Hi SDN,
It's become clear that I'm most likely not going to be accepted this cycle. I haven't received rejections from every school I applied to, but I haven't received a single II yet, so I'm under no illusions as to what that means for my chances. I've looked at my undergraduate institution's resources on reapplication, and I'm trying to narrow down my options. I've set up a meeting with my school's pre-health advisor when his hours begin on Wednesday, but I'm not too optimistic about how much help he'll be. I'm trying to organize my thoughts and the possible ways I could approach this, so I've structured this post as follows:
1. Stats
2. ECs
3. Weaknesses—why I think I wasn't accepted this cycle
4. Possible paths forward, as I understand them
Stats
NY Resident
May 2020 Neuroscience Sc.B. from Brown University
cGPA 3.56
sGPA 3.53
514 MCAT (August 2019)
ORM, South Asian Muslim woman
ECs
800+ clinical hours
- Volunteered every summer in patient transport at a geriatric healthcare and rehabilitation facility
- Shadowed in multiple specialties (neurology, allergy & immunology, endocrinology, primary care, psychiatry, OR: ENT and neurosurgery)
- I've been working as a medical assistant at my father's gastroenterology practice (partially out of financial necessity) since May
100 hours of science research hours
- Under an NSF grant, worked with a neuroscience professor (one of my recommenders) at my undergrad institution on the applications of bioluminescence in neuroscience research
- Part of my work included creating science communication tools such as an educational video for lay audiences and an explanatory pamphlet for fellow researchers
300+ hours of non-clinical volunteering
- One-on-one tutoring with an adult of different ability for three semesters
- Led group workshops on art and writing with differently-abled senior citizens for three semesters
- Since May (Ramadan), I've been delivering groceries and meals to members of the community as part of my mosque's youth group
- I've been available as a Bengali (Sylheti) translator for my mosque's Covid-19 hotline, aimed at directing callers to government/financial, mental health, and domestic abuse resources
- Since graduation, I've been working with the Khalil Center, an organization aimed at increasing mental health awareness and de-stigmatizing seeking professional help in Muslim communities—my responsibilities have been centered around creating information videos and developing the center's web platform, all while shadowing and working with mental health professionals, including psychiatrists
300 hours of non-science research
- I've been working since my junior year with a team of Muslim physicians and Islamic scholars to identify in what ways Muslim patients' beliefs guide medical decision-making
- A particular focus is on misconceptions that Muslim patients have about Islam that lead them to make such choices as refusing care or med non-compliance, when in reality Islam permits the particular medical intervention that patients wrongly believed to be forbidden by their religion
Other ECs
- Submitted and was accepted to three campus literary and visual arts journals
- Former E-board member for years of school illustration club, led illustration workshops in digital and traditional media
Publications
- 2 doi credits as part of NSF grant work
- I'm currently working with a medical illustration professor (another of my recommenders) on a personal testimonal and medical comic to be included in his book on narrative medicine (this likely won't be published for another year, minimum)
Weaknesses
1. GPA
I think my GPA is what most puts me at a disadvantage. I don't have an upward trend.
Some context: I had a 4.0 until I started experiencing very poor physical health my sophomore year, and the experiences with healthcare providers that followed are largely what cemented my motivation to become a physician. My grades were fine my junior year, even after my mother fell ill; I maintained my academics while being present to translate for her doctor's appointments and take care of her & my five younger siblings. Then, that April my roommate was victim to a stalker, and we both received death threats. I had to move dorms and could only leave my room with a scheduled officer escort, which limited my ability to study elsewhere or just go out and do things for rest and leisure. My mother's surgery was scheduled on the day of my biochemistry final, and with everything else happening, a dean advised me to postpone my final until September. Over that summer, I studied for the MCAT and my final. A week before the MCAT, I was physically assaulted. Since the score guarantee with the prep course I was in would expire and the test refund date had passed, I sat for the test with the intention to retake if I did poorly. I scored exactly what I'd been getting on practice tests. My physical health took a turn for the worse, but I began the semester, took my biochemistry final, and remained in contact with a trusted academic dean and a counselor with Wellness Services. The semester was alright and I began to recover, until my aunt was gravely injured in a bus accident that November. I took another incomplete (submitting my final project for one class a week after the official deadline; again, a decision made in conjunction with the dean and professor). The first week of my final semester, my grandmother passed away. I met again with my dean, and after discovering that the two degree requirements I had left wouldn't be taught in fall 2020, we decided that I wouldn't take a semester off. My grandfather passed away five weeks later. Lockdown started not too soon after, and I ended up in an unsafe living situation with sporadic internet access. By the time I was able to leave that space, one of my professors expressed that she was unwilling to work with me on what I had missed in the class. It wasn't a requirement course, but it would have been an easy A to supplement my GPA, and the light courseload in my final semester is not a good look, to say the least. I worked my butt off for my other courses and got As in my major requirements in time to graduate. Also, I'm not sure if this is important or not, but quite a few of the non-premed requirements and electives I was required to take were mandatory pass/fail, which also makes my GPA lower than it would have been if those courses had been graded.
2. Late primary application
Right after graduation, I was ready to postpone applying until the 2021-22 cycle. My father was largely opposed to this decision. It came to a point where I was given the ultimatum to apply during this cycle or to no longer live with my parents (and likely go back to the unsafe living situation I had just gotten out of). The problem is, we didn't have the money for primary application submission. We'd defaulted on the rent payments for my father's office and a bunch of other bills, and we're still paying off the credit card debt we accumulated then. I contacted AMCAS about the possibility of a fee waiver, but because we'd submitted our taxes before lockdown seriously impacted us financially, there wasn't really any documentation they could accept that would demonstrate need. I worked in my father's practice as pretty much the only staff member for three months while working part-time in copyediting for a publishing company and as a college consultant. Not only that, but I was still recovering from what has been quite honestly the most tumultuous year of my life. I would've submitted in August, but Isaias hit, and a tree went through our kitchen. I didn't end up having the funds to submit the AMCAS primary application until November. I begged my parents to let me postpone applying, explaining the slim chances of applying late, how being a reapplicant hurts my chances, that it's more logical to get back on our feet before spending all this money to apply and almost surely be rejected. My father's threat remained, that I had no choice but to cave and submit my primary application. I will add that I did not apply to all of the schools I was interested in, specifically because I anticipated the exact situation I'm in now.
3. Lack of a committee letter
Because I'd been in that living situation during lockdown, I had missed a couple important deadlines (deadline for a list of recommenders form and deadline to tell my advisor what schools I intended to apply to). The health careers office made it very clear that meeting deadlines is one of the requirements for receiving a committee letter from my undergrad institution, and I was concerned that they wouldn't be too impressed with my GPA. I resigned myself to applying without it. I will be speaking with my pre-health advisor about whether it's possible to qualify for the committee letter in upcoming cycles, but I mentioned earlier that I don't think our meeting will be particularly helpful. The advisor who works with seniors and reapplicants isn't known to be a very considerate person, and my interactions with him have almost exclusively been, "your GPA isn't high enough, take a gap year to increase your chances."
4. Disclosure of academic warning not on my record
There were two semesters where for the first week of the semester I was on academic warning because I had postponed submitting coursework with official permission. The warning designation only consequence was requiring that you pass every class you take in the semester of warning, which was never a problem. In both instances, there was never any institutional action taken against me such as suspension or restriction from certain courses; it was just noted on my internal transcript until the withstanding coursework was completed. My pre-med advisor had made it a point that we should disclose these instances even though they don't appear on our external transcript, and I was under the impression that my school's health careers committee could see my internal transcript and would think it dishonest of me to not disclose those two instances. Since I never ended up qualifying for the committee letter, it probably hurt me to have that on my application.
I understand recognizing why I didn't get in this cycle is important, so I can consciously improve specific areas of my application
and so I'll have something to write about in my reapplicant secondary essays. I did write in my personal statement and my secondaries about some, not all, of the difficulties I've faced in undergrad. I can see a how a reader might question if I'm emotionally ready to take on medical school after reading about even some of what I've gone through. That said, I think I did a good job of communicating what I've taken away from my experiences: how they've motivated me, shown me my own resilience, taught me to seek emotional support, and opened my eyes to how it's likely many patients share these experiences. Generally, I don't think my personal statement or my secondaries were points of weakness; I spent almost two years writing and rewriting my personal statement (original plan had been to apply during my junior year) and my secondaries were proofread by multiple people, from doctors I've shadowed and medical students to English professors and teachers from high school.
Paths Forward
- Postbaccalaureate programs — My main concern is whether a postbac is for me. I took all of my premed requirements in undergrad; it's really a matter of raising my GPA that I consider this. Is it worth the price and time for a program that will raise my GPA to a 3.7, max? I know to apply to the cheapest, 1 year programs. Some of those application deadlines are coming up, so I'd like to make this decision soon.
- Special Masters programs — This sounds more like a fit for me (please tell me if I'm wrong). Are my stats strong enough to get into an SMP though? It seems like they're more selective than certificate-granting postbacs.
- Other master's degree — I'd be interested in a one-year MPH or an MA in Compassionate Care/Bioethics/something similar, but would adcoms prefer that I enroll in an SMP instead? I understand that doing well & achieving a better GPA in an SMP would more clearly demonstrate mastery of science content, put distance between my earlier grades, and really show that I am capable of doing well despite the difficulties I've faced. I guess my question is whether adcoms will feel the same about my pursuing a master's in something that still demonstrates my interest in the health profession but is more centered around patient care rather than content knowledge.
- Retaking the MCAT? — Should I retake? I know everyone feels as if they could've studied more when it comes time to take the test, but with everything that had been going on when I took it, I'd really like to give myself a chance to study and take the exam now that less is going on in my life. Would decisions in any of the above influence whether to retake? i.e. if I'm in a postbac/SMP, is it still as necessary to show content mastery through the MCAT? If I were to enroll in an MPH, would retaking the MCAT be "more nessary"?
- When to reapply — I understand that I only want to reapply once, and when I do, my application has to be the strongest it can possibly be. Having said that, I'd like to avoid a glide/application year after a postbac/SMP. Is it feasible to reapply during the 2021-22 cycle, after securing an acceptance to an SMP/other program, submitting my primary & secondary apps as early as possible, potentially with a committee letter? Or would acceptance to a program have little weight in my application without having seen my program grades?
I also understand that some SMPs (and postbacs?) have linkage agreements to avoid a glide year—would my eligibility for linkage be decided during my application to any such program, and I apply to a single linkage school in the 2021-22 cycle? If not, what is the timeline for linkage agreements? Do I fit the profile of students who typically qualify for linkage? How common is it to be rejected despite a linkage agreement?
- Other considerations — Since I'll be marked as a reapplicant at some but not all of the schools I apply to in a future cycle, how should I restructure my personal statement? Should I leave my reapplicant status out of it and only discuss it in the secondaries of schools I'm reapplying to? I'm asking because my undergraduate institution wants a personal statement that discusses my reapplicant status, but I'm not sure if that's a good idea for the schools to which I am not a reapplicant?
Thank you for reading this far. I tried to include as much information as possible so that you have the whole story before giving me any advice. It's also been a massive help to write all this down and reassure myself that there are ways forward. I'd really appreciate any thoughts on what the best course of action is as well as any components of my application that I don't realize are hurting my chances and how they might be remedied.
