Planning in case of Reapp: improvement?

[Wayfinder]

---

Members don't see this ad.

Hey, guys, I need help with my reapplication game plan if this cycle doesn't pan out. I didn’t submit my secondaries until Labor Day weekend. Next time, I need to get my primary and secondaries out earlier (June and July respectively), and the quality of my secondary essays could have been higher. Besides that what I wanted to SDN’s opinion, What can I do to improve?

My MCAT was a 508 (127|124|127|130).

The rest of my APP is as follows
cGPA: 3.82 sGPA: 3.81 at state university
Florida Res, 23, Female, White, Disadvantaged
5000 Hours in the medical camping industry (specifically non-profit settings), a mix of non-clinical & clinical volunteering and employment, as well as leadership positions. Working with children with chronic illnesses, children and adults with disabilities, helping out with fundraising
400 hours as a teaching assistant or SI leader for biochem, microbiology, anatomy, and biomedical research methods in undergrad
230 Hours of Biomedical Research with project design + 1 poster
150 Hours as a hospital volunteer
120 Hours Shadowing (primary care + specialist)
Art as a hobby
Caring for an elderly grandmother with Parkinson’s for a few months (personal care + doctors appoints etc)
Currently teaching High School Biology and AP Bio to low-income students (As of winter-break about 1000 hours into it) and still volunteering in the medical camping industry.
Background: I was sick as a kid, want to subspecialize in pediatrics to help other kids. I would love to continue my nonprofit work as a doctor and do academic medicine with a mixture of research, teaching, and the heaviest emphasis on clinical practice.

Teaching in a low-income public school is really wearing me out, but it is giving me the opportunity to work with more diverse populations and save money to move. I plan to apply broadly to research positions for next summer if I don’t have luck this cycle. I know I do not have a lot of research experience, so if this is unsuccessful, I will probably be applying to jobs in the medical camping industry as well. As looking at the peace corps, doing something with youth, education, or health.

Also, I am admittedly focused on MD, and willing to take the time to improve myself.

I applied to the following schools:

State: UF, UCF, USF, FSU, NOVA MD, FIU, FAU, UM

Out of State: Temple, Drexel, Tufts, Georgetown, George Washington, Kaiser, Wake Forest, Netter, NYMC, Vermont, Rosalind Franklin, Loyola

Any suggestions on what else I can do to improve my app besides stronger writing, and getting it in earlier? Any thoughts on retaking the MCAT? Would there be any reason why I would not want to reapply next cycle if this cycle does not go well?

Thanks for any help you can give!

 

[Goro]

If you get shut out the cycle, it won't be because of your MCAT score.

You should have some DO schools on your list. It's not too late to start applying either

 

[Faha]

You should receive several interviews with your stats and your Florida schools are the most likely.

 

[Wayfinder]

Awesome, Thank you @Goro and @Faha! I appreciate your help, and it is a relief to hear from you both that my MCAT should be okay

 

[Wayfinder]

Update:
Hey guys, so currently I have not had luck getting in this cycle. Have had one interview at an OOS school and that resulted in a waitlist, and I got rejected from my home intuition which was disheartening (along with a few other schools). I know there is still time in the cycle and the school I am on the waitlist for takes about 25% of their matriculants off the waitlist, however, I really feel like I need to start preparing for this cycle to not pan out. And besides working and volunteering at the same place I have not done anything substantial to improve my application.

I wanted to know if anyone had any suggestions for what I can do to improve myself/my application. Also, an honest opinion on if I should try again this upcoming June (2020) or not.

I know I do not have the time with my job to retake the MCAT between now and June, even though I have been told that isn’t what is holding me back I can’t help but think it is playing a part. (The insecurity is strong in this one).

I think my essays were fine/good, as told to me by my premed advisor and the handful of people I had read them (I am admittedly not the strongest writer) though I admit my secondaries could have been better. I don’t think I bombed my only interview as I was able to weave a lot of my personal experiences with the questions they asked me, I really tried to be my honest (but professional) self, and I am considered a friendly person by most I meet. However, I did speak a bit too fast and used the word umm several times (the pressure of only 1 interview got to me).

I am currently teaching biology in a title 1 school and feel like I am not having a great impact and am just a clog of the system, so I am looking to do something different. I am looking at applying to youth, health, and education positions in the peace-corps, the NIH post-bac program and other research opportunities that hopefully have a degree of project design (though I know it will be hard to land a position), and year-round positions in the medical camping industry specifically on programs with hospital outreach (similar to child-life).

Any suggestions on areas to improve, and if I should go ahead for next cycle vs take another year or two? Thank you!