Possible Reapplication Advice and School List Help

[moocka13]

I have one waitlist and am waiting to hear back from my IS school but it seems like I will also be waitlisted there (calls went out last week and I didn't get one).

I am a first generation white female. Graduated in 3 years. Currently working in research during my "gap" year. I took the MCAT late due to Covid so I only got my completed secondaries in by late September/ early October. I have a story of caring for my grandfather and translating for him through his journey with cancer + how that experience led me to pursue research, shadowing, and ultimately my medical interpreter position at the assisted living facility.

STATS: 3.74 cgpa, 3.62 sgpa, 511 mcat this past August (126,126,127,132) I retook a 500 from January 2020 (125,123,126,126). I know this is super unbalanced, but I really am hoping to not retake again. My grades were also a strong upward trend. 3.6, 3.6, 3.3, 4.0, 3.9, 4.0.

I applied with:

Extracurriculars:
Shadowing 60 hours across 3 specialties- made a shadowing experience at Job Corps and a drug rehab place with an internist my most meaningful.
Research with Howard Hughes and a lab at my undergrad's med campus 600 hours 4 abstracts, 2 posters
Volunteering 200 clinical (medical interpreter in a nursing home for two years) 150 nonclinical (various activities on campus)
Teaching 34 hours as a TA for intro bio ( 2 semesters/ made it my most meaningful- love teaching)
Paid employment 700 hours as a tutor and nanny ( 3 years)
Others: free diving (another most meaningful), art (incorporated art into my volunteering at the nursing home, was featured in local news paper).

Over the past application year:
I gained about 1000 research hours as I am currently working full time in a translational and clinical research lab. I am hoping to get a few papers out in the next year. I will get a few hundred more hours before reapplication. I will also be training a summer student and have gained presenting experiences. (journal club every week, attending conferences, etc). I work side by side with both physicians and scientists which has been an amazing opportunity.
I shadowed virtually 3 specialties.
I will be a covid vaccine clinic volunteer this spring and summer.
continued to volunteer at the nursing home as a translator (remotely)
volunteered in the community (about 20 hours)

I work closely with a physician and will be asking her for a LOR. I can also ask my current PI for a LOR.

I am thinking of revising my "most meaningful" to my current research position as I have grown tremendously from the experiences I have had here, keeping the shadowing, and keeping Ta or revising to a tutoring story. One of the kids I tutored this year improved his standardized reading score by 50% which was a huge accomplishment for me.

My LOR were 1 English prof, 2 science profs, and my old PI.

I applied to all MD schools:
U-Wisconsin (my IS school, probably WL)
MCW (current place of employment for research)
Umiami (alma mater)
FAU
Nova MD
Wake Forest
Tulane
Rosalind
Dartmouth
U Washington
GW
Georgetown
Creighton (II and WL)
TCU
Penn State
Baylor (dream school, I know I do not have a chance lol)
Loyola
SLU
Tufts

I would appreciate any advice and suggestions on what I can do in the short amount of time left before application! I would like to apply from the first day if possible

Thank you in advance!

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[Goro]

I have one waitlist and am waiting to hear back from my IS school but it seems like I will also be waitlisted there (calls went out last week and I didn't get one).

I am a first generation white female. Graduated in 3 years. Currently working in research during my "gap" year. I took the MCAT late due to Covid so I only got my completed secondaries in by late September/ early October. I have a story of caring for my grandfather and translating for him through his journey with cancer + how that experience led me to pursue research, shadowing, and ultimately my medical interpreter position at the assisted living facility.

STATS: 3.74 cgpa, 3.62 sgpa, 511 mcat this past August (126,126,127,132) I retook a 500 from January 2020 (125,123,126,126). I know this is super unbalanced, but I really am hoping to not retake again. My grades were also a strong upward trend. 3.6, 3.6, 3.3, 4.0, 3.9, 4.0.

I applied with:

Extracurriculars:
Shadowing 60 hours across 3 specialties- made a shadowing experience at Job Corps and a drug rehab place with an internist my most meaningful.
Research with Howard Hughes and a lab at my undergrad's med campus 600 hours 4 abstracts, 2 posters
Volunteering 200 clinical (medical interpreter in a nursing home for two years) 150 nonclinical (various activities on campus)
Teaching 34 hours as a TA for intro bio ( 2 semesters/ made it my most meaningful- love teaching)
Paid employment 700 hours as a tutor and nanny ( 3 years)
Others: free diving (another most meaningful), art (incorporated art into my volunteering at the nursing home, was featured in local news paper).

Over the past application year:
I gained about 1000 research hours as I am currently working full time in a translational and clinical research lab. I am hoping to get a few papers out in the next year. I will get a few hundred more hours before reapplication. I will also be training a summer student and have gained presenting experiences. (journal club every week, attending conferences, etc). I work side by side with both physicians and scientists which has been an amazing opportunity.
I shadowed virtually 3 specialties.
I will be a covid vaccine clinic volunteer this spring and summer.
continued to volunteer at the nursing home as a translator (remotely)
volunteered in the community (about 20 hours)

I work closely with a physician and will be asking her for a LOR. I can also ask my current PI for a LOR.

I am thinking of revising my "most meaningful" to my current research position as I have grown tremendously from the experiences I have had here, keeping the shadowing, and keeping Ta or revising to a tutoring story. One of the kids I tutored this year improved his standardized reading score by 50% which was a huge accomplishment for me.

My LOR were 1 English prof, 2 science profs, and my old PI.

I applied to all MD schools:
U-Wisconsin (my IS school, probably WL)
MCW (current place of employment for research)
Umiami (alma mater)
FAU
Nova MD
Wake Forest
Tulane
Rosalind
Dartmouth
U Washington
GW
Georgetown
Creighton (II and WL)
TCU
Penn State
Baylor (dream school, I know I do not have a chance lol)
Loyola
SLU
Tufts

I would appreciate any advice and suggestions on what I can do in the short amount of time left before application! I would like to apply from the first day if possible

Thank you in advance!

Baylor and U WA didn't need the donation money. Take your mom out for Mother's Day instead once COVID is over.

1) Rewrite all essays and have multiple eyeballs vet them
2) Do not use research as your most memorable activity. This telegraphs to me that you're a lab rat and don't want to deal with those pesky patients.
3) Have DO schools on your list. You've already lost a year of attending salary and beggars can't be choosy. The reinvention GPA trend lIs lovely, though.
4) a more strategic school list:
I suggest:
Dartmouth (maybe)
U ILL
NYU-LI
Emory
Tufts
Jefferson
Miami
Nova MD
U VM
Miami
George Washington
Georgetown
SLU
Albany
Rush
Rosy Franklin
NYMC
MCW
VCU
EVMS
Wayne State
Wake Forest
Netter
Temple
Drexel
Creighton
Tulane
Loyola
Uniformed Services University/Hebert (just be aware of the military service commitment)
Oakland-B
Hackensack Meridian
TCU/UNT
U WI

Any DO program. I can't recommend ARCOM, RVU, Nova, BCOM, ICOM and LUCOM, for different reasons. MSUCOM? Read up on Larry Nasser and you decide. LMU has an accreditation warning, which concerns me. CUHS is too new and appears to be too limited in rotations sites. Avoid those new schools that haven't graduated a class yet, if at all possible.

 

[moocka13]

Baylor and U WA didn't need the donation money. Take your mom out for Mother's Day instead once COVID is over.

1) Rewrite all essays and have multiple eyeballs vet them
2) Do not use research as your most memorable activity. This telegraphs to me that you're a lab rat and don't want to deal with those pesky patients.
3) Have DO schools on your list. You've already lost a year of attending salary and beggars can't be choosy. The reinvention GPA trend lIs lovely, though.
4) a more strategic school list:
I suggest:
Dartmouth (maybe)
U ILL
NYU-LI
Emory
Tufts
Jefferson
Miami
Nova MD
U VM
Miami
George Washington
Georgetown
SLU
Albany
Rush
Rosy Franklin
NYMC
MCW
VCU
EVMS
Wayne State
Wake Forest
Netter
Temple
Drexel
Creighton
Tulane
Loyola
Uniformed Services University/Hebert (just be aware of the military service commitment)
Oakland-B
Hackensack Meridian
TCU/UNT
U WI

Any DO program. I can't recommend ARCOM, RVU, Nova, BCOM, ICOM and LUCOM, for different reasons. MSUCOM? Read up on Larry Nasser and you decide. LMU has an accreditation warning, which concerns me. CUHS is too new and appears to be too limited in rotations sites. Avoid those new schools that haven't graduated a class yet, if at all possible.

Thank you so much for the advice. Do you advise that I keep free diving as one of my most meaningful then instead of writing about research? The way I wrote about free diving was that I overcame a challenge learning the sport while being able to see the way biology functions in real life. I loved seeing the relationships between the organisms and the delicate balance of life.. etc. As for research, I can’t see myself in a lab for the rest of my life. I just feel like having this job has allowed me to mature while also learning about science much more hands on. I’m a very social person and genuinely would prefer to see patients instead of being in a lab.

Another note: I was in a serious biking accident when I was in high school (a woman who was texting and driving hit me). This wasn’t necessarily a part of my journey to medicine, but it’s a huge part of who I am. This cycle, I used it for my struggle essay, but I also shadowed in emergency medicine as a result of the accident. Should I somehow incorporate this into my personal statement? I’m not sure it “fits” into my story as a first gen student who loves to work with immigrant populations so I really didn’t focus much on it this cycle.

thank you again! @Goro