Reapplying 3rd time (4.0, 517)

[zofy-wofy]

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hello all,

I am going to have to reapply for a third time this upcoming cycle as I am WL at my top choice but am too far down to be accepted. As above I have a 4.0 gpa and 517 mcat taken in 2024.

I am a non-trad and applied during college (initial mcat 507) and was terribly unprepared and don’t even count it as a legit attempt. I graduated in 2022 and have since worked for an EHR company (1 year), was in a PhD program for a semester (wet lab not for me lol), and worked in clinical research for a few months before my current position as an ophthalmic tech/scribe. I have been here for going in 2 years and am very involved with the physicians I work with.

Clinical hours: 4000
Clinical volunteering: 100 (during college)
Non-clinical volunteering: 75 (this is my current volunteer position)
Research: 100 (starting research project w Ophtho residents soon as well)
Leadership: lead tech for Ophtho I scribe for
Non clinical work: tutor in college in life sciences 400 hours
Shadowing: 209 hours CT surg
10 hours pcp
8 hours ortho surgery
8 hours EP

LOR’s: 3 MD’s (2 I work with, 1 from CT surg), 1 DO (work w him), 1 prof from college

New from last app: this is my issue, my scribing will be a new position as it is a recent development along with more involvement in the non clinical volunteering org. The research w Ophtho is also new, but early stages. Is this enough for a successful re app? I will apply until my mcat expires then move on, what can I do to increase my chances?

I know I’m weak in service and that is my main goal at the moment to improve, should I re apply to MD schools or just go DO?

Schools:
KU SOM (ks resident, WL here)
UMKC (very strong ties, rejected post ii)
MU-Columbia (R post ii)
Ohio state
U cinci
Loyola
Iowa
Penn state
Western mich

Few others, didn’t get ii from any of them. Any advice?

 

[Mr.Smile12]

Give yourself a year to accumulate more than the minimum of hours when you submit again. Being a 3x applicant will start to put you at a real disadvantage at many schools. I don't think any of the ones you list will penalize you if you are a 3x applicant, but you never know.

Most applicants with fewer than 150 hours of service orientation activities are screened out, and you look like you may have fallen into that category (75 non-clinical service hours, no description???).

We do not have your application. I assume you were interviewed at KU or UMKC in your first cycle?

You must add DO schools. Beggars can't be choosers.

 

[A224B]

The thing that worries me about DO is that this applicant's stats are way above the medians for all DO programs and they may get yield protected. They should definitely apply DO.

Instead of moving on, a 4.0 517 student has the academic fortitude to graduate from a top Caribbean school, if they went that route. They will not be weeded out. I think moving on would be a mistake, but US programs are by far the best option.

 

[Mr.Smile12]

The thing that worries me about DO is that this applicant's stats are way above the medians for all DO programs and they may get yield protected. They should definitely apply DO.


Instead of moving on, a 4.0 517 student has the academic fortitude to graduate from a top Caribbean school, if they went that route. They will not be weeded out. I think moving on would be a mistake, but US programs are by far the best option.

This advice disregards the OP's residency status for Kansas. There are options to stay within the Midwest and around the state with KCOM, KHSU, and ATSU Missouri. (Correct me if I'm wrong.)

Mission fit is not just matching for in-state seats; that's just the odds for admission. You have to persuade the schools you are ready to join their mission and address the health and social needs of patients they serve. Somehow, that's not coming through.

 

[PickaGodnPray]

Instead of moving on, a 4.0 517 student has the academic fortitude to graduate from a top Caribbean school, if they went that route. They will not be weeded out. I think moving on would be a mistake, but US programs are by far the best option.

Caribbean should be a last ditch effort, even if this students has the ability to succeed. Prioritization should be MD>DO>Caribbean.
OP, you applied to a small batch of schools that prioritized research/service you didn't have enough hours in to be competitive for, or schools that are not OOS friendly. A better MD school list along with more hours in your aforementioned sections will give you the greatest chance of an acceptance. Add a few DO as well, they will not yield protect as they require a deposit before x date, so they will happily take your money even if you do not come.

 

[A224B]

You're absolutely right that it's a last-ditch effort: that user just said they were considering moving on if they don't get into a US school, which I consider to be a mistake in light of the current physician shortage. Many alternative careers right now like biotech and software engineering are very saturated, while medicine isn't. A 4.0 517 applicant has a lot to offer the nation.

 

[Faha]

Before you reapply, you should accumulate 150+ hours in non clinical volunteering in activities such as food bank, homeless shelter. Many schools screen at 150 hours. I suggest these schools if you have those hours:
Kansas
UKMC
Ponce (St. Louis)
Iowa
Rosalind Franklin
Medical College Wisconsin
Western Michigan
Oakland Beaumont
Iowa
TCU
Roseman
Alice Walton
Belmont
Colorado
Arizona (Phoenix)
Tulane
NOVA MD
USF Morsani
Miami
Methodist
Wake Forest
Virginia Commonwealth
Eastern Virginia
George Washington
Drexel
Temple
Jefferson
Penn State
Pittsburgh
Hackensack
Hofstra
Einstein
Mount Sinai
New York Medical College
Rochester
Albany
Vermont
Quinnipiac
UMass
Tufts

 

[zofy-wofy]

Give yourself a year to accumulate more than the minimum of hours when you submit again. Being a 3x applicant will start to put you at a real disadvantage at many schools. I don't think any of the ones you list will penalize you if you are a 3x applicant, but you never know.

Most applicants with fewer than 150 hours of service orientation activities are screened out, and you look like you may have fallen into that category (75 non-clinical service hours, no description???).

We do not have your application. I assume you were interviewed at KU or UMKC in your first cycle?

You must add DO schools. Beggars can't be choosers.

I have 75 hours at a women’s shelter and am currently more involved in the program than I was previously. I can likely get 150 hours by the time I re apply, which should help make the activity more meaningful anyway. I was interviewed by KU my first cycle. I appreciate the response.

 

[Goro]

hello all,

I am going to have to reapply for a third time this upcoming cycle as I am WL at my top choice but am too far down to be accepted. As above I have a 4.0 gpa and 517 mcat taken in 2024.

I am a non-trad and applied during college (initial mcat 507) and was terribly unprepared and don’t even count it as a legit attempt. I graduated in 2022 and have since worked for an EHR company (1 year), was in a PhD program for a semester (wet lab not for me lol), and worked in clinical research for a few months before my current position as an ophthalmic tech/scribe. I have been here for going in 2 years and am very involved with the physicians I work with.

Clinical hours: 4000
Clinical volunteering: 100 (during college)
Non-clinical volunteering: 75 (this is my current volunteer position)
Research: 100 (starting research project w Ophtho residents soon as well)
Leadership: lead tech for Ophtho I scribe for
Non clinical work: tutor in college in life sciences 400 hours
Shadowing: 209 hours CT surg
10 hours pcp
8 hours ortho surgery
8 hours EP

LOR’s: 3 MD’s (2 I work with, 1 from CT surg), 1 DO (work w him), 1 prof from college

New from last app: this is my issue, my scribing will be a new position as it is a recent development along with more involvement in the non clinical volunteering org. The research w Ophtho is also new, but early stages. Is this enough for a successful re app? I will apply until my mcat expires then move on, what can I do to increase my chances?

I know I’m weak in service and that is my main goal at the moment to improve, should I re apply to MD schools or just go DO?

Schools:
KU SOM (ks resident, WL here)
UMKC (very strong ties, rejected post ii)
MU-Columbia (R post ii)
Ohio state
U cinci
Loyola
Iowa
Penn state
Western mich

Few others, didn’t get ii from any of them. Any advice?

Take a gap year and get in 200 plus hours of service to others less fortunate than yourself. You're making a mistake and applying now.

 

[A224B]

One of the red-ish flags here is dropping the Ph.D program. I've seen people come back from it but it's a negative. You're supposed to figure out if wet lab research is for you by undergraduate research or junior RA employment in academia/industry. A lot of bio Ph.D programs also offer heavily computational rotations with minimal wet lab.

Normally, I would advocate for putting on a serious grindset mentality for non-clinical volunteering in the next few months to get to 200 hours rather than taking an entire gap year for it and jeopardizing an excellent MCAT, but putting more distance between you and your past failure at graduate education isn't a bad idea.

 

[Mr.Smile12]

One of the red-ish flags here is dropping the Ph.D program. I've seen people come back from it but it's a negative. You're supposed to figure out if wet lab research is for you by undergraduate research or junior RA employment in academia/industry. A lot of bio Ph.D programs also offer heavily computational rotations with minimal wet lab.

For MD/PhD, I'll agree dropping the Ph.D. program raises questions, but I don't think it's an automatic "no" (personal opinion, not an admissions take). Sometimes dropping out is not controllable; a PI can lose funding or move to a different campus. A Ph.D. is not for everyone for a number of reasons. If one wants to drop out after passing the preliminary exam, a school can give a master's instead of a Ph.D.

 

[A224B]

It's the furthest thing in the world from an automatic "no", you're absolutely right. I know someone who's about to be board certified who started as a Ph.D dropout. In my experience, if a PI loses funding, the graduate training program finds a new PI in the same area for the student, or eats the cost with their internal funding, but I'm only familiar with R1 programs. However, this student chose to drop out because of a dislike of wet lab work, and they have a great GPA and MCAT that usually results in an acceptance, so I'm guessing this may be a soft negative factor.