Texas / MCAT: 508 / GPA: 3.73

[moehope2018]

Texas Resident applying through TMDSAS only
MCAT: 508
GPA: 3.73
LizzyM: 67.3
Primary Transmitted: 06/05
Secondaries Transmitted: 08/20 through end of August

• The reason behind the huge gaps in primary and secondaries is because I ended up working in a summer camp that was from 9-3 and included 2 hours of grading papers per day

Extracurriculars:

• President and 2x recruitment chair of a service organization
• 2.5 years of research in a Neuroendocrinology Laboratory
• 2.5 years of research in another lab (paid and engineering)
• Decent volunteering and shadowing
• Private Tutor for all grades for 1 year
• Center tutor for less than a year and summer camp tutor for Algebra 2 and Chemistry
• Soccer Referee for 3 years

Miscellaneous:

• Dad passed away about a year ago from unexpected cancer
• I didn't write my PS as good as I should have because of a bad understanding of how I should present it

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[Faha]

You should receive several interviews from your Texas schools with your stats.

 

[moehope2018]

You should receive several interviews from your Texas schools with your stats.

I still haven’t received any II’s. Am I in trouble?

 

[BBBallIsLife]

Not till mid november, they are still sending out II's so dates are still available. Plus, secondaries for most TX schools close soon so then they may be able to better evaluate everyone and stats once no one else can send in any other app material.

Was your MCAT subscores unbalanced? Did you apply to all TX schools? The long wait to send in secondaries may have hurt, but nothing to do about that now. Did you rush your essays, which resulted in lackluster content, grammar, etc?

May way to consider sending in emails expressing interest, but really you don't want to sound desperate so only one email should be sent throughout this entire application cycle; use your one email wisely.

 

[moehope2018]

Not till mid november, they are still sending out II's so dates are still available. Plus, secondaries for most TX schools close soon so then they may be able to better evaluate everyone and stats once no one else can send in any other app material.

Was your MCAT subscores unbalanced? Did you apply to all TX schools? The long wait to send in secondaries may have hurt, but nothing to do about that now. Did you rush your essays, which resulted in lackluster content, grammar, etc?

May way to consider sending in emails expressing interest, but really you don't want to sound desperate so only one email should be sent throughout this entire application cycle; use your one email wisely.

So, I got a 126/127/127/128 on my MCAT which I don’t think is unbalanced? Also, I applied to all Texas schools through TMDSAS except for the DO school only because my mom kept telling me to apply to MD only.

For my essays, I like to think my secondaries were written pretty well as I bought Grammarly to get my essay proofread and I had many friends look over them countless times.

When you say I can send one LOI, is it one per school? Also, should I explain why I had a huge gap between my primary and secondary submission? Thanks for all the help.

 

[BBBallIsLife]

So, I got a 126/127/127/128 on my MCAT which I don’t think is unbalanced? Also, I applied to all Texas schools through TMDSAS except for the DO school only because my mom kept telling me to apply to MD only.

For my essays, I like to think my secondaries were written pretty well as I bought Grammarly to get my essay proofread and I had many friends look over them countless times.

When you say I can send one LOI, is it one per school? Also, should I explain why I had a huge gap between my primary and secondary submission? Thanks for all the help.

1 per school to those that are welcoming these kind of letters (you might want to check online or browse on here which schools accept them, but mostly all TX should be fine except a few).

In your LOI, I would send updates that had not originally occurred when you submitted your primary and activities that are significantly/updates important. In your case, I recommend listing the summer activity that you did (include the time period or hours or duration, since it seems like it was a large commitment for a good cause), but don't go really any further detail b/c adcom doesn't wanna waste time reading lengthy email w/ explanations of everything. This is why it is also good to maintain continued involvement in things during this semester and next until you get your acceptance (and in case you need to reapply), so while you list your summer activity, list other significant updates real briefly as well! And obviously, I would briefly state why you should be considered for your school, why interested, blah blah blah.

If you list the duration of your summer activity, don't explain why such a big gap in b/w primary and secondary b/c adcom will see it and probably know what happened. I wouldnt risk any negative vibe that an adcom might sense. Additionally, i don't want it to sound be interpreted as an "excuse" for delaying your app, we all are extremely busy. Heck, I did all my secondaries in a matter of a few weeks while studying for my MCAT.

You can probably find better LOI tips if you browse on the forums! I will say, I sent an LOI in and heard back from a school fairly quickly, so you'll never know. Additionally, we both have similar stats . Good luck my fellow texan, pm if you have any questions.

 

[moehope2018]

1 per school to those that are welcoming these kind of letters (you might want to check online or browse on here which schools accept them, but mostly all TX should be fine except a few).

In your LOI, I would send updates that had not originally occurred when you submitted your primary and activities that are significantly/updates important. In your case, I recommend listing the summer activity that you did (include the time period or hours or duration, since it seems like it was a large commitment for a good cause), but don't go really any further detail b/c adcom doesn't wanna waste time reading lengthy email w/ explanations of everything. This is why it is also good to maintain continued involvement in things during this semester and next until you get your acceptance (and in case you need to reapply), so while you list your summer activity, list other significant updates real briefly as well! And obviously, I would briefly state why you should be considered for your school, why interested, blah blah blah.

If you list the duration of your summer activity, don't explain why such a big gap in b/w primary and secondary b/c adcom will see it and probably know what happened. I wouldnt risk any negative vibe that an adcom might sense. Additionally, i don't want it to sound be interpreted as an "excuse" for delaying your app, we all are extremely busy. Heck, I did all my secondaries in a matter of a few weeks while studying for my MCAT.

You can probably find better LOI tips if you browse on the forums! I will say, I sent an LOI in and heard back from a school fairly quickly, so you'll never know. Additionally, we both have similar stats . Good luck my fellow texan, pm if you have any questions.

Thanks for all the advice. I'll be sure to send one out. At this point, I really don't have much to lose.

 

[moehope2018]

So, I've been checking on the forums, and it seems like the general consensus is that you shouldn't send a letter of interest to Texas medical schools. If I don't hear back by next week, should I assume for the worst and start getting ready for the next cycle?

 

[esob]

Should have applied to TCOM. If you let your mom talk you out of it, then you need to learn to access situations better on your own.