I am an ORM from the state of Michigan, planning to apply this cycle (first-time). I am working on my personal statement and will submit my primary application on the first day, with my LORs submitted during June.
I have an average GPA (c 3.65, s 3.55) from the University of Michigan (double-major neuroscience/psychology) with a moderate upward trend (last 3 semesters 3.9+). I graduated in 2018 and have basically been studying full-time for the MCAT since the fall because I knew my MCAT would need to be strong to be competitive. I just got my MCAT score a few days ago and it was a good bit higher than I expected - 522 (132/129/130/131) - I had only been hitting 517-519 in practice and although it was a pleasant surprise, it's made my academic stats a lot more unbalanced. My GPA is on-par for lower-tier schools, but my MCAT is well above the 90th percentile for these schools on MSAR, while for mid or high-tier schools, my GPA is usually <25th percentile but my MCAT hovers around the 90th percentile.
Although I expect to apply broadly to around 35 schools due to the unbalanced stats, I am starting to get worried about my average/weak ECs and LORs. I have checked all the boxes with adequate hours (clinical/non-clinical volunteering, shadowing, teaching, clubs) but I lack some continuity and they are frankly very "cookie-cutter." Additionally, I lack research experience - I only have about 50 hours from when I was a research assistant at a psych lab one summer. Since my ECs in general lack continuity, I'm afraid that I'll only have generic LORs as a result.
I am fairly confident that I will have some success if I were to apply this cycle due to my MCAT score (most likely one of my state schools), but I really think it could also go the other way due to my otherwise unimpressive app. I'm afraid that adcoms will think that my only strength is that I can study and take tests well and won't be convinced of my commitment to medicine aside from the academics.
If I were to take another year off, I plan to work in research full-time (hopefully clinical or mental health-related), as well as add some more clinical volunteering for continuity and some new non-clinical volunteering that reflect my hobbies/passions better (volunteering at 5k runs or as a sports coach for kids, tutoring MCAT/ACT or teaching music, etc.). I expect that these activities will also garner a stronger LOR or two as well in a year's time, and will overall strengthen my application (especially the research experience).
Going to a higher-ranked school would be important to me because of the additional prestige and resources, as well as the (usually) better options in terms of residency options and locations. Getting my MCAT score back has probably also shifted my perspective, since it's opened new doors and might get my app considered by schools that normally wouldn't have. However, I know that an acceptance (even just one!) is never guaranteed even for a stronger applicant, so even if I were to gain more research experience to be more impressive to mid/high ranked schools, it might only have diminishing returns compared to the rest of my app. With all of this said, I'm not sure how to weigh the pros and cons of applying now vs. delaying to make myself more competitive. On the one hand, another year off will almost certainly improve my application across the board and make me more competitive for every school I apply to, but on the other hand I'll also lose another year of my 20s, miss out on a potential year of future salary, as well as delay the inevitable - I'd be entering medical school at 25 years old and be a bit older than most of my classmates, as well as feel a bit "behind" compared to the rest of my peers.
Do you think the potential benefits outweigh the costs here? Thanks in advance!
I have an average GPA (c 3.65, s 3.55) from the University of Michigan (double-major neuroscience/psychology) with a moderate upward trend (last 3 semesters 3.9+). I graduated in 2018 and have basically been studying full-time for the MCAT since the fall because I knew my MCAT would need to be strong to be competitive. I just got my MCAT score a few days ago and it was a good bit higher than I expected - 522 (132/129/130/131) - I had only been hitting 517-519 in practice and although it was a pleasant surprise, it's made my academic stats a lot more unbalanced. My GPA is on-par for lower-tier schools, but my MCAT is well above the 90th percentile for these schools on MSAR, while for mid or high-tier schools, my GPA is usually <25th percentile but my MCAT hovers around the 90th percentile.
Although I expect to apply broadly to around 35 schools due to the unbalanced stats, I am starting to get worried about my average/weak ECs and LORs. I have checked all the boxes with adequate hours (clinical/non-clinical volunteering, shadowing, teaching, clubs) but I lack some continuity and they are frankly very "cookie-cutter." Additionally, I lack research experience - I only have about 50 hours from when I was a research assistant at a psych lab one summer. Since my ECs in general lack continuity, I'm afraid that I'll only have generic LORs as a result.
I am fairly confident that I will have some success if I were to apply this cycle due to my MCAT score (most likely one of my state schools), but I really think it could also go the other way due to my otherwise unimpressive app. I'm afraid that adcoms will think that my only strength is that I can study and take tests well and won't be convinced of my commitment to medicine aside from the academics.
If I were to take another year off, I plan to work in research full-time (hopefully clinical or mental health-related), as well as add some more clinical volunteering for continuity and some new non-clinical volunteering that reflect my hobbies/passions better (volunteering at 5k runs or as a sports coach for kids, tutoring MCAT/ACT or teaching music, etc.). I expect that these activities will also garner a stronger LOR or two as well in a year's time, and will overall strengthen my application (especially the research experience).
Going to a higher-ranked school would be important to me because of the additional prestige and resources, as well as the (usually) better options in terms of residency options and locations. Getting my MCAT score back has probably also shifted my perspective, since it's opened new doors and might get my app considered by schools that normally wouldn't have. However, I know that an acceptance (even just one!) is never guaranteed even for a stronger applicant, so even if I were to gain more research experience to be more impressive to mid/high ranked schools, it might only have diminishing returns compared to the rest of my app. With all of this said, I'm not sure how to weigh the pros and cons of applying now vs. delaying to make myself more competitive. On the one hand, another year off will almost certainly improve my application across the board and make me more competitive for every school I apply to, but on the other hand I'll also lose another year of my 20s, miss out on a potential year of future salary, as well as delay the inevitable - I'd be entering medical school at 25 years old and be a bit older than most of my classmates, as well as feel a bit "behind" compared to the rest of my peers.
Do you think the potential benefits outweigh the costs here? Thanks in advance!
