When should I reapply?

[jdeng]

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Hi everyone. I was wondering if I could get some help about my current situation. I applied to med school this past year, but unfortunately, have not heard back from many schools. With the interview season drawing close to an end, my chances of getting in this year are looking pretty slim. As I start thinking about reapplying, I'm debating whether or not I want to reapply this coming June or if I should wait another year before reapplying first.

Here's a little about me: I graduated in '07 with a BCPM of 3.6 and MCAT of 28P (second time. The first time I got a 26Q). I did quite a bit of volunteer work in hospitals during my undergraduate years and have been working in research since graduation. I think one of my downfalls in this past application (besides MCAT) was the fact that I applied pretty late. I decided to retake my MCATs in July, and thus my primary application was not complete until September. Though I tried to complete my secondaries as quickly as possible, some of them did push close to the schools' actual deadline.

I guess the question is.. would it be worth it to reapply again this June? The main difference is that I would be applying early this time and will have a completely different personal statement. (After re-reading my last PS, it did sound pretty average. No WOW factor.) Other than that, my app would be pretty similar. I think I have some pretty good LORs and enough clinical experience. I've also done even more research now, though no publications yet. What do you think I should I do??

I have debated retaking my MCATs for a third time. I am, however, not prepared to retake my MCATs before this coming June, so if I do retake them, I would not apply until 2010. (1. I really don't want to have to retake the MCAT if I don't have to. 2. I'm afraid I'll do worse.) Would I have any higher of a chance of getting into schools with my new EARLY application? I did apply pretty broadly this last cycle though. Or is it my MCATs that are holding me back? Any advice would be deeply appreciated. Thanks! 🙂

 

[dragonfly99]

The rolling admissions this is very big in med school applications. I thing you should reapply with your 28, and reapply very very early. You don't know what will happen. I would apply to a ton of schools (like 25 or 30). You might want to cross-apply to MD and DO schools as well, and/or cross-apply to US schools and Irish, Australian or Caribbean med schools. You can definitely get into school abroad and would have a good shot at DO schools with your stats...I think it's better to go US allopathic unless you just like the DO philosophy better, and going abroad is a little risky, but if you don't want to wait an extra year could hedge your bets by cross-applying next year.

Separate from that, your MCAT score is lower than the average for most allopathic med schools. However, people do get in with MCAT scores of 28.

One thing you could do to improve your application a little bit is to take another upper level bio class or two, if you have time along with your current work or school. You could take one this summer, and one next fall. I think if you can ace it, it just shows interest and would pull up your GPA a little bit. A 3.6 doesn't suck, but it's just kind of average for a med school applicant.

Definitely don't stop with the volunteer work either.

Research is good but not an absolute necessity that you get something published...it always helps but it's not a requirement.

You could retake the MCAT...there are still months to go before the May or June MCAT. However, you know yourself well and if you aren't a stellar test taker, and already got 26, then 28, that might be where your score is going to stay. Like you said, you don't want to take it again and get a lower score. If you retake it, definitely do something different to study for it. I'd also be interested to know your score breakdown on the sections of the MCAT...apparently some schools have cutoffs for the subsections so if you got a 6 or 7 on one section, for example, that could really hurt.

 

[jdeng]

The rolling admissions this is very big in med school applications. I thing you should reapply with your 28, and reapply very very early. You don't know what will happen. I would apply to a ton of schools (like 25 or 30). You might want to cross-apply to MD and DO schools as well, and/or cross-apply to US schools and Irish, Australian or Caribbean med schools. You can definitely get into school abroad and would have a good shot at DO schools with your stats...I think it's better to go US allopathic unless you just like the DO philosophy better, and going abroad is a little risky, but if you don't want to wait an extra year could hedge your bets by cross-applying next year.

Separate from that, your MCAT score is lower than the average for most allopathic med schools. However, people do get in with MCAT scores of 28.

One thing you could do to improve your application a little bit is to take another upper level bio class or two, if you have time along with your current work or school. You could take one this summer, and one next fall. I think if you can ace it, it just shows interest and would pull up your GPA a little bit. A 3.6 doesn't suck, but it's just kind of average for a med school applicant.

Definitely don't stop with the volunteer work either.

Research is good but not an absolute necessity that you get something published...it always helps but it's not a requirement.

You could retake the MCAT...there are still months to go before the May or June MCAT. However, you know yourself well and if you aren't a stellar test taker, and already got 26, then 28, that might be where your score is going to stay. Like you said, you don't want to take it again and get a lower score. If you retake it, definitely do something different to study for it. I'd also be interested to know your score breakdown on the sections of the MCAT...apparently some schools have cutoffs for the subsections so if you got a 6 or 7 on one section, for example, that could really hurt.

Thanks for your advice dragonfly99. My MCAT breakdown was a 9, 9, 10 (the 10 being in PS). The only difference from my first MCAT was my verbal score, which went from a 7 to a 9. I know I definitely wouldn't be prepared to retake my MCATs before the application cycle this June.

This past year, I only applied to allopathic schools in the US, nothing abroad and I didn't apply to any Caribbean schools. Maybe I'll extend my scope with my next applications. Do you (or anyone else) think applying early would really change the success of my application to allopathic schools compared to this year?

 

[gman33]

What is your overall GPA?
An average science and overall GPA along with a low MCAT make it a tough road these days. You need something else outstanding to offset this. That's not to say people don't get in with those numbers, they do, but you can't count on it.

In terms of total time, I think the MCAT is the easiest thing to improve. If you are capable of getting a 28, you could get a 32 if you do enough work. 2-3 months of 40 hours + a week, and you can boost your score. Now nobody wants to do this, but what if that is all that is holding you back from getting into the school you want. The work would be well worth it. But, don't take it again unless you show significant improvement on multiple practice tests.

 

[dragonfly99]

Agree with above comment about the MCAT.
However, the OP doesn't want to take it again and do worse, so only retake if you have a good shot at doing better.

Yes, I think it matters a lot to apply early.

 

[jdeng]

What is your overall GPA?
An average science and overall GPA along with a low MCAT make it a tough road these days. You need something else outstanding to offset this. That's not to say people don't get in with those numbers, they do, but you can't count on it.

In terms of total time, I think the MCAT is the easiest thing to improve. If you are capable of getting a 28, you could get a 32 if you do enough work. 2-3 months of 40 hours + a week, and you can boost your score. Now nobody wants to do this, but what if that is all that is holding you back from getting into the school you want. The work would be well worth it. But, don't take it again unless you show significant improvement on multiple practice tests.

My overall GPA was a 3.73. I used the 'School Selector excel worksheet' found in the 'What are my chances?' section of the pre-medical forum, and it showed that my MCAT was a big problem in getting into many schools. Unfortunately, I can't quit my job to solely study for the MCATs due to financial reasons, but I guess I can spend another 6 months or so studying for it. Again, I wouldn't be ready before June. So would you (or anyone else) say it would be worth it to take ANOTHER two years off and apply in 2010 with a hopefully higher MCAT? (By that point, if I did get in for 2011, I would have taken 4 years off already....) Or should I try my luck applying in June, but just earlier this time? (since I applied very late this last cycle) I guess I'm just conflicted on which path would be more beneficial for me.

Thanks for any advice