Should I reapply or wait

[pichael-thompson]

I applied to 20 MD schools this cycle and ended up with 2 interviews this cycle: 1 WL(USF) and one still waiting(UNC-probably WL or R).

A little on my stats and experiences that I applied with:

NC resident
sGPA: 3.69
cGPA: 3.65
MCAT: 518

Clinical volunteering at homeless shelter clinic and low income clinic : 80 hours

Non clinical volunteering with church youth group: 150 hours

Pharmaceutical internship: 500 hours

Shadowing: 50 hours

Undergrad research: 300 hours over a few semesters

Right after I sent in my primary application, I started a CNA job at the hospital and have been working full time since then. I have about 1700 hours currently, and have also learned to interpret rhythms and monitor patient telemetry. I will have 2000+ hours if I apply again this July. This has been a great experience for me overall to see how physicians work as a team with others in the hospital and how they interact with patients on a day to day basis.
During July of last year, I also started volunteering weekly at a local community clinic for uninsured individuals. I have 130 hours from this experience and will have 200+ if I apply again in July. This has also been a rewarding experience and I Feel like I’ve gotten to know a lot of the people I get to serve.
Lastly, I recently started volunteering with a local food bank and pharmacy the supplies medication directly to patients at the clinic I volunteer with. I will have over 200+ hours if I apply again this July.

Should I wait another year to reapply and get more hours with all of my experiences, or do you think I have made significant enough changes in my clinical and non clinical experiences to impress adcoms from my last application?

thanks!!

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[Nugester]

Huh, you have solid stats (especially that MCAT). I assume you updated the schools about your new positions and hours? Is there a reason you only applied to 20 schools and which schools? Have you gotten feedback from the schools that rejected you?

I'd start/open the primary but wait for those WLs to turn into As. Unfortunately it may go up to the wire over the summer. Assuming it was mostly due to volunteering hours, I'd apply again.

 

[pichael-thompson]

Huh, you have solid stats (especially that MCAT). I assume you updated the schools about your new positions and hours? Is there a reason you only applied to 20 schools and which schools? Have you gotten feedback from the schools that rejected you?

I'd start/open the primary but wait for those WLs to turn into As. Unfortunately it may go up to the wire over the summer. Assuming it was mostly due to volunteering hours, I'd apply again.

I sent updates to each school that accepted updates. As for the pre-II Rs that I received from most schools that I applied to, I was able to schedule a couple of appointments to talk with admissions advisors in late April/early May. But no school has provided me immediate feedback unfortunately.

I would’ve applied to more schools but money became an issue during applications. I will definitely have a lot more saved up this coming summer to apply to well over 20 schools if I decide to apply this coming cycle. I’m just stumped on what else I could improve in my application. I suppose if it was a combination of the lack of clinical hours and poor essays, I could reapply this coming cycle with significantly greater hours and try to write better essays. But I guess it’ll come down to the wire like you said.
Thanks for the advice!

 

[pately]

I had to reapply and got accepted during my second cycle. My biggest recommendation is that you should be able to answer how your application is different the second time around and what you have learned during this time off. I did apply in the next cycle after being rejected, but I also was working and was in an MPH program. So overall, as long as you are able to explain how you have new experiences compared to the first time applying you may have a good chance to get in. I think something that you can do now is to start fixing your personal statement, why doctor, why do, adversity essays since they are usually the same. I think at some point you will need to decide what you want to do. If anything, finish your primary early and submit so that it will be reviewed by ACOMAS and will start getting secondaries early on. The earlier you get your application in, the better chances you have for an interview, and acceptance. So be prepared to reapply, but with your stats I think you have a good chance of getting an A this round. And if you get your apps in early in the next round, you should be able to get a couple of interviews, just make sure that your essays are solid! Good luck!

 

[pichael-thompson]

I had to reapply and got accepted during my second cycle. My biggest recommendation is that you should be able to answer how your application is different the second time around and what you have learned during this time off. I did apply in the next cycle after being rejected, but I also was working and was in an MPH program. So overall, as long as you are able to explain how you have new experiences compared to the first time applying you may have a good chance to get in. I think something that you can do now is to start fixing your personal statement, why doctor, why do, adversity essays since they are usually the same. I think at some point you will need to decide what you want to do. If anything, finish your primary early and submit so that it will be reviewed by ACOMAS and will start getting secondaries early on. The earlier you get your application in, the better chances you have for an interview, and acceptance. So be prepared to reapply, but with your stats I think you have a good chance of getting an A this round. And if you get your apps in early in the next round, you should be able to get a couple of interviews, just make sure that your essays are solid! Good luck!

I’ll definitely start thinking about these questions early on and get a jump start on rewriting my essays. Thank you for the advice!