Need some serious advice.

[zoner]

In looking at the list of schools you applied to it seems to me that they are mostly too competitive or are of the type that receive >8000 applications each year. If I were you and I wanted to get in somewhere and location weren't an issue, here's what I'd do. Find the spreadsheet that includes all the pertinent stats for all the med schools (available somewhere on SDN) and then apply the following filters:

1. Eliminate schools with average MCAT greater than 32.
2. Eliminate schools that receive more than 8000 applications per year.
3. Eliminate schools that accept fewer than 20% from out of state (or require regional ties)
4. Eliminate schools that have a specific demographic focus (historically black or spanish speaking)

You should be left with a list of schools that would include places like Rochester, MCW, Buffalo, the SUNYs, Iowa, Cincinnati etc. Then add in the California schools (except maybe UCSF and UCLA) and any other schools you feel strongly about (whether you feel you'd be a good fit or if it's a dream school) and that would be a good list I'd think. Keep acquiring clinical experience and get your secondaries in as soon as possible and I bet you are successful this time around.

thats kinda funny. All those schools have MCAT average of 32 or above 32 🙂

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[MT Headed]

Could someone give me an advice on my school list and please feel free to give me some more suggestion.

Definitely apply to Tulane. Your below average MCAT will be more than compensated for by your year of community service. Yes we get over 10,000 applications a year, but look at our interview -> acceptance ratio. If you look good to us on paper (avg stats, above avg community service, interesting life experiences) you can get an interview which is almost a guarantee of acceptance.

 

[zoner]

Definitely apply to Tulane. Your below average MCAT will be more than compensated for by your year of community service. Yes we get over 10,000 applications a year, but look at our interview -> acceptance ratio. If you look good to us on paper (avg stats, above avg community service, interesting life experiences) you can get an interview which is almost a guarantee of acceptance.

doesn't everyone have some sort of community service?

and mSAR shows that Tulane interview about 320 students and they can't accept all of them.. can they?

where can i find out that kind of information?

 

[primadonna22274]

Apply DO and you will get in. DO in general is more welcoming to mature nontrads like us. So you will be 38 when you matriculate...so? You will be 38 anyway. I just finished M1 and am 38.
Do agree with Q that you want to look over your previous app materials and see what is lackluster...could be your PS, maybe LORs. IMO it is not likely your GPA and MCAT which are fine for most schools but not higher-tier.
Best of luck!

 

[lkthlttr]

thats kinda funny. All those schools have MCAT average of 32 or above 32 🙂

The spreadsheet I had put all those schools at or below 32. Here is the google doc for the current version https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet...Ex2MjlBTDE0bXFXNGFZczZqYTZKb2c&hl=en_US#gid=0

 

[Lefty Doodle]

I don't have time to read the entire thread so maybe other suggestions were made, but I had similar stats and suggest you check out these OOS friendly schools/private schools in the Midwest where I had some luck:
-Rosiland Franklin
-Loyola
-Rush
-U Vermont
-Ohio State University
-University of Iowa
-Indiana University
-Saint Louis University (didn't apply here but should have)
-Creighton

A lot of people I met at my interviews, especially non-trads, also had interviews at some of the above schools--the coast schools are hard. Iowa seems to love non-trads (that's where I'm going!!).Also apply early and listen to all of the other advice 🙂. Good luck, don't give up.

 

[zoner]

The spreadsheet I had put all those schools at or below 32. Here is the google doc for the current version https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet...Ex2MjlBTDE0bXFXNGFZczZqYTZKb2c&hl=en_US#gid=0[/QUOTE

nm

 

[MedPR]

I don't have time to read the entire thread so maybe other suggestions were made, but I had similar stats and suggest you check out these OOS friendly schools/private schools in the Midwest where I had some luck:
-Rosiland Franklin
-Loyola
-Rush
-U Vermont
-Ohio State University
-University of Iowa
-Indiana University
-Saint Louis University (didn't apply here but should have)
-Creighton

A lot of people I met at my interviews, especially non-trads, also had interviews at some of the above schools--the coast schools are hard. Iowa seems to love non-trads (that's where I'm going!!).Also apply early and listen to all of the other advice 🙂. Good luck, don't give up.

Thanks for the list! It will help me as well.

 

[LizzyM]

doesn't everyone have some sort of community service?

and mSAR shows that Tulane interview about 320 students and they can't accept all of them.. can they?

where can i find out that kind of information?

Alas, the number of offers made is a well guarded secret.

Every school makes more offers than it has seats. The proportion of offers that are accepted is called the yield. Some schools make 3 offers for every seat it fills, some may make 4. More popular schools may make only 2. Let's face it, even (or especially) the people who get into UCSF have to turn down Harvard (or the other way around).

 

[ljpm8224]

The spreadsheet I had put all those schools at or below 32. Here is the google doc for the current version https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet...Ex2MjlBTDE0bXFXNGFZczZqYTZKb2c&hl=en_US#gid=0

^^ thanks! Helpful.

OP- I noticed your list looks really "coast heavy" - lots of west coast and lots of East coast. Agree with the poster above who mentioned to focus on OOS-friendly midwest privates.

Are you a current CA resident? Some of those midwest privates Lefty mentioned seem particularly CA friendly. Just a thought.

As far as EMT or scribe if you're looking to boost your clinicals, I've done both and can answer any ?s you have about getting an EMT or scribe gig around CA.

Cheers and GL!
beandip

 

[MedPR]

How is the LizzyM score calculated? MCAT+GPA*10?

 

[NightGod]

How is the LizzyM score calculated? MCAT+GPA*10?

Close, (MCAT+GPA*10)-1

 

[Greensheen]

You applied to a lot of top tier schools. All of the California schools are very difficult to get into. I'd say your problem is either with your essays, your age or your undergrad gpa or a combination. I would say it is really silly to just give up because you applied once and did not get in. You might want to look into attending a masters program where you do your first year of med school classes and they guarantee you admission or at least give an interview if you don't get in this round. You need to re-write and overhaul your personal statements because that is the one thing you can change in your application. You cannot change that undergrad gpa or your age. The older you get the harder it is going to be to get in because medical schools are tending to want to accept more and more people right out of undergrad. You are looking to enter school where the mean age is 24. I'd get my applications (plural) in as soon as possible. Some schools you will waste your money applying to unless you are in-state are: University of Colorado, Hawaii and Utah. Some schools you will just wast your money applying to: San Francisco, UCLA, USC. Have you considered going to foreign medical school?

 

[MT Headed]

doesn't everyone have some sort of community service?

and mSAR shows that Tulane interview about 320 students and they can't accept all of them.. can they?

No. Just like not everybody has research experience. I had no research and I got in, but I only applied to non-research themed medical schools.

A school can certainly accept more students than they matriculate. Especially schools that are seen as expensive (like Tufts), or as a "backup" school (like RFU).

 

[zoner]

Thanks for all the great suggestions. I will take all of them into consideration. I will be applying to a lot of DO schools as well. Is it your suggestion that when I apply to DO that this is my second year applying? I am assuming that I should not. But what if they ask if I had applied to med schools before?

Also, does LizzyM score keep account of clinical/volunteer/community service experiences or are they strictly based on numbers? If they are strictly based on numbers, isn't it bit precarious to include DO schools in that list since DO schools tend to look at and put more importance in other attributes?

 

[zoner]

You applied to a lot of top tier schools. All of the California schools are very difficult to get into. I'd say your problem is either with your essays, your age or your undergrad gpa or a combination. I would say it is really silly to just give up because you applied once and did not get in. You might want to look into attending a masters program where you do your first year of med school classes and they guarantee you admission or at least give an interview if you don't get in this round. You need to re-write and overhaul your personal statements because that is the one thing you can change in your application. You cannot change that undergrad gpa or your age. The older you get the harder it is going to be to get in because medical schools are tending to want to accept more and more people right out of undergrad. You are looking to enter school where the mean age is 24. I'd get my applications (plural) in as soon as possible. Some schools you will waste your money applying to unless you are in-state are: University of Colorado, Hawaii and Utah. Some schools you will just wast your money applying to: San Francisco, UCLA, USC. Have you considered going to foreign medical school?

But I also applied to schools like Chicago and NY med col and UCD which has number that is kinda similar to mine, i think...