Re-application advice

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melissaliss

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I need some advice regarding re-application. I am currently on 3 wait lists, I am in the top 20 at one of these schools but obviously there are no guarantees. Last cycle I didn't submit my MD secondaries until mid to late November and submitted my DO secondaries in mid January. So, I submitted my applications way too late. I had at least 2 schools tell me that I would have benefited from submitting earlier. Out of the 16 schools I applied to, I was put on pre-interview hold for half of them and then later rejected, and all 3 schools I interviewed at put me on waitlists because my interviews weren't until Feb/March.

My stats: 25R MCAT (6PS, 11VR, 8BS) 3.4 cum GPA, 3.2 science GPA. Biology major, minor in Spanish. I have a few hundred hours of hospital volunteering, 50 hours of shadowing, did undergrad research, and other volunteer work and a few other undergrad organizations. I felt very confident in my PS and I'm not how I would alter it. And I felt that I had good LORs as well.

A few questions:
Obviously I realize that my MCAT is low and I would benefit from re-taking it. However, there isn't any time to study and re-take now. I feel like the most important is to apply early. I am going to wait a little longer before I submit and see how the wait list pans out. So, is it really that terrible to re-apply with virtually the same application? I've been out of college for a few years and I work full-time and my application hasn't really changed but I've continued to volunteer and I have a non-medicine job (teacher) that I was asked about a lot during interviews. Would it be awful to re-apply without changing my application? I would be applying to a few of the same schools (especially the ones I'm waitlisted at). I took the MCAT again at one point but I cancelled my score because I didn't finish 2 of the sections. When I get asked about why I didn't take the MCAT, is this bad to bring up? I don't have the time to really change anything ... I don't even really have the money to apply again right now.
 
- It's not favorable to apply with the same application... in fact, it may work against you in that it makes you appear as if you don't care.
- BTW it is not too late to re-take the MCAT - you can always get your primaries in early and let schools know you will be re-taking it.
- I would not let an interviewer know about your canceled score

Are you currently doing clinical volunteer work? Or any community service/volunteer work for that matter? One of the things schools like to see is students who continue to volunteer even when they have full-time jobs.
 
- It's not favorable to apply with the same application... in fact, it may work against you in that it makes you appear as if you don't care.
- BTW it is not too late to re-take the MCAT - you can always get your primaries in early and let schools know you will be re-taking it.
- I would not let an interviewer know about your canceled score

Are you currently doing clinical volunteer work? Or any community service/volunteer work for that matter? One of the things schools like to see is students who continue to volunteer even when they have full-time jobs.

Yes, I volunteer at a hospital. But I was doing that last year too, also while working this job. I don't know how not to apply with the same application, as nothing has changed. My PS was the strongest point of my application and I know I should change it, but at the risk of writing a worse one?

Yes, it isn't too late to re-take it, but I would need to study for a while and most schools don't evaluate your application until they have the new scores in, which is akin to applying later.
 
Any other advice? Anyone? I am planning on applying to 21 D.O. schools this year. All 8 of the ones from last year plus 13 new ones and 9 M.D. schools, 5 of which I applied to last year. I am waiting on a fee waiver, but should be submitting my app in July. Is that early enough?
 
I would sincerely appreciate other pre-meds, advisors, and current medical students feed/back input

So I have always received good grades, several times 4.0 at UW-Madison, and before my last year at UW-Madison, I had all my pre-med requisites complete with a 3.57 GPA. However, due to personal events that unfolded, my grades significantly suffered my last year, and I received a D in micro lab, D in micro lecture, and a B in Neurobio. This dropped my science GPA to a 3.22.

I am debating whether to do a special masters program, to demonstrate I am still capable of high academic achievement, but am hesitant to pull the trigger because A) money B) it adds an additional year.

I received a 25 MCAT and recognize it is a must that I re-take. So I guess heres my questions
1. Do another year of schooling for Masters in Medical Science and re - take the MCAT OR
2. take the year off, volunteer at ahospital, and study for the MCAT?

Thanks a bunch guys, good luck to all your future endeavours!

In the future, u should make a separate thread, I think u didn't mean to hijack someone else's thread but in essence u did..

To ur questions, I think SMP's are recommended for "lower" gpas or non-science majors. U will benefit from an MCAT retake for sure so u need to figure out whether an SMP may allow ur sufficient MCAT study time to improve upon retake. SMPs tend to be very challenginf and demanding since u often take classes with medical students etc etc.

IMO, retake ur MCAT, volunteer, take as many ugrad science courses as u can b4 next cycle. This way, ur application improves all around and it's less risky. An SMP is a do or die proposition as far as med school admissions goes..


GL
 
Any other advice? Anyone? I am planning on applying to 21 D.O. schools this year. All 8 of the ones from last year plus 13 new ones and 9 M.D. schools, 5 of which I applied to last year. I am waiting on a fee waiver, but should be submitting my app in July. Is that early enough?

I'll strongly suggest MCAT retake. It's better to apply later (Jul/Aug) with a better application than super-early with a marginal one. Even if u retake by late July and u improve ur MCAT (>28), u'll still be in a better position than reapplying more with substantially the same application.

Also most secondaries will ask what u've done to improve ur application. At least u can say u improved ur MCAT and did more volunteering etc etc..

GL
 
Any other advice? Anyone? I am planning on applying to 21 D.O. schools this year. All 8 of the ones from last year plus 13 new ones and 9 M.D. schools, 5 of which I applied to last year. I am waiting on a fee waiver, but should be submitting my app in July. Is that early enough?

Your numbers are going to make all MD schools a long shot for you. But I think DO is within your reach if you apply broadly (which it sounds like you are). Submitting earlier should yield better results for you as far as DO schools are concerned. July is fine.

If, however, this next cycle does not work out for you either, you need to plan ahead. If you don't get any acceptances by March/April, I would start studying for the MCAT so that you can retake it by May/June.
 
In the future, u should make a separate thread, I think u didn't mean to hijack someone else's thread but in essence u did..

To ur questions, I think SMP's are recommended for "lower" gpas or non-science majors. U will benefit from an MCAT retake for sure so u need to figure out whether an SMP may allow ur sufficient MCAT study time to improve upon retake. SMPs tend to be very challenginf and demanding since u often take classes with medical students etc etc.

IMO, retake ur MCAT, volunteer, take as many ugrad science courses as u can b4 next cycle. This way, ur application improves all around and it's less risky. An SMP is a do or die proposition as far as med school admissions goes..


GL

Yes, in the future, please start an additional thread. You'll also get many more replies that way.

I'll strongly suggest MCAT retake. It's better to apply later (Jul/Aug) with a better application than super-early with a marginal one. Even if u retake by late July and u improve ur MCAT (>28), u'll still be in a better position than reapplying more with substantially the same application.

Also most secondaries will ask what u've done to improve ur application. At least u can say u improved ur MCAT and did more volunteering etc etc..

GL

I looked into signing up for a June/July MCAT but ALL the seats within 50 miles of me are full. So I couldn't take it until August which would mean my application not being considered until September, which is running into the problem of being late again. I hear you though, in regards to being in a better position, but I feel kind of stuck now. I don't want to simply make excuses when it comes time to say how I've improved my application. As far as applying to different schools this time, do I even have to tell them that I'm a re-applicant? They'll probably ask in interviews what I've been up to in the years since I've graduated college ...

Your numbers are going to make all MD schools a long shot for you. But I think DO is within your reach if you apply broadly (which it sounds like you are). Submitting earlier should yield better results for you as far as DO schools are concerned. July is fine.

If, however, this next cycle does not work out for you either, you need to plan ahead. If you don't get any acceptances by March/April, I would start studying for the MCAT so that you can retake it by May/June.

I agree with you 100% on all points. I know that the MD schools are a long shot. I feel that I have a chance at my state school, where I interviewed and am wait listed currently. I am applying to more than 2/3 of the DO schools this year, although some are repeats. If I can at least get to the interview stage, I feel confident, because I know that I interview very well.

But yes, I completely agree with your advice that if I am not getting acceptances by March/April, an MCAT retake is absolutely what I need to do. I know that my MCAT is the weakest point of my application.

How do you suppose I explain not retaking it this round of interviews without sounding like I'm making excuses? The seats truly are full for June/July and I don't want to submit late. I didn't realize that I would need to re-apply before this point as in previous years, the wait list I am on at one of these schools has gone through 90 people and I'm in the top 20. This year they don't anticipate much movement. I also took the MCAT a second time at some point but cancelled my score. Should I mention this as a retake or just stay silent on that point?
 
How do you suppose I explain not retaking it this round of interviews without sounding like I'm making excuses? The seats truly are full for June/July and I don't want to submit late. I didn't realize that I would need to re-apply before this point as in previous years, the wait list I am on at one of these schools has gone through 90 people and I'm in the top 20. This year they don't anticipate much movement. I also took the MCAT a second time at some point but cancelled my score. Should I mention this as a retake or just stay silent on that point?

I doubt anyone will directly ask you. If they do, just state plainly that you thought your chances would increase simply by applying more broadly/earlier and that if you're not successful this cycle, you have concrete plans to retake again. No one is going to press you on the issue. Don't mention that you canceled a previous score.
 
But yes, I completely agree with your advice that if I am not getting acceptances by March/April, an MCAT retake is absolutely what I need to do. I know that my MCAT is the weakest point of my application.

How do you suppose I explain not retaking it this round of interviews without sounding like I'm making excuses? The seats truly are full for June/July and I don't want to submit late. I didn't realize that I would need to re-apply before this point as in previous years, the wait list I am on at one of these schools has gone through 90 people and I'm in the top 20. This year they don't anticipate much movement. I also took the MCAT a second time at some point but cancelled my score. Should I mention this as a retake or just stay silent on that point?

Wouldn't it be possible for you submit all of your application now, sign up for the MCAT in August and September, and then update the schools once your new score are out? I submitted my application super early this cycle (in June) and then didn't get interviews back until August which is like 2 months after all of my application material was in. So I strongly suspect that the schools didn't even start reviewing people's applications until August.
 
Wouldn't it be possible for you submit all of your application now, sign up for the MCAT in August and September, and then update the schools once your new score are out? I submitted my application super early this cycle (in June) and then didn't get interviews back until August which is like 2 months after all of my application material was in. So I strongly suspect that the schools didn't even start reviewing people's applications until August.

Well, yes, it would be possible of course. But the question comes down to, is it more beneficial to apply earlier without the re-take, or apply possibly later, with a re-take, but no guarantee of a better score? They may not start reviewing until August, but do they review them in the order received? My application was good enough to get me on 3 wait lists with a very late application. Is that false thinking?
 
Well, yes, it would be possible of course. But the question comes down to, is it more beneficial to apply earlier without the re-take, or apply possibly later, with a re-take, but no guarantee of a better score? They may not start reviewing until August, but do they review them in the order received? My application was good enough to get me on 3 wait lists with a very late application. Is that false thinking?

Well the fact that you received interviews would indicate that your MCAT made it past screening at certain schools and the rest of your application was interesting enough to call you in for an interview despite the low-ish GPA. Not clinching any acceptances is likely due to a combination of applying late and your low MCAT score. Ideally, you would improve both of these factors -- apply earlier AND fix the MCAT (the 6 is what is troubling). But since it's almost mid June already, that's not possible, so you're going to have to choose one or the other. It's a hard decision, but I think that since your expectations are fairly realistic and you're focusing primarily on DO programs, I would just apply early & very broadly this year and see how things go. The decision is ultimately yours to make though - if you do go with retaking the MCAT in August, be sure you're fairly confident you can pull up that PS score.
 
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You absolutely have to improve your application before reapplying - to not do so would just be silly.

I know it's difficult but you have to make time to study for the MCAT again...this is your future career you're talking about, after all. Many of us had to face time demands/commitments when taking this test (school + work), so adcoms aren't always sympathetic to those who claim non-extenuating circumstances.
 
You absolutely have to improve your application before reapplying - to not do so would just be silly.

I know it's difficult but you have to make time to study for the MCAT again...this is your future career you're talking about, after all. Many of us had to face time demands/commitments when taking this test (school + work), so adcoms aren't always sympathetic to those who claim non-extenuating circumstances.

I think if you would have read my posts, you would have seen that I was not complaining primarily about a lack of time to study for the MCAT, but rather that the test dates are full in my area for June and July. I do not want to take the test in August or September, and risk having my application reviewed late again. Clearly, between now and August is sufficient time to study for the MCAT, but I don't feel comfortable with submitting my application that late in the cycle.

At the very least, I have begun a new volunteer position with a hospice organization.
 
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Additionally, I felt that my personal statement was extremely strong, and I feel that any PS that I re-write will not be as strong. I know that it is highly recommended to re-write it, but I don't see how I could write one that is nearly as good. I wrote about struggling with my brother's attempted suicide and his drug abuse and how my clinical exposure with a doctor who treated patients with addictions helped me come to terms with his problems. I also tied it in with my other clinical experiences and my exposure to medicine while growing up with a mother in the healthcare field. I emphasized the traits that are unique about me and that would make me a good physician throughout. I had many people read it and provide feedback. I felt very confident with my PS, but I know it is memorable, and I certainly don't want to be viewed as lazy for not having something different. Suggestions?
 
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