Need help on planning for reapplication

[mobilesuitgundam95]

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Hi everyone,

It's a couple days past Thanksgiving and I don't have any interview invites (save the showcase invite from Carle Illinois.) I've been keeping busy since I submitted my apps but I'm going to kick my efforts into high gear soon. I would like some advice on where to go from here.

Basic Stats: 3.47c/3.48s GPA, 519 MCAT, BME major, Graduated 2018
Asian Male from California

EC's

Research: 475 hrs, 3 summers, 1 pub, no posters or presentations
Clinical volunteering/ Leadership: 500hrs, 2.5 yrs, Led free clinic providing for an underserved population
Biomedical Engineering Senior Design project: 300 hrs, 1 yr (won't go into too much detail, but worked on a project related to manned spaceflight)
Non clinical volunteering: 30hrs (Community outreach related to clinical volunteering experience)
MCAT tutor: 1500 hrs
Student Tutor: 200 hrs
Shadowing: 30 hrs (half through clinic, half at hospital)
Tau Beta Pi Engineering Honor Society: 40 hrs - active member for about a year
Dance: 750 hours spread across 2 teams over 5 years, one of the teams is relatively high level and regularly wins competitions
Powerlifting: 1000 hours spread over 3 years, placed second in local competition (I train about 5x a week, little over an hour each time)
Fine Arts: 300 hrs

Secondaries completed mid June - late August
34 in total:
Albany
California Northstate
Carle Illinois (Showcase invite)
Case Western
Rosalind Franklin
Hofstra (R)
Drexel
Eastern Virginia
Geisel
George Washington (H)
Georgetown (R)
USC (R)
Temple
Loyola
Mayo Arizona (R)
New York Medical College
Rush
Alpert
Tufts
Tulane (H)
UCLA
UC Riverside
UC San Diego (H)
Rochester
Virginia Commonwealth (R)
Carilion
Homer Stryker
UC Davis
UC Irvine
Stanford
Albert Einstien
Ohio State
Uniformed Services (H)
UCSF (R)

Since I applied, I have been continuing work as an MCAT tutor, but because I have less students in the winter, I have been waiting tables to get by. I recently started volunteering at a local organization to tutor kids in low income areas. In the coming months, I'm considering scribing full time or undergoing EMT training and working after. However, I took my MCAT in September 2016 so I will need to dedicate time to a retake if I don't apply next cycle.

The clear weak point in my application is my GPA. Other than that, the lack of non clinical volunteering and shadowing may be what's doing me in right now.

I don't want to rule out the possibility of a bad LOR or weak writing/ narrative in my PS or secondaries, but those are issues I would like to focus on later. I will rework my PS and secondaries next cycle, but I do feel like I wrote well and put a compelling narrative together.

I'm also considering the possibility that my hobbies overshadowed my relevant EC's. I honestly grew a lot as a person through the hobbies I had, but I'm starting to think I shouldn't have mentioned them as much as I did. They take up a lot of hours and I wrote about them in roughly 1/3 of my secondary essays.

Thank you all for reading. Any input is highly appreciated. Feel free to rip my application apart. I would hate for this to happen again the next time I apply.

TL;DR: Based on my stats, what would be the best way to improve my application next cycle? Maybe changing my school list, adding EC's or attending a Postbacc/SMP?

 

[candbgirl]

You seem to have blown off the idea of non clinical volunteering and shadowing. You need at least 150 hours of non clinical volunteering to the unserved/underserved in your community. You also need 50 hours of shadowing that should include some shadowing of a primary care doc. Your activities are interesting and they are what makes you you. Reread your primary and secondaries and see if you over did it with them. Maybe you did but they are good talking points. You have several OOS public schools on your list. Did you check to see if they even take non residents and if they do if it worth your while to apply with your below average GPAs? You also have some schools on your list that are very service focused and you have almost no community service.
So you might need to refine/ refocus your list and you might think about adding some DO schools. But only do that if you would actually attend if accepted or you are wasting your time and money and school’s time.

 

[Faha]

You could still receive interview invites in the next 2 months. If you reapply add these schools:
Vermont
Quinnipiac
Seton Hall
NOVA MD
Jefferson
Penn State
Oakland Beaumont
Creighton
California University
Kaiser

 

[mobilesuitgundam95]

@candbgirl Thanks for the input! I looked specifically for schools that were oos friendly and where my GPA was within the 10% percentile. Hopefully shadowing and volunteer tutoring in a low income area would strengthen my weak areas. This year I didn't want to apply DO but next year I almost certainly will. A physician is a physician.

@Faha Thanks for the schools! I'll add them to next year's list.

@Goro , @gonnif , @LizzyM Any thoughts on where I went wrong and how can improve within the next year? I'm thinking about EMT, scribing full time or just picking up a biomedical engineering job. Thanks in advance! I really appreciate you guys.

 

[Goro]

You could still receive interview invites in the next 2 months. If you reapply add these schools:
Vermont
Quinnipiac
Seton Hall
NOVA MD
Jefferson
Penn State
Oakland Beaumont
Creighton
California University
Kaiser

Given your lack of success, and the GPAs OP also needs some DO schools on the list.
Also more non-clinical volunteering.

 

[mobilesuitgundam95]

Given your lack of success, and the GPAs OP also needs some DO schools on the list.
Also more non-clinical volunteering.

Thanks Goro! I'll reach out closer to next cycle when I start putting together a new school list.

 

[LizzyM]

You might want to increase your non-clinical community service in the coming year, shadow more (including a DO -- and get a letter from the DO!), apply DO, and consider downplaying your "fun" activities (you are not obligated to list them all on the application).

What I'm seeing is a very academically talented applicant (see MCAT score) that had a very full plate in undergrad (see activities) including a lot of "fun" (powerlifting, fine arts, dance) but who's GPA was not indicative of someone who earned A/A minus consistently. That is balanced to some degree by being a BME major. On the other hand, there isn't much to indicate that the applicant is oriented toward service to others (non-clinical volunteering being proof of that orientation).

 

[mobilesuitgundam95]

You might want to increase your non-clinical community service in the coming year, shadow more (including a DO -- and get a letter from the DO!), apply DO, and consider downplaying your "fun" activities (you are not obligated to list them all on the application).

What I'm seeing is a very academically talented applicant (see MCAT score) that had a very full plate in undergrad (see activities) including a lot of "fun" (powerlifting, fine arts, dance) but who's GPA was not indicative of someone who earned A/A minus consistently. That is balanced to some degree by being a BME major. On the other hand, there isn't much to indicate that the applicant is oriented toward service to others (non-clinical volunteering being proof of that orientation).

Thanks LizzyM! I though that being a competitive dancer/powerlifter would make me a more "interesting" candidate but I'm starting to realize it might have given adcoms the impression that I prioritized these activities over school. Throw my combination of mcat/ gpa in the mix and I definitely understand why I might be seen as someone who has academic talent but chose fun over school.

I was hoping that my leadership/ clinical volunteering would show my passion for the underserved but it must not have read as such. I should have around 200 hrs non clinical volunteering next time I apply. Along with 150 hours of shadowing and applying to DO's, do you think that should increase my chances next cycle?

 

[LizzyM]

Thanks LizzyM! I though that being a competitive dancer/powerlifter would make me a more "interesting" candidate but I'm starting to realize it might have given adcoms the impression that I prioritized these activities over school. Throw my combination of mcat/ gpa in the mix and I definitely understand why I might be seen as someone who has academic talent but chose fun over school.

I was hoping that my leadership/ clinical volunteering would show my passion for the underserved but it must not have read as such. I should have around 200 hrs non clinical volunteering next time I apply. Along with 150 hours of shadowing and applying to DO's, do you think that should increase my chances next cycle?

You will have a stronger application but it remains to be seen if it will be strong enough.