Seeking support and addressing issues

[needsomehappinessinlife]

I was hoping I wouldn’t have to go through a reapplication but here we are. I would like to give you all a very comprehensive overview of my application so I can try to understand how to have a better cycle next time. Any feedback would be helpful. I would be happy to provide further information.

Undergrad - Private school on financial aid. Graduated in May 2024 (so I applied once I graduated)

ORM MA resident, Low-income (NA for SES-Disadvantaged)

Stats

cGPA/sGPA - 3.94/3.91 (Biology major with a chemistry minor)

MCAT – 518 (124 CARS)

CASPER - 1st Q

PreVIEW – 4/9

Extracurriculars

Medical Assistant in Outpatient setting – 1000 hours

Clinical Volunteering – 100 hours

Food Bank Volunteering – 300 hours

Wet Lab Research – 350 hours (for credit, no posters/publication)

Wet Lab Research – 200 hours (for credit, no posters/publication)

Leadership in Volunteering club focused on low-income groups – 300 hours (since freshman year)

Other Volunteering with low-income communities – 100 hours

Shadowing doctors across 5 different specialties – 90 hours

Mentoring + Tutoring – 40 + 40 hours

Other Leadership and Volunteering – 100 hours

Intramural sport – 200 hours

Hobby (generic) – 100+ hours

Narrative/Personal Statement

Grew up low-income, with a parent battling cancer, and many of my activities are driven by this experience, which further molded my motivation to go into medicine.

Timeline

Applied to 52 schools (I had the FAP) but only completed 46.

BU, Harvard, Tufts, UMass, Columbia, Cornell, Mt Sinai, Einstein, NYMC, Stony Brook, Temple, Drexel, Sidney Kimmel, U Vermont, Dartmouth, Brown, U Pitt, UChicago, Northwestern, U Illinois, U Mich, Wayne State, U Conn, VCU, UVA, EVMS, GWU, U Rochester, Penn State, Rosalind Franklin, Quinnipiac, Emory, USF, Hofstra, Case Western, Creighton, SLU, MCW, U Wisconsin, Ohio State, Tulane, Arizona-Phoenix, U Cincinnati, U Colorado, Iowa, Wake Forest

Primaries were verified in early July and all secondaries were turned in by mid-August (most turned in late July to mid-August)

Two interviews received (late December and early January) – mid-tier schools (schools I probably was never even planning on applying to)

Updated schools with gap year plans (Working as a research assistant, one poster, doing advocacy work, some more volunteering)

One Waitlist and One Rejection

Strengths

• Strong GPA and MCAT
• Strong narrative and story with activities
• Good clinical and non-clinical volunteering experience
• Broad school list

Weaknesses

!!! Academic IA from my freshman year in 2020 (not plagiarism/cheating)
This was a significant setback, and I am fully aware that it affected my chances. It was a mistake I made during my freshman year, and there have been no incidents since. I learned my lesson, acknowledged my wrongdoing, and demonstrated in my writing that I take full responsibility for my actions. I've also taken concrete steps to ensure it never happens again.

Low CASPER Score
I prepared for it but it did not go well. Given my IA, the low score on the situational judgement did not help my chances one bit

Lack of research productivity
I did not have any publications nor posters from my research experiences which may have affected my chances at the research heavy schools.

Low CARS Score
Possibly a factor but given my good MCAT score, I don’t think it was a major factor

Letters of Recommendation
Generic letters may not have done me any favors. I know at least one was very generic. 5 Letters of Recommendation (I think they were standard good letters) [4 professors, 1 lab]

Lackluster secondary essays
In the quest to finish up so many secondary essays, I think they started sounding quite robotic even though I put emphasis on the story and reflections (the why us was very generic in my opinion)
My writing in general may not have been strong.

I would really appreciate advice on how I can improve my application for the upcoming cycle and where to look for further help.

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[LindaAccepted]

I was hoping I wouldn’t have to go through a reapplication but here we are. I would like to give you all a very comprehensive overview of my application so I can try to understand how to have a better cycle next time. Any feedback would be helpful. I would be happy to provide further information.

Undergrad - Private school on financial aid. Graduated in May 2024 (so I applied once I graduated)

ORM MA resident, Low-income (NA for SES-Disadvantaged)

Stats

cGPA/sGPA - 3.94/3.91 (Biology major with a chemistry minor)

MCAT – 518 (124 CARS)

CASPER - 1st Q

PreVIEW – 4/9

Extracurriculars

Medical Assistant in Outpatient setting – 1000 hours

Clinical Volunteering – 100 hours

Food Bank Volunteering – 300 hours

Wet Lab Research – 350 hours (for credit, no posters/publication)

Wet Lab Research – 200 hours (for credit, no posters/publication)

Leadership in Volunteering club focused on low-income groups – 300 hours (since freshman year)

Other Volunteering with low-income communities – 100 hours

Shadowing doctors across 5 different specialties – 90 hours

Mentoring + Tutoring – 40 + 40 hours

Other Leadership and Volunteering – 100 hours

Intramural sport – 200 hours

Hobby (generic) – 100+ hours

Narrative/Personal Statement

Grew up low-income, with a parent battling cancer, and many of my activities are driven by this experience, which further molded my motivation to go into medicine.

Timeline

Applied to 52 schools (I had the FAP) but only completed 46.

BU, Harvard, Tufts, UMass, Columbia, Cornell, Mt Sinai, Einstein, NYMC, Stony Brook, Temple, Drexel, Sidney Kimmel, U Vermont, Dartmouth, Brown, U Pitt, UChicago, Northwestern, U Illinois, U Mich, Wayne State, U Conn, VCU, UVA, EVMS, GWU, U Rochester, Penn State, Rosalind Franklin, Quinnipiac, Emory, USF, Hofstra, Case Western, Creighton, SLU, MCW, U Wisconsin, Ohio State, Tulane, Arizona-Phoenix, U Cincinnati, U Colorado, Iowa, Wake Forest

Primaries were verified in early July and all secondaries were turned in by mid-August (most turned in late July to mid-August)

Two interviews received (late December and early January) – mid-tier schools (schools I probably was never even planning on applying to)

Updated schools with gap year plans (Working as a research assistant, one poster, doing advocacy work, some more volunteering)

One Waitlist and One Rejection

Strengths

• Strong GPA and MCAT
• Strong narrative and story with activities
• Good clinical and non-clinical volunteering experience
• Broad school list

Weaknesses

!!! Academic IA from my freshman year in 2020 (not plagiarism/cheating)
This was a significant setback, and I am fully aware that it affected my chances. It was a mistake I made during my freshman year, and there have been no incidents since. I learned my lesson, acknowledged my wrongdoing, and demonstrated in my writing that I take full responsibility for my actions. I've also taken concrete steps to ensure it never happens again.

Low CASPER Score
I prepared for it but it did not go well. Given my IA, the low score on the situational judgement did not help my chances one bit

Lack of research productivity
I did not have any publications nor posters from my research experiences which may have affected my chances at the research heavy schools.

Low CARS Score
Possibly a factor but given my good MCAT score, I don’t think it was a major factor

Letters of Recommendation
Generic letters may not have done me any favors. I know at least one was very generic. 5 Letters of Recommendation (I think they were standard good letters) [4 professors, 1 lab]

Lackluster secondary essays
In the quest to finish up so many secondary essays, I think they started sounding quite robotic even though I put emphasis on the story and reflections (the why us was very generic in my opinion)
My writing in general may not have been strong.

I would really appreciate advice on how I can improve my application for the upcoming cycle and where to look for further help.

I still hope you get in this cycle, but you are smart to be preparing to reapply.

Some thoughts on your post and steps you can take to improve the outcome.

1. Apply to between 20-30 schools, not 52 or 46. By applying to so many, you are almost guaranteed to have generic, robotic secondaries as opposed to thoughtful, responses that demonstrate your fit with specific programs. In choosing schools aim for those where you are competitive and where you can show mission fit and alignment with the schools strengths and values.
2. If you know that one letter was generic or weak, try to obtain a different recommendation.
3. You have done a lot of volunteering for lower SES groups and also identify as ORM and coming from a lower SES background. Are the groups that you volunteered for like you? If yes, try volunteering in a different setting with people unlike you.
4. Have someone experienced in med school admissions review your application before you submit.
5. Submit early.
6. Pre-write secondaries after you submit your primary and before secondaries arrive so that you can turn them around promptly and with quality. Pre-write for those schools you are particularly interested in and your in-state schools.
7. when choosing where to apply, have reasons for wanting to apply to each school based again on mission fit, the schools approach to med ed, your personal goals and interests with in medicine, and your personal preferences. Takes notes on your reasoning for applying to those schools so that when secondaries come, you'll have your notes (linked to the appropriate sources of info to refer to. It will save you time.

Hope this helps, and I hope even more that you don't need it.

 

[Mr.Smile12]

First, you applied to way too many schools. Just because someone gave you 20 free schools does not green-light you to apply to 50. I can't say what the quality of your secondaries were, but there is either a lot of wasted effort or a mismanagement of time to get quality secondaries within a reasonable time for your application to be reviewed.

Who helped you write your IA statement? If it's not an academic integrity infraction, you leave us guessing what it could be (which means we can guess wildly incorrectly)... if it's a residential life violation (like you brought in alcohol to a "dry" party), I don't think the infraction is the problem. If you are fully convinced it blocked you from getting into medical school, why did you apply now instead of letting more time lapse or allowing your school's expungement policy come into play? (You still have to report it anyway, but having more time makes it seem less crucial.) I also note that IA's during the pandemic were capriciously handed out; I need the details to see if the IA is truly a nothingburger to confirm my hunch.

An applicant with a 3.9x GPA from a small private college should not have weak letters. If you were sure you had weak letters, why did you ask the professors? Were you one of hundreds of people in a lecture hall so that your professor couldn't pick you out of a crowd? I hardly think that is the case unless your small private college was not really so small.

Basically your list of weaknesses sounds like you're going through the usual "reapplicant" checklist that you see generically from reapplicant webinars from admissions teams or website advice. No one here can read your application to know where your real weaknesses lie.

You should definitely follow Linda's advice to correct the issues in your profile, but be prepared to make some changes. Many schools on your list are overshoots without knowing specifically why that school is right for you. And by using the shotgun application approach (and lack of detail in your WAMC profile), it's hard for me to see what you were looking for.