Only One Interview, What Should I Be Doing Now?

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KPstudent

KPstudent

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Hi everybody,

So I'm currently in the process of applying to schools, I had a 3.67 overall GPA 3.63 science GPA from a top 10 undergraduate university, 515 MCAT. I have 200+ hours of shadowing, 200+ hours of volunteering, was the director of my acapella group, studied abroad, the whole shabang. My secondaries were all in at the end of July. I thought I was a very competitive applicant at all of the mid-tier MD schools, but thus far have only had ONE interview, and have been rejected from 10 schools. I have also been put on "hold" at my only state school (University of Maryland) and GW. I know applying to medical school is a tough process, but I was very confident going in that I would have a good number of interviews, but now I am seriously doubting myself. I am trying to figure out how to proceed, whether I should apply to one year master's programs and reapply, whether it is too late to apply to DO schools and whether this is a good option, I'm just now sure and don't really know who to ask.

I am still waiting on some more schools, but at this point I know that most of the interview spots are filling up, and I am feeling very depressed about the whole thing. If anyone else has gone through this, or has any advice, please let me know.

Thanks
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It's not too late to aim for DO schools, but hurry!!!! Your stats are fine for any of them, including mine. A master's program would be a waste of money...your stats are quite competitive for MD schools. Your ECs, on the surface, appear cookie cutter, though.


I am trying to figure out how to proceed, whether I should apply to one year master's programs and reapply, whether it is too late to apply to DO schools and whether this is a good option, I'm just now sure and don't really know who to ask.
 
Did you do any research? That's the only thing I can imagine missing from your app
 
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Whats your school list? ~3.7 gpa and 516 MCAT here, and this cycle looks a lot different for me than you but I applied to many that I guess you would consider "low tier" MD schools...
 
KPstudent said:
Hi everybody,

So I'm currently in the process of applying to schools, I had a 3.67 overall GPA 3.63 science GPA from a top 10 undergraduate university, 515 MCAT. I have 200+ hours of shadowing, 200+ hours of volunteering, was the director of my acapella group, studied abroad, the whole shabang. My secondaries were all in at the end of July. I thought I was a very competitive applicant at all of the mid-tier MD schools, but thus far have only had ONE interview, and have been rejected from 10 schools. I have also been put on "hold" at my only state school (University of Maryland) and GW. I know applying to medical school is a tough process, but I was very confident going in that I would have a good number of interviews, but now I am seriously doubting myself. I am trying to figure out how to proceed, whether I should apply to one year master's programs and reapply, whether it is too late to apply to DO schools and whether this is a good option, I'm just now sure and don't really know who to ask.

I am still waiting on some more schools, but at this point I know that most of the interview spots are filling up, and I am feeling very depressed about the whole thing. If anyone else has gone through this, or has any advice, please let me know.

Thanks
Click to expand...
Maybe unrelated, but I went from hold-->II at GW this week...Don't give up yet!
 
Doggo said:
Did you do any research? That's the only thing I can imagine missing from your app
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Yes! I worked at a lab for 3 semesters and wrote a thesis on my research with Dopamine Receptors to graduate with distinction! I also spent a summer at NIH!
 
partypantss said:
Whats your school list? ~3.7 gpa and 516 MCAT here, and this cycle looks a lot different for me than you but I applied to many that I guess you would consider "low tier" MD schools...
Click to expand...

My one interview has been at Hofstra, I applied to a lot of similar schools like Temple, Drexel, TJ, GW, Rochester, Case Western, some higher up schools like Georgetown, Brown, Duke, NYU, Mt. Sinai, etc and some lower tier schools like NYMC, Tulane, etc. Rejected from Top, Middle, and lower
 
Goro said:
It's not too late to aim for DO schools, but hurry!!!! Your stats are fine for any of them, including mine. A master's program would be a waste of money...your stats are quite competitive for MD schools. Your ECs, on the surface, appear cookie cutter, though.


I am trying to figure out how to proceed, whether I should apply to one year master's programs and reapply, whether it is too late to apply to DO schools and whether this is a good option, I'm just now sure and don't really know who to ask.
Click to expand...

I'm not sure if it's worth applying to DO schools or if I should reapply to MD schools. I really want to be an MD, but obviously I want to be a doctor above not being a doctor! How has your experience with DO been? I know acapella is cookie cutter, but I also worked as a music teacher, was in a hip-hop musical, and am in a competitive karaoke league so music really is my passion! What is your suggestion for next year then, if I don't get into med schools and masters programs are a waste of money? Apply for a job?

Thank you for your help! I'm really willing to do anything to improve my odds
 
Any red flags you're not telling us about? You should definitely throw in some DO apps. You'll for sure get tons of love there.

ETA: I have worked with DOs in almost every specialty. A doctor is a doctor and any med school will get you there. Of course there are going to be some issues, such as trying to get into ultra competitive residencies or specialties, but unless you have fantastic board scores, you might not be in the running anyway.
 
Matthew9Thirtyfive said:
Any red flags you're not telling us about? You should definitely throw in some DO apps. You'll for sure get tons of love there.

ETA: I have worked with DOs in almost every specialty. A doctor is a doctor and any med school will get you there. Of course there are going to be some issues, such as trying to get into ultra competitive residencies or specialties, but unless you have fantastic board scores, you might not be in the running anyway.
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I second that because either your letters/PS/secondary responses are terrible. Who have you been consulting with to read over these responses? Something is just not adding up because you sound like a wonderful applicant on paper.
 
elliejellybean said:
I second that because either your letters/PS/secondary responses are terrible. Who have you been consulting with to read over these responses? Something is just not adding up because you sound like a wonderful applicant on paper.
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I wouldn't go so far as to assume he has some kind of red flag.... He has received an interview relatively early on. I don't think he would have received any interviews at all if he had a glaring flaw.

I have similar stats, my ECs are similar ( I have less community service, higher gpa) and I only have 2 interviews so far.
I know that's anectodal, but still...
 
Do you have a premed committee/committee letter of rec? I ask because the issue may be in one of your letters of rec, and while your premed committee can't tell you specifics about your letters, they will often give you some indication if there is a poor letter in your packet. If your committee seemed optimistic about your application, this would indicate that it probably isn't one of your letters.
 
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When my students receive their DO degree, they get to be doctors.

I suggest that you at least add more service hours, especially to those in greater need than yourself.


KPstudent said:
I'm not sure if it's worth applying to DO schools or if I should reapply to MD schools. I really want to be an MD, but obviously I want to be a doctor above not being a doctor! How has your experience with DO been? I know acapella is cookie cutter, but I also worked as a music teacher, was in a hip-hop musical, and am in a competitive karaoke league so music really is my passion! What is your suggestion for next year then, if I don't get into med schools and masters programs are a waste of money? Apply for a job?

Thank you for your help! I'm really willing to do anything to improve my odds
Click to expand...
 
ScottTenorman54 said:
Dude has an II, shouldn't that rule out most red flags?
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Yeah, but occasionally schools will take a chance on someone with a red flag assuming it's not something horrendous. That said, since most applicants only get one or a couple IIs, it probably means he doesn't have one. Just wanted to put it out there in case he didn't mention something.
 
Matthew9Thirtyfive said:
Yeah, but occasionally schools will take a chance on someone with a red flag assuming it's not something horrendous. That said, since most applicants only get one or a couple IIs, it probably means he doesn't have one. Just wanted to put it out there in case he didn't mention something.
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In the interest of fair play, the cycle is only about halfway over. It's completely possible OP will get 2-3 IIs over the course of the next month. Especially considering he already has one before Thanksgiving...
 
RogueBanana said:
In the interest of fair play, the cycle is only about halfway over. It's completely possible OP will get 2-3 IIs over the course of the next month. Especially considering he already has one before Thanksgiving...
Click to expand...

Totally. I think people have the tendency to freak out before it's time to freak out, premeds especially.
 
Matthew9Thirtyfive said:
Any red flags you're not telling us about? You should definitely throw in some DO apps. You'll for sure get tons of love there.

ETA: I have worked with DOs in almost every specialty. A doctor is a doctor and any med school will get you there. Of course there are going to be some issues, such as trying to get into ultra competitive residencies or specialties, but unless you have fantastic board scores, you might not be in the running anyway.
Click to expand...

The only possible red flag I might have is that I was put on disciplinary probation for smoking weed while I was volunteering in San Francisco. Long story short, my friend was smoking, I took a hit, gotten written up by an RA there, who had to report it back to my university, and I was put on probation. The whole thing was sort of crazy, I appealed it and the conduct board basically said, yeah, we realize this was a one time thing and you're a good, honest, responsible kid, but the policy is the policy and all marijuana related incidents, even if the laws are different in different states, is probation. Especially now cause marijuana is about to become completely legalized in CA. Anyway, I now work at a drug and alcohol rehab center and get drug tested, so can also prove I don't smoke. That's the only red flag I can think of, but it really doesn't seem like it would create such a huge horrible ordeal
 
coffeeandcodeine said:
Do you have a premed committee/committee letter of rec? I ask because the issue may be in one of your letters of rec, and while your premed committee can't tell you specifics about your letters, they will often give you some indication if there is a poor letter in your packet. If your committee seemed optimistic about your application, this would indicate that it probably isn't one of your letters.
Click to expand...

I did get a committee letter from my school, and I am fairly sure all of my recommendations were good. I got one from my lab director, who told me I had the best distinction thesis defense he's ever seen, one from another neuro professor I knew well, and one from a teacher/ director of a community service project I did for 8 weeks in SF giving music lessons to LGBTQ homeless youth. Do you know if there is anyway to find out if my premed committee did something that could effect my apps? It just doesn't add up why so little is going right for me
 
KPstudent said:
The only possible red flag I might have is that I was put on disciplinary probation for smoking weed while I was volunteering in San Francisco. Long story short, my friend was smoking, I took a hit, gotten written up by an RA there, who had to report it back to my university, and I was put on probation. The whole thing was sort of crazy, I appealed it and the conduct board basically said, yeah, we realize this was a one time thing and you're a good, honest, responsible kid, but the policy is the policy and all marijuana related incidents, even if the laws are different in different states, is probation. Especially now cause marijuana is about to become completely legalized in CA. Anyway, I now work at a drug and alcohol rehab center and get drug tested, so can also prove I don't smoke. That's the only red flag I can think of, but it really doesn't seem like it would create such a huge horrible ordeal
Click to expand...
Wtf, the RA wrote up someone who doesn't even go to the school? He was out for blood, yikes. If it was a one-time thing, as long you disclosed it on your app, it shouldn't be that big of a red flag. I would still try and stay positive (its hard, I know).
 
OP, I had a Mary Jane related IA from freshman year, first time incident similar to yours. All of my interviewers have laughed/ poked fun at me about it so far 😳 so I don't think that is holding you back.

Could it be that your essays are overwhelmingly average or poorly written? Did you approach each prompt with the intention of striking interest in your reader? I can imagine that these AdComs read a sea of poor to painfully bland writing. Since your stats are fine, maybe you didn't jump out as more "interesting" as the next candidate with the same stats. Idk darlin, I could be grasping at strings here. I really hope it works out in the end!
 
Do any of you all know any pre-med advisors or services who might be able to comprehensively review my application with me? I'm no longer in school (graduated in May) and my school's prehealth advisors were truly not helpful anyway. Whereas I think most unsuccessful applicants know what their weakness is and know what to do to improve it going forward, I genuinely don't, and maybe a pro will be able to help me nail down what I can do to improve.

I know its still early and good can come, I'm just trying to be proactive so I am prepared if I do have to reapply. For example, I work for Kaplan Test Prep as an MCAT instructor, and therefore have unlimited resources to other tests and am considering taking the DAT and also applying to dental schools if I have to reapply
 
KPstudent said:
Do any of you all know any pre-med advisors or services who might be able to comprehensively review my application with me? I'm no longer in school (graduated in May) and my school's prehealth advisors were truly not helpful anyway. Whereas I think most unsuccessful applicants know what their weakness is and know what to do to improve it going forward, I genuinely don't, and maybe a pro will be able to help me nail down what I can do to improve.

I know its still early and good can come, I'm just trying to be proactive so I am prepared if I do have to reapply. For example, I work for Kaplan Test Prep as an MCAT instructor, and therefore have unlimited resources to other tests and am considering taking the DAT and also applying to dental schools if I have to reapply
Click to expand...

Am I misunderstanding you, or are you considering applying to dental school instead of just sending out a DO app?
 
SValley said:
OP, I had a Mary Jane related IA from freshman year, first time incident similar to yours. All of my interviewers have laughed/ poked fun at me about it so far 😳 so I don't think that is holding you back.

Could it be that your essays are overwhelmingly average or poorly written? Did you approach each prompt with the intention of striking interest in your reader? I can imagine that these AdComs read a sea of poor to painfully bland writing. Since your stats are fine, maybe you didn't jump out as more "interesting" as the next candidate with the same stats. Idk darlin, I could be grasping at strings here. I really hope it works out in the end!
Click to expand...

Yes that's sort of what I figured as well! I think its becoming a problem of the past, especially cause there was no legal or police involvement... And honestly I thought my essays were good, especially my personal statement. I'm no poet, but I am well read and feel like I have a pretty good sense of what is strong writing. I also got in the 99th percentile on the CARS section of MCAT, so I thought that my writing would be a point that would help me stand out. I did struggle with the prompts about overcoming challenges and diversity because I'm a white girl from the DC suburbs and have had life handed to me on a silver platter. I acknowledged my privilege, and tried to approach those prompts as honestly as I could. who knows though! At least if I have to reapply I have a failure to talk about now haha
 
Matthew9Thirtyfive said:
Am I misunderstanding you, or are you considering applying to dental school instead of just sending out a DO app?
Click to expand...

Totally not sure yet! This process has made me really start to think about my goals and interests, and I'm thinking that I could be really happy as an orthodontist. It would be something I would consider for sure, but also will apply to some DO schools I think. I'm confused that's why I started this thread!
 
KPstudent said:
My one interview has been at Hofstra, I applied to a lot of similar schools like Temple, Drexel, TJ, GW, Rochester, Case Western, some higher up schools like Georgetown, Brown, Duke, NYU, Mt. Sinai, etc and some lower tier schools like NYMC, Tulane, etc. Rejected from Top, Middle, and lower
Click to expand...
That seems overall VERY top heavy.. Schools like Drexel, GW and Tulane although have low average numbers for matriculated students, are actually very competitive since so many people apply to them. People refer to them as "low yield." I have very slightly higher stats than you and I did not even bother applying to schools like Brown, Duke or NYU. I'm assuming you aren't a URM in which case those schools are likely out of your league.
To give you an idea of the schools giving me attention, the IIs I have received so far are:
Stony Brook/ SUNY upstate (My state schools)
Albany (private)
West Virginia
Rosalind Franklin
University of Iowa

How many schools did you apply to total? Would you mind sharing your full list? I suspect your biggest problem is your school list...
 
KPstudent said:
Totally not sure yet! This process has made me really start to think about my goals and interests, and I'm thinking that I could be really happy as an orthodontist. It would be something I would consider for sure, but also will apply to some DO schools I think. I'm confused that's why I started this thread!
Click to expand...

I would hope so. It would boggle my mind if you'd throw away med school just because you don't want to apply DO for some reason.
 
I wouldn't recommend applying do right now. Figuring out how to improve your app then applying again makes more sense. It's harder to get into residencies as a do and some specialties are closed off (I say this as a happy do student). You're close enough to take another shot at md schools imo
 
partypantss said:
That seems overall VERY top heavy.. Schools like Drexel, GW and Tulane although have low average numbers for matriculated students, are actually very competitive since so many people apply to them. People refer to them as "low yield." I have very slightly higher stats than you and I did not even bother applying to schools like Brown, Duke or NYU. I'm assuming you aren't a URM in which case those schools are likely out of your league.
To give you an idea of the schools giving me attention, the IIs I have received so far are:
Stony Brook/ SUNY upstate (My state schools)
Albany (private)
West Virginia
Rosalind Franklin
University of Iowa

How many schools did you apply to total? Would you mind sharing your full list? I suspect your biggest problem is your school list...
Click to expand...


Yes, it is very possible that you are correct. My pre-med advisor helped me make my list, and she encouraged me to add more top heavy schools than I initially had because she said I was competitive (NYU and Pittsburgh for example, I added at her suggestion. I applied to Duke because that is where I went undergrad, and Brown, Columbia, and Georgetown just cause they are dream schools. Also you will notice my list is very city-heavy: I am passionate about working in a large city, and did not want to apply to schools that were probably in range, but more suburban, such as Wake Forest (in hindsight though, I wish I had!) Full list is: GW, NYMC, Stony Brook, Hofstra, Duke, Tufts, Rochester, Drexel, Vanderbilt, USC, Miami, Pitt, UVA, Mt.Sinai, Georgetown, Einstein, NYU, Emory, Columbia, Northwestern, Maryland, Thomas Jefferson, Brown, Tulane, Boston, Temple, Case Western. I suspect at this point it is too late to add more suburban/rural schools like you have (Iowa, WV for example), which is why I'm thinking about next year and how I might have to change my list in hindsight.

Honestly I really just thought I was very competitive. I never got a grade below a B at Duke, and did very well in my pre-med classes. I know I had less than a 3.7, but I sort of assumed that cause I went to a very competitive school it would account for GPA. Just can't say why i've gotten so many rejections except that I guess I'm not as competitive as I thought.
 
I definitely think your list is part of the problem. You do have a fair number of mid-tiers, but since some of them are pretty low yield, it would have been a good idea to have additional safeties. I have slightly higher stats, and our lists have quite a bit of overlap but I applied to a lot (~30) schools. IMO, if this cycle doesn't pan out, you should do another cycle (both MD and DO), rather than applying DO now. I truly believe your stats and ECs merit an MD acceptance, although I would still utilize DO as a backup option. I still think you have a good chance of an acceptance at Hofstra though!

As for your committee, I doubt they would do something to screw up your app as long as you have a decent relationship with them. The committees write tons of letters for successful applicants every year, and their job is to present each candidate in the best possible light.

KPstudent said:
Yes, it is very possible that you are correct. My pre-med advisor helped me make my list, and she encouraged me to add more top heavy schools than I initially had because she said I was competitive (NYU and Pittsburgh for example, I added at her suggestion. I applied to Duke because that is where I went undergrad, and Brown, Columbia, and Georgetown just cause they are dream schools. Also you will notice my list is very city-heavy: I am passionate about working in a large city, and did not want to apply to schools that were probably in range, but more suburban, such as Wake Forest (in hindsight though, I wish I had!) Full list is: GW, NYMC, Stony Brook, Hofstra, Duke, Tufts, Rochester, Drexel, Vanderbilt, USC, Miami, Pitt, UVA, Mt.Sinai, Georgetown, Einstein, NYU, Emory, Columbia, Northwestern, Maryland, Thomas Jefferson, Brown, Tulane, Boston, Temple, Case Western. I suspect at this point it is too late to add more suburban/rural schools like you have (Iowa, WV for example), which is why I'm thinking about next year and how I might have to change my list in hindsight.

Honestly I really just thought I was very competitive. I never got a grade below a B at Duke, and did very well in my pre-med classes. I know I had less than a 3.7, but I sort of assumed that cause I went to a very competitive school it would account for GPA. Just can't say why i've gotten so many rejections except that I guess I'm not as competitive as I thought.
Click to expand...
 
SValley said:
OP, I had a Mary Jane related IA from freshman year, first time incident similar to yours. All of my interviewers have laughed/ poked fun at me about it so far 😳 so I don't think that is holding you back.

Could it be that your essays are overwhelmingly average or poorly written? Did you approach each prompt with the intention of striking interest in your reader? I can imagine that these AdComs read a sea of poor to painfully bland writing. Since your stats are fine, maybe you didn't jump out as more "interesting" as the next candidate with the same stats. Idk darlin, I could be grasping at strings here. I really hope it works out in the end!
Click to expand...
I knew I liked you!!! You need to share more about this on the URM thread lolz
 
How long ago was the IA? and what sort of clinical exposure do you have?
 
More with regard to the self doubt than to specifically what you can do to improve your chances, I think that this process really is a bit humbling for all of us. I have similar stats to you and went into it feeling pretty confident, but it only takes a few months to start questioning yourself. You have had one II already though, and it's still early(ish) or maybe the middle of the cycle now, so there's still time for IIs to come out. And who knows, you may end up accepted from the interview you had. The rest of us anxious applicants are rooting for and with you.
 
Cauchy1 said:
More with regard to the self doubt than to specifically what you can do to improve your chances, I think that this process really is a bit humbling for all of us. I have similar stats to you and went into it feeling pretty confident, but it only takes a few months to start questioning yourself. You have had one II already though, and it's still early(ish) or maybe the middle of the cycle now, so there's still time for IIs to come out. And who knows, you may end up accepted from the interview you had. The rest of us anxious applicants are rooting for and with you.
Click to expand...
I think it's smack dab in the middle of the season atm. Maybe even a bit past.
 
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