Reapply for the 3rd time or take a year off or retake my MCAT?

[jiafwang]

Hi guys, I'm so grateful that I've found this site, a bit late but better late than never, right?

Anyway, here are my stats:

cGPA 3.76
sGPA 3.63
>3000 hours of clinical experience, I am currently working in a psych hospital as a counselor, plenty of daily patient interaction.
No research experience but I am looking into that.
>500 hours of volunteer work (both medical and non-medical)
I think my MCAT is probably my biggest drawback. MCAT 1st round 499 (CARS=122), 2nd round 502 (126-123-127-126), not great but slight improvement. As an immigrant with English being my second language, I really had a difficult time with the CARS. With that being said, for both MCATs I borrowed study materials from a pre-med student instead of paying $1.5-2K for a prep-course.

I kept my goal rather realistic. I applied to 6 DO schools this cycle (2017-2018) and 1 state MD that only recruits state residents. After I completed all my secondaries, I received 4 interviews, WSU, LECOM, KCU-COM and PNWU-COM.

So far I've already received 2 rejections (KCU-COM just emailed me today), and I also have one last interview upcoming on April 6th. I also checked my status from the LECOM portal today and my status just changed, so I am expecting a physical mail from them soon (fingers crossed). I know this cycle is not over yet but I am also trying to mentally prepare myself for more rejections. If I don't have any luck this year, I wonder if I should try it again for the 2018-2019 cycle for the 3rd time and apply to more DO schools, or should I take a year off, or should I just bite the bullet and spend some money for a prep course then retake my MCAT for the 3rd time?

If you think reapplication is possible, may I get a suggested list of DO schools that I can apply to?

Thank you so much!

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[Rags2Doc]

Hey jiafwang I myself was a second time applicant with a much better result the second time around and actually currently part of the admission process at my medical school. So speaking from experience, 1. Don't give up hope, people change their minds or choose other schools and chairs open up. In the event that you do not get accepted for a second time contact the schools you applied and ask them what you can do to improve your application. 75-80% of the process is getting an interview that means they like you on paper the rest is the interview. It might your interview skills or the answer to their questions. My biggest advice is treat each interview as applying for a job. Research the school what makes it special to you, what research has been done at the school lately, how are medical policies affecting the state healthcare where the school is located. The more you know about the school the better. Schools sometimes expect non-traditional students to have a masters or a PhD prior to acceptance some schools offer master programs where if a certain gpa is attained you get an interview automatically. You still have plenty of options. Try your best and forget the rest.

 

[jiafwang]

Hey jiafwang I myself was a second time applicant with a much better result the second time around and actually currently part of the admission process at my medical school. So speaking from experience, 1. Don't give up hope, people change their minds or choose other schools and chairs open up. In the event that you do not get accepted for a second time contact the schools you applied and ask them what you can do to improve your application. 75-80% of the process is getting an interview that means they like you on paper the rest is the interview. It might your interview skills or the answer to their questions. My biggest advice is treat each interview as applying for a job. Research the school what makes it special to you, what research has been done at the school lately, how are medical policies affecting the state healthcare where the school is located. The more you know about the school the better. Schools sometimes expect non-traditional students to have a masters or a PhD prior to acceptance some schools offer master programs where if a certain gpa is attained you get an interview automatically. You still have plenty of options. Try your best and forget the rest.

Rags2Docs, first of all, thank you so much for your kind words, and congratulations for your acceptance. May I know your stats (GPA and MCAT score) if you don’t mind sharing? May I also know which schools (MD/DO) you have applied to the second round?

 

[Faha]

If you apply more broadly to DO schools in June you should receive more interviews. I suggest all these schools with your stats:
ACOM
ARCOM
BCOM
WCU-COM
LMU-DCOM
UP-KYCOM
WVSOM
VCOM (all 3 schools)
LUCOM
NYIT-Arkansas
UIWSOM
ICOM
PCOM-Moultrie (new school)
ATSU-SOMA
LECOM (both schools)
Most of these schools have MCAT medians in the 498 to 502 ranges so you are competitive for all of them.

 

[jiafwang]

If you apply more broadly to DO schools in June you should receive more interviews. I suggest all these schools with your stats:
ACOM
ARCOM
BCOM
WCU-COM
LMU-DCOM
UP-KYCOM
WVSOM
VCOM (all 3 schools)
LUCOM
NYIT-Arkansas
UIWSOM
ICOM
PCOM-Moultrie (new school)
ATSU-SOMA
LECOM (both schools)
Most of these schools have MCAT medians in the 498 to 502 ranges so you are competitive for all of them.

Faha, thank you so much for your recommendation. So you don't think I need to retake the MCAT for the 3rd time?

 

[Faha]

No you do not need to retake the MCAT since your 502 is competitive for all those schools. You have a good GPA and EC's.

 

[Magus5454]

Getting an II to KCU with their min MCAT says something also the 3/6 for DO schools, what were the other 3?

 

[jiafwang]

Getting an II to KCU with their min MCAT says something also the 3/6 for DO schools, what were the other 3?

Two of them were Touro COM, and the other one is LECOM B. I interviewed at LECOM Erie.
I'm not gonna lie, each time getting a rejection feels like stepping into a brand new **** hole (excuse my language). However, years of working as a counselor also taught me to look at the positive side of everything, and thankfully some coping skills to help me grieve (lol). The thing is, I don't mind reapplying for the 3rd time or even retaking the MCAT. I don't think failure is always bad but not knowing how to improve will be bad. I have a scheduled appointment upcoming with the head of admission from WSU to review my file, but then WSU is also an MD school, and right now with my stats, I would like to aim for a broad range of DOs. Maybe Rags2Doc was right. It might be my interview skill, since English is my second language. Anyway, any suggestion would be great! Thank you in advance.

 

[sab3156]

I can't speak for the other schools, but you should have gotten into KCU if you interviewed well. I know several people with stats like yours. How did the interview go?

Hopefully you get in this time around. If not, it is likely due to interview skills being poor. You can try to work on that, and you can also try and improve your MCAT. Try using Berkeley Review for the MCAT. It will give you enough practice problems you need to do significantly better.

 

[jiafwang]

Hi guys, I just received my first acceptance letter from LECOM today, and I am still waiting for PNWU to make their decision. I should hear from them in about a month or so. Anyway thank you so much for all your support and advice. For those of you who have stumbled upon this post because you have failed this year, please don’t give up and just keep on trying. I didn’t have the best stats to begin with but I know if I keep on improving, anything is possible. There is hope!

 

[Magus5454]

Congrats!

 

[jiafwang]

Congrats!

Thank you!

 

[Faha]

Congratulations !

 

[jiafwang]

Congratulations !

Thank you very much! Your list of suggestion is not wasted. I’ve referred a student to check out the list of school you posted if he has a similar stats as mine. Thank you for taking the time to provide me with such useful advice.