Starting to lose hope. What should I do?

[libertyyne]

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I too am orm w the lowest ses EO thing. But I didn't mark it in my primary bc I didn't think working 2 jobs or having to take out loans was relevant to my application nor would it excuse anything.

I can definitely see how focusing on your hardships rather than your assets/resilience can negatively impact your app.

Not saying that this is the case here though

I agree with this strategy. IMHO certain schools may look for ses disadvantaged applicants, but numbers matter.

 

[Cotterpin]

That is what OP was asking if the ses disadvantage would swing things in his favor.

Sure, but I didn't make any claims about it. I was just trying to clarify to OP that SES and ORM/URM are two different issues.

 

[MDProspect]

Who was the abuser in your victim narrative? Also, congratulations!!!!

Life. I cringed when I reread that PS. My advisor told me to focus on bitching about how hard it was to be an immigrant, holding jobs and being a full time student, overcoming a chronic disease, and so on.

 

[Sardinia]

Life. I cringed when I reread that PS. My advisor told me to focus on bitching about how hard it was to be an immigrant, holding jobs and being a full time student, overcoming a chronic disease, and so on.

A speculation as to why over focusing on the victim narrative can be a pit fall is because as a healthcare provider your responsibility will lie in resolving the potential problems of other patients who will be in a sense victims of health and unfortunate circumstances. We could argue that having the ability to empathize with these patients is a core strength, however dwelling too much on the issue may reveal that you have personal baggage which may prove to be a liability if you are on call, have a 16 hour shift, or simply aren't able to power through because you get overburdened by unfortunate circumstances. It's for these reasons that I think there is going to be increasing emphasis on candidates to have the qualities of leadership and cognitive problem solving when they are put into crunch type situations with the model of healthcare being more physician-management focused over physician-practitioner.

 

[MDProspect]

A speculation as to why over focusing on the victim narrative can be a pit fall is because as a healthcare provider your responsibility will lie in resolving the potential problems of other patients who will be in a sense victims of health and unfortunate circumstances. We could argue that having the ability to empathize with these patients is a core strength, however dwelling too much on the issue may reveal that you have personal baggage which may prove to be a liability if you are on call, have a 16 hour shift, or simply aren't able to power through because you get overburdened by unfortunate circumstances. It's for these reasons that I think there is going to be increasing emphasis on candidates to have the qualities of leadership and cognitive problem solving when they are put into crunch type situations with the model of healthcare being more physician-management focused over physician-practitioner.

That and blaming circumstances and others for your own pitfalls shows lack of maturity and failure to take responsibility.

 

[Sardinia]

That and blaming circumstances and others for your own pitfalls shows lack of maturity and failure to take responsibility.

Yes. But I also think that in a physician-management role it requires assuming responsibility not over your personal circumstances, but also remediating issues within your team on a day to day setting. If your RN or PA is having a bad day they may switch up tests or give you potentially erroneous results. The question is whether you will be able to identify such mistakes as a physician even if you are having the worst day of your life for the sake of the patient. We see increasingly more qualified candidate not only in terms of GPA/MCAT but also in extracurriculars. Many of the students within my Caribbean program had extensive experience as EMTs, scribes, and RNs which helped them in retaining the material. They were aware of the potential responsibility they would hold as a physician. I think that being able to articulate this will grow increasingly important as residency positions begin to grow more competitive and medical schools will look for people who show they are the complete package and not just academically strong.

 

[lpp06]

I too am orm w the lowest ses EO thing. But I didn't mark it in my primary bc I didn't think working 2 jobs or having to take out loans was relevant to my application nor would it excuse anything.

I can definitely see how focusing on your hardships rather than your assets/resilience can negatively impact your app.

Not saying that this is the case here though

FWIW - we don't have control over the AMCAS designation of SES/EO Status. We do have the option of self-identifying as Disadvantage, which I believe you may be referring to.

 

[kb1900]

FWIW - we don't have control over the AMCAS designation of SES/EO Status. We do have the option of self-identifying as Disadvantage, which I believe you may be referring to.

in columbias secondary portal it shows up what amcas designated my application as.

 

[lpp06]

in columbias secondary portal it shows up what amcas designated my application as.

Didn't know they did that - it's nice knowing how linked up the schools and AAMC can be.

Yea, it's determined after submission during the verification process. If you download your verified app from AMCAS, you'll see they added the EO classification.

 

[Dr. Jan Itor]

How? For me it's much more difficult to raise the GPA. My GPA is low due to very real difficulties.
I'd have to spend thousands to get into an SMP.

I only took one practice exam for the MCAT preparation. I think I have a better shot by retaking my mcat.

Your MCAT won't be what keeps you out of med school.

First, chill. Easier said than done, but there is still PLENTY of time to get an II. It's not like you are sitting on 20 rejections already. And you do have one II which is more than a lot of people.

But if you don't get in this cycle, I'd look into DO grade replacement. You wouldn't have to do a full SMP, but just retaking a couple of bad classes could make a huge difference in GPA. Just something to think about for a plan B.



Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile

 

[redrosesfi]

I'm Asian. If I apply next cycle, I'm considering putting down "not reported" for my ethnicity, considering my LizzyM score of 67 isn't so high compared to other asian applicants. Thoughts?

 

[meddesire]

I'm Asian. If I apply next cycle, I'm considering putting down "not reported" for my ethnicity, considering my LizzyM score of 67 isn't so high compared to other asian applicants. Thoughts?

Me neither...I would not report me as an Asian anymore... so disadvantaged!

 

[libertyyne]

I'm Asian. If I apply next cycle, I'm considering putting down "not reported" for my ethnicity, considering my LizzyM score of 67 isn't so high compared to other asian applicants. Thoughts?

Me neither...I would not report me as an Asian anymore... so disadvantaged!

it is an optional question on the application.idk how adcoms would view this , how do you think they would feel after meeting you in the interview and realizing you are trying to game the system or after they look at the picture you attached. I would not go by this strategy personally and would attempt to strengthen my candidacy in other ways, improve GPA,more meaningful high impact activities and well written prompts.wider school selection. But that is just me.

 

[redrosesfi]

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