MD Chance for a reapplicant

[clementane]

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[gyngyn]

I thought the U Missouri program in KC was a bac MD program.

At which schools are you a re-applicant? How many times did you take the MCAT? Are you religious? Do you have a connection to the inland empire?

 

[Goro]

Unless you applied late last year, I hope that you have improved your interview skills, because I suspect that that's what kayoed you. Unles you have a red flag in your app.

I suggest that instead of aiming at every state school in the US, that you target select UCs. For example, as my learned colleague suggest, if you're from SoCal.

My suggested list. Note that I have left off all state schools, not knowing where you're from. I cut a few low tiers and added some higher ones, because I think with your app you can aim higher.

UC David
UCLA
UCI/R (maybe)
U AZ (both)
Albany
Einstein
BU
Pitt
Duke
CWRU
Cooper
Penn State
Drexel
EVMS
Dartmouth
Hofstra
Jefferson
Loyola
Northwestern
NYMC
Quinnipiac
SLU
TCMC
U of Rochester
USC
VCU

 

[Cookiecatfromouterspace]

Unless you applied late last year, I hope that you have improved your interview skills, because I suspect that that's what kayoed you. Unles you have a red flag in your app.

I suggest that instead of aiming at every state school in the US, that you target select UCs. For example, as my learned colleague suggest, if you're from SoCal.

My suggested list. Note that I have left off all state schools, not knowing where you're from. I cut a few low tiers and added some higher ones, because I think with your app you can aim higher.

UC David
UCLA
UCI/R (maybe)
U AZ (both)
Albany
Einstein
BU
Pitt
Duke
CWRU
Cooper
Penn State
Drexel
EVMS
Dartmouth
Hofstra
Jefferson
Loyola
Northwestern
NYMC
Quinnipiac
SLU
TCMC
U of Rochester
USC
VCU

What is meant by Red flags? what are some examples? just curious.

 

[gyngyn]

What is meant by Red flags? what are some examples? just curious.

IA's, bad LOR's, unexplained gaps in the record, multiple W's, 6 years to get a B.A...

 

[clementane]

I thought the U Missouri program in KC was a bac MD program.

At which schools are you a re-applicant? How many times did you take the MCAT? Are you religious? Do you have a connection to the inland empire?

I am a reapplicant at SUNY's, Northwestern, CWRU, UC's and USC. I applied pretty top heavy last cycle. I am a first applicant everywhere else.
I took MCAT twice. my previous score was 35 (14/7/14), but I think it's expiring when I reapply.
Regarding LLU, I don't have much connection to inland empire, except I have a few friends who go there for dentistry, nutrition and pharmacy. And I am not a SDA, but my belief bases on Christianity.

 

[clementane]

Thanks Goro for your insight and your list. I will definitely take a closer look at the ones you added and the ones you removed.
I might add a few higher schools. I also I wasn't quite your when you said I have to target select UCs.
I have a tie to both SoCal and NorCal.

 

[Goro]

>1 DUI, felonies, multiple misdemeanors....

IA's, bad LOR's, unexplained gaps in the record, multiple W's, 6 years to get a B.A...

 

[GypsyHummus]

IA's, bad LOR's, unexplained gaps in the record, multiple W's, 6 years to get a B.A...

how many Ws are too many?

And what about 5 years to get a BA?

 

[gyngyn]

I am a reapplicant at SUNY's, Northwestern, CWRU, UC's and USC. I applied pretty top heavy last cycle. I am a first applicant everywhere else.
I took MCAT twice. my previous score was 35 (14/7/14), but I think it's expiring when I reapply.
Regarding LLU, I don't have much connection to inland empire, except I have a few friends who go there for dentistry, nutrition and pharmacy. And I am not a SDA, but my belief bases on Christianity.

My reference to the inland empire is in regard to UCR whose mission is to provide physicians to that area (in the same way that LL has a mission to serve Christ).

What is the interval between the two MCATs?

 

[gyngyn]

how many Ws are too many?

And what about 5 years to get a BA?

W's: one or two can be ok. 5 years for a corrected reason can be ok.

 

[clementane]

My reference to the inland empire is in regard to UCR whose mission is to provide physicians to that area (in the same way that LL has a mission to serve Christ).

What is the interval between the two MCATs?

Oh, I see.
The interval between the MCATs is about a year.
Do you have any thoughts on chances and school list...?

 

[gyngyn]

Applicants who retake an excellent MCAT are not always viewed favorably. There are several schools to which you applied in CA where your your chances may have diminished for at at least two reasons that you have listed in this thread. I like @Goro 's list (minus the CA schools), though I am familiar with the compulsion to include them. Your best chances are likely OOS this time if you don't come off a waitlist this cycle. Good luck

 

[clementane]

Applicants who retake an excellent MCAT are not always viewed favorably. There are several schools to which you applied in CA where your your chances may have diminished for at at least two reasons that you have listed in this thread. I like @Goro 's list (minus the CA schools), though I am familiar with the compulsion to include them. Your best chances are likely to OOS this time if you don't come off a waitlist this cycle. Good luck

Thanks for your comment!.
I retook it after a long thought because of my low verbal score.. and some schools mentioned it during interviews and interviewers did not seem to have much problem.. Also could I ask you what those reasons are that I listed that might have diminished my chance for CA schools?
And my last cycle was last year '12-13 not this cycle.. I didn't come off waitlist last time...
Thank you so much!

 

[gyngyn]

The reasons that applicants with high scores become re-applicants is different from those with more modest scores. One would reasonably presume that you were interviewed in the previous cycle and not found acceptable due to something in the interview. Or they might presume that you greatly overestimated your application and only applied to top 10's (or only applied in your home town/comfort zone). This raises questions of judgement/maturity. In repeating a superb MCAT you have painted a picture that a seasoned screener may not pick. With your case in mind, I asked three of my 3rd year medical students today: How would you describe an applicant who retook an unexpired MCAT of 35? They used descriptors that are too harsh for me to include here but I think you can see how this is not a plus in your application. Now that you have explained it, I can see how you might have thought that the 7 in verbal was something you could address by a re-take, but with essentially perfect scores in both science sections a 7 in verbal is a fairly minor point and certainly not enough to keep you out of any place you interviewed. Frankly, you could write the two science sections with those scores (and I don't mean in the Canadian sense of the word)! For a small improvement in the verbal score you have incurred a serious question in your overall judgement.

For all the above reasons I think your best bet will be OOS schools to which you have not previously applied, though you can still hope that one of the CA schools has just hired a new screener or has seen something in your application that speaks to the school's mission.

This might also be a good time for some mock interviews.

 

[ThisCouldBeYou]

Seems to me, you have all the med schools on some dart board, with the top ten at the center and you're simply throwing out your darts in hopes that one can stick. I think you should take a good long look through the MSAR and read each school's mission statement to understand what makes them different. There are slight differences, that's true, but you need to know what makes each school special. For instance, Quinnipiac's mission is designed for students of color whereas some schools's focus is on research. Even with a long list of schools, you should have a rationale as to why that school suits you. If not, you're simply throwing your money away.