Do I send a fifth (and final) app cycle?

[PickaGodnPray]

I am looking for advice on a reapplication to judge if it is worth giving the application process one final go. Brutal honesty welcome and greatly encouraged.

Demographics: Michigan, nontrad, ORM

Stats: 3.85 GPA sci 3.78 MCAT 512 (expired last cycle)>515 (128, 127, 129, 131)

Previous application (4th overall application cycle) schools: Albany, Einstein, Rosalind Franklin, Hofstra, Drexel, Emory, Dartmouth, George Washington, Loyola, New York Medical College, OSU, Penn State, Vermont, Sidney Kimmel, Brown, Tufts, Virginia Common Wealth, Wake Forest, Rochester, Colorado, Wayne(WL), Oakland, Western, Umich(WL), MSU MD and DO (Will expand more into DO next cycle if I do choose to apply)

ECs: Shadowing (55 hours)
Clinical volunteer: EMT (400 hrs), Hospital volunteer (400hrs), Hospice (600 hrs)
Research full time for 5 years (7 publications-2 first author-, 5 presentations, 1 R03 grant, 1 R01 grant, outstanding mentor award), summer internship in China (10 weeks)
Other volunteer: TA and tutor (250 hrs), science Olympiad (50 hrs), Camp Counselor for individuals with developmental disability (300 hrs), Dance Marathon (50 hours)
Collegiate athlete on varsity 4 years for XC and Track
Hobbies: Weightlifting (4000 hrs)
Club leadership: AED pre-health club 2 years and 1 year executive board for community outreach and mentorship
LORs: 1 from current PI, 2 from science professors, 1 non science professor, 1 from physician I shadowed

My essays talked a lot about combining my passions for patient care/advocacy, research to improve future quality of life and expand treatment options for patients, and mentorship/teaching. I was pursuing the route of academic medicine but was open to other paths as well. Additionally, I desire to work within the community for those with developmental disability as a physician, which is where my research lies, but was clear I am open to numerous specialties in order to do so. Essays were looked at by current med students, physicians, and faculty.

Again any advice or suggestions is greatly appreciated, for some reason I just can't seem to give up on this path as much as I desperately want to.

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[Rebel2020#1]

What kind of feedback have you received? With your stats you should have been a shoe in.

 

[Faha]

You could still receive an acceptance from Wayne State and U Michigan. If you reapply, include these DO schools:
MSUCOM
MU-COM
CCOM
DMU-COM
ATSU-KCOM
KCU-COM
AZCOM
TUNCOM
CUSOM
WVSOM
PCOM (all schools)
LECOM (all schools)
Touro-NY
NYITCOM

 

[PickaGodnPray]

What kind of feedback have you received? With your stats you should have been a shoe in.

Overall I received 7 interviews with mixed success on my end, but only one went poorly, the rest were average or well above average. In terms of actual feedback, after my first interview with Umich they said "I don't know why you didn't get in, you scored incredibly high from all of your MMI's and interviewers who thought you were a perfect fit for our program" which resulted in me being placed on their low tier waitlist. Last cycle the feedback they had consisted of "I don't know why you didn't get offered an interview, I would have flagged you for one" which later turned into a conversation about getting a masters which I do not have the money for as I have to account for my own families financial well being and being able to support them.
Other feedback I received from MSUCHM was that I needed more service hours two cycles ago which was the same advice given to me by OUWB. Since I have bumped up those hours, I have not received an interview from either and they have not provided me with helpful feedback since besides "I don't know" or "We cannot provide feedback to you at this time".
I know a common thing people have brought up is questioning my interview skills when asking for advice but I have done prep with individuals currently in medical school, current faculty, physicians, and adcoms who have told me my interview skills are strong. I know I always have room to improve and am actively dedicating the time to do so, I just don't believe that to be the cause of my failed applications.

 

[Mr.Smile12]

Maybe I missed it. What are your service orientation activities? You have applied so many times so can you highlight the activities you did since graduation or within the last 2 years? Given you feedback needing more service activities, what did you do in response? Clearly it wasn't enough for a return interview.

Ann Arbor has a good record with former athletes so they should know what they are doing. (A masters???) Crossing fingers.

Supporting Prehealth Athlete Applicants: A Conversation with 2024 Advisor of the Year James Wasco, MD - SDN

The Student Doctor Network provides free tools, resources, and advising services to help students become health professionals.

www.studentdoctor.net

 

[whichbreath]

How many schools did you apply each cycle? Your 4th cycle only had 25 MD schools, which isn't enough for a high chance to get in somewhere.

Maybe also consider replacing a professor letter with another physician letter, they already know you are good at academics and research.

And are you a PhD student or already graduated, or just have a research job?

 

[PickaGodnPray]

Maybe I missed it. What are your service orientation activities? You have applied so many times so can you highlight the activities you did since graduation or within the last 2 years? Given you feedback needing more service activities, what did you do in response? Clearly it wasn't enough for a return interview.

Ann Arbor has a good record with former athletes so they should know what they are doing. (A masters???) Crossing fingers.

Supporting Prehealth Athlete Applicants: A Conversation with 2024 Advisor of the Year James Wasco, MD - SDN

The Student Doctor Network provides free tools, resources, and advising services to help students become health professionals.

www.studentdoctor.net

Since graduating I started the hospice volunteer position and have continued it for three years. About 250 hours from the hospital have come in the last three years as well in pediatrics and internal medicine. My EMT position started in the last two years but I am not able to continue doing it as I do not have the time working full time to volunteer for 12 hour shifts. Science Olympiad is new as of last year and I continue to do it now so project ~100 hours if applying again. The camp counselor position I did for two years (~225 hours) after graduating but could not swing it this last year.

As for the masters, it would be a step down from the level of work within my lab I am currently doing and I am not sure if putting my family in that amount of debt for a degree I will not use is worth it.

 

[Mr.Smile12]

So there's nothing (recent) under the categories similar to food distribution, shelter volunteer, job/tax preparation, legal support, transportation services, or housing rehabilitation?

I'm surprised at the suggestion of a master's degree. That means somehow there is concern about the science rigor in your academic history because I wouldn't suggest anyone take on a special master's program with a 3.7x science GPA unless I felt one's overall science prep was very weak... but then you could take upper-division biomedical courses (microbio, genetics, physiology).

Hope something works for you. Trust the process.

 

[PickaGodnPray]

How many schools did you apply each cycle? Your 4th cycle only had 25 MD schools, which isn't enough for a high chance to get in somewhere.

Maybe also consider replacing a professor letter with another physician letter, they already know you are good at academics and research.

And are you a PhD student or already graduated, or just have a research job?

I should have been more picky about the schools I applied to and would do that this time around. I don't have the money to apply to more than ~30 at a time and save up all year so that I can apply to the ones that I do. This time around, with the current cost of living as it is, I won't have the ability to apply to more than I did this year so will narrow my focus and apply to schools under my stat range.

I will replace the letter with another physician that I worked with, thank you for the advice.

I currently hold the title of a research staff technician, however, I am not working in this capacity. My role is that of a graduate student or post doc currently as I am actively designing and conducting the experiments independently in the lab. Job title doesn't match as I don't have the PhD that would allow for it.

 

[whichbreath]

I should have been more picky about the schools I applied to and would do that this time around. I don't have the money to apply to more than ~30 at a time and save up all year so that I can apply to the ones that I do. This time around, with the current cost of living as it is, I won't have the ability to apply to more than I did this year so will narrow my focus and apply to schools under my stat range.

I will replace the letter with another physician that I worked with, thank you for the advice.

I currently hold the title of a research staff technician, however, I am not working in this capacity. My role is that of a graduate student or post doc currently as I am actively designing and conducting the experiments independently in the lab. Job title doesn't match as I don't have the PhD that would allow for it.

Yes, physicians like to hear from other physicians is what I've heard.

Also, you should definitely look below your MCAT score as well. It looks like your list has some that you could replace with lower mcat schools which would be happy to have you (replace Einstein, Brown, etc.). You don't have to remove them all but definitely look below your stat as well.

 

[PickaGodnPray]

So there's nothing (recent) under the categories similar to food distribution, shelter volunteer, job/tax preparation, legal support, transportation services, or housing rehabilitation?

I'm surprised at the suggestion of a master's degree. That means somehow there is concern about the science rigor in your academic history because I wouldn't suggest anyone take on a special master's program with a 3.7x science GPA unless I felt one's overall science prep was very weak... but then you could take upper-division biomedical courses (microbio, genetics, physiology).

Hope something works for you. Trust the process.

I have begun volunteer work as a GED tutor at a local shelter, but that only started earlier this year and I don't have significant hours. I will have ~75-100 hours by the time I apply if I do so.

 

[Mr.Smile12]

Do whatever you can and help wherever the shelter needs help, including outside the GED tutoring. Remember, tutoring is an academic activity that every prehaalth student has.