A little background:
I graduated in 2013 from a UC school in California with a B.S. in bioengineering: pre-medical. I applied last cycle (for the 2014 class) and was waitlisted at 4 MD schools. I applied to ~30 medical schools (relatively broadly) and got almost all of my secondaries but only 4 interviews.
3.66 cGPA
3.69 sGPA
33 MCAT (12 PS | 10 V | 11 BS) taken 3/23/13
My primary was submitted on 6/20 (I believe applications opened relatively late this cycle) and processed on 7/24. My turn around time for secondaries were ~5-7 days.
The general tone of my application was one of service and clinical care.
Extra Curricular Activities from Aug 2009 - Jun 2013
Review Board Member for Undergraduate Research Journal~100
Radiology Department Volunteer~120
Various Physician Shadowing~50
Clinical Volunteer Abroad in Peru~80
President of Undergraduate Org (Current Events Discussion)~300
Paid Math/Science Tutoring~60
Volunteer English Tutor for International Center~100
Undergraduate Research Assistant~2000
Pre-med Fraternity Member~300
School List: (perhaps a bit top-heavy)
Albany Medical College
Boston University School of Medicine
Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine
David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA
Drexel University College of Medicine
Eastern Virginia Medical School
Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth
George Washington University Sch of Med & Health Sci
Georgetown University School of Medicine
Jefferson Medical Coll. of Thomas Jefferson Univ.
Keck Sch. of Med.University of Southern California
Mayo Medical School
Medical College of Wisconsin
New York Medical College
Oregon Health and Science University
Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine
Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science
Temple University School of Medicine
The Commonwealth Medical College
The Ohio State Univ. Coll. of Med.
The University of Toledo College of Medicine
Tufts University School of Medicine
University of California San Diego
University of California San Francisco
University of California, Davis School of Medicine
University of California, Irvine- College/Medicine
University of California-Riverside School of Medicine
University of Cincinnati College of Medicine
University of Colorado School of Medicine
University of Illinois at Chicago-College of Medic
University of Maryland School of Medicine
University of Rochester School of Medicine and Den
University of Virginia School of Medicine
University of Washington School of Medicine
University of Wisconsin
Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine
Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine
Wake Forest School of Medicine of Wake Forest Baptist Medical
After Graduation Activities from Jun 2013 - Present
Lab Technician Full Time (paper under review)~1 year
Research Associate Full Time~1 month
Start up Research Analyst Part Time~4 months
Results:
Received all except 1 secondary (U of Washington)
Interviewed at NYMC, Albany, Temple, and Penn State (all waitlisted/no acceptances)
Current situation:
I am guessing my application was weak in terms of clinical experience and extra curricular activities. During my year off, I worked as a lab technician in a cardiovascular genetics lab in the medical school. I am currently working (job of ~1 month) with molecular biology research for a leading chemical production company. I was considering a career in research (life sciences or bioengineering) but have realized that this is probably not for me.
I have reconsidered applying to medical school once again and have a medical scribe/assistant position available to me. I am strongly considering leaving my current job in industry (which pays very well but most likely leads to a different career path) in order to pursue medicine again.
I am extremely anxious and scared about this decision as there is never a guarantee of acceptance to medical school. I am interested as to what fellow pre-meds have to say about my situation as well as any specific suggestions for me (ECs, volunteering, retake MCAT? etc.) to make the most of the next 8 months before the next application cycle.
PM me for more details/more detailed discussions. Thanks for your insight.
I graduated in 2013 from a UC school in California with a B.S. in bioengineering: pre-medical. I applied last cycle (for the 2014 class) and was waitlisted at 4 MD schools. I applied to ~30 medical schools (relatively broadly) and got almost all of my secondaries but only 4 interviews.
3.66 cGPA
3.69 sGPA
33 MCAT (12 PS | 10 V | 11 BS) taken 3/23/13
My primary was submitted on 6/20 (I believe applications opened relatively late this cycle) and processed on 7/24. My turn around time for secondaries were ~5-7 days.
The general tone of my application was one of service and clinical care.
Extra Curricular Activities from Aug 2009 - Jun 2013
Review Board Member for Undergraduate Research Journal~100
Radiology Department Volunteer~120
Various Physician Shadowing~50
Clinical Volunteer Abroad in Peru~80
President of Undergraduate Org (Current Events Discussion)~300
Paid Math/Science Tutoring~60
Volunteer English Tutor for International Center~100
Undergraduate Research Assistant~2000
Pre-med Fraternity Member~300
School List: (perhaps a bit top-heavy)
Albany Medical College
Boston University School of Medicine
Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine
David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA
Drexel University College of Medicine
Eastern Virginia Medical School
Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth
George Washington University Sch of Med & Health Sci
Georgetown University School of Medicine
Jefferson Medical Coll. of Thomas Jefferson Univ.
Keck Sch. of Med.University of Southern California
Mayo Medical School
Medical College of Wisconsin
New York Medical College
Oregon Health and Science University
Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine
Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science
Temple University School of Medicine
The Commonwealth Medical College
The Ohio State Univ. Coll. of Med.
The University of Toledo College of Medicine
Tufts University School of Medicine
University of California San Diego
University of California San Francisco
University of California, Davis School of Medicine
University of California, Irvine- College/Medicine
University of California-Riverside School of Medicine
University of Cincinnati College of Medicine
University of Colorado School of Medicine
University of Illinois at Chicago-College of Medic
University of Maryland School of Medicine
University of Rochester School of Medicine and Den
University of Virginia School of Medicine
University of Washington School of Medicine
University of Wisconsin
Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine
Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine
Wake Forest School of Medicine of Wake Forest Baptist Medical
After Graduation Activities from Jun 2013 - Present
Lab Technician Full Time (paper under review)~1 year
Research Associate Full Time~1 month
Start up Research Analyst Part Time~4 months
Results:
Received all except 1 secondary (U of Washington)
Interviewed at NYMC, Albany, Temple, and Penn State (all waitlisted/no acceptances)
Current situation:
I am guessing my application was weak in terms of clinical experience and extra curricular activities. During my year off, I worked as a lab technician in a cardiovascular genetics lab in the medical school. I am currently working (job of ~1 month) with molecular biology research for a leading chemical production company. I was considering a career in research (life sciences or bioengineering) but have realized that this is probably not for me.
I have reconsidered applying to medical school once again and have a medical scribe/assistant position available to me. I am strongly considering leaving my current job in industry (which pays very well but most likely leads to a different career path) in order to pursue medicine again.
- I think my application has more than enough research and believe my time would be better spent improving my weaknesses (which I believe is clinical experience + interesting ECs). Of course, this is my personal opinion and I would like to know what others think to help me put my situation into a better perspective.
- I have looked for other clinical exposure opportunities on the weekends/nights but have not been very successful for a number of reasons (I would be part time, minimal clinical experience, most clinics are not open on the weekends, etc). If you have any suggestions as to some specific healthcare exposure opportunities or resources, please let me know.
I am extremely anxious and scared about this decision as there is never a guarantee of acceptance to medical school. I am interested as to what fellow pre-meds have to say about my situation as well as any specific suggestions for me (ECs, volunteering, retake MCAT? etc.) to make the most of the next 8 months before the next application cycle.
PM me for more details/more detailed discussions. Thanks for your insight.
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