Reapplicant, nothing new to add

[Kekeirda]

So I'm getting things ready to reapply this comming year, and I don't have anything new to add.

Wyoming applicant

Caucasian, Male

31-M MCAT (V11, PS9, B11) (2nd time around) first time I got a 25-O

GPAs: 3.7
GPA:3.75

No research experiance
250 hours shadowing (family practice/ENT)
150 hours clinical expericane (working with a MA)
6 week Volunteer clinical mission in Peru
2 year service/proselytizing mission in Microneisa
3 years Pyrotechnics management (2 weeks a year)
Owned and operated own window washing buisness for 2 summers
Installed alarm systems for a summer in the Bronx.

This last year I applied late (September 28th) to 5 schools.

University of Washington (interviewed rejected)
Loma Linda (recieved secondary/rejected)
University Arizona-Phoenix (Interviewed rejected)
University of Arizona-Tucson (Interviewed... pending)-->but last acceptance day has already passed so it is either waitlist or rejection.
University of Nevada (interviewed/waitlisted (bottom 1/3))

So out of 5 schools I got 4 interviews. Is this a fluke? If I apply again more broadly (~30 schools) mostly lower teir private schools can I send in essentially the same application?

Also what kind of experiance should I be getting concurent to applying?

Any and all suggestions are welcome.

Would it be worthwile to get EMT certified

Should I shadow more?

ShouldI try and get research somewhere?

What will helpme most and is it alright to send in basically the same AMCAS application?

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[bucks2010]

1. So out of 5 schools I got 4 interviews. Is this a fluke? If I apply again more broadly (~30 schools) mostly lower teir private schools can I send in essentially the same application?

2. Also what kind of experiance should I be getting concurent to applying?

3. Would it be worthwile to get EMT certified

4. Should I shadow more?

5. ShouldI try and get research somewhere?

6. What will helpme most and

7. is it alright to send in basically the same AMCAS application?

1. Not necessarily. Depends on how selective the schools you chose are.

2. You need to call the places you were rejected at and ask what you could do to improve your chances next time.

3. No. Costs $ and no guarantee of employment. You may still be qualified to work in a medical environment as an aide, scribe, etc. (may not even need a cert). Search around the forums here - there are lots of threads with clinical experience ideas.

4. No. A couple hundred hours is way more than average. You're fine there.

5. If you want a career involving research, or are going to apply to research-oriented schools (aka highly-ranked in US News), then yes. If you're focused more on primary care and don't envision being involved in research, then not necessarily. It never hurts to do it so you can say you've tried it and can articulate why you don't envision it being a part of your career in the future.

6. Again, talk to the schools that rejected you (that you're still interested in). Make a phone appointment or something and ask about the committee's notes. Someone should be willing to tell you where your app was lacking so you can improve it.

7. From the looks of it you have a decent app save for the late primary submission and narrow school selection. That said, it's tough to say whether the combination of those 2 things was the sole reason you were rejected. You know your formula last time didn't work - why test the waters again with basically the same application? I think you need to figure out where you went wrong at the places that rejected you and make some improvement before submitting again.

 

[Kekeirda]

7. From the looks of it you have a decent app save for the late primary submission and narrow school selection. That said, it's tough to say whether the combination of those 2 things was the sole reason you were rejected. You know your formula last time didn't work - why test the waters again with basically the same application? I think you need to figure out where you went wrong at the places that rejected you and make some improvement before submitting again.

Thanks for the advice, I have scheduled an appointment to talk to the dean of admissions at Washington on April 12th.

Ok this is my problem... I don't have anything new to add to my Amcas application for this comming year (partly because I was lazy and party because I applied so late last time) So if I want to imporove my application by getting it out early and applying more broadly than that only gives me about 1.5 months where I will really be able to do any thing new.

So as I see it this leaves me with only a few choices...

1. Apply more broadly with the exact application and hope that I get in based primarily upon the numbers.

2. Try and retake the MCAT for a higher score and apply with what is otherwise the same application

3. Apply later (August) With a slightly updated application and lose the apply early edge.

4. Not apply this year (which I am strongly against)

5. Just rework my essays and make them stronger (based on what I have learned this time around) w/out actually adding any new experiance.

or some combination of the points above.

No matter which option I choose I plan to continue to get experiance all year long and send updates of my progress to the schools.

 

[Catalystik]

Your numbers are fine as they are. You got a good number of interviews compared to the number of applications. Something else is wrong.

Your shadowing (terrific) and clinical experience are fine. If you have no experience with rural populations or under-served monorities, considering your home state, that was a mistake. What did you have to say in update letters if you didn't continue to build these areas during the application year?

Starting a business, if you had employees, would be a form of leadership. But you don't mention any hands-on nonmedical community service (big lack), teaching, or research. Missing one can be compensated with strength in another area.

Maybe a LOR raised a red flag. Maybe your PS set the wrong tone. Maybe you don't have polished interview skills.

You need mutiple admissions office feedback to pinpoint the issue that needs correction since there are so many possibilities.

Applying early and broadly are musts next time around. Having a good answer for a common Secondary essay of what you've done to improve since last applying is essential. At least tweak the PS so the first paragraph is different.

I'd pick option #4 pending new info from the admissions office interviews. You can call to set these up by phone at a lot of schools, BTW.

 

[Kekeirda]

Thanks for the advice, I really appreciate the feedback. Yeah I will try and get better feedback from schools and figure out what to do better.

If I had to guess I would say that it was my interviewing that killed me... I didn't parctice at all I just tried toknow my applicattion and TRIED to act confident.

But it could be a LOR or the fact that my expericance essays were poorly organizedand the descritions pretty much sucked.

Anyways, thanks a million for the comments and feedback.