Oh So Conflicted....Need Some Advice

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Papa Smurf

Papa Smurf

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Alright, so I'm man enough to admit that I got rejected from my state schools (UF & USF) pre-interview this week. Anyway, I'm on 4 waitlists, haven't gotten in as of yet. So, I'm thinking I may have to re-apply next year. If I do, I'd like to improve my application. When I applied over the summer, my stats were (3.7 SGPA, 3.8 OGPA, 32R) Now, given my crappy performance last semester (3.33) due to some ill-timed interviews coupled with senioritis, my gpa has taken a hit. I dunno what the overall has dropped to, but med schools look at the yearly trend, and mine has a "well defined negative slope" so to speak. Now, for the past few weeks, when I haven't been posting on SDN, I've been studying for the MCAT in hopes of compensating for my crappy senior year if I have to reapply. The test is only 3 weeks away, and I'm wondering if you guys think I should take it? Up until last night, I was set on taking it in April, but now I'm kinda hesitant. My options are to take it in April. Take it in August. Or not take it at all. Anyone?
 
Why do you want to retake the MCAT? 32R is just fine! I had a 28R myself. So I think your scores are OK where they are. And don't give up hope yet, waitlists are moving quick. Keep the faith, Papi!
 
How have you been doing on MCAT diagnostics or AAMC tests?? There's test VI out there, supposedly... I would just be a bit nervous about taking an MCAT without properly preparing, and then having a downward trend on BOTH your MCAT and GPA...

To be honest, a 32R is a pretty good score. I don't know why that wouldn't get you in somewhere! And 4 waitlists is a reasonable number. I would think you have a pretty good chance at getting into one of them.

If I were you, I'd wait for now and write the August MCAT if you don't have an acceptance by then. But I'm hardly the best person to be taking advice from. 🙂
 
If you are on 4 waitlists, I think you've still got a good chance of going to med-school next year!
*crossing fingers*
Good luck! Think positively!
 
Papa,

I don't think you need to retake the MCAT. After reading your gpa and your mcat scores, I thought that maybe what would improve your application is perhaps a better personal statement and better letters. I'm not saying your statement was weak b/c I never read it, but with the numbers you have you should be getting acceptances. I'd focus on pulling up your grades for this year and waiting it out. With four waitlists, you have a great chance at being accepted! I would only take the MCAT again if you are certain that you could do better. A 32R ain't bad. By no means would ANY medical school discriminate against you for a 32. It isn't a fantastic score, but it is a very good one. Hope my babbling helped
 
papi, I wouldn't take it in april, because you might be shooting yourself in the foot. If you are really considering retaking it (32=good), I would at least wait until summer and know for sure that you haven't gotten in, then you can properly prepare for it. Like brandonite said, you don't want 2 downward trends. Good luck, we're rooting for you! :clap: :clap: :clap:

ps ya never know...4 waitlists could turn out to be 4 acceptances! 🙂
 
Hey Papa-
Question: What schools are you waitlisted at? Chances are there may be serious movement later and you can get in.
Question: What kinds of schools did you apply to? Hope you applied to a wide range.
Question: When did you apply in the cycle? The earlier, the better, as I can attest to.
Question: Is there a huge difference between a 32 and a 34? Yes and no. I think you would have to jack up your score 5+ points to make any significant improvement.
Question: How well do you think you interview? Chances are this might be what went wrong with your app due to the number of waitlists you have. You may just want to work on getting your apps for next year in early and practice interviewing.
Statement: You could always say that your GPA slipped due to traveling, stress, etc of applying if you have to reapply next year. Hang in there, I am sure things will work out. 🙂
 
I agree, it's probably not your MCAT that's holding you back. Concentrate on improving other aspects of your aplication (I think the personal statement and interviews are critical) if you have to, but chances are you won't have to with 4 waitlists. Also the number and range of schools you apply to is pretty important. But I'm sure you know all this. Hang in there and good luck to you, Papi. 🙂
 
OK Papi, as the only person with reason here i will recommend that you listen to me (sorry guys, i love you all, but let's be reasonable--his stats are nutty!!).

a 32 is not a good score, it is a GREAT score. coupled with a 3.7 science, 3.8 overall it makes you competitive for MANY, MANY, MANY top 50 schools. i'd say you're a shoe-in for schools like Emory, Tulane, or anybody at that level (or above) in the north. seriously, those are GREAT stats. not good, great. medschool isn't impossible to get into. with a 3.6 and a 30 you're almost guaranteed a slot (how many peole do you KNOW that had to reapply because they didn't get in with those numbers??? cuz i don't think there are many at all). now with a 3.8 and 32 you are golden bro. the problems, i fear, are the following.

your EC's are weak
Your Personal Statement needs more compassion, doc-patient relationships, sweet doctor stuff.
Your secondaries were all handwritten with a purple pen and in bad form.
You applied to all the wrong schools.
Something else, because your stats were NOT the problem.

now you will MOST likely get in this year, because to not get in with your numbers means you applied to all the wrong schools. why every single state school didn't interview you puzzles me, but it's probably your PS, letters of rec, secondaries, or ECs. cuz damnit it's not your numbers.

now the senior year gpa will be a problem. and not a small one, i can attest to that. but it's only your fall semester and a 3.3 is NOT THAT BAD (i had 1 Withdrawal, 1 Incomplete, 2 "C's", and a single A in musicology(!!) my fall semester of senior year---THAT IS BAD). and you can attribute it to interviews and if you do better this semester it's just fine. you don't need to go risking it with the mcat because there's not THAT much to gain. you're already competitive for the TOP schools with those numbers, so how much more could a better mcat do? and make sure you improve if you take it cuz if you don't, you're in hot water.

you will get in this year, because 4 waitlists is really good. but if you don't, just do something productive during your year off and get good grades this semester and you should get like 10 interviews out of ~25 secondaries. your stats merit that, IMHO. just work on the things i mentioned above, and maybe interviewing skills too. but if you don't get in you're a very small minority, so i wouldn't sweat it..you're too good to not get into at least one of FOUR waitlists.

Man i feel for you, but i think you'll be fine. you're an awesome student, i can't imagine what the hell happened.
 
Well, let's see. I dunno what the problem is exactly folks. I didn't apply super early, but not terribly late either. I'm pretty sure most of my files were complete in October. I applied to all the Florida schools (4), some decent middle tiers, and a bunch of top 20's for my reach schools. Anyway, my personal statement is the same as everyone else's. Not gonna bring a tear to your eye, but won't bore you to death either. My EC's are pretty much on par with most applicants. I think I may have a problem with one of my LOR's, as I'm a smartass and kind of a slacker in real life and that comes across sometimes. <img border="0" title="" alt="[Eek!]" src="eek.gif" /> I don't really know since I waived my right to view them, so I'm merely speculating here. It's so freaking hard to get to know a professor when you go to a school with 45,000 students!!!!

As far as my interview skills go, I think they're fine. I usually try to lighten the mood by always joking around with the other applicants, med students/tour guides, but I'm quite serious and conservative in my actual interviews (I know, I know, a far cry from my online personality! :wink: ) I think I kinda ticked off my Georgetown interviewer by inquiring into the solvency (&lt;---that's for you SMW! ) of their institution. Hey, I thought it was a valid concern, but I think the dude was offended. Whatever. My Miami interview was kinda short and somewhat painful, but a lot of people I know had a tough interview down there. They've deferred/waitlisted almost everyone. I only know of one guy who's gotten in, but he interviewed pretty damn early, probably before my file was even complete! I definitely wanna stay in FL, so I'm gonna go to Miami if I get in! Beautiful women and beautiful weather. :wink: 😛 Caveman, I hear what you're saying. I dunno what happened other than the FL schools don't like me. I can understand UF not wanting me, since they've screwed over people a lot more qualified. My good friend has interviewed at top 20's, but not UF? 😕 I can even understand FSU not wanting me cuz they're looking for a specific type of applicant (North Florida, primary care, etc). But USF? Come on already! I can't figure out these schools.

I took a practice FL the other day, and was in Caveman territory with a 34. I dunno what I'm gonna do though. I'm leaning towards just taking it and not releasing the scores on test day. :wink: I'll release them if they're higher. Otherwise, I'll just stick with the 32. What do you think?
 
I'm gonna agree with everyone here, but on one condition - what was the breakdown of your MCAT? It may be a red flag if you got, say, a 12, 12, 8 (that's 32 if my math is right) or any other really lopsided score, especially if the low score was in VR (I'm told that lots of schools really value the VR portion). If that is the case, then you may have a valid reason to retake the test.

I don't think taking it in April would be a wise idea though. Its probably better to hedge your bet and wait to see what comes of the waitlists. Then you can retake it in Aug. if you still need or want to.
 
Your 32 is not what's holding you back. Don't bother retaking the MCAT. If for some reason you don't get into these schools off the waitlist you should contact them to find out why. Then address those problems. One semester with a 3.3 will be fine with a valid excuse provided you do well this semester.

I think you'll get in. Don't forget to keep bugging the schools you are waitlisted at 🙂 Good luck.
 
I think that you need to find out what is in your LORs if you think that they might be a problem. If you are using a LOR service, I would have them sent to a friend with a Ph.D. affiliated with a university. If one is bad, you gotta get it out of there. Of course, its too late for this year.
 
actually that's a pretty sweet deal. because if you take them now you don't have to release them and you may never have to (since you already have submitted a score you're happy with---bec i know that you can not release but when you eventually do release a score, they all go out..but you've already sent a score, and don't ever have to release this if you don't want to. and if you can get mid thirties (i think you can up that to 35-36 by test day!!!) it definitely will put you in another category which might get you those top10 interviews since your gpa is good.

i think it's a great idea. take it in april but don't release until you know what it is.

loopholes are so exciting. play the system Papi, play her like the ho she is. 😎
 
Don't take the MCAT. Not in April, not in August, not ever again. Your MCAT scores are great... they are not the reason you didn't get in (yet, that is, you're likely to get off one of those waiting lists). Your GPA will still be fine too. I would worry about whatever part of your application is weak. How much volunteer, work, and medical experience do you have? That's probably what you should try to improve. Also, think about additional letters of rec and rewriting essays. However, you will likely not have to do any of this if you are on four waiting lists.
 
i think it's laughable that so many people referred to your 32R as good scores. THEY ARE GREAT SCORES!! a 32R might not take you to the acceptance stage at SOME of the top ten, but man, the mean composite for the 50+ thousand that took it was around 24.

- did you study sufficiently for your first MCAT?
if so, how can you be sure you'll do better? also, this application process wears you down and i doubt i could do as good well as i did in august if i took it again now. what happens if you do worse?

- how many schools did you apply to total, and more importantly, how many non top 20? this process is a crapshoot and you probably would get in next year w/o additional classes or a new mcat. in fact, you are probably going to get in this year off those waitlists. i wouldn't do anything, including retaking the mcat until after may 15th has come and gone.

good luck
 
Do NOT retake the MCAT!!!

That is not holding you down, and honestly if you take it again and score a 35 that won't make a difference, you might drop, and that MIGHT make a difference.

Since you're on four waitlists you have a good chance. Write letters of interests to ALL those schools!

GOOD LUCK!!!
 
Do not retake the MCAT! At least not until August if you must. Certainly not in April. To state, again, what everyone else has stated, it's still early, especially for this admissions season. See what happens... Best wishes to you.
 
A.CaveMan has a good point, but nothing on earth could get me to re-take the MCAT if I had a 32! (or even a 27 :wink: )
 
PM. --Trek
 
•••quote:•••Originally posted by jmejia1:
•Do NOT retake the MCAT!!!

That is not holding you down, and honestly if you take it again and score a 35 that won't make a difference, you might drop, and that MIGHT make a difference.

Since you're on four waitlists you have a good chance. Write letters of interests to ALL those schools!

GOOD LUCK!!!•••••keith (and I) is right..it's laughable that anyone would consider a 32 only "good" but for someone to think that a 35 would not make a difference..that is laughable also.

I'm sending you a PM, Trek-style, and it will "stop the insanity" like that blond lesbian with the crew cut used to say.
 
•••quote:•••Originally posted by A. Caveman:
•actually that's a pretty sweet deal. because if you take them now you don't have to release them and you may never have to (since you already have submitted a score you're happy with---bec i know that you can not release but when you eventually do release a score, they all go out..but you've already sent a score, and don't ever have to release this if you don't want to. and if you can get mid thirties (i think you can up that to 35-36 by test day!!!) it definitely will put you in another category which might get you those top10 interviews since your gpa is good.

i think it's a great idea. take it in april but don't release until you know what it is.

loopholes are so exciting. play the system Papi, play her like the ho she is. 😎 •••••Caveman - are you sure that when you release a socre, they all go out?
 
Papa-

That SUCKS!! You have great scores. Have you tried writing a letter to a school saying that they're your top choice?
 
i'm not sure, so Papi should do the research, but i think you can tell them to not release a score let's say if april if you do badly, and when you take it again in august if you felt like you did better @ the end of testday you release it, but all other unreleased scores go out as well.

since Pops has already submitted a score, and it's a very good score, then if he takes it again and doesn't release it won't be a problem (unless he takes it a third time and releases THAT...which he won't because a 32 is a very good score). so since he's already ready already for the april exam he should just take it stress free and kick butt. he can release it (or not) after he knows what he has 2 months later. it's a cool position to be in..a very fun position since it's all stress FREEEEE.
 
Papa Smurf:

I can understand wanting to take some concrete action to improve your application, such as retaking MCAT. But you did really well already and retaking might actually come off as obsessive or arrogant.

I think it's the more intangible qualities, such as temperament and maturity, that may be getting you in trouble. The "life of the party" tone of some of your comments suggests you may have a little growing up to do. And if those witticisms at the bottom of your posts are an accurate reflection of your sense of humor, I'd leave that at home on interview day.
 
•••quote:•••Originally posted by CoffeeCat:
- are you sure that when you release a socre, they all go out?[/QB]••••Only released scores go out to schools, but if you have an unreleased score on file, it will show as unreleased once any score goes out (does that make sense?). I think the schools would see the fact that you have an unreleased score if you have to reapply and decide to hold the April score, though, Papi. I'm not sure about coming off as obsessive or arrogant, but they will definitely want to know why.
 
•••quote:•••Originally posted by psyche:
•Papa Smurf:

I can understand wanting to take some concrete action to improve your application, such as retaking MCAT. But you did really well already and retaking might actually come off as obsessive or arrogant.

I think it's the more intangible qualities, such as temperament and maturity, that may be getting you in trouble. The "life of the party" tone of some of your comments suggests you may have a little growing up to do. And if those witticisms at the bottom of your posts are an accurate reflection of your sense of humor, I'd leave that at home on interview day.•••••Part of the problem of the internet is that people seem to think that every acts the exact same in 'real life' as they do on the 'net. Do you really think someone tries to act immature during an interview? Even if papa had a poor temperament as you imply, surely he could suspend it for 30 mins for an interview, no? Case in point: would you walk up to papa in real life and say that? No, you wouldn't. So don't jump to conclusions. --Trek
 
Wow. Maybe I'll be the first one to buck the trend and say take the MCAT. I think it is almost a no lose situation. Let's say you take the MCAT and score a 34. You can write the schools you are on the waitlists to and say that you really want to go to their schools and you improved your MCAT just to make yourself a more attractive candidate.
If you are retaking the MCAT for next year, I would say don't take the april MCAT. I don't think you would be able to study as much as you could for the august. If worse case secnerio comes where you have to reapply, the schools will already have you 32R, which I think is a pretty good score, and they could start to process your aplication. If you think you can do better than 32R, then take the august one, because you would have more time to prepare.
Little bit of conflicting advice, but lots of usefull knowledge in there. Sorry, but I don't have much time now. Hope that helps you out.
 
•••quote:•••Originally posted by psyche:
•Papa Smurf:

I can understand wanting to take some concrete action to improve your application, such as retaking MCAT. But you did really well already and retaking might actually come off as obsessive or arrogant.

I think it's the more intangible qualities, such as temperament and maturity, that may be getting you in trouble. The "life of the party" tone of some of your comments suggests you may have a little growing up to do. And if those witticisms at the bottom of your posts are an accurate reflection of your sense of humor, I'd leave that at home on interview day.•••••Sorry, I just find this kind of humorous. If you read my second post, you'd know that I'm pretty serious in all of my interviews. My God, I'm not an idiot that I'd go into a med school interview and start saying some of the junk I say on here. I've been around physicians long enough to realize that they're mostly a conservative bunch. It's only the other applicants and med students that I even bother to joke around with. The interview day is stressful enough as it is, so I try to make everyone lighten up a bit. Trust me, my "life of the party" comments and "witticisms" are in no way a reflection of my "maturity or temperment" in real life. Since when is there a correlation between having some fun online and having "a little growing up to do" in real life? The quotes at the end of my posts and only there to make people laugh. Sorry, but I like to laugh, that's just me. I could turn into the bland Papa Smurf who just goes around asking about financial aid, pass/fail curriculum, etc if you prefer. Not that there's anything wrong with that. :wink:

The last thing I want to do is go to a school where everyone is studying 24-7 trying to kill the curve, competing for those coveted derm residences since Day 1 of first year. That's why Miami is such a good fit for me. It matches my personality in that I can get a great education, awesome clinical experience, and be in a environment where I can still have fun. I don't really care that much about rank, NIH funding, average Step 1 score, etc etc. In the end, your success is highly correlated with your own work ethic, not necessarily whether you go to Harvard or a state school.

Anyway, back to the topic at hand. As for retaking with a 32, I don't think it's perceived as arrogant. That's a snap judgment, and trust me, I'm not arrogant in real life. I guess some adcom members could view it as such, but I'd like to think most would consider me dedicated to getting into medical school. I wouldn't take it again if I didn't think I could do better. I believe brandonite "WROTE" the MCAT again after getting a 32, and he's probably the most humble poster on this board. Look at Caveman, he retook with a 29, only to get a 34, which pretty much saved his a$$ given his senior year grades. Caveman tells it like it is, and I know he'd agree with me when I say he wouldn't have gotten as many invites as he has this year if it wasn't for the 34. To a large extent, it's compensated for his senior year GPA. Adcoms always say don't reapply until you've improved your application. No quicker way to improve than to bump up the MCAT a few points. If my senior year GPA was still a 3.8, then no, I wouldn't consider retaking. Unfortunately, that's not the case.

Caveman, thanks for the PM. I'm taking it under advisement. Thanks for the input all. Later my peeps.
 
Papa Smurf:

Didn't mean to ruffle your feathers. Or fur.(Do Smurfs have fur?) You're probably right and I may have misjudged you. The real point in my post was that it's not always the numbers (GPA,MCATS) that get or don't get you into medical school. It's often some more indefinable quality that comes through in the essays, recs, etc. I'm sure someone as smart as you will get into medical school, if not this cycle then next year. Good luck.
 
Papa's right. If i hadn't done better on the MCAT i would have been out on the streets, selling my ass for dollars, living in the fastlane of drugs and prostitution....
people told me (including premed advisor) that the 29 was not what kept me out, and that it was good enough to get into many schools, so i should work on other things, but they were wrong. as screwed as i would have been with my sen year grades, i'd have been lucky to get any interviews, very, very lucky.

i've gotten interviews because i've shown my competency as a student with my Fall semester graduate grades, and with the mcat august after graduation, immediately after my horrific senior year. i showed my commitment and skillz by doing that, and had i not done all of that, i'd be living out of a dumpster behind a supermarket or something. definitely i'd have memorized the times that the Dunkin Donuts throw out the previous day's unsold donuts, and grubbin on those french cruellers like there's no tomorrow..because for me there wouldn't be.

and Psyche, you're being ridiculous. i got a PM from someone recently about not having gotten in yet and he mentined how "caustic" i am on here and how that might be my problem. wth? this isn't how i act in an interview. Papa is obviously very capable of having a serious discussion. who the hell gives a crap's ass whether or not he jokes on here? some of you freaks used to give me that crap too.
then i became more of the "bland" SDN personality that Papi might be forced into becoming just because he wants to "fit in" here. you nerds have to stop being so uptight and learn how to laugh. this stuff is no indication of our Interview personalities. this may not even be an accurate portrayal of our everyday-talking to some regular person-personality. so chizzle.

in fact, i ONLY come here to read fun, interesting stuff, and if Papi and other "chill" people weren't on here, i'd get bored, and leave. and i know people like reading my stuff. coz i'ma FREAKKKK. outtie
 
Sorry to knock you caveman...but he hasn't actually gotten in yet? (have you? :wink: ) or at least a decent return on the interviews...so ultimately no the higher mcat score did not save him....
 
getting in is about luck with the interviewer, how you act on THAT particular day, how motivated you are about going to THAT particular school, how much you bs about loving the school when you know a week later you have an interview at a place you REALLY wanna go to, etc, etc, etc.
 
•••quote:•••Originally posted by trout:
•Sorry to knock you caveman...but he hasn't actually gotten in yet? (have you? :wink: ) or at least a decent return on the interviews...so ultimately no the higher mcat score did not save him....•••••Actually when I said the 34 saved him, I was referring to the interviews he's gotten. It's naive at best to think that he would have gotten the interviews he has if he didn't have that 34. There is a huge difference between a 29 and a 34. Enough of a difference to compensate for his less than impressive senior year (not that getting an "A" in musicology isn't something to be proud of Cave :wink: ) All I'm saying is that if Caveman would've reapplied with the 29, especially in a state as competitive as Florida has become, he'd probably be reapplying a third time. I've already gotten crap about my declining junior year GPA. Apparently a 3.6 looks really bad to some schools when it's a part of a downward trend. 😕 That's the reality of the situation IMHO. Anyway, Caveman, don't sweat it bro. You'll get in! I know it. 🙂
 
trout the higher numbers get you more "opportunities" not "acceptances."

i've had 6 opportunities this year with maybe one or two more to come. as it is though, i'm pretty sure i'll get in. you can't mess up 6 interviews. it's too hard. so the numbers put the odds in your favor, and with the odds in your favor it's almost statistically impossible to not make it.

PS. Papa, you've been raggin on my grades in 3 consecutive posts now it seems. it's beginning to hurt my feelings (u bitch). but that A in introduction to musicology saved my gpa that semester. hee hee 😀
 
Sorry I really disagree, I think the higher numbers make your application start to stand out...I think a 32 could have gotten him in almost anywhere, the trick is standing out...look at smw and even morninglight (sorry to pick on you 2)...both had lower mcats and both got into columbia, what was the difference? they probably have something in their application maybe the essay or something that makes them stand out (and I think even alice posted a 33?) I actually think being a second time applicant can help you showing dedication (maybe this is all you need to stand out)...I still think papa smurf you should follow up with the schools and find out what was your weakness...many schools are honest and will tell you: 1)letters of rec 2)activities 3)gpa 4)interview...it is probably going to be your best feedback...I mean even you said the usual ec, grades etc...schools want uniqueness not the cookie cutter...sorry caveman didn't mean to slash you, but from my experience almost all of my interviews wanted to meet me based on my experiences (and when I walked through the door and saw I was normal I think that did it) and since I have no post-interview rejections I really do firmly believe that the interview is past GPA and mcat (and btw I haven't once been asked abut my c in orgo or gchem) creating interest in your application can really change the way an interview is going to go...if you look like a cookie cutter than you will get generic crappy interview questions...if something unique is standing out in your application than chances you are going talk about that...sorry to express my opinion but just my 2cents

•••quote:•••Originally posted by A. Caveman:
•trout the higher numbers get you more "opportunities" not "acceptances."

i've had 6 opportunities this year with maybe one or two more to come. as it is though, i'm pretty sure i'll get in. you can't mess up 6 interviews. it's too hard. so the numbers put the odds in your favor, and with the odds in your favor it's almost statistically impossible to not make it.

PS. Papa, you've been raggin on my grades in 3 consecutive posts now it seems. it's beginning to hurt my feelings (u bitch). but that A in introduction to musicology saved my gpa that semester. hee hee 😀 •••••
 
•••quote:•••Originally posted by trout:
•Sorry I really disagree, I think the higher numbers make your application start to stand out...I think a 32 could have gotten him in almost anywhere, the trick is standing out...look at smw and even morninglight (sorry to pick on you 2)...both had lower mcats and both got into columbia, what was the difference? they probably have something in their application maybe the essay or something that makes them stand out (and I think even alice posted a 33?) I actually think being a second time applicant can help you showing dedication (maybe this is all you need to stand out)...I still think papa smurf you should follow up with the schools and find out what was your weakness...many schools are honest and will tell you: 1)letters of rec 2)activities 3)gpa 4)interview...it is probably going to be your best feedback...I mean even you said the usual ec, grades etc...schools want uniqueness not the cookie cutter...sorry caveman didn't mean to slash you, but from my experience almost all of my interviews wanted to meet me based on my experiences (and when I walked through the door and saw I was normal I think that did it) and since I have no post-interview rejections I really do firmly believe that the interview is past GPA and mcat (and btw I haven't once been asked abut my c in orgo or gchem) creating interest in your application can really change the way an interview is going to go...if you look like a cookie cutter than you will get generic crappy interview questions...if something unique is standing out in your application than chances you are going talk about that...sorry to express my opinion but just my 2cents

•••quote:•••Originally posted by A. Caveman:
•trout the higher numbers get you more "opportunities" not "acceptances."

i've had 6 opportunities this year with maybe one or two more to come. as it is though, i'm pretty sure i'll get in. you can't mess up 6 interviews. it's too hard. so the numbers put the odds in your favor, and with the odds in your favor it's almost statistically impossible to not make it.

PS. Papa, you've been raggin on my grades in 3 consecutive posts now it seems. it's beginning to hurt my feelings (u bitch). but that A in introduction to musicology saved my gpa that semester. hee hee 😀 ••••••••••first off i don't know why SOME PEOPLE(!!) copy your post on theirs so that people "know" he was responding to that post, because the post is DIRECTLY after mine. why must you copy it? it's clear who you're responding to!!!!

OK, now to respond to your post. not everybody has had the experiences you've had. most people have done the average stuff and will get by because they are good students and will make good doctors. not because they were born in South Central with the gangstas and they made it out or they saw some breathtaking this in their youth that made them believe medicine was in their destiny.

that's a minority trout (a small group of people) that ends up gong through some crazy crap growing up and "stays normal" so everybody's impressed. Yipee we're all so proud that you've finally made it. big deal.

let me point out the SMW went to stanford. her 30 accompanied by her gpa made her good enough to be considered for interview at Columbia and then Her personality did the rest. if she hadn't been the professional she is, chances would not have been in her favor. you, are a gangbanger or some ridiculous thing (i suppose from my neck to my toes) and "made it" fabulous. so "all you had to do is look normal and bada bing!!" please man, not everybody has an incredibly professional demeanor or has made it through all the stuff you did (whatever the hell it was). most people are good students that do their job, and end up being great doctors.

maybe you're confused. maybe you think the people that get into medschool are Exceptional, unbelievable people. newsflash, about one-third of applicants get in. this isn't the Super Third of the group. it's just regular dudes that end up making regular doctors. get with it. and stop being so rude because i'm pissed already at your comments. i didn't say anything the first time when you made your "no offense" comment about not knocking me, but now you're pushing it.

get off your lucky ass high-horse and be reasonable. you're right a 32 is good enough to get you many top interviews. but that needs to be accompanied by Major ECs or Super life-expereince stuff, or URM status. otherwise you need ~35 with stellar grades to get those interviews. unless you're from an Ivy league school. UF and UMiami are not Ivy leagues obviously. so you need to really impress them to get those interviews. he can do that with a better mcat.

your post is just ridiculous! i can't even argue it anymore, i don't think i'm getting anywhere.
 
Cave- you should know by now, but us regular people get in just because all the amazing folks get into columbia. Oh wait...that wasn't the point you were trying to make, trout? --Trek
 
The quotes are just to piss you off because obviously it is working....
Originally posted by A. Caveman:
•

Originally posted by A. Caveman:
trout the higher numbers get you more "opportunities" not "acceptances."

i've had 6 opportunities this year with maybe one first off i don't know why SOME PEOPLE(!!) copy your post on theirs so that people "know" he was responding to that post, because the post is DIRECTLY after mine. why must you copy it? it's clear who you're responding to!!!!

OK, now to respond to your post. not everybody has had the experiences you've had. most people have done the average stuff and will get by because they are good students and will make good doctors. {not because they were born in South Central with the gangstas and they made it out or they saw some breathtaking this in their youth that made them believe medicine was in their destiny.

that's a minority trout (a small group of people) that ends up gong through some crazy crap growing up and "stays normal" so everybody's impressed. Yipee we're all so proud that you've finally made it. big deal. •

Humm how judgemental can we be to think that experiences are just based on crap you grow up with????? Did you ever think that people actually extend themselves to find unique experiences??????

•you, are a gangbanger or some ridiculous thing (i suppose from my neck to my toes) and "made it" fabulous. so "all you had to do is look normal and bada bing!!" please man, not everybody has an incredibly professional demeanor or has made it through all the stuff you did (whatever the hell it was). most people are good students that do their job, and end up being great doctors.

•
I never thought of myself as a gangbanger but that sure would make me unique....
•
maybe you're confused. maybe you think the people that get into medschool are Exceptional, unbelievable people. newsflash, about one-third of applicants get in. this isn't the Super Third of the group. it's just regular dudes that end up making regular doctors. get with it. and stop being so rude because i'm pissed already at your comments. i didn't say anything the first time when you made your "no offense" comment about not knocking me, but now you're pushing it. •

Actually most of the people I meet on my interviews, independent of the school were pretty amazing and honestly I don't know how people and schools make up their minds, many people are amazing...and the point was yeah your scores got you more interviews (maybe) or maybe you just applied better I was just using you as an example and since you flambouyantly put yourself all over this site you are a pretty recognizable example...the example was to Papa smurf, retaking the mcats is not the end all thing....that there is much more to the application...

and BTW did i make caveman mad?????? <img border="0" alt="[Laughy]" title="" src="graemlins/laughy.gif" /> <img border="0" alt="[Laughy]" title="" src="graemlins/laughy.gif" />
But since this thread wasn't about the self absorbed caveman and for papa smurf predicament I do hope he at least listens to advice....but to your 4 waitlist pap smurf I would recommend writing letters to say what you are going to add to the class
Click to expand...
 
Papa and Caveman,
Keep talking the crap on SDN and don't tone down your personalities to fit into the norm. I need the entertainment to make it through the day.
 
Unless your mcat expires or you got 2/15/15 or something, you should focus on non-academic aspect of your application.
 
OK, i'm gonna keep this civilized. you've made it clear you're just trying to annoy me, and i'm not gonna play that little game with you because it's pathetic.

your advice is good advice, i'm not contradicting it. you need to go eat your veggies or something. i took offense because of your "don't mean to slash you" and "no offense" jabs. and while calling me self-absorbed, you're the one that told us all about how "special" you are and all the rest. did i ever get cocky like that?
the bottom line is you're saying he should work on other aspects of his apps and send update letters to the schools reminding them that he's still here and that he can bring a lot to their class. do you think he knows that? i think he does. don't be silly, your "advice" isn't news.

but some people are arguing that if he can improve his mcat and does, it won't make a difference. clearly not true. i don't have to support this in any way. it's common sense. my advice is countering the MISadvice of others and IS informative. your advice is not news and he's probably already done those things. besides, once your file has gone to committee nothing you do can change it. this is what i've been told by schools.
 
A.Caveman:

Improving an already good MCAT score may very well increase his chances at getting accepted, but I think encouraging this course of action will detract Papa from reckoning with the undeniable fact that there is SOMETHING ELSE in his application that must smell real bad, considering he has teriffic stats and no acceptances.
 
Look, i think it boils down to the fact that there's MORE qualified applicants than seats (especially in florida). Maybe there's nothign wrong with Papa aside from the fact he applied late and by that time the class was full. Most people here have surely heard the waitlist wording: 'perfectly acceptable...not enough room' 'many highly qualified applicants' and so on. Perhaps we shouldn't be looking for the missing link and realize that there's not enough seats at good schools for all the folks that want them. --Trek
 
1) apply earlier
2) fix "other problem" whether it's volunteer stuff, clinical stuff, PS, secondary essays
3) fix LORs. may very well have been sabotaged.
4) apply to many 2 tiers and several reach. perhaps you got too confident that a state school would take you.
5) after all that is done, and i assume it is done in your head and all ready to be fixed, consider taking mcat since you're already prepared for it because you'll get into the top 10's if you do 1-4 and number 5.

these are the recommendations. but Pops knows them anyway..we're all just masturbating here. for shame.....
 
Hey Papa Smurf...you're MCAT score is awesome! Why stress it again?! I'd focus more on my LOR's, EC, and research and overall application instead! Apply earlier and to more schools maybe. But best of luck and best wishes in whatever you decide to do! I'm sure things will prove themselves! Take care 😛
 
Hey Papi, I sent you a private message <img border="0" alt="[Lovey]" title="" src="graemlins/lovey.gif" /> :wink:
 
•••quote:•••Originally posted by Hero:
•you should focus on non-academic aspect of your application.•••••This is probably the most useful post on this entire thread.

•••quote:•••Originally posted by A. Caveman:
•1) apply earlier
2) fix "other problem" whether it's volunteer stuff, clinical stuff, PS, secondary essays
3) fix LORs. may very well have been sabotaged.
4) apply to many 2 tiers and several reach. perhaps you got too confident that a state school would take you.
5) after all that is done, and i assume it is done in your head and all ready to be fixed, consider taking mcat since you're already prepared for it because you'll get into the top 10's if you do 1-4 and number 5. •••••These are all excellent tips as well, although I personally wouldn't recommend retaking the MCAT because a 32R is still very good.

Obviously, your academic qualifications are not lacking. What may be missing is that "unique" factor, as in the famous interview question, "We have 7,000 applicants with the same GPA, MCATs, etc. Why should we choose YOU?" Ask yourself that same question. Also, set up a meeting with the adcoms and ask what can be done to improve upon your application (if you don't get accepted, which I'm sure you will anyway.)

You said something to the effect of the 'usual'
EC's and LORs, which leads me to believe that herein lies your problem. Most of the accepted applicants I have met have one thing or another that is distinct and unique about them, something that sets them apart from all the other cookie cutter premeds. Perhaps you need to cultivate that side of you or participate actively in EC's you are genuinely interested in, rather than ones that you did to impress the adcoms or to put on your application. It doesn't even have to be medically related. This seems to work wonders when people put their minds to it, mainly because they ENJOY what they do, so they excel at it.

Good luck and keep us posted on the developments.
 
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