What am i doing wrong

[omgseriously]

I will be applying (again) for the 2008 entering class.... my FOURTH round. gpa of 3.44 and a 28R mcat. ive been doing research pretty much each year since 2002. I have worked as a lab analyst at Abbott labs and even volunteered in indonesia after the tsunami. bunch of other things, too.

weird thing is that i got the furthest right after graduating in 05. waitlists at both my top schools. each successive year has had less interviews. ie, with stronger ec's, experience, and overall application adcoms seem to hate me more and more. (and ive been applying earlier and earlier)

what gives?

and its not like im aiming for harvard or hopkins, either. any advice would be much appreciated - thanks in advance.

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[MJB]

I'll assume you have only applied MD.

My guess it's a combo of lower GPA and a lower than average MCAT for MD programs.

Looking at the numbers of some folks that didn't even get a sniff at MD programs this year...you've got work ahead of you to get into MD.

You would likely need to really show progress over your previous applications, including coursework (and get A's)...maybe re-take the MCAT...and document all that experience.

How well did your LOR writers know you?

DO is an option...I'd go that route before waiting another 3 years to get into MD, but that's me.

 

[postbacker]

You need to jack that MCAT up over 30 with that GPA. I would think that an applicant with below average GPA should be shooting for an above average MCAT, but of course that guarantees absolutely nothing.

Also, are your volunteer and clinical hours fresh? Recent experiences matter the most...

Finally, who really knows? Your PS may be lacking, your LORs may be lacking (how old are they?). Have you gotten to the interview stage? How did it go?

 

[RxnMan]

Take a look at the sticky at the top of this forum. How have you applied? You said you weren't trying for Hopkins, which is ok, but were you going for lots of schools (25+)? How many people have you had read your PS and associated essays? Have you ever spoken to any of the ADCOMs that rejected you? If you gave them the $100 to get rejected, the least they can give you in return is reapp advice.