Reapplicant Help- 6 interviews

[connect1234]

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Hey Everyone! Thank you all in advance for the advice.
This previous cycle I had 6 interviews and currently on 2 waitlists

Major: Biology Minor: Chemistry
Country/state of residence: Virginia
Cumulative GPA: 3.73 (last cycle 3.66)
Science GPA: 3.55 (depends on AMCAS classification of some courses this year)
Last cycle was 3.49
got a C freshman year in stat class
Upward grade trend: 3.4 freshman year -> 3.95 senior year
MCAT Score: 130/129/130/128 Total: 517

Research: Research in cancer biology lab (paid)- 500 hours no publications or poster
Neuroscience lab on health behavior- 1000 hours with 3rd a poster presentation
currently working on publication for this paper

Volunteering (clinical) – 400 hours working in a free clinic working
Physician shadowing – 50 hours each in cardiology and in internal medicine
will shadow a pulmonologist for about 50 hours later this month

Non-clinical volunteering: Science outreach events- 40 hours
different free clinic front desk stuff- 50 hours
Hospital volunteering- 80 hours


Other Extracurricular activities:
Low level leadership in various clubs dedicated to fundraising and donation drives
TA for General Chemistry and Biochemistry 3 semesters 60 hours per semester


Old School List:
Albany
BU
VCU (interviewed, rejected)
Creighton
Drexel
EVMS (interviewed, waitlisted)
Emory
Geisinger
GW
Georgetown
Hofstra
Temple
MCW (placed on hold, no interview)
Medical University of SC
Penn state (placed on hold, no interview)
Rosalind Franklin (interviewed, rejected)
Rush
Rutgers
Rutgers RWJ
Thomas Jefferson
Tufts
UNC (interviewed, rejected)
University of south carolina
Vanderbilt
Virginia Tech (interviewed, rejected)
Wake Forest
Wayne State
West Virginia
Vanderbilt
NOVA MD (interviewed, waitlisted)
UVA

Primary was sent out in mid june
3/4 of my secondaries sent out in early-mid July with remaining 1/4 sent out early august (added more schools in beginning of august)

For my gap year, I do not yet have a job but I am looking for clinical research positions. If i cannot get one, i will become a scribe and increase my number of volunteering hours.

All my interviews happened between January to end of March and post interview rejections were about 4-5 weeks after each interview

Questions I have for you all:
Do I need to take additional science courses to raise my sGPA? without my C in calc it would be around 3.65
Should i also be considering an SMP?
What schools should I add/remove from my school list? I'm considering adding SLU, Quinnipiac, Rochester, Oakland, and Seton Hall MD. I'll probably remove both Rutgers, Vanderbilt, and West Virginia
How much do I need to change my personal statement, activity descriptions, and secondaries?
My plan is to change about 1/3 of my personal statement, leave most of my activity descriptions the same, and change only a few of my secondaries? Instead of changing them completely I will be more or less updating them. Is that a good idea?
How should I include my potential publication in my application? Should I delay my primary until July so that I can include my publication in there?
Obviously my interview skills are somewhat lacking. I did a few practice interviews with my school's career services department and they said I was doing fine in all of my interviews (even MMI). What are some additional resources I can use for interview practice, especially for MMI which I personally struggle with?
Would being a scribe as a gap year job be a goo idea? Or should I be looking for clinical research positions. My father is a doctor so I have a good idea what the lifestyle is like, but I'm not really sure what job I can get that covers the weakness in my application.

 

[SpoiledMilk]

You got 6 IIs, so there are no serious red flags in your app. You likely need to work on your interviewing skills. Below are questions that I can answers. Other SDNers can help with your other questions.

Do I need to take additional science courses to raise my sGPA? without my C in calc it would be around 3.65

If you want to, do a DIY PB in some science courses to increase your sGPA.

Should i also be considering an SMP?

Nope

How much do I need to change my personal statement, activity descriptions, and secondaries?
My plan is to change about 1/3 of my personal statement, leave most of my activity descriptions the same, and change only a few of my secondaries? Instead of changing them completely I will be more or less updating them. Is that a good idea?

If you are reapplying to same schools, you should seriously reconsider rewriting/rewording your PS/essays and updating. As long as they are not mirror images, it should be fine.

Obviously my interview skills are somewhat lacking. I did a few practice interviews with my school's career services department and they said I was doing fine in all of my interviews (even MMI). What are some additional resources I can use for interview practice, especially for MMI which I personally struggle with?

Here are a couple of MMI resources:
And the attachment.

 

[connect1234]

Thank you so much! Are they are big weaknesses that you see in my application? I'm trying to find a job for my gap year that will potentially cover them.
My current options are become a scribe or look for clinical research positions

 

[SpoiledMilk]

Physician shadowing – 50 hours each in cardiology and in internal medicine
will shadow a pulmonologist for about 50 hours later this month

Hospital volunteering- 80 hours

I think you have enough shadowing, so instead of doing another 50 hours with the pulmonologist, you might want to use the time to increase your hospital volunteering or clinical volunteering instead.
As for either scribing or working in a clinical research capacity for your gap you, either will work.

What schools should I add/remove from my school list? I'm considering adding SLU, Quinnipiac, Rochester, Oakland, and Seton Hall MD. I'll probably remove both Rutgers, Vanderbilt, and West Virginia

Paging @Faha for help with the above question.

 

[Lucky Day]

With 6 interviews, nothing in your application is really dragging you down (although 4 of the 6 are schools who have local bias in your favor). You should absolutely invest as much resources as you can into someone who can prepare you for medical school interviews. While your career services department may be able to help you with general interviews, medical school interviews are totally different. You should hire someone with actual medical school interview experience. It will be worth every single red cent. In addition, figure out how to make yourself sound exciting/interesting/enjoyable to know. That was something that I didn't really pay attention to in my first go around. I guess I assumed nobody gave a damn, they just wanted a good student. Not so. Make sure you show that you're a real person. If you don't do this well already, learn to connect through hobbies/activities/interests. If you don't have, go get some and learn how to talk about them in a way that excites people.

Other wise, call all the offices where you interviewed and ask if they can give you feedback. Get more altruistic volunteering and try to get work in a hospital setting (scribe?) for maintenance of activities. Don't take more classes, it won't be cost/time effective from a GPA standpoint. Give all of your essays facelifts. Don't delay your primary, you can send an update about the publication if/when it's accepted. Be sure to apply to places you didn't apply this cycle. Add DO schools. Get your essay ready for "what makes you different from last year?"

Good luck! (I hope you get off your waitlists!)

 

[Faha]

Since you received 6 interviews there is nothing wrong with your application and credentials. You were rejected post interview from your 2 state public schools so the problem appears to be your interviewing skills. That is what you need to concentrate on improving. As to what schools you should consider I suggest all these:
UNC
East Carolina
Wake Forest
Duke
Virginia Tech
Virginia Commonwealth
Eastern Virginia
West Virginia
George Washington
Drexel
Temple
Jefferson
Penn State
Seton Hall
Hofstra
New York Medical College
Albany
Einstein
Rochester
Vermont
Quinnipiac
Tufts
Boston University
NOVA MD
Miami
Oakland Beaumont
Western Michigan
Medical College Wisconsin
Rosalind Franklin
Loyola
St. Louis
Creighton
Tulane
California University (new school)

 

[connect1234]

Thanks for all of your help @Faha @Lucky Day @DV-T

😍