Please help me with my (re)application

[Everlaster]

Hello,
this is my first ever SDN post so please go easy on me. I am looking for guidance on what I can do in order to be a more desirable reapplicant for the next cycle.
Here is a brief background on me:

I attended a community college for 2 years and then transferred to UCLA where I earned a BA in Psychology. During my time at UCLA I studies abroad to England for a semester where I focused on Sociology. Due to my degree I ended up taking most of my Pre-Med courses at UCLA Extension after graduating.

I applied this year with following statistics:

• Overall GPA: 3.63 | BCPM GPA: 3.62 (since submitting my application I have taken 4 science classes and earned A-s which has probably brought my BCPM GPA to 3.65)
• MCAT: 510 (have taken only once)
• verified end of July | submitted all my secondaries by the end of August
• I volunteered about 500+ hrs in multiple hospitals including UCLA Hospital
• I worked as a research lab assistant for over 700 hrs. Implanting experimental mice, recording and analyzing sleep data.
• I have leadership experience
• I have paid work experience during my time as a college student
• I currently work part-time at an ENT (Otolaryngology) office where I am part of the medical staff, work closely with the Dr. and get lots of hands on experience with the patients

I applied to about 35 schools all MD and so far have gotten no actual interview invites. (few holds/ soft rejects and a phone interview from WMED). After few anxiety attacks I have accepted that I will not be getting an interview this cycle and I am now looking for ways to improve my application. Problem is I do not know what I should focus on, whether its retaking the MCAT or putting all my efforts towards raising my GPA (or something else completely??)

Any input would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

P.S. if you know of any MD schools that I could apply to with such statistics that information would also be welcome.

P.P.S I am a California resident

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[deleted889094]

What is your school list? I think that will tell us a lot

 

[Everlaster]

What is your school list? I think that will tell us a lot

Albany
Albert Einstein
Drexel
Eastern Virginia
Emory
Geisel
G.W.
Indiana - Rejected
Keck - Rejected
Loyola
Ohio State
University of Vermont
St. Louis
Sidney Kimmel
SUNY
Tulane
UC Davis
UC Irvine
UC Riverside
UC San Diego - (hold for interview/ soft R)
Cincinnati
Colorado
Illinois
Iowa
Maryland
Michigan
Minnesota - Rejected
Virginia Commonwealth
Wake Forest
West Virginia (hold for interview)
WMED - phone interview 4 weeks ago
RUSH

as you can see I have mostly not heard back from schools. I did send an update letter to most about a week ago since I got promoted at work and had a proposition approved in my research lab.

 

[deleted889094]

I would sit tight. You applied pretty smart and there's still time. At this point, looks like the only thing you can improve is more volunteer hours. Maybe do something outside of the hospital and working with underserved populations. Could also revamp easy writing.

And if you're not willing to do a third re-app, apply to some DO as well.

 

[Removed 982794]

being from CA sucks. they do us dirty from the start of education till applying for med school

 

[Everlaster]

Do you guys think retaking the MCAT is something I should strongly consider?
getting a 510 didn't come to me easily but I do think that I could study more efficiently second time around and im thinking of getting started now

 

[deleted889094]

Do you guys think retaking the MCAT is something I should strongly consider?
getting a 510 didn't come to me easily but I do think that I could study more efficiently second time around and im thinking of getting started now

I'd say no. 510 is a good score. Risk of getting a worse score or not improving outweighs what a higher score would give you. Sometimes you just get unlucky in applying.

 

[Detailsmatter]

do you have any non-clinical volunteering with the underserved? idk but maybe that could be something for you to improve. Also essay writing can be really important. I think the most successful applicants have a cohesive story about why they're choosing medicine and their extracurriculars support that story so I think if you don't get any more interviews thats something you could also look at. LORs might also be something to look at if you don't think they were particularly strong

 

[HouseJC]

I think it's still a bit "early" to admit defeat in this cycle given the delays caused by the pandemic. But, at the same time, kudos to you for taking the initiative to re-vamp your application. I think your MCAT and GPA will get you past the stats screening process, but your ECs (aside from working in an ENT) seem very cookie-cutter like. In other words, and pardon me for being blunt, but there are NUMEROUS other applicants with similar stats and experiences, so you don't stand out. Also, your seem to lack non-clinical volunteering experience (I'm not sure what your "leadership" experience is, so maybe your leadership experience falls into this category).

Aside from stats, I (we) don't know how you wrote your activity descriptors, most meaningful experiences and personal statement. Writing goes A LONG way to making or breaking your application, so did you write your descriptors like a CV/resume format or did you provide introspection as in what you learned from the experiences? Also, based on your information, I don't really see a common theme or narrative, so did you use a "check-box" mentality where you put in your experiences based on what Admissions Committee wants to see? Or did you choose experiences that really reflect who you are (which I think is the better option, because it gives the reader a clearer, less generic and more genuine picture).

Disclaimer: I'm not on Adcoms, so just my .02. Feel free to use it or leave it.

 

[Goro]

Albert Einstein
Emory
Geisel
Indiana
Keck
Ohio State
St. Louis
SUNY
UC Riverside
UC San Diego
Cincinnati
Colorado
Illinois
Iowa
Maryland
Michigan
Minnesota
West Virginia (hold for interview)
RUSH

Lack of nonclinical volunteering may be the issue. Above schools were donations.

You should have some DO schools on your list.

Your essays might also be problematic

 

[Everlaster]

I think it's still a bit "early" to admit defeat in this cycle given the delays caused by the pandemic. But, at the same time, kudos to you for taking the initiative to re-vamp your application. I think your MCAT and GPA will get you past the stats screening process, but your ECs (aside from working in an ENT) seem very cookie-cutter like. In other words, and pardon me for being blunt, but there are NUMEROUS other applicants with similar stats and experiences, so you don't stand out. Also, your seem to lack non-clinical volunteering experience (I'm not sure what your "leadership" experience is, so maybe your leadership experience falls into this category).

Aside from stats, I (we) don't know how you wrote your activity descriptors, most meaningful experiences and personal statement. Writing goes A LONG way to making or breaking your application, so did you write your descriptors like a CV/resume format or did you provide introspection as in what you learned from the experiences? Also, based on your information, I don't really see a common theme or narrative, so did you use a "check-box" mentality where you put in your experiences based on what Admissions Committee wants to see? Or did you choose experiences that really reflect who you are (which I think is the better option, because it gives the reader a clearer, less generic and more genuine picture).

Disclaimer: I'm not on Adcoms, so just my .02. Feel free to use it or leave it.

Thank you for pointing out what you did. I had spent so much time and effort pursuing those clinical volunteer opportunities that I guess I overlooked how it could make me blend in with other applicants.

My leadership experience is leading a workshop where I taught a class on sustainability. It was an unpaid volunteer position. other than that I do agree that I need more experience working with the underserved.

for activity descriptions I basically used first few sentences to describe what exactly that position entailed and the rest of the paragraph taking about what I have learned from the experience and how those apply to my interest in medicine and how I plan to utilize them going forward in my career as a medical student/doctor.

 

[Everlaster]

Lack of nonclinical volunteering may be the issue. Above schools were donations.

You should have some DO schools on your list.

Your essays might also be problematic

Thank you for your response.
If you don't mind me asking, what should I aim for in my essays? I tried really hard not to sound too confident but rather highlight how my experiences have shaped me and how those applied to my interest in medicine and specific schools I was applying to.

Besides DOs which MD schools would you say I could apply to?
Any input about me retaking the MCAT?

 

[Goro]

Thank you for your response.
If you don't mind me asking, what should I aim for in my essays? I tried really hard not to sound too confident but rather highlight how my experiences have shaped me and how those applied to my interest in medicine and specific schools I was applying to.

Besides DOs which MD schools would you say I could apply to?
Any input about me retaking the MCAT?

I can't recommend an MCAT retake

You should rewrite all essays and have multiple eyeballs vet them.

For MD schools to target,
Add
Netter
TCU.UNT
SETON Hall
NovaMD
Rosy Franklin
Creighton
EVMS