What are my chances and where to improve?

[Doitagain]

I applied for the 2018 cycle and have not heard back from any medical schools. I am fairly certain I didn’t get into any since it’s now almost January, and I am trying to ready my application for next cycle (if I should not apply immediately and maybe wait a year, please let me know). Any advice on where I could improve would be appreciated!

I applied to 18 schools only and all MD schools. (Could definitely broaden that)

cGPA: 3.58 AMCAS sGPA: 3.36

MCAT 506: Percentile rank of score: 71% chem / phys: 124, 44% CARS: 127, 83% Bio: 128, 85% Psych: 127, 75%

Residence: California. Mixed race female - white, filipina, hispanic. Undergrad: UCLA: Neuroscience B.S.

Clinical / Research experience

1. Physician Shadowing approx. 50+ hours at Kaiser Permanente, Various specialties
   
   
2. Sr. RA - work as a clinical research coordinator for clinical trials at Kaiser Permanente; full-time (from June 2016 to now)
   
   
3. Undergraduate research lab - Neuroplasticity and repair lab with student project. Done during undergrad
   
   
4. Sports medicine internship program - worked in this for 2.5 years approx. 2000 hours. Done during undergrad
   
   
5. Interned for Kaiser as an Undergraduate research intern for CARDIA study one summer. Done during undergrad
   
   
6. Volunteering at UCSF BrainLENS lab where I MRI 5 year olds doing cognitive tasks (currently)
   
   
7. I have a poster I worked on for Western Association of Gyencologic oncology (hoping by next year to have a manuscript published). I have another poster coming as well for a trial I worked on.
   

Where can I improve?
Some things I thought I could improve in:

1. Apply earlier and broader, I finished all apps by September but I could do better
   
   
2. Retake the MCAT (I have taken it twice now and I am nervous about retaking it again)
   
   
3. Try and get more professor letter of recs? It’s hard being a couple years removed from school now; but in this first cycle, I didn’t have the usual 1 nonscience and 2 science letters that most schools require
   
   
4. I am considering the merits of a special masters program. I’ve seen a lot of debate around it; but I thought since my GPA and MCAT are not so great, maybe it’ll be beneficial
   

Would I have a decent shot at an MD school if I just got my MCAT up? ANY advice would be appreciated. Thank you!

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[Forever Geebs]

When you say you haven’t heard back, is that no II’s and interviews?


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[boogiecousins94]

I would do more nonclinical volunteering- it seems that you have none based on the post. When did you start the MRI volunteering? If you started after you applied and thats your only volunteering then definitely keep doing it, but that would be a contributing factor (minimal volunteering)

 

[Doitagain]

When you say you haven’t heard back, is that no II’s and interviews?


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I am not sure what an II is to be honest. But so the 18 applications are complete applications (primary, secondary, the whole sha-bang). I have received about 4 rejections (from Tulane, USC, Wake Forest, another one I can't remember at the moment). I have 14 schools that are just...silence. I figured I am going to receive batch rejections shortly.

 

[Faha]

I suggest applying to at least 6 DO schools the next cycle and you are competitive for all DO schools. You could also try the new MD schools that may open for 2019:Kaiser, NOVA MD, Seton Hall, Roseman, etc.).