Reapplicant Advice? Pretty Please

[WontGiveUp90]

So I applied this year and unfortunately have received no II’s, I know it’s not over yet, but it’s getting late. So I’m writing to get some advice on what to do for the next cycle as my situation is complicated. My stats are a little low for MD but I thought I made up for it with ECs, grad school, and research. Here are my stats/details:

26 y/o male from California (possibly moving to NC), White, LGBT (Gay)
Education: Top 20 undergraduate, Research Master’s from top UK school, Post-Bacc from a UC
uGPA: 3.51
Post-bacc GPA: 4.0
cGPA: 3.55
sGPA: 3.45
Master’s GPA: N/A (research thesis with subsequent publication)
MCAT: 510
I currently work as Scientist in pharmaceutical research and I have pretty awesome EC’s:
Clinical: 1,200+ hours
Volunteer: 4,000+ hours
Research: 11,000+ hours

And the other big issue I encountered is that I got a DUI in May of 2012. It is still on my record, but after talking with my lawyer he’s confident I can get it expunged early. I’d have to wait till May 2017 to get it expunged normally, or my lawyer told me he could get it expunged now (at a hefty cost). I’ve already looked into it, and on the AMCAS application you don’t have to report any expunged misdemeanors.

So my questions are as follows:
1- Should I spend the money to get it expunged now and reapply this cycle to MD schools? Is this likely the main reason I’m not getting interviews?
2- If I do get it expunged early I’ll need a letter or two from ADCOMS saying that the DUI negatively impacted my application, and I don’t know how to get one from these schools as they explicitly say they don’t give application feedback?
3- Should I also apply to DO schools next cycle? Caribbean Schools? (My degrees/research are in Neuroscience and Emergency Medicine, so I’ll likely want specialize in EM, Neurology, Interventional Neurology, or Neurosurgery and possibly do some clinical research. I don't want DO bias to affect my career forever.)

Thanks for the advice, this process is so disheartening!

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[WedgeDawg]

Moving to WAMC

 

[gyngyn]

Where did you apply?
The odds that you will get an admissions officer to affirm that your DUI kept you getting an interview is vanishingly small. Even if it is expunged, some secondaries ask about charges.

 

[GrapesofRath]

So my questions are as follows:
1- Should I spend the money to get it expunged now and reapply this cycle to MD schools? Is this likely the main reason I’m not getting interviews?
2- If I do get it expunged early I’ll need a letter or two from ADCOMS saying that the DUI negatively impacted my application, and I don’t know how to get one from these schools as they explicitly say they don’t give application feedback?
3- Should I also apply to DO schools next cycle? Caribbean Schools? (My degrees/research are in Neuroscience and Emergency Medicine, so I’ll likely want specialize in EM, Neurology, Interventional Neurology, or Neurosurgery and possibly do some clinical research. I don't want DO bias to affect my career forever.)

1) As gyngyn said some schools will still ask you to report it. Expungment isnt necessairly always a "get out of jail free card" like you might perceive it to be.

2) Not sure what you are talking about here. Never heard of any kind of policy like this.

3) Your stats are very competitive for DO schools. I dont know how much a DUI charge even if expunged will affect this, although the fact it will be 4 years since the event is in your favor. Having said all this, you should list where all you applied and try and reason why you didnt get a single II. If you had a good list, I'm skeptical that a DUI charge from 3+ years ago was the only thing behind not getting any IIs.

To improve your MD application there is no great solution here as you have a good recent academic performance and strong ECs. Furthermore, its been 4 years since your DUI so Im not sure how helpful creating a bigger gap in time since your DUI will help. Couple considerations I might give

a) It might be worth some consideration to think about moving to another state of residence if you are set on trying to go for an MD. 3.5/31 is often not all that competitive an application coming out of CA. IF you were to move to another state and establish residency depending on how those schools look at applicants who recently moved there, you could suddenly become a much more competitive candidate in a state like South Carolina, West Virginia or Louisiana. Key caveat here is how those schools will look at somebody who recently moved their to establish residence; some schools seem to care about this less than others.
b) Your academic performance is generally too strong to warrant an SMP but as a re-applicant the burden is on you to show real improvement. Acing an SMP would be hte type of real improvement that would grab ADCOMs attention. Likewise, even though the unofficial "linkage" of many SMPs has been declining htere are still SMPs like Rosalind Franklin that take about half their SMP grads to their med school. Do well on that type of SMP, and you dont even have to worry about reapplying. It is a risk though.
c) I dont particularly recommend an MCAT retake but if you have a strong reason to believe you can do significantly better(ie 516+ esque) that is another thing thatcould perhaps boost your application. This though would not be the first thing I look to in order to try to improve your MD app.

 

[WontGiveUp90]

Where did you apply?
The odds that you will get an admissions officer to affirm that your DUI kept you getting an interview is vanishingly small. Even if it is expunged, some secondaries ask about charges.

I applied to a lot, 36 schools, mostly cause I had no idea how much my DUI or grad school experience would effect my competitiveness. Received 16 rejections and 3 holds (UA, Drexel, GWU), I'm still waiting on 17 schools, but some of them are far reaches. The realistic schools I'm waiting on are: Thomas Jefferson, Quinnipiac, Loyola-Chicago, Virginia Tech, Tufts, Albert Einstein, UMiami, SLU, California Northstate, UC-R, NYMC, Temple, and UofSC-Greenville.

You're right, some schools do ask about charges, but many tell you to exclude expunged records and many don't ask; so I'd probably avoid applying to schools that ask about charges.

 

[gyngyn]

I applied to a lot, 36 schools, mostly cause I had no idea how much my DUI or grad school experience would effect my competitiveness. Received 16 rejections and 3 holds (UA, Drexel, GWU), I'm still waiting on 17 schools, but some of them are far reaches. The realistic schools I'm waiting on are: Thomas Jefferson, Quinnipiac, Loyola-Chicago, Virginia Tech, Tufts, Albert Einstein, UMiami, SLU, California Northstate, UC-R, NYMC, Temple, and UofSC-Greenville.

You're right, some schools do ask about charges, but many tell you to exclude expunged records and many don't ask; so I'd probably avoid applying to schools that ask about charges.

I see about 8 schools where you still stand a chance at an interview on your list.
Is that your only MCAT? When were you complete?

 

[WontGiveUp90]

1) As gyngyn said some schools will still ask you to report it. Expungment isnt necessairly always a "get out of jail free card" like you might perceive it to be.

2) Not sure what you are talking about here. Never heard of any kind of policy like this.

3) Your stats are very competitive for DO schools. I dont know how much a DUI charge even if expunged will affect this, although the fact it will be 4 years since the event is in your favor. Having said all this, you should list where all you applied and try and reason why you didnt get a single II. If you had a good list, I'm skeptical that a DUI charge from 3+ years ago was the only thing behind not getting any IIs.

To improve your MD application there is no great solution here as you have a good recent academic performance and strong ECs. Furthermore, its been 4 years since your DUI so Im not sure how helpful creating a bigger gap in time since your DUI will help. Couple considerations I might give

a) It might be worth some consideration to think about moving to another state of residence if you are set on trying to go for an MD. 3.5/31 is often not all that competitive an application coming out of CA. IF you were to move to another state and establish residency depending on how those schools look at applicants who recently moved there, you could suddenly become a much more competitive candidate in a state like South Carolina, West Virginia or Louisiana. Key caveat here is how those schools will look at somebody who recently moved their to establish residence; some schools seem to care about this less than others.
b) Your academic performance is generally too strong to warrant an SMP but as a re-applicant the burden is on you to show real improvement. Acing an SMP would be hte type of real improvement that would grab ADCOMs attention. Likewise, even though the unofficial "linkage" of many SMPs has been declining htere are still SMPs like Rosalind Franklin that take about half their SMP grads to their med school. Do well on that type of SMP, and you dont even have to worry about reapplying. It is a risk though.
c) I dont particularly recommend an MCAT retake but if you have a strong reason to believe you can do significantly better(ie 516+ esque) that is another thing thatcould perhaps boost your application. This though would not be the first thing I look to in order to try to improve your MD app.

Thanks for all your input, really helpful! I was thinking of establishing my residence in NC, my fiance wants to move back there (home) and I know Eastern Carolina only accepts in-state applicants, so I think that could help improve my competitiveness.
My concern about a SMP is that I already have a Master's and a post-bacc, and a lot of people have told me it looks bad to be a "degree-collector." I could continue to take post-grad classes but it would only improve my GPA marginally.

My second questions isn't referring to medical school policy, it's to getting my DUI expunged. My lawyer told me that if I can prove that the "DUI is effecting my ability to pursue a career" that getting it expunged would be pretty easy, given the circumstances and my history. So I would just need someone who has a role in admissions to write me a letter stating that the DUI at least played a role in me not being admitted.

 

[WontGiveUp90]

I see about 8 schools where you still stand a chance at an interview on your list.
Is that your only MCAT? When were you complete?

I submitted my primary on 6/19 and most of my secondaries were in between late July and late August. I took the MCAT in 2011 and got a 26Q, I took it again in April 2015 and got my 510.

 

[gyngyn]

I submitted my primary on 6/19 and most of my secondaries were in between late July and late August. I took the MCAT in 2011 and got a 26Q, I took it again in April 2015 and got my 510.

Timing is good. You may still get a few interviews
The two MCAT's make for a somewhat less competitive application, though.
If this cycle is unsuccessful, a well targeted MD list and some good DO schools should work.

 

[Goro]

Invest in MSAR Online and target schools whose median stats are closest to your own. Pay very careful attention to the Acceptance Information pages.

Have DOs on your list. Beggars can't be choosy. Start with CUSOM, all three VCOMs, and PCOM-GA IF you move to NC.

Don't even think of going to Carib diploma mills unless you really like the idea of being unemployed and deeply in debt. DO's do fine with EM.


I think that the DUI, being nearly four years old, might not be a lethal as having a poorly drawn up list.

So I applied this year and unfortunately have received no II’s, I know it’s not over yet, but it’s getting late. So I’m writing to get some advice on what to do for the next cycle as my situation is complicated. My stats are a little low for MD but I thought I made up for it with ECs, grad school, and research. Here are my stats/details:

26 y/o male from California (possibly moving to NC), White, LGBT (Gay)
Education: Top 20 undergraduate, Research Master’s from top UK school, Post-Bacc from a UC
uGPA: 3.51
Post-bacc GPA: 4.0
cGPA: 3.55
sGPA: 3.45
Master’s GPA: N/A (research thesis with subsequent publication)
MCAT: 510
I currently work as Scientist in pharmaceutical research and I have pretty awesome EC’s:
Clinical: 1,200+ hours
Volunteer: 4,000+ hours
Research: 11,000+ hours

And the other big issue I encountered is that I got a DUI in May of 2012. It is still on my record, but after talking with my lawyer he’s confident I can get it expunged early. I’d have to wait till May 2017 to get it expunged normally, or my lawyer told me he could get it expunged now (at a hefty cost). I’ve already looked into it, and on the AMCAS application you don’t have to report any expunged misdemeanors.

So my questions are as follows:
1- Should I spend the money to get it expunged now and reapply this cycle to MD schools? Is this likely the main reason I’m not getting interviews?
2- If I do get it expunged early I’ll need a letter or two from ADCOMS saying that the DUI negatively impacted my application, and I don’t know how to get one from these schools as they explicitly say they don’t give application feedback?
3- Should I also apply to DO schools next cycle? Caribbean Schools? (My degrees/research are in Neuroscience and Emergency Medicine, so I’ll likely want specialize in EM, Neurology, Interventional Neurology, or Neurosurgery and possibly do some clinical research. I don't want DO bias to affect my career forever.)

Thanks for the advice, this process is so disheartening!