Reapply, wait a year? What can I do to improve

[starlord005]

Hello all,

Currently in this cycle, I've been waitlisted to UCSD and seems like rejected from everywhere else. I've been wondering if I should reapply this cycle or wait another year.

My stats are: 3.54 gpa, 3.6 sGPA; MCAT of 509 ( I retook this three times, 504, 506, then my current 509).
Paid Clinical: 800 hrs as an EMT
Volunteer Clinical: 265 hrs in hospital that allows you to rotate departments every 3 months
Non-clinical volunteer:

• 250 hours as an Academic Integrity Peer Educator
• 80 hours volunteering two spring breaks at Honduras with Public Health Brigades
• 150 hours volunteering as a Camp Counselor for kids with muscular dystrophy

Leadership: Vice president in Public Health Brigades for a year and Vice president for my fraternity
In my fraternity for 4 years; 1300 hours
Research: 1500 hours, worked on two projects, did a poster presentation on one of them at an international conference.
Shadowing: 20 hours with an ID doctor
Rewards: Travel grant for research and scholarship for UCSD
Paid non-clinical: worked in a biotech for 3 months; 300 hours.
LOR: Three strong ones from two science, one non-science. and another two LOR from community service and research. No LOR from a doctor.
I've also had academic misconduct, but I became a peer educator to mediate it and I've atoned for it and could speak about it very well.

Since my last application, I've gotten published as a second author, have acquired 2300 hours for EMT (increase acuity of cases I've seen, delivered a baby actually), and acquired 100 more hours of volunteering experience with the hospital, as well as, started volunteering at a food bank.

My concern is that my gpa is inflated because I double majored, so doing a post bacc would not increase my gpa too much and retaking the mcat another time seems bad.


I was wondering if yall could help me out with what I could do to help my application.

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[lalalaaaaaa]

Sounds like you have a great app, bummer it didn't work out. What was your school list?

 

[Trollest]

At OP, was this your second cycle?

 

[starlord005]

At OP, was this your second cycle?

It was my first cycle.

 

[starlord005]

Sounds like you have a great app, bummer it didn't work out. What was your school list?

UCLA, UCSD, UCI, UCSF, USC, Tulane, Creigton, Eintstein, JEfferson, MCW, Temple, Hosftra, Arizona state, Rochester, NYCMC, Rosalind, Vermont, Georgetown, OUWB, Penn State, BU, Stony, pittsburg, and brown

 

[curbsideconsult]

Based on your stats, it seems like you applied to a lot of reach schools. Not one of them had a median GPA of less than 3.6. As other people responded in the other forum, your academic misconduct is probably the biggest reason why you didn't get any acceptances. Can you call up some of the schools to find out if the academic misconduct was the issue and what you can do to improve your app in spite of it? I think the severity of the misconduct is a factor too. I'm assuming UCSD has a premed committee. If so, what did they say? Were you able to get a committee letter? If not, that may also have played into your situation.

A combined low GPA isn't the end. If you take more upper level courses and show an upward trend, adcoms are much more friendly to that.

 

[starlord005]

Based on your stats, it seems like you applied to a lot of reach schools. Not one of them had a median GPA of less than 3.6. As other people responded in the other forum, your academic misconduct is probably the biggest reason why you didn't get any acceptances. Can you call up some of the schools to find out if the academic misconduct was the issue and what you can do to improve your app in spite of it? I think the severity of the misconduct is a factor too. I'm assuming UCSD has a premed committee. If so, what did they say? Were you able to get a committee letter? If not, that may also have played into your situation.

A combined low GPA isn't the end. If you take more upper level courses and show an upward trend, adcoms are much more friendly to that.

I have an LOR from the director of academic integrity at UCSD and volunteered as an academic integrity peer educator. As for the schools, I have to wait till may before they can provide feedback.

 

[BuckStrickland]

UCLA, UCSD, UCI, UCSF, USC, Tulane, Creigton, Eintstein, JEfferson, MCW, Temple, Hosftra, Arizona state, Rochester, NYCMC, Rosalind, Vermont, Georgetown, OUWB, Penn State, BU, Stony, pittsburg, and brown

I agree with the previous poster that it seems like you have a good app, minus the GPA and cheating. For next cycle, I think you could do a substantial (almost full-time) amount of volunteering/service to make a point that the IA doesn't define your character. I would also remove all of the reach schools from the list like the UC's, Brown, Pittsburgh, and save up to apply to like 30-40 mid/low range MD schools.

 

[lalalaaaaaa]

UCLA, UCSD, UCI, UCSF, USC, Tulane, Creigton, Eintstein, JEfferson, MCW, Temple, Hosftra, Arizona state, Rochester, NYCMC, Rosalind, Vermont, Georgetown, OUWB, Penn State, BU, Stony, pittsburg, and brown

Lots of reach schools here. These schools get thousands of apps so even if you have a good app, sometimes the numbers just don't work out. Apply to all of the low/middle tier schools you can. Better to be a doctor and go to a low tier school than not.

 

[starlord005]

I agree with the previous poster that it seems like you have a good app, minus the GPA and cheating. For next cycle, I think you could do a substantial (almost full-time) amount of volunteering/service to make a point that the IA doesn't define your character. I would also remove all of the reach schools from the list like the UC's, Brown, Pittsburgh, and save up to apply to like 30-40 mid/low range MD schools.

If I could bump up my GPa to a 3.6 cgpa and 3.7 sgpa would that work in my favor?

 

[ReapPremed]

Seems like a great app. Your MCAT might be holding you back. I believe gyngyn once mentioned that the AAMC "recommends" multiple MCATs be averaged, so you need to look at yourself like a 506 applicant.

I had a similar GPA with an MCAT around 515. I had less service, more research, and about 20-ish hours of shadowing. I tried for MD programs for 3 years with no luck. This year I shadowed more and applied DO as well, and had two acceptances. I won't pretend my problems are your problems, but I always had an inkling that my 3.6ish GPA left me at a disadvantage.
1) Shadow more doctors. I remember Goro mentioning that paid clinical experience is no substitute for shadowing. By shadowing a DO you can use these hours both to beef up your MD app, and open the doors to a DO application.
2) While on the lower-middling end for MD your stats are great for DO schools. You can spend years trying to get that GPA and MCAT just a little higher. It might pay off, or you might dig the whole deeper. You gave MD a shot and it didn't work; if you want to be a doctor you should at least investigate DO as an option.