What can I improve in case I have to reapply?

[jack326]

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Hey guys, I just wanted some opinions on what I can improve in case I have to reapply. So far I’ve had 2 DO II and one MD II. Two of them led to WL and I haven’t heard back from the third yet. I’ve also not heard back from a handful of schools and have quite a few pre-II holds. I’m taking Ochem 1 and 2 lab as well as Physics 1 and 2 lab this spring semester in case I somehow manage to get accepted. Other than that I have no idea how to improve on my application. I’m currently working as a phlebotomist and that’s about it.

Clinical volunteering: Lab tech- 300 hours Eye screener- 300 hours

Non-clinical: After school Tutor- 100 hours Meals on wheels- 20 hours

Leadership: Physiology TA- 100 hours Program Director- 100 hours

Clinical Work: Health screener- 800 hours Covid tester(new)- 400 hours Temperature screener- 80 hours Phlebotomist- 500 hours

Research: Diabetes Lab-300 hours

Shadowing: Gastroenterologist- 12 hours Internal medicine-15 hours Pediatrician-12 hours

PS: My cgpa is 3.3, sgpa is 3.34, 3.67 over last 60, and mcat is 518.

 

[KnightDoc]

With 3 IIs in early January, it is way too early to panic. The odds are very decent that at least one of your IIs will turn into an A before the dust settles next summer.

Obviously, we can all always improve, and everything you have been doing since you applied will make you at least a marginally stronger applicant if you have to reapply, but, honestly, having 3 IIs at this point in the cycle is a clear sign that your app has no red flags or obvious flaws that need to be addressed.

It's not easy, especially at this time of year with so many reporting success on SDN, but try to be patient. DO schools, in particular, tend to have decent WL movement as early admittees upgrade to MD as the cycle progresses.

Just keep doing what you are doing. If you do end up needing to reapply, potential areas for improvement would include interview skills and/or your school list.

 

[jack326]

With 3 IIs in early January, it is way too early to panic. The odds are very decent that at least one of your IIs will turn into an A before the dust settles next summer.

Obviously, we can all always improve, and everything you have been doing since you applied will make you at least a marginally stronger applicant if you have to reapply, but, honestly, having 3 IIs at this point in the cycle is a clear sign that your app has no red flags or obvious flaws that need to be addressed.

It's not easy, especially at this time of year with so many reporting success on SDN, but try to be patient. DO schools, in particular, tend to have decent WL movement as early admittees upgrade to MD as the cycle progresses.

Just keep doing what you are doing. If you do end up needing to reapply, potential areas for improvement would include interview skills and/or your school list.

Thank you, for your response. I will try to remain patient and just keep doing what I’m doing. Hopefully it pays off. 🙏🙏

 

[KnightDoc]

Thank you, for your response. I will try to remain patient and just keep doing what I’m doing. Hopefully it pays off. 🙏🙏

Believe me, you are FAR from alone here. Just look at last cycle's WL support thread if you don't believe me.

 

[jack326]

Believe me, you are FAR from alone here. Just look at last cycle's WL support thread if you don't believe me.

Lol I believe you. Praying to Lady Luck for some of that WL movement.

 

[KnightDoc]

Lol I believe you. Praying to Lady Luck for some of that WL movement.

There's always a little bit of luck, but it's mostly hard work that got you to the point of getting the IIs, which is way better than many. Are either of them priority WLs by any chance? Plus, you still have one more decision. Plus, IIs will still be going out for a few more months, depending on the schools. How many are a "handful"? I'm still waiting for a ton myself!

 

[jack326]

There's always a little bit of luck, but it's mostly hard work that got you to the point of getting the IIs, which is way better than many. Are either of them priority WLs by any chance? Plus, you still have one more decision. Plus, IIs will still be going out for a few more months, depending on the schools. How many are a "handful"? I'm still waiting for a ton myself!

True true. Neither of them are ranked WL. I’m praying this third school comes through clutch. You’re right, there’s still plenty of time left to get more IIs. Too early to lose hope.

 

[BeMoConsulting]

Hi there, great question! First off, congratulations for your interview invites and WL! That is a huge accomplishment although I understand the waiting can be difficult. One thing to mention before talking about possible things to improve upon for next cycle is how to ensure your best chances for this cycle. If you have not done so already, update letters and one letter of intent to your top choice program may be helpful to send in. Please ensure that the school accepts update letters before sending, however, as some do not.

For the letters of update- these are especially helpful for those on waitlists. You update letters should reiterate your interest in their program. If you can start with something specific about the program that you like, that can show your passion. Of course, also include your interview date, and anything you remember about the interview. You will also want to update them on any new developments in your activities and aim to show how you would be a good fir for their program. This should not exceed one page.

The letter of intent should be focused only at one program and should clearly state that you would accept their offer unequivocally. You can then include other things that you have included in your update letters.

Now, in terms of figuring out how to make your application stronger next cycle, I suggest looking at the most recent stats on MSAR (once they become available) to see how your GPA and MCAT scores match up to those who were ultimately accepted. It may be that your GPA is slightly lower. In that case, you could reevaluate your school list. Of course adding any new and memorable experiences to your activities sketch, personal statement and/or secondaries can help you to stand out.

Best of luck!

 

[voxveritatisetlucis]

School list? Hard to say without getting an idea of how many applications you sent and to which schools. Could be LORs or writing. If you have to reapply, feel free to DM your essays and I can take a look. I’ve been told in interviews that they liked reading my essays so I like to think I have a decent grasp of that part of the application.

 

[peltier]

Former ad com member at UCSF here and now at Yale as an Assistant Professor. With your numbers, you have a shot here-especially with the 518 MCAT. Your gpa is having the greatest impact on your efforts so far. How many schools did you apply to? With your stats, 30 is a good number. What I am telling you is moot if you get accepted. You can reapply, but without significant improvement, you will likely be in the same situation again. I often recommend students to either get a Master's degree to bump up their GPA or do some post-bacc work that can boost your GPA.

 

[KnightDoc]

Former ad com member at UCSF here and now at Yale as an Assistant Professor. With your numbers, you have a shot here-especially with the 518 MCAT. Your gpa is having the greatest impact on your efforts so far. How many schools did you apply to? With your stats, 30 is a good number. What I am telling you is moot if you get accepted. You can reapply, but without significant improvement, you will likely be in the same situation again. I often recommend students to either get a Master's degree to bump up their GPA or do some post-bacc work that can boost your GPA.

Is this true? Adcoms on SDN advise that, other than SMPs, Masters degrees are worthless for GPA repair because they are massively grade inflated, and that the path to GPA repair is DIY post-baccs.

 

[candbgirl]

Is this true? Adcoms on SDN advise that, other than SMPs, Masters degrees are worthless for GPA repair because they are massively grade inflated, and that the path to GPA repair is DIY post-baccs.

I think that’s mainly for MD schools and grade repair. I’m pretty sure Master's grades are included in total GPA for DO schools. I have no idea how SMP grades are handled. I think I’ve read that many people have to take DIY post bacc before they enroll in a SMP. I think OP should take some upper level science courses, get all As and raise the cGPA/sGPA as high as possible. With all As ,it can’t hurt and it just might help.

 

[cincincyreds]

Hey guys, I just wanted some opinions on what I can improve in case I have to reapply. So far I’ve had 2 DO II and one MD II. Two of them led to WL and I haven’t heard back from the third yet. I’ve also not heard back from a handful of schools and have quite a few pre-II holds. I’m taking Ochem 1 and 2 lab as well as Physics 1 and 2 lab this spring semester in case I somehow manage to get accepted. Other than that I have no idea how to improve on my application. I’m currently working as a phlebotomist and that’s about it.

Clinical volunteering: Lab tech- 300 hours Eye screener- 300 hours

Non-clinical: After school Tutor- 100 hours Meals on wheels- 20 hours

Leadership: Physiology TA- 100 hours Program Director- 100 hours

Clinical Work: Health screener- 800 hours Covid tester(new)- 400 hours Temperature screener- 80 hours Phlebotomist- 500 hours

Research: Diabetes Lab-300 hours

Shadowing: Gastroenterologist- 12 hours Internal medicine-15 hours Pediatrician-12 hours

PS: My cgpa is 3.3, sgpa is 3.34, 3.67 over last 60, and mcat is 518.

the 518 MCAT is impressive. There is a chance you may not need to reapply. But if you did just apply to a lot more DO schools and you'll get in. It's a numbers game.

 

[LindaAccepted]

Hey guys, I just wanted some opinions on what I can improve in case I have to reapply. So far I’ve had 2 DO II and one MD II. Two of them led to WL and I haven’t heard back from the third yet. I’ve also not heard back from a handful of schools and have quite a few pre-II holds. I’m taking Ochem 1 and 2 lab as well as Physics 1 and 2 lab this spring semester in case I somehow manage to get accepted. Other than that I have no idea how to improve on my application. I’m currently working as a phlebotomist and that’s about it.

Clinical volunteering: Lab tech- 300 hours Eye screener- 300 hours

Non-clinical: After school Tutor- 100 hours Meals on wheels- 20 hours

Leadership: Physiology TA- 100 hours Program Director- 100 hours

Clinical Work: Health screener- 800 hours Covid tester(new)- 400 hours Temperature screener- 80 hours Phlebotomist- 500 hours

Research: Diabetes Lab-300 hours

Shadowing: Gastroenterologist- 12 hours Internal medicine-15 hours Pediatrician-12 hours

PS: My cgpa is 3.3, sgpa is 3.34, 3.67 over last 60, and mcat is 518.

Sending updates to schools that accept them is a great idea. However, while the MCAT and GPA trend is certainly positive and helpful, you might benefit from some recent As in those science classes or an informal post-bac.

Also, while your II's would indicate your essays are strong, perhaps they could be stronger. If you have to reapply, get feedback.

Finally, you didn't say where you applied. Consider programs with lower average stats and DO programs.

Good luck!

 

[pk1981]

Hey!
Take a look at the schools you are applying to. Does the school's mission align with your personal mission? Also, letters of interest are important to send like an update letter that also states your interest in the school and why. You may need to think about where you are applying-- How did you come up w/ your list?
PK

 

[kloomie]

Hang in there! It's early. I was a non-traditional (6 years out) reapplicant (applied the first time during college). I got 6 interviews- was waitlisted at all of them and eventually got accepted at 2 (but late, think May. They accept up until classes start so not uncommon for people to get last minute notice). In January I think I was still getting interview invites though! Now I'm almost done with residency and just matched into a fellowship. (Telling you this because someday this will be you and you'll look back and remember this stressful time and it will be just a memory).

Agree with the letters of update thing that others have mentioned for this cycle! You should definitely send emails with specific examples of why you are interested in each school that you send them to. I did that- and also one of my letter writers offered to send an email to a few of the deans of the medical schools where I was waitlisted re-iterating their support and asking if there was any additional info they could provide in support of my application. I'm not sure if that made a difference but he did get direct responses from them, and one of them was the place I ended up going.

In answer to your question- one thing I found super helpful when re-applying was that I emailed the dean of the medical school in my city and asked to meet with her to see what her perspective on my application was and what I could do to improve it/if I should bother applying that year or needed improve in certain areas before applying. She gave me really good advice. They are allowed to talk to you before applications open so you might as well get the info straight from the source!

That being said, like everyone else above noted, looks like you're a strong applicant and you're already getting noticed so I bet you won't even need this!

 

[jack326]

Hey!
Take a look at the schools you are applying to. Does the school's mission align with your personal mission? Also, letters of interest are important to send like an update letter that also states your interest in the school and why. You may need to think about where you are applying-- How did you come up w/ your list?
PK

Thanks for your reply. I got help from SDN and Reddit in formulating my school list.

Albany Medical College	Yes	Yes	Regular M.D.	November 1, 2021	November 15, 2021
	Chicago Medical School at Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine & Science	Yes	Yes	Regular M.D.	November 1, 2021	November 15, 2021
	Creighton University School of Medicine	Yes	Yes	Regular M.D.	November 1, 2021	November 15, 2021
	Drexel University College of Medicine	Yes	Yes	Regular M.D.	January 1, 2022	January 17, 2022
	Eastern Virginia Medical School	Yes	Yes	Regular M.D.	November 1, 2021	November 15, 2021
	Frank H. Netter MD School of Medicine at Quinnipiac University	Yes	Yes	Regular M.D.	December 1, 2021	December 15, 2021
	Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth	Yes	Yes	Regular M.D.	November 1, 2021	November 15, 2021
	Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine	Yes	Yes	Regular M.D.	December 15, 2021	December 29, 2021
	George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences	Yes	Yes	Regular M.D.	November 15, 2021	November 29, 2021
	Georgetown University School of Medicine	Yes	Yes	Regular M.D.	November 3, 2021	November 17, 2021
	Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine	Yes	Yes	Regular M.D.	December 1, 2021	December 15, 2021
	Kaiser Permanente Bernard J. Tyson School of Medicine	Yes	Yes	Regular M.D.	October 1, 2021	October 15, 2021
	Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University	Yes	Yes	Regular M.D.	December 15, 2021	December 29, 2021
	Loma Linda University School of Medicine	Yes	No	Regular M.D.	November 1, 2021	November 15, 2021
	Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine	Yes	Yes	Regular M.D.	November 1, 2021	November 15, 2021
	Medical College of Wisconsin	Yes	Yes	Regular M.D.	November 1, 2021	November 15, 2021
	Meharry Medical College	Yes	Yes	Regular M.D.	December 15, 2021	December 29, 2021
	New York Medical College	Yes	Yes	Regular M.D.	December 15, 2021	December 29, 2021
	Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine	Yes	Yes	Regular M.D.	November 15, 2021	November 29, 2021
	Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine	Yes	Yes	Regular M.D.	November 15, 2021	November 29, 2021
	Robert Larner, M.D., College of Medicine at the University of Vermont	Yes	Yes	Regular M.D.	November 15, 2021	November 29, 2021
	Sidney Kimmel Medical College at Thomas Jefferson University	Yes	Yes	Regular M.D.	November 15, 2021	November 29, 2021
	SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University College of Medicine	Yes	Yes	Regular M.D.	December 1, 2021	December 15, 2021
	TCU and UNTHSC SOM	Yes	Yes	Regular M.D.	November 15, 2021	November 29, 2021
	The University of Toledo College of Medicine and Life Sciences	Yes	Yes	Regular M.D.	November 15, 2021	November 29, 2021
	Tufts University School of Medicine	Yes	Yes	Regular M.D.	November 1, 2021	November 15, 2021
	University of Colorado School of Medicine	Yes	Yes	Regular M.D.	October 15, 2021	October 29, 2021
	University of Utah School of Medicine	Yes	Yes	Regular M.D.	November 1, 2021	November 15, 2021
	Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine	Yes	Yes	Regular M.D.	November 1, 2021	November 15, 2021
	Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine	Yes	Yes	Regular M.D.	December 1, 2021	December 15, 2021
	Wake Forest School of Medicine of Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center	Yes	Yes	Regular M.D.	October 15, 2021	October 29, 2021
	Wayne State University School of Medicine	Yes	Yes	Regular M.D.	December 31, 2021	January 14, 2022
	West Virginia University School of Medicine	Yes	No	Regular M.D.	November 1, 2021	November 15, 2021
	Western Michigan University Homer Stryker M.D. School of Medicine	Yes	Yes	Regular M.D.	November 15, 2021	November 29, 2021
	Wright State University Boonshoft School of Medicine	Yes	Yes	Regular M.D.	November 1, 2021	November 15, 2021