Preparing for a second application cycle, but...

[Tin Man]

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So because this cycle isn't running so well for me, I'm starting to prepare for a reapplication. The problem is that, having graduated in the fall, I've been cut off from quality research and science opportunities. I can raise my MCAT, but that won't be enough, so I'm rather tempted to take a year to try to improve my application more significantly than just an MCAT score so I don't waste my second run at these schools.

The problem is that by this time next year, I'll have been out of school for a year. I was smacked kind of hard for my lack of strong science professor letters (I'm a psychology major), and I know that by the time I'm out of school for an entire year, it'll be a little awkward to try and get the same writers to help me out again. What are people supposed to do to satisfy the "science professor" letter requirements that almost every school has (whether they say it or not) when they haven't been taking science classes in a while?

 

[gettheleadout]

Could you stay in school (give you something to do) and take advanced science courses to give you a chance at new letter writers?

 

[tantacles]

So because this cycle isn't running so well for me, I'm starting to prepare for a reapplication. The problem is that, having graduated in the fall, I've been cut off from quality research and science opportunities. I can raise my MCAT, but that won't be enough, so I'm rather tempted to take a year to try to improve my application more significantly than just an MCAT score so I don't waste my second run at these schools.

The problem is that by this time next year, I'll have been out of school for a year. I was smacked kind of hard for my lack of strong science professor letters (I'm a psychology major), and I know that by the time I'm out of school for an entire year, it'll be a little awkward to try and get the same writers to help me out again. What are people supposed to do to satisfy the "science professor" letter requirements that almost every school has (whether they say it or not) when they haven't been taking science classes in a while?

I took a look at your mdapps.

Your GPA and MCAT are, indeed, low for entry to an MD school. It's great that you plan to retake the MCAT, but I think you also may want to boost your GPA (and BCPM GPA) and prove to medical schools that you can handle the work by taking advanced level biology courses and getting As in them. This can also be how you deal with your science letters. To answer your question about letters in the sciences for people who haven't taken science in a while, I kept up good relationships with my professors precisely so that they would be able to write me letters. You're past that point, so you're going to have to take a different route.

In the last application cycle, your GPA is what really stands out as a red flag, and I think unless you have an upward trend next time, it's going to be hard for many schools to even give you a second look.

In addition, you applied mainly to schools that have low OOS matriculation rates. Not to toot my own horn, but take a look at my MDapps. Specifically, look at the schools that have decided to interview me. Once you raise your MCAT score, those schools are good choices and just about every school on my app looks closely at people with borderline GPAs/MCATs. Might be a good jumping point.

Also, applying to more schools is a great idea. As far as my application cycles went: 2009 - 15 applications, 3 interviews

2011 - 30 applications, 6 interviews.

However, I'm not sure what your financial situation is, so this might not be a viable option.

 

[ppfizenm]

I second what tantacles said. I am a reapplicant as well (the details are in my md apps). If those are your details in yours then I would definitely work on improving the MCAT and improving your GPA. I don't know whether it is too late, but you could remedy this by doing a SMP and showing med schools your are capable of handling the work load/content of medical school.

About the letters - I also kept in contact with the people who wrote mine but I just reused. them for the second cycle. The science professors are commenting on your work with them. That doesn't change no matter how many years you are out of school unless of course you are doing more work with them.

 

[Tin Man]

Alright, I have a second to respond.

Although it isn't reflected, there is a significant upward trend for my science GPA. I took a bunch of higher level biology classes in one of my final semesters and did very well. It's still a low science GPA, but since they were the last science classes I took before graduating, I'm hoping the trend line can be followed to assume I can replicate the work in the future (though it still puts me at a disadvantage, admittedly).

Taking more college classes really isn't something I want to entertain right now. I had considered following up with a science degree, but it's a lot of money to be putting out for a degree that I plan to get only so that I can get into another school in which I won't be using my degree. I'm not completely discounting the possibility, but the truth is that it would take a lot more money and time to raise that science GPA just to be within "average" range than it would to study hard and take another run at the MCAT. I imagine that a better MCAT score combined with the signficant sGPA upward trend would put some minds at ease about my academic abilities.

As for the OOS matriculation rates for some of my schools, I had to balance between applying to schools I could afford, schools I had a reasonable chance of getting into by virtue of my application, and schools with a good matriculation rate. The private schools generally were very expensive and had a higher GPA/MCAT standard. I tried to apply to "state schools" with relatively high OOS acceptances compared to other state schools, but that venture didn't really work out.

As per the letters, the point about reusing them makes sense. I can probably get an updated one from my non-school writers, but as long as I keep in touch with my other professors, it shouldn't be too much of a favor to ask them to hold on to the letters they have, just in case.

Of course, this whole situation goes away if I hear some good news from KU in the next week or so...