Desperate Reapplicant..

[desperate4help]

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I am very desperate for advice... I may have to reapply for a third time.

I applied twice for the 2009-2010, and 2010-2011 cycle.
First cycle I got 0 interviews. 30 MCAT 3.65 SGPA 3.65 CGPA

This cycle I got 6 interviews. I really felt like I made significant improvements. I applied very broadly- 30 low-mid tier schools. Currently on two waitlist and had 4 post interview rejects.
33 12-9VS-12 MCAT 3.70 SGPA 3.70CGPA
A lot of various hospital volunteer work
2 years research with presentation
1 year strong community service with leadership
Various minor shadowing.
Interviewers have told me they love my personal statement...
LOR's average-good.

I really do not think I screwed up my interviews... I am fairly average at least with regards to interviewing.


I have been unemployed for the past 2010-2011 cycle... I have been tutoring,volunteering at hospitals, and doing community service... Yet I feel like this does not make up for being unemployed.. I am afraid I cannot reapply this cycle because I don't have a job, and I don't have substantial LOR's to add either. But I can't take another year off... I can't get out of this unemployment period and was really hoping to go back to school.

I am at a loss for what happened this cycle.. .I really thought I would get in somewhere...

 

[TriagePreMed]

Did you follow up with the schools?

I think it's time you start exploring other options including DO and Caribbean. Your numbers do suggest you to be in good shape for MD, but it sounds like it's not going through.

At this point I'd find a professional proof reader and/or coach, and also apply anyway without a job. At least you've been doing more than nothing.

 

[Catalystik]

You might consider something like Teach for America, Healthcorps, or Americorps, which would substantially add to your application and pay a basic living stipend. Downside: it would be hard to accumulate funds for a reapplication.

You could also consider a paid traditional masters degree in a hard-science that would come with teaching and research opportunities.

I agree wth TriagePreMed that you should call schools that rejected you and make an appointment with a dean. Ask what you can do to improve your application.

And get that shadowing beefed up to at least 50 hours, but ideally 60-80 hours and include a primary care doc. Consider taking an upper-level science class to replace whatever LOR you think is less than enthusiastic.


Any legal troubles or institutional actions? Did you apply late in the cycle?

 

[jiminycrickets]

hang in there. im in a similar position as you. i dont have a full time job but trying to fill in full time activities. is your tutoring private or through a company? how many hours do you teach a week?

 

[desperate4help]

I tutor through two companies, about 10-15 hours total per week.

Applied super early. No legal troubles.


I haven't contacted schools yet.
Thank you guys for your input.

 

[IDoIt4Love]

My best guess is something isn't going right in interviews. Write and call to all the schools you are on the waitlist for. Ask them where you went wrong and what you can improve upon. If your school has a career center, schedule a mock interview and ask for feedback about potential pit falls you may have encountered. I'm really sorry this is happening to you, as you sound like you have perfectly competitive stats for med school, especially considering your broad and early applications and clean legal status.

Do you think it may come down to coming off too strongly about controversial issues during the interview, or not having adequately developed answers to some of their questions? Are you leaving a memorable impression during interviews?

Best of luck; I hope this works out for you.

 

[desperate4help]

I have had many interviewers tell me: you interviewed great, and you will get in somewhere.

I realize they may just say this to all interviewee's but I never once felt like the interviews went poorly. Granted, I am not the most passionate/excited interviewee, I still don't think I bombed my interviews. Perhaps, I am not leaving the most memorable impressions either.

Hopefully some of the schools will let me know what went wrong.

Is it ok to contact schools that I am waitlisted on asking Why I am waitlisted? I don't want to sound too desperate or anything.

 

[IDoIt4Love]

it is absolutely okay to contact them. If anything, it shows your interest and dedication to this process. Playing hard to get may work in the dating world, but it's mostly a turn-off to admissions committees

 

[desperate4help]

Thank you I will do that.

I never asked but I am wondering how bad of a position am I in if I reapply:

What I did this past cycle:
1 year:About 4-6 hrs/week hospital work with direct patient interaction in taking vitals/wheeling patients.
1 year:8-12 hrs/week community service with leadership component.
6 months:10 hrs/week tutoring/teaching.
Sparsely scattered community service at homeless shelters, clinics. Typically only 1 day but for like 8 hours.
Scattered shadowing experiences totaling about 15 hours.

Can get updated LOR from community service leader, but that is about it...

 

[TriagePreMed]

Speaking of recommendation letters. Do you think you might have a bad one? It sounds so odd that you won't get interviews at all or just end up waitlisted.

 

[FIREitUP]

4 post interview rejects out of 6 interviews is a very high number. I had a similar experience last year with the same number of rejects on 7 interviews. After polishing my interviewing abilities i went 4/4 this year on waitlists . I really suspect that your interviews were not up to snuf, but I wish I had better advice to give you, as I am currently experiencing the same issues myself.

 

[intothedark]

The fact that you've applied earlier makes it a lot easier to diagnose your application, since application time is like a wild card. So we can rule this factor out, along with any other conspicuous red flags (which you probably would have already mentioned).

You received a decent number of interviews, but was rejected from most schools after interviewing with them. So this suggests that your paper app was okay, but your interviewing skills were probably lacking.

Next, although you've received a decent number of interview invites, it's not a lot considering you've applied to "30 low-mid tier schools" with your stats/ECs. So your application was good, but not stellar. This is also supported by the fact that you received 0 interviews on your first cycle. Speaking of your first cycle, what changed besides your MCAT/GPA when you were applying for the 2nd time?

Methinks there could be a problem in showing your enthusiasm for the schools you've applied to, which was sensed either in your secondaries (relatively few interview invites) or during the interviews (high rate of rejection). I am also going to be a reapplicant this year, and this probably was also my biggest fault the first time around. It was a curious situation for me though, since I've called several schools I applied to, and no one could really answer why I was not accepted. Do you mind posting how your schools reply to your inquiries?

I think the following questions are a good indicator of how strongly you presented yourself in your essays/interviews, depending on how easy or hard it is to answer them for you:

1. Why doctor?

2. Why this school?

3. Why do you deserve to be admitted?

Also, I notice a slight problem with your writing skills in your posts - did you receive a really low writing score(s)? The WS score itself is not a big deal, but sloppy writing in general may reflect poorly on you as an applicant or get in the way of you expressing your ideas clearly.

And finally, sometimes the whole thing really is just a crapshoot, so don't beat yourself up too much. Luck is a huge factor in admissions, and there are even hidden criteria that med schools use such as ethnicity or other demographic parameters that applicants cannot control. I only wish people in the admissions committee could know how difficult it can be for people in these kinds of situations, and how much it wears down a person psychologically. But I don't think anyone can truly understand unless they're going through it themselves.

I'm sure you'll find a school that takes you when you decide to reapply. Perhaps for your next round, be more strict in deciding what schools you apply to instead of casting a general net to what you consider "low-mid tier schools."

 

[desperate4help]

The fact that you've applied earlier makes it a lot easier to diagnose your application, since application time is like a wild card. So we can rule this factor out, along with any other conspicuous red flags (which you probably would have already mentioned).

You received a decent number of interviews, but was rejected from most schools after interviewing with them. So this suggests that your paper app was okay, but your interviewing skills were probably lacking.

Next, although you've received a decent number of interview invites, it's not a lot considering you've applied to "30 low-mid tier schools" with your stats/ECs. So your application was good, but not stellar. This is also supported by the fact that you received 0 interviews on your first cycle. Speaking of your first cycle, what changed besides your MCAT/GPA when you were applying for the 2nd time?

Methinks there could be a problem in showing your enthusiasm for the schools you've applied to, which was sensed either in your secondaries (relatively few interview invites) or during the interviews (high rate of rejection). I am also going to be a reapplicant this year, and this probably was also my biggest fault the first time around. It was a curious situation for me though, since I've called several schools I applied to, and no one could really answer why I was not accepted. Do you mind posting how your schools reply to your inquiries?

I think the following questions are a good indicator of how strongly you presented yourself in your essays/interviews, depending on how easy or hard it is to answer them for you:

1. Why doctor?

2. Why this school?

3. Why do you deserve to be admitted?

Also, I notice a slight problem with your writing skills in your posts - did you receive a really low writing score(s)? The WS score itself is not a big deal, but sloppy writing in general may reflect poorly on you as an applicant or get in the way of you expressing your ideas clearly.

And finally, sometimes the whole thing really is just a crapshoot, so don't beat yourself up too much. Luck is a huge factor in admissions, and there are even hidden criteria that med schools use such as ethnicity or other demographic parameters that applicants cannot control. I only wish people in the admissions committee could know how difficult it can be for people in these kinds of situations, and how much it wears down a person psychologically. But I don't think anyone can truly understand unless they're going through it themselves.

I'm sure you'll find a school that takes you when you decide to reapply. Perhaps for your next round, be more strict in deciding what schools you apply to instead of casting a general net to what you consider "low-mid tier schools."

I got an R/Q on the mcat writing section. When I type online on these forums I tend to do so colloquially. I am also quite lazy with respect to thinking( on these forums) with regards to grammar/language, and so I just let whatever comes out, come out. I am much more careful and deliberate for my medical school related work.

Along with my gpa/mcat, I had more community service/ hospital work for the cycle.

Thank you for your input. I will reply back when I get some answers hopefully. Perhaps, it is my interviewing...