Reapplication advice (4th round)

[NoodleSoup64]

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Let me preface this by saying I know my app needs a lot of work. My MCAT is good for one more round, and I'm trying to figure out how to best improve in such a short time frame. This will be my fourth round. I was ignorant for my first two rounds, definitely threw them away. Third was much better with one interview that ended in a rejection. I still have 8 schools in the running, but I'm anticipating rejections from all of them. I sent an update letter just in case.

515 MCAT (127, 130, 131, 127)

3.95 GPA with BS in Lab Science (was originally premed with micro concentration)

3.60 GPA for post-bacc MLS certification program

Currently a certified, licensed MLS working at a large level 1 trauma hospital in the blood bank (1,230 hours currently, no patient interaction, I interact with nurses mainly, rarely MDs)

-7 hours shadowing radiologist 2024

-31 hours shadowing primary care 2022

-75 hours undergrad research 2022

-170 hours volunteer work 2021-2023 (live animal collection doing animal care and outreach/educational events, supervisor for volunteers)

-342 hours pharm tech 2021-2022

-88 hours volunteer 2019 (EMS at 3-week long jamboree)

-70 hours shadowing 2019 (high school and EMT course)


I'm not looking to quit my current job, and my EMT license expired during undergrad. I've considered taking some online courses to keep my learning active without commiting to a master's degree (and having to juggle that with fulltime work). I've had some roadblocks with finding volunteer clinic work (strung along and ghosted), but I finally found a place that I'm working with starting Thursday making kits for wound care, home testing, and more for HIV/AIDS positive and at-risk people. Once their clinic reopens, I'll be volunteering as clinic support.

Also a volunteer knitter for a non-profit that supplies knitted items to hospitals for micropreemies.

The schools I applied to this round are below. Connections to AL (grew up there), GA, WI, and VA. Currently reside in TN. Applied to 19 total but only got secondaries in for 16 due to moving and starting my job. I've since learned I should apply to 30-50 schools and pre-write secondaries.

-Albany Medical College
-Albert Einstein
-Eastern Virginia
-University of Wisconsin
-Emory
-Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth
-Medical College of Wisconsin (dream school)
-New York Medical College
-Robert Larner
-Frank H Netter
-Tufts
-University of Alabama at Birmingham
-University of Pittsburgh
-University of Tennessee Health Science Center
-Vanderbilt
-Virginia Commonwealth


I know I have to bump up my volunteer hours, both clinical and community service. With primary apps approaching so quickly, which do I prioritize? My current volunteer role won't have me in a clinic or working directly with the underserved until May at the soonest, but it will give me 3 hours a week starting Thursday. What else should I look for to do alongside this while still being able to work fulltime?

 

[Faha]

It appears the main problem is your lack of clinical and non clinical volunteering. You should accumulate 150+ hours of clinical volunteering/employment with patient contact and also 150+ hours of non clinical volunteering such as food bank, homeless shelter, etc. before you reapply.
You should also apply broadly to DO schools. For MD schools I suggest these with your stats:
Tennessee
East Tennessee
Belmont
Alice Walton
NOVA MD
Wake Forest
Methodist (when it opens)
Virginia Commonwealth
Eastern Virginia
George Washington
Drexel
Temple
Jefferson
Penn State
Hackensack
Hofstra
New York Medical College
Albany
Vermont
Quinnipiac
Tufts
UMass
Oakland Beaumont
Western Michigan
Medical College Wisconsin
Rosalind Franklin
Illinois
Iowa
TCU
Roseman
For DO schools I suggest these:
CUSOM
LMU-DCOM
ACOM
VCOM (all schools)
PCOM
NYITCOM
Touro-NY
MU-COM
DMU-COM
ATSU-KCOM
KCU-COM
AZCOM

 

[NoodleSoup64]

It appears the main problem is your lack of clinical and non clinical volunteering. You should accumulate 150+ hours of clinical volunteering/employment with patient contact and also 150+ hours of non clinical volunteering such as food bank, homeless shelter, etc. before you reapply.

Should this be 150+ by the time of primary app submission or secondary app submission? I've been having trouble finding clinical volunteer work. But I could probably get 150 hr of non clinical if I really put my nose to the grindstone for the next 3 months and use some of my PTO.

 

[Faha]

Should this be 150+ by the time of primary app submission or secondary app submission? I've been having trouble finding clinical volunteer work. But I could probably get 150 hr of non clinical if I really put my nose to the grindstone for the next 3 months and use some of my PTO.

The hours need to be on your primary application prior to submission. For clinical you already have 88 hours EMS. Did your pharmacy tech job involve any patient interaction?

 

[AsclepiusAdvisingLLC]

Let me preface this by saying I know my app needs a lot of work. My MCAT is good for one more round, and I'm trying to figure out how to best improve in such a short time frame. This will be my fourth round. I was ignorant for my first two rounds, definitely threw them away. Third was much better with one interview that ended in a rejection. I still have 8 schools in the running, but I'm anticipating rejections from all of them. I sent an update letter just in case.

515 MCAT (127, 130, 131, 127)

3.95 GPA with BS in Lab Science (was originally premed with micro concentration)

3.60 GPA for post-bacc MLS certification program

Currently a certified, licensed MLS working at a large level 1 trauma hospital in the blood bank (1,230 hours currently, no patient interaction, I interact with nurses mainly, rarely MDs)

-7 hours shadowing radiologist 2024

-31 hours shadowing primary care 2022

-75 hours undergrad research 2022

-170 hours volunteer work 2021-2023 (live animal collection doing animal care and outreach/educational events, supervisor for volunteers)

-342 hours pharm tech 2021-2022

-88 hours volunteer 2019 (EMS at 3-week long jamboree)

-70 hours shadowing 2019 (high school and EMT course)


I'm not looking to quit my current job, and my EMT license expired during undergrad. I've considered taking some online courses to keep my learning active without commiting to a master's degree (and having to juggle that with fulltime work). I've had some roadblocks with finding volunteer clinic work (strung along and ghosted), but I finally found a place that I'm working with starting Thursday making kits for wound care, home testing, and more for HIV/AIDS positive and at-risk people. Once their clinic reopens, I'll be volunteering as clinic support.

Also a volunteer knitter for a non-profit that supplies knitted items to hospitals for micropreemies.

The schools I applied to this round are below. Connections to AL (grew up there), GA, WI, and VA. Currently reside in TN. Applied to 19 total but only got secondaries in for 16 due to moving and starting my job. I've since learned I should apply to 30-50 schools and pre-write secondaries.

-Albany Medical College
-Albert Einstein
-Eastern Virginia
-University of Wisconsin
-Emory
-Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth
-Medical College of Wisconsin (dream school)
-New York Medical College
-Robert Larner
-Frank H Netter
-Tufts
-University of Alabama at Birmingham
-University of Pittsburgh
-University of Tennessee Health Science Center
-Vanderbilt
-Virginia Commonwealth


I know I have to bump up my volunteer hours, both clinical and community service. With primary apps approaching so quickly, which do I prioritize? My current volunteer role won't have me in a clinic or working directly with the underserved until May at the soonest, but it will give me 3 hours a week starting Thursday. What else should I look for to do alongside this while still being able to work fulltime?

If you're going into your fourth round, then there's a great number of things you need to optimize and consider. To address what you ask and your reply in this thread, if you can get non-clinical volunteering then get it. As for clinical volunteering- ask any of your direct supervisors or ask the nurses if there's some way to help them more. Your workplace likely offers the best opportunities for getting some clinical volunteering.

All this being said, there's a bunch of other stuff that needs to be discussed including re: MD/DO and your school list and state of residence, but that's personal info. Happy to carry on that conversation in DMs though.

 

[NoodleSoup64]

The hours need to be on your primary application prior to submission. For clinical you already have 88 hours EMS. Did your pharmacy tech job involve any patient interaction?

I worked retail pharmacy. Most of my day was spent interacting with with patient/customers.

 

[Faha]

I worked retail pharmacy. Most of my day was spent interacting with with patient/customers.

You could include that under clinical activity.

 

[NoodleSoup64]

The hours need to be on your primary application prior to submission. For clinical you already have 88 hours EMS. Did your pharmacy tech job involve any patient interaction?

I just remembered I did 40 hours of phlebotomy last April as part of rotations. All of that was patient interaction.

 

[chilly_md]

I know I have to bump up my volunteer hours, both clinical and community service. With primary apps approaching so quickly, which do I prioritize? My current volunteer role won't have me in a clinic or working directly with the underserved until May at the soonest, but it will give me 3 hours a week starting Thursday. What else should I look for to do alongside this while still being able to work fulltime?

You should take an app cycle off. You've applied 3 times with some random bursts of hours here and there and never really used your EMT license. Now it's been 2+ years without patient interaction and your prior experience from even back then was retail pharmacy, with very little in a hospital or clinic to supplement that.

Otherwise, for MD, your realistic best chances are at ETSU, Tennessee, Belmont and any new MD schools (ie Alice Walton, Roseman). You should include all the DO options Faha listed.

 

[Mr.Smile12]

Where did you interview? In-state?

 

[girlynerd]

Let me preface this by saying I know my app needs a lot of work. My MCAT is good for one more round, and I'm trying to figure out how to best improve in such a short time frame. This will be my fourth round. I was ignorant for my first two rounds, definitely threw them away. Third was much better with one interview that ended in a rejection. I still have 8 schools in the running, but I'm anticipating rejections from all of them. I sent an update letter just in case.

515 MCAT (127, 130, 131, 127)

3.95 GPA with BS in Lab Science (was originally premed with micro concentration)

3.60 GPA for post-bacc MLS certification program

Currently a certified, licensed MLS working at a large level 1 trauma hospital in the blood bank (1,230 hours currently, no patient interaction, I interact with nurses mainly, rarely MDs)

-7 hours shadowing radiologist 2024

-31 hours shadowing primary care 2022

-75 hours undergrad research 2022

-170 hours volunteer work 2021-2023 (live animal collection doing animal care and outreach/educational events, supervisor for volunteers)

-342 hours pharm tech 2021-2022

-88 hours volunteer 2019 (EMS at 3-week long jamboree)

-70 hours shadowing 2019 (high school and EMT course)


I'm not looking to quit my current job, and my EMT license expired during undergrad. I've considered taking some online courses to keep my learning active without commiting to a master's degree (and having to juggle that with fulltime work). I've had some roadblocks with finding volunteer clinic work (strung along and ghosted), but I finally found a place that I'm working with starting Thursday making kits for wound care, home testing, and more for HIV/AIDS positive and at-risk people. Once their clinic reopens, I'll be volunteering as clinic support.

Also a volunteer knitter for a non-profit that supplies knitted items to hospitals for micropreemies.

The schools I applied to this round are below. Connections to AL (grew up there), GA, WI, and VA. Currently reside in TN. Applied to 19 total but only got secondaries in for 16 due to moving and starting my job. I've since learned I should apply to 30-50 schools and pre-write secondaries.

-Albany Medical College
-Albert Einstein
-Eastern Virginia
-University of Wisconsin
-Emory
-Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth
-Medical College of Wisconsin (dream school)
-New York Medical College
-Robert Larner
-Frank H Netter
-Tufts
-University of Alabama at Birmingham
-University of Pittsburgh
-University of Tennessee Health Science Center
-Vanderbilt
-Virginia Commonwealth


I know I have to bump up my volunteer hours, both clinical and community service. With primary apps approaching so quickly, which do I prioritize? My current volunteer role won't have me in a clinic or working directly with the underserved until May at the soonest, but it will give me 3 hours a week starting Thursday. What else should I look for to do alongside this while still being able to work fulltime?

I began reading this and I am shocked that this is your fourth round applying with those numbers and experience. I am currently an M1 at Columbia VP&S with only a 512 on my MCAT and 3.93GPA from Emory.

the truth is it's not about the amount of hours and experience. It is about the story you tell in your personal statements an interviews I promise you that.

Good Luck.