Too Soon to Re-Apply?

[LiFre]

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I was wondering if you guys think I should reapply this cycle or if my app hasn’t changed enough. Is there something I should do more?

Last cycle I applied with a 3.8GPA and 508 MCAT. ECs included:

138 hours of leadership with teaching English, church mission, teaching Sunday school

445 hours of community service with Big Brother Big Sister, Hurricane Relief, Basketball programs

240 hours of patient care at an HIV clinic (testing blood) and taking care of the disabled

132 hours of research. One experience in a lab. One experience in community Health. No publications

Shadowed 3 docs, 10 hours each.

After I submitted my app I completed the following: GPA is about the same, 100 hours of nonacademic economic research, a service mission to Haiti (only a week, but donations were gathered prior), started counseling at the HIV clinic, continued with BBBS and received the Big Brother of the Year award for my state, shadowed another doc for two days. I am retaking the MCAT in June, but I’m betting I won’t be able to score much higher.

My advisor said that I changed enough to get into my state school, which she said will often just reject students to see if they will reapply. From what I understand, other schools don’t prefer re-applicants unless they change a lot. Unfortunately I applied pretty much all the schools, in my range, that accept OOS. I interviewed at my state school and Albany, where I was rejected and waitlisted, receptively.

Side Question: Does it matter if you apply early if you aren't an exceptional applicant? I felt like I didn't need to rush to get my secondaries done in July, since all my interviews were in Jan/Feb.

 

[Mistasunshine]

All applicants should submit everything as early as possible. Also it's not worth it to take the MCAT again if you don't think you'll improve!

 

[IlDestriero]

A couple of thoughts.
Teaching isn’t leadership. President of the Xxx Society or manager of the food bank is leadership.
Research time is a little light if you’re spinning yourself as a future researcher.
Schools don’t reject you because they want to see if you reapply. They reject you because they don’t want to put you in the class.
The MCAT is likely your problem, though it’s not that bad. Fix it and don’t retake it until you know can do better. Same score is worse.
Don’t reapply until you retake your MCAT. That would be my advice.
Absolutely apply as early as possible and get secondaries, etc. done ASAP.

--
Il Destriero

 

[Goro]

I was wondering if you guys think I should reapply this cycle or if my app hasn’t changed enough. Is there something I should do more?

Last cycle I applied with a 3.8GPA and 508 MCAT. ECs included:

138 hours of leadership with teaching English, church mission, teaching Sunday school

445 hours of community service with Big Brother Big Sister, Hurricane Relief, Basketball programs

240 hours of patient care at an HIV clinic (testing blood) and taking care of the disabled

132 hours of research. One experience in a lab. One experience in community Health. No publications

Shadowed 3 docs, 10 hours each.

After I submitted my app I completed the following: GPA is about the same, 100 hours of nonacademic economic research, a service mission to Haiti (only a week, but donations were gathered prior), started counseling at the HIV clinic, continued with BBBS and received the Big Brother of the Year award for my state, shadowed another doc for two days. I am retaking the MCAT in June, but I’m betting I won’t be able to score much higher.

My advisor said that I changed enough to get into my state school, which she said will often just reject students to see if they will reapply. From what I understand, other schools don’t prefer re-applicants unless they change a lot. Unfortunately I applied pretty much all the schools, in my range, that accept OOS. I interviewed at my state school and Albany, where I was rejected and waitlisted, receptively.

Side Question: Does it matter if you apply early if you aren't an exceptional applicant? I felt like I didn't need to rush to get my secondaries done in July, since all my interviews were in Jan/Feb.

Why should they accept you this time around if nothing has changed?
Most medical schools have on their admissions websites advice NOT to simply reapply. But did you apply late? Did you aim to high?

For starters, rewrite all your essays and have multiple eyeballs look at them.

Work on interview skills.

Your ECs are good.

Here is a list of schools for which your stats should target:
U VM
U Miami (maybe)
U Toledo
Rush
NYMC
Creighton
Tufts
Rosy Franklin
Drexel
Temple
MCW
SLU
WVU
Tulane
Loyola
Wake Forest
Loma Linda (only if you are SDA or a very devout Christian)
VCU
Netter
EVMS
Oakland-B
Gtown
GWU
Uniformed Services University/Hebert (just be aware of the military service commitment)
Nova MD
Any DO program. I can't recommend Touro-NY, Nova, LUCOM, for different reasons. MSUCOM? Read up on Larry Nasser and you decide.
Your state school(s).

 

[LiFre]

Why should they accept you this time around if nothing has changed?
Most medical schools have on their admissions websites advice NOT to simply reapply. But did you apply late? Did you aim to high?

For starters, rewrite all your essays and have multiple eyeballs look at them.

Work on interview skills.

Your ECs are good.

Here is a list of schools for which your stats should target:
U VM
U Miami (maybe)
U Toledo
Rush
NYMC
Creighton
Tufts
Rosy Franklin
Drexel
Temple
MCW
SLU
WVU
Tulane
Loyola
Wake Forest
Loma Linda (only if you are SDA or a very devout Christian)
VCU
Netter
EVMS
Oakland-B
Gtown
GWU
Uniformed Services University/Hebert (just be aware of the military service commitment)
Nova MD
Any DO program. I can't recommend Touro-NY, Nova, LUCOM, for different reasons. MSUCOM? Read up on Larry Nasser and you decide.
Your state school(s).

Thanks for the advice. From reading my original post, do you think that I've improved enough to reapply? If not, what's the minimum MCAT score that I need? Unfortunately, I applied to 11 of those schools, I mostly stayed with schools with a median of 512 and below. Finished my secondaries in July/August.

 

[Goro]

I have no idea if what you have added really makes you a more acceptable candidate in the terms of extracurriculars. But for a retake of the MCAT you will want to have at least a 5:11

 

[stickgirl390]

Teaching isn’t leadership.

If OP is an actual school teacher (elementary/middle/high school), then his/her experience is more leadership than it is teaching. Much more.

 

[DubbiDoctor]

I assume you applied MD only - is this true? If yes, I think you should reapply this cycle to DO schools, and I think you'll get in. Get a letter of rec from a DO you shadow. If you insist on applying MD only, I don't think you've improved enough to expect a different result.

 

[mybluedog]

I think your shadowing is on the low side. (40hrs)

You need to really show you’ve grown and improved a lot through your gap year. It comes off as immature and silly if you apply just for the hell of it or what your advisor said. I think the “they just reject you to see if you would apply again” is a common phrase to encourage ppl to reapply, not to be harsh lol.

Put yourself in the adcoms shoes and ask yourself if 2018 you is more prepared for medical school than 2017 you.

Also, don’t retake the MCAT if you think you aren’t going to perform better. It hurts a lot when you only go from 508 to <509.

Did you receive an interview at your state school? If not, there might be some problems with your app.

GL


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[boogiecousins94]

Did you receive an interview at your state school? If not, there might be some problems with your app.

This isn't necessarily true I got rejected from my state school where I went for undergrad (who interviews 50% of IS people) and had 3 other interviews still

 

[LiFre]

I have no idea if what you have added really makes you a more acceptable candidate in the terms of extracurriculars. But for a retake of the MCAT you will want to have at least a 5:11

So there's 8 schools on the list you sent me that I didn't apply to before. Do you think it would be better to take the end of June MCAT and apply late, or just not retake my 508 MCAT and apply early?

 

[Goro]

So there's 8 schools on the list you sent me that I didn't apply to before. Do you think it would be better to take the end of June MCAT and apply late, or just not retake my 508 MCAT and apply early?

Your call.

Taking the MCAT in June and then applying as soon as you have your score will not be applying late.

 

[LiFre]

Why should they accept you this time around if nothing has changed?
Most medical schools have on their admissions websites advice NOT to simply reapply. But did you apply late? Did you aim to high?

For starters, rewrite all your essays and have multiple eyeballs look at them.

Work on interview skills.

Your ECs are good.

Here is a list of schools for which your stats should target:
U VM
U Miami (maybe)
U Toledo
Rush
NYMC
Creighton
Tufts
Rosy Franklin
Drexel
Temple
MCW
SLU
WVU
Tulane
Loyola
Wake Forest
Loma Linda (only if you are SDA or a very devout Christian)
VCU
Netter
EVMS
Oakland-B
Gtown
GWU
Uniformed Services University/Hebert (just be aware of the military service commitment)
Nova MD
Any DO program. I can't recommend Touro-NY, Nova, LUCOM, for different reasons. MSUCOM? Read up on Larry Nasser and you decide.
Your state school(s).

What do you think about adding these schools as a Utah resident? The MSAR OOS stats didn't seem too bad to me.
Colorado
Boonshoft
Geisinger
University of Illinois
Indiana U
University of Iowa
Virginia Tech
Michigan State
Wayne
Arizona Tuscon and phoenix
Penn state

 

[LiFre]

Also, I became a full time scribe 2 weeks ago. Should I wait a month or so to send in my app so I can have some hours under my belt, or will listing future hours be sufficient?