Reapplicant with no interviews

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SingleCellPremed

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I am a reapplicant who didn't get any interviews last cycle. As far as I know, there are no red flags on my application. I even asked if my LORs were holding me back during an application feedback session, but apparently they were fine. For this new cycle, I had multiple people, including two med students, look over my writing. One of them even said that my PS was some of the best writing they had ever seen. In other words, I am almost certain that my essays are not the problem this time.

Here's my stats and extracurriculars:
New stuff in bold

514 MCAT
3.9 GPA
2nd quartile casper

Work:
1600 hours EMT
400 hours non-clinical job

450 hours teaching assistant

Volunteering:
150 hours soup kitchen volunteer
140 hours hospice volunteer

Research:
350 hours research assistant

Shadowing:
120 hours

Hobbies:
400 hours

Here's my school list, almost all completed in August:

Pitt
Boston
Michigan
Hofstra
WMed
Jefferson
Emory
Georgetown
GW
Indiana
SLU
Wayne State
NYMC
Rochester
Vermont
Penn State
Drexel
MCW
Tulane
Oakland
UMN

Results so far:
Experience review completed at WMed but no response
Hold at GW
Hold at Drexel
R from Georgetown

I thought my application was much improved from last year and that I would have multiple interviews, but I haven't even earned a single one. Is my application really that bad?

edit: forgot to list another school
 
Last edited:
I count 8 to 10 schools where you have a fair to good chance at an interview.
That's usually good enough for a few interviews.
What is your state of residence? Is that your only MCAT?
Minnesota resident, silence from UMN since submitting my app in mid August

Only took the MCAT once and my lowest section score was 127
 
I am a reapplicant who didn't get any interviews last cycle. As far as I know, there are no red flags on my application. I even asked if my LORs were holding me back during an application feedback session, but apparently they were fine. For this new cycle, I had multiple people, including two med students, look over my writing. One of them even said that my PS was some of the best writing they had ever seen. In other words, I am almost certain that my essays are not the problem this time.

Here's my stats and extracurriculars:
New stuff in bold

514 MCAT
3.9 GPA
2nd quartile casper

Work:
1600 hours EMT
400 hours non-clinical job

450 hours teaching assistant

Volunteering:
150 hours soup kitchen volunteer
140 hours hospice volunteer

Research:
350 hours research assistant

Shadowing:
120 hours

Hobbies:
400 hours

Here's my school list, almost all completed in August:

Pitt
Boston
Michigan
Hofstra
WMed
Jefferson
Emory
Georgetown
GW
Indiana
SLU
Wayne State
NYMC
Rochester
Vermont
Penn State
Drexel
MCW
Tulane
Oakland
UMN

Results so far:
Experience review completed at WMed but no response
Hold at GW
Hold at Drexel
R from Georgetown

I thought my application was much improved from last year and that I would have multiple interviews, but I haven't even earned a single one. Is my application really that bad?

edit: forgot to list another school
I feel like as a reapplicant you might've wanted to go all-in on the school list in terms of total number of schools. For example, schools like VCU and EVMS are well within your stat and EC range and are extremely OOS-friendly. Other than that, I think that you shouldn't worry until November. If you don't have any IIs then, it might be worth adding some DO schools - as a fellow reapplicant (but with 4 IIs), that's my plan
 
I feel like as a reapplicant you might've wanted to go all-in on the school list in terms of total number of schools. For example, schools like VCU and EVMS are well within your stat and EC range and are extremely OOS-friendly. Other than that, I think that you shouldn't worry until November. If you don't have any IIs then, it might be worth adding some DO schools - as a fellow reapplicant (but with 4 IIs), that's my plan
Thanks for the advice and congrats on the interviews

It is pretty late now, but I will try to add a few more MD schools. I just completed 3 DO applications as well.
 
While it's not early anymore, it's still not late in the app cycle. Tons of people receive interviews after October and get in. I know it must suck to not have any interviews by not, even as a reapplicant, but I (as well as countless others) was in your shoes- I ended up receiving an interview in November and then another in January, one of which ended up as an A. Keep your head up; with your app, I would expect at least 2-3 IIs in the near future.

Kevin W, MCAT Tutor
Med School Tutors
 
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