Reapplication - can't make up for lack if extracurriculars

[fw5tape6kq]

I may end up having to re-apply to medical school for the next cycle. I think one of the problems with my current application is that it is too lacking in extracurriculars. My college GPA and MCAT are very high, but - outside of a substantial four year research project - I did very little outside the classroom in college. No clubs, no organizations, no fraternities, etc. I can take a gap year, but nothing will change that fact. So how am I expected to overcome it after I graduate? Let's say I really crank it out in the gap year; some very involved research project, or highly dedicated volunteering. How much can that really help? Won't the med school committees always be able to say "sorry, but you had too few extracurriculars in college."

Moreover, I was told that some schools are biased against re-applicants. In other words, if we rejected you the prior year, then we're less likely to take you now than someone who we have never reviewed before. Considering this, how much can the gap year do to enhance my application if my undergraduate grades, MCAT, and research are all pretty strong?

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[slopes23]

Put it to you this way. If people were ready to go to medical school in college then most wouldnt take a gap year. The entire concept (aside from taking a year to mature after college and kind of take a break) is to improve on things where you were weak in college.

 

[theseeker4]

I may end up having to re-apply to medical school for the next cycle. I think one of the problems with my current application is that it is too lacking in extracurriculars. My college GPA and MCAT are very high, but - outside of a substantial four year research project - I did very little outside the classroom in college. No clubs, no organizations, no fraternities, etc. I can take a gap year, but nothing will change that fact. So how am I expected to overcome it after I graduate? Let's say I really crank it out in the gap year; some very involved research project, or highly dedicated volunteering. How much can that really help? Won't the med school committees always be able to say "sorry, but you had too few extracurriculars in college."

Moreover, I was told that some schools are biased against re-applicants. In other words, if we rejected you the prior year, then we're less likely to take you now than someone who we have never reviewed before. Considering this, how much can the gap year do to enhance my application if my undergraduate grades, MCAT, and research are all pretty strong?

If the problem is too few ECs on your application, obviously getting ECs in after graduating will help. Few schools will say "you didn't do everything in college, so we are going to reject you." If they did, there wouldn't be any students who had gap years, let alone non-traditional students who changed careers/returned to school. Schools can and do reject applicants for any reason, or no reason at all. What good does worrying about them being able to say "sorry, you had too few ECs in college" do, since you can't change it now? Maybe a few adcoms have that attitude, but the huge number of students who have a year or two after graduating to work on the application, and then are accepted, proves that this attitude won't keep you out of med school.

All schools want a substantial improvement in your application if you were rejected the first time around. A few schools are strongly biased against anyone they rejected once already, but most will give you a chance if you have fixed what was wrong the first time.

How sure are you that your ECs are what are keeping you from being accepted? What are your total ECs you included on your application, and where did you apply? applying too top-heavy can have a bigger impact on your success than being light in certain ECs on your application..... Did you apply late in the cycle? Look at everything that could have hurt your chances, or you could end up reapplying without fixing the biggest negative part of your application.....

That said, what have you been doing to improve your application? What clinical and non-clinical ECs do you have other than what you mentioned? How have these been improved since you submitted your application? Have you started to improve the parts of your application that are lacking? Keep in mind that if you expect to apply this coming cycle, you are running out of time to have anything substantial on your application. Starting after you graduate means you will have NOTHING on your primary application that wasn't on it this past time around, meaning you will NOT have improved your application substantially, meaning you will likely have LESS success this next time around. You need to have significant improvements to show schools you are applying to, which might mean you need to skip this coming cycle, and apply the one after that, if you haven't done anything to improve yet. Either way, you need to start NOW on shoring up the weak parts of your application. Oh, and you have a "substantial four-year research project" so I would NOT focus on research as an area that needs improvement....that is NOT the part of your application that is keeping you from being accepted.

 

[Harpsx]

As a "higher stat" reapplicant with good LOR's, good EC's and seemingly nothing wrong with my application other than a late/top heavy app (and secondary essay's that could have been written better), my advice is to 1) do not worry about being a reapplicant and 2) get started on some EC's now.

You've identified your weakness, so you need to remedy that weakness now before you apply again. If everything else truly looks great, then there's no need to worry about being a reapplicant. IMO, schools understand that sometimes great applicants slip through the cracks. I've been given second chances from several amazing schools that I am a reapplicant at and it does not seem to have hindered me. I did not change anything drastic about my app other than remedying what I identified as the problem the first time around. You've identified your lack of EC's as the problem, so I would get on that now! You have a good 6-7 months before the next application cycle to put something more together.

 

[Goro]

It helps because it shows us that you know what you're getting into, that you know what a doctor's day is like, that you actually like being around sick and injured people, that you are indeed humanistic and altruistic, and that you're willing to earn a degree that most people make large commitments and sacrifices for, not merely what's convenient.

In short, it shows us that you can be a good doctor, no merely a good medical student. 4.0 automatons are a dime-a-dozen.




Considering this, how much can the gap year do to enhance my application if my undergraduate grades, MCAT, and research are all pretty strong?[/quote]

 

[histidine]

I'm with timeless here. I didn't get in the first time. I think my weak ECs were my problem. Instead of reapplying right away, I took a year off to do research full time and get more involved with volunteering. I was accepted to a school that waitlisted me the first time, and I interviewed and several of the schools that rejected me pre-interview last time. I'm projecting around 6-8 acceptances this cycle...so I'll have my pick of where to go.

Do what you have to do to improve, and absolutely don't worry about being a reapplicant.

 

[GoPelicans]

Some quick thoughts:

You don't need more research. If you have 4 years of research involvement, a 5th year is not going to improve your chances.

Most schools are biased against reapps - nobody will be able to tell you which ones though.

Some EC ideas: tutoring programs, hospital volunteering, volunteering in an underserved clinic, Habitat for Humanity ReStore.

 

[ThisCouldBeYou]

Put it to you this way. If people were ready to go to medical school in college then most wouldnt take a gap year. The entire concept (aside from taking a year to mature after college and kind of take a break) is to improve on things where you were weak in college.

This is not true. In fact, medical schools like to see glide years these days. Shows commitment. Shows maturity. Probably even shows you're knowledgeable about debt issues. May even be more able to afford med school. Shows what interests you. etc., etc.

Don't fret if you have to reapply. Can you change that? (No.) Can you expand your ECs, especially now that you're no longer in school? (Yes, but you'll need to be creative.) Should you revise where you applied? Probably. Heck, you might even want to start a new ECs now and use info that to "update" the med schools that haven't rejected you.

 

[Planes2Doc]

It's called "box checking" for a reason.

 

[kyamh]

Put it to you this way. If people were ready to go to medical school in college then most wouldnt take a gap year. The entire concept (aside from taking a year to mature after college and kind of take a break) is to improve on things where you were weak in college.

Clearly written by someone who has never been outside of his/her parents' house or a college.

Successful applicants are not mindless pre-med automatons. They have interests, passions, goals. They want to climb Mt. Everest (someone I know did this last year before applying), they want to publish a fiction novel, they want to get married, they want to teach, they want to do meaningful research and publish in highly ranked journals, they want to spend time abroad. Wanting to be a physician is great but I would hope that every medical student out there has something else they would be excited to be a part of for a few years.

Once you go to medical school you are on a 7+ year track - often constrained by the need to get those loans paid off - and there are thousands of reasons to start on that track with a directed purpose and not because it's "the next step".

 

[slopes23]

Clearly written by someone who has never been outside of his/her parents' house or a college.

Successful applicants are not mindless pre-med automatons. They have interests, passions, goals. They want to climb Mt. Everest (someone I know did this last year before applying), they want to publish a fiction novel, they want to get married, they want to teach, they want to do meaningful research and publish in highly ranked journals, they want to spend time abroad. Wanting to be a physician is great but I would hope that every medical student out there has something else they would be excited to be a part of for a few years.

Once you go to medical school you are on a 7+ year track - often constrained by the need to get those loans paid off - and there are thousands of reasons to start on that track with a directed purpose and not because it's "the next step".

And you are who exactly? I don't know what you think it is that I wrote that caused you to write this but:
1) I moved out of my college dorm my second semester of Freshman year.
2) I am currently IN my Gap year and will be applying for the first time in June (so technically I am taking two years).
3) My wedding is in 8 months.
4) I AM currently working to save up for my wedding and Med School.
5) notice how I said "aside from taking a year to mature after college and kind of take a break" What do you think this means exactly? Is climbing Mt. Everest, getting married, publishing a fiction novel, not taking a break from medicine or school? Do all of those things not mature you as a person?
6) During your gap year, you certainly want to be doing things that increase your strength and in SOME WAY demonstrates how you taking a gap year makes your a better and stronger applicant, than if you had applied while you where in college.

I do not know what got up your butt, but seriously take a Xanax.

 

[slopes23]

This is not true. In fact, medical schools like to see glide years these days. Shows commitment. Shows maturity. Probably even shows you're knowledgeable about debt issues. May even be more able to afford med school. Shows what interests you. etc., etc.

Don't fret if you have to reapply. Can you change that? (No.) Can you expand your ECs, especially now that you're no longer in school? (Yes, but you'll need to be creative.) Should you revise where you applied? Probably. Heck, you might even want to start a new ECs now and use info that to "update" the med schools that haven't rejected you.

Did you not read what I wrote either? I literally said it gives you time to improve your application, mature, and take a break. Part of being "ready" to go to med school is being personally ready, and being ready as an applicant, i.e. able to be accepted. Explain to me how what I said is not true, but how what you said is.

 

[kyamh]

And you are who exactly? I don't know what you think it is that I wrote that caused you to write this but:
[...]
I do not know what got up your butt, but seriously take a Xanax.

Whoah, take your own advice and chill out. Let's go back to your original comment:

If people were ready to go to medical school in college then most wouldnt take a gap year.

By your latest post, you contradict the spirit - though you are correct, not the literal words - of this quote. You say that if people are "ready" to go to medical school then they wouldn't take time off. Then afterwards you go on to define "ready" as the most broad concept in the world: financially, personally, academically, emotionally....what else is there? If your original comment was meant to be so broad, then it's a pretty useless statement since of course no one would take a gap year if they had literally nothing they wanted to do more than medical school.

In your original comment, however, you go on to say this:

The entire concept (aside from taking a year to mature after college and kind of take a break) is to improve on things where you were weak in college.

This statement is full of wording that conveys a derogatory tone towards the idea of taking time off. For example, you improve on things you are "weak" on. True, everyone can be better, but there are plenty of applicants who are practically just as strong before and after - they would get into the same schools in either case. You also mention the caveat of needing to "mature", so the derogatory jab there is that people who take time off may be immature before and immaturity is 100% a negative thing. Finally, you say that these students who take time off do it to "take a break". A break from what? You are implying that students who take a year off could be tired or otherwise less capable (academically, physically, emotionally) to take on going straight through. While certain gap-year students fall in your categories, the vast majority don't.

TL/DR: In your first comment you make a bunch of negatively-toned statements that I responded against, then you responded with an "SDN politically correct" elaboration of your comment that renders your initial argument completely empty. Meanwhile, chill out.

 

[histidine]

Clearly written by someone who has never been outside of his/her parents' house or a college.

Slopes post was a bit confusing, but mostly correct. You chose to get all riled up about it and post that snide comment ^. You need to chill out.

 

[LizzyM]

Let me interrupt this cat fight to address the OP.
You have identified your application as deficient in extracurricular activities other than research. Identifying your weakness is the first step in improving your application before you apply again. If you apply again, it must be with a stronger application tha addresses the weaknesses in your first application. This may take more than 6 -9 months so so you may have to accept applying again in 18 months rather than in the upcoming cycle.
An application with nothing but grades, scores and research related activities looks like an "all work and no play" kind of applicant and someone who, perhaps, does not engage well with fellow students (who will be your colleagues someday) or the general public (the kinds of people who will be your patients some day). So, you might consider getting a job that requires you to work with people one-on-one or in groups and stay with it for at least a year before reapplying. I see people use Teach for America, Jesuit Volunteer Corps and Lutheran Volunteer Corps, VISTA, and Peace Corps to this end but you could also take a job in a private high school or as a paid employee in a social service agency. At the same time, find a cause you are passionate about whether it is tutoring adults preparing for GED or citizenship exams, being involved in a political party, an adult social/sports group, the board of a not-for-profit or a faith community. Take a class or otherwise develop a new hobby. (I prefer to learn from books and videos over taking classes.) The point is, it is never to late to develop your non-academic side and to grow as a person. Keep in mind that some adcom members and interviewers are judging, among other things, whether they would like to eat lunch with you daily for the month that you are on their service. Do you have interests outside of medicine/research? Can you hold up your end of a conversation on current events or at least not be bored if the conversation turns to local sports teams or public policy or opera?

It is possible to remediate a weak undergrad experience record but it takes as much time as remediating a weak undergrad academic record. And, keep in mind, you are up against applicants who were able to juggle both as undergrads.

 

[Ismet]

Just a reminder to keep it civil, please. Personal attacks are not allowed on SDN.

Thank you.

 

[Dentalguy8621]

To the OP. I'm applying to dental school (not medical school) but in a similar situation. Most Pre Meds think that if you don't join a bunch of clubs and have X on the application then you are not fit and can't balance your schedule. Not true. Most are just filling a box in their application. Some people just don't like joining pre-med clubs where a bunch of people are talking about each other and blah blah. Do something during this gap year that YOU want to do. For instance, I got really involved this year with a mountain biking group, took a full time job at a hospital as a PCT/EKG Tech (reaffirmed my love for working with people) and reunited with my little from big brothers big sisters (did it in high school). Adcoms are hopefully smart enough to pick out an applicant who decided to do something apart from academics that they truly like doing versus those who simply joined a club to get that check mark on the extracurriculars. Just my 2 cents.

 

[mrh125]

It's called "box checking" for a reason.

This. just do some stuff, find whatever clinical experience (this preferably) and some research or whatever. Don't expect it to be profoundly meaningful and it'll probably be a bit dull and you'll be limited by the fact you cant do and see everything the doctors you're with can, but just go through the process. Yea, it sucks and I totally feel you about not having any free time to pursue this stuff when in college and working on the mcat, and it's just part of the unreasonable demands put on premeds ("you got a high gpa and mcat?! well that's not good enough so did this other guy and he did better than you and did 44848348 hrs of clinical experience, got published, and got A+s in o-chem while saving starving african amputees".) . I found out I had to do a ton of clinical experience on the day I graduated from undergrad and obviously that was awful. Just get it done though, if it wasn't for all the well-qualified applicants applying you wouldn't have to do as much of this in the first place.

Also, just disregard the "we make it harder for reapplicants" business. I've heard that about half the things I did including retaking the mcat and and why I NEED to take a full course-load while studying for the mcat (no way). Put yourself out there, apply, and don't get discouraged.

 

[Dentalguy8621]

This. just do some stuff, find whatever clinical experience (this preferably) and some research or whatever. Don't expect it to be profoundly meaningful and it'll probably be a bit dull and you'll be limited by the fact you cant do and see everything the doctors you're with can, but just go through the process. Yea, it sucks and I totally feel you about not having any free time to pursue this stuff when in college and working on the mcat, and it's just part of the unreasonable demands put on premeds ("you got a high gpa and mcat?! well that's not good enough so did this other guy and he did better than you and did 44848348 hrs of clinical experience, got published, and got A+s in o-chem while saving starving african amputees".) . I found out I had to do a ton of clinical experience on the day I graduated from undergrad and obviously that was awful. Just get it done though, if it wasn't for all the well-qualified applicants applying you wouldn't have to do as much of this in the first place.

Also, just disregard the "we make it harder for reapplicants" business. I've heard that about half the things I did including retaking the mcat and and why I NEED to take a full course-load while studying for the mcat (no way). Put yourself out there, apply, and don't get discouraged.

Well said.

 

[ærospallo]

To the OP. I'm applying to dental school (not medical school) but in a similar situation. Most Pre Meds think that if you don't join a bunch of clubs and have X on the application then you are not fit and can't balance your schedule. Not true. Most are just filling a box in their application. Some people just don't like joining pre-med clubs where a bunch of people are talking about each other and blah blah. Do something during this gap year that YOU want to do. For instance, I got really involved this year with a mountain biking group, took a full time job at a hospital as a PCT/EKG Tech (reaffirmed my love for working with people) and reunited with my little from big brothers big sisters (did it in high school). Adcoms are hopefully smart enough to pick out an applicant who decided to do something apart from academics that they truly like doing versus those who simply joined a club to get that check mark on the extracurriculars. Just my 2 cents.

Off topic, but I'm guessing you ride Specialized? If you're in the Tampa area, check out the S.W.A.M.P. guys. Good group; I normally rode with them at Alafia.

 

[mrh125]

Well said.

Thanks 🙂. More bluntly put: do everything you can, and once you do it just say "**** it" and apply where you want. Don't let doubts or potential complications or stuff like reapplying giving you a disadvantage affect you. You miss 100% of the chances you don't take and letting that **** drag you down and hold you back after all the hard work you've done is just not an option imo.

 

[Dentalguy8621]

Off topic, but I'm guessing you ride Specialized? If you're in the Tampa area, check out the S.W.A.M.P. guys. Good group; I normally rode with them at Alafia.

haha small world. I just joined the SWAMP club recently (what I mentioned in my post) My father's best friend/very close family friend owns Brandon Bike Works and we go to Boyette or Alafia almost every sunday. I actually ride Trek lol. You used to live in Tampa?

 

[ærospallo]

haha small world. I just joined the SWAMP club recently (what I mentioned in my post) My father's best friend/very close family friend owns Brandon Bike Works and we go to Boyette or Alafia almost every sunday. I actually ride Trek lol. You used to live in Tampa?

Yeah, I went to USF for my undergrad. I ride a Cannondale for MTB, but Trek for triathlon.