Medical Can someone advise me on what I should do next?

[TheBoneDoctah]

Hello and thank you for looking over this and commenting.

I have an MCAT of 513 (126, 128, 129, 130) , sGPA of 3.95, cGPA of 3.96.
I am a resident of Virginia.
In terms of shadowing, I have 240 hours. I have 3000+ hours of research with three research professors, three research grants, a poster presentation, an acknowledgment in a manuscript, a thesis defense, and a potential authorship (ongoing research).
I am a part of several organizations and hold a leadership position in some. I worked as a tutor and now as a Learning Assistant (student teaching.)
I have 157 hours of non-clinical volunteering done and 102 clinical volunteering hours.

I came to the US in 2014 as a refugee and only recently got my citizenship. I am also Muslim and from Iraq and made sure to highlight my journey in my personal statement, from fleeing, to moving constantly in fear of deportation in the Middle East, to moving to the US as refugees and how medicine has been integral to me throughout.

I have applied to the following schools:

Drexel
Sidney Kimmel
Lewis Katz
Georgetown
George Washington
UALR
TAMU
U of Maryland
UNC
Howard
VCU
Eastern Virginia
VTC
Albert Einstein

I got rejected from Georgetown and have a hold from George Washington. The rest of the schools have given me nothing--radio silence. I am in college in Texas and will graduate from here so I applied to TAMU and I graduated high school from Arkansas so I have strong ties there as well.

I completed all of my applications between 07/29 and 08/15 and am complete at each school.

I don't know what to do and each day that passes without a single interview invite, I feel that there must be some gaping hole in my application. Should I apply to DO schools? My twin sister has very similar stats (512 MCAT and 3.97 sGPA/3.97 cGPA and almost identical extracurriculars) and has gotten two interview invites. Can someone please reassure me that I am worrying for nothing? Maybe share some stories of you not getting any interview invites until late in the cycle and still being successful that cycle?

There's a meme on reddit right now about MD applicants who are in my shoes applying to DO and I was just really shaken by that (NOT because there's anything wrong with DO at all!!! but because I didn't think to apply to DO and also because this means I'm basically screwed and my chances are laughable now at MD.)

Try to settle down. It’s still early. You have a great application.

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[tantacles]

I would wait. It’s only october.

 

[Goro]

Hello and thank you for looking over this and commenting.

I have an MCAT of 513 (126, 128, 129, 130) , sGPA of 3.95, cGPA of 3.96.
I am a resident of Virginia.
In terms of shadowing, I have 240 hours. I have 3000+ hours of research with three research professors, three research grants, a poster presentation, an acknowledgment in a manuscript, a thesis defense, and a potential authorship (ongoing research).
I am a part of several organizations and hold a leadership position in some. I worked as a tutor and now as a Learning Assistant (student teaching.)
I have 157 hours of non-clinical volunteering done and 102 clinical volunteering hours.

I came to the US in 2014 as a refugee and only recently got my citizenship. I am also Muslim and from Iraq and made sure to highlight my journey in my personal statement, from fleeing, to moving constantly in fear of deportation in the Middle East, to moving to the US as refugees and how medicine has been integral to me throughout.

I have applied to the following schools:

Drexel
Sidney Kimmel
Lewis Katz
Georgetown
George Washington
UALR
TAMU
U of Maryland
UNC
Howard
VCU
Eastern Virginia
VTC
Albert Einstein

I got rejected from Georgetown and have a hold from George Washington. The rest of the schools have given me nothing--radio silence. I am in college in Texas and will graduate from here so I applied to TAMU and I graduated high school from Arkansas so I have strong ties there as well.

I completed all of my applications between 07/29 and 08/15 and am complete at each school.

I don't know what to do and each day that passes without a single interview invite, I feel that there must be some gaping hole in my application. Should I apply to DO schools? My twin sister has very similar stats (512 MCAT and 3.97 sGPA/3.97 cGPA and almost identical extracurriculars) and has gotten two interview invites. Can someone please reassure me that I am worrying for nothing? Maybe share some stories of you not getting any interview invites until late in the cycle and still being successful that cycle?

There's a meme on reddit right now about MD applicants who are in my shoes applying to DO and I was just really shaken by that (NOT because there's anything wrong with DO at all!!! but because I didn't think to apply to DO and also because this means I'm basically screwed and my chances are laughable now at MD.)

I can't sugar coat this, you applied to too few schools. Your app is weak on nonclinical volunteering, heavy on research and too much shadowing. Get off campus and out of your comfort zone.

Howard, U NC, were donations. With all of the research you've done, did you looking into what Howard values?? What is TAMU and U ALR? Did you apply to U AR?

Also, why you may be in college in TX, their state residency required might be on the strict side, so applying to any TX schools would be more donations.

 

[Goro]

thank you for commenting. Should I apply to more schools or is it too late do you think?

I believe that now is late for MD, but not for DO. For that you have until the end of the year.

 

[TheBoneDoctah]

Although I do think you have a good application, I do agree with Goro about the schools. Medical school is so competitive now and even with a good application you should make sure you have a solid list of schools with “reach” and “back up” schools. I would add a few DO schools to be safe if you are ok with going DO.

 

[Goro]

I am okay with going DO if need be so I will start applying thank you for the heads up! my premed advisor told me my list was too long and I took their word for it :|

Yet another data point that most premed advisors are m0rons.

 

[TheBoneDoctah]

I am okay with going DO if need be so I will start applying thank you for the heads up! my premed advisor told me my list was too long and I took their word for it :|

Again, like we say many posts, many advisors and counselors at school give pretty horrible advice. It’s a bad situation cause most students trust whatever the advisor says cause they should always give good advice...

...if you are applying DO, I wouldn’t waste time/money on the newer DO schools. Apply to the established DO schools. You should get some invites.

 

[TheBoneDoctah]

Yet another data point that most premed advisors are m0rons.

You beat me to it haha

 

[TheBoneDoctah]

I'm sorry if this is a bother but I really don't know too much about DO schools at all... Is there a list of newer schools I should avoid somewhere? I assume I should avoid them because it is unclear how many of their students match with residencies, am I correct to assume that?

The newer schools just aren’t proven yet and their 3rd/4th year rotations may not be as solid as the older more established schools.

 

[Goro]

I'm sorry if this is a bother but I really don't know too much about DO schools at all... Is there a list of newer schools I should avoid somewhere? I assume I should avoid them because it is unclear how many of their students match with residencies, am I correct to assume that?

ICOM
BCOM
UIW
ARCOM
NYITCOM. AR
CHSU
Sam Houston
VCOM. LA
LMU
LUCOM
Nova

 

[TheBoneDoctah]

Here is a link to a page with all of the years for medical schools.

https://www.aacom.org/docs/default-source/data-and-trends/u-s-osteopathic-medical-schools-by-year-of-inaugural-class.pdf?sfvrsn=dc9e2997_20