Its not looking good

[bjorklund]

---

Members don't see this ad.

Sorry about the "me me me" thread but I'm in a panic. I'm a first year re-applicant this year and it doesn't look like I'm going to end up with an acceptance. Could somebody check out my profile and share some suggestions about what might be a good way to spend my off-season? I've considered MANY options (vol. abroad, grad school, smp, biotech, etc.) but I'd really like to hear some other opinions or anecdotes about similar experiences. I'm a normal guy, a little anxious but not so much as to put off interviewers. I really don't understand what I'm doing wrong. If anyone has suggestions, don't hesitate.

http://www.mdapplicants.com/viewprofile.php?myid=6811

 

[Falco2525]

Sorry about the "me me me" thread but I'm in a panic. I'm a first year re-applicant this year and it doesn't look like I'm going to end up with an acceptance. Could somebody check out my profile and share some suggestions about what might be a good way to spend my off-season? I've considered MANY options (vol. abroad, grad school, smp, biotech, etc.) but I'd really like to hear some other opinions or anecdotes about similar experiences. I'm a normal guy, a little anxious but not so much as to put off interviewers. I really don't understand what I'm doing wrong. If anyone has suggestions, don't hesitate.

http://www.mdapplicants.com/viewprofile.php?myid=6811

I would almost bet that you get into baylor...

 

[szhao]

you look fine, don't worry, well not if you decline all your interviews and withdraw from schools.

 

[notdeadyet]

you look fine, don't worry, well not if you decline all your interviews and withdraw from schools.

szhao, can you remove the huge half-page video graphics and instead put in links to them? Those that want to watch them can still click through, but right now every time you post, it makes it that much more effort to scroll through the thread. Just a thought....

 

[MonkeyNuts!]

Sorry about the "me me me" thread but I'm in a panic. I'm a first year re-applicant this year and it doesn't look like I'm going to end up with an acceptance. Could somebody check out my profile and share some suggestions about what might be a good way to spend my off-season? I've considered MANY options (vol. abroad, grad school, smp, biotech, etc.) but I'd really like to hear some other opinions or anecdotes about similar experiences. I'm a normal guy, a little anxious but not so much as to put off interviewers. I really don't understand what I'm doing wrong. If anyone has suggestions, don't hesitate.

http://www.mdapplicants.com/viewprofile.php?myid=6811

With your stats, unless you have some bad skeletons in your premed closet, you are fine. You can freak out about texas schools, but the other ones its still somewhat early. Texas is wrapping up so yes freak out.

If by some freak chance of fate you have to reapply, smp will be useless. Some smps even have cutoffs for GPA and MCAT. I'd work, get some papers out there.

And the only explanations on why you aren't getting interviews - aside from if you are an Auguest mcater, I have no idea, just luck.

 

[IckeyShuffle]

Sorry about the "me me me" thread but I'm in a panic. I'm a first year re-applicant this year and it doesn't look like I'm going to end up with an acceptance. Could somebody check out my profile and share some suggestions about what might be a good way to spend my off-season? I've considered MANY options (vol. abroad, grad school, smp, biotech, etc.) but I'd really like to hear some other opinions or anecdotes about similar experiences. I'm a normal guy, a little anxious but not so much as to put off interviewers. I really don't understand what I'm doing wrong. If anyone has suggestions, don't hesitate.

http://www.mdapplicants.com/viewprofile.php?myid=6811

give me a break. you have rediculous stats. unless you are an arrogant punk then you should have no worries. and stop withdrawing until you get an acceptance. before you get your first acceptance every school shoudl be your number one choice. until then, you cant be selective.

 

[Cirrus83]

Why the hell would you do an SMP. Your app is fine stats wise, the only thing I would actually beef up would be your volunteer work...30 hours and 50 hours are kind of a joke in terms of committment.

And I know I haven't done enough volunteer work myself either, but I'm just being honest with you, 30 hours doesn't really scream dedication.

The place I'm trying to get a volunteer job at now (while working fulltime, I'm not a bum lol) requires a minimum of 150 hours!

Anyways...I'd beef those hours up, and you'd look just about perfect.

 

[GoGoPandaBot]

Arrogant punk!

With annoying troll taking a close second.

Please, don't waste any more of our time here. It's pretty clear what is wrong with you. If you are going to stupidly withdraw early and then complain that you don't get in anywhere, no one is going to feel sorry for you. The schools will just be vindicated in their decision to reject you.

I hope Mayo reads your MD app, too. They'll enjoy your attitude, immensely. This way you can be sure of a rejection there again next year.

 

[NammyBoy]

I agree that your clinical/volunteer hours are too low to be significant. I would definitely look into hospital volunteer opportunities right now, so at least if you do have to reapply, you won't have the same 80 hrs.

Numbers-wise, your application looks great. Your ECs are a bit unspectacular, but regardless, I don't see why you would be reapplying next year. Good luck!

Suggestion for off-season: work in a research lab, try to get something published, and volunteer for a few hours a week. Your GPA/MCAT is fine, so SMP won't do you much good. If you're interested you could do an MPH.

 

[Darksmurf]

Arrogant punk!
With annoying troll taking a close second.
Please, don't waste any more of our time here. It's pretty clear what is wrong with you. If you are going to stupidly withdraw early and then complain that you don't get in anywhere, no one is going to feel sorry for you. The schools will just be vindicated in their decision to reject you.
I hope Mayo reads your MD app, too. They'll enjoy your attitude, immensely. This way you can be sure of a rejection there again next year.

This seems a little bit harsh. When you've got high expectations and good stats, it can really knock the wind out of you to get what seems like nothing. Part of the problem is the expectations set up by people on this site who immediately reassure people with 'rediculous' stats that they are going to get in automatically.

give me a break. you have rediculous stats. unless you are an arrogant punk then you should have no worries. and stop withdrawing until you get an acceptance. before you get your first acceptance every school shoudl be your number one choice. until then, you cant be selective.

That said, I do agree that if medical school is your ultimate and hallowed goal that you don't decline interviews until you are accepted somewhere. On the other hand, if you don't want to 'just go to med school,' but would rather pursue another career if you don't get into a school you like, then be prepared for failure. It's a capricious process, and even with great numbers you might not be able to 'pick your school.'

I'm not exactly sure what a 'first year re-applicant' is, but if it means you didn't get in last year, there may have been a reason.

On the other hand, I know from my own experience that one year you can get 2 interviews and the next year 10, without any change in stats. Some of that has to do with the timing of the application, the schools you apply to, and the applicant pool that year.

If you really want to be a doctor and you don't get in this year, just reapply next year. Some people on this site say they get in on their third try. In the meantime, get a job.

 

[bjorklund]

Thanks for the advice everybody. I have to admit, it was a very bad decision to decline TXTECH interview, but it wasn't out of pride. By the way, for a research job with chance of pubs, do you just contact local universities?

 

[Darksmurf]

Thanks for the advice everybody. I have to admit, it was a very bad decision to decline TXTECH interview, but it wasn't out of pride. By the way, for a research job with chance of pubs, do you just contact local universities?

Most universities have their jobs in labs listed online. I tried this route after not getting accepted last year and I found that if you are not living in the area they are less willing to interview or consider you for the position.

Just follow the links for jobs at a university's website and search for what you're interested in.

I wouldn't be too hopeful about getting in on a publication in a year or so of work as it might not happen. Also, some places wanted more than one year commitment. If you want to apply again, remember you'll have to be taking time off to travel and interview.

 

[dopaminesurge]

Yet another case of extremely high MCAT without public apology. YOU ARROGANT MOTHERFCUKER!!

If you have to reapply, it's insufficient ECs and that you applied to schools that are research-oriented without any research experience. You may want to apply to more primary care oriented schools, no? (Don't know much about TX schools, sorry)

 

[Max8]

Sorry about the "me me me" thread but I'm in a panic. I'm a first year re-applicant this year and it doesn't look like I'm going to end up with an acceptance. Could somebody check out my profile and share some suggestions about what might be a good way to spend my off-season? I've considered MANY options (vol. abroad, grad school, smp, biotech, etc.) but I'd really like to hear some other opinions or anecdotes about similar experiences. I'm a normal guy, a little anxious but not so much as to put off interviewers. I really don't understand what I'm doing wrong. If anyone has suggestions, don't hesitate.

http://www.mdapplicants.com/viewprofile.php?myid=6811

I think it's probably a lack of research expereince holding you back from schools like hopkins and UCSF. Also, as many others have commented, your volunteer clinical exposure hasn't really been extensive enough to show commitment. And schools don't really see Kaplan teaching in the same light as tutoring/TAing so you can't count on that to boost you up--perhaps you could try volunteer science teaching in your year off, maybe in an underserved area or country? That being said, it seems unlikely you'll get only rejections this year--- If you do have to reapply (again?), be sure to apply very early in the cycle, I wonder if it was late primary/secondary send-ins that are keeping you from getting interviews at some of these schools. Good luck🙂

 

[FemalesCANTDriv]

Yet another case of extremely high MCAT without public apology. YOU ARROGANT MOTHERFCUKER!!

If you have to reapply, it's insufficient ECs and that you applied to schools that are research-oriented without any research experience. You may want to apply to more primary care oriented schools, no? (Don't know much about TX schools, sorry)

whoa... someone is out of control... btw TX schools are really freakin easy to get into... really really easy 😀

 

[MonkeyNuts!]

Arrogant punk!

With annoying troll taking a close second.

Please, don't waste any more of our time here. It's pretty clear what is wrong with you. If you are going to stupidly withdraw early and then complain that you don't get in anywhere, no one is going to feel sorry for you. The schools will just be vindicated in their decision to reject you.

I hope Mayo reads your MD app, too. They'll enjoy your attitude, immensely. This way you can be sure of a rejection there again next year.

Normally I'd flame too if this came out in say, October.

But it's December and there's been an influx of these threads on a daily basis because people are freaking out that end of 2006 year = end of application cycle.

So chill tfo son.

 

[MonkeyNuts!]

Thanks for the advice everybody. I have to admit, it was a very bad decision to decline TXTECH interview, but it wasn't out of pride. By the way, for a research job with chance of pubs, do you just contact local universities?

How did you get rejected pre secondary from HoustoN?? I didn't even know they sent out letters already.

 

[Haemulon]

Somethings fishy here ..... and I know fish.

 

[bjorklund]

How did you get rejected pre secondary from HoustoN?? I didn't even know they sent out letters already.

They're done interviewing

 

[crazy_cavalier]

Sorry about the "me me me" thread but I'm in a panic. I'm a first year re-applicant this year and it doesn't look like I'm going to end up with an acceptance.

Please don't come crying to this forum for sympathy if you have a 3.8 GPA with 41 MCAT and decent EC's.

You want to know what you did wrong? 1.) You didn't apply to enough schools, 2.) the schools that you did apply to were basically all top-tier (which reflects poorly on you), and 3.) you withdrew from too many schools when in reality you were in no position to withdraw.

If this second time you are applying results in failure and you apply a THIRD time, what do you think people will think if they see that you couldn't get in anywhere the first two times you applied with stats like that? It will definitely raise eyebrows and make them wonder what the hell is going on. At that point you'll be forced to admit that you were only interested in going to a top-tier school, and that'll be a major put-off for admission committees and a sign of immaturity.

 

[dopaminesurge]

At that point you'll be forced to admit that you were only interested in going to a top-tier school, and that'll be a major put-off for admission committees and a sign of immaturity.

And crazy cavalier will orgasm in joy. Jesus, the schadenfreude on this forum. And I'm not talking about the user.

 

[crazy_cavalier]

And crazy cavalier will orgasm in joy. Jesus, the schadenfreude on this forum. And I'm not talking about the user.

The only reason you make this comment is because you are precisely in the same predicament as the OP and took personal offense in my reasonable observation/advice

 

[Andre04]

And crazy cavalier will orgasm in joy. Jesus, the schadenfreude on this forum. And I'm not talking about the user.

And the narcissism? Care to discuss that?

 

[dopaminesurge]

The only reason you make this comment is because you are precisely in the same predicament as the OP and took personal offense in my reasonable observation/advice

Commenting that you appear to take pleasure in people's unhappiness?

Thanks for proving my point.

Futhermore, I've had 8 interviews, not 2. Three of them were not long enough ago to expect an answer/ four were at schools that haven't sent out any acceptances yet. So feel free to keep fantasizing that I will never get into medical school, but hopefully that won't be the case. I'll let you know as soon as I hear - I'm sure it'll be a dark day for you.

 

[DoctorPardi]

OP your only problem is you applied to too many top schools. If you have to reapply get the MSAR and apply to 5-10 schools with median/mean scores below yours. You CAN get in somewhere with your current application, your gpa and mcat are awesome you just need better school selection.

 

[crazy_cavalier]

Commenting that you appear to take pleasure in people's unhappiness?

Thanks for proving my point.

Futhermore, I've had 8 interviews, not 2. Three of them were not long enough ago to expect an answer/ four were at schools that haven't sent out any acceptances yet. So feel free to keep fantasizing that I will never get into medical school, but hopefully that won't be the case. I'll let you know as soon as I hear - I'm sure it'll be a dark day for you.

Wow, you sure make some bold assumptions. Contrary to what you might think, I do not derive joy from other people's misery. You misinterpreted my response as though I admitted that this were the case; no, I was merely rationalizing your little defense strategy to nurture your own narcissistic ego. You see, somewhere along the line YOU jumped in and took my advice to the OP as something that was directed at you. Why, I wonder? Oh that's right. Because you are in a similar predicament! Hence your ******ed comment.

The tone of my message to the OP is not "hahaha, I like to see you cry." The tone of my comments is more along the lines of, "well it shouldn't be a big surprise to you, and here's why." And my comments are for the OP, not you. You, of course, had to jump in and make accusations and devise defense strategies because obviously everyone is out to get you and you still haven't come to terms with having no acceptances yet. It's okay though, keep counting all the interviews you've had and please continue your personal battle to prove to the world that you can get into medical school. That will be SUCH a sad, sad day for me, I think I might just break down into tears and my life will lose its meaning 🙄


I swear, if there's one thing I've seen in premeds that I wish were different, it's the way they go about the whole med school application process. Too many premeds become obsessed with getting in to medical school, that to me it seems like that alone is the whole cause of their struggle. There are far too many premeds out there whose primary goal is to get into the most top-ranked school that they can get into. There's nothing wrong with that, but when that becomes your sole goal or purpose, now I start to question your maturity and it's no surprise when you are not successful even with 4.0 and 40 MCAT.

 

[bjorklund]

OP your only problem is you applied to too many top schools. If you have to reapply get the MSAR and apply to 5-10 schools with median/mean scores below yours. You CAN get in somewhere with your current application, your gpa and mcat are awesome you just need better school selection.

appreciate the advice pardi. im surprised at the responses ive been getting, i was just asking for some suggestions and i end up getting my head bitten off by some bitter, bitter folk. its exactly like dopamine said; some of these people can only achieve orgasm while thinking of high MCATters failing.

and in my defense, i withdrew from drexel, nw, and usc because they just sent me secondary invites in late nov.

 

[crazy_cavalier]

appreciate the advice pardi. im surprised at the responses ive been getting, i was just asking for some suggestions and i end up getting my head bitten off by some bitter, bitter folk. its exactly like dopamine said; some of these people can only achieve orgasm while thinking of high MCATters failing.

PS - you thanked pardi after he told you essentially the same thing I told you, except he dressed it up with flowers and cake and I just frankly made the same observations while condemning you for your woeful little plea for attention. I'm not going to kiss your boo-boo and wipe you down with baby powder when you have as solid an application as you do, but I am willing to tell you what you did wrong and give you an honest and reasonable explanation of what situation you are in. You should be thankful that you even got that and that I didn't merely roll my eyes and move on to the next thread. There are plenty of pre-Alloers that need more help and advice than you. 👎

You probably dont know it, but I'm IN medical school and I regularly interview applicants as a student interviewer. I've seen many applicants, I know how things go, and I wasn't born yesterday. When I make observations or give advice, I like to think that what I'm saying has some value to it, and looking back I see that it DOES. What do I get in response? Undeserved insults and no appreciation. A blatant and presumptuous allegation that I am "bitter". I think you are merely projecting your own sense of bitterness on me, but that's besides the point.

 

[schoup]

The OP's problem is apparent. He's a stat. From the profile the number of real medical experience is minimal. Schools are going to look at the guy with lower scores (3.5GPA and 33MCAT) that has showed dedication to medicine through volunteer experience first. You should also consider your LOR's. Do they know you besides "saying he got a A in my class". You need LOR's that represent you on a personal level. Others have already stated, you are re-applicant and applied to all top schools, no 2nd or 3rd tiers. This is part of the problem. If you are that arrogant to apply to all top tier schools as a re-applicant that may be a "telling the intold story." If you come into interviews with the same 'apparent arrogance" than you leave a negative impression with many interviewers, confidence is needed not arrogance.

 

[MonkeyNuts!]

Please don't come crying to this forum for sympathy if you have a 3.8 GPA with 41 MCAT and decent EC's.

You want to know what you did wrong? 1.) You didn't apply to enough schools, 2.) the schools that you did apply to were basically all top-tier (which reflects poorly on you), and 3.) you withdrew from too many schools when in reality you were in no position to withdraw.

With the AMCAS schools I am inclined to agree, and perhaps would join in on the honesty and reality parade but he did apply to most of Texas, and with his grades, he may have a legit reason to cry (with respect to TMDSAS, not AMCAS) because Texas is more or less finished.

So OP, you can cry as a cowboy. That's it.

 

[Law2Doc]

Others have already stated, you are re-applicant and applied to all top schools, no 2nd or 3rd tiers. This is part of the problem.

I too wonder why a reapplicant wouldn't hedge his bets a bit with at least a bunch more "lower tier" schools, and why he would decline one of his scant interview opportunities. I would also have to wonder what things kept the reapplicant out of med school the first time, and whether those issues have been remedied satisfactorilly, or whether there is a back story or skeleton here. More details might result in less harsh advice, although I didn't find crazy cav's advice particularly bitter.

 

[thesauce]

Retake the MCAT. You'll need at least 2 or 3 points higher to get any kind of consideration from a respectable medical school.

 

[MonkeyNuts!]

Wow, you sure make some bold assumptions. Contrary to what you might think, I do not derive joy from other people's misery. You misinterpreted my response as though I admitted that this were the case; no, I was merely rationalizing your little defense strategy to nurture your own narcissistic ego. You see, somewhere along the line YOU jumped in and took my advice to the OP as something that was directed at you. Why, I wonder? Oh that's right. Because you are in a similar predicament! Hence your ******ed comment.

The tone of my message to the OP is not "hahaha, I like to see you cry." The tone of my comments is more along the lines of, "well it shouldn't be a big surprise to you, and here's why." And my comments are for the OP, not you. You, of course, had to jump in and make accusations and devise defense strategies because obviously everyone is out to get you and you still haven't come to terms with having no acceptances yet. It's okay though, keep counting all the interviews you've had and please continue your personal battle to prove to the world that you can get into medical school. That will be SUCH a sad, sad day for me, I think I might just break down into tears and my life will lose its meaning 🙄


I swear, if there's one thing I've seen in premeds that I wish were different, it's the way they go about the whole med school application process. Too many premeds become obsessed with getting in to medical school, that to me it seems like that alone is the whole cause of their struggle. There are far too many premeds out there whose primary goal is to get into the most top-ranked school that they can get into. There's nothing wrong with that, but when that becomes your sole goal or purpose, now I start to question your maturity and it's no surprise when you are not successful even with 4.0 and 40 MCAT.

About a week ago I yelled at a poster about his comments about making a poor grade in a course because he felt the teacher was teaching incorrectly. I marched the reality and honesty parade all over his horse after I knocked him off it, and other people felt it was too harsh and criticized me for it.

Believe me when I say I REALLY want to join in with you on your R&H parade, especially because I come from some forums where the normal behavior is much more harsh and rowdy than SDN's crowd, where flaming is a must and noobs are frequently bashed.

But when I think about it, it does seem a little too much, particularly because it is getting into mid game for AMCAS and TMDSAS is over. Plus it is holiday season and that puts a damper on things, and also people tend to equate the end of the year as the end of the cycle for some reason. Perhaps I am going soft. But I'd like to think of it as being a little more sensitive, because it's not like this guy is a 4.0 40 MCATer saying he's not going to get in and posting that in JULY. It's not like he's a sophomore in high school asking about the medical admissions process. I mean one thing in forum ettiquette I've had to change in coming here is that there are noobs and then there are noobish people caused by stress who actually somewhat know better but are being swept up by premed paranoia.

Sure that doesn't justify their post, nor their responses to our posts when we flame them or march the R&H parade on them, but it doesn't really justify our behavior because they aren't true n00bs either. I am valiantly fighting the urge to put my flame suit on and start some fires. And you will notice that I am not in the same position as OP so it's not like what you are saying dopamine is doing.

I do believe noobs need to feel the cold hard blade of honesty and reality but not right now because this dude's not a total noob and also if we post something like "hey mr. 4.0 mcat 40 you are not going to get in because of XYZ truth", all the 3.0 mcat 28s are going to come on the site and totally freak out that since 4.0/40 can't get in how can they. I really don't want to see taht happen, because we've had alot of sh*tty threads recently.

 

[Law2Doc]

About a week ago I yelled at a poster about his comments about making a poor grade in a course because he felt the teacher was teaching incorrectly. I marched the reality and honesty parade all over his horse after I knocked him off it, and other people felt it was too harsh and criticized me for it.

Believe me when I say I REALLY want to join in with you on your R&H parade, especially because I come from some forums where the normal behavior is much more harsh and rowdy than SDN's crowd, where flaming is a must and noobs are frequently bashed.

But when I think about it, it does seem a little too much, particularly because it is getting into mid game for AMCAS and TMDSAS is over. Plus it is holiday season and that puts a damper on things, and also people tend to equate the end of the year as the end of the cycle for some reason. Perhaps I am going soft. But I'd like to think of it as being a little more sensitive, because it's not like this guy is a 4.0 40 MCATer saying he's not going to get in and posting that in JULY. It's not like he's a sophomore in high school asking about the medical admissions process. I mean one thing in forum ettiquette I've had to change in coming here is that there are noobs and then there are noobish people caused by stress who actually somewhat know better but are being swept up by premed paranoia.

Sure that doesn't justify their post, nor their responses to our posts when we flame them or march the R&H parade on them, but it doesn't really justify our behavior because they aren't true n00bs either. I am valiantly fighting the urge to put my flame suit on and start some fires. And you will notice that I am not in the same position as OP so it's not like what you are saying dopamine is doing.

I do believe noobs need to feel the cold hard blade of honesty and reality but not right now because this dude's not a total noob and also if we post something like "hey mr. 4.0 mcat 40 you are not going to get in because of XYZ truth", all the 3.0 mcat 28s are going to come on the site and totally freak out that since 4.0/40 can't get in how can they. I really don't want to see taht happen, because we've had alot of sh*tty threads recently.

Truth sometimes hurts, but a dose of reality often tends to be a positive thing, in the long run. It keeps people from wasting time, making the same mistake multiple times, or being disappointed in cases of unrealistic expectations. While some people do seem to just want folks to give them a round of cheers and support, the OP did phrase his post as a question, and thus opened the door for some of the cold harsh candid advice he was given.

 

[MonkeyNuts!]

Agreed. I'm all for the R&H parade and the cold hard steel of truth.

I dunno what's wrong w me. *Eyeing flame suit.

 

[dopaminesurge]

Wow, you sure make some bold assumptions. Contrary to what you might think, I do not derive joy from other people's misery. You misinterpreted my response as though I admitted that this were the case; no, I was merely rationalizing your little defense strategy to nurture your own narcissistic ego. You see, somewhere along the line YOU jumped in and took my advice to the OP as something that was directed at you. Why, I wonder? Oh that's right. Because you are in a similar predicament! Hence your ******ed comment.

The tone of my message to the OP is not "hahaha, I like to see you cry." The tone of my comments is more along the lines of, "well it shouldn't be a big surprise to you, and here's why." And my comments are for the OP, not you. You, of course, had to jump in and make accusations and devise defense strategies because obviously everyone is out to get you and you still haven't come to terms with having no acceptances yet. It's okay though, keep counting all the interviews you've had and please continue your personal battle to prove to the world that you can get into medical school. That will be SUCH a sad, sad day for me, I think I might just break down into tears and my life will lose its meaning 🙄


I swear, if there's one thing I've seen in premeds that I wish were different, it's the way they go about the whole med school application process. Too many premeds become obsessed with getting in to medical school, that to me it seems like that alone is the whole cause of their struggle. There are far too many premeds out there whose primary goal is to get into the most top-ranked school that they can get into. There's nothing wrong with that, but when that becomes your sole goal or purpose, now I start to question your maturity and it's no surprise when you are not successful even with 4.0 and 40 MCAT.

You're right. You win. I have no inclination to respond to your 5 paragraph essay, but am honored I elicit such passion.

 

[crazy_cavalier]

You're right. You win. I have no inclination to respond to your 5 paragraph essay, but am honored I elicit such passion.

there is no limit to your hubris

 

[bjorklund]

I too wonder why a reapplicant wouldn't hedge his bets a bit with at least a bunch more "lower tier" schools, and why he would decline one of his scant interview opportunities. I would also have to wonder what things kept the reapplicant out of med school the first time, and whether those issues have been remedied satisfactorilly, or whether there is a back story or skeleton here. More details might result in less harsh advice, although I didn't find crazy cav's advice particularly bitter.

I applied last year with a 31, a slightly lower GPA, and virtually no clinical experience. This year I busted my a$$ studying for the MCAT, put another 4.0 semester up, and got some pretty decent clinical exposure considering the time frame. I thought of myself as an entirely different applicant this cycle. As far as arrogance is concerned, my application spread is fairly similar to most Texas appliants; all but one in-state MD program, and a few OOS reach schools. A common sentiment I share with many residents is 'it would have to be a good school to lure me out of texas.' I've already conceded that declining the Tech interview was a terrible decision, I thought it safe to assume I would get at least 1 acceptance. And to clarify, I didn't initiate this thread to have my tooshy powdered or receive the collective sympathies of a forum full of people in the same or worse predicament as myself. I just wanted a few educated opinions on how my time would best be spent considering my profile. And to the people that have offered sincere advice, even those garnished with insults, I do appreciate it.

 

[biggoron42]

i really dont think your issue here is medical experience. i have similar stats and only 100 hours of hospital volunteer work during my freshman year at college, and i've met with some level of success so far. as long as you can talk intelligently about the medical profession, you don't need 500 hours of wheeling people around in the general surgery ward, especially with your numbers.

what you do need is some substantive research work. the mission of every one of these mythical "top 20" schools is to produce leaders in academic medicine (whether it is in public health, basic research, translational work, health policy, what have you...). if you have no background in research, no matter how much you might claim that you too want to enter academia, your claims will not be taken seriously.

i still think you got a good shot, especially considering it is december, but if you were to take a year off, do some research...dont have to get any pubs, but the experience would be worth it...and you'd probably get paid.

 

[dopaminesurge]

there is no limit to your hubris

Hubris is a great word. I should be using it.

 

[Law2Doc]

I applied last year with a 31, a slightly lower GPA, and virtually no clinical experience.

A 3.?/31 should have still been enough to get into some med school for a Tx resident. Lack of clinical experience would have been problematic, though, and it's hard to imagine why you would have neglected this. I still am not sure we are getting the whole story about the "beyond the numbers" stuff.

 

[smq123]

I applied last year with a 31, a slightly lower GPA, and virtually no clinical experience. This year I busted my a$$ studying for the MCAT, put another 4.0 semester up, and got some pretty decent clinical exposure considering the time frame. I thought of myself as an entirely different applicant this cycle. As far as arrogance is concerned, my application spread is fairly similar to most Texas appliants; all but one in-state MD program, and a few OOS reach schools. A common sentiment I share with many residents is 'it would have to be a good school to lure me out of texas.' I've already conceded that declining the Tech interview was a terrible decision, I thought it safe to assume I would get at least 1 acceptance. And to clarify, I didn't initiate this thread to have my tooshy powdered or receive the collective sympathies of a forum full of people in the same or worse predicament as myself. I just wanted a few educated opinions on how my time would best be spent considering my profile. And to the people that have offered sincere advice, even those garnished with insults, I do appreciate it.

Your MDapplicant profile made me really sad, actually. Sorry to beat a dead horse, but if you had applied to Jefferson, Temple, SUNY, NYMC, and Drexel, you would be accepted by now. You probably would have been accepted to ALL of those schools. Even if Drexel sent you a secondary pretty late (November), you'd still have a very good shot if you had just sent it in. Drexel accepts students all the way through March, I think.

How badly do you really want to be a doctor? If you're that turned off by a school's location (i.e. "I'm not going there because I want to stay in Texas" and "I don't want to live in Lubbock,") then maybe you don't want to get into med school as badly as you thought. I guess that's a little harsh, but we have TONS of California students come interview at Philadelphia schools. If they're willing to move away from California, and live in Philadelphia in January, then maybe you should be willing to do the same.

I agree with Law2Doc, maybe there's more here under the surface than we see.

The only other advice I can think of is, if you want to stay in Texas, try improving your interview techniques. That seems to be holding you back a little. (How did the Baylor interview go?) Maybe pick up some Spanish - that MIGHT help you with the California schools, kind of edge you out over the competition. Of course, this will only help if you actually accept the interview invites.

 

[DoctorPardi]

A 3.?/31 should have still been enough to get into some med school for a Tx resident. Lack of clinical experience would have been problematic, though, and it's hard to imagine why you would have neglected this. I still am not sure we are getting the whole story about the "beyond the numbers" stuff.

I was talking to a premed at my school who was telling me she had almost no CE's or virtually any EC's outside of 1 or 2 things. She has an amazing gpa and has been practicing extremely well on the MCAT but no EC's.

So some people do actually make it through premed undergrad not realizing how important clinical experiences are.

 

[FemalesCANTDriv]

god... could all of you please write less paragraph answers and more two sentence answers... do u know how to be concise??? i mean just think of this as an application with a character limit... reading is hard

 

[Ruthie797]

I applied last year with a 31, a slightly lower GPA, and virtually no clinical experience. This year I busted my a$$ studying for the MCAT, put another 4.0 semester up, and got some pretty decent clinical exposure considering the time frame. I thought of myself as an entirely different applicant this cycle. As far as arrogance is concerned, my application spread is fairly similar to most Texas appliants; all but one in-state MD program, and a few OOS reach schools. A common sentiment I share with many residents is 'it would have to be a good school to lure me out of texas.' I've already conceded that declining the Tech interview was a terrible decision, I thought it safe to assume I would get at least 1 acceptance. And to clarify, I didn't initiate this thread to have my tooshy powdered or receive the collective sympathies of a forum full of people in the same or worse predicament as myself. I just wanted a few educated opinions on how my time would best be spent considering my profile. And to the people that have offered sincere advice, even those garnished with insults, I do appreciate it.

Ok OP....so I think we can sum up people's opinions for this year with:
1) Don't withdraw from ANYMORE schools.

and for the coming year (if you have to reapply) with:
2) Try to get more research experience
3) You need clinical experience (volunteer would be good)
4) Apply to more safeties next time around

Do you feel like this advice is all relatively helpful, concrete, and achievable?

 

[MonkeyNuts!]

god... could all of you please write less paragraph answers and more two sentence answers... do u know how to be concise??? i mean just think of this as an application with a character limit... reading is hard

Take your own advice and condense your paragraph down first. A simple "tl; dr" would have sufficed.

 

[foofish]

Most universities have their jobs in labs listed online. I tried this route after not getting accepted last year and I found that if you are not living in the area they are less willing to interview or consider you for the position.

Just follow the links for jobs at a university's website and search for what you're interested in.

That's how I got my job at HMS....I had limited research experience but just kept applying to every lab job in the Boston area that seemed remotely interesting, and eventually landed one (I probably literally applied to 20-30)....there are definitely people out there that will take you on if you're enthusiastic and have a good academic track record.

I was also very up front about applying to medical school, and they've been great about being flexible about my schedule (of course, that might also be because I work *at* a medical school). When I was hired, it's techically for a 2 year position but they knew that I was likely only here for a year (but having that extra year was great to have as a backup if this application cycle hadn't gone well). In short, be enthusiastic, proactive, and honest about your situation.

In terms of the OPs app, I'll second that actually attending interviews helps in getting an acceptance. 😉