Need advice...still waiting with no acceptances

[tl747]

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Here is my situation and I'm curious if anyone has been in a similar one and has advice...but also this could serve to help people who have yet to apply. First Ill state my stats and current status, then my problem.

35S on MCAT
3.52 GPA when I applied (before my senior year grades which should be around a 3.75 both semesters)
EC's include tutoring, Varsity Track and Field and Club Soccer, Summer abroad in France shadowing surgeons

I applied somewhat late (secondaries out from late September to early November)
I didn't take Physics I in college, because I had AP credit for it.
I got a B- in Orgo 1 and a C in Orgo 2
I spent a semester abroad sophomore year and never received credit from the foreign university (because I didn't need it and never requested a credit transfer, but I am not sure if the Med schools will see what I did with this time since I have no grades from the semester)

I interviewed at Tufts (still waiting) UMass (still waiting) and WashU (Waitlist), and was rejected (without interviews) by SLU, UVM, BU, Harvard, columbia, NYU, Yale, Mt. Sinai, and Brown

I don't have a great feeling about my situation because I have read here that Tufts, UMass, and WashU pretty much don't reject after interviews.

I was a bit surprised by the rejections w/out interviews from BU, SLU, and UVM.

I am contemplating going to the SMP at Georgetown or another place, but I really don't want to spend the money.
I am curious if I would have to wait two years to reapply if I did the SMP so that my grades would be on the application. Also, would there be anything else I could do to improve my application besides that option? If I didn't do anything like that, would it be pointless in reapplying to schools like Tufts and UMass where I would actually want to go?

Basically I feel like I applied to a bad selection of schools, and I'm wondering now if I should reapply to a more competitive selection of schools with my current application (given its imperfections) or if that would be stupid and I should do a post-bac...

Sorry for the long post, any input would be appreciated...
also, this can serve as a lesson for anyone applying with similar stats... I was pretty confident applying to 5 schools whose stats were within mine (~3.5 30)

 

[teh-t]

hang in there. i just got an acceptance today!

 

[Medikit]

hang in there. i just got an acceptance today!

Yay!

 

[newhavenjake]

A couple of things

First, don't give up on this year. You should be contacting schools every ten days with anything to keep then going to your file--Grades, publications, life situations, experience, send it all. Schools want to know that you're still interested, so go after it, tell them how much you liked the program, curriculum, etc.

Moving forward, your stats aren't holding you back. I would try to add experiences; clinical, research, jobs, anything that will look better and become fodder for you revised PS.

Hang in there kiddo. It's a long fight but it's not over yet.

jake

 

[tl747]

bump

 

[LizzyM]

MCAT score depends on how it breaks out. I'd see those Orgo scores and have serious second thoughts about offering an interview. How did your application look? Even one or two typos or grammatical errors combined with the orgo scores could sour a adcom's opinion of you. (When a committee member has hundreds of appies to read and only a couple dozen interview invitations to offer, he or she can be quick and ruthless and the numbers aren't everything.)

 

[freaker]

I'm in a similar situation. I'm waiting on UT-Memphis, Emory, Tulane, Wake, and Ohio State. 3.72 gpa (only about 3.5 science gpa) and a 35 MCAT. B and B+ in orgo. No acceptances so far.

The problem with my course work is that it's several years old, which I'm learning adcoms are not happy about.

Have you called any of these schools to see where you're ranked? It's frustrating in that many schools don't, but my state school let me know I'm in the top 1/3. Big weight off of my shoulders.

I'd imagine Tufts in particular has a lot of movement. You're obviously a MA resident. Maybe UMass has some good movement on their waitlist, too?

Best of luck through all of this.

 

[Realest]

Yeah, I would squeeze every last drop of interest you have into letters sent to these schools. Make phone calls. Be persistent, but not a pain. I'm surprised you weren't accepted either. Which undergrad did you go to? Do you have state schools. You still have 4 months. This isn't over until the 1st day of classes.

If you end up applying again, I would avoid the 2 major mistakes you made this application cycle: One, applying late, and two, to a narrow selection of schools. Just because your application looks better the second time round doesn't mean a damn thing. You could play your cards perfectly, but this process is so competitive that if you don't apply to a proper mix of schools, you may find yourself waiting. Make sure you throw in more safeties next time round. Obviously, apply to a number of reach schools as well. You never know with adcoms - there are so many variables. I've been waitlisted at top ten schools at rejected without an interview by schools ranked below 50. I have found that this process is not necessarily about what you've got, but how you work with what you've got. Apply early - it's the best way to show interest. In the end, it's truly a crapshoot, and the safest way to ensure acceptance is to abide by the laws of probability. The more and greater variety of schools, the better. I know it's a luxury some can't afford, but when you're already going into at least $100,000 debt (if not twice as much), what's a few thou more? It's worth it.

DON'T GIVE UP! Best of luck.

 

[crys20]

If worse comes to worse I'm almost positive you'd have some choice acceptances if you applied early this time around and applied to a better, wider, larger selection. Having a year off isn't so bad 🙂

 

[wendywellesley]

Yeah, I would squeeze every last drop of interest you have into letters sent to these schools. Make phone calls. Be persistent, but not a pain. I'm surprised you weren't accepted either. Which undergrad did you go to? Do you have state schools. You still have 4 months. This isn't over until the 1st day of classes.

If you end up applying again, I would avoid the 2 major mistakes you made this application cycle: One, applying late, and two, to a narrow selection of schools. Just because your application looks better the second time round doesn't mean a damn thing. You could play your cards perfectly, but this process is so competitive that if you don't apply to a proper mix of schools, you may find yourself waiting. Make sure you throw in more safeties next time round. Obviously, apply to a number of reach schools as well. You never know with adcoms - there are so many variables. I've been waitlisted at top ten schools at rejected without an interview by schools ranked below 50. I have found that this process is not necessarily about what you've got, but how you work with what you've got. Apply early - it's the best way to show interest. In the end, it's truly a crapshoot, and the safest way to ensure acceptance is to abide by the laws of probability. The more and greater variety of schools, the better. I know it's a luxury some can't afford, but when you're already going into at least $100,000 debt (if not twice as much), what's a few thou more? It's worth it.

DON'T GIVE UP! Best of luck.

great post 👍 and congrats on stony brook, i'd love to be class of 2010 there!

to the OP- where did you end up getting accpeted? congrats!!!! no more waiting!

 

[wendywellesley]

I'd see those Orgo scores and have serious second thoughts about offering an interview.

REALLY!?!? just on orgo? wow.

 

[tl747]

I went to Washington University in Saint Louis and I still have no acceptances, and I think that Tufts and Umass should be sending out letters of notification in around 2 weeks. If I apply next cycle without changing my application (i.e. Georgetown SMP), do people think I should apply to any of the same schools to which I applied this time around? I have heard that if you don't change anything (besides a PS), then your application gets worse and worse each time you apply to a certain school.

My breakdown was a 11V, 11PS, and 13BS with an S in writing...

I appreciate all the advice people have given so far.

 

[nockamura]

I think I'd change stuff, especially the PS. Check out the reapplicant forums for further discussion.

 

[crys20]

Maybe do a cool EC. Obviously your numbers are fine.

 

[stinkycheese]

I went to Washington University in Saint Louis and I still have no acceptances, and I think that Tufts and Umass should be sending out letters of notification in around 2 weeks. If I apply next cycle without changing my application (i.e. Georgetown SMP), do people think I should apply to any of the same schools to which I applied this time around?

No, except ones at which you are waitlisted.

You shot too high. You only had 4 or 5 mid-tier schools. That's all. Try again.

 

[Psycho Doctor]

MCAT score depends on how it breaks out. I'd see those Orgo scores and have serious second thoughts about offering an interview. How did your application look? Even one or two typos or grammatical errors combined with the orgo scores could sour a adcom's opinion of you. (When a committee member has hundreds of appies to read and only a couple dozen interview invitations to offer, he or she can be quick and ruthless and the numbers aren't everything.)

wow, a year ago i would have thought so too; however i have read numerous posts here of people getting accepted to good schools with W's, D's and F's, and I mean more than one...so go figure

anyway, OP, I'd keep contacting the schools. And I think you already figured out your mistake was not applying to a wider range of schools.

 

[Freakingout]

wow, a year ago i would have thought so too; however i have read numerous posts here of people getting accepted to good schools with W's, D's and F's, and I mean more than one...so go figure

anyway, OP, I'd keep contacting the schools. And I think you already figured out your mistake was not applying to a wider range of schools.

I think a big part of it depends on when you got the scores. If it happened freshman year it will still have an impact but it probably won't destroy your app.

 

[Psycho Doctor]

I think a big part of it depends on when you got the scores. If it happened freshman year it will still have an impact but it probably won't destroy your app.

ok, that makes sense

 

[Cheerfulgrrl]

Any news?

Besides applying early and to a wider range of schools, I'd also rewrite your PS - did you shop it around to friends AND your advisor - and rework your EC descriptions. Create a really cohesive application - a sort of path for the adcoms to follow - where they can clearly see who you are (eg, a community involved family practice type, or a creative thinker who is also into research, or a committed athlete who is a great team player, or...). The EC section, IMO, gets underplayed by lots of applicants and by using good descriptions, you can really stress the message of who you are as an applicant. You can also show where you have turned your own experiences into something useful, like tutoring ESL students after you returned from abroad, and where (and this is important) your long-term interest in an issue has lead you to greater responsibilities over time. Even with non-medical ECs, a long term committment can have a positive impact (just IMO, of course). FOr example - With the club level soccer, did you help organize the team in your later semesters, etc?

Also, the EC section is a good place to describe your semester overseas, which is something interesting and challenging that you chose to do. Looking back at your first post, I think you could build on your international experiences.


I REALLY agree with the writer who mentioned typos/grammatical errors - check your AMCAS print-out, and if you do re-apply, make sure everything is perfect with your new stuff. I know a guy who suddenly had a "brilliant" idea and changed his PS right before submitting at about 3AM his time. When he didn't get a secondary from his top choice school, for which he was very qualified, etc., the pre-health advisor called on his behalf, and was told that the massive typo in the middle of his PS (the cut and paste he made at the last second) was the reason....

Call the schools that rejected you (maybe wait till after may 15) and see if you can get someone to talk to you specifically about your app. I know this can be frustrating - other posters have talked about getting a generic response - but some schools may give you good advice. Talk to your advisor, show them everything you submitted, etc.

Did you have a committee letter? Does your school do a round of interviews and give you a ranked recommendation as part of your comm letter? As far as your individual LORs, what kind of LORs did you have, and do you know if they were good?

Sorry so long, just think that you can do it, it really seems a gamble (who is accepted and who not) and it really is a matter of lining up all your little ducks in a perfect row to ensure that you have the best chance in the game.

Best of luck! Don't give up!

 

[tl747]

REjected from UMass today, now waiting on tufts


Thanks for the advice