High stats applicant-should I reapply this cycle or wait?

[Jaigantic]

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Hello, all.

Unfortunately, it doesn't look like I will be matriculating to a medical school this upcoming semester so I wanted some input from you all on whether or not I should reapply this upcoming cycle or hold off. This past cycle I applied to around 28 schools, received one II which culminated in one waitlist which I am still waiting on. I am quite sure that the reason for my difficulties is because I am a non canadian international student.

Some background:
When I applied the first time my MCAT was 516, sGPA: ~3.96, cGPA: ~3.97. This time around I will have technically lower stats as my sGPA will have dropped to around a 3.94 or so. I don't know if this difference will even matter but I suppose it is a downward trend. I have several hundred hours of both clinical and non clinical volunteering, several thousand hours of research, around 60 hours of shadowing. The only difference between this upcoming cycle and the last cycle will be that I have more volunteering and research hours and a slightly lower GPA. That being said, I want to know if it would be foolish to reapply as I would likely have similar if not lower chances of gaining admissions. The only problem is that I don't know what I could do to strengthen my application as my biggest deficiency is my international status and there's really nothing I could do about that. During my gap year, I would likely get a job in a lab.

Supposing money wasn't an obstacle, would it be worth a shot to reapply given all this or should I wait to really bolster my application somehow? I'm not sure of the possible downside of reapplying only to fail again. Do some schools only allow you to apply a certain amount of times? Do multiple application cycles reflect poorly given my relatively high metrics?

Thanks in advance!

 

[Goro]

Hello, all.

Unfortunately, it doesn't look like I will be matriculating to a medical school this upcoming semester so I wanted some input from you all on whether or not I should reapply this upcoming cycle or hold off. This past cycle I applied to around 28 schools, received one II which culminated in one waitlist which I am still waiting on. I am quite sure that the reason for my difficulties is because I am a non canadian international student.

Some background:
When I applied the first time my MCAT was 516, sGPA: ~3.96, cGPA: ~3.97. This time around I will have technically lower stats as my sGPA will have dropped to around a 3.94 or so. I don't know if this difference will even matter but I suppose it is a downward trend. I have several hundred hours of both clinical and non clinical volunteering, several thousand hours of research, around 60 hours of shadowing. The only difference between this upcoming cycle and the last cycle will be that I have more volunteering and research hours and a slightly lower GPA. That being said, I want to know if it would be foolish to reapply as I would likely have similar if not lower chances of gaining admissions. The only problem is that I don't know what I could do to strengthen my application as my biggest deficiency is my international status and there's really nothing I could do about that. During my gap year, I would likely get a job in a lab.

Supposing money wasn't an obstacle, would it be worth a shot to reapply given all this or should I wait to really bolster my application somehow? I'm not sure of the possible downside of reapplying only to fail again. Do some schools only allow you to apply a certain amount of times? Do multiple application cycles reflect poorly given my relatively high metrics?

Thanks in advance!

When Adcoms see this, they start wondering "what's wrong with this kid?"

And how could you be so intelligent and yet think that going from a 3.96 to a 3.94 is a "downward trend"? Honestly, this is what gives SDN a bad name!

Did you apply late last cycle?

Rewrite all essays, and see if you can get feedback from Admissions Deans on your rejections.

You may have a bad LOR.

 

[ciestar]

State of residence. School list.
When were you complete at schools?

All important things to answer

 

[TheVisionary]

State of residence. School list.
When were you complete at schools?

All important things to answer

OP is a non-Canadian intl. According to MSAR only 49 US schools let intl's not from Canada apply. I'm going to assume OP did his or her HW and looked for schools that are intl-friendly (i.e. Loma Linda and Yale have ~10% intl students). With 28 schools applied to, I'm going to assume OP applied pretty broadly as well. I at least hope they did these two things, along with an early app!

OP, gl on the WLs and with your future app. I think I agree with trying to think outside the box. You have the stats but maybe try to get some "it" factor to make you more desirable than Canadian intl's and US students. I'm sorry you have this uphill path.

 

[Jaigantic]

When Adcoms see this, they start wondering "what's wrong with this kid?"

And how could you be so intelligent and yet think that going from a 3.96 to a 3.94 is a "downward trend"? Honestly, this is what gives SDN a bad name!

Did you apply late last cycle?

Rewrite all essays, and see if you can get feedback from Admissions Deans on your rejections.

You may have a bad LOR.

Don't you think the fact that I'm international is what would stick out to those adcoms who ask themselves "what's wrong with this kid". At least that way they may know there's no character flaw or other red flag in my app?

And no, I was complete in mid to late July for most schools last cycle. And I don't think it was a bad LOR because at the one interview I had, the interviewer actually read off from 2 or 3 of my letters and told me how my letter writers had such good things to say about me, so I'm assuming they looked at the rest of my letters too. Had they seen a red flag, I doubt they would have invited me for an interview. So do you suggest I apply again this cycle after revising my essays?

State of residence. School list.
When were you complete at schools?

All important things to answer

I have no state of residence since I'm international. My school list was admittedly top heavy with a few mid tier schools but this is because only top schools consider international students for admission. The least competitive schools I applied to were places like Tulane, UIC, and Rosalind Franklin.

Bolster.... strongly
You may need something out of the box beyond stats

But that's just it: I don't know what I can bolster with. Since I graduated, as an international student, I NEED to either work in a field related to my degree or keep studying, and since it's too late to apply to masters programs, I'm left with having to work. I just don't know how I can find that "out of the box" thing given my circumstances.

 

[Jaigantic]

If it makes any difference, a lot of my volunteer activities are in disadvantaged and less-fortunate communities. For example, I volunteer in a hospice and with low-income latino neighborhoods focusing on naturalization for permanent residents (a cruel little irony given that I'm not even a permanent resident), among other things. I don't know if these qualify as "out of the box" but I think they are things that I will capitalize on if I have to reapply, especially given that I have been doing them for over a year now for 100+ hours each.

 

[Goro]

Don't you think the fact that I'm international is what would stick out to those adcoms who ask themselves "what's wrong with this kid". At least that way they may know there's no character flaw or other red flag in my app?

And no, I was complete in mid to late July for most schools last cycle. And I don't think it was a bad LOR because at the one interview I had, the interviewer actually read off from 2 or 3 of my letters and told me how my letter writers had such good things to say about me, so I'm assuming they looked at the rest of my letters too. Had they seen a red flag, I doubt they would have invited me for an interview. So do you suggest I apply again this cycle after revising my essays?

I have no state of residence since I'm international. My school list was admittedly top heavy with a few mid tier schools but this is because only top schools consider international students for admission. The least competitive schools I applied to were places like Tulane, UIC, and Rosalind Franklin.


But that's just it: I don't know what I can bolster with. Since I graduated, as an international student, I NEED to either work in a field related to my degree or keep studying, and since it's too late to apply to masters programs, I'm left with having to work. I just don't know how I can find that "out of the box" thing given my circumstances.

My impressions of internationals is that they need to be superstars, which you already are, AND generally, they seem to be UG students at the parent of the med school. Hence, I don't know how to advise you.

 

[Jaigantic]

My impressions of internationals is that they need to be superstars, which you already are, AND generally, they seem to be UG students at the parent of the med school. Hence, I don't know how to advise you.

Well the med school of the parent school I did my UG in also rejected me. So I don't know either 🙁
Thank you for your help, regardless

 

[DZimmy16]

I go to a medical school in Michigan and there are 3 Canadian students in my class so I find it difficult to believe that your international status is the main cause. Perhaps your personal statement or secondary essays are weak, or maybe you received a bad letter of recommendation? Whatever the case you should definitely contact the school where you interviewed and seek their feedback on how you can improve.

 

[Lawpy]

I go to a medical school in Michigan and there are 3 Canadian students in my class so I find it difficult to believe that your international status is the main cause. Perhaps your personal statement or secondary essays are weak, or maybe you received a bad letter of recommendation? Whatever the case you should definitely contact the school where you interviewed and seek their feedback on how you can improve.

I am quite sure that the reason for my difficulties is because I am a non canadian international student.

OP is a non-Canadian international. The application process is unfortunately unforgiving to these applicants probably because of visa issues that may arise when applying to residency.

OP, I don't have any good advice beyond what the adcoms here have said, but I just want to wish you good luck and hope you get accepted off the waitlist this cycle. If not, I hope you get into medical school in the near future.

 

[DZimmy16]

OP is a non-Canadian international. The application process is unfortunately unforgiving to these applicants probably because of visa issues that may arise when applying to residency.

OP, I don't have any good advice beyond what the adcoms here have said, but I just want to wish you good luck and hope you get accepted off the waitlist this cycle. If not, I hope you get into medical school in the near future.

Super Sorry, I don't know how I missed that. You're completely right. Sorry for the useless reply

 

[onyxbell]

I go to a medical school in Michigan and there are 3 Canadian students in my class so I find it difficult to believe that your international status is the main cause.

Not to harp on a point but yes all int'ls are equal, but some int'ls are more equal than others.

 

[RNthenDoc]

Marry a US citizen and get that sweet citizenship?

 

[RNthenDoc]

Are you proposing to the OP?

SDN would make the WORST dating site I can possibly imagine.

 

[RaspberrySlushy]

If you’re going to have to work in your field, why not wait a cycle so whatever you do for work can become part of your app? Maybe your job, no matter what it is, can set you apart, give you experience, etc. Thrn you could also take the time to rewrite statements/essays and think about your LORs more.

And I don’t necessarily mean a medical-related job. You can make an interesting story or thread out of just about any job that could add dimension to your app.

 

[Jaigantic]

If you’re going to have to work in your field, why not wait a cycle so whatever you do for work can become part of your app? Maybe your job, no matter what it is, can set you apart, give you experience, etc. Thrn you could also take the time to rewrite statements/essays and think about your LORs more.

And I don’t necessarily mean a medical-related job. You can make an interesting story or thread out of just about any job that could add dimension to your app.

My only issue is that I don't know what I can do to set myself apart if I have to work. My only options are things I can do with a Biology degree so like working as a scribe or in a lab or something like that. For that "out of the box" factor, I don't know how I can attain that with one year of research. I don't see that resulting in a publication or at least not soon enough to report it on my application.

 

[Deleted member 750603]

So are we certain it isn't the statement of purpose and activities that are throwing up a red flag?

My understanding is applying to MD/PhD programs is a actually more beneficial for international students. Personally don't know how true that is.

 

[Camou_Cat]

I'm in the same boat as OP! Non-Canadian international student, sitting on 1 WL at an MD school. Fortunately, I applied to DO as well, and I got love from DO programs! I'm happy to run away from being a pre-med with my DO acceptance.
I recommend OP apply this coming cycle instead of waiting for another year, given that medical school application is getting harder each year. Your stats are great. EC seems to be very well-rounded as well. I would add all MD schools that accept internationals, even with 1-3 matriculation, and only apply to DO schools that you want to attend. You will definitely get into DO.
From all the practicing physicians (MD or DO), I've learned that you can do a lot of things as a DO as well!

 

[FroYoOreo]

OP, do you mind posting your ECs? Just curious how many hours of research, volunteer, clinical work you have done.

 

[Jaigantic]

So are we certain it isn't the statement of purpose and activities that are throwing up a red flag?

My understanding is applying to MD/PhD programs is a actually more beneficial for international students. Personally don't know how true that is.

I know you know all this already but other's might find it interesting.

I thought MD/PhD was more selective and even more difficult for international students but I'd love to get more info on that.

OP, do you mind posting your ECs? Just curious how many hours of research, volunteer, clinical work you have done.

My ECs are as follows:
Hospice volunteer in low income community: ~150 hours
Tutor for inner city kids as part of a non-profit organization, also do Spanish translation of organization documents since many parents don't speak english: ~150 hours
Translator with organization that aids permanent residents gain citizenship, work almost exclusively in low-income latino neighborhoods where the clients don't speak english" ~75-100 hours
Biology peer leader/tutor: ~240 hours
ER volunteer: ~210 hours
Research: ~2500 hours, one poster at on campus event, publication in the works but definitely won't be accepted by the time I apply, if I apply this cycle
Hospital guest services volunteer: ~425 hours
Part of a cultural club at my uni: ~150 hours
Shadowing: 60 hours
Misc. awards and scholarships
Hobbies: language learning, bodybuilding, cycling

That is most up to date, when I applied last cycle, most of the activities had about half the hours, with the exception of ER volunteer, guest services volunteer and shadowing. Those stayed the same

 

[RNthenDoc]

Did you apply to KCU?

 

[Jaigantic]

Did you apply to KCU?

Is that an osteopathic school? I can't apply to any DO schools because I wouldn't be able to pay for it. Can't take out loans either. I have an award that will pay for my med school tuition but they only accept MD schools

 

[altblue]

Bruh, you're like me; your numbers are good, but aren't so good that you'll have the stat *****s fawning over you. You need to get the rest of your app in order.

There's no need to apply to DO schools. Low tier MD would be good safeties.

 

[Jaigantic]

Bruh, you're like me; your numbers are good, but aren't so good that you'll have the stat *****s fawning over you. You need to get the rest of your app in order.

There's no need to apply to DO schools. Low tier MD would be good safeties.

Low tier MD schools don't accept international students.

 

[FroYoOreo]

Low tier MD schools don't accept international students.

I think your ECs are great! The only problem might be the lack of character (plz do correct me if I am wrong). Just based on what I read on this forum, it seems top-tier schools are looking for not only superstar students but also people with unique talents. I guess if you can add your quirky hobbies or one-of-a-kind EC to your app that should help you stand out.
Also you can add low-tier schools such as Howard SOM to your list. Although I doubt they will interview you because your high MCAT compared to their median.