Hello! I never thought I’d be able to write a post like this—especially after retaking my MCAT last year and dropping from a 50X on my first attempt. I’m an ORM with nothing I’d consider “extraordinary” about my ECs. I took 2 gap years after college, which allowed me to gain solid clinical and research experience, but I had no publications or standout awards.
What I did do well, though, was write a carefully curated and genuinely honest application. I poured a lot into crafting a cohesive narrative, and thankfully, it seems to have resonated with a few MD schools. Somehow, I’m now sitting here with 2 MD acceptances and a T20 waitlist.
I started this cycle absolutely beating myself up over my MCAT. I told myself it was hopeless, but I still applied and gave it everything I had, and I’m so grateful I did.
I'm not writing this to give anyone false hope. In hindsight, I probably should have included a few DO schools on my list. I'm writing this simply to share how things turned out for me and to be a resource for anyone in a similar spot or anyone who's just really stressed about applying.
I am far from a perfect applicant, but I now truly believe that Reddit and SDN can’t fully predict your outcome. They’re useful for gauging school lists, but if I had listened to some of the “rules” floating around, I never would’ve applied to T20s—or maybe even to MD programs at all—and I would’ve missed out on so much.
To future applicants: you can do this. 💛
What I did do well, though, was write a carefully curated and genuinely honest application. I poured a lot into crafting a cohesive narrative, and thankfully, it seems to have resonated with a few MD schools. Somehow, I’m now sitting here with 2 MD acceptances and a T20 waitlist.
I started this cycle absolutely beating myself up over my MCAT. I told myself it was hopeless, but I still applied and gave it everything I had, and I’m so grateful I did.
I'm not writing this to give anyone false hope. In hindsight, I probably should have included a few DO schools on my list. I'm writing this simply to share how things turned out for me and to be a resource for anyone in a similar spot or anyone who's just really stressed about applying.
I am far from a perfect applicant, but I now truly believe that Reddit and SDN can’t fully predict your outcome. They’re useful for gauging school lists, but if I had listened to some of the “rules” floating around, I never would’ve applied to T20s—or maybe even to MD programs at all—and I would’ve missed out on so much.
To future applicants: you can do this. 💛
