Post-rejection advice

[UNCHeels2020]

Hey guys,

I had several interviews at good schools but was ultimately unsuccessful in this cycle. There were several reasons for this.

- Applied late in the cycle and only applied to 11 schools

- Transferred schools twice, took a semester off, and had a rough GPA my junior year (Transferring up to my dream school, a semester off was due to major medical problems in my family)

- One rec letter that "could have been better"

- Poor interview skills in one of my initial interviews

I have a science GPA of 3.61 and an overall GPA of 3.67 (Freshman year 4.0, Sophomore year 3.8, Junior year 3.23, Senior year 3.75). 512 MCAT. ORM. Hospital volunteering, some published research, EMT experience, limited shadowing.

Possible options for next year:

- one-year master's program at an Ivy League school ($80k)

- two-year master's in Neuroscience at a top school in the EU (free)

- MPH at top public school ($30k)

- continuing to work as an EMT and go on to become a paramedic (paid)

What would you choose if you were in my situation? Should I take the MCAT again if I was sure I could get a 515 or above?

Thanks for your help!

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[Mr.Smile12]

Can you complete your profile in a WAMC template? There's not enough information to give you any substantial advice.

What I will say is taking two years studying Neuroscience overseas is great if you wanted to go in a research direction and ultimately get a PhD. Heck, if you have never been to Europe, why not take some time and learn how some other people in the world live, especially when healthcare coverage is universal.

 

[voxveritatisetlucis]

I know it’s easier said than done but try not to take it personally (coming from somebody who was rejected/waitlisted at 12+ schools this cycle)

Or take it personally and use it to fuel a successful cycle.

Many on this site will disagree, but I think that an MCAT retake would be worth it IF you are consistently scoring 517+ on practice exams. The fact of the matter is that there has been a lot of MCAT inflation over the past couple years to the point where only a few schools used to have medians above 520. Now it seems like most of the T20 has that or close to that

 

[voxveritatisetlucis]

- one-year master's program at an Ivy League school ($80k)

- two-year master's in Neuroscience at a top school in the EU (free)

- MPH at top public school ($30k)

I don’t think that these are likely to help a ton unless the second is part of some Fulbright like program

 

[Proudfather94]

So your GPA and Mcat for orm are a little below average but not enough to keep you out of getting in. Having several interviews and not getting in means you need to work on interview skills.

I would develop those interview skills and try to get more volunteer and shadowing experience, I think that will help you out the most. What state are you in? That will matter for the school list. You'll want to apply to double the amount of schools and maybe a few DO as a reapplicant. My stats are pretty similar to yours in GPA and MCAT I got 2 II IS and one OOS II as well as several DO IIs.

 

[LindaAccepted]

Hey guys,

I had several interviews at good schools but was ultimately unsuccessful in this cycle. There were several reasons for this.

- Applied late in the cycle and only applied to 11 schools

- Transferred schools twice, took a semester off, and had a rough GPA my junior year (Transferring up to my dream school, a semester off was due to major medical problems in my family)

- One rec letter that "could have been better"

- Poor interview skills in one of my initial interviews

I have a science GPA of 3.61 and an overall GPA of 3.67 (Freshman year 4.0, Sophomore year 3.8, Junior year 3.23, Senior year 3.75). 512 MCAT. ORM. Hospital volunteering, some published research, EMT experience, limited shadowing.

Possible options for next year:

- one-year master's program at an Ivy League school ($80k)

- two-year master's in Neuroscience at a top school in the EU (free)

- MPH at top public school ($30k)

- continuing to work as an EMT and go on to become a paramedic (paid)

What would you choose if you were in my situation? Should I take the MCAT again if I was sure I could get a 515 or above?

Thanks for your help!

it's not clear how much clinical exposure and community service you have or if you can show any leadership. I don't think the MCAT is your weakness. Interview skills probably need to be beefed up. Get a better rec letter. Apply earlier next cycle and apply to more programs.

If I were you I'd get the paid paramedic job next year and take a science class or two and earn A's in them.

 

[candbgirl]

Hey guys,

I had several interviews at good schools but was ultimately unsuccessful in this cycle. There were several reasons for this.

- Applied late in the cycle and only applied to 11 schools

- Transferred schools twice, took a semester off, and had a rough GPA my junior year (Transferring up to my dream school, a semester off was due to major medical problems in my family)

- One rec letter that "could have been better"

- Poor interview skills in one of my initial interviews

I have a science GPA of 3.61 and an overall GPA of 3.67 (Freshman year 4.0, Sophomore year 3.8, Junior year 3.23, Senior year 3.75). 512 MCAT. ORM. Hospital volunteering, some published research, EMT experience, limited shadowing.

Possible options for next year:

- one-year master's program at an Ivy League school ($80k)

- two-year master's in Neuroscience at a top school in the EU (free)

- MPH at top public school ($30k)

- continuing to work as an EMT and go on to become a paramedic (paid)

What would you choose if you were in my situation? Should I take the MCAT again if I was sure I could get a 515 or above?

Thanks for your help!

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We might be able to help you better. But you do need some DO schools on your list.

 

[Goro]

Hey guys,

I had several interviews at good schools but was ultimately unsuccessful in this cycle. There were several reasons for this.

- Applied late in the cycle and only applied to 11 schools

Two mistakes right there.
Next time, apply early and to 25-35 schools.

- Transferred schools twice, took a semester off, and had a rough GPA my junior year (Transferring up to my dream school, a semester off was due to major medical problems in my family)

- One rec letter that "could have been better"

- Poor interview skills in one of my initial interviews

Work on interview skills

I have a science GPA of 3.61 and an overall GPA of 3.67 (Freshman year 4.0, Sophomore year 3.8, Junior year 3.23, Senior year 3.75). 512 MCAT. ORM. Hospital volunteering, some published research, EMT experience, limited shadowing.

Despite the JR year, those are fine stats.

Possible options for next year:

- one-year master's program at an Ivy League school ($80k)

Waste of money

- two-year master's in Neuroscience at a top school in the EU (free)

Waste of time

- MPH at top public school ($30k)

Real waste of money

- continuing to work as an EMT and go on to become a paramedic (paid)

You should look critically at your app and use a gap year to fix whatever deficits you have.

 

[UNCHeels2020]

So your GPA and Mcat for orm are a little below average but not enough to keep you out of getting in. Having several interviews and not getting in means you need to work on interview skills.

I would develop those interview skills and try to get more volunteer and shadowing experience, I think that will help you out the most. What state are you in? That will matter for the school list. You'll want to apply to double the amount of schools and maybe a few DO as a reapplicant. My stats are pretty similar to yours in GPA and MCAT I got 2 II IS and one OOS II as well as several

Two mistakes right there.
Next time, apply early and to 25-35 schools.

Work on interview skills

Despite the JR year, those are fine stats.

Waste of money

Waste of time

Real waste of money

You should look critically at your app and use a gap year to fix whatever deficits you have.

The reason why I was looking at the master's program at the Ivy League school was that I thought doing well in a rigorous program would ease doubts about my academic abilities posed by my two transfers, withdrawal during one semester, and low junior year GPA. I also think I could get better recommendation letters from the program to replace those from UNC that were not the best. With this being said, do you still think that it is a waste of money?

 

[UNCHeels2020]

So your GPA and Mcat for orm are a little below average but not enough to keep you out of getting in. Having several interviews and not getting in means you need to work on interview skills.

I would develop those interview skills and try to get more volunteer and shadowing experience, I think that will help you out the most. What state are you in? That will matter for the school list. You'll want to apply to double the amount of schools and maybe a few DO as a reapplicant. My stats are pretty similar to yours in GPA and MCAT I got 2 II IS and one OOS II as well as several DO IIs.

I'm in NC so the only schools IS schools here are ECU and UNC. Interestingly I got an interview at UNC but not ECU.

 

[UNCHeels2020]

Can you complete your profile in a WAMC template? There's not enough information to give you any substantial advice.

What I will say is taking two years studying Neuroscience overseas is great if you wanted to go in a research direction and ultimately get a PhD. Heck, if you have never been to Europe, why not take some time and learn how some other people in the world live, especially when healthcare coverage is universal.

1. cGPA - 3.80 and sGPA - 3.61
2. MCAT - 512 (C&P 129, CARS 127, Bio 127, psych 129)
3. NC resident
4. White male
5. UNC class of 2020 (freshman year at UNCC, sophomore year at App State)
6. Clinical experience - Intern at the America Liver Foundation (200 hours, summer before sophomore year), Volunteer at Watauga Medical Center (44 hours sophomore year), Volunteer at UNC Medical Center (120 hours junior and senior year), EMT (3000 hours post-graduation)
7. Research experience and productivity - Research assistant for a systematic review that was published in the European spine journal which I worked on during my senior year and the year after. A family member did help get me this position
8. Shadowing experience and specialties represented - Orthopedic surgeon shadowing (30 hours summer before freshman year), Physiatrist shadowing (48 hours junior year)
9. Non-clinical volunteering - Habitat for humanity (38 hours freshman year)
10. Other extracurricular activities - Subway sandwich artist (freshman year), Club hockey (sophomore year)
11. Awards - Chancellor's list freshman year fall semester, chancellor's list freshman year sophomore semester, chancellor's list sophomore year fall semester, dean's list sophomore year spring semester

 

[UNCHeels2020]

I know it’s easier said than done but try not to take it personally (coming from somebody who was rejected/waitlisted at 12+ schools this cycle)

Or take it personally and use it to fuel a successful cycle.

Many on this site will disagree, but I think that an MCAT retake would be worth it IF you are consistently scoring 517+ on practice exams. The fact of the matter is that there has been a lot of MCAT inflation over the past couple years to the point where only a few schools used to have medians above 520. Now it seems like most of the T20 has that or close to that

Would it be a bad idea to take it in June while I'm applying with the results coming out later during the cycle?

 

[chilly_md]

You also have Wake even if they’re not a public school.

MCAT is fine. GPA is fine. You have almost no non-clinical volunteering. Medicine is an altruistic field. You were on the right track with Habitat for Humanity, but did that years ago and did not substitute it with another activity when you stopped. You would need to gain much more experience helping those less fortunate. Think homeless shelter, soup kitchen, food bank, working with refugees, etc. This is likely why ECU did not interview you. A short school list and applying late were also some mistakes.

 

[Mr.Smile12]

American Liver Foundation internship... how is this a clinical experience?

Otherwise, as noted earlier, you need much more community service than just the 30+ hours of Habitat for Humanity.

 

[UNCHeels2020]

You also have Wake even if they’re not a public school.

MCAT is fine. GPA is fine. You have almost no non-clinical volunteering. Medicine is an altruistic field. You were on the right track with Habitat for Humanity, but did that years ago and did not substitute it with another activity when you stopped. You would need to gain much more experience helping those less fortunate. Think homeless shelter, soup kitchen, food bank, working with refugees, etc. This is likely why ECU did not interview you. A short school list and applying late were also some mistakes.

Does WFU have a preference for NC residents?

 

[UNCHeels2020]

American Liver Foundation internship... how is this a clinical experience?

Otherwise, as noted earlier, you need much more community service than just the 30+ hours of Habitat for Humanity.

Setup and worked with a nurse to do hepatitis C screenings

 

[chilly_md]

Does WFU have a preference for NC residents?

You have a better chance there than a regular OOS student applying.

Their mission in-part is to improve the health of our region, state and nation. A NC resident is more likely to help the region and state as a whole.

 

[Goro]

The reason why I was looking at the master's program at the Ivy League school was that I thought doing well in a rigorous program would ease doubts about my academic abilities posed by my two transfers, withdrawal during one semester, and low junior year GPA. I also think I could get better recommendation letters from the program to replace those from UNC that were not the best. With this being said, do you still think that it is a waste of money?

Research MS GPAs are not counted b y MD schools. If you want to boost your academic bona-fides, then do either a DIY post-bac, or a SMP.

Read this:

• Goro's advice for pre-meds who need reinvention

 

[UNCHeels2020]

Research MS GPAs are not counted b y MD schools. If you want to boost your academic bona-fides, then do either a DIY post-bac, or a SMP.

Read this:

• Goro's advice for pre-meds who need reinvention

What are your thoughts on Duke's Masters of Biomedical Sciences (Duke MBS)?

 

[chilly_md]

What was your school list and where did you receive interviews?

 

[UNCHeels2020]

What was your school list and where did you receive interviews?

UNC(WL), GWU(WL), WVU (interview WL), ECU, NYULI, SUNY Downstate, University of Utah, University of Colorado, UVM (January), RUSH (January), Tulane (January), UIC (January)

 

[chilly_md]

UNC(WL), GWU(WL), WVU (interview WL), ECU, NYULI, SUNY Downstate, University of Utah, University of Colorado, UVM (January), RUSH (January), Tulane (January), UIC (January)

Gain more non-clinical volunteering. Work on interview skills. Apply to the following:

UNC
GWU
ECU
Vermont
Tulane
Wake
Creighton
Loyola
Hackensack
VCU
EVMS
Rosalind Franklin
Nova MD
Quinnipiac
NYMC
Albany
MCW
Drexel
Temple
Wayne State
Oakland

Apply to DO:
Campbell
PCOM
DMU
Marian
KCOM
KCU
NYITCOM
Touro NY
VCOM

 

[Mr.Smile12]

Just 2 post-interview WL? Good luck. I agree to polish those interview skills if you can. Ask if you could get feedback from WVU for improvement to get an invitation next time.

 

[UNCHeels2020]

Just 2 post-interview WL? Good luck. I agree to polish those interview skills if you can. Ask if you could get feedback from WVU for improvement to get an invitation next time.

They said that I had a good application but applied very late in the cycle and they had no interview spots left which is why they put me on the WL if an interview slot opened up.