SMP Graduate/Re-applicant

[Scrub_Lyfe]

Hey all! I'm a re-applicant gearing up for the 2018 cycle - I applied this past cycle after completing a one year SMP, but didn't get any interview invites. I only applied to MD schools, which was likely a mistake with my undergraduate GPA.

Quick bio: I finished undergrad in 2014, worked and applied to SMP's through August 2015, attended SMP from Fall 2015 - Spring 2016, worked full time during this past cycle starting summer 2016.

Here are my stats:

NJ resident, ORM

Undergrad - BA in Chemistry, cGPA: 3.3, sGPA: 3.0; SMP - cGPA: 3.75 (sGPA is similar, as I only had one non-science class)

MCAT: 33 (11/11/11, from May 2014), waiting on May 2017 score (was scoring 513-515 on AAMC FL's)

Volunteer Clinical experience - 3.5 years volunteer EMT, > 1200 hours

Paid Clinical experience - 10 months scribing at night, busy trauma center, > 1500 hours

Other Employment - manager, food service (2 years during undergrad); MCAT tutor (4-5 months teaching C/P); AP subject/SAT/ACT tutor (1.5 years after undergrad and during grad)

Non-clinical Research - 2 semesters + 1 summer of analytical chem/bench work, poster presentation at an undergrad research fair

Clinical Research - 2 semesters of research related to resuscitation quality in hospitals (SMP)

LoR's - graduate committee letter (1 from research mentor, 1 from science professor), one MD letter, one DO letter

Misc - training officer at my EMS squad, got an award from a local hospital for patient care (for an EMS call)

--------------------------------------------------------
My school list from the last cycle:
NJMS
RWJMS
Cooper Rowan
Albany
NYMC
Stony Brook
Rochester
Cornell
Drexel
LK Temple
Penn State
Sidney Kimmel
Oakland
WMich
Cincinnati
UVM
Netter Quinnipiac
USF Morsani
Emory
Tulane
Boston U
Tufts
Wake Forest
Creighton

I tried to pick schools that were more OOS friendly, and applied to all of my in-state schools. I probably should have avoided a few of the higher tier schools (like Cornell, Rochester), so I'll be getting rid of a few this time. I'm also applying through AACOMAS this time around - here's my working list:

MD
RWJMS
NJMS
Cooper
Albany
Drexel
LK Temple
Penn State
Western Michigan
UVM
Cincinnati
SUNY Downstate
U Arizona
Western Virginia
VCU
EVMS

DO
Des Moines
MSUCOM
NYITCOM
Ohio UHCOM
Philly COM
Rowan U SOM
Touro COM - NY
U of New England COM
Western U COM - CA

I got rid of a few OOS friendly schools that rejected me quite early (Sep, Oct). My main additions from this gap year are my scribing experience, MD/DO letters and a new MCAT score (which I won't know for a few weeks). I'm rewriting everything on my application, including my personal statement

Any suggestions on my school list/chances?

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[Alge311]

Hi, mind if I ask where you think you went wrong last cycle?

I just finished an SMP too, and I have pretty similar stats for undergrad and a similar MCAT score (old one).

Thanks in advance

 

[Scrub_Lyfe]

To be honest, I don't think I had any glaring red flags beyond my undergraduate GPA. There are a few things I can think of:

- Shadowing: I had NO real exposure to physicians before the last cycle. You interact minimally with docs as an EMT (hoping my scribe experience makes up for that).
- Non-clinical Volunteering: I have far less hours in this area. From what a few adcom folks and friends have said, it isn't as big of an issue given my EMT stuff was community based.
- Letters: I only had a committee letter from my graduate program, and did not get a single letter from anywhere else. I got two from docs at work, so that may help.
- New MCAT: Some schools may really prefer the new version, so that could have been an issue.
- School list: I tried to stick to classically OOS friendly schools in addition to state schools, but my list could have probably been better tailored to my application.

I think my biggest regret from the last cycle was not applying to DO schools. I was pretty confident I would at least get a few II's with my application, and didn't shadow a DO so I did not get a DO letter.

If you can get a recommendation from an osteopathic physician, I think you absolutely should apply DO as well. The current ED director at my hospital and at least a third of our physicians are DO's now - the end result is entirely the same.

One thing I tended to forget is that my undergraduate GPA is baggage. It reflected negatively on me, depending on who read my application. One adcom member didn't even mention my undergraduate grades, while another seemed totally fixated on them. The whole application process is certainly a numbers game, but a lot of it can be a crap shoot :/

 

[UnchartedWaffle94]

Hey all! I'm a re-applicant gearing up for the 2018 cycle - I applied this past cycle after completing a one year SMP, but didn't get any interview invites. I only applied to MD schools, which was likely a mistake with my undergraduate GPA.

Quick bio: I finished undergrad in 2014, worked and applied to SMP's through August 2015, attended SMP from Fall 2015 - Spring 2016, worked full time during this past cycle starting summer 2016.

Here are my stats:

NJ resident, ORM

Undergrad - BA in Chemistry, cGPA: 3.3, sGPA: 3.0; SMP - cGPA: 3.75 (sGPA is similar, as I only had one non-science class)

MCAT: 33 (11/11/11, from May 2014), waiting on May 2017 score (was scoring 513-515 on AAMC FL's)

Volunteer Clinical experience - 3.5 years volunteer EMT, > 1200 hours

Paid Clinical experience - 10 months scribing at night, busy trauma center, > 1500 hours

Other Employment - manager, food service (2 years during undergrad); MCAT tutor (4-5 months teaching C/P); AP subject/SAT/ACT tutor (1.5 years after undergrad and during grad)

Non-clinical Research - 2 semesters + 1 summer of analytical chem/bench work, poster presentation at an undergrad research fair

Clinical Research - 2 semesters of research related to resuscitation quality in hospitals (SMP)

LoR's - graduate committee letter (1 from research mentor, 1 from science professor), one MD letter, one DO letter

Misc - training officer at my EMS squad, got an award from a local hospital for patient care (for an EMS call)

--------------------------------------------------------
My school list from the last cycle:
NJMS
RWJMS
Cooper Rowan
Albany
NYMC
Stony Brook
Rochester
Cornell
Drexel
LK Temple
Penn State
Sidney Kimmel
Oakland
WMich
Cincinnati
UVM
Netter Quinnipiac
USF Morsani
Emory
Tulane
Boston U
Tufts
Wake Forest
Creighton

I tried to pick schools that were more OOS friendly, and applied to all of my in-state schools. I probably should have avoided a few of the higher tier schools (like Cornell, Rochester), so I'll be getting rid of a few this time. I'm also applying through AACOMAS this time around - here's my working list:

MD
RWJMS
NJMS
Cooper
Albany
Drexel
LK Temple
Penn State
Western Michigan
UVM
Cincinnati
SUNY Downstate
U Arizona
Western Virginia
VCU
EVMS

DO
Des Moines
MSUCOM
NYITCOM
Ohio UHCOM
Philly COM
Rowan U SOM
Touro COM - NY
U of New England COM
Western U COM - CA

I got rid of a few OOS friendly schools that rejected me quite early (Sep, Oct). My main additions from this gap year are my scribing experience, MD/DO letters and a new MCAT score (which I won't know for a few weeks). I'm rewriting everything on my application, including my personal statement

Any suggestions on my school list/chances?

What was your SMP? Is it linked to a medical school(s)?

 

[Alge311]

Thanks for the reply man, I really appreciate it

 

[Faha]

What was your May MCAT score?

 

[mdattheend]

Hey all! I'm a re-applicant gearing up for the 2018 cycle - I applied this past cycle after completing a one year SMP, but didn't get any interview invites. I only applied to MD schools, which was likely a mistake with my undergraduate GPA.

Quick bio: I finished undergrad in 2014, worked and applied to SMP's through August 2015, attended SMP from Fall 2015 - Spring 2016, worked full time during this past cycle starting summer 2016.

Here are my stats:

NJ resident, ORM

Undergrad - BA in Chemistry, cGPA: 3.3, sGPA: 3.0; SMP - cGPA: 3.75 (sGPA is similar, as I only had one non-science class)

MCAT: 33 (11/11/11, from May 2014), waiting on May 2017 score (was scoring 513-515 on AAMC FL's)

Volunteer Clinical experience - 3.5 years volunteer EMT, > 1200 hours

Paid Clinical experience - 10 months scribing at night, busy trauma center, > 1500 hours

Other Employment - manager, food service (2 years during undergrad); MCAT tutor (4-5 months teaching C/P); AP subject/SAT/ACT tutor (1.5 years after undergrad and during grad)

Non-clinical Research - 2 semesters + 1 summer of analytical chem/bench work, poster presentation at an undergrad research fair

Clinical Research - 2 semesters of research related to resuscitation quality in hospitals (SMP)

LoR's - graduate committee letter (1 from research mentor, 1 from science professor), one MD letter, one DO letter

Misc - training officer at my EMS squad, got an award from a local hospital for patient care (for an EMS call)

--------------------------------------------------------
My school list from the last cycle:
NJMS
RWJMS
Cooper Rowan
Albany
NYMC
Stony Brook
Rochester
Cornell
Drexel
LK Temple
Penn State
Sidney Kimmel
Oakland
WMich
Cincinnati
UVM
Netter Quinnipiac
USF Morsani
Emory
Tulane
Boston U
Tufts
Wake Forest
Creighton

I tried to pick schools that were more OOS friendly, and applied to all of my in-state schools. I probably should have avoided a few of the higher tier schools (like Cornell, Rochester), so I'll be getting rid of a few this time. I'm also applying through AACOMAS this time around - here's my working list:

MD
RWJMS
NJMS
Cooper
Albany
Drexel
LK Temple
Penn State
Western Michigan
UVM
Cincinnati
SUNY Downstate
U Arizona
Western Virginia
VCU
EVMS

DO
Des Moines
MSUCOM
NYITCOM
Ohio UHCOM
Philly COM
Rowan U SOM
Touro COM - NY
U of New England COM
Western U COM - CA

I got rid of a few OOS friendly schools that rejected me quite early (Sep, Oct). My main additions from this gap year are my scribing experience, MD/DO letters and a new MCAT score (which I won't know for a few weeks). I'm rewriting everything on my application, including my personal statement

Any suggestions on my school list/chances?

Just a comment, and someone may correct me if I'm wrong, but a good portion of the schools you listed (i.e. Drexel, EVMS, NYMC, Albany, Tulane, etc) are low-yield schools. This mean that A LOT of people apply to those so really you are competing for a smaller percentage of interview invites. Though their stats are on the lower side (-BU), many applicants apply as a safety. Consequently, it is harder for other applicants, whose GPAs and MCATs are actually close to their range, to stand out.