Potential Reapplication Advice

[Robot Arms]

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Hi everyone! I applied this current cycle and I got 7 II and 4 WL, but no acceptance so far, so I am preparing to reapply if needed. If possible do you have about the problems with my prior application, how much should I change my essays and personal statement, my new school list and general advice for reapplication. Thank you very much in advance!
Current Details:
GPA: 3.97
MCAT: 528
Residency: Non CA/TX/NY
Ethnicity: White
Undergrad: Large flagship of a different state
Clinical experience: 200 hours volunteering in pediatric hospital playroom, 150 hours as hospital wayfinder
Research experience: 1500 hours total in 2 labs. One is basic science, the other is related to a clinical study but I don't interact with patients. 4 total poster presentations.
Shadowing experience: 90 hours including cardiology, pathology, family physician. Family is the most hours.
Non-clinical volunteering: 100 hours total at food banks + 150 hours total in a multi-purpose volunteer organization
Other activities: Leadership role in 2 premed clubs (about 100 hours total), academic tutor for private company (75 hours)
Anything else not listed:
* My personal statement was mostly about research and hospital volunteering and how these activities reinforced my interest in medicine
* In my gap year I had continued working in both labs and continued the clinical and nonclinical volunteer activities, and the entirety of the academic tutoring.

Schools I applied to this cycle:
Albert Einstein
Boston University
Brown
Columbia
Case Western
Cincinnati
Drexel
Duke
Dartmouth
Emory
Harvard
Hofstra
Indiana
Johns Hopkins
Kaiser
USC Keck
Mayo Clinic
MCW
Miami
Michigan
Mount Sinai
Northwestern
NYMC
NYU
Ohio State
Penn State
UPenn
Pittsburgh
Rochester
SKMC
Stanford
Temple
Tufts
Tulane
UCLA
UChicago
USF Morsani
Virginia
Vanderbilt
Wake Forest
WashU
Weill Cornell
Yale

 

[anon2]

You had seven II, multiples more than the average matriculant. Your application file is not your problem, your interview performance is.

 

[Luckypro]

What are the schools you got interview?

 

[LindaAccepted]

Get interview prep if you are not accepted this cycle.

Regarding how much to change your app, change it enough to show that you have continued to grow, develop and mature as a result of your recent experiences. I can't give you a percentage or number, which is probably frustrating. But you don't want to come across as treading water or stagnant. What have you learned in the past year? How has your interest in medicine evolved? The experiences that provided the lessons learned and the evolution need to be in this year's app. Hope that helps. (And hope even more that you don't need the advice because you get in.)

 

[Mr.Smile12]

With 4 WL's, I would hope you get one A.

I agree with Linda: over this past application cycle, how have you nurtured your growth as a physician? I don't mean by adding more hours. Do you have new insights you can use in your application essays or interviews? What items on your profile above are improvements from last profile?

My personal statement was mostly about research and hospital volunteering and how these activities reinforced my interest in medicine

I understand the summary is generic for confidentiality, but I also feel your question includes why you didn't bag more interviews. I presume you have a succinct purpose and vision as a physician. This description doesn't give me a sense of mission fit with schools that are replete with resources. It just sounds like you are a child who would be very happy in a candy store... in other words, you'd be happy doing anything because you have metrics.

Finally, your description includes 250 hours of service orientation activities, which I have said is a MINIMUM expectation to keep up with other applicants in the high-metrics pool. Not knowing what your responsibilities are, just showing me you have the bare minimum number of hours could be disappointing. Maybe that was a factor for so many other schools: you were below pace/par among your peers despite being above par for your metrics. Again, the end is mission fit.

 

[Robot Arms]

Thank you for the advice everyone! I had got interview prep this cycle but I will make sure to get more next cycle, and I also will focus on getting more volunteer hours. I want to inquire further about how much I should change my personal statement, considering that my interviews may have been the problem instead of the file, is it good to use a similar personal statement in this case or do I still need to make large changes due to being a reapplicant? Unfortunately most of my improvements since the application are just adding more hours so I couldn't yet think of new insights why I'm interested in medicine.

 

[LindaAccepted]

Without seeing your application and knowing a lot more about you, it's really hard if not impossible to give more specific advice. As @Mr.Smile12 wrote, do you have new insights from any of your ongoing activities? Those should be highlighted even if the activities didn't change. If you assumed greater responsibility in any arena, you want to bring that out. Perhaps you can emphasize more the clinical and non-clinical volunteering since you should have much more of it when applying this time around -- if you need to reapply. But I can't be more specific without knowing more specifics.