WAMC Texas/3 MCAT retakes/3.9 GPA/ORM Reapplicant.

[RagingPotato]

Edit: After reading my post and comments an hour later. I think my best shot is to submit now so that I am complete early and pray for the best. I will leave the post up (with just my stats) for those to reference. My initial question was if I should take the MCAT for a 4th time... If anyone has any schools I should add to my list this year; I would greatly appreciate it. I will be developing the list as I wait for my application to be verified.

GPA: >3.95
SGPA is ~3.9.

MCAT Retakes: high 490s -> 500 -> 508... (Most recent score, 126 average for other sections, nothing below 125. and 130 on psych soc).

ECS: I took a gap year so please keep that in mind.

1000 Hours Club Sports. 200 hours on other Hobbies.

~2000 Hours of Research (1 mid-author paper, some in the drafting/review phase, 5+ mid/second author abstracts/presentations/posters.) (Most of this is from my current gap year working full time in research). Includes clinical research hours as well.

>1000 Clinical Hours: broken up into around 200 hours of shadowing. 800 Hospital/Clinical Volunteering (Collecting vitals, Covid testing volunteer, etc.)

>300 Hours - of nonclinical volunteering - Some community-based activities that I've been doing for years.

200 Hours Part Time employment during undergrad.

Some awards and scholarships.

Commitee letter/Support and strong rec letters (or so I'm told). Includes letter from an MD. No letter from DO. I will be applying to DO/MD this year.

Last year, I applied to ~35 schools MDs with stats near mine (tried to aim between 10th-50th percentile with regards to MCAT, used a combination of reddit/SDN recommendations/MSAR/my own research) except for schools included in the TMDSAS application like UTSA/Baylor/UTSW/Dell where I was basically bottom percentile. Complete by mid-July for TMDSAS and AMCAS by mid-August. No iis.

My essays are definitely stronger this year, but then again, who knows...
_____________________________

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[chilly_md]

A 4th MCAT retake would not yield any benefit.

Out of state MD schools do not consider TX applicants usually because they cannot compete with the cheaper tuition. It would not be a good use of your money, especially since you already experienced this fact last year. You will need to apply to DO schools.

I suggest:
TMDSAS (including SHSU and TCOM)
Tulane
TCU
Oakland
Drexel

For other DO options, try:
UIWSOM
PCOM
DMU
Marian
Campbell
KCU
KCOM
LECOM
WCU
ACOM
Touro NV
NYIT

 

[Mr.Smile12]

Your MCAT range is baked in. Some schools will screen out after 3 attempts, though I don't know what TX MD schools do. DO schools are likely more forgiving on this, but you are good now. Are all three scores active (within the last 3-4 years)?

You must add DO schools and swallow your pride.

I do not see your WAMC from last cycle if you posted one.

Your essays didn't matter (much) if you didn't show mission fit. Did you add any community service in the gap year? Where did you grow up in Texas?

 

[wysdoc]

Good luck this time, @RagingPotato
I don't know when your most recent MCAT was (the 508) - did you apply to TMDSAS last year with your 500 score?
I have seen a few Texans this year (not the sky high stats folks) get into Kentucky, Wisconsin, UCF, & Virginia Tech if you are still going to apply to AMCAS schools. And TCU of course as the AMCAS Texas school.

Take a breath, believe in yourself, and give it your best. I agree that TMDSAS + AACOMAS is your best combo of applications this time.

 

[RagingPotato]

Your MCAT range is baked in. Some schools will screen out after 3 attempts, though I don't know what TX MD schools do. DO schools are likely more forgiving on this, but you are good now. Are all three scores active (within the last 3-4 years)?

You must add DO schools and swallow your pride.

I do not see your WAMC from last cycle if you posted one.

Your essays didn't matter (much) if you didn't show mission fit. Did you add any community service in the gap year? Where did you grow up in Texas?

Yes, I am applying to DO/MD. I want to be a physician more than anything. Thank you for taking the time to respond to my post.

These three scores are all active within the last 3 years. Last year I was complete in late July for TMDSAS schools and in late August for AMCAS schools because of the "labor day deadline" I read about. I'm hoping if I'm complete by June/Early-Mid July this year I will improve my chances for AMCAS/TMDSAS/and AACOMAS.

I added about 100 hours of community service all concentrated during the holidays. The 300 Hours are from service activities from the past 4 years for the community with a majority of it through my religious organization; so passing out food and collecting resources to donate, in addition to setting up/helping run events to connect the local community. I have been doing this for years since I was a child, but those thousands of hours are not reflected in my application and I was not able to commit as much time as I did in the past due to school/work. I did mention the commitment I have to the activity in its description though.

I have signed up for more volunteering events unrelated to the religious organization over the summer, as I am now transitioning jobs; however, this will only be found in the planned section of my application.

If it is alright with you, I will post a tentative school list soon and would appreciate it if you could review it as well. Thanks.

 

[RagingPotato]

Good luck this time, @RagingPotato
I don't know when your most recent MCAT was (the 508) - did you apply to TMDSAS last year with your 500 score?
I have seen a few Texans this year (not the sky high stats folks) get into Kentucky, Wisconsin, UCF, & Virginia Tech if you are still going to apply to AMCAS schools. And TCU of course as the AMCAS Texas school.

Take a breath, believe in yourself, and give it your best. I agree that TMDSAS + AACOMAS is your best combo of applications this time.

I applied with my 508 score last year; It did not come in until July. So, I wasn't complete until late July (July 25-July 29th) after my committee accepted the score and wrote me a letter.

I will be spreading a wider net this year with schools focused on a combination of cancer research/innovation (what I've been working on for the past 2 years), community service (little worried about this because of my volunteering centering around just my religious organization. I'm not sure of the optics of that, but because they participate in community stuff unrelated to religion, I think I should be fine?), and those with a primary care/internal medicine/oncology focus.

Thank you for your wishes and positivity. I appreciate it.

If it is alright with you, I will post a tentative school list soon and would appreciate it if you could review it as well

 

[Mr.Smile12]

little worried about this because of my volunteering centering around just my religious organization. I'm not sure of the optics of that, but because they participate in community stuff unrelated to religion

Unfortunately you will not find a consensus, so it's a risk that you will need to accept that could be a problem but you cannot control. That's one reason why we are more impressed if you are taken outside your comfort zone and learned something from the activity. Many faith-based organizations do some really solid community service and activism, but there is still some concern that you are "expected" to do this activity as a member. (I'm just saying what debates I have about this.)

The experts have made a suggested list based on your information. What questions do you have about their suggestions?

 

[RagingPotato]

Unfortunately you will not find a consensus, so it's a risk that you will need to accept that could be a problem but you cannot control. That's one reason why we are more impressed if you are taken outside your comfort zone and learned something from the activity. Many faith-based organizations do some really solid community service and activism, but there is still some concern that you are "expected" to do this activity as a member. (I'm just saying what debates I have about this.)

The experts have made a suggested list based on your information. What questions do you have about their suggestions?

Alrighty, we shall see how it goes this time around!

I will be finalizing a list soon that will likely include more out-of-state schools in addition to the ones suggested. I have no particular questions about these suggestions at this time. If my list ends up just being entirely the same, then I will likely refrain from posting again unless it is an update about how my cycle is going or have a specific question regarding things like update letters, etc. that I can't find online.


Thank you for your response and thoughts!

 

[RagingPotato]

Thanks to all who helped/provided guidance this cycle.

Cycle Update:
Accepted NYITCOM - Long Island (committed here unless MD A)

3 DO ii. DMU/UIWSOM/NYITCOM
1 MD ii. No match. (UTRGV)