Where can I get post-interview rejection feedback

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pichael-thompson

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Hi all,

I just received a rejection from a school I interviewed with earlier last year. This school was my only interview but they state that they do not offer individual feedback. I also emailed every single other school I applied to which I was rejected from pre-interview and they said the same. I asked my pre-med advisor but they told me my application was decently well rounded and did not give me any specifics to work on. This is my third time applying to medical school and I am really just looking for an honest brutal criticism of my application. Does anyone know where I can find application feedback? I’m ready to put in the work, I literally just need a starting point to work from.

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Shoot. I think you had the same issue last cycle and no one gave you definitive advice aside from just rack up more hours. I can't find a WAMC submission to know how you improved from the first time and other improvements or revisions in your application. Where did you get interviews? I think you got attention from your two in-states, but did you apply to any DO programs (which you should have done)?
 
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I interviewed with Brody (ECU) but no invite from UNC sadly. And I did not apply DO but will definitely next time I apply. To summarize my improvements in terms of hours:
-2500 additional CNA hospital work hours
- 150 additional clinical volunteering hours
- about 20 additional shadowing hours

I actually just landed a National Health Corps position in Florida for this upcoming year that would be a year long and am debating on doing this vs just continuing my CNA job and scribe job vs doing a masters.
 
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I would suggest if you want a more brutal assessment, post a WAMC with highlights of specific improvements among application attempts. I'm not entirely sure why you got knocked out. What's your history with rural health (since we're talking Brody and UNC)? What would you be doing with the NHC?
 
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Definitely will post a WAMC.
And for my history of rural health, I did a lot of clinical volunteering in eastern NC (medically underserved) and then in western NC (also very medically underserved) for a year while I lived in Boone. All my 150 clinical volunteering hours were obtained at a clinic serving rurally underserved individuals in western NC and regions of Tennessee. I worked at a hospital as a CMA in rural western NC for 1 year. Also, my primary and secondary applications were very focused on my primary care interests serving in rural/medically underserved areas of NC. So I think, at least in my opinion, that my passion for rural health was reflected in my application.
 
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You may also post a WAMC within this thread and I will move it to the appropriate forum.

Just posted this in WAMC ( I think)

  1. cGPA: 3.65 sGPA: 3.68
  2. 499(128/122/126/123); 518(131/127/129/131)
  3. North Carolina
  4. Caucasian
  5. East Carolina University
  6. Clinical volunteering: 240 total hours at a few medical clinics that served rural and medically underserved regions in North Carolina.
  7. Research- 165 hours in organic chemistry lab basic research. No publications but lots of collaboration and hands on experiment set up
  8. Primary care: 50 hours; GI: 12 hours; radiology: 10 hours
  9. Non clinical volunteering- Church youth ministry volunteer leader: 150 hours. Would help with small group meetings and activities with students
  10. Clinical Job: 2300 hours: CNA and telemetry technician at the hospital. learned to interpret rhythms and monitor patient telemetry. This has been a great experience for me overall to see how physicians work as a team with others in the hospital and how they interact with patients on a day to day basis.
  11. Pharmaceutical analytical chemist internship- 500 hours. Helped with GMP documentation, solution preparation, lab safety, etc.
  12. Chemistry undergraduate excellence award- ECU specific
I am debating on whether I should pursue a National Health Corps position where I would be a case manager for individuals who were previously homeless and have a history of substance abuse. In this position, i would:
- be providing access to transportation, housing, SNAP benefits, Medicaid and other government benefits
- ensure they have access to a healthcare provider and any specialty healthcare services they may need including detox, 12 steps groups, mental health counseling, primary care physicians, obstetrics/gynecologists (OB/GYN), Ear Nose & Throat Specialists (ENT), etc,
- provide COVID-19 Education and referrals to clients so they can staff safe during these times.
- provide one on one health counseling to their clients on topics such as nutrition, mental health, addiction, and access to healthcare.

Other than this opportunity, I was considering just continuing my current jobs as a CNA and scribe, or alternatively doing a masters degree in physiology.

Any thoughts on what I should go for?
 
Just posted this in WAMC ( I think)

  1. cGPA: 3.65 sGPA: 3.68
  2. 499(128/122/126/123); 518(131/127/129/131)
  3. North Carolina
  4. Caucasian
  5. East Carolina University
  6. Clinical volunteering: 240 total hours at a few medical clinics that served rural and medically underserved regions in North Carolina.
  7. Research- 165 hours in organic chemistry lab basic research. No publications but lots of collaboration and hands on experiment set up
  8. Primary care: 50 hours; GI: 12 hours; radiology: 10 hours
  9. Non clinical volunteering- Church youth ministry volunteer leader: 150 hours. Would help with small group meetings and activities with students
  10. Clinical Job: 2300 hours: CNA and telemetry technician at the hospital. learned to interpret rhythms and monitor patient telemetry. This has been a great experience for me overall to see how physicians work as a team with others in the hospital and how they interact with patients on a day to day basis.
  11. Pharmaceutical analytical chemist internship- 500 hours. Helped with GMP documentation, solution preparation, lab safety, etc.
  12. Chemistry undergraduate excellence award- ECU specific
I am debating on whether I should pursue a National Health Corps position where I would be a case manager for individuals who were previously homeless and have a history of substance abuse. In this position, i would:
- be providing access to transportation, housing, SNAP benefits, Medicaid and other government benefits
- ensure they have access to a healthcare provider and any specialty healthcare services they may need including detox, 12 steps groups, mental health counseling, primary care physicians, obstetrics/gynecologists (OB/GYN), Ear Nose & Throat Specialists (ENT), etc,
- provide COVID-19 Education and referrals to clients so they can staff safe during these times.
- provide one on one health counseling to their clients on topics such as nutrition, mental health, addiction, and access to healthcare.

Other than this opportunity, I was considering just continuing my current jobs as a CNA and scribe, or alternatively doing a masters degree in physiology.

Any thoughts on what I should go for?
Do NHC. Its a great experience and will defintely land you some interviews at service friendly schools assuming you send appropriate updates
 
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You can pursue NHC if it’s something you want to devout yourself to. One major weakness you had was your non-clinical volunteering. The church volunteering had limited hours and part of that was organizing weekly meetings as opposed to helping those less fortunate in your community. Medicine is an altruistic profession and volunteering at food banks, soup kitchens (your church may have connections to these), homeless shelters etc would be the sorts of activities that get you out of your comfort zone.

You already have significant clinical experience and a masters would be unnecessary. What was your school list? I am surprised you only had 1 interview considering NC has a few different schools that should have been interested.
 
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You can pursue NHC if it’s something you want to devout yourself to. One major weakness you had was your non-clinical volunteering. The church volunteering had limited hours and part of that was organizing weekly meetings as opposed to helping those less fortunate in your community. Medicine is an altruistic profession and volunteering at food banks, soup kitchens (your church may have connections to these), homeless shelters etc would be the sorts of activities that get you out of your comfort zone.

You already have significant clinical experience and a masters would be unnecessary. What was your school list? I am surprised you only had 1 interview considering NC has a few different schools that should have been interested.
Would NHC, based on the above description, be considered non clinical? For this position, i would follow up with clients at their homes, not at a clinic. I figured it would since it’s not direct patient care.
 
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Would NHC, based on the above description, be considered non clinical? For this position, i would follow up with clients at their homes, not at a clinic. I figured it would since it’s not direct patient care.
I would say this would be clinical. Source: I have done NHC and classified it as clinical. However, the program is a unique clinical experience with opportunities to do other service.
 
Would NHC, based on the above description, be considered non clinical? For this position, i would follow up with clients at their homes, not at a clinic. I figured it would since it’s not direct patient care.
Might be better to pursue local opportunities intensively at places like a homeless shelter, food bank, soup kitchen, Big Brothers and Big Sisters so you can also set aside time to re-write your essays. Will be important to get trusted eyes on them to see what could have gone wrong since this is your 3rd cycle. You should update your letters as well since you’ve gained a lot of clinical experience.

How broadly did you apply? Are there any potential red flags such as an institutional action?
 
Might be better to pursue local opportunities intensively at places like a homeless shelter, food bank, soup kitchen, Big Brothers and Big Sisters so you can also set aside time to re-write your essays. Will be important to get trusted eyes on them to see what could have gone wrong since this is your 3rd cycle. You should update your letters as well since you’ve gained a lot of clinical experience.

How broadly did you apply? Are there any potential red flags such as an institutional action?
I think since I need to show significant improvement on my application, I may take a year off and get a lot more service under my belt before reapplying. So writing essays won’t be a worry of mine right now. I applied to about 15 out of state schools, as recommended by a fellow SDN user. I got 2 new letters earlier this year, one from a physician I worked with at the hospital/volunteer clinic and one from my work manager at the hospital. I’ll also hopefully be getting 1-2 additional letters from the cardiologists I scribe for.

I did have poor grades the first semester of my senior year which shows negative grade trend, but my second semester was a lot better and I took roughly 21 hours of post bacc classes which I did well in. This is why I was considering a masters. Other than the grades, no other red flags that I am aware of.
 
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I think since I need to show significant improvement on my application, I may take a year off and get a lot more service under my belt before reapplying. So writing essays won’t be a worry of mine right now. I applied to about 15 out of state schools, as recommended by a fellow SDN user. I got 2 new letters earlier this year, one from a physician I worked with at the hospital/volunteer clinic and one from my work manager at the hospital.

I did have poor grades the first semester of my senior year which shows negative grade trend, but my second semester was a lot better and I took roughly 21 hours of post bacc classes which I did well in. This is why I was considering a masters. Other than the grades, no other red flags that I am aware of.
That school list was likely a little too short, especially if there were out of state public schools on there.

You should apply to DO as well. That along with service should help you have a more successful cycle.
 
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That school list was likely a little too short, especially if there were out of state public schools on there.

You should apply to DO as well. That along with service should help you have a more successful cycle.
So I asked a few SMP programs if given my stats and extracurriculars, if I would be right/benefit from their program and many said yes. However, I’ve also been told on SDN not to do an SMP based on my stats. Any thoughts?
 
So I asked a few SMP programs if given my stats and extracurriculars, if I would be right/benefit from their program and many said yes. However, I’ve also been told on SDN not to do an SMP based on my stats. Any thoughts?
There is no need for an SMP. You had already done 21 credits of a post-bacc. Were they in science courses such as genetics, immunology, biostatistics, nucleic acids and not public/global health? You could perhaps take another semester of upper division science classes at a local state university and that would further show your bad semester was a one off. Asking your old school if they can retroactively withdraw you from classes in that semester is worth a try too.
 
There is no need for an SMP. You had already done 21 credits of a post-bacc. Were they in science courses such as genetics, immunology, biostatistics, nucleic acids and not public/global health? You could perhaps take another semester of upper division science classes at a local state university and that would further show your bad semester was a one off. Asking your old school if they can retroactively withdraw you from classes in that semester is worth a try too.
I was only able to take genetics, A/P, micro, statistics, cell bio, and anthropology. Unfortunately since I was not a degree seeking student, all the other upper level courses would get taken by the time I tried to enroll in them, so wasn’t able to take immunology, histology, advanced A/P, etc
 
I was only able to take genetics, A/P, micro, statistics, cell bio, and anthropology. Unfortunately since I was not a degree seeking student, all the other upper level courses would get taken by the time I tried to enroll in them, so wasn’t able to take immunology, histology, advanced A/P, etc
You could try again and see if registration is more open now. Or if there are courses at another school in your area or online through a place like UC Extension.

Having more non clinical hours and a broader school list will likely help too.
 
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Update: My state school that I interviewed with told me my gpa, mcat, and experiences were all strong but that my interview score was on the lower end compared to other applicants.

Would it make sense for me to immediately reapply and then practice interviewing in the meantime? Or would taking a year off to gain more experiences be a better idea?
 
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Update: My state school that I interviewed with told me my gpa, mcat, and experiences were all strong but that my interview score was on the lower end compared to other applicants.

Would it make sense for me to immediately reapply and then practice interviewing in the meantime? Or would taking a year off to gain more experiences be a better idea?
Given that it is your 3rd application cycle and that your state school was your only interview, it would be best to take a year off to improve your application. Do still practice your interviewing though next year.

You could apply DO though this cycle.
 
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I think Op most likely doesn’t wanna apply DO with a 518 mcat.

Maybe you do suck at interviewing but I don’t know why you only got one interview. Maybe your essay sucks big time, but honestly most likely it’s just bad luck. Med school is incredibly competitive man.

If I were you, I’d apply again while gaining those additional experiences. By the time interviews come around, you’ll be able to talk about them!!
 
I think Op most likely doesn’t wanna apply DO with a 518 mcat.

Maybe you do suck at interviewing but I don’t know why you only got one interview. Maybe your essay sucks big time, but honestly most likely it’s just bad luck. Med school is incredibly competitive man.

If I were you, I’d apply again while gaining those additional experiences. By the time interviews come around, you’ll be able to talk about them!!
Yea I’m for sure going to focus on getting significant interview prep next time around. I did a little interview prep this cycle with a few physicians. They told me I did well but they may have been too nice to tell me I suck at interviewing lol.

I had several physicians and friends/family read my essays but maybe they weren’t good in all honesty. It’s hard to know. Since I’m going to be living in Florida for the next year for the NHC program, I’m considering claiming FL residency and applying to all the instate FL schools since there are a lot more compared to NC. Definitely wouldn’t mind living in Florida, especially since I have family there.
 
On the topic of interviews, does anyone recommend a particular resource to use other than interviewing with physicians? I was considering maybe using a prep company.
 
Yea I’m for sure going to focus on getting significant interview prep next time around. I did a little interview prep this cycle with a few physicians. They told me I did well but they may have been too nice to tell me I suck at interviewing lol.

I had several physicians and friends/family read my essays but maybe they weren’t good in all honesty. It’s hard to know. Since I’m going to be living in Florida for the next year for the NHC program, I’m considering claiming FL residency and applying to all the instate FL schools since there are a lot more compared to NC. Definitely wouldn’t mind living in Florida, especially since I have family there.
Ensure you will qualify for FL residency before applying. It will likely require a full 12 month period of living in the state for non-school purposes.

You can reach out to the school you did undergrad at. They likely offer interview practice to alumni through their pre-med and career services offices.
 
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o all the instate FL schools since there are a lot more compared to NC. Definitely wouldn’t mind living in Florida, especially since I have family there.
Yeah, NC schools (UNC and ECU) have a tendency to look for a certain kinda applicant. And if I'm honest, a church-going white guy is not it hahaha.

On the topic of interviews, does anyone recommend a particular resource to use other than interviewing with physicians? I was considering maybe using a prep company.
Prep companies are solid, and definitely worth it if you have the money (like a lot). I know others who've used it and they said it didn't help them necessarily. Honestly, the biggest thing is looking up the interview questions and just practicing them with others.

Also, I will say how people view your interview is HIGHLY SUBJECTIVE. At one school I really wanted to get into, they said my interview was below average and kept me out. At another school, where I go to now, said my interview was excellent and is the reason why I am in. A prepared FAARR more for the school i wanted to go to btw
 
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Ensure you will qualify for FL residency before applying. It will likely require a full 12 month period of living in the state for non-school purposes.

You can reach out to the school you did undergrad at. They likely offer interview practice to alumni through their pre-med and career services offices.
Ensure you will qualify for FL residency before applying. It will likely require a full 12 month period of living in the state for non-school purposes.

You can reach out to the school you did undergrad at. They likely offer interview practice to alumni through their pre-med and career services offices.
I looked up a few schools in Florida and they mention that they require a living period of 12 months prior to the start of medical school. I’m not applying this coming cycle and so I would have at least 10 months of living in Florida before I applied the subsequent cycle.
 
So let me take a little step backwards here. The OP has a lot of experience in rural community health and to me involvement in church makes a lot of sense there. And NC is still Bible Belt country.

I think a little more research on schools with rural health tracks would be a good idea. This would have to include DO programs, especially those set within rural campuses. So that's why I'm surprised ECU didn't take you and that Campbell and VCOM should be good alternatives (VCOM has a Spartanburg, SC campus). I don't know the format of your interview where your score was "below average" (not the greatest feedback but that's all anyone can say, I suppose).

If rural health is really where you want to go, think through all the options. UNC should have a Office of Rural Initiatives | Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion . Check out NC AHEC .
 
I agree with my colleague. ECU and UNC should be invested in rural health, as would CUSOM. Wake is not religious, but historically was Baptist. CUSOM also has a Christian background, which is why I think OP should apply to them as well as other DO schools due to it being the 4th application cycle. Your state of residency is not the issue.
 
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I agree with my colleague. ECU and UNC should be invested in rural health, as would CUSOM. Wake is not religious, but historically was Baptist. CUSOM also has a Christian background, which is why I think OP should apply to them as well as other DO schools due to it being the 4th application cycle. Your state of residency is not the issue.
I wasn’t thinking of relocating based on my religious background and fitting with the mission of the school but more so because Florida has many more public medical schools and I would have a better chance applying to several in-state schools there compared to NC.

Also, ECU only has 86 seats in their incoming class which makes it very difficult to get a spot. A friend of mine got into both UNC and ECU and told me ECU is very much so focused on filling their incoming class with a diverse student group, so this aspect doesn’t help in my case.
 
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I wasn’t thinking of relocating based on my religious background and fitting with the mission of the school but more so because Florida has many more public medical schools and I would have a better chance applying to several in-state schools there compared to NC.

Also, ECU only has 86 seats in their incoming class which makes it very difficult to get a spot. A friend of mine got into both UNC and ECU and told me ECU is very much so focused on filling their incoming class with a diverse student group, so this aspect doesn’t help in my case.
Florida has about the same acceptance rate for residents as NC. Actually seems to have gotten worse at 29%. There are more schools but also many in-state applicants.

From what you’ve said here and your old posts, it seems your past cycles have been:

No interviews
II at UNC and USF
And now a single interview at ECU

It is more likely that you have other problems in your app with school list (likely a big one), activities, and essays.
 
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Hi,

Sorry to reply to this old post, but I need some advice. I will have to retake my 518 MCAT if I don't apply this year, as it will expire. I was okay with waiting another year to reapply and thought it was a reasonable decision, but now I am having many of my advisors and friends tell me that I should apply before the score expires. I feel confident in my test taking abilities, but it is a stressful test, and one that I would rather not have to take again. Unfortunately, at this point, even if I were to submit my primary application today, verification would take 4-6 weeks from now, landing somewhere between October 1st - 15th. Would it just be pointless to submit my application this late?
 
Hi,

Sorry to reply to this old post, but I need some advice. I will have to retake my 518 MCAT if I don't apply this year, as it will expire. I was okay with waiting another year to reapply and thought it was a reasonable decision, but now I am having many of my advisors and friends tell me that I should apply before the score expires. I feel confident in my test taking abilities, but it is a stressful test, and one that I would rather not have to take again. Unfortunately, at this point, even if I were to submit my primary application today, verification would take 4-6 weeks from now, landing somewhere between October 1st - 15th. Would it just be pointless to submit my application this late?
I'm not a fan, but if you submit it "now", you would just be late. But remember that most schools have sent out their invitations, and many schools already have spots filled through January. If you want to spend another $200+ on an application, you better have addressed the deficiencies that were apparent over the four months since we connected with you. I also hope you had a good interview with ECU. If anything I would just focus on in-state schools because you would have a higher likelihood of getting your application reviewed for an interview spot. Just my thoughts.
 
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I'm not a fan, but if you submit it "now", you would just be late. But remember that most schools have sent out their invitations, and many schools already have spots filled through January. If you want to spend another $200+ on an application, you better have addressed the deficiencies that were apparent over the four months since we connected with you. I also hope you had a good interview with ECU. If anything I would just focus on in-state schools because you would have a higher likelihood of getting your application reviewed for an interview spot. Just my thoughts.
I appreciate the advice!
 
Hi,

Sorry to reply to this old post, but I need some advice. I will have to retake my 518 MCAT if I don't apply this year, as it will expire. I was okay with waiting another year to reapply and thought it was a reasonable decision, but now I am having many of my advisors and friends tell me that I should apply before the score expires. I feel confident in my test taking abilities, but it is a stressful test, and one that I would rather not have to take again. Unfortunately, at this point, even if I were to submit my primary application today, verification would take 4-6 weeks from now, landing somewhere between October 1st - 15th. Would it just be pointless to submit my application this late?
Not too late for DO schools.

Or, do you want to lose another year of an attending salary?
 
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At this stage, you could try Wake, ECU and UNC, but you would need to apply to predominantly DO schools. Your friends and advisors don't seem to be understanding your situation very well and are just looking at your MCAT score.
 
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Not too late for DO schools.

Or, do you want to lose another year of an attending salary?
I am actually in the process of setting up shadowing with a DO so that I can apply to DO school this year. As with MD schools, I assume the best strategy is to apply broadly and to schools within range of your GPA/MCAT?
 
I am actually in the process of setting up shadowing with a DO so that I can apply to DO school this year. As with MD schools, I assume the best strategy is to apply broadly and to schools within range of your GPA/MCAT?
Yes, But invest in MSAR Online and pay very careful attention to the IS/OOS ratios of matriculants.
 
Hi all,

I just received a rejection from a school I interviewed with earlier last year. This school was my only interview but they state that they do not offer individual feedback. I also emailed every single other school I applied to which I was rejected from pre-interview and they said the same. I asked my pre-med advisor but they told me my application was decently well rounded and did not give me any specifics to work on. This is my third time applying to medical school and I am really just looking for an honest brutal criticism of my application. Does anyone know where I can find application feedback? I’m ready to put in the work, I literally just need a starting point to work from.
Maybe reach out to the admissions department and ask to have a meeting with the admissions director who could guide you. Many schools I believe will do this and you can take the advice.
 
Maybe reach out to the admissions department and ask to have a meeting with the admissions director who could guide you. Many schools I believe will do this and you can take the advice.
I actually have done this for each school I apply to. Unfortunately, most schools tell you they are unable to provide specific feedback and suggest you to meet with your pre-med advisor. I have been lucky twice and have gotten to talk with an admission counselor at two schools. One told me that my 518 MCAT was not competitive enough and I needed to retake it. Another one told me my overall app looked good and to just keep getting experiences.
 
... I have been lucky twice and have gotten to talk with an admission counselor at two schools. One told me that my 518 MCAT was not competitive enough and I needed to retake it. Another one told me my overall app looked good and to just keep getting experiences.
Then 1) you shot too high with the one school. Do not apply to them. 2) sounds a bit more holistic so take heed of their advice.

Again your success in this process is most dependent on your school list. Do your research and do not choose based on your pride. Mission fit.
 
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I actually have done this for each school I apply to. Unfortunately, most schools tell you they are unable to provide specific feedback and suggest you to meet with your pre-med advisor. I have been lucky twice and have gotten to talk with an admission counselor at two schools. One told me that my 518 MCAT was not competitive enough and I needed to retake it. Another one told me my overall app looked good and to just keep getting experiences.
The bolded is a not polite lie. A 518 will get you into any medical school. I suspect that you have a bad LOR, which is something you would not be told about.
 
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Brody is a tough school to get an interview. You seem to fit the picture of a potential student.

Are there any particular attending physician that you’ve worked with in your CRNA job? Get some honest feedback and ask for help. Maybe change departments and get to know more of the faculty.

Seems your involved with the eastern NC medical community. This is an important aspect for Brody. Make sure you emphasize your desire to serve the medical needs of population of this region.
 
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