List Help Reapplicant (3.5/517)

[ddddds]

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Trying to pick out schools for the upcoming cycle as a re-applicant from t-15 undergraduate with only 1 interview (WL) this cycle. PS and Secondary essays are something that definitely sunk me last year and I believe that my school list aimed a little low. Interview feedback said everything was great, maybe some more volunteering but that they WL a lot of great candidates. Any help and feedback for re-applicants would be helpful!

Major: Public Policy Major
Ethnicity: Asian, NJ resident

3.5 cgp 3.4 sgp 517 MCAT

EC:
Clinical Work:
- Shadowing (300 hours)

Clinical volunteering:
- ER Volunteer 105hrs
- Local Hospital Volunteer 40hrs
- 3 Spring Break Trip to Central America Volunteering (Organized the trips)

Teaching:
- Worked in undeserved schools teaching children (120 hrs)

Research:
- Pharmaceutical Research Internship 300 hrs
- Health Policy Research (Non Published) 140 hrs
- Clinical Bariatric Surgery Research Internship 300 hrs

Misc:
- Campus Job 300 hrs
- Campus Club Sports Team Leadership 300hrs
-Campus Publication/Paper 300 hrs
- Received some need-based scholarships throughout college, nothing outstanding though

Other details:
-Applying to DOs and MDs
-Working as a medical scribe upcoming year for my gap year
- Trying to find any volunteer opportunities to boost that too
- Great committee letter and LORs


Last Year's List

University of Illinois

Boston University

Stony Brook Medical School

U Conn Medical School

Central Florida Medical School

Quinnipiac

Hackensack

West Virginia University*

Western Michigan University

Wayne State

Drexel

EVMS

Geisinger Commonwealth

NYMC

Penn State

Temple University

Robert Wood Johnson NJMS

Any help with this current list or any schools I should look at would be great. Also as a re-applicant I'm wondering if that'll hold me back even if I haven't applied to a school in past years.

 

[Faha]

Where was your interview this past cycle ?

 

[ddddds]

Where was your interview this past cycle ?

West Virgina, surprised because I was OOS no ties

 

[Faha]

When you reapply I suggest these schools:
Your 3 NJ state public schools
Seton Hall
West Virginia
Vermont
Quinnipiac
Albany
NYMC
Hofstra
Einstein
Drexel
Temple
Jefferson
Penn State
George Washington
Virginia Commonwealth
Eastern Virginia
Wake Forest
NOVA MD
Florida Atlantic
Florida International
Central Florida
TCU-UNT
Rosalind Franklin
Medical College Wisconsin
Western Michigan
Oakland Beaumont
I suggest these DO schools:
PCOM
NYITCOM
LECOM (all schools)
UNECOM
CUSOM
MU-COM
KCU-COM
ATSU-KCOM
DMU-COM
AZCOM
VCOM (all schools)

 

[ddddds]

When you reapply I suggest these schools:
Your 3 NJ state public schools
Seton Hall
West Virginia
Vermont
Quinnipiac
Albany
NYMC
Hofstra
Einstein
Drexel
Temple
Jefferson
Penn State
George Washington
Virginia Commonwealth
Eastern Virginia
Wake Forest
NOVA MD
Florida Atlantic
Florida International
Central Florida
TCU-UNT
Rosalind Franklin
Medical College Wisconsin
Western Michigan
Oakland Beaumont
I suggest these DO schools:
PCOM
NYITCOM
LECOM (all schools)
UNECOM
CUSOM
MU-COM
KCU-COM
ATSU-KCOM
DMU-COM
AZCOM
VCOM (all schools)

Thank you for your response! Almost all of these schools are on my current list. Would you consider these schools to be target/competitive schools or more reach schools? Would a list like this and a few high reach schools (Dartmouth, Emory, Vanderbilt, Sinai), be something you'd recommend?

 

[Faha]

They are target schools. Do not bother with reach schools with your GPA. You need to apply to more schools, including DO schools, in order to maximize your chances for interviews (you only had 1 in the past cycle).

 

[Mr.Smile12]

The flag I still see on your application is lack of community service exposure serving vulnerable populations. No, the tutoring doesn't really impress me because practically every premed does tutoring or teaching. Domestic activities count more than international spring break trips. 300 shadowing hours is too vague a description.

 

[ddddds]

The flag I still see on your application is lack of community service exposure serving vulnerable populations. No, the tutoring doesn't really impress me because practically every premed does tutoring or teaching. Domestic activities count more than international spring break trips. 300 shadowing hours is too vague a description.

Thanks for the constructive feedback, volunteering is definitely part of my application I've been looking to improve on with my gap year. Some of my research has been around health policy and involves polling/collecting data on vulnerable populations if that helps. I was wondering if there were schools on my list that my community service hours would be especially negative or if there are schools where this wouldn't be such a major factor? As to 300 shadowing hours, I kept it short for brevity but this includes a summer shadowing internship and a shadowing program at my ugrad institution.

 

[candbgirl]

Are you reapplying now or are you waiting a cycle? If now, what have you done to significantly improve your last application? To fill in your gaps? ADCOMS will expect significant improvement. Although your MCAT is very nice, your GPAs are below average for MD schools. Speaking as an Illinois resident, they have horrendous OOS tuition. So you might want to skip applying there.

 

[ddddds]

Are you reapplying now or are you waiting a cycle? If now, what have you done to significantly improve your last application? To fill in your gaps? ADCOMS will expect significant improvement. Although your MCAT is very nice, your GPAs are below average for MD schools. Speaking as an Illinois resident, they have horrendous OOS tuition. So you might want to skip applying there.

Decided to reapply after meeting with several advisors and significantly improving PS as well as adding more research and volunteering hours. I got into Georgetown SMP but decided to forego my spot bc several advisors (including wL school) told me it would not significantly improve my app right now. I have significant ties to Chicago. Really looking for a list to get an idea of the schools that would fit a preliminary view of my app as believe my failure to apply broadly also affected my matriculation.

 

[candbgirl]

Decided to reapply after meeting with several advisors and significantly improving PS as well as adding more research and volunteering hours. I got into Georgetown SMP but decided to forego my spot bc several advisors (including wL school) told me it would not significantly improve my app right now. I have significant ties to Chicago. Really looking for a list to get an idea of the schools that would fit a preliminary view of my app as believe my failure to apply broadly also affected my matriculation.

Well just so you know, UofI has three campuses-Chicago, Peoria and Rockford. So you might not be assigned to Chicago despite your ties. @Faha rec Rosalind Franklin. There is also Loyola. You don’t have any where near the service hours expected for Rush so that wouldn’t be a good choice. There is also a DO school in Downers Grove. CCOM(Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine) you might consider.

 

[ddddds]

Well just so you know, UofI has three campuses-Chicago, Peoria and Rockford. So you might not be assigned to Chicago despite your ties. @Faha rec Rosalind Franklin. There is also Loyola. You don’t have any where near the service hours expected for Rush so that wouldn’t be a good choice. There is also a DO school in Downers Grove. CCOM(Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine) you might consider.

Thanks for the Rec, Loyola is a jesuit institution with low yield and a high service commitment so I don't know if I'll be a great candidate for there. Additionally on the topic of DO schools, I am applying but was wondering if yield protection would work against me since my GPA is average but I am coming from an "elite" university and my MCAT scores are a lot higher. Definitely not overestimating my status but just wondering if DO schools would look negatively on an applicant who may seem like they are using DOs as safeties

 

[medicaldoctor041815]

Thanks for the Rec, Loyola is a jesuit institution with low yield and a high service commitment so I don't know if I'll be a great candidate for there. Additionally on the topic of DO schools, I am applying but was wondering if yield protection would work against me since my GPA is average but I am coming from an "elite" university and my MCAT scores are a lot higher. Definitely not overestimating my status but just wondering if DO schools would look negatively on an applicant who may seem like they are using DOs as safeties

can you possibly get a lor from a DO?

 

[ddddds]

I've worked with several DOs who could prob write an average LOR at best but I don't know if that's better than MD LORs that I know are very strong.

 

[candbgirl]

Thanks for the Rec, Loyola is a jesuit institution with low yield and a high service commitment so I don't know if I'll be a great candidate for there. Additionally on the topic of DO schools, I am applying but was wondering if yield protection would work against me since my GPA is average but I am coming from an "elite" university and my MCAT scores are a lot higher. Definitely not overestimating my status but just wondering if DO schools would look negatively on an applicant who may seem like they are using DOs as safeties

What does coming from an “elite”school with average GPAs have to do with anything? I’m really not sure what you are trying to say. Your GPAs are below average for MD. They are about average for DO.

As to LORs- some DO schools require letters. If you do a search of the forum, it seems that either a MD or DO letter is acceptable in many cases. Some schools require a DO letter but you’d have to ask specific schools. Very few MD schools require physician letters at all.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[ddddds]

What does coming from an “elite”school with average GPAs have to do with anything? I’m really not sure what you are trying to say. Your GPAs are below average for MD. They are about average for DO.

As to LORs- some DO schools require letters. If you do a search of the forum, it seems that either a MD or DO letter is acceptable in many cases. Some schools require a DO letter but you’d have to ask specific schools. Very few MD schools require physician letters at all.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

To clarify, I was referencing the implication that DO programs may negatively consider my application as a MD candidate who is applying merely for safety sake with no real intention of matriculation despite my GPA being in DO range. I am trying to gauge the potential for yield protection as my ugrad institution does not predominately send students to DO, I have a more research emphasis, and my MCAT score doesn't align with the average DO applicant.

As for LORs, thanks I will be applying to schools with no DO letter requirements.

 

[medicaldoctor041815]

To clarify, I was referencing the implication that DO programs may negatively consider my application as a MD candidate who is applying merely for safety sake with no real intention of matriculation despite my GPA being in DO range. I am trying to gauge the potential for yield protection as my ugrad institution does not predominately send students to DO, I have a more research emphasis, and my MCAT score doesn't align with the average DO applicant.

As for LORs, thanks I will be applying to schools with no DO letter requirements.

check this thread on yield protection - Do DO schools yield protect?

 

[ddddds]

check this thread on yield protection - Do DO schools yield protect?

Exactly what I was looking for! Thanks

 

[JustTooLit]

I have similar stats (3.5/515). I was wondering if you have any advice that could help ? I honestly think you should definitely try to apply to 25+ MD schools and 5-10 DO schools.

 

[ddddds]

I have similar stats (3.5/515). I was wondering if you have any advice that could help ? I honestly think you should definitely try to apply to 25+ MD schools and 5-10 DO schools.

Def don't lose hope through the process, I'm definitely gonna apply more broadly and take the advice above while also looking towards some reach schools. Also spending more time pre-writing secondaries so they're ready by July.