Veterans 2018-2019 Application Cycle Progress

[batpuac]

How are you vets faring this app cycle?

As a non-trad vet myself with plans to apply this upcoming June, do you guys have any advice, comments, words of wisdom for what to expect?

Thanks!!!

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[EasyEveryoneWouldDoIt]

highlight your experiences about leadership and working in difficulty situations. U of Iowa and GW waive the secondary for veterans while ETSU gives preference to veterans. Also, don't assume that being a vet gives you a free pass if you have low GPA and/or MCAT. usually once we (veterans) get to the interview stage we tend to do well. good luck

 

[Matthew9Thirtyfive]

I have two acceptances. I got WLed at another school and had a few more interviews coming up, but I withdrew from the WL and the other interviews once I got into my top choice.

Some tips from my experience:

1. Look at MSAR and find the schools that have >2% of their class with vet status. ETSU is the biggest one (besides USUHS obviously) with 9-11%, as they give in-state status to vets and current military. There are a few schools with huge numbers of vets, which is a great sign.

2. For the other schools, look at their mission and their GPA/MCAT and apply to schools where you either fit the mission really well or--preferably--you fit both the mission and you're above the 25%ile for GPA/MCAT.

3. Highlight your military experiences in your app, but don't make the entire app about your military career. I had 3-4 experiences on my AMCAS that I used for military, including one for leadership, one for clinical experience, one for general military service, and one for volunteering I did in the military. But the rest of my app was about cool hobbies and artistic stuff I have done, and interviewers and adcoms loved that stuff.

4. If you haven't taken the MCAT yet, take it when you are ready to demolish it. Vet status is a huge boost, but it will not make up for a low GPA or a low MCAT. And your GPA really does matter more for many schools, regardless of what you see people post here. I have a 519 MCAT and a 4.0 postbacc, but my overall GPA is a 3.43, and I got ghosted by a couple schools and flat out rejected pre-II by one because my GPA was too low.

5. Again, for number 3--do stuff that you enjoy that makes you interesting. If you play an instrument, put that on your app. Everyone wanted to talk about what instruments I play and the stuff I've written and published (and NOT the scholarly stuff--they wanted to talk about the fiction I've written). Adcoms and interviewers want to see who you are as a person outside of academics. If your whole app is academics and the military, you'll just be another vet applying to med school. That puts you ahead of the standard K2MD applicant, but you still want to be an individual here.

Good luck!

 

[esob]

I think most of us did well this cycle. As noted above, once you get to the interview stage, we tend to beat the statistical odds. I went to 7 interviews and received acceptances to 5 of those schools.

Getting to the interview stage is still mostly metrics, however. Military experience is generally considered a super-strong EC, but in most cases, it will not substitute for GPA/MCAT. There are exceptions to every rule, but that is the general trend. Definitely, use the MSAR to determine military friendly schools, but even that should be taken with a grain of salt. None of the schools I gained acceptance to were particularly mil friendly. All of the aforementioned mil-friendly schools gave me no love at all, while the one state school that purports to be mil friendly sent me an invite but no acceptance (in fairness, I might have matched there but I ranked them low on my list). So, the standard advice of applying broadly and applying where your numbers fit with the typical matriculants still holds true.

 

[batpuac]

I have two acceptances. I got WLed at another school and had a few more interviews coming up, but I withdrew from the WL and the other interviews once I got into my top choice.

Some tips from my experience:

1. Look at MSAR and find the schools that have >2% of their class with vet status. ETSU is the biggest one (besides USUHS obviously) with 9-11%, as they give in-state status to vets and current military. There are a few schools with huge numbers of vets, which is a great sign.

2. For the other schools, look at their mission and their GPA/MCAT and apply to schools where you either fit the mission really well or--preferably--you fit both the mission and you're above the 25%ile for GPA/MCAT.

3. Highlight your military experiences in your app, but don't make the entire app about your military career. I had 3-4 experiences on my AMCAS that I used for military, including one for leadership, one for clinical experience, one for general military service, and one for volunteering I did in the military. But the rest of my app was about cool hobbies and artistic stuff I have done, and interviewers and adcoms loved that stuff.

4. If you haven't taken the MCAT yet, take it when you are ready to demolish it. Vet status is a huge boost, but it will not make up for a low GPA or a low MCAT. And your GPA really does matter more for many schools, regardless of what you see people post here. I have a 519 MCAT and a 4.0 postbacc, but my overall GPA is a 3.43, and I got ghosted by a couple schools and flat out rejected pre-II by one because my GPA was too low.

5. Again, for number 3--do stuff that you enjoy that makes you interesting. If you play an instrument, put that on your app. Everyone wanted to talk about what instruments I play and the stuff I've written and published (and NOT the scholarly stuff--they wanted to talk about the fiction I've written). Adcoms and interviewers want to see who you are as a person outside of academics. If your whole app is academics and the military, you'll just be another vet applying to med school. That puts you ahead of the standard K2MD applicant, but you still want to be an individual here.

Good luck!

What was your school list if you dont mind me asking?

 

[daw05]

Since you're close, you're probably already tracking on the LOR and course prerequisites. Even though you are military, you'll need to have some clinical experience. As said above - crush the MCAT, it's THE MOST IMPORTANT THING.

Here's something I wrote in response to a similar question:
- Start working on your statements/essays now. We in the military have a hard time really picturing how others view our service, and it's good to get second opinions on what you've written. Don't be flippant about your experiences - no matter what, they helped form you, and write honestly as best you can.

I had already done my interviews before I sat down with a physician for my HPSP physical. We were talking about my past and we came across a few experiences that I've had. His advice was "I know we in the military don't like to talk up the things we've done, especially combat related, but use it. The rest of the world doesn't process things the same way that we do." Bottom line - figure out what you've really, truly learned in the military, write about it (pre-write expected interview questions), and then bounce those off someone from outside the military to see how you are coming off.

 

[SpinDrift]

I had 4 interview invites and 3 acceptances, bet it would have been 4 acceptances but I withdrew from the interview when I got the acceptance to my top choice. All of these traditional applicants really don't have anything too extraordinary to set themselves apart from each other. Being from the military you do. Use that to your advantage without shame....I did. My app was pretty stellar except for my mcat....a flippin 497 but it got me into an MD school so complain I will not, the mcat is important but its not everything. I applied early and to 23 MD and DO schools and I feel like that made a huge difference. Also if you can I would get to know the people who are in charge of admissions and attend all the open houses so they can put a face to the name, it makes a huge difference and is exactly what I did with my top choice!

 

[whorobbedthewoods]

None of the schools I gained acceptance to were particularly mil friendly. All of the aforementioned mil-friendly schools gave me no love at all,

Same. My two acceptances are from the 1-2% vet category, per MSAR. So while I agree that it makes sense to play the odds and apply to a few schools with high % of vets, it's sort of a Catch-22: the more vets that apply, the more your app loses its uniqueness by comparison. Meanwhile, other vets may be discouraged from applying to those schools in the 0-2% category, potentially giving you an edge. Kinda the chicken and the egg: do schools have higher % vets because they truly prioritize vets, or simply because they have a larger pool of vet applicants to choose from as a result of their "vet-friendly" reputation? WHO KNOWS. Basically, apply to the schools you want to apply to!

My cycle was extremely idiosyncratic. Applied to 20-something MD with mediocre stats (3.6X, 511). Rejected pre-II from almost every target, waitlisted at my state school, accepted at a T20. Just be ready for nothing to make any sense. You never know what any one school is looking for, or who is reviewing your app on a given day in a given mood...

I believe I filled four work/activities sections with Army stuff: one for leadership (one of my MME), one each for the language & technical sides of my MOS, and one for awards/recognitions (not like Army Achievement Medal (lol), but like "graduated top of my class at X training school" or whatever). I've heard that other people split it up by multiple deployments. There are lots of ways to do it! But I think 3-4 slots is probably the sweet spot. I also leaned pretty hard (possibly too much so) on my Army experience in my PS.

 

[esob]

Same. My two acceptances are from the 1-2% vet category, per MSAR. So while I agree that it makes sense to play the odds and apply to a few schools with high % of vets, it's sort of a Catch-22: the more vets that apply, the more your app loses its uniqueness by comparison. Meanwhile, other vets may be discouraged from applying to those schools in the 0-2% category, potentially giving you an edge. Kinda the chicken and the egg: do schools have higher % vets because they truly prioritize vets, or simply because they have a larger pool of vet applicants to choose from as a result of their "vet-friendly" reputation? WHO KNOWS. Basically, apply to the schools you want to apply to!

My cycle was extremely idiosyncratic. Applied to 20-something MD with mediocre stats (3.6X, 511). Rejected pre-II from almost every target, waitlisted at my state school, accepted at a T20. Just be ready for nothing to make any sense. You never know what any one school is looking for, or who is reviewing your app on a given day in a given mood...

I believe I filled four work/activities sections with Army stuff: one for leadership (one of my MME), one each for the language & technical sides of my MOS, and one for awards/recognitions (not like Army Achievement Medal (lol), but like "graduated top of my class at X training school" or whatever). I've heard that other people split it up by multiple deployments. There are lots of ways to do it! But I think 3-4 slots is probably the sweet spot. I also leaned pretty hard (possibly too much so) on my Army experience in my PS.

I agree with your analysis of the scenario. I think for the non-mil heavy schools, they don't really differentiate between the vet with a silver star and the one with a good conduct medal. I almost wonder if being a POG is a disadvantage at those schools . Congrats on the acceptance btw!

 

[whorobbedthewoods]

I agree with your analysis of the scenario. I think for the non-mil heavy schools, they don't really differentiate between the vet with a silver star and the one with a good conduct medal. I almost wonder if being a POG is a disadvantage at those schools . Congrats on the acceptance btw!

Right! You'd imagine that schools w/ fewer military apps in front of them would tend not to see as much nuance among MOS, rank, deployment history, etc...

Lmao I'm proof that a POG can make it...can't speak for legs, though

And thank you! Same to you!!

 

[SpinDrift]

Right! You'd imagine that schools w/ fewer military apps in front of them would tend not to see as much nuance among MOS, rank, deployment history, etc...

Lmao I'm proof that a POG can make it...can't speak for legs, though

And thank you! Same to you!!

Right! You'd imagine that schools w/ fewer military apps in front of them would tend not to see as much nuance among MOS, rank, deployment history, etc...

Lmao I'm proof that a POG can make it...can't speak for legs, though

And thank you! Same to you!!

Well, I'm a dirty nasty leg knuckle dragging infantryman and I made it in this cycle!

 

[esob]

Well, I'm a dirty nasty leg knuckle dragging infantryman and I mad it in this cycle!

Grunts are always mad, even at getting accepted to medical school apparently

 

[SpinDrift]

Grunts are always mad, even at getting accepted to medical school apparently

Son of a gun ......I fixed it!