Medical What are your recommendations for next steps while I sit on multiple waitlists?

[Catalystik]

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After interviewing for 9 schools this cycle, I am sitting on 7 wait lists (mostly MD, a couple of DO to which I applied late in cycle) with no acceptances currently.

I would be prepared to commit to enroll to the first school from which I receive an offer of acceptance and withdraw my applications from all other schools.
1a) Would this be taken seriously if I sent in an email to schools?
1b) And in such an email, would adding the number of waitlists I am on be received positively/constructively towards my chances to starting med school this summer?

I am preparing to submit a new application for the 2020 cycle, which I have strengthened over the past year. I am a career changer and now have another year of shadowing, clinical research, 2 presentations/publications, and continued volunteer experience - all of which have further fueled my reasons and interest for becoming a doctor.
2) But, given the number of interviews I attended this past year, I'm worried that maybe it is not my application but my interview performance which was the main issue?
3) Is it possible that other factors (including a cGPA < 3.4, with sGPA > 3.5 and postbacc GPA =4.0), reconsidered post-interview, are also driving the lack of acceptances?

1a) Probably not, but it won't hurt, though likely to be interpreted as an act of desperation.
1b) Possible adcomm interpretation: If all those other schools haven't accepted you, why should we?

2) Considering your GPAs are in accord with DO averages, I agree with your interpretation that interview skills may be something you need to work on.

3) You haven't mentioned your MCAT score, which is usually part of the metric that drives post-interview ranking systems.

 

[Goro]

1. With this additional info regarding MCAT and GPA, might these in combination be driving down my post-interview ranking?
Depending upon the school, unlikely. They considered you to have reinvented yourself enough to give you an interview. Hence, I agree that the problem may lie with your interviewing skills.

2. When would be the most appropriate time to reach out to waitlisted schools about feedback?
After the cycle is over...ie, if you are completely shut out.

3a. If I were to take additional classes this coming year, they won't be reflected in my AMCAS Primary app for the 2019-20 cycle. How much would schools consider one semester of 4.0 grades if I sent in an update in December? And, I guess two semesters, if I were waitlisted again next year and submitted an update in June?
Will always be considered well. If you get waitlisted after a second cycle, then it's time for Plan B.

3b. If not for the ultimate purpose of getting into medical school and becoming a doctor (and all my strong reasons for doing so, which I'm not going to rehash here), personally, I see taking classes full-time as a waste of time. I would much rather devote my time to accomplishing something, i.e. continuing my work in clinical informatics and precision medicine with meaningful impact and immediate applications in patient care. Among the following options, which do you think would make the most sense?
SMP at a med school with some sort of linkage

Research MS if you are looking for an alternative career.