Reapplicant with no IIs-any point in planning to reapply again?

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M.Oizo

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I think you definitely have a red flag somewhere. did you try using completely different LOR writers for this cycle? Maybe also get a couple more people to read over your PS. I have literally never seen anyone (in real life or on sdn) who didn't get at least one interview with your stats.
 
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Yeah, neither have I. It's driving me crazy being the outlier.

I used the same LORs+an additional one. 2 of my letter writers explicitly said they were shocked that I didn't get interviews last cycle. I had a committee letter/packet, so my adviser read all of my recs. I reached out to her a weeks ago to see if I could probe for any negative letters, and she just said she thought I was very competitive and should expect interviews. I obviously can't be sure about the recs though.

I completely scrapped and rewrote my PS this cycle. Had 5 people give me feedback, including my adviser and someone who does admissions consulting. It's nothing extraordinary, but it's well-written and answers why medicine/why me

Where did you apply? Reapply? And where are you a new applicant?
 
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Schools this cycle:

Albert Einstein
BU
Cal Northstate
Columbia
UCLA (Reapp)
Emory
Dartmouth (Reapp)
GW
Georgetown
Harvard
Mount Sinai
Keck
Loyola (Reapp)
NYU
Northwestern (Reapp)
OHSU
Rosalind Franklin (Reapp)
Rush (Reapp)
Stanford (Reapp)
Tufts (Reapp)
UCSD (Reapp)
UCSF (Reapp)
UCD (Reapp)
UCI(Reapp)
UCR (Reapp)
UChicago (Reapp)
University of Colorado
University of Michigan
VCU
Brown (Reapp)
You're applying to a combination of top tier and low-yield schools as a reapplicant which is a big no-no. Next cycle you need to have large swath of schools including a lot of low tiers. Yeah you might get yield-protected at some, but you should be able to get IIs assuming a large enough list by virtue of being a cream of the crop applicant.
 
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Honestly, these were the schools I most wanted to go to, and I didn't have the budget to add more because I assumed I would be paying to attend interviews. I thought I was competitive enough to at least get an II or 2 from them.
You have both Harvard and CN"U" on your list. We can safely say that you have covered the Alpha and the Omega.
The middle where you might have success is rather lightly sampled.
OOS privates like Miami, Case and Tulane, for example.
 
Agree with GORO. Sounds like your essay is not the greatest. Medicine is all about charting and if you don't have good grammar, concise to the point writing you are in for a wake up call. The MCAT is not your issue. Your school list is way too reaching. Come back to earth and be realistic in your school choices. DO is not a bad thing.
 
your stats would be considered competitive even for the programs you applied to, but then it comes down to your story and how you present your candidacy through writing.

have you done any underserved volunteering or service? especially for many of the UCs, that's almost an unspoken requirement.
 
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Yes, few hundred hours of underserved volunteering. I actually ended up getting and attending a single II at a top 10 school since posting this, so I'm even more confused as to why I have no love from other schools.

congratulations on the II!

from that, it just seems like maybe you didn't pique other schools' interests enough to push them to offer you an II just yet. I hope you won't have to reapply, but I'd recommend garnering heavy feedback on your essays in the future so that they really highlight your attributes and make you memorable.

there's also the chance that maybe you have bad luck and your essays just didn't connect with your reviewers..

good luck :)
 
That is really weird. I suggest you contact the office at the schools you applied and ask them. Many adcoms are willing to tell you your weak points of your application
 
I'm thinking there is some type of red flag on your application..if you don't get in this cycle which you very well can,I'd try applying to more schools if you can afford it and apply the first day

Reread all your materials and have multiple people in the field look at your essays
 
Dartmouth can give some feedback (not as in depth as two schools I spoke with that were not on your list). Wake Forest agreed, but would only give it pretty late (~June/July), but I didn't end up following up with them so I'm not sure how thorough it would be.

Did you have any shadowing? How many hours/specialties? (I went with >5 from hospice to FM to surgery, ~50 hours total)
How long had you been a scribe before applying? Or is this a new experience? (They don't seem to consider new activities in 'updates' as much as they consider the initial application...)
What are your clinical and non clinical volunteering experiences? (are you directly working with those in need?)
Looking at WedgeDawg's sheet, you may have also just applied too top heavy and not as many mid tier schools as you think. (https://forums.studentdoctor.net/threads/wedgedawgs-applicant-rating-system.1131149/)
You have an amazing academic profile, but otherwise you may be missing a hook. Or you may have it, and you just haven't executed it as well.

I reapplied this year after no invites. Last year was awful, and I'm really sorry it's not working out yet, but that's not to say it won't. From my experience, it does seem that a seemingly small thing can make all the difference. For example, I was missing non-clinical volunteering, so I took up volunteering with hospice and meals on wheels, and I linked that explicitly to my own interests and history. And it worked. If you're doing X, Y, or Z as a volunteer -- why? Why that versus something else? And what have you learned through the experience that will help you moving forward in medicine? I also changed my school list a lot -- I have the research that may fit with some larger/research focused schools, but I don't have the stats.

You have amazing stats and a reasonably well rounded profile, which means you may just need to iron out any wrinkles. Whether it's volunteering, shadowing, or how you explain your path/commitment... it can't be far off. Even the perfect application can fail if not applied well though... so I'd really look at your list if you need to reapply and target a broader range of schools.

If you have to reapply, do you need to retake the MCAT?

Good luck! And this year isn't over just yet. Hopefully somewhere comes through!
 
Your stats are competitive which means something is lacking, and given that you are not receiving II's it has to be your writing. You are just simply not getting yield protected at EVERY school you applied to. It's a bit late but given your stats and the fact that you are not having luck for a 2nd MD cycle you should consider DO as an option. Good luck!


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