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I'm a reapplicant from the 2006-07 cycle who will be applying in this coming cycle, the 2008-09 cycle. Applied to about 22 MD schools, complete by September, had one interview and rejection from Georgetown. What's changed since then?
I completed my senior year in undergrad and a post-bac year at Penn. So, my AMCAS GPA's gone up from 3.15/3.09 at the time of application (I didn't realize it would be this terrible until I got my application verified) to 3.36/3.33 with my senior year and post-bac year (4.0's on 24 science credits in my post-bac year). I retook the MCAT and improved 4 points from a 31S (10P, 11V, 10B) to a 35S (12P, 12V, 11B).
On the research side, I've been working on an "invention" with my professor and a co-worker, and presented a poster at a design symposium at my undergrad. We should be applying for a patent this year, possibly depending on whether or not I can get back and work on it for a few more weeks after classes are over.
On the EC side, I continued to volunteer in the same capacities during that application year up to graduation and this year, I added a semester working 10 hours a week in the emergency department with a lot of patient and physician contact, for a clinical research class at Penn.
I had two of my old undergrad letters updated to add in my senior year activity (one for research, one for volunteering). I will probably keep the old letter from my advisor and professor of two classes I took, plus my non-science class letter writer. Nothing's changed with them, so I won't have them update it. Also, I will get two new letters from Penn professors (Microbiology professor, and the MD who teaches the clinical research class).
Will be writing a brand-new personal statement as well (currently under progress). Will be submitting the AMCAS on the first possible day, and the committee letter should be done by mid-July, so I'm hoping to be complete at schools by the end of July.
Now, the question is: what else do I need to do? Would it be recommended that I consider taking a SMP while I apply? I am thinking that would be a waste of money, but then I want to be 100% sure that I do everything I can to get an acceptance.. Or should I just find a job, perhaps a research tech job at my old undergrad school and go from there... possibly take discounted classes to keep augmenting my grades? To be honest, I'm not sure what else I can do. At this point, I feel like my application is completely different from the first time, but I don't know how much better my chances are as my GPA is still marginal. I could always take another year before I apply to get my GPA's up to 3.5, but I don't think that's realistic. Is there anything else that I am forgetting with this reapplication?
I completed my senior year in undergrad and a post-bac year at Penn. So, my AMCAS GPA's gone up from 3.15/3.09 at the time of application (I didn't realize it would be this terrible until I got my application verified) to 3.36/3.33 with my senior year and post-bac year (4.0's on 24 science credits in my post-bac year). I retook the MCAT and improved 4 points from a 31S (10P, 11V, 10B) to a 35S (12P, 12V, 11B).
On the research side, I've been working on an "invention" with my professor and a co-worker, and presented a poster at a design symposium at my undergrad. We should be applying for a patent this year, possibly depending on whether or not I can get back and work on it for a few more weeks after classes are over.
On the EC side, I continued to volunteer in the same capacities during that application year up to graduation and this year, I added a semester working 10 hours a week in the emergency department with a lot of patient and physician contact, for a clinical research class at Penn.
I had two of my old undergrad letters updated to add in my senior year activity (one for research, one for volunteering). I will probably keep the old letter from my advisor and professor of two classes I took, plus my non-science class letter writer. Nothing's changed with them, so I won't have them update it. Also, I will get two new letters from Penn professors (Microbiology professor, and the MD who teaches the clinical research class).
Will be writing a brand-new personal statement as well (currently under progress). Will be submitting the AMCAS on the first possible day, and the committee letter should be done by mid-July, so I'm hoping to be complete at schools by the end of July.
Now, the question is: what else do I need to do? Would it be recommended that I consider taking a SMP while I apply? I am thinking that would be a waste of money, but then I want to be 100% sure that I do everything I can to get an acceptance.. Or should I just find a job, perhaps a research tech job at my old undergrad school and go from there... possibly take discounted classes to keep augmenting my grades? To be honest, I'm not sure what else I can do. At this point, I feel like my application is completely different from the first time, but I don't know how much better my chances are as my GPA is still marginal. I could always take another year before I apply to get my GPA's up to 3.5, but I don't think that's realistic. Is there anything else that I am forgetting with this reapplication?
