Critique my re-application plan

[bananafish94]

Hi everyone, the prospects of re-application are looking more and more likely with each passing day of no interviews, so I want to get a jump on the process. Here is, tentatively, what I intend to do for next year.

First, a question: How unfavorably is it looked upon to be a re-applicant?

1. I've been advised by pretty much everyone to leave my numbers alone. I will probably finish the year with a slightly higher GPA (currently 3.83) but I don't think it would be particularly beneficial to do an SMP or anything like that. I have also been told not to retake the MCAT (31). I believe it should still be valid because it is from October 2014. Is this the best course of action?

2. For the gap year period, I want to look for clinical experience in the form of either scribing or becoming an EMT. If I still haven't heard anything by December, I will begin to solidify this, although I have some leads already.

3. I already have some new updates from my senior year that are not on my AMCAS, including a new TA position and a major leadership position. Between now and June, my lab will publish at least one (possibly two) papers that I am an author on. This is in addition to one publication I already have. I will seek out new activities to do in the next semester and over the summer...perhaps volunteering at a hospice or something like that.

4. Completely change my personal statement and secondary essays. I thought they were good, but the definition of insanity is.....

5. I'll likely be able to get about 2 new letters of recommendation from professors I have developed good relationships with since the summer/beginning of the semester.

6. Continue everything listed on my AMCAS. If I continue volunteering at my current rate, my hospital volunteering hours will approach 500 and overall clinical experience will be around 800 hours.

7. Get much more shadowing hours. Currently, it is definitely the weak spot of my application at around 20 hours. If I cold call enough people, I think I can get it to around 100 by June.

8. Submit everything on Day 1. This year I submitted secondaries in mid-July to mid-August. I won't do that again.

9. Dramatically broaden my school list. I plan on applying to about 30 MD schools and maybe 10 DO schools, none of which have a 50th percentile MCAT above mine, and avoiding schools that are notoriously anti-OOS.

Is this enough to demonstrate sufficient growth between now and the new application? Is there anything I am missing that it would behoove me to do? Thank you all!

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[tea guzzling traveler]

Well first of all, I think it would be helpful to hear the general gist of your application.

I would add a few more points:

Get other people to critique your PS and secondaries.

I would go as a scribe vs EMT given the timeframe

Check in on LOR's

Check in with schools to see if they have any feedback for you


Best of luck, and hope you don't have to.

 

[catie_jane]

Hi everyone, the prospects of re-application are looking more and more likely with each passing day of no interviews, so I want to get a jump on the process. Here is, tentatively, what I intend to do for next year.

First, a question: How unfavorably is it looked upon to be a re-applicant?

1. I've been advised by pretty much everyone to leave my numbers alone. I will probably finish the year with a slightly higher GPA (currently 3.83) but I don't think it would be particularly beneficial to do an SMP or anything like that. I have also been told not to retake the MCAT (31). I believe it should still be valid because it is from October 2014. Is this the best course of action?

2. For the gap year period, I want to look for clinical experience in the form of either scribing or becoming an EMT. If I still haven't heard anything by December, I will begin to solidify this, although I have some leads already.

3. I already have some new updates from my senior year that are not on my AMCAS, including a new TA position and a major leadership position. Between now and June, my lab will publish at least one (possibly two) papers that I am an author on. This is in addition to one publication I already have. I will seek out new activities to do in the next semester and over the summer...perhaps volunteering at a hospice or something like that.

4. Completely change my personal statement and secondary essays. I thought they were good, but the definition of insanity is.....

5. I'll likely be able to get about 2 new letters of recommendation from professors I have developed good relationships with since the summer/beginning of the semester.

6. Continue everything listed on my AMCAS. If I continue volunteering at my current rate, my hospital volunteering hours will approach 500 and overall clinical experience will be around 800 hours.

7. Get much more shadowing hours. Currently, it is definitely the weak spot of my application at around 20 hours. If I cold call enough people, I think I can get it to around 100 by June.

8. Submit everything on Day 1. This year I submitted secondaries in mid-July to mid-August. I won't do that again.

9. Dramatically broaden my school list. I plan on applying to about 30 MD schools and maybe 10 DO schools, none of which have a 50th percentile MCAT above mine, and avoiding schools that are notoriously anti-OOS.

Is this enough to demonstrate sufficient growth between now and the new application? Is there anything I am missing that it would behoove me to do? Thank you all!

What is your current school list?

 

[kmp0410]

Your plan looks good.

Depending on your state, I wouldn't say you need to dramatically widen your school list. 30 schools is really expensive. Just be smart about where you apply. Stats should be right in line or better with everywhere. Don't bother with OOS ones that accept like 10 people/receive 10k applicants. Apply early for sure.

Seems like you are a strong applicant. Just spend time on your personal statement (reader service here was a life-saver for me) and your secondaries. I wouldn't say being a reapplicant is a disadvantage, though I don't know the official thought. I was a reapp, multiple people in my class had to apply twice. So all I have is anecdotal evidence but I would think as long as your improving your app (which it seems like you are) then you'll be fine.

 

[Donald Juan]

OP, do you have any idea of why you haven't got any interviews yet?

 

[bananafish94]

OP, do you have any idea of why you haven't got any interviews yet?

That's the $64,000 question.

 

[bananafish94]

With 130+ schools and thousands of individual adcom members, no generalizations can be made. The only "rule" would be it is a "flag" on your application that will be another point for more intense scrutiny. With the numbers of applications that come needing be weeded out, medical school admissions is in many ways a negative process. This is an additional point for that process to be reviewed. Also not you are only a reapplicant to the individual schools that you applied to.



Your numbers are fine, no postbacc or SMP. The MCAT will be a 2 year old score which most schools will still take (see https://aamc-orange.global.ssl.fastly.net/production/media/filer_public/18/03/180345b8-5154-42de-9775-df0ec78b5dda/mcatexampolicy.pdf ) However, in 2 years the majority of the applicant pool will be the new MCAT. That may be noticed by adcom. The risk of course in having a good score and retaking is getting a worse score



EMT is only valuable if you do something with it. About 5 years ago, getting an EMT cert became a thing with premeds and is now seen as nearly just a filler EC. So if you get it, work with it. Volunteer FD/EMS is a great way to do so



More clinical volunteering is always good. Hospice would be interesting as all doctors will face dying patients.



They should be refreshed at least. Imagine a school you applied to this cycle pulls your file when you apply next cycle. They see the same PS? You made no effort to change? That is a big negative in my book



Fresh letters are great to show that you are continuing to improve and work to get in



Thats very good, both in hours and commitment



Try cold faxing with very brief intro and request then followup with call. Having a piece of paper in front of the doctor is more effective when requesting



Your secondaries were not late. That is unlikely the issue



Good plan but dont be too restrictive. If you dont ask, they cant say yes



Not using the word "behoove" which borders on archaic. I would really rip apart your EC and PS writing and see if you can make them truly coherent, concise and compelling narratves

Thank you, this is extremely helpful. I need it to be perfect...I've never really heard of anybody successfully applying after two failed attempts. I always thought that I would be able to at least get an interview but I seriously underestimated exactly how competitive it is.

 

[bananafish94]

What is your current school list?

Still waiting to hear from:

Albany
Drexel
EVMS
GW
Loyola
MCW
NYMC
Oakland
Quinnipiac
Rosalind Franklin
Rush
SLU
Sidney Kimmel
Vermont
UIC (PLEASE GOD)
Iowa
Western Michigan

Rejected from:

Georgetown
Indiana
SIU
Mayo
Dartmouth

For my re-application, I will likely apply to those schools (minus the crazy ones...Mayo and its ilk) and add maybe 7ish MD schools with low stats (new schools, for instance) and add a healthy amount of DO schools. I am toying with the idea of applying to DO schools this time around but I have apprehensions because next year I don't want the reapplicant stigma there as well as MD schools. You?

 

[Throwaway692015]

Still waiting to hear from:

Albany
Drexel
EVMS
GW
Loyola
MCW
NYMC
Oakland
Quinnipiac
Rosalind Franklin
Rush
SLU
Sidney Kimmel
Vermont
UIC (PLEASE GOD)
Iowa
Western Michigan

Rejected from:

Georgetown
Indiana
SIU
Mayo
Dartmouth

For my re-application, I will likely apply to those schools (minus the crazy ones...Mayo and its ilk) and add maybe 7ish MD schools with low stats (new schools, for instance) and add a healthy amount of DO schools. I am toying with the idea of applying to DO schools this time around but I have apprehensions because next year I don't want the reapplicant stigma there as well as MD schools. You?

Pretty good list. I feel like you may be surprised how many schools will interview you by March.

Looks like your doing a great job building up your application too.

I'm in the same boat and have the same stats and ECs as you. I've called adcoms after my last cycle and the general consensus I got was that I should not mess with my stats, but if I were to take A new mcat or SMP it could be beneficial if I crushed either (or both), but it is risky. They said if I don't get in, I should consider boosting stats but were surprised I didn't get in yet. It's honestly frustrating and confusing when an adcom thinks you should have gotten in by now haha

So you really have 3 choices for MD

1. Boost up those ECs this year and re-apply next year
2. New Mcat after next year
3. SMP if you know you can crush it and work hard.

 

[Donald Juan]

Not to give false hope, but I didn't receive an interview until January, and I got accepted outright without being on a waitlist. It's good to be thinking about your options and ensuring you do things now to boost your app, but you might still get some love from someone out there.