sending the same app again?

[ReturnToSender]

hi all, been reading through the other threads but still can't gauge where i'm at, so if you could help thank youu

applied last cycle with 508 mcat, 400+ combined hrs shadowing (2 diff drs), 1000+ hrs hospital volunteering at 2 diff places, 3.9 cGPA, 3.8 sGPA, various leadership and ECs, 2 yrs research and 1 short-lived job. applied to a bunch of MD and DO schools, got 2 interviews (1 MD, 1 DO), waitlisted for both schools

i want to reapply this cycle but i can only add my completed degree (i graduated), emt certification, 1 more year of research, a job to my app, so essentially i'll be resubmitting the same one from last year. i'm planning to scribe and start a medical research internship (and maybe shadow?) in august but i'd already have submitted my app by then and would just list all of that in update letters that i'll likely send out early sept.?

would it be too late to send these updates to greatly impact school's decisions?

i would wait to reapply next cycle but a) idk if my pre-health advisor from college would help me a year after i left school, and i'm scared to navigate through all of it again, and b) my 2017 mcat would have expired, and i'm genuinely not sure if i can retake it later and get a higher score.

what should i do? continue to apply this cycle or wait? :/ thank you!

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[Faha]

Where is your state of residence ? Which schools did you apply to and where were your interviews and wait lists ?

 

[ReturnToSender]

Where is your state of residence ? Which schools did you apply to and where were your interviews and wait lists ?

nj, i applied to all state schools there, and some schools in pa, ny, md, oh, fl (basically east coast)

 

[Faha]

I suggest applying more broadly and include other areas of the country. You should also add DO schools and you are competitive for all DO schools with your stats. I suggest these MD schools with your stats:
Your 3 NJ state public schools
Seton Hall
Albany
New York Medical College
Vermont
Quinnipiac
Penn State
Drexel
Temple
Jefferson
Commonwealth-Geisinger
George Washington
Georgetown
West Virginia
Eastern Virginia
Virginia Commonwealth
Wake Forest
NOVA MD
Oakland Beaumont
Western Michigan
Medical College Wisconsin
Rosalind Franklin
Loyola
St. Louis
Creighton
Tulane
California University (new school)
Kaiser (when it opens)
You should be able to receive more interviews if you apply to all these schools.
Also apply to at least 6 DO schools and you have Rowan SOM, PCOM, LECOM and NYIT in your region.

 

[ReturnToSender]

I suggest applying more broadly and include other areas of the country. You should also add DO schools and you are competitive for all DO schools with your stats. I suggest these MD schools with your stats:
Your 3 NJ state public schools
Seton Hall
Albany
New York Medical College
Vermont
Quinnipiac
Penn State
Drexel
Temple
Jefferson
Commonwealth-Geisinger
George Washington
Georgetown
West Virginia
Eastern Virginia
Virginia Commonwealth
Wake Forest
NOVA MD
Oakland Beaumont
Western Michigan
Medical College Wisconsin
Rosalind Franklin
Loyola
St. Louis
Creighton
Tulane
California University (new school)
Kaiser (when it opens)
You should be able to receive more interviews if you apply to all these schools.
Also apply to at least 6 DO schools and you have Rowan SOM, PCOM, LECOM and NYIT in your region.

so you do think i should reapply this cycle?

 

[880cylon]

You can still apply next cycle with your 2017 MCAT. It expires 2020. If you apply 2019-2020 cycle, this would be the last cycle you can use the 2017 MCAT score for most schools.

 

[MedicineN'Jazz]

Also, get your personal statement and experiences checked over by your pre-med committee!

 

[Faha]

so you do think i should reapply this cycle?

Yes, you can reapply this cycle, just include many DO schools also.

 

[WIMNFamilyMed]

Also, get your personal statement and experiences checked over by your pre-med committee!

Agreed, and adding on, when did you send in your application? It seems stellar at a quick glance (though east coast is tough)! It would be great to identify what went wrong before you resubmit.

 

[ReturnToSender]

Agreed, and adding on, when did you send in your application? It seems stellar at a quick glance (though east coast is tough)! It would be great to identify what went wrong before you resubmit.

last year, i submitted it at the end of june. if i were to reapply, i've been preparing to send my app sometime early june. and thank you!

yeah, i'm planning on emailing all the admissions committees of the schools i was rejected to last year and see what i was lacking

 

[WIMNFamilyMed]

last year, i submitted it at the end of june. if i were to reapply, i've been preparing to send my app sometime early june. and thank you!

yeah, i'm planning on emailing all the admissions committees of the schools i was rejected to last year and see what i was lacking

Timing shouldn't be the issue if you did your secondaries ASAP. But yes, getting feedback from schools would be great.

 

[DokterMom]

last year, i submitted it at the end of june. if i were to reapply, i've been preparing to send my app sometime early june. and thank you!

yeah, i'm planning on emailing all the admissions committees of the schools i was rejected to last year and see what i was lacking

Emailing now really doesn't give you any time to ACT on their advice...

My suggestion? STOP shadowing! 400 hours? The point is for you to get to know what a day in the life is like, and it shouldn't take you that long to figure it out.

What went wrong? From what you've written, my guess is that your application is "cookie cutter" with nothing that really stands out and an MCAT that, while acceptable, is at the lower end of the curve.

You need a 'hook' -- some 'sizzle'. What have you done that will be interesting to them? (Hospital volunteering, while relevant, is BORING!) What have you done that you feel passionate about? (Anything?)

 

[ReturnToSender]

Emailing now really doesn't give you any time to ACT on their advice...

My suggestion? STOP shadowing! 400 hours? The point is for you to get to know what a day in the life is like, and it shouldn't take you that long to figure it out.

What went wrong? From what you've written, my guess is that your application is "cookie cutter" with nothing that really stands out and an MCAT that, while acceptable, is at the lower end of the curve.

You need a 'hook' -- some 'sizzle'. What have you done that will be interesting to them? (Hospital volunteering, while relevant, is BORING!) What have you done that you feel passionate about? (Anything?)

.

 

[DokterMom]

i appreciate the input! i feel the same way about my application having nothing exciting. art/creativity has been my main focus, as i've published a fiction book and owned/managed an art business

This has the potential to be quite interesting -- While many think of medicine as mainly science, there are still significant components of both art and business. Can you tie that together in a way that's coherent and compelling?

 

[ReturnToSender]

This has the potential to be quite interesting -- While many think of medicine as mainly science, there are still significant components of both art and business. Can you tie that together in a way that's coherent and compelling?

in my personal statement? i have (not the business aspect though)

 

[el_duderino]

I suspect your school list was poorly-focused. Which schools did you apply to?

 

[ReturnToSender]

I suspect your school list was poorly-focused. Which schools did you apply to?

MD:
all nj state schools
Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University
New York Medical College
New York University
Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicin
Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine
Rush Medical College
Seton Hall-Hackensack Meridian
Sidney Kimmel Medical College at Thomas Jefferson University
Stony Brook University School of Medicine
University of Central Florida COM
University of Chicago - Pritzker
University of Florida
University of Maryland School of Medicine
University of Massachusetts Medical School
University of North Carolina School of Medicine
University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine

DO:
Lincoln Memorial University–DeBusk College of Osteopathic Medicine
Ohio University Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine
Michigan State University College of Osteopathic Medicine
New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine (NYITCOM)
Rowan University School of Osteopathic Medicine
Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine–New York
Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine
Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine

 

[Goro]

As a teaching moment, all the ones in red were donations. Seriously...NYU, Pritzker, and Northwestern with a 508 MCAT?????
I suspect a bad LOR might be in play, or really bad essays.



all nj state schools
Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University
New York Medical College
New York University
Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicin
Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine
Rush Medical College
Seton Hall-Hackensack Meridian
Sidney Kimmel Medical College at Thomas Jefferson University
Stony Brook University School of Medicine
University of Central Florida COM
University of Chicago - Pritzker
University of Florida
University of Maryland School of Medicine
University of Massachusetts Medical School
University of North Carolina School of Medicine
University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine

DO:
Lincoln Memorial University–DeBusk College of Osteopathic Medicine
Ohio University Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine
Michigan State University College of Osteopathic Medicine
New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine (NYITCOM)
Rowan University School of Osteopathic Medicine
Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine–New York
Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine
Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine

 

[ReturnToSender]

As a teaching moment, all the ones in red were donations. Seriously...NYU, Pritzker, and Northwestern with a 508 MCAT?????
I suspect a bad LOR might be in play, or really bad essays.



all nj state schools
Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University
New York Medical College
New York University
Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicin
Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine
Rush Medical College
Seton Hall-Hackensack Meridian
Sidney Kimmel Medical College at Thomas Jefferson University
Stony Brook University School of Medicine
University of Central Florida COM
University of Chicago - Pritzker
University of Florida
University of Maryland School of Medicine
University of Massachusetts Medical School
University of North Carolina School of Medicine
University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine

DO:
Lincoln Memorial University–DeBusk College of Osteopathic Medicine
Ohio University Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine
Michigan State University College of Osteopathic Medicine
New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine (NYITCOM)
Rowan University School of Osteopathic Medicine
Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine–New York
Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine
Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine

lol yeah some were definitely reaching, but it was hard to juggle researching which schools were best while being in school/work, also i'm the first one in my family to do this so i didn't really know :/ perhaps it was the letter, but i don't think my writing is bad at all (for sure not the best, but not awful, since i've gone to writing help centers and they all agree). i guess the best way to determine is to ask the schools themselves

 

[Goro]

lol yeah some were definitely reaching, but it was hard to juggle researching which schools were best while being in school/work, also i'm the first one in my family to do this so i didn't really know :/ perhaps it was the letter, but i don't think my writing is bad at all (for sure not the best, but not awful, since i've gone to writing help centers and they all agree). i guess the best way to determine is to ask the schools themselves

Invest in MSAR Online. The money you save on not applying to unrealistic schools pays for it multiple times over.

When I say "bad essay", I don't necessarily mean that your essays are full of typos or run-on sentences. Rather, you may have not adequately answered "Why Medicine?" or talked too much about the wrong things. But just because you think you may be a decent writer doesn't mean that you are one for med school admissions purposes.

Rewrite all your essays and have multiple eyeballs vet them.