Really need advice! Should I reapply this year or next year?

[premed2000]

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[Mdtichen]

I would go ahead and reapply EARLY this cycle. Your stats are decent and it looks like you have improved on your EC's. I think you will be okay if you apply early.

I was in your shoes this time last year. I had 0 II of the 14 schools I applied to but I bolstered my EC's and improved 4 points on my MCAT and had a much better cycle this time.

 

[jemstone]

I guess the question is really trying to figure out what when wrong this cycle. From what you've told us, it must be something under the surface. Did you lack shadowing/clinical experience, is your MCAT unbalanced, did you only apply to reach schools, were your essays poorly written, bad LOR? These are things to consider and perhaps you already know where your weaknesses were. If your new application reflects changes that fix the weaknesses from this cycle, it would be alright to apply in the upcoming cycle as long as you are sure you can answer the question "what have you done to improve your application"?

 

[tennisguitar]

If you have the mental strength to reapply next month, I would say go for it. It is clear that you have done a lot to improve your application, and you have a strong MCAT score (as long as you don't have an individual section that is low--probably less than 8 for most schools--and which may be precluding your application from being considered further). I think it goes without saying that your GPA is very strong, and you really don't need to worry about further correcting anything there. As someone who reapplied, I think that one of the benefits of my reapplication was that schools could very transparently see that I had responded to each of my weaknesses and corrected them, and it seems that you have done the same (i.e. as evidenced by all your recent extracurricular involvements, clinical startup, etc). Assuming you don't want another year to get more mental preparation for medical school, then I would think that the year off to get more publications would only significantly benefit you for an MD/PhD program or for schools that are research heavy. You already have two publications which is more than A LOT of matriculating applicants can say. I am assuming you are a California resident, in which case every school there is incredibly competitive regardless of your stats. That said, take a good look at both private and out of state public schools that have a history of taking lots of people from California and other non-residents--schools you might not otherwise think of like Michigan State, Penn State, Wayne State, Ohio State, Vermont, Illinois, all of the Virginia state schools, etc. Get your secondaries in as quickly as possible while still making them quality--two weeks for each secondary should be your goal. Good luck!

 

[alpinism]

How many hrs of shadowing did you have?
How any hrs and what types of clinical ECs did you have?
Where did you apply?
When did you finish secondaries?

Either way, You should do much better if you complete all your applications before August.

 

[MangoPlant]

This is very sad. How does a person with a 3.8/34 and published with volunteering get rejected?

Seeing stuff like this makes me extremely nervous. OP I wish you the best of luck in your next cycle. I am incredibly curious as to why you were rejected because it seems like you are a fine applicant in terms of checking the commonly described check boxes on this site.

 

[Lollygag]

This is very sad. How does a person with a 3.8/34 and published with volunteering get rejected?

Seeing stuff like this makes me extremely nervous. OP I wish you the best of luck in your next cycle. I am incredibly curious as to why you were rejected because it seems like you are a fine applicant in terms of checking the commonly described check boxes on this site.

Because the OP applied late. Never underestimate the consequences of applying late. We see this sooo much on SDN, people with stats like the OP apply in September and get rejected. OR, if they are very very lucky, they get accepted but they get into 1 school, and that school is far from their top choice and so they make a thread about whether or not they should reapply.

You may call this a generalization because there is always an exception-- but the only people who apply in September and still have a very successful application cycle are the 3.9+/36+ applicants who ended world hunger and cured cancer.

OP, apply EARLYYYY and you'll be fine 😉

 

[byaaaaaaah23]

Yeah I agree that you should apply early this year.

Have you contacted the school you interviewed at?

 

[NickRiviera MD]

you have no reason to wait a year, you're pretty solid. Be ready to submit first week of June and get those secondaries in <2 weeks after receiving them

 

[premed2000]

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[premed2000]

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[jemstone]

Are you really set on particular schools that you already applied to this past cycle? Because, if not, and you apply to a broader range of schools that include schools you didn't apply to before, those schools would see you as a brand new candidate. Although, like most of the above replies, it's possible that if you just apply earlier you may have a greater shot at getting interviews.

 

[DokterMom]

Based on your comments about your pre-college writing grade, your Verbal MCAT, and your poor cycle, I'm going to guess that your writing is a bit of a weak spot -- If that's the case, that's where I'd focus your efforts now. There are coaches for this and some volunteers here -- use those resources to critique your PS (you're re-writing, right?), your other essays and your secondaries.

1 - Focus on message first (What key points do you want to communicate?)
2 - Then clarity: (Did you communicate those points clearly? Can your reader give a five-second summary of your essay?)
3 - Then tone: (Did you sound entitled? whiny? arrogant? immature? concerned & responsible?)

And definitely expand your school list, selecting schools carefully. (Why do pre-meds rush THIS part?) Look first for schools where your GPA and MCAT fall within the 10-90% range and where your state of residence won't kill your odds. Then look a little more closely:

1 - Don't add 'bottom of the list' safeties because your stats are better than that and they won't waste their resources interviewing an applicant who is unlikely to attend.
2 - Your safeties should be schools you would actually be happy attending. If you can't find a reason why this particular school interests you, then save your 4 hours and $200.
3 - If you're not willing to pay $80,000 per year for med school, don't apply at the schools that charge $80K per year.
4 - Some schools get 15,000 applicants because their stat-averages are lowish and they have no in-state loyalties. Calculate the odds, then save yourself 4 hours and $200.
5 - Your stats are good enough that you should include some top tier 'reach' schools as well. Choose a few where there's some specific connection -- to your research maybe? To one of your professors? And use that connection to tailor your application.

 

[anguisette]

With your new ECs, it seems like you have a stronger application this time around and can address "what have you improved upon since last cycle?" I think the late app + likely top heavy school list were your major problems last cycle. Assuming no red flags, apply early and broadly this time (and to mostly schools that you didn't apply to the first time) and I think you'll have more interviews. I'd be happy to critique your school list if you want feedback. Good luck !

 

[Disinence2]

Why would u take another year off?

Sounds like your weakness was your EC's and you have made improvements so try again!

What do you mean u had one "silent"? Was this the school where you interviewed or did you get a straight up rejection after the interview?

 

[premed2000]

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[premed2000]

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