Medical It's January and I have no interviews. What should I do now?

[WedgeDawg]

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Hi there, I am a Canadian pre-med student applying to US MD schools for this year's cycle. I submitted my primary application in first week of August due to taking the MCAT late, but this whole time I've worried that I have submitted it too late in the cycle and it will affect my chances for getting an interview. Furthermore my stats are not the greatest, I have a cGPA of 3.16 but my latest MCAT is a 511. Although my cGPA is below a 3.5 I have a general upwards trend through my 4 undergraduate years (3.3, 1.78, 3.43, 3.85). Additionally I have 30 credits of graduate level courses in which I have accomplished a 4.0 GPA. With no interviews this late in the cycle, I am wondering if it is best if I just give up on this year's application and look for special master's programs or post-bacc courses to boost my GPA? Thank you in advance for help and advice!

Hi!

Unfortunately, it seems that this cycle is unlikely to pan out successfully for you as it stands right now. You've done a good job at identifying the deficiencies in your application. The late MCAT leading to a late complete date in September combined with a low GPA of 3.16 likely was a death knell for your application. The graduate work is great, but by itself will likely not mitigate your GPA.

If you would like to send letters to a couple of schools, you likely do not have anything to lose, but also don't expect anything to come of them except perhaps a polite response.

Your MCAT is around average for accepted students (well done!) but because your GPA is so much lower than the average matriculant (~3.7), there would likely be concerns about your ability to academically handle the rigors of medical school. I think that it would be in your long term best interest to pursue an SMP. I think that your GPA is too low for a post-bacc to fix at this point. Strong work in an SMP combined with your MCAT score will do a lot to mitigate some of the academic concerns. Keep in mind that an MCAT is only valid for 3 years, however, so make sure you plan accordingly.

The other issue that might be causing problems is the fact that you are Canadian. I am not super familiar myself with how Canadian applicants are viewed (hopefully another expert more familiar with international applicants will chime in), but it's possible that this is another factor contributing to your lack of interviews.

In my eyes, your roadmap to success should look like this:

1. Do well in an SMP
2. Choose a well constructed school list for your application, taking into account your Canadian status (should include DO schools as well)
3. Submit your primary apps on day 1 when you choose to apply again

Those three steps should address the major deficiencies that led to your lack of interviews this year. Best of luck!