What to do before you re-apply

[atropos]

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Hello, I'm a first time applicant though I will turn 26 this year, but I'm starting to think I should hedge my bets and prepare for the next cycle just in case. 9 rejections so far and no interviews as of yet (geez it's almost Feb) tends to cause a bit of paranoia.

Stats:
BA in Economics, Class 2000

3.38 GPA overall 3.32 Science
(those D's as a freshman can really screw you even though I got 5 A's in postbacc upper division biology classes. Because of all the units I already have it would take 24 more semester units at 4.0 to raise my gpa to just 3.41 Do Master degrees help that much especially if they aren't in the sciences?)

39 MCAT in 2002 (12,13,14) I thought this would get me in but...

No science research (see degree above).

Only part time jobs since college.

1 year of hospital vol experience (I've only been a premed for 2 years)
Some none medical volunteer work.

Any advice on how to improve my chances would be greatly appreciated. Also, I read about people in SDN with years of experience as EMTs/Paramedics/Med Assistants and decent numbers who still have trouble getting in. Grades vs. Clinical, which matters most?

 

[tkim]

The two questions I want to ask are:

1) When did you apply - earller or later?

2) Where did you apply - all top tier, in-state?

 

[osteo emt]

did u apply to any d.o. schools? if so, which were u rejected from? how many more schools are considering u? i t sounds like u only applied to m.d. That mcat score is pretty good, some school should have considered u.

 

[MNgrrl]

Two questions come to mind in addition to tkim's:

1. What was the focus of your personal statement - I am assuming since you graduated in 2000 and have only been premed for 2 years, you were planning or even started on a different career. If that is the case, you have to make a strong case of why you are sure medicine is right for you. Did you have others read/revise your personal statement?

2. What classes did you get D's in your freshman year? If they were one of the core prereq's other than bio (Chem, o-chem, physics), you may want to consider retaking them to replace the grade.

My thought is that with your numbers, you should have gotten a couple of bites - I'm not trying to make you feel bad but I had a 30 on the MCAT and a 3.5 GPA and have several interviews with my less than superb numbers (like a 39 MCAT!!!). Additionally, if you do have to reapply, I would suggest trying to improve your ECs, and perhaps add some shadowing to make a better case that you have explored medicine and can say that it is an ideal career for you because of some concrete reasons.

All that said, how many schools did you apply to? You may have gotten rejections from 9, but if you are still waiting on 9 more, it ain't over till it's over! I am a reapplicant and was offered my first and only interview last year in April - I was waitlisted and almost got in. It's not bad to start thinking about the worst case scenario, but as you said, its ONLY almost Feb! Good luck!

 

[Chrisobean]

if you get D's in the required pre-recs i think you HAVE to take them over... you need at least a C or better.

 

[Monkeyguts]

To the OP,

Call the schools you were rejected from and find out why and how you can improve your application the next year. They can tell you straight up what your missing.

 

[jglemonade1]

I think the most important thing you can do is talk to the admissions office in the schools you are really interested in. Usually they are very happy to talk to you and give you advice on what you need to improve on for next year. This also shows interest in their school and they will remember you next year as well. Some schools put more importance on certain things than others and I think it is important to talk to the individual schools about this. This is my second year applying and that strategy worked for me..

 

[Yosh]

I agree 100% with the last two posts....the best thing that you can do is be pro-active and contact the schools admissions depts, and speak with them, and if feasible, make an appt to go to the shcool and speak with the dean of admissions.
I did this in the summer, when it isn't as busy, and it worked like a charm. Allowing the school to meet you on a one on one personal level can certainly help to boost your standing, and make you a real person, instead of numbers on an application.

 

[atropos]

Thanks for the tips,

1) I turned in my app at a decent time, most schools told me they had everything by October 15, 2003

2) I didn't get a chance to apply to DOs since I didn't have a LOR from a doc.

3) Yes there are about 9 more I'm waiting to hear from.

4) I repeated all those classes and got A's. One in Eng, one in Calc, one in Physics.

5) I avoided the ivy league schools. I applied to couple in top 25, couple in the top 50, and majority at unranked programs such as Finch, Drexel, Albany, Vermont, Loyola, NYMC, GW. Got turned down by my state schools (Univ of CA)

I definately want to hook up a shadowing experience. Very likely that they're concerned that I've only been interested for past 2 years and not one of those "As long as I can remember, I've always wanted to be a doctor."

Another Q: When you guys reapplied did you do it right away (eg: this June) or did you wait an extra year to build up your credentials?

 

[Tofurkey]

Hi there,

Your post (OP) kind of scares me. I have a 3.4 in English, a professional degree, and a 3.5 in my post-bacc science. I have A's and B's in science.

I have some good clinical/ volunteering and research as a post-bacc and I'm applying for fall '05. Not sure about MCAT but would guess maybe 30.

Now I'm scared, because the OP had GREAT stats. Is there hope for the rest of us if the OP has amazing stats? I'm only applying to 7 schools for '05 because of family reasons.

Yikes.

 

[oldtimer]

This is not a typical case. Several people, including myself, have similar or worse stats and we've been able to get interviews and acceptances. Your stats are good especially your MCAT #'s, you submitted your material relatively early, and you graduated from a good school (UCLA). There must be something in your application that is turning off these schools. I agree with the other posters that you need to talk to the schools to find out why they rejected you.

 

[Amy B]

To: atropos

Gee wiz, I have no idea why you would have so many rejections already without interviews. I would absolutely contact those schools and ask them to go over your application with you to find out why they rejected you pre-interview. They are willing to do it and you owe it to yourself before you try and figure out how to improve your application.

That is terrible though, they should have at very least let you interview with them. Good luck

 

[RedHeadKiddo]

Dear atropos,

Your situtation is definitely peculiar. I am sorry to hear that you have had so much difficulty this year. I have three points.

1.) Don't wait to call the schools that have rejected you. Last year I waited too long and some had destroyed my files already...EEKS!

2.) Also, I know med schools are very interested in people who are non-traditional that do things. Have your part-time jobs been at McDonalds or have they been more interesting? A big reason why I am a successful applicant this time and not year is because of my job. It is always a question at my interviews. I know schools don't mind if you have done something that is non-medical following undergrad but they want to see that you have actually done something. If you are still in job limbo you may want to really focus your efforts on getting a cool job that you will be excited to talk about during an interview.

3) Your letters of rec play a huge part in your application. Did the people who wrote on your behalf write strong letters or just medicore letters? An incredibly helpful bit of information I was given was to ask if the individual is willing to write an enthusiastic letter of recommendation.

Hope this helps! And remember all it takes is 1!