Not accepted in 2 application cycles, and definately not giving up!

[aowisco47]

Hi All,
I applied to med school last year, and did not get in anywhere, but I applied late and to no safety schools. I got one interview (at the University of Wisconsin, my state school) and was rejected. Now I'm in the process of applying again. This cycle I applied earlier and to more schools, and again I interviewed at wisconsin, and was rejected. Now, I still haven't heard back from any other schools about interviews and I'm beginning to worry that I may not get in anywhere... again! If i don't get in, I am willing to reapply as many times as I have to in order to get in. So, im looking for ideas on how I can improve my application?

My application the way I applied this year:

Double Major: Biology & Philosophy
Cumulative GPA:3.62 Science GPA:3.72
-my gpa is steady all 4 years except my junior year it was a little lower, and my brother died of cancer that year so I was out of class a lot. I wrote about this in many secondary essays
-I had 1 change to AMCAS by a reviewer. I forgot to include that i was in a spanish class for about 2 weeks, then I dropped it because it was no longer required after I changed majors. Showed up as a withdrawal on AMCAS.

MCAT1 : 28Q(9/9/10) MCAT2 : 34Q(10/12/12)

EC's listed on AMCAS

Volunteering:
- Delivered flowers to patients in a hospital for 9 months (2 hours weekly)
- Mentor through big brother big sister program for 9 months (45 mins weekly)
- Alternative Spring Break, Helped underserved minorities in San Juan, Texas for 1 week (about 40 hours)
- Volunteered at a Hospice, provided companionship & some basic care, for 18 months (2 hours weekly)

Employment:
- worked one summer at a factory
- worked two summers landscaping
- worked 1.5 years(summer and during school) at a mall retailer
- After graduation, I got a job at an Electronic Medical Records company. I put it on my app even though I did not know much about the company at the time I was applying (I put my app in after I got hired, but before I started working)

Hobbies:
Weight lifting
Fraternity member for 1 year

Other:
Teaching Assistant: I helped teach in an anatomy dissection Lab.
Shadowed an orthopedic surgeon approx 30 hours

Letters of recommendation

From my OCHEM professor, I think this is my weakest letter. I got a B in the class and did not know the professor well. However, I did get my lab TA to cosign the letter and I had a good relationship with him

From my Immunology Professor, I was told she writes good letters and I got an A in the class. No personal relationship though

From my anatomy professor and Cosigned by my TA, I'm told they write Amazing letters

From the orthopedic surgeon I shadowed. I have no idea how good/bad this letter would have been.

(I used the above four letters both times I applied )

Personal Statement
I had my personal statement reviewed by a number of friends and a pre health advisor before I submitted them, so I know that it is at least not atrocious.

Conclusion

Looking at my own application I think that my biggest holes are a lack of research and my letters of recommendation. However, I have a lot of questions in general


-What do you think are the main improvements I can make to my application?
-I'm planning on getting new letters of recommendation, but where should I get them from since I have been out of school since may?
-should I apply this coming year or the next year? (My MCAT will expire after this year so I will need to retake it if i apply in 2 years, but I am confident that I could do better if i retook it)

Whew! I think thats everything! If you've made it this far Thanks for looking, and i'm interested in any comments(Seriously anything!!!!) you have. Also if you'd like more information let me know!!

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[LifeTake2]

Ok, couple of thoughts:

1) You have interviewed and failed to get accepted to your state school twice, with solid stats and what sound like ok activies. Have you asked them for feedback? If they interview you and don't accept then it is something in your interview and you need to figure it out before you do any more (if you get them).

2) How many schools is 'more'? Did you apply to all top-tier, or did you spread out your applications? Did you look at MSAR to evaluate IS/OOS chances and where you fell in the stats for the schools?

With your numbers you should be getting interviews unless there is a red flag somewhere. A weak LOR should not prevent all interviews, unless it says "aowisco would be a crappy dr"; and while your EC's may be a bit low they are more than enough to garner an interview somewhere.

I'd strongly suggest reaching out to UofW, and anywhere else you have hard rejections from and ask for feedback. No promises they will help, but if you are committed to this you need someone to tell you why you are not getting any attention and then blowing the interview at your own state school.

If you get some feedback, post it here and maybe we can help 'translate' it and give you more suggestions.

 

[Prncssbuttercup]

GPA/MCAT are solid, good work....
So, that leaves, ECs, PS, and LOR, as well as how broadly did you apply, and did you ask schools that rejected you why they rejected you?

I would have the personal statement readers on here go over your statement. Friends/school people aren't a good source for determining your PS quality because they know you and it is easy for them to read into your statement.

Your ECs-- they need some help, imho, they are weak. Your jobs are weak, you do not have that much volunteering (what you have is good though), so work on these, keep volunteering, long-term commitments are better than short term. Find a food shelf, soup kitchen, hospital, etc and start logging hours... maybe think about getting EMT certified and getting a job using that...

LORs, hard to say about these, I had long-standing relationships with my profs, but that may not matter. You think two are solid and two are weak, worry about replacing the weak ones, not the solid ones...

How many schools did you apply to? How many secondaries did you get? Did you get any interviews? Did you get waitlisted?

Bottom line, call/email each school that rejected you and ask why!

 

[aowisco47]

Ok, This year I applied to:

Albert einstien
Baylor
Boston U
Columbia
East TN State
Emory
Medical College of Wisconsin
New York Medical College
Northwestern
Temple
Tulane
University of Cincinatti
University of Wisconsin

Its still a little short on safety schools, so I will def apply wider next time

At Wisconsin, my first interview seemd to go very well, the interviewer and I just got along. He knew of the lab that I taught in and seemed impressed by that. It was a good interview. This last interview didn't seem to go as well, but it didn't seem to go poorly.

Also,I met with an admissions person from UW after my first rejection, and they told me that I needed more clinical experience. I continued to volunteer at the Hospice, so i had about 9 months more volunteering from that. Also, i thought that they would consider my work with the EMR company as clinical. I do a lot of work in hospitals implementing our software, and wrote about that in my secondary.

I have scheduled a meeting again this year, so ill know more soon.

As far as other schools go, I got secondaries from all of the schools i applied to except East Tenn State. I put in the secondaries in August/september and have still heard nothing at all.

If I end up getting rejections I'll contact the schools as they come.

 

[Prncssbuttercup]

Maybe try getting more shadowing hours with a family or internal med doc? Just a thought, it will give you some additional experience, potentially a better LOR, and helps...

 

[scarshapedstar]

Your stats are very good, but you need someone to really go to bat for you and make you stand out as a person. I wouldn't worry much about the professor LORs; nobody doubts you're a good student. Since you worked 18 months at the hospice, I would get a letter from someone in charge there. They should know you much better than that surgeon; all he knows is that you can stay out of the way.

Also, it sounds like you're not too happy with your personal statement and you're not knocking 'em dead at the interviews. Much as I hate to say this, because it drove me crazy too, you need to do more to convince them that you really want to be a doctor. Maybe even convince yourself as well. I can't tell you what to write or say but one good concrete thing is to start volunteering at a free clinic, and put in as many hours as you can manage. I think what you see and do there will clarify things a bit for you, and you can get another strong LOR out of it. If you don't know of any, call up a local mission or homeless shelter and ask.

 

[myhandsarecold]

that really sucks and your list is short (I'm not the best at med school admissions as I only applied to 1 school but I had a shoe in). I'm applying to a competitive specialty now and applied to 50 with 20 interviews, you ought to do the same (apply to a shi***** of schools + the osteopathics ones) if u're going to try the American schools route, otherwise, start thinking of the foreign schools.

 

[Prncssbuttercup]

The OP does NOT need to go to a foreign school, we just need to nail down why they aren't getting acceptances... My guess is still Personal statement related... Have the personal statement readers go over it... when I was doing this, my friends and family were of NO help... It needed to be picked over by people who didn't know me...

 

[IonClaws]

.

 

[alexrgross]

I think you could use some leadership experience. Also, the clinical experience is not in a hospital or clinic - where the bulk of healing and treatment occurs. Maybe I am wrong, but med schools might look at the hospice, in itself, as a somewhat limited experience because of the range of care provided there.
You have really good numbers, great job on the academic excellence.

One last thing, I hear three application cycles usually is the limit at some schools. So, maybe it is good you did not apply too broadly. This way you can find out exactly what the problem is in you application review appointments, fix it, and apply broadly without fear of closing doors by having sed 3 ap cycles.

Best of luck to you in the current cycle...do remain ready to interview on a positive note!

 

[gman33]

Stats are fine.
Try to get feedback on your LORs and PS.
Maybe something is hurting you there.

Clinical experience and a clear PS are very important.
Your PS should clearly state why you will make a great doc, without being obnoxious.

Also, you need to apply to a TON more schools.
At least 30-40.
Your MCAT is above average, but that's on a second try.
Some schools will count that a little less in the evaluation process.
So essentially you are an average applicant, with below avg clinical experience, and maybe luckwarm LORs from people who don't really know you.

About half the places you applied, you don't have a great shot.
Some of the other "safety" places, get 10,000+ apps a year.
From a statistical standpoint, you have even less of a chance at these places.

For those reasons, you just need to apply to a ton of places.
I hope you get some more shots this year, but I'd already start thinking about the next cycle.

 

[gman33]

I am very surprised no one has pointed this out, but...

Your second application was late as well. Not late because you didn't submit it earlier than last time, but late because many medical schools will not look at your application if you have a pending MCAT score; they will only review the application once the new score comes in.

10/10/12 was his score breakdown, not a date.
It would be great if he could guess his score from next year.

 

[DrMidlife]

U of Wisconsin looked at your last app, side by side with your current app, and they thought "Does this guy think this is a joke? We said no last time, and he's made no changes. OK, we won't change either."

Don't apply a 3rd time with the exact same app (meaning: don't apply a 2nd time with the exact same app). Get at least one substantial new asset (a pub, Peace Corps, grad school, an SMP, a several-months-long service obligation with responsibility and leadership, etc).

Get at least one new LOR, preferably 2. Make sure to establish relationships with faculty and supervisors this time, so that your LORs aren't empty. Make yourself known.

Rewrite everything. Your friends, and your premed adviser, are horrible essay reviewers. They've never been involved in an admissions decision for undergrad, much less for med school. Find old, crotchety, retired-or-nearly-retired faculty or physicians who will tell you what's wrong with your presentation. Find people who won't be nice nice.

Other good things to do:
- Be knowledgeable about the US health care system. Nothing you hear on TV or from a politician or an angry relative over dinner is useful at all. You have to actually read current events and analysis from both sides. I suggest following NYT & WSJ health pages...every day...forever. Whether you're liberal or conservative, get ahold of Atul Gawande's books or articles and use them to understand current issues, and to ask questions of physicians where you shadow/volunteer.
- Get a clinical volunteering gig that puts you closer to physician activities. All you see in hospice is the end game for very, very sick patients. (Good family exposure, valuable in small amounts, but it only shows you a tiny piece of the business.) Get into an emergency room or burn unit or pediatric clinic or homeless clinic.
- Do more rigorous study of the med schools to which you apply next time. (If you're a Wisconsin resident, why would East Tennessee pay attention to you? What have you or your parents given Tennessee, that entitles you to that state's limited public resources?) Get the MSAR when it comes out in April, and look at the acceptance stats. Then go to each interesting school's website, and devour it for info that will help you decide whether to apply. Also devour the interview feedback for each school, and look for school-specific info in allo, to see what other folks have to say.

Best of luck to you.

 

[Silverfalcon]

Also, you need to apply to a TON more schools.
At least 30-40.

I disagree with this statement. That's a lot of money and efforts, and I think one should be smart about where to apply. Picking 40 schools to apply isn't really an intelligent strategy.

I did notice a problem in where you picked the schools because some are research heavy (and you had NO research experience nor stellar MCAT in the first try) while others are not always OOS-friendly. Did you look at MSAR before you chose the schools?

I'm going to be bold and say that it may not have been so much about what OP had in his application (let it be LOR, PS, whatever), but simply, a lack of thorough investigation of where to apply (and has the probability of getting interviews).

 

[flodhi1]

OP your school selection is narrow and not wise. Which is the reason why youre not getting many interviews when you should be. You need to apply to 20+ schools heavy in safety schools especially since you're reapplying. Also in your ECs I do not see substantial shadowing, shadow with a primary care physician. Your LORS are also a problem you barely have any relationship with the professors and you're desperately getting consigns that just doesn't look good. Also a lot of people forget to mention this but a strong LOR from a physician (MD) that you have shadowed with can do wonders. I know LORs are important because at every single interview they talked about matter of fact quoted some of the personal things my professors wrote about me. The same thing happened with my Physician LOR. As I stated your best bet is to build a strong relationship with a Physician and get extensive shadowing.

Get at least one new LOR, preferably 2. Make sure to establish relationships with faculty and supervisors this time, so that your LORs aren't empty. Make yourself known.

Rewrite everything. Your friends, and your premed adviser, are horrible essay reviewers. They've never been involved in an admissions decision for undergrad, much less for med school. Find old, crotchety, retired-or-nearly-retired faculty or physicians who will tell you what's wrong with your presentation. Find people who won't be nice nice.

- Do more rigorous study of the med schools to which you apply next time. (If you're a Wisconsin resident, why would East Tennessee pay attention to you? What have you or your parents given Tennessee, that entitles you to that state's limited public resources?) Get the MSAR when it comes out in April, and look at the acceptance stats. Then go to each interesting school's website, and devour it for info that will help you decide whether to apply. Also devour the interview feedback for each school, and look for school-specific info in allo, to see what other folks have to say.

Best of luck to you.

+1

 

[gman33]

I disagree with this statement. That's a lot of money and efforts, and I think one should be smart about where to apply. Picking 40 schools to apply isn't really an intelligent strategy.

I did notice a problem in where you picked the schools because some are research heavy (and you had NO research experience nor stellar MCAT in the first try) while others are not always OOS-friendly. Did you look at MSAR before you chose the schools?

I'm going to be bold and say that it may not have been so much about what OP had in his application (let it be LOR, PS, whatever), but simply, a lack of thorough investigation of where to apply (and has the probability of getting interviews).

A much better strategy is applying to a handful of schools and not getting in.
I'd rather spend $1000 one year and get in.

True that there doesn't seem to be any logic in the list of schools.

 

[LifeTake2]

A much better strategy is applying to a handful of schools and not getting in.
I'd rather spend $1000 one year and get in.

True that there doesn't seem to be any logic in the list of schools.

Even this fact ignores that he interviewed twice at his state school and failed to garner an acceptance. This is a glaring sign that something is wrong. He could have applied to the bottom 20 schools and gotten 15 interviews, if he can't figure out why he failed to convert interview -> acceptance that would just be a lot of wasted travel and dry cleaning.

 

[flodhi1]

Even this fact ignores that he interviewed twice at his state school and failed to garner an acceptance. This is a glaring sign that something is wrong. He could have applied to the bottom 20 schools and gotten 15 interviews, if he can't figure out why he failed to convert interview -> acceptance that would just be a lot of wasted travel and dry cleaning.

People get rejected from schools all the time. I interviewed at 5 some schools and was rejected by 1 of the schools and received 4 acceptances. Does that mean I have interviewing problems and that I must have converted that specific interview into an acceptance? NO. If OP had 15 interviews I can guarantee you that he would get accepted some where. No matter what your social skills are a school can reject you for a million reasons other than your interview. Maybe the school had more competitive applicants post interview? you do not know that. The best bet is that OP apply broadly and yes if he has 15 interviews and every single one of them rejects him then I would agree with your point. Regardless OP work on your interview skills and for the millionth time apply early and broadly.

A much better strategy is applying to a handful of schools and not getting in.
I'd rather spend $1000 one year and get in.

True that there doesn't seem to be any logic in the list of schools.

+1 I would rather spend $10,000 one year and get in than waste an entire years worth of pay as a physician and not be in medical school.

 

[LifeTake2]

People get rejected from schools all the time. I interviewed at 5 some schools and was rejected by 1 of the schools and received 4 acceptances. Does that mean I have interviewing problems and that I must have converted that specific interview into an acceptance? NO. If OP had 15 interviews I can guarantee you that he would get accepted some where. No matter what your social skills are a school can reject you for a million reasons other than your interview.

Yes, I can't be 100% sure the OP has interview issues.

BUT, TWICE the LOR's, PS, EC's, MCAT & GPA all cleared the screening process and got an invite. Twice the interview took place and the OP didn't get in.

Like it or not, the root cause does not lie in the 'paperwork', but in the impression made (or not made).

I have more experience interviewing professionally rather than academically I manage a staff of ~100 currently), but it is a safe bet if I invited you for an interview twice and still chose to not hire you there was something that made me concerned I saw in person but not on paper.

 

[Prncssbuttercup]

Yes, I can't be 100% sure the OP has interview issues.

BUT, TWICE the LOR's, PS, EC's, MCAT & GPA all cleared the screening process and got an invite. Twice the interview took place and the OP didn't get in.

Like it or not, the root cause does not lie in the 'paperwork', but in the impression made (or not made).

I have more experience interviewing professionally rather than academically I manage a staff of ~100 currently), but it is a safe bet if I invited you for an interview twice and still chose to not hire you there was something that made me concerned I saw in person but not on paper.

I'm not convinced of this. Sometimes a person has 'okay' PS, EC's, etc and they are brought in to see if there is something new or better in person. If the OP is just the same in person as he is on paper, they may reject on that. A friend of mine was told exactly that "we thought you were mediocre on paper, and were hoping you would impress us more in person" well, if he was accurate in his description of himself, and was himself at the interview (Which is all the advice we all give) he is rejected... Something similar could apply here... The problem occurs the same when you're stellar on paper and sub-par in real life. That said, I don't think the OP is 'stellar' on paper for MD, he's pretty average, and as was pointed out, applied to some schools out of reach. I still say his PS needs to be gone over, as do any other essays he writes...

 

[scarshapedstar]

What time of year were the interviews? If they were both in March or something, it's probably the app.

 

[cabinbuilder]

Shoot your personal statement to me I will review it for you.

I don't think hospice is the greatest shadowing experience. People are at the ends of their lives and are usually resigned to their fate and are past the shock of the diagnosis and through the stages of grief. You need to see what it's like in a private office, urgent care clinic, the emergency room, the operating room. You need to understand what it's like dealing with the drug seekers, addicts, the poor who use the ER for their private doctor's office, the diabetics with rotting feet, the 19 year old on her fifth pregnancy because the more kids she has the more welfare pays her. The mangled from a DUI MVA. You need to know what it's like taking call, having that beeper on you all the time. Just a few ideas of what the reality of medicine is like and what your experience is lacking.

 

[robertch8]

I'm sure I'm probably echoing what many people are feeling, but it's clear that your stats are fine. Your letters of rec probably aren't doing you any good because they're all from faculty who are speaking about your academic capability to handle med school coursework, which I don't think is in question at all.

For you, it's all about finding your passion in medicine and backing that passion up with solid extensive experiences. I wouldn't think SMP at all or any classes, but figure out what commitment to medicine you want to pursue and really go at it through that whether its doing service in low income communities or focusing on and doing substantial research that will lead to a publication. Plus I would shadow more, and then write a PS that follows this commitment to medicine that you want to pursue. You're in a spot where academics are not in question; it's the intangibles and passion to medicine that they're questioning.

Regardless, I'd definitely get in touch with U of Wisconsin at the end of cycle and ask them why you were rejected. Best of luck!

 

[Lefty Doodle]

Hi,
Pre-M1 here. I read most of the replies (long thread!). But I just want to say--the OP should not feel like he is an inadequate candidate. He has a serious case of "looks like all the other applicants-itis" and just needs to up his strategy. I am a fellow midwesterner and I got virtually NO love from the East Coast, I applied to some of those same schools. But I got interviews at most of the places I applied to in the Midwest and even a scholarship at Iowa (which, by the way, was my WORST INTERVIEW--so unless you really have some social skills issues, don't let people think you are a bad interviewer, you never know what they are really looking for).

But as a fellow Midwesterner I wanted to suggest some schools to add to your list next year: U of Minnesota, U Iowa, Creighton, Loyola, Rosalind Franklin, Ohio State, Vermont, St. Louis University. The Midwestern schools get way fewer applications than the East Coast schools, so they will be more likely to look at and appreciate your application.

I had some LOR's that made me look like Mother Theresa which might have helped marginally, so definitely go out on a limb and ask anyone you think could contribute to that.

Good luck. Try not to go the DO route--you have MD stats and I heard DO schools have increased their enrollment by 100% (like nationwide) in the past 10 years and MD schools are increasing as well--but residency programs have not really increased their spots. So it's probably safer to do MD.

 

[IonClaws]

Also, you need to apply to a TON more schools.
At least 30-40.

30-40 schools? That sounds like a bit much especially since the average number of schools applied to by matriculants is 15 or so.
Would you say that's the standard number people should apply to or specific to his situation...? (I ask not out of disbelief but advice for my own application)

 

[aowisco47]

First of all, thanks to everyone for the posts.

It seems like one of the major themes within this thread is that I need to apply more broadly. I plan to do that this year, and my current job is excelllent, so i shouldn't have an issue applying to 30-40 schools, financially. However, I am worried that If i apply to that many my secondary essays will not be as good. Has anybody applied that broadly and felt like their secondaries weren't as good, or is there so much overlap in content that it isn't an issue?
Also, @Lefty Doodle thanks for posting some suggestions for schools to apply to. If anybody else has suggestions for schools to look into, I'd be happy to hear them.

The other common theme is that I need more shadowing/volunteering within medicine. Do you think that it's possible for me to develop these before the next application cycle? or would it be better to wait another year? Also, how do i go about getting doctors to let me shadow them if i don't really know many doctors... do i just shotgun email a ton of docs and hope to get lucky?

Shoot your personal statement to me. I have written many for those here on SDN.

Its coming your way today

What time of year were the interviews? If they were both in March or something, it's probably the app.

The first interview was in February, the second in early November.

Be knowledgeable about the US health care system. Nothing you hear on TV or from a politician or an angry relative over dinner is useful at all. You have to actually read current events and analysis from both sides. I suggest following NYT & WSJ health pages...every day...forever. Whether you're liberal or conservative, get ahold of Atul Gawande's books or articles and use them to understand current issues

My current job actually requires me to do this as part of my training, which I wrote about in my secondaries and was a main talking point in my last interview. I have done a good job keeping up with healthcare in the U.S. and have read a lot of Gawande(he's Awesome!!!)

I know its a long thread, so thanks for your time!!

 

[DrMidlife]

Shoot your personal statement to me. I have written many for those here on SDN.

Shame on you. What do you think you are doing? Do you think your behavior reflects well on the medical profession? On DOs? On LECOM? On family practice? On SDN?

What a disgrace.

 

[cabinbuilder]

Wow. Yes, my behavior reflects very well. It's called giving back and helping the next generation of doctors. I had help all the way through and if that's such a crime to help the next future doctor, I'll take that any day. There are many who help with essays in these forums, why that makes you angry is on you, not me.

 

[DrMidlife]

Wow. Yes, my behavior reflects very well. It's called giving back and helping the next generation of doctors. I had help all the way through and if that's such a crime to help the next future doctor, I'll take that any day. There are many who help with essays in these forums, why that makes you angry is on you, not me.

Writing a personal statement for a med school candidate is not giving back nor is it helping. Are you now saying that by writing you mean reviewing? Reviewing, offering feedback, yes that's giving back and helping. Why would you say you have not just written, but written many personal statements, for SDN members?

 

[SDN]

Common sense and level heads folks. It appears one person had an unfortunate word choice. That's it.

 

[Inkoate]

....

 

[scarshapedstar]

I was talking with a fellow interviewee, mentioned how much writer's block I'd had over my PS, they said that their premed advisor had all but written it for them.

I understand the rationale for the absolutist 'my statement was written on a grain of rice by a blind monk who was then put to the sword, such that none but I know of its secrets' checkboxes on AMCAS but it creates a situation where everyone expects the rule to be broken anyway.

Maybe I'm making a mountain out of a molehill but I don't see how a 'reasonable proofreading' clause would hurt. Not that it anyone actually reads that stuff.

 

[aowisco47]

I'm pretty sure cabinbuilder was only looking to help me with my PS, not write it for me, for which I am extremely grateful. I understand ppl's concern about writing statements for other students, IMO that is wrong, and I wouldn't accept it (because I am not going to put my future ANYONE's hands but my own).

If you would like to discuss it further, please start a thread about the ethics of personal statement help so we can all talk about it there. Otherwise this topic does not need to be discussed in any more detail on this thread.

I am really just looking for advice so that I can have the best career ever , an argument does not help me at all.

 

[PostHaste]

The other common theme is that I need more shadowing/volunteering within medicine. Do you think that it's possible for me to develop these before the next application cycle? or would it be better to wait another year? Also, how do i go about getting doctors to let me shadow them if i don't really know many doctors... do i just shotgun email a ton of docs and hope to get lucky?

Are you "out" at work? I'm making a leap and assuming I know who you work for; if you're out at work you should be able to find some physicians at your company who can point you toward practicing docs to shadow.

You could also mention to your primary care doc at your annual physical (you're doing those, right?) that you are applying and need some ideas on where to shadow. A primary care physician is going to know a lot of other docs in a lot of specialties; they might volunteer, or offer the name of a colleague who would be willing to let you shadow.

Also, you might try emailing the pre-med advisor at UW to see if they might have suggestions. At UWM the pre-med advisor helps coordinate a physician mentoring program through the medical society in Milwaukee; maybe there's something similar you could get hooked into there?

For volunteering, maybe try to reach out to a free/low cost clinic and volunteer at the front desk. Here is a page with information on clinics in Wisconsin. I really found that experience eye-opening.

Best of luck to you! From your posts you sound reasonable and articulate, and you must be pretty bright to be working where I assume you're working.

 

[notbobtrustme]

30-40 schools? That sounds like a bit much especially since the average number of schools applied to by matriculants is 15 or so.
Would you say that's the standard number people should apply to or specific to his situation...? (I ask not out of disbelief but advice for my own application)

The average applicant doesn't apply 3 times either.

Go all-in. Take the advice to beef your app up, rewrite everything and apply broad. Put some time into picking med schools (eg if you don't have an interest in research, stay away from research focused schools). Applying to 10 schools with averagish stats is going to lead to the situation you are in right now.

 

[pkwraith]

For what it's worth, it's probably not your interviewing skills. UW doesn't really weigh the interview as much as other schools. It's the equivalence of just another LoR.

UW does care about the GPA more than the MCAT, and you're a bit lower than the GPA average for the past 8 years. But, there's not much you can do about that now.

The post-interview rejection is probably for whatever reason you are not getting interviews at other schools. Although, tbh, I would've assumed you should've gotten interviews at MCW.

I agree with most of the assessments. Apply to a lot more schools. Keep working, and just keep busy with ECs.

 

[Packman2003]

You have one glaring hole in you application - no solid clinical experience. Get a job where you work directly with patients in a clinical setting. EMS, a nursing assistant in a hospital or doctors office, some kind of tech position, etc. Don't reapply until you have this and can talk about it.

 

[VictorAlpha]

been reading this thread with some interest and requesting an update from the OP.....