Should I prep for a reapp?

[dk100]

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I am an applicant (currently senior, no gap) this cycle and I have three IIs: Stanford, Icahn, and Geisel.

I got WL from stanford, and didn’t get the A email from Icahn yesterday as a late Jan interviewee, so most likely CR. I interviewed 2/20 for Geisel and they said I’ll be hearing back late March. At this point, should I still be waiting? Or should I go ahead and book MCAT for retake this May? I got a 515, but coming from a t3 undergrad, I think my MCAT was my weak point. Of course, I will be doing clinical work for my gap year if need be.


Edit: Here is my school list and a mini WAMC.

ORM Male, VA resident
Harvard, no gap
GPA 3.8, MCAT 515
Narrative: My younger brother with autism has shaped my passion for becoming an autism advocate, with a mission to help those like him globally.

Hours:
Clinical: 1062 (all related to autism advocacy, awareness, etc.)
Research: 1750 (neuroscience basic, autism clinical)
Shadow: 170

No research pubs (2 coming), 1 perspective article pub at top med journal

School List:
Harvard (Pathways + HST)
Johns Hopkins
UPenn
Columbia
Stanford
UCSF
Duke
Vanderbilt
Cornell
NYU
Yale
Northwestern
Mayo
Mount Sinai
UChicago
Emory
UVA
Albert Einstein
Dartmouth
Tufts
Georgetown

 

[bluejayfrance4251]

I honestly don’t believe your MCAT was the weak point. How does the rest of your app look?

 

[Mr.Smile12]

If you don't have an offer, you must prepare for a reapplication unless you intend to pause.

Congrats on the interviews you did get. It's not easy to get an interview at Stanford or Icahn. We'll just have to trust the process there.

 

[Hollow Knight]

Is your MCAT going to expire? If not, I wouldn't retake. A 515 is great.

If you haven't posted a What are my Chances? style post, please do. It's hard to give advice without all the background info.

Regardless, you should always behave as if you won't get in until you get an A.

 

[AsclepiusAdvisingLLC]

Highly competitive applicants often face a unique challenge in the admissions process insofar as you must PERSUADE a top ranked medical school that you WILL matriculate there if offered admission; however, you must also craft a school list where you have a strong argument as to why you will matriculate at a school that is not in the same ranked echelon as Stanford or Dartmouth. For example, applying to a healthy combination of state public schools in addition to other less highly ranked private schools is essential, but only if you can persuade the admissions committees that you would choose them over Stanford because they KNOW that you are a candidate that Stanford will consider.

Preparing for a reapplication takes time, but you should go back to the drawing board starting with your school list and ensure your secondary application materials reflect your commitment to the programs that you are applying for.

 

[dk100]

This is very well said—I think this concept of yield protection puts me in a tough situation, especially since compared to the other applicants at my school, my mcat/gpa is lower and I have less experience due to no gap years. I just received the continued review email from Icahn, so I guess there’s nothing else for me to do except wait and start studying for a MCAT retake.

 

[Med Ed]

Completing the WAMC template and sharing your school list would help us advise.

Not sure I'd leap to blaming a 91st percentile MCAT for the current outcome.

 

[GoSpursGo]

Moving to WAMC.

What’s your full school list? Seems like the problem likely lies there

 

[dk100]

Moving to WAMC.

What’s your full school list? Seems like the problem likely lies there

I made the edit on this post! Thanks.

 

[Mr.Smile12]

Narrative: My younger brother with autism has shaped my passion for becoming an autism advocate, with a mission to help those like him globally

Could you fill in the gap here? Your WAMC lists no activities suggesting this is true. Are you conflating all your advocacy under "clinical"? Details matter. Heck, you got interviews, so we know you have good information you have shared.

 

[dk100]

Could you fill in the gap here? Your WAMC lists no activities suggesting this is true. Are you conflating all your advocacy under "clinical"? Details matter. Heck, you got interviews, so we know you have good information you have shared.

Perhaps I should've shared more details—I was worried about sharing too much. Last year, you were kind enough to meet with me virtually to talk through my application. I'm not sure if you still have the information, but I can email it to you if need be.

 

[Mr.Smile12]

Perhaps I should've shared more details—I was worried about sharing too much. Last year, you were kind enough to meet with me virtually to talk through my application. I'm not sure if you still have the information, but I can email it to you if need be.

Feel free to make another appointment. 🙂

 

[Med Ed]

Your "clinical" and research hours total 2,812, which is the equivalent 17 months of full-time work. How did you pull this off without a gap year?

I know you're at Harvard, but your school list is top heavy.

You may also be coming off as fixated on one area of medicine to the exclusion of all else, which can be off putting.

 

[GoSpursGo]

I made the edit on this post! Thanks.

Indeed, your school list was super duper top heavy. I get that coming from Harvard you want to go somewhere prestigious, but there is no good reason to turn up your nose at most of your state medical schools

Could you fill in the gap here? Your WAMC lists no activities suggesting this is true. Are you conflating all your advocacy under "clinical"? Details matter. Heck, you got interviews, so we know you have good information you have shared.

I'll echo this... I would generally not classify "advocacy" or "awareness" as clinical. It's important work, and commendable, but it's also fairly niche--if this was "all" of your clinical experience, I'm left wondering what will happen when you eventually encounter someone who is sick or dying. You can advocate for people with autism and raise awareness from plenty of other career paths, so it doesn't give me a clear picture of why you want to become a physician.

Additionally you list "autism clinical" under your research hours. As @Med Ed highlights, you seemingly have an unbelievable number of EC hours... are you counting the same activity in multiple locations?

Sorry if these questions are pointed or off-putting, but these are my concerns. A few things in your story don't really add up, but could easily be remedied if you diversified your experiences a little.