Help with School List- Reapplicant

[jhuskp]

Reapplicant looking for advice on schools: (I realize I need to cut down this list)

Not URM
Maryland Resident
Applied last cycle to 11 schools (yes, application was late- I was complete at most schools by late October, early November - I plan to get my application in early this time around (June 5)
3 interviews - all rejections

cGPA = 3.72, sGPA = 3.63
MCAT = 2nd time - 13 PS, 8VR, 13 BS = 34Q
1st time - 11 PS, 9 VR, 12 BS= 32P

2 years cancer lab research, no pubs
Shadowing - 50 hrs
Volunteer Hospital - 40 hrs
Free clinic volunteer - 100 hours
Artistic efforts since 11 years old

School List

Reach -
Case Western
Albert Einstein
Boston
Brown
Wake Forest

Others - middle and lower tier
Albany
Cooper Medical
Drexel
EVMS
George Washington
Georgetown
Hofstra
Indiana University (?)
Jefferson
Medical College Wisconsin
NYMC
Oakland
Ohio State
Penn State
SUNY Downstate
Stony Brook
Temple
Commonwealth
University Toledo
U Maryland
U Vermont
VCU
Virginia Tech Carilion
Wayne State
Wright State

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[jhuskp]

Anyone?

 

[semicharmed]

Reapplicant looking for advice on schools: (I realize I need to cut down this list)

Not URM
Maryland Resident
Applied last cycle to 11 schools (yes, application was late- I was complete at most schools by late October, early November - I plan to get my application in early this time around (June 5)
3 interviews - all rejections

cGPA = 3.72, sGPA = 3.63
MCAT = 2nd time - 13 PS, 8VR, 13 BS = 34Q
1st time - 11 PS, 9 VR, 12 BS= 32P

2 years cancer lab research, no pubs
Shadowing - 50 hrs
Volunteer Hospital - 40 hrs
Free clinic volunteer - 100 hours
Artistic efforts since 11 years old

School List

Reach -
Case Western
Albert Einstein
Boston
Brown
Wake Forest

Others - middle and lower tier
Albany
Cooper Medical
Drexel
EVMS
George Washington
Georgetown
Hofstra
Indiana University (?)
Jefferson
Medical College Wisconsin
NYMC
Oakland
Ohio State
Penn State
SUNY Downstate
Stony Brook
Temple
Commonwealth
University Toledo
U Maryland
U Vermont
VCU
Virginia Tech Carilion
Wayne State
Wright State

I think you're in good shape-the GPA could be a little higher, but the MCAT makes up for it (make sure your PS is very well edited to best your VR a little). Very long school list, will be expensive. Some of these schools get 8k+ applications (Georgetown, etc), and it may be hard to stand out at these places with your stats. UMD should be a good target, spend some time on this application.

The "LizzyM" score ((10 x GPA) + MCAT) is a good way to do school selection (compare your score with the scores of each school using the institutional averages).

Early submission=MUCH better chance. Good luck bud.

 

[Mazdave]

Your list looks pretty good. Getting things in early will be a huge help this time, plus it would probably also help you to get someone who will be brutally honest with you (not a friend or family member) to do a mock interview and help you brush up on those skills. Were these interviews all waitlists that never became anything or were they all outright post-interview rejections? If it's the second one, definitely get serious help on your interviewing before interview season starts.

Thoughts on your schools:
Brown takes a large percentage of its class from its BS/MD program, so the number of MD-only spots is not that large.
Definitely get rid of Indiana, and possibly Cooper (not sure how strong their IS preference is)
If you're looking to replace a school, check out Cincinnati.
Make sure that every school you apply to is one you'd be willing to attend if accepted -- figure out now which ones if any are in locations you couldn't stand and cross them off.

 

[jhuskp]

Thanks. I definitely think I had problems with interviewing skills, that's one thing I'm going to work on over the summer (I had no waitlists, just straight out rejections), and I've had at least 6 people check over my personal statement (writing center advisors, my college pre- professional advisor, and family members).

About location - I really have been picking schools based on their OOS interview rate (must be around 7%) and MCAT and GPA scores. I feel that, as such an average applicant, I cannot afford to be choosy about location, student life, or other such factors.

I'm still considering DO, but I would really like to get into MD due to greater opportunities for residency. Should I be considering DO more carefully because of my reapplicant status/ averageness?

 

[semicharmed]

Thanks. I definitely think I had problems with interviewing skills, that's one thing I'm going to work on over the summer (I had no waitlists, just straight out rejections), and I've had at least 6 people check over my personal statement (writing center advisors, my college pre- professional advisor, and family members).

About location - I really have been picking schools based on their OOS interview rate (must be around 7%) and MCAT and GPA scores. I feel that, as such an average applicant, I cannot afford to be choosy about location, student life, or other such factors.

I'm still considering DO, but I would really like to get into MD due to greater opportunities for residency. Should I be considering DO more carefully because of my reapplicant status/ averageness?

Good advice about the interview practice. I went a little overboard and downloaded one of these "100 most asked medical school interview questions lists" and practiced with it.

I think you're going to be fine-the early application is going to help a lot, many med schools fill up 30-50% of their class by early december. You have good numbers and seem like a well-adjusted person. I don't know if your schools have the option, but I know at some institutions (mainly your state schools), if you interviewed and were not accepted you can meet with an admissions committee rep after your rejection and he/she can go over what you can do to improve and even tell you what the opinion of the committee was. This could be worth investigating.

It's never a bad thing to consider all options, but I would be surprised if you didn't get in somewhere with such a broad range of schools. Apply to 20+ if you're worried, I don't think serious anxiety towards DO is merited.

 

[nBeeDee]

I think you should have many more interview this cycle with your improved MCAT and early submission. As for cutting down schools, I think Indiana and Wright State (and to a lesser extent Wayne State) have heavy IS preferences and may be hard getting into unless you have ties to those states. Also Boston U, like someone said before about Georgetown, gets 10k+ applications and people of all stats have no guarantee in even getting an interview there.

In my opinion, I don't believe you need to apply to DO schools. It may be worth sending out apps to more MD schools instead if you are worried. Regardless, if you are interested in adding more "safety" (ha!) MD schools or even DO schools, you can check out my school list http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=918340 (shameless plug). I am a reapplicant for this cycle with similar stats to yours and you may find ideas from my list. If you say what the heck and apply to DO as well, you would have the best shot at schools regionally close to you like PCOM, VCOM, LECOM, and UMDNJ.

Also side question, I creeped on your MD apps and saw that you got an interview to South Dakota last cycle. Do you have ties to that state which helped you get an interview or do you think that is a school worth applying to for someone with average stats?

 

[jhuskp]

I grew up in South Dakota - so I did have strong in-state ties. They don't grant an interview to anyone without in state ties. I actually spoke to the dean of admissions after my rejection, and he said that the only reason I didn't get in was due to my inability to demonstrate the desire to serve in SD.

 

[Mazdave]

7% is a low OOS cutoff -- Catalystik recommends 15%. Keep in mind that if you apply DO, many DO schools require a letter from a DO you shadowed, so you should get that ASAP. I would also make sure you have a good answer to any questions about what you've improved in your app since last cycle, which I understand is a pretty common question for reapplicants.