I submitted my application this past cycle straight out of undergrad, received some decent interviews from schools like Duke/Baylor/UCLA/UC Irvine/Dartmouth, etc. but unfortunately it looks like I'll be waitlisted post-interview at almost all of these schools.
I am wondering if I should reapply immediately (a little bit burned out from the past cycle) or if I should hold off another year before reapplying. I applied last year when I was 20 y.o. and probably should've held off to begin with; currently I am 21. Stats = ~3.98 overall and science GPA (bioengineering major); 32Q (11/11/10 breakdown) MCAT. Main difference between last cycle and my current application is that now I have 6 publications/abstracts (1 first author, 2 second author, 1 third author, 1 fourth author, and 1 sixth author) whereas I previously had none. Clinical experience = 360+ hours rotating through different departments at a hospital and a full-year working at a major academic medical center. I also would be able to write a better personal statement based off of my experiences this year.
My letters of recommendation are outstanding, at least according to the student interviewer who interviewed me at Dartmouth. My interviewing skills are decent - probably not FANTASTIC, but definitely not mediocre either. My MCAT score is okay but not stellar (took it when I was really stressed out from school and didn't have the opportunity to study that much), but I'm hesitant to retake unless I can really increase the score on my second try.
Any thoughts? Suck it up and retake the MCAT? Be patient and wait another cycle, or just go for it and reapply?
I am wondering if I should reapply immediately (a little bit burned out from the past cycle) or if I should hold off another year before reapplying. I applied last year when I was 20 y.o. and probably should've held off to begin with; currently I am 21. Stats = ~3.98 overall and science GPA (bioengineering major); 32Q (11/11/10 breakdown) MCAT. Main difference between last cycle and my current application is that now I have 6 publications/abstracts (1 first author, 2 second author, 1 third author, 1 fourth author, and 1 sixth author) whereas I previously had none. Clinical experience = 360+ hours rotating through different departments at a hospital and a full-year working at a major academic medical center. I also would be able to write a better personal statement based off of my experiences this year.
My letters of recommendation are outstanding, at least according to the student interviewer who interviewed me at Dartmouth. My interviewing skills are decent - probably not FANTASTIC, but definitely not mediocre either. My MCAT score is okay but not stellar (took it when I was really stressed out from school and didn't have the opportunity to study that much), but I'm hesitant to retake unless I can really increase the score on my second try.
Any thoughts? Suck it up and retake the MCAT? Be patient and wait another cycle, or just go for it and reapply?
