Haven't received a single interview invite from any of the schools that I applied to. Completed all my secondaries in July. Should I worry?

[Blue Lion]

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LizzyM of 64. Re-applicant with a two year gap year. Don't know what's going on but all I have gotten over the past three months is just two rejections, and then complete silence from the schools that I applied to in July. Should I start to worry? For the record this is 2 out of 24 schools.

 

[yogglo]

Did you apply DO? That LizzyM is kinda low for md

 

[Blue Lion]

Did you apply DO? That LizzyM is kinda low for md

I did. And also it's low on the GPA side because my first year and a half went poorly because of bad health (which I wrote about). And then improved much more with the last two years and postbacc, but it only did so much.

I also applied to schools that were within my range through MCAT scores as well. And have a really diverse and solidified list of experiences, with a lot of work put into both my essays, and making sure I could be as helpful as could with my letters of recommendation.

As a reapplicant, I honestly did everything I could to improve my application.

 

[yogglo]

Tbh I think your fine for now then. If you don’t have a ii by nov then its time to look at jobs for the next year I think to beef up the app

 

[Blue Lion]

Tbh I think your fine for now then. If you don’t have a ii by nov then its time to look at jobs for the next year I think to beef up the app

By November, do you mean end of it or beginning of it? (Since the beginning is in a couple of days)

 

[deleted995978]

I’m in the same boat as you and am also starting to get worried. Did you get any interviews last cycle?


Sent from my iPhone using SDN

 

[kingdomheart]

By November, do you mean end of it or beginning of it? (Since the beginning is in a couple of days)

Definitely means around thanksgiving, which seems to be the general consensus here.

 

[Blue Lion]

I’m in the same boat as you and am also starting to get worried. Did you get any interviews last cycle?


Sent from my iPhone using SDN

Nope. But I did a lot to improve:

• Got my MCAT up from a 503 to a 509.
• Got my GPA up from a 2.7 to a 3.23 through postbacc classes.
• Did over 200 hours at my clinical job.
• Did over 50 hours of regular volunteering (already had 500 previously so I felt like I could go a bit lighter on this)
• Had more science professors write my letters of recommendation.
• Got all my secondaries done early, and my primary verified on the first day possible.
• Answered all my primary and secondary questions (not the essays) in as great of detail as possible.
• Poured my heart, soul, and effort into my personal statement and secondary essay questions.

As I said above, I literally don't know what else I could do to improve my application. And before anyone thinks it, I already had a over 100 credit hours of science courses in my previous application, up to 130 with this one.

Like, I've literally followed every pre-med/re-applicant checklist. My GPA has sort of leveled off so any more classes I take won't really help that much. And this will have been my third time retaking my MCAT, so I don't think an additional remake to get my score into the tens will be looked upon positively.

 

[Blue Lion]

Definitely means around thanksgiving, which seems to be the general consensus here.

Tbh I think your fine for now then. If you don’t have a ii by nov then its time to look at jobs for the next year I think to beef up the app

Gotcha, will do. Do y'all think Letters of Interest work in any way if I were to send some at that time to the schools that had yet to get back to me?

 

[yogglo]

You got your overall science gpa above auto screen which is great, is the sgpa above 3.0 as well? Also that mcat boost is great and I’m surprised you don’t have interviews at a few DO schools already

 

[kingdomheart]

Gotcha, will do. Do y'all think Letters of Interest work in any way if I were to send some at that time to the schools that had yet to get back to me?

Depends on the school, some schools will look at them, others dont bother from what I've seen on this forum. But huge congrats on your improvement thus far, that is impressive and you should be proud of yourself for that. At this point all you can really do is wait and trust the process. Med schools arent going anywhere, and you'll get there.

 

[Blue Lion]

You got your overall science gpa above auto screen which is great, is the sgpa above 3.0 as well? Also that mcat boost is great and I’m surprised you don’t have interviews at a few DO schools already

Science GPA is at a 2.8. I unfortunately took a good amount of science classes to get things out of the way when I first started college, but then hardship came in and being able to perform to the best of my ability in them proved really difficult. The comparison between my science GPA between my first two years and last two years + post bacc is about 2.3 to 3.4 though, it was just a really hard time for me those first couple of years.

Depends on the school, some schools will look at them, others dont bother from what I've seen on this forum. But huge congrats on your improvement thus far, that is impressive and you should be proud of yourself for that. At this point all you can really do is wait and trust the process. Med schools arent going anywhere, and you'll get there.

Sounds good, I will definitely be sure to check in with my pre-med advisor and see what I can do. And thanks, I really appreciate it, I really do. I did do so much to improve my application this cycle and I honestly worked so hard while making sure I worked smart too. I just don't want to waste any more time and money on SMP programs, post-bacc, etc. only for so little difference in my chances to get in to happen.

It just feels so demoralizing at times that a portion of what's considered my potential towards becoming a physician is being so greatly influenced by a couple of bad years that I had that were honestly some of the worst years of my life. Especially given my gradual improvement, I'm just so scared of failing again just because of this one thing that I can't really change.

Also Kingdom Hearts is great and I really hope we get another game soon.

 

[Detective SnowBucket]

What was your final Undergrad cumulative & s GPA? And what is your current GPA for post-bac alone? Your GPA is still pretty low for MD. That low of an sGPA may just be lethal.
Other issue no one has brought up is school list. Could be that even though you applied to schools in range, your list has a lot of schools that simply receive so many applicants that you can't count on an II from them no matter how good your stats are.
Telling us your school list would give some insight

 

[Blue Lion]

What was your final Undergrad cumulative & s GPA? And what is your current GPA for post-bac alone? Your GPA is still pretty low for MD. That low of an sGPA may just be lethal.
Other issue no one has brought up is school list. Could be that even though you applied to schools in range, your list has a lot of schools that simply receive so many applicants that you can't count on an II from them no matter how good your stats are.
Telling us your school list would give some insight

Final sGPA w/Post Bacc: 2.8
Final w/Post Bacc: 3.2
Post-Bacc Alone: 4.0

And I don't really feel comfortable sharing my school list because I feel like that, plus all of the above, may result in the case of TMI. But I will assure you that the ones that I applied to all of have their average and median GPAs and MCATs being between 3.5 and 3.7 and 505 and 511 respectively, nothing greater.

I don't think I can do anything regarding either though because even with increasing grades in my post-bacc, my GPA just started to plateau. And I've retaken the MCAT three times, and I heard the fourth time is when the retakes start to be looked upon negatively.

 

[yogglo]

Final sGPA w/Post Bacc: 2.8
Final w/Post Bacc: 3.2
Post-Bacc Alone: 4.0

And I don't really feel comfortable sharing my school list because I feel like that, plus all of the above, may result in the case of TMI. But I will assure you that the ones that I applied to all of have their average and median GPAs and MCATs being between 3.5 and 3.7 and 505 and 511 respectively, nothing greater.

I don't think I can do anything regarding either though because even with increasing grades in my post-bacc, my GPA just started to plateau. And I've retaken the MCAT three times, and I heard the fourth time is when the retakes start to be looked upon negatively.

i think in your situation it would have been helpful to apply to schools with even lower mcat avgs since they would be more forgiving about sgpa

 

[deleted1011020]

So I'm on a similar boat. LM of 65 and I haven't hear back from any of the schools I've applied to (save for a hold at GW).

I'd say just be patient. We aren't the top applicants so chances are we're going to be in this well into May of next year. It sucks but just try to occupy your mind with other things and like Goro and the other adcoms/faculty recommend, continue on working on your applications.

 

[Blue Lion]

i think in your situation it would have been helpful to apply to schools with even lower mcat avgs since they would be more forgiving about sgpa

I honestly couldn't find anything lower than 505 :/

I hope that my extensive and diverse experiences carry the weight a little bit.

So I'm on a similar boat. LM of 65 and I haven't hear back from any of the schools I've applied to (save for a hold at GW).

I'd say just be patient. We aren't the top applicants so chances are we're going to be in this well into May of next year. It sucks but just try to occupy your mind with other things and like Goro and the other adcoms/faculty recommend, continue on working on your applications.

Stay strong, my friend. For me, it's just that I would like to know what decision I will receive so that I can decide what my next steps are. Because as I said above, the two weak areas for me are my MCAT and GPA, and the reason they were weak because of past experiences making hard for me to perform well, and now I've done all that I've could to improve these metrics, so what else could I possibly do at this point?

 

[Schwifty]

So I had a LM of 67 (higher GPA low MCAT) and only got 1 II before thanksgiving, I got 2 more by Christmas, and then 3 more between January and late march (all DO II) so I wouldn't worry too much just yet.

 

[deleted1011020]

Stay strong, my friend. For me, it's just that I would like to know what decision I will receive so that I can decide what my next steps are. Because as I said above, the two weak areas for me are my MCAT and GPA, and the reason they were weak because of past experiences making hard for me to perform well, and now I've done all that I've could to improve these metrics, so what else could I possibly do at this point?

So I don't think I'm an expert in this arena but what I'm doing is the following:
* applying to anew job (worked as a scribe for several years but now am looking for research positions)
* applying to Master's/SMP programs
* taking post-bacc classes
* volunteering as a translator at free clinics

Between all of that, work, and keeping up with hobbies/side projects im pretty much occupied 24/7. I'd suggest doing something like the above so that you are at the very least building your application.

I get where you're coming from in terms of not knowing what to do next. I also understand that it could all be for nothing if you get an acceptance which is why I'd recommend doing classes you're passionate and interested in so at the very least you're growing intellectually.

Hope this helps.

 

[Blue Lion]

So I had a LM of 67 (higher GPA low MCAT) and only got 1 II before thanksgiving, I got 2 more by Christmas, and then 3 more between January and late march (all DO II) so I wouldn't worry too much just yet.

That makes me feel a lot better. Although not finding out for a while kind of stings though, mostly because I submitted all my stuff early in the hopes of hearing back early so that if these schools didn't want me, I could figure out what I could do to improve within the time between then and the next application cycle. I really don't want to have to wait another two years to apply yet again, so I hope things work out for me like they did for you, and also congratulations on being a medical student!'

So I don't think I'm an expert in this arena but what I'm doing is the following:
* applying to anew job (worked as a scribe for several years but now am looking for research positions)
* applying to Master's/SMP programs
* taking post-bacc classes
* volunteering as a translator at free clinics

Between all of that, work, and keeping up with hobbies/side projects im pretty much occupied 24/7. I'd suggest doing something like the above so that you are at the very least building your application.

I get where you're coming from in terms of not knowing what to do next. I also understand that it could all be for nothing if you get an acceptance which is why I'd recommend doing classes you're passionate and interested in so at the very least you're growing intellectually.

Hope this helps.

Currently doing the first and fourth things (not translating, but other volunteering), but the second and third I honestly don't think it will make much more a difference in my GPA anymore.

Ultimately for me, it honestly feels like I've taken all the science courses my university has to offer that are relevant to the BCPM metric, and that I don't want to really put forth anymore money on classes, unless its for a Master's Degree in some sort of new field so I can grow in terms of job potential.

But I'm interested in hearing from you though, how come you're doing post-bacc AND applying to SMPs as well? Wouldn't your overall GPA end up hitting a plateau in terms of how high it can go as well.

 

[bluepeony]

Did you apply to the newer DO schools? I feel like they would be more forgiving of your low GPAs and multiple MCAT retakes.

 

[bluepeony]

That makes me feel a lot better. Although not finding out for a while kind of stings though, mostly because I submitted all my stuff early in the hopes of hearing back early so that if these schools didn't want me, I could figure out what I could do to improve within the time between then and the next application cycle. I really don't want to have to wait another two years to apply yet again, so I hope things work out for me like they did for you, and also congratulations on being a medical student!'



Currently doing the first and fourth things (not translating, but other volunteering), but the second and third I honestly don't think it will make much more a difference in my GPA anymore.

Ultimately for me, it honestly feels like I've taken all the science courses my university has to offer that are relevant to the BCPM metric, and that I don't want to really put forth anymore money on classes, unless its for a Master's Degree in some sort of new field so I can grow in terms of job potential.

But I'm interested in hearing from you though, how come you're doing post-bacc AND applying to SMPs as well? Wouldn't your overall GPA end up hitting a plateau in terms of how high it can go as well.

The SMP would show up as a separate grad GPA entry. SMPs can also provide a potential linkage or entry into the affiliated program's med school and demonstrate an applicant's ability to succeed in med school courses.

Also the point of doing SMPs and DIY postbaccs isn't to increase the overall GPA per se but to demonstrate upward trend. This is why @Goro usually recommends 30 credits of postbacc work.

 

[Detective SnowBucket]

Final sGPA w/Post Bacc: 2.8
Final w/Post Bacc: 3.2
Post-Bacc Alone: 4.0

And I don't really feel comfortable sharing my school list because I feel like that, plus all of the above, may result in the case of TMI. But I will assure you that the ones that I applied to all of have their average and median GPAs and MCATs being between 3.5 and 3.7 and 505 and 511 respectively, nothing greater.

I don't think I can do anything regarding either though because even with increasing grades in my post-bacc, my GPA just started to plateau. And I've retaken the MCAT three times, and I heard the fourth time is when the retakes start to be looked upon negatively.

The issue I'm pointing out isn't that you're applying to schools out of your stat range, but that you may be applying to schools that you simply have a very low chance of hearing back from. Did you apply to a lot of schools like George(town/washington), Tufts, Albany? There are simply so many people who are in range for their stats that its only a small % of applicants that can get an II when there are 10 000 applications.
Your post UG GPA's are god though, are they all science classes?

Don't worry about outing yourself, you can pretty much post your CV on here. Check these out

WAMC MCAT 515, cgpa 3.81, sgpa 3.78

I’d first like to say thank you for the SDN community! It has been a tremendous help in my MCAT preparation and planning for the next application cycle. I’m somewhat concerned about my lack of research currently. To be honest, I’m unlikely to get much in the next semester before I apply either...

forums.studentdoctor.net

WAMC URM? 3.7cgpa 3.58sgpa

Hi everyone! Long time lurker here and first time posting, so bear with me please :) . Open to any advice as I am taking two gap years upon graduation. Hispanic, Cuban-American (URM? Have read mixed things about this). Fluent in Spanish and English. FL resident. Graduating from a state...

forums.studentdoctor.net

What are my chances? 504 MCAT

Hello! I think this is my second time posting it here, but I have some new updates and worried to death that I might not be able to get into a medical school. Age: turning 23 this year MCAT: 504 (126/124/127/127) cGPA: 3.945 sGPA: 3.984 Ethnicity: Asian (Green card holder) State of residency...

forums.studentdoctor.net

 

[deleted1011020]

That makes me feel a lot better. Although not finding out for a while kind of stings though, mostly because I submitted all my stuff early in the hopes of hearing back early so that if these schools didn't want me, I could figure out what I could do to improve within the time between then and the next application cycle. I really don't want to have to wait another two years to apply yet again, so I hope things work out for me like they did for you, and also congratulations on being a medical student!'



Currently doing the first and fourth things (not translating, but other volunteering), but the second and third I honestly don't think it will make much more a difference in my GPA anymore.

Ultimately for me, it honestly feels like I've taken all the science courses my university has to offer that are relevant to the BCPM metric, and that I don't want to really put forth anymore money on classes, unless its for a Master's Degree in some sort of new field so I can grow in terms of job potential.

But I'm interested in hearing from you though, how come you're doing post-bacc AND applying to SMPs as well? Wouldn't your overall GPA end up hitting a plateau in terms of how high it can go as well.

So post-bacc is just to learn on a topic im interested in + nudge my GPA up a bit. Again, I'm not the master at this and since I receive some grants, the 10 credits I'm taking don't cost all that much.

SMP and Masters applications typically close anywhere from mid-November to next year. It also takes quite a bit of research learning the outcomes of each, the costs of attending one, etc. so I figured better now than later. The SMP is really just to build my CV and further build the skills I believe are crucial for the career I plan to have in medicine.

It might be overkill but im just trying to maximize my time and best prepare myself in the event I dont get in.

 

[Blue Lion]

Did you apply to the newer DO schools? I feel like they would be more forgiving of your low GPAs and multiple MCAT retakes.

I looked at them and a lot have weird, single requirements that disqualify me, or they're just reaaaally far away.

The SMP would show up as a separate grad GPA entry. SMPs can also provide a potential linkage or entry into the affiliated program's med school and demonstrate an applicant's ability to succeed in med school courses.

Also the point of doing SMPs and DIY postbaccs isn't to increase the overall GPA per se but to demonstrate upward trend. This is why @Goro usually recommends 30 credits of postbacc work.

I think what stinks for me is that I did show an upward trend throughout my last two years and postbacc. So I'm just not sure where to go from here without wasting money.

The issue I'm pointing out isn't that you're applying to schools out of your stat range, but that you may be applying to schools that you simply have a very low chance of hearing back from. Did you apply to a lot of schools like George(town/washington), Tufts, Albany? There are simply so many people who are in range for their stats that its only a small % of applicants that can get an II when there are 10 000 applications.
Your post UG GPA's are god though, are they all science classes?

Don't worry about outing yourself, you can pretty much post your CV on here. Check these out

WAMC MCAT 515, cgpa 3.81, sgpa 3.78

I’d first like to say thank you for the SDN community! It has been a tremendous help in my MCAT preparation and planning for the next application cycle. I’m somewhat concerned about my lack of research currently. To be honest, I’m unlikely to get much in the next semester before I apply either...

forums.studentdoctor.net

WAMC URM? 3.7cgpa 3.58sgpa

Hi everyone! Long time lurker here and first time posting, so bear with me please :) . Open to any advice as I am taking two gap years upon graduation. Hispanic, Cuban-American (URM? Have read mixed things about this). Fluent in Spanish and English. FL resident. Graduating from a state...

forums.studentdoctor.net

What are my chances? 504 MCAT

Hello! I think this is my second time posting it here, but I have some new updates and worried to death that I might not be able to get into a medical school. Age: turning 23 this year MCAT: 504 (126/124/127/127) cGPA: 3.945 sGPA: 3.984 Ethnicity: Asian (Green card holder) State of residency...

forums.studentdoctor.net

Fair enough. Here are the schools I did apply to:

Toledo
OSU
Cinncinati
Case Western
Michigan
Michigan State
Michigan State Osteopathy
Central Michigan
Western Michigan
Wayne State
Indiana
Duluth
Rosalind Franklin
Illinois
Southern Illinois
Loyola
FSU
FIU
UCF
Miami
Nova Southeastern
SUNY Upstate
LECOM
PCOM

What do you think? And are there others I should apply to?
And yeah, between post-bacc and my undergrad, about 80% of my courses are science ones. It's just the first two years really messed with me unfortunately.

 

[Blue Lion]

So post-bacc is just to learn on a topic im interested in + nudge my GPA up a bit. Again, I'm not the master at this and since I receive some grants, the 10 credits I'm taking don't cost all that much.

SMP and Masters applications typically close anywhere from mid-November to next year. It also takes quite a bit of research learning the outcomes of each, the costs of attending one, etc. so I figured better now than later. The SMP is really just to build my CV and further build the skills I believe are crucial for the career I plan to have in medicine.

It might be overkill but im just trying to maximize my time and best prepare myself in the event I dont get in.

Oh, did you apply for the grants? Because when I looked for financial aid it was pretty much all loans. If I could find grants for post-bacc classes I would go back to doing them ASAP. If not for the slight increase in GPA, it will at least show I put forth a great effort.

And as someone who went through a whole process of applying to Masters and then ending up going with a post-bacc last year, my piece of advice is that try to find something science-y, but also can help you in job markets as a backup.

I think what I took from SMPs is that they're good if you take them at a school that also has a med school you really want to get into, but I can't really think of what other purpose it would serve. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying it's a negative, as this stuff will always be a positive, I'm more so talking about the costs and benefits of investing both your time and money. When I talked to a bunch of advisers for these programs, not many recommended them to me over post-bacc unless it was for the reason that I stated at the beginning of the paragraph, since I already learned a lot of the material in my undergrad.

But that's pretty much the dilemma that I faced, and am still facing, in how to raise my GPA: you can only learn so much new content.

You're definitely on the right path though. I wish you the best, and I just followed you so I would love to follow up with you later on how things are going. I've really appreciated your responses and look forward to getting to know you further.

 

[deleted1011020]

Oh, did you apply for the grants? Because when I looked for financial aid it was pretty much all loans. If I could find grants for post-bacc classes I would go back to doing them ASAP. If not for the slight increase in GPA, it will at least show I put forth a great effort.

And as someone who went through a whole process of applying to Masters and then ending up going with a post-bacc last year, my piece of advice is that try to find something science-y, but also can help you in job markets as a backup.

I think what I took from SMPs is that they're good if you take them at a school that also has a med school you really want to get into, but I can't really think of what other purpose it would serve. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying it's a negative, as this stuff will always be a positive, I'm more so talking about the costs and benefits of investing both your time and money. When I talked to a bunch of advisers for these programs, not many recommended them to me over post-bacc unless it was for the reason that I stated at the beginning of the paragraph, since I already learned a lot of the material in my undergrad.

But that's pretty much the dilemma that I faced, and am still facing, in how to raise my GPA: you can only learn so much new content.

You're definitely on the right path though. I wish you the best, and I just followed you so I would love to follow up with you later on how things are going. I've really appreciated your responses and look forward to getting to know you further.

I was given grants based on my income (low-income). I did have to pull out 1 loan that was like 1.Xk but I was comfortable with that since I've never had to pull out loans for undergrad luckily.

I'm taking programming classes. Its been a hobby of mine for about 3-4 years now so I figured I'd get formal training as its something I will be integrating into my career in medicine. I'm a non-trad-ish applicant (mid-20's). I'm pretty much dead set on medicine and don't mind it taking whatever amount of years to get in.

I definitely share the same viewpoint on SMP programs. Especially for those that are out-of-pocket, which are for sure not a possibility for me. A lot of people seem to frown upon it but I feel like the best way forward would be to do a masters in something you feel will contribute to your skill set in your career as a physician. They also tend to be about 1/2 the cost of SMP's so

From your post though it seems like you're thinking of not doing medicine as a possible option, which I totally understand. Rather than trying to do it all, I'd honestly just sit down and make a decision as to what you want to do and go all-in.

I've also followed you back, thank you for your input as well, and same goes for you! I'll definitely be updating in each of the school specific threads as I hear back from them.

 

[Blue Lion]

I was given grants based on my income (low-income). I did have to pull out 1 loan that was like 1.Xk but I was comfortable with that since I've never had to pull out loans for undergrad luckily.

I'm taking programming classes. Its been a hobby of mine for about 3-4 years now so I figured I'd get formal training as its something I will be integrating into my career in medicine. I'm a non-trad-ish applicant (mid-20's). I'm pretty much dead set on medicine and don't mind it taking whatever amount of years to get in.

I definitely share the same viewpoint on SMP programs. Especially for those that are out-of-pocket, which are for sure not a possibility for me. A lot of people seem to frown upon it but I feel like the best way forward would be to do a masters in something you feel will contribute to your skill set in your career as a physician. They also tend to be about 1/2 the cost of SMP's so

From your post though it seems like you're thinking of not doing medicine as a possible option, which I totally understand. Rather than trying to do it all, I'd honestly just sit down and make a decision as to what you want to do and go all-in.

I've also followed you back, thank you for your input as well, and same goes for you! I'll definitely be updating in each of the school specific threads as I hear back from them.

Man, I wish programming counted towards the Math portion of BCPM GPAs. While it's in itself not arithmetic, most of the properties behind it are.

And pretty much share your concerns with paying for SMPs. It really does feel like all too much at times when it comes to what to pay for in order to better your application. On the bright side, it seems like you have another field your interested in to go along with medicine!

As for me, I was at first in that train of thought of moving onto something else if this year's cycle doesn't work out, but after this past week, I don't know...
On one hand, seeing all of my friends out of college working these really fun, well-paying jobs seems so nice and I would love to join them. Then this week more feelings started coming up (mostly because even with all the work I'm doing, I'm just kind of so bored with everything: my hobbies, my social life (most of my friends from the area moved away), and my daily routine), that it really made me want to become a physician, especially after getting this far.

I think I'm going to have some personal reflection this week, because I think I know now that I really want to become a physician. But I just turned 25 too, and I also really don't want to continue chasing after all these random things, and putting time and money into them just to marginally improve my application, you know?

 

[Faha]

I suggest adding these DO schools this week:
MU-COM
BCOM
UIWSOM
ARCOM
NYIT-ARKANSAS
ACOM
WCU-COM
LMU-DCOM
UP-KYCOM
WVSOM
LUCOM
ICOM
PCOM Georgia or South Georgia
With your sGPA of 2.8 you should apply to many DO schools and hope you are not screened out.

 

[deleted1011020]

Man, I wish programming counted towards the Math portion of BCPM GPAs. While it's in itself not arithmetic, most of the properties behind it are.

And pretty much share your concerns with paying for SMPs. It really does feel like all too much at times when it comes to what to pay for in order to better your application. On the bright side, it seems like you have another field your interested in to go along with medicine!

As for me, I was at first in that train of thought of moving onto something else if this year's cycle doesn't work out, but after this past week, I don't know...
On one hand, seeing all of my friends out of college working these really fun, well-paying jobs seems so nice and I would love to join them. Then this week more feelings started coming up (mostly because even with all the work I'm doing, I'm just kind of so bored with everything: my hobbies, my social life (most of my friends from the area moved away), and my daily routine), that it really made me want to become a physician, especially after getting this far.

I think I'm going to have some personal reflection this week, because I think I know now that I really want to become a physician. But I just turned 25 too, and I also really don't want to continue chasing after all these random things, and putting time and money into them just to marginally improve my application, you know?

Let me know how it goes and remember if you ever need help or are feeling depressed the best thing to do is to reach out for counseling ASAP.

Unfortunately the process does take money but thats with pretty much with anything in life. What really matters in the end of the day is if its worth it to you.

 

[ciestar]

I looked at them and a lot have weird, single requirements that disqualify me, or they're just reaaaally far away.



I think what stinks for me is that I did show an upward trend throughout my last two years and postbacc. So I'm just not sure where to go from here without wasting money.



Fair enough. Here are the schools I did apply to:

Toledo
OSU
Cinncinati
Case Western
Michigan
Michigan State
Michigan State Osteopathy
Central Michigan
Western Michigan
Wayne State
Indiana
Duluth
Rosalind Franklin
Illinois
Southern Illinois
Loyola
FSU
FIU
UCF
Miami
Nova Southeastern
SUNY Upstate
LECOM
PCOM

What do you think? And are there others I should apply to?
And yeah, between post-bacc and my undergrad, about 80% of my courses are science ones. It's just the first two years really messed with me unfortunately.

With your GPA, you need a LOT more DO schools. Not sure what state you’re a resident of, but, many of these were donations.

 

[DokterMom]

Science GPA is at a 2.8. I unfortunately took a good amount of science classes to get things out of the way when I first started college, but then hardship came in and being able to perform to the best of my ability in them proved really difficult. The comparison between my science GPA between my first two years and last two years + post bacc is about 2.3 to 3.4 though, it was just a really hard time for me those first couple of years.

Are you saying that your most recent science coursework (add up everything taken in the past 2-3 years) was at a 3.4 SGPA? Because that would cause me some concern... If that's not what you're saying, can you please clarify? I know you started off with some pretty low science marks -- What have they been since you rebounded?

 

[mmchick]

I don't know.. I don't buy in to the whole SDN hype of worrying so early in the game, especially if you aren't as rockstar as some other SDNers like to make themselves out to be. The cycle is long. Quite long. It is totally possible you've been internally held by some schools which are electing to look at you at a later date. Likely they're searching for all the rockstar applicants as early on as possible while filling in the gaps that come with withdrawn interviews/acceptances later through the year. Don't fret. It's only October.

 

[Blue Lion]

Are you saying that your most recent science coursework (add up everything taken in the past 2-3 years) was at a 3.4 SGPA? Because that would cause me some concern... If that's not what you're saying, can you please clarify? I know you started off with some pretty low science marks -- What have they been since you rebounded?

Actually it'd be about 3.5, but you were right. Every year I went up more from B+ average to A- average, to finally an A average. I'm confused, why you would be concerned though? Most of the schools I applied to have their science GPA averages be between 3.5 and 3.7.

I don't know.. I don't buy in to the whole SDN hype of worrying so early in the game, especially if you aren't as rockstar as some other SDNers like to make themselves out to be. The cycle is long. Quite long. It is totally possible you've been internally held by some schools which are electing to look at you at a later date. Likely they're searching for all the rockstar applicants as early on as possible while filling in the gaps that come with withdrawn interviews/acceptances later through the year. Don't fret. It's only October.

This is how I've been thinking about it. Especially since my application is a unique case and that some of the schools I applied to early on have already sent out rejections, but I wasn't one to receive a rejection from these schools.

 

[CardioEnthusio15]

I am sorry but the reason you have no success so far is because your school list your school list is too MD heavy. Also, some of the schools are, for a lack of a better word, out of your league. From your list, I could guess what state you are from ,which explains why you applied to OSU, Cinncinati, Case, Illinois, Michigan, Indiana, and Duluth. But I am afraid these schools are not within your reach. They have too high of a median MCAT and some are public. You must be from Michigan but I wouldn’t apply to U Mich with your stats unless you have something phenomenal that we don’t know about. Luckily, the DO cycle is much longer so you still have time to apply to a few more. I’ll go with Faha’s list. From your list, You might get some luck with MSU, Rosalind, Wayne, Novac Central Michigan and the DO school. As a reinventor, you cant really be choosy and apply more broadly for DO. Prepare for a backup plan in case you don’t get in anywhere this year. I would ask @Goro to help you create a better school list in case you have to reapply. Good luck with the rest of the cycle.

 

[Blue Lion]

I am sorry but the reason you have no success so far is because your school list your school list is too MD heavy. Also, some of the schools are, for a lack of a better word, out of your league. From your list, I could guess what state you are from ,which explains why you applied to OSU, Cinncinati, Case, Illinois, Michigan, Indiana, and Duluth. But I am afraid these schools are not within your reach. They have too high of a median MCAT and some are public. You must be from Michigan but I wouldn’t apply to U Mich with your stats unless you have something phenomenal that we don’t know about. Luckily, the DO cycle is much longer so you still have time to apply to a few more. I’ll go with Faha’s list. From your list, You might get some luck with MSU, Rosalind, Wayne, Novac Central Michigan and the DO school. As a reinventor, you cant really be choosy and apply more broadly for DO. Prepare for a backup plan in case you don’t get in anywhere this year. I would ask @Goro to help you create a better school list in case you have to reapply. Good luck with the rest of the cycle.

Ohio actually, but yeah.

And I was about to post this, but I really have done my research on DO schools. So many won't look at my application because I have a C- in one of my prerequisites, or because I don't have a letter of recommendation from a DO, or because my science GPA isn't above 3.0. And if it's not that, the schools that I can apply to are either extremely far away from my family, who I need to be around for personal reasons (college states above are either close to family or have family in them), are twice or three times as expensive as medical school, or both.

 

[Blue Lion]

And I want to continue my previous posts to all of the above who keep saying DO. Almost all the schools I listed (almost all, but NOT all) I'm within the average range of their MCAT scores, and I put large amounts of effort and heart for my letters of recommendation, my clinical experience, my volunteer experience, my essays, and making sure that all the answers I gave in my applications were as eloquent as possible.

I did a 30 credit post-bacc at the recommendation of my advisers, acknowledged resources, and the people on here, and received a 4.0 in it, with it all being science courses. So what else can I do to improve my application then? Because my GPA pretty much plateaued at a certain point with my post-bacc courses, and that's the only thing that really seems to be to my detriment here.

Or does not performing well because of the hardship that I faced in my first couple of years, of which I made sure to discuss in my personal statement, negate my application? After all, in addition to the recommendation of post-bacc, what everyone else told me is that upward trends are considered often.

Let me know how it goes and remember if you ever need help or are feeling depressed the best thing to do is to reach out for counseling ASAP.

Unfortunately the process does take money but thats with pretty much with anything in life. What really matters in the end of the day is if its worth it to you.

Thanks man, I appreciate it. It's just upsetting being recommended something by so many people, doing it, then coming back and apparently it wasn't enough.

 

[DokterMom]

And I was about to post this, but I really have done my research on DO schools. So many won't look at my application because I have a C- in one of my prerequisites, or because I don't have a letter of recommendation from a DO

How is it that you don't have a letter of recommendation from a DO? That's an easy box to check.

Have you retaken the C-?

I did a 30 credit post-bacc at the recommendation of my advisers, acknowledged resources, and the people on here, and received a 4.0 in it, with it all being science courses.

And if you had 30 credits of 4.0 science post-bac (that's one full year, right?) and you were still only at a 3.5 science GPA, that implies your last science prior to post-bac was at a 3.0? Or is my math wrong?

 

[ciestar]

And I want to continue my previous posts to all of the above who keep saying DO. Almost all the schools I listed (almost all, but NOT all) I'm within the average range of their MCAT scores, and I put large amounts of effort and heart for my letters of recommendation, my clinical experience, my volunteer experience, my essays, and making sure that all the answers I gave in my applications were as eloquent as possible.

I did a 30 credit post-bacc at the recommendation of my advisers, acknowledged resources, and the people on here, and received a 4.0 in it, with it all being science courses. So what else can I do to improve my application then? Because my GPA pretty much plateaued at a certain point with my post-bacc courses, and that's the only thing that really seems to be to my detriment here.

Or does not performing well because of the hardship that I faced in my first couple of years, of which I made sure to discuss in my personal statement, negate my application? After all, in addition to the recommendation of post-bacc, what everyone else told me is that upward trends are considered often.



Thanks man, I appreciate it. It's just upsetting being recommended something by so many people, doing it, then coming back and apparently it wasn't enough.

The average of your MCAT scores? Many schools will average your scores so that is something to keep in mind.

Does it suck? Absolutely it sucks. All that hardwork you’ve put in and it feels like it was for nothing. Unfortunately, schools (and im noticing now, residencies) can be picky. They have more than enough people to fill those spots. It sucks mistakes we made when we were much younger were held against us. It sucks more when people are in positions like your’s, where an SMP is a great, but mega expensive option.

That is why so many people also said DO. They tend to be more forgiving and reward reinvention more than MD schools do.

 

[ciestar]

How is it that you don't have a letter of recommendation from a DO? That's an easy box to check.

Have you retaken the C-?



And if you had 30 credits of 4.0 science post-bac (that's one full year, right?) and you were still only at a 3.5 science GPA, that implies your last science prior to post-bac was at a 3.0? Or is my math wrong?

I couldnt get a DO letter when i applied either.

 

[Goro]

Beggars can't be choosy.

As someone who has reinvented themselves, you need to have do schools on your list. Because it's a seller's market, there are plenty of MD schools that can afford to take a pass on you despite your very nice post BAC work.

Not all do schools require a do letter.

 

[Blue Lion]

How is it that you don't have a letter of recommendation from a DO? That's an easy box to check.

Have you retaken the C-?



And if you had 30 credits of 4.0 science post-bac (that's one full year, right?) and you were still only at a 3.5 science GPA, that implies your last science prior to post-bac was at a 3.0? Or is my math wrong?

I have yet to retake the C-. I was going to with my post-bacc, but I couldn't fit it into my 30 hour a week work schedule.
My science GPA was a 2.6.
Then I took 30 credits of post-bacc.
It became a 2.8.

The problem being that most of my credits from undergrad were already science, so these classes would barely make a dent in my science GPA.

The average of your MCAT scores? Many schools will average your scores so that is something to keep in mind.

Does it suck? Absolutely it sucks. All that hardwork you’ve put in and it feels like it was for nothing. Unfortunately, schools (and im noticing now, residencies) can be picky. They have more than enough people to fill those spots. It sucks mistakes we made when we were much younger were held against us. It sucks more when people are in positions like your’s, where an SMP is a great, but mega expensive option.

That is why so many people also said DO. They tend to be more forgiving and reward reinvention more than MD schools do.

When I called all of these schools, they said they just consider the most recent score though? Except for UIC, but I unfortunately figured that out after applying but c'est la vie.
And the idea of DO is a fair one and all, but I did my research on many, including the ones Faha listed and there's always something disqualifying me. I'm still confused as to why DOs are more picky with their requirements than MD schools.

Overall, I get the pickiness, which is why initially I understood why I didn't get in. But to hold the first couple of years over my head as to why I shouldn't get in just feels unreliable given that I have shown improvement and that my poor performance was the result of hardships out of my control.

 

[candbgirl]

I honestly couldn't find anything lower than 505 :/

I hope that my extensive and diverse experiences carry the weight a little.

Nothing carries the weight if nobody sees your application. With a sGPA of 2.8 including your post bacc you are probably being screened out at MD schools. Who told you to select schools within the range of 3.5-37? Did you average your three MCAT scores? AMCAS rec schools average multiple scores. Not all schools do but ALL of your scores are seen by reviewers so with a 2.8 sGPA and three MCAT scores, some reviewers might not think you are a viable candidate to move forward.

 

[Blue Lion]

Nothing carries the weight if nobody sees your application. With a sGPA of 2.8 including your post bacc you are probably being screened out at MD schools. Who told you to select schools within the range of 3.5-37? Did you average your three MCAT scores? AMCAS rec schools average multiple scores. Not all schools do but ALL of your scores are seen by reviewers so with a 2.8 sGPA and three MCAT scores, some reviewers might not think you are a viable candidate to move forward.

I also called and talked to all the medical schools on my list and they said that they don't screen for science GPAs being lower than a certain amount, and that they don't average MCAT scores and just consider the latest one (UIC being the exception). These aren't things that I didn't take into consideration, I put careful planning into applying to each school. And it's not that I chose schools that fell into the GPA range of 3.5 to 3.7, those were just the GPA averages of the schools where my MCAT fell into their average range. I obviously can't improve further as all of this has plateaued, but at a certain point they should acknowledge that + the upward trend in my performances + the experiences/essays/overall application that I have + the explanation regarding my poor performance the first couple of years as a result of the hardships that I faced.

Again, at this point, I genuinely don't know what I can do to improve my GPA further, not because I don't know what options, but because I've done that math and taking any more courses would do so, SO, little to raise. And my GPA really seems to the main thing that might lead them to exercise caution with my application, I've met with numerous advisers on this matter and have done all I could to improve it, but everything else I have done to enhance upon per their instruction I have done, so what else can I do?

 

[candbgirl]

How did you make that list? SIU is pretty specific in where they geographically pull their students from and Ohio is no place near it. I would also think most if not all of the out of state public schools would be pure donations. They have their own residents with better scores who they will take before you. You only have three DO schools on that list. If you want to be a doctor you are going to have to go where they will take you even if it’s far away. If certain schools won’t look at your application because you have a C- then you retake the class and get an A. If you need a DO letter you find a DO to shadow and get a letter. If you want to be a doctor you do what you have to do.

 

[ciestar]

I agree with you, your GPA has reached that place where additional credits get it to barely budge. Your next options are either get in, and who cares, or, consider an SMP.

 

[candbgirl]

I also called and talked to all the medical schools on my list and they said that they don't screen for science GPAs being lower than a certain amount, and that they don't average MCAT scores and just consider the latest one (UIC being the exception). These aren't things that I didn't take into consideration, I put careful planning into applying to each school. And it's not that I chose schools that fell into the GPA range of 3.5 to 3.7, those were just the GPA averages of the schools where my MCAT fell into their average range. I obviously can't improve further as all of this has plateaued, but at a certain point they should acknowledge that + the upward trend in my performances + the experiences/essays/overall application that I have + the explanation regarding my poor performance the first couple of years as a result of the hardships that I faced.

Again, at this point, I genuinely don't know what I can do to improve my GPA further, not because I don't know what options, but because I've done that math and taking any more courses would do so, SO, little to raise. And my GPA really seems to the main thing that might lead them to exercise caution with my application, I've met with numerous advisers on this matter and have done all I could to improve it, but everything else I have done to enhance upon per their instruction I have done, so what else can I do?

I’ve reread most of your responses. To develop your list based an MCAT scores with no thought to what the average GPAs are is interesting to say the least. I’m sorry for you but you are shooting way too high. The only MD schools on your list should be your state schools. The rest should be new DO schools. This is your second cycle without an interview. Do you think you have some hidden or subconscious feelings against DO schools? Lots of people do so you wouldn’t be alone in those thoughts. But if you do and that’s why you come up with all of these excuses concerning DO schools and requirements you would be wise to reevaluate your ultimate goal. Is it to be a Doctor or is it to be a MD.

Schools can tell you anything about multiple MCAT scores but all of your scores are visible in your file. And nobody can predict what bias a reviewer might have. With a very low sGPA and three MCAT scores there is a possibility that a reviewer just tosses your file. Not saying it happened but people are people.

 

[Blue Lion]

I’ve reread most of your responses. To develop your list based an MCAT scores with no thought to what the average GPAs are is interesting to say the least. I’m sorry for you but you are shooting way too high. The only MD schools on your list should be your state schools. The rest should be new DO schools. This is your second cycle without an interview. Do you think you have some hidden or subconscious feelings against DO schools? Lots of people do so you wouldn’t be alone in those thoughts. But if you do and that’s why you come up with all of these excuses concerning DO schools and requirements you would be wise to reevaluate your ultimate goal. Is it to be a Doctor or is it to be a MD.

Schools can tell you anything about multiple MCAT scores but all of your scores are visible in your file. And nobody can predict what bias a reviewer might have. With a very low sGPA and three MCAT scores there is a possibility that a reviewer just tosses your file. Not saying it happened but people are people.

Well, when my GPA is in no way going to match the average, and my post-bacc being a 4.0 with 30 credits as well as my final two years in undergrad being a 3.5, I feel like using average GPA is not a great comparison metric given my unusual case. And it's not as though I "put no thought" into the GPAs. I weighted everything and made sure not to go above 3.6 average GPAs, with 3.7 being only in a few cases. Anything above was ignored.

And I actually don't have anything against DO schools, if anything, it would be an absolute honor to get into the ones I applied to. But as I stated previously, many of the other ones are either out of my tuition range, way too far away from family (can go far, but not too far, for personal reasons), or disqualify me because of small details in my application.

And that part about the MCAT is true, but I've shown an upward trend. As for bias and the possible of having my application thrown out, that seems like a risk that needs to be taken with everything. I've communicated with these schools, talked to their advisers, talked to the people in their admissions offices, and do status checks on my application over the phone when I can.

I'm dedicated to this and have looked into every possible nook and cranny in regards to what may lead to my application being seen negatively, and have done all that I cooked in order to address that.

And as for my limits, I acknowledge what they are, and am not ashamed of them.

 

[qingcai]

Maybe try reaching out to Dr. Ryan Gray of the podcast "The Premed Years?" He has a channel on youtube where he is looking to speak to applicants who aren't sure what went wrong/ is going wrong with their application. I'm sure he would tell you that you have no reason to worry until around Thanksgiving, but maybe this is something you could look into if you're feeling really anxious. 🙂

 

[candbgirl]

Well good luck and do keep this thread updated with interviews/acceptances.

But remember only 40 percent of MD applicants are accepted every cycle. That means 60 percent are rejected each cycle. Including applicants with stellar applications. Keep up with your volunteering, retake that C- because if you are accepted you’ll have to retake before enrolling at most MD schools.