanks for posting it. Although personally I wouldn’t want to see an image of a gun every time I walked by your room, you did get permission to hang it up. I think your explanation is fine and very clear. Why didn’t the RA step in and say he had given the okay to hang it up?
Good luck.

 

[ChemistryisFON]

Thanks for posting it. Although personally I wouldn’t want to see an image of a gun every time I walked by your room, you did get permission to hang it up. I think your explanation is fine and very clear. Why didn’t the RA step in and say he had given the okay to hang it up?
Good luck.

So it was this whole ordeal because it occurred during Hurricane Dorian when I was off-campus. I basically had been given permission from the RA, then CD emailed me and asked me to remove it in one day. I could not because of virtual learning due to the hurricane. The CD talked to the RA after the fact and I tried to have it appealed, but it just didn't go through.

Also, do you think I left it too vague? The picture was of our mascot holding a gun. There were no words on it or anything else to accompany it.

 

[KnightDoc]

So it was this whole ordeal because it occurred during Hurricane Dorian when I was off-campus. I basically had been given permission from the RA, then CD emailed me and asked me to remove it in one day. I could not because of virtual learning due to the hurricane. The CD talked to the RA after the fact and I tried to have it appealed, but it just didn't go through.

Also, do you think I left it too vague? The picture was of our mascot holding a gun. There were no words on it or anything else to accompany it.

I don't think your IA is anything to worry about at all. I'm also very surprised no one else is asking you about the elephant in the room.

You are a reapplicant with off the charts stats. What happened in your prior cycle, and what, if anything, do you do to substantially improve your application?

It's still August, so just not having an II by today is not a reason to freak out, even if you had one last year. The bigger question is what held you back last cycle, and whether you addressed it. Regardless of what some adcoms say about bias against reapplicants being a SDN myth, it's real, and things are not going to be easier for you this cycle as a reapplicant.

 

[ChemistryisFON]

I don't think your IA is anything to worry about at all. I'm also very surprised no one else is asking you about the elephant in the room.

You are a reapplicant with off the charts stats. What happened in your prior cycle, and what, if anything, do you do to substantially improve your application?

It's still August, so just not having an II by today is not a reason to freak out, even if you had one last year. The bigger question is what held you back last cycle, and whether you addressed it. Regardless of what some adcoms say about bias against reapplicants being a SDN myth, it's real, and things are not going to be easier for you this cycle as a reapplicant.

Thank you for your reply. Hands down it was the writing in all the sections. Not that it was grammatically incorrect, but it was not as well-thought-out or impactful as it is now. I think there was a significant improvement in that realm as compared to last year.

In terms of the interview invite that I received, I thought the interview itself went well. However, due to COVID, I had to move and lost my IS residency from this particular school, which might have led to why I was initially WL and then rejected.

I think my list last year was also meh. I only applied to 22 schools, and I corrected that this year. I also believe my experiences are very superb as compared to last year (developed a successful startup and nonprofit), so I do not think it is this.

Is it just not going to be easier applying to the same schools? Or also for schools that I did not apply to last year that I am now?

 

[KnightDoc]

Thank you for your reply. Hands down it was the writing in all the sections. Not that it was grammatically incorrect, but it was not as well-thought-out or impactful as it is now. I think there was a significant improvement in that realm as compared to last year.

In terms of the interview invite that I received, I thought the interview itself went well. However, due to COVID, I had to move and lost my IS residency from this particular school, which might have led to why I was initially WL and then rejected.

I think my list last year was also meh. I only applied to 22 schools, and I corrected that this year. I also believe my experiences are very superb as compared to last year (developed a successful startup and nonprofit), so I do not think it is this.

Is it just not going to be easier applying to the same schools? Or also for schools that I did not apply to last year that I am now?

You are not a reapplicant where you did not previously apply, so that's not an issue. If you identified and addressed weaknesses from last cycle, you should also be fine. The bias means you have to jump through an extra hoop to show improvement. It does not mean you cannot be successful. A lot of people are, every cycle, and it sounds like you have done everything necessary to be successful.

I think the simple answer is that you need to chill, not compare this cycle to the last one, and not get excited because you are literally one II behind where you were at this time last year. It's a long cycle, with a ton of applications for adcoms to go through. They all advise us to always been preparing for a future cycle, but not to even begin thinking the current cycle might be a bust until Thanksgiving.

IIs do start to go out in July and August, but they don't really peak until September and October, and they continue right the winter, winding down at some schools in December and January, but not at other schools until March or even later. This applies to all of us, including you. 🙂