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- Apr 16, 2018
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I know this question has been asked before. If this school was better established I would not be questioning taking this acceptance. 1 in the hand is 2 in the bush and all that.
I am trying to decide whether or not to reapply MD and DO this upcoming cycle, take a gap year or take an offer at a brand new school. I am extremely tempted to take it but do not know if it will limit me in the future. I hope to keep my options open for residency and am worried about matching as well as dealing with a potential lack of research and rotational opportunities associated with a brand new school. The pre-accreditation seems to be going well but is always at least slightly scary.
To everyone that may ask why I applied to a school I don't wish to attend, I applied because there was no secondary application. Having learned a bit more about the program I am second guessing it (mandatory attendance, dress code etc...).
Story:
I am a non trad career changer. Graduated undergrad in 2013, went and worked elsewhere for a few years and decided a career in medicine was what I wanted in 2015. I went back to school and did well in ochem, ochem lab, biochem, cell bio and genetics. I took the MCAT late in June 2017, thought I bombed, got my score back and decided I would apply. I was naive and didn't think a late/rushed app would hinder me all that much. Maybe it did, maybe it didn't, but at this point I wish I would have skipped last cycle and done it right one time.
I completed secondaries at ~6 MD and 3 DO schools all pretty late in their respective cycles. Should have been far more but I didn't have time due to the late applications. Talking October and even into November/December for the MDs. I was offered 1 MD interview resulting in a middle of the pack waitlist spot at OHSU. I was offered 2 DO interviews (Touro-CA and New School) and was waitlisted at both and pulled from the waitlist at New School.
Stats:
3.1 Undergrad cGPA/sGPA (without Post Bacc)
-Double Major General Science and Spanish
3.95 DIY Post Bacc in the classes mentioned above 3 years post undergrad
GPA AMCAS: cGPA 3.26/sGPA 3.18
515 MCAT (131,127,129,128)
ECs last cycle:
72 hours volunteering on a medical mission to under-served country. helped clean/move patients etc...
1450 hours (~35 hr/week for 10 months) as a Cardiac Technician at a major hospital
--Direct patient care performing studies and interacting with physicians/nurses.
55 Hours shadowing various fields
Prior work experience in other fields unrelated to medicine. Some of these are fairly unique.
Speak Spanish well
Updates for next cycle:
45 more volunteer hours on another medical mission to different underserved country. Similar experience although much harder work.
Almost twice as many clinical hours with better leadership experiences in my department.
Completed EMT course working towards National Registry
Volunteering at Local Food bank (in the works)
more shadowing hours (in the works)
better personal statement. Noticed a minor error in my PS after having proofread the thing 100 times too many after submitting.
More and potentially better Letters of Recommendation. Director of Cardiac department and another MD from the second mission.
Previous schools applied to:
MD:
UW (in Region)
OHSU (Mission based)
UNR
U of U (in Region)
U of A
1 more can't remember
DO:
Touro-CA
Touro-NV
New School
I am seeking advice on how to proceed (take offer, reapply or gap year) from anyone willing to share it!
Thanks for reading this long post.
I am trying to decide whether or not to reapply MD and DO this upcoming cycle, take a gap year or take an offer at a brand new school. I am extremely tempted to take it but do not know if it will limit me in the future. I hope to keep my options open for residency and am worried about matching as well as dealing with a potential lack of research and rotational opportunities associated with a brand new school. The pre-accreditation seems to be going well but is always at least slightly scary.
To everyone that may ask why I applied to a school I don't wish to attend, I applied because there was no secondary application. Having learned a bit more about the program I am second guessing it (mandatory attendance, dress code etc...).
Story:
I am a non trad career changer. Graduated undergrad in 2013, went and worked elsewhere for a few years and decided a career in medicine was what I wanted in 2015. I went back to school and did well in ochem, ochem lab, biochem, cell bio and genetics. I took the MCAT late in June 2017, thought I bombed, got my score back and decided I would apply. I was naive and didn't think a late/rushed app would hinder me all that much. Maybe it did, maybe it didn't, but at this point I wish I would have skipped last cycle and done it right one time.
I completed secondaries at ~6 MD and 3 DO schools all pretty late in their respective cycles. Should have been far more but I didn't have time due to the late applications. Talking October and even into November/December for the MDs. I was offered 1 MD interview resulting in a middle of the pack waitlist spot at OHSU. I was offered 2 DO interviews (Touro-CA and New School) and was waitlisted at both and pulled from the waitlist at New School.
Stats:
3.1 Undergrad cGPA/sGPA (without Post Bacc)
-Double Major General Science and Spanish
3.95 DIY Post Bacc in the classes mentioned above 3 years post undergrad
GPA AMCAS: cGPA 3.26/sGPA 3.18
515 MCAT (131,127,129,128)
ECs last cycle:
72 hours volunteering on a medical mission to under-served country. helped clean/move patients etc...
1450 hours (~35 hr/week for 10 months) as a Cardiac Technician at a major hospital
--Direct patient care performing studies and interacting with physicians/nurses.
55 Hours shadowing various fields
Prior work experience in other fields unrelated to medicine. Some of these are fairly unique.
Speak Spanish well
Updates for next cycle:
45 more volunteer hours on another medical mission to different underserved country. Similar experience although much harder work.
Almost twice as many clinical hours with better leadership experiences in my department.
Completed EMT course working towards National Registry
Volunteering at Local Food bank (in the works)
more shadowing hours (in the works)
better personal statement. Noticed a minor error in my PS after having proofread the thing 100 times too many after submitting.
More and potentially better Letters of Recommendation. Director of Cardiac department and another MD from the second mission.
Previous schools applied to:
MD:
UW (in Region)
OHSU (Mission based)
UNR
U of U (in Region)
U of A
1 more can't remember
DO:
Touro-CA
Touro-NV
New School
I am seeking advice on how to proceed (take offer, reapply or gap year) from anyone willing to share it!
Thanks for reading this long post.
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