Rejected from my only II during my gap year/ 3.6, 514, no clue how to move forward.

[whorobbedthewoods]

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but my PS is based on this (not how magical an experience it was, but on introspection and what it taught me moving forward)

I know you've been overwhelmed with advice, but just wanted to quickly chime in here. I'm a current applicant (admitted) so take it for what it's worth.

Some of the best PS advice I got was to jettison ruminations on my international experience, other than just an incidental mention (something like "...my experiences with and passion for environmental health"). Your PS is a place for you to speak clearly and earnestly about your most formative experiences. Even for a gifted writer, one week spent doing something is just not convincing as a formative experience. It inevitably comes across as cliche, naive, blindly privileged, etc.

International volunteering isn't automatically deadly, but the circumstances have to be right and you have to be tactful in the way you explain it. For example, even though I got rid of it in my PS, I decided to keep it in my work/activities section (not MME though!) because:

-It wasn't clinical
-I received a scholarship for Pell Grant recipients to fully fund it
-It lasted a full summer
-I got academic credit for it
- It had relevance to one of my hobbies (SCUBA)

If there are special circumstances surrounding your international volunteering that you haven't fully explained (e.g. did you start a fundraiser to pay for it? Do you have ties to that particular country?), then consider keeping it. But leave it out of the PS.

 

[jedknight]

Chin up, apply early next time, as soon as the doors open, and yes, more clinical experience and stories and a compelling narrative would be great. Good luck!

 

[FutureDPM123]

Take a serious look at podiatry school. You have great stats and many schools have spots for Fall 2019.

 

[Deecee2DO]

Take a serious look at podiatry school. You have great stats and many schools have spots for Fall 2019.

I only recommend this if OP is truly interested in podiatry. Should not be a backup for an applicant with stats like his. i hav no doubt he can get into medical school eventually

 

[Osteosaur]

OP hasn't even tried DO yet. unless he is looking to do podiatry there is no way you jump from a bad cycle with 3.6/514 to podiatry... especially when you have a bad app strategy.

maybe after 3 cycles when its looking grim...

 

[Pharaoh95]

Take a serious look at podiatry school. You have great stats and many schools have spots for Fall 2019.

This is unfounded advice for someone with OP’s stats who has only been through one application cycle. Looking at your post history, it appears that you’re projecting some personal bias here.

I almost ended going to a Caribbean school cause I was getting desperate. It's important to note that there is a reason your not getting into a MD program. The competitiveness among enrolled MD students remains high due to the importance of the board exam. Remember that there are plenty of other health care careers out there that are just as important. DO, PA, PT, OT, RNP, DPM, OD. I too used to think I had to do MD. Take a long and hard look at the profession before determining you want to continue the long time and large financial investment towards a career that you might not enjoy as much as you believe.

 

[FutureDPM123]

This is unfounded advice for someone with OP’s stats who has only been through one application cycle. Looking at your post history, it appears that you’re projecting some personal bias here.

I was getting ready to reapply to MD/DO before I learned about podiatry. I used to think podiatrist went to school as MD's and then went to a podiatry residency. Turns out that's not the case. So I decided to shadow a podiatrist and I found it much more interesting and felt it was a better fit. When I was shadowing various MD's, I wasn't a big fan of the work and just assumed I would like it more if I was the one doing it. So I am glad that I found podiatry and just want other people to know about it because none of my advisors had suggested it whenever I asked them for alternatives. I was only suggesting he look into podiatry soon because he seemed very worried about doing another gap year. I agree you should not do it as a "back up", but that doesn't mean you shouldn't check it out.

 

[DoctorSnow]

OP needs to take a year off and gain some good clinical experience. I'd recommend being a nursing assistant or scribe.

 

[Sharknad0]

For those that still search threads (aka the person that liked my comment a few minutes ago), I dooo want to say that a combination of volunteering at a homeless shelter (loved that place), being a patient transporter, starting a post-bacc, and working as a scribe did the trick 🙂

Applied 5 months after making this post and got in.