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Hi everyone, I would greatly appreciate some feedback as I plan for reapplication.
For context, I applied during the 2025-2026 cycle and have not received any interview invites. Of the 30+ schools that I applied to, I am still waiting on decisions from approximately 10 schools. Currently, I do not know if I should plan to reapply immediately or wait until the 2027-2028 cycle.
GPA (calculated by AMCAS): 3.85 cGPA / 3.75 sGPA
MCAT scores:
513 with 127/129/130/127
515 with 128/126/130/131 (taken 8 months after my first attempt)
State of residence: CA
Ethnicity: ORM
Undergraduate institution: T50 Spanish major
Red flags: alcohol IA (underage drinking)
Submitted primary: Early Jun | Verified: Early Jul | Submitted secondaries: Mid Jul - Late Aug
X factor?
A lot of my activities focused on helping Spanish-speaking communities* and included tutoring and self-led research. I received university and departmental awards for my research, and I recently started a project based on that research.
As an undergraduate, I also received a scholarship for a short study abroad program in Mexico.
[Other activities]
Research:
1. Undergraduate research assistant: 1000 hours. I volunteered for three years and received multiple summer scholarships.
1a. I was included in two posters, one of which I presented.
1b. I was also published after submitting my secondaries and included this in an update letter to several schools.
Leadership:
1. Board member for undergraduate pre-medical organization: 200 hours. Held this position for two years.
Clinical employment:
1. EMT: 600 hours
Non-clinical employment:
1. Undergraduate student worker: 400 hours
Non-clinical volunteering:
1. Soup kitchen volunteer: 80 hours
2. Remote English tutor: 120 hours
Shadowing:
1. 60 hours with one specialty
After reviewing my application, there are several factors that I believe could have negatively impacted my chances:
1. My IA is obviously the biggest red flag. I would also consider my MCAT retake a yellow flag.
2. My secondary writing was weak. My primary application was reviewed by medical students and professors, and I was told that it looked great. However, I rushed through most of my secondaries without asking for feedback. Reflecting on my writing, I think I failed to expand on multiple competencies and focused too much on my strengths in cultural proficiency. I was also too ambitious and specific in describing the work I wanted to do with Spanish-speaking communities as a medical student and future physician.
3. My community service was weak.* My application focused on helping underserved communities (specifically, Spanish-speaking communities), but none of my activities involved directly working within these communities. I have some experience interpreting for Spanish-speaking patients at free clinics (<30 hours, which I wrote about in my PS) but nothing substantial.
4. No second science LOR, which prevented me from applying to a few schools. However, I have strong LORs from one science professor, two non-science professors, my research PI, and one physician for a total of five LORs.
Since submitting my application, I have done the following:
1. Continued working as an EMT (600 hours -> 1400 hours) and soup kitchen volunteer (80 hours -> 120 hours).
2. Found a new role as a general volunteer in the emergency room (starting soon).
Should I reapply immediately and focus on improving my writing? Or, should I wait a year to build my experiences? I would greatly appreciate any advice and tips for moving forward. Thank you!
For context, I applied during the 2025-2026 cycle and have not received any interview invites. Of the 30+ schools that I applied to, I am still waiting on decisions from approximately 10 schools. Currently, I do not know if I should plan to reapply immediately or wait until the 2027-2028 cycle.
GPA (calculated by AMCAS): 3.85 cGPA / 3.75 sGPA
MCAT scores:
513 with 127/129/130/127
515 with 128/126/130/131 (taken 8 months after my first attempt)
State of residence: CA
Ethnicity: ORM
Undergraduate institution: T50 Spanish major
Red flags: alcohol IA (underage drinking)
Submitted primary: Early Jun | Verified: Early Jul | Submitted secondaries: Mid Jul - Late Aug
X factor?
A lot of my activities focused on helping Spanish-speaking communities* and included tutoring and self-led research. I received university and departmental awards for my research, and I recently started a project based on that research.
As an undergraduate, I also received a scholarship for a short study abroad program in Mexico.
[Other activities]
Research:
1. Undergraduate research assistant: 1000 hours. I volunteered for three years and received multiple summer scholarships.
1a. I was included in two posters, one of which I presented.
1b. I was also published after submitting my secondaries and included this in an update letter to several schools.
Leadership:
1. Board member for undergraduate pre-medical organization: 200 hours. Held this position for two years.
Clinical employment:
1. EMT: 600 hours
Non-clinical employment:
1. Undergraduate student worker: 400 hours
Non-clinical volunteering:
1. Soup kitchen volunteer: 80 hours
2. Remote English tutor: 120 hours
Shadowing:
1. 60 hours with one specialty
After reviewing my application, there are several factors that I believe could have negatively impacted my chances:
1. My IA is obviously the biggest red flag. I would also consider my MCAT retake a yellow flag.
2. My secondary writing was weak. My primary application was reviewed by medical students and professors, and I was told that it looked great. However, I rushed through most of my secondaries without asking for feedback. Reflecting on my writing, I think I failed to expand on multiple competencies and focused too much on my strengths in cultural proficiency. I was also too ambitious and specific in describing the work I wanted to do with Spanish-speaking communities as a medical student and future physician.
3. My community service was weak.* My application focused on helping underserved communities (specifically, Spanish-speaking communities), but none of my activities involved directly working within these communities. I have some experience interpreting for Spanish-speaking patients at free clinics (<30 hours, which I wrote about in my PS) but nothing substantial.
4. No second science LOR, which prevented me from applying to a few schools. However, I have strong LORs from one science professor, two non-science professors, my research PI, and one physician for a total of five LORs.
Since submitting my application, I have done the following:
1. Continued working as an EMT (600 hours -> 1400 hours) and soup kitchen volunteer (80 hours -> 120 hours).
2. Found a new role as a general volunteer in the emergency room (starting soon).
Should I reapply immediately and focus on improving my writing? Or, should I wait a year to build my experiences? I would greatly appreciate any advice and tips for moving forward. Thank you!
