Hi guys! I hope that this application cycle ended in a positive note for everyone! I know it's a tough process (believe me, I know...this was my 2nd application cycle :'), but the hard work will pay off eventually. I am currently an OMS-II student and I just wanted to share my experiences with the application process in the hopes that someone will benefit from the information! This is one of my ways of giving back to the forum and people that supported me and answered a lot of the questions I had during my pre-med experience and application cycle.
To start off with, I am a non-traditional student. I took time to do an MPH and gain more clinical experience for my own personal gain and to make sure I felt good about going into medical school and pursuing a career in medicine.
I am just going to run down my stats/timeline below:
Undergrad GPA: 3.5
Undergrad Science GPA: 3.3
MCAT (1st time): 508
Work: 2 years part-time MA at a cardiovascular office
Extra-curriculars: executive board for 1 club
Research: 1 year, derm related
No volunteering experience
*1st application cycle: only applied to MD programs and applied really late (I sent primaries by end of August/beg of September and sent in secondaries September-November). Genuinely, I messed up. I didn't have a plan and didn't really write excellent essays. Everything was late, but also rushed. I wish I could have just not applied and saved myself the hassle and heartache, but you live and you learn. Yea, I didn't get any interviews that cycle XD
MPH GPA: 4.0
MCAT (2nd time): 510
TA for applied regression
After MPH...
Work: 1 year part-time MA at a derm office, 2 years part-time data analyst
Research: no new experiences
No new volunteering experiences
*2nd application cycle: I only applied to DO schools and got more than half interviews/acceptances. I got into my number 1 school! I feel like this time, I did things by the book: applied immediately, had really strong and cohesive essays, strong recommendation letters, strong experiences.
I hope that this gives someone hope as a non-traditional student - I am not by any means a great student, but I tried to hit the checklist best as I can while not sacrificing too much of my personal life and what matters to me. Yea, I ended up taking 4 gap years total - which is wild, but I genuinely think I needed the break to do well in school. First year was really not as bad as I thought it would be, and I genuinely think it's because I was able to give my brain a break.
For those who are applying this new cycle, good luck!!!!😀 You got this!
To start off with, I am a non-traditional student. I took time to do an MPH and gain more clinical experience for my own personal gain and to make sure I felt good about going into medical school and pursuing a career in medicine.
I am just going to run down my stats/timeline below:
Undergrad GPA: 3.5
Undergrad Science GPA: 3.3
MCAT (1st time): 508
Work: 2 years part-time MA at a cardiovascular office
Extra-curriculars: executive board for 1 club
Research: 1 year, derm related
No volunteering experience
*1st application cycle: only applied to MD programs and applied really late (I sent primaries by end of August/beg of September and sent in secondaries September-November). Genuinely, I messed up. I didn't have a plan and didn't really write excellent essays. Everything was late, but also rushed. I wish I could have just not applied and saved myself the hassle and heartache, but you live and you learn. Yea, I didn't get any interviews that cycle XD
MPH GPA: 4.0
MCAT (2nd time): 510
TA for applied regression
After MPH...
Work: 1 year part-time MA at a derm office, 2 years part-time data analyst
Research: no new experiences
No new volunteering experiences
*2nd application cycle: I only applied to DO schools and got more than half interviews/acceptances. I got into my number 1 school! I feel like this time, I did things by the book: applied immediately, had really strong and cohesive essays, strong recommendation letters, strong experiences.
I hope that this gives someone hope as a non-traditional student - I am not by any means a great student, but I tried to hit the checklist best as I can while not sacrificing too much of my personal life and what matters to me. Yea, I ended up taking 4 gap years total - which is wild, but I genuinely think I needed the break to do well in school. First year was really not as bad as I thought it would be, and I genuinely think it's because I was able to give my brain a break.
For those who are applying this new cycle, good luck!!!!😀 You got this!
