So, I have no interviews. Should I have wiated until next year?

[LongIslandBoy]

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So, I'm a senior double majoring in Biology and Psychology. My BCMP is only a 3.37. My freshmen year and sophomore year are keeping me down in this area (I had a 3.97 BCMP GPA junior year; overall strong upward trend🙄.). My AO GPA is a 3.63 and my overall is a 3.52. I only got a 28Q on the MCAT (I was averaging a 32-34 on the practice). I'm a NY resident and I applied to the following schools:

George Washington School of Medicine (Hold)
Tufts University School of Medicine
Albany Medical College
Albert Einstein School of Medicine
Columbia University College of P & S
Mount Sinai School of Medicine
New York Medical College
New York University
SUNY Buffalo Medical College
SUNY Downstate Medical College
SUNY Stony Brook School of Medicine
SUNY Upstate Medical College
University of Rochester School of Medicine
Weill Medical College of Cornell University
Drexel University College of Medicine
Jefferson Medical College
Temple University School of Medicine
The University of Vermont School of Medicine

I applied early (I was finished at most by 8/15) and I still haven't gotten any interviews. Are my GPA and MCAT going to prevent me from getting in? And if I don't get in I was thinking of joining the Peace Corp. just b/c I have wanted to since I was ~12 and I think it would be an awesome experience. So, I just wanted to know what everyone thought of my chances of getting in and what I should do if I don't get in...thanks for your input and don't be afraid to judge, I love criticism.

 

[Vvandenn]

<takes out his magnifying glass>

 

[armybound]

I think the MCAT is hurting you, as is your choice of schools. It seems to me like all of those schools get tons of applications from "average" applicants, ~3.5 and 30. your application is probably just lost in the mix, not really standing out from the billions of other applicants that look like you.

You'd probably do well next year if you retook the MCAT and broke 30 and continued the same strong upward trend you've been showing and applied early.

 

[KublaiKhan]

Maybe its your ECs or your personal statement? The game is so much more than MCAT/GPA --> Interview

 

[Cataract]

Hey buddy, you're my doppelganger. I have the same MCAT and similar GPAs. I have two interviews so far, so keep the faith. It's still early and schools interview into the spring. Just consider a Plan B just in case.

 

[PilSeungKorea]

So, I'm a senior double majoring in Biology and Psychology. My BCMP is only a 3.37. My freshmen year and sophomore year are keeping me down in this area (I had a 3.97 BCMP GPA junior year; overall strong upward trend🙄.). My AO GPA is a 3.63 and my overall is a 3.52. I only got a 28Q on the MCAT (I was averaging a 32-34 on the practice). I'm a NY resident and I applied to the following schools:

George Washington School of Medicine (Hold)
Tufts University School of Medicine
Albany Medical College
Albert Einstein School of Medicine
Columbia University College of P & S
Mount Sinai School of Medicine
New York Medical College
New York University
SUNY Buffalo Medical College
SUNY Downstate Medical College
SUNY Stony Brook School of Medicine
SUNY Upstate Medical College
University of Rochester School of Medicine
Weill Medical College of Cornell University
Drexel University College of Medicine
Jefferson Medical College
Temple University School of Medicine
The University of Vermont School of Medicine

I applied early (I was finished at most by 8/15) and I still haven't gotten any interviews. Are my GPA and MCAT going to prevent me from getting in? And if I don't get in I was thinking of joining the Peace Corp. just b/c I have wanted to since I was ~12 and I think it would be an awesome experience. So, I just wanted to know what everyone thought of my chances of getting in and what I should do if I don't get in...thanks for your input and don't be afraid to judge, I love criticism.

you might get interviews at a couple SUNYs and NYMC.however, there is no guarantee that you will get in.

 

[167649]

So, I'm a senior double majoring in Biology and Psychology. My BCMP is only a 3.37. My freshmen year and sophomore year are keeping me down in this area (I had a 3.97 BCMP GPA junior year; overall strong upward trend🙄.). My AO GPA is a 3.63 and my overall is a 3.52. I only got a 28Q on the MCAT (I was averaging a 32-34 on the practice). I'm a NY resident and I applied to the following schools:

George Washington School of Medicine (Hold)
Tufts University School of Medicine
Albany Medical College
Albert Einstein School of Medicine
Columbia University College of P & S
Mount Sinai School of Medicine
New York Medical College
New York University
SUNY Buffalo Medical College
SUNY Downstate Medical College
SUNY Stony Brook School of Medicine
SUNY Upstate Medical College
University of Rochester School of Medicine
Weill Medical College of Cornell University
Drexel University College of Medicine
Jefferson Medical College
Temple University School of Medicine
The University of Vermont School of Medicine

I applied early (I was finished at most by 8/15) and I still haven't gotten any interviews. Are my GPA and MCAT going to prevent me from getting in? And if I don't get in I was thinking of joining the Peace Corp. just b/c I have wanted to since I was ~12 and I think it would be an awesome experience. So, I just wanted to know what everyone thought of my chances of getting in and what I should do if I don't get in...thanks for your input and don't be afraid to judge, I love criticism.

My eyes hurt after reading this font for some reason....

Anyways, both your MCAT and GPA are below average (but not too far), so you would need standout EC's and written statements to get interviews. And since you are not, I am assuming that these are average too. It is still only october so don't loose hope.

If you do not get in this year, kill all the classes you have left to provide the best possible boost to the GPA, try retaking the MCAT if you feel you could do better, and do something interesting that would provide a good experience for you, you mentioned the peace corps and that is a great thing to do. Taking some time off is one of the best things you can do to enhance an application and learn more about yourself.

 

[87138]

<takes out his magnifying glass>

<puts on his robe and wizard hat>

 

[lei217]

Keep up hope! I have a 3.2 and a 27N and have one interview so far. (I was also getting 33+ on several practice MCAT so I know how much that stinks. I will be taking it again if I don't get in this year)

 

[silverlining1]

<puts on his robe and wizard hat>

OMG!!!!

I cast level 3 Eroticism!

 

[hp540]

can you write any smaller?

your list looks really similar to mine and i haven't gotten any interviews at the schools that we have in common

so don't worry, it'll come

Man...I seriously hope you get like a bazillion interviews or something so you won't complain on every thread how you've been complete for two days and you haven't heard back from anywhere.

 

[MelnaisLacis]

Man...I seriously hope you get like a bazillion interviews or something so you won't complain on every thread how you've been complete for two days and you haven't heard back from anywhere.

QFT,



paid for by govenator for US president.

 

[hermit]

And if I don't get in I was thinking of joining the Peace Corp. just b/c I have wanted to since I was ~12 and I think it would be an awesome experience.

Just so you know, getting into the Peace Corps these days is VERY competitive. If you think you're going to show up and they will fling the doors open, pop champagne, and cheer for you wanting to sign up, you've got a second rude awakening in your future.

 

[deleted36260]

OMG!!!!

I cast level 3 Eroticism!

dammit, I'll bite....

I cast Level 8 Cock of the Infinite

 

[Luxian]

There's really no harm in applying this year, though if you don't get in it would be worth retaking the MCAT. If you do get in, great! If you don't get in, just try again next year. There's no shame in it!

(At least so says me, a re-app, who got zero interviews last year and so far two this year!)

 

[st0w]

dammit, I'll bite....

I cast Level 8 Cock of the Infinite

hahaha

Are you ready for my fresh produce?

 

[Arjunsi]

Man...I seriously hope you get like a bazillion interviews or something so you won't complain on every thread how you've been complete for two days and you haven't heard back from anywhere.

No kidding. I know you are stressed out man, but almost every thread I have read in the past week has a post by you with some form of a complaint about how you haven't gotten any interviews yet. You need to seriously quit complaining about your stats and calling yourself average and trying to relate to other premeds who actually are average. Pick up an effing MSAR and try to realize that because your GPA, MCAT and EC's are all much better than the average matriculant to almost every med school, that your starts are, in fact, much higher than average.

I don't mean to be so harsh, but its actually a serious insult to most members of this forum to call your stats sh*tty. If yours are so bad, what are you implying about the majority of the members here who have much lower GPAs and MCATs?

 

[Arjunsi]

go on mdapplicants and search for people that have been accepted into Stanford, UCSF, Harvard, WashU, UPenn

and my PI, interviewer for UCSF (also wrote a rec for me), said my stats, ECs, etc are mediocre for those top schools and i agree with him

i would be a total cockmunch to think im better

You have a 4.0 on both your BCMP and Cumulative and a 37 on the MCAT. The following are average matriculant stats pulled straight from the MSAR:

Stanford: 3.72, 33Q
Harvard: 3.83, 35R
U Penn: 3.82, 35Q
Mayo: 3.9, 33Q
Dartmouth: 3.66, 33Q
Columbia: 3.7, 34Q
Cornell: 3.72, 34Q
Duke: 3.81, 34Q

Now I know you got an A in your math courses, so you should be able to do the simple calculations that will allow you to see that your stats are not just higher than the avg applicant, but in every case much higher than students who were accepted to these schools. Thus, you are either being daft or just a prick by saying that your stats are average.

Again, if your 4.0, 37Q is mediocore, what would you call the ~3.6, 30 that is around the average for SDN members?

 

[BigRedPremed]

go on mdapplicants and search for people that have been accepted into Stanford, UCSF, Harvard, WashU, UPenn

and my PI, interviewer for UCSF (also wrote a rec for me), said my stats, ECs, etc are mediocre for those top schools and i agree with him

i would be a total cockmunch to think im better

go figure
k,thx,bye

You've been complete for 10 days at most schools. How can you complain about the lack of interviews?

 

[drizzt3117]

Asian, male, out of state (worst combo)
how 'bout them apples
too bad the MSAR doesn't say **** about that

Honestly, you need to stfu and wait for interviews. You're probably going to be one of the people in April posting the ******ed "Harvard or Yale, I can't decide" threads, so just be patient until then.

 

[drizzt3117]

how much would you like to bet that i won't be?

you guys think im bluffing and asking for pity? think again (i withdrew from Yale, Duke, Columbia, and Northwestern)
i'm backing my words up

Well that would be a sucker bet if you withdrew from Yale then huh?

Look, your stats and ECs are great. I don't know about your LORs or PS, but if they are even decent, you'll be fine. You're right that UCSF is going to be a reach, especially OOS, but you're more than competitive for the rest of your schools. You're absolutely right that it's very unlikely you'll get into all of them, but my brother had inferior stats and ECs (3.83/35, but great LORs/PS, etc) and got into almost of the schools you're applying to with the exception of his alma mater (Stanford) and UCSF (OOS). He had no basic science research at all (which hurt him at Stanford for sure) but good clinical research.

 

[Arjunsi]

how much would you like to bet that i won't be?

you guys think im bluffing and asking for pity? think again (i withdrew from Yale, Duke, Columbia, and Northwestern)
i'm backing my words up

Ugh. I would advise that you to practice a lot for your interviews when you get them, because if you are this overbearing and annoying in real life then your (much higher than average) stats might not even be enough to get you admitted into your choice schools.

 

[drizzt3117]

my PI at UCSF totally put me down about my app when I told him about the original 20 schools that I applied to (then again he hates doctors). he recommended that i withdraw from some of the tough ones and add easier schools. he said if i want to be a doctor then the med school i go to won't make a difference. he also does interviews for UCSF and says that everyone has stats like me.

I think your PI fed you a line of BS, IMO. There aren't a lot of people that have 4.0/35+ and very few if any that are engineering majors. You also have a lot of research experience. I wouldn't have dropped those schools, and depending on what you want to go into (and where you want to do residency), the med school you are going to can matter quite a bit.

and i did only say that im worried about Harvard, UPenn, Stanford, UCSF, and WashU
I think anyone would no matter the stats

If you don't think you are competitive, why would the adcoms? Confidence is important, and insecurity is unattractive to both adcoms and women.

 

[Arjunsi]

I think your PI fed you a line of BS, IMO. There aren't a lot of people that have 4.0/35+ and very few if any that are engineering majors.

Yeah dude I agree. What he told you was just factually innacurate. I would stop taking application advice from him and rely more on published stats on med school websites and through the AAMC.

 

[drizzt3117]

of course i think im competitive, you think i gave my money away for nothing??? im very confident in my abilities. but sometimes you do have to show your humility and humble spirit when their acceptance rate is <5%.

you guys keep on quoting me wrong, im talking about TOP 5 schools (keep that in mind, top 5), not other schools

My brother got into 3 of the top 5 schools (Harvard, JHU, Wash U) during his application cycle with the aboveformentioned stats/ECs. Yours are better.

Obviously there are no guarantees in life, but if you're already marking yourself for rejection, that's going to show up when you interview. Assuming you're telling the truth about your stats, you're in the top 1% of med school applicants, and you should act accordingly. Saying you're not competitive is not only insulting your own intelligence but insulting also the marginal candidates that are worried about not getting in at all.

 

[jzeidenb]

your stats look like mine were last year, exactly the same almost.. i didnt get in anywhere, but i retook the mcat, got a 31 and am on my 5th interview commin up with 1 acceptance so far

 

[drizzt3117]

like a cocky a-hole? no (that's how a lot of them act)

No, but you should be confident and insecurity, anonymous as it may be here, is uncalled for. If you're sans acceptances in March, then fine, worry, but I sincerely doubt that will be the case. My brother submitted AMCAS 8/31 so he was probably about on the same timeline as you, got his first acceptance (Vandy) a couple weeks before Xmas, and by March he has 12 of them, out of 26 schools applied to (the top 25 and MCW (state school). That's how I would have applied if I were you and wanted to be somewhat safe, but hey, whatever works. You probably could have applied to UIC, Rush, CW, and 12 selected top 20 schools and been just fine.

but congrats to your brother, he will make a great doctor
the end

He's a 1st year uro resident now who has finally made the adjustment to having essentially no free time now during his general internship.

 

[Arjunsi]

i have the greatest amount of respect for him. let me reiterate, he interviews UCSF applicants. i don't take his comments for nothing.

Respect or not, he is wrong. Maybe he is basing his information off of anecdotal evidence. You will for sure still have competition at those schools that you withdrew from, but for him to tell you to forget about them because your stats are mediocore is just misleading, because it isn't true.

C'mon now, you didn't get an A in every class you have taken by taking the professor's word for everything and never opening up a book, did you? So why would you trust one person's limited sample data over the published statistics?

 

[jae9970]

Saying you're not competitive is not only insulting your own intelligence but insulting also the marginal candidates that are worried about not getting in at all.

yea, one of those "marginal candidates" here. Seeing someone complain with 37/4.0 kinda makes me speechless..

 

[dcgirl2007]

4.0/37 is competitive ANYWHERE!!! i have a 3.47/33S and have 6 interviews, including Yale. You're getting weird advice, dude.

 

[etf]

i have a 3.47/33S and have [an interview at] Yale.

there's something special about your candidacy that you're not telling us.