WAMC: 3.67/517/ORM, Reapplicant. School list help!

[DrPlatypus]

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Firstly, thank you so much for any and all help you provide. Though I am very disappointed with how my first cycle went, I feel ready to apply again!

GPA: 3.66, physics major
MCAT: 517,128/132/128/129
Maryland, asian male, went to penn state then transferred home to UMD after 2 years due to family reasons
I cannot apply to my state school, UMSOM, because they require a committee letter from UMD and it is too late for me to obtain one.

My personal statement & work/activities have been described as great by the 5 people who read it (all physicians & med students). Such was the case my first time applying. I have identified a poor school list as being the primary factor resulting in my lack of success this past cycle, rushed secondary writing might have also contributed.

Clinical:

1. 1 year medical scribe in ED (cut short by COVID), 600 hours
2. Volunteer clinical assistant at pediatric clinic for 1 summer, 180 hours
3. EMT (in progress), 200 classroom & ride-along hours, 1000 hours part-time employment over next year (projected)

Volunteering:

1. Farmers market volunteer: 200 hours over past 4 summers
2. Gurdwara volunteer: 250 hours over past 4 summers
3. Crisis text line counselor: 60 hours over 9 months
4. Volunteer physics tutor: 50 hours over 1 semester

Leadership

1. Senator of SGA at Penn state Harrisburg for 1 year
2. Director of student activities board & member of student athletics board for 1 year (additional roles while in SGA)
3. Supplemental instructor at UMD for 1.5 years in Orgo 2 and Biochem 1 - 700 hours
4. Program mentor for supplemental instructor program for 1 semester - 100 hours

Research

1. Artificial heart research for 1 semester - 100 hours, no poster/publication
2. Quantum astrochemistry research (ongoing) - 100 hours completed no poster/publication, 500 hours projected over next year

Honors/Awards:

1. Most Innovative Sessions award - supplemental instructor program
2. Dean's list 8 semesters
3. Dean Underwood scholarship in physics (small merit scholarship)
4. Valedictorian of EMT course

Letters of Rec (predicted quality of letter based on relationship):
1. Orgo prof - average
2. English prof - excellent
3. MD I scribed with - excellent
4. DO I scribed with - good
5. Supplemental instructor program coordinator - excellent
6. Advanced physics prof - good

How my first cycle went:
3 Interviews --> 2 waitlists (MSUCOM, NJMS) & 1 post-interview rejection (einstein). My interviews at MSUCOM and NJMS were GREAT. My einstein interview was mediocre. My primary was sent mid-July, my secondaries were all out by mid August.
I applied to 27 schools my first cycle, 4 were DO schools. In hindsight, my DO application wasn't good, I didn't have a personal statement mentioning my interest in the osteopathic profession, it was just a copy & paste of my AMCAS.

Looking for advice on what I could add or remove from my school list as it currently stands. I want to apply to around 35 schools.
1. Albany
2. Einstein
3. Boston
4. Carle Illinois
5. Central Michigan
6. Rosalind Franklin
7. Cooper Rowan
8. Drexel
9. Emory
10. Quinnipiac
11. Geisinger
12. GW
13. Georgetown
14. Temple
15. Loyola
16. MCW
17. MSUCHM
18. MSUCOM (DO)
19. Beaumont
20. Ohio State
21. Vermont
22. Rush
23. RWJMS
24. SUNY Downstate
25. Brown
26. UCF
27. U Conn
28. Illinois
29. Kentucky
30. Miami Miller
31. Michigan
32. Minnesota
33. Wisconsin
34. VCU
35. Wake Forest
36. Cornell
37. PCOM (DO)

 

[Faha]

I suggest these schools with your stats:
George Washington
Georgetown
West Virginia
Virginia Commonwealth
Eastern Virginia
Wake Forest
NOVA MD
Miami
USF Morsani
Tulane
TCU-UNT
Creighton
St. Louis
Loyola
Rush
Rosalind Franklin
Medical College Wisconsin
Western Michigan
Oakland Beaumont
Wayne State
U Michigan
Ohio State
Cincinnati
Pittsburgh
Penn State
Drexel
Temple
Jefferson
Hackensack
RWJMS
Hofstra
Einstein
Mount Sinai
New York Medical College
Albany
Rochester
Vermont
Quinnipiac
Boston University
Tufts

 

[DrPlatypus]

I suggest these schools with your stats:
George Washington
Georgetown
West Virginia
Virginia Commonwealth
Eastern Virginia
Wake Forest
NOVA MD
Miami
USF Morsani
Tulane
TCU-UNT
Creighton
St. Louis
Loyola
Rush
Rosalind Franklin
Medical College Wisconsin
Western Michigan
Oakland Beaumont
Wayne State
U Michigan
Ohio State
Cincinnati
Pittsburgh
Penn State
Drexel
Temple
Jefferson
Hackensack
RWJMS
Hofstra
Einstein
Mount Sinai
New York Medical College
Albany
Rochester
Vermont
Quinnipiac
Boston University
Tufts

Wow, thank you so much for this list!! I truly appreciate your time and effort <3

 

[voxveritatisetlucis]

I would add more than one DO school tbh

Is there any way of getting a committee letter? It’s preferred by a decent amount of schools and I’m wondering whether this could have affected your cycle.

 

[DrPlatypus]

I would add more than one DO school tbh

Is there any way of getting a committee letter? It’s preferred by a decent amount of schools and I’m wondering whether this could have affected your cycle.

I've got MSUCOM and PCOM, any others you would recommend? My lack of success with osteo this cycle makes me wonder how much yield protection plays a role in limiting my application's success at those schools. Unfortunately, at this point there is no way to get the committee letter for this cycle 🙁

 

[voxveritatisetlucis]

I’m not overly familiar with specific DO schools. I’m surprised you didn’t get in MD this past cycle and think you’ll get in this time around but I also think that 5ish DO could be good to add. I just think that it might be good insurance in case there is a repeat this time around (not saying there will be…your app looks good so check essays and personal statement).


I think maybe some of the older DO schools that are non profit may be good but hopefully another user can chime in on which are the best fits.

 

[DrPlatypus]

I’m not overly familiar with specific DO schools. I’m surprised you didn’t get in MD this past cycle and think you’ll get in this time around but I also think that 5ish DO could be good to add. I just think that it might be good insurance in case there is a repeat this time around (not saying there will be…your app looks good so check essays and personal statement).


I think maybe some of the older DO schools that are non profit may be good but hopefully another user can chime in on which are the best fits.

Thank you very much for your advice! I truly appreciate it <3. I'll do some research and see which DO schools might be good to add here.

 

[voxveritatisetlucis]

Thank you very much for your advice! I truly appreciate it <3. I'll do some research and see which DO schools might be good to add here.

No worries.

Like I said, just try to stay away from newer ones or for profit ones. I think that state ones tend to be better but I’m not sure if they actually take many OOS students

Best of Luck!

 

[chilly_md]

Thank you very much for your advice! I truly appreciate it <3. I'll do some research and see which DO schools might be good to add here.

PCOM
DMU
KCU
KCOM
NYITCOM

 

[Faha]

Yield protection does not occur at DO schools. You could add NYITCOM, Touro-NY, ATSU-KCOM, KCU-COM, DMU-COM.

 

[Mr.Smile12]

I would still apply to Maryland even without a committee letter if you have your own set to deliver. You are going to the open house in early June ?

 

[DrPlatypus]

I would still apply to Maryland even without a committee letter if you have your own set to deliver. You are going to the open house in early June ?

Thank you for this input! Last cycle I was swiftly rejected by Maryland, I contacted admissions looking for feedback and they replied stating they require all UMD applicants to have a committee letter. If I were to apply again this cycle I am worried that I will again be rejected for not having an app that meets their committee letter requirements, if you think it is worth a shot I might try. I was not planning on going to the open house, but given your advice to apply again, I might book a seat.

 

[candbgirl]

If you were rejected last cycle for no committee letter, why didn’t you get one just in case you needed it to reapply? As @voxveritatisetlucis said there are many schools that prefer them.

 

[Mr.Smile12]

Thank you for this input! Last cycle I was swiftly rejected by Maryland, I contacted admissions looking for feedback and they replied stating they require all UMD applicants to have a committee letter. If I were to apply again this cycle I am worried that I will again be rejected for not having an app that meets their committee letter requirements, if you think it is worth a shot I might try. I was not planning on going to the open house, but given your advice to apply again, I might book a seat.

It seems weird... Maybe it is their preference that committee letters are required for UMD applicants. You can ask again at the open house but if they are that clear, then their loss. Do you really want to go there that much?

 

[Mr.Smile12]

Wait... They told you to get a letter but you still missed the deadline to request a letter?

 

[DrPlatypus]

If you were rejected last cycle for no committee letter, why didn’t you get one just in case you needed it to reapply? As @voxveritatisetlucis said there are many schools that prefer them.

I did not receive the feedback from UMSOM until after the committee letter deadline at UMD. I beat myself up every day for not doing the research earlier and not getting one in time for this cycle. @Mr.Smile12 @candbgirl

 

[Mr.Smile12]

I did not receive the feedback from UMSOM until after the committee letter deadline at UMD. I beat myself up every day for not doing the research earlier and not getting one in time for this cycle. @Mr.Smile12 @candbgirl

So it sounds like you never knew about or accessed the resources of the pre health office during your application prep either cycle then.

 

[voxveritatisetlucis]

At this point I would let bygones be bygones. Don’t try to beat yourself up. At this point, ruminating on the lack of committee letter will just erode your confidence going into interviews. You still got 3 interviews. I have seen people get in with letter packets or individual letters as well. Look for schools that are in your stats range that have no explicit committee letter preference (it’s in MSAR)

But do try to start the request process asap just in case you need a third cycle (I don’t think you will but as you know, there is a lot of randomness)

 

[DrPlatypus]

So it sounds like you never knew about or accessed the resources of the pre health office during your application prep either cycle then.

I knew about it but did not utilize the resource nearly as much as I should have. Absolutely regretting it after this past cycle. At this point, I am simply grateful I have come to realize my mistakes and am ready to get this second show on the road. If a 3rd cycle is necessary, I promise you a committee letter will be attached, and it will be a glorious one

 

[DrPlatypus]

At this point I would let bygones be bygones. Don’t try to beat yourself up. At this point, ruminating on the lack of committee letter will just erode your confidence going into interviews. You still got 3 interviews. I have seen people get in with letter packets or individual letters as well. Look for schools that are in your stats range that have no explicit committee letter preference (it’s in MSAR)

But do try to start the request process asap just in case you need a third cycle (I don’t think you will but as you know, there is a lot of randomness)

Thank you for this kind comment. I absolutely agree that this is the mindset I need to adopt and I totally have to prioritize building my confidence going into this cycle. A 3rd application, if necessary, will surely have a committee letter attached!