Who holds the record for applying the most times?

[ihopetobeado]

Just out of curiosity, who holds the record for applying the most times to medical schools before getting in? I personally heard of someone who applied 5 times before she got the coveted acceptance letter. What have you heard?

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[annamarie]

Just out of curiosity, who holds the record for applying the most times to medical schools before getting in? I personally heard of someone who applied 5 times before she got the coveted acceptance letter. What have you heard?

This is my 4th year--2002, 2003, 2004, and 2005.

Hopefully it's my last!

 

[jebus]

I don't know about medical school applications, but it took Maxcy Dean Filer 47 times to pass the California Bar Exam. (It's the last paragraph.) But he didn't give up!
Good luck to you, annamarie!

 

[QofQuimica]

This is my 4th year--2002, 2003, 2004, and 2005.

Hopefully it's my last!

This is also my fourth time.

 

[jebus]

This is also my fourth time.

So, Q, what was wrong the first (three) time(s)? Your MCAT was solid, you didn't have grades... did you go in too cocky or didn't have good ECs or what?

 

[QofQuimica]

So, Q, what was wrong the first (three) time(s)? Your MCAT was solid, you didn't have grades... did you go in too cocky or didn't have good ECs or what?

Desired, you are way harsh, dude. There is more to this story than just my MCAT score and my personal foibles.

First time, I was in HS applying for a combined BS/MD. I got into a fight with my interviewer (really ). I mean a fight where we were flat out screaming at each other. Needless to say, I wasn't accepted.

Second time, I was a senior in college. I took the MCAT and did well on it (34), but I had no grades and really no clinical experience. I was interviewed at my two state schools, but either they both waitlisted me or else one waitlisted me and one accepted me and I didn't go b/c I was going to grad school instead. (One school doesn't have its records from that far back, so we're not sure exactly what happened any more. )

Third time, I was a first year grad student and I tried unsuccessfully to transfer into the MD/PhD program. This sucked, b/c I still had to fill out AMCAS and a secondary and interview, only to be told at the end that the committee had decided that I should finish my PhD first before they'd let me go to med school.

Fourth time is now.

 

[jebus]

Desired, you are way harsh, dude. There is more to this story than just my MCAT score and my personal foibles.

I'm an ass, I know.

First time, I wasn't accepted.
Second time, we're not sure exactly what happened any more. )
Third time, the committee had decided that I should finish my PhD first before they'd let me go to med school.
Fourth time is now.

Ok, so the lesson seems to be: interview well, do some good ECs, don't start something without expecting to finish it, and I'm sure that for the 4th time maturity played some part in it all. (Admit it, screaming at an interviewer isn't very mature!)
Hmm, this doesn't really help me as much as I had hoped it would. So... I'll settle on ECs. Thanks!

 

[QofQuimica]

(Admit it, screaming at an interviewer isn't very mature!)

True enough. But, he started it.

 

[deleted50541]

True enough. But, he started it.

Would you mind sharing with us why you two were screaming at each other?

I'll admit that I got into a bit of a row myself with a student interviewer (MS1) last year. She kept asking really stupid questions and I had to explain to her more than half the medical terms I was using to describe both my clinical and research work. She didn't even know what intubation was for chris'sake! It was very frustrating to say the least and I definitely took on a more hostile attitude during the latter half of the interview.

I'm sure it didn't help that I was loaded with caffeine too.

 

[happydays]

True enough. But, he started it.

Why didn't you go to med school when you got in? School too "low tier" for you?

 

[QofQuimica]

Would you mind sharing with us why you two were screaming at each other?

He asked what I would do if I had a patient who smoked and refused to quit. I said that smoking was legal, and while I would encourage the patient to quit, if he didn't, there wasn't anything I could do. Unfortunately, the interviewer was a pulmonary oncologist, and my libertarian attitude did not impress him. Things went steadily downhill from there. I was not the most diplomatic person at age 17.

Why didn't you go to med school when you got in? School too "low tier" for you?

I'm going to give you the benefit of the doubt and assume that you're actually curious and not just trying to pick a fight with me. First of all, I'm not 100% sure that I did get in now. The admissions director at the school that I thought had accepted me told me that I was actually waitlisted. So it's possible that I just got the two schools confused (the other admissions director couldn't find my record), or it's possible that I was waitlisted at both schools and am confused in general. But the major answer to your question is that I was engaged to my ex, and he didn't get into grad school anywhere in our home state, but we both got into grad school in another state. So that's where we went.

If y'all who are trads want to learn a lesson from my example, the best one I can offer you is to not plan your future around your bf or gf. The person you think you want to spend your life with at age 21 may not be quite as perfect for you five or ten years later. So take care of your own future first, and let the relationship work itself out if it's meant to be.

 

[DrBowtie]

He asked what I would do if I had a patient who smoked and refused to quit. I said that smoking was legal, and while I would encourage the patient to quit, if he didn't, there wasn't anything I could do. Unfortunately, the interviewer was a pulmonary oncologist, and my libertarian attitude did not impress him. Things went steadily downhill from there. I was not the most diplomatic person at age 17.

I would have taken that standpoint as well.

 

[happydays]

He asked what I would do if I had a patient who smoked and refused to quit. I said that smoking was legal, and while I would encourage the patient to quit, if he didn't, there wasn't anything I could do. Unfortunately, the interviewer was a pulmonary oncologist, and my libertarian attitude did not impress him. Things went steadily downhill from there. I was not the most diplomatic person at age 17.


I'm going to give you the benefit of the doubt and assume that you're actually curious and not just trying to pick a fight with me. First of all, I'm not 100% sure that I did get in now. The admissions director at the school that I thought had accepted me told me that I was actually waitlisted. So it's possible that I just got the two schools confused (the other admissions director couldn't find my record), or it's possible that I was waitlisted at both schools and am confused in general. But the major answer to your question is that I was engaged to my ex, and he didn't get into grad school anywhere in our home state, but we both got into grad school in another state. So that's where we went.

If y'all who are trads want to learn a lesson from my example, the best one I can offer you is to not plan your future around your bf or gf. The person you think you want to spend your life with at age 21 may not be quite as perfect for you five or ten years later. So take care of your own future first, and let the relationship work itself out if it's meant to be.

I was serious.

If you were accepted, would you have gone? Would you still have gone to grad school with your ex?

 

[QofQuimica]

I would have taken that standpoint as well.

I might well still take that standpoint, but I would hopefully express it a little more diplomatically.

If you were accepted, would you have gone? Would you still have gone to grad school with your ex?

No. That's why I'm advising you all not to make the same mistake.

 

[fiddler]

He asked what I would do if I had a patient who smoked and refused to quit. I said that smoking was legal, and while I would encourage the patient to quit, if he didn't, there wasn't anything I could do. Unfortunately, the interviewer was a pulmonary oncologist, and my libertarian attitude did not impress him. Things went steadily downhill from there. I was not the most diplomatic person at age 17.

Hey Q,

what did he expect you to say?

It's not like you can lock them up in your basement to keep them from smoking.

In any case, it is a personal choice. their choice.

fiddler

 

[1Path]

This is also my fourth time.

Q I have an amazing amount of respect for you not just because of your tenacity and intelligence, but mainly for answering these ludicrious questions without telling someone to kiss your a$$!

 

[QofQuimica]

Hey Q,

what did he expect you to say?

It's not like you can lock them up in your basement to keep them from smoking.

In any case, it is a personal choice. their choice.

fiddler

I think I missed the point of his question, which was more generally asking me what I'd do if I had a difficult patient. If I'm a doctor, it's my JOB to help people improve their health. I can't just say, "eh, it's their own health, so if they want to smoke (drink, abuse drugs, sleep around, not exercise or lose weight, etc.), screw them!" Even if I can't ultimately persuade the patient to stop smoking, I should make a reasonable effort to educate him and encourage him to do so.

Q I have an amazing amount of respect for you not just because of your tenacity and intelligence, but mainly for answering these ludicrious questions without telling someone to kiss your a$$!

Thanks. But I did kind of bring it on myself by posting in this thread that I had applied so many times. It's not surprising that people are curious about it.

 

[kutastha]

I applied 5 times ('94, '95, '96, '98 and 2001) before finally being accepted - I also took the MCAT three times and have a total of 104 rejection letters.

 

[medstylee]

my last interviewer told me that he had to apply to medical school 6 times before he finally got in! this is actually my third time applying, so i guess interviewing with this person could have been a good thing or a bad thing. i'm hoping he leaned toward empathy!

 

[jon stewart]

I applied 5 times ('94, '95, '96, '98 and 2001) before finally being accepted - I also took the MCAT three times and have a total of 104 rejection letters.

holy crapp....!

What were you doing throughout the years to improve your application?

 

[Apollyon]

There were 3 of us (including me) in my FMG class in the Caribbean that had applied 5 times. I was interviewed 4 times at SUNY-Buffalo, and rejected every time. In total, I had interviews (by year), 8 (went to 6, listened to my mother, bad advice), 6, 1, 1, 2 (only applied to 2 foreign schools, interviewed at 1, accepted).

I don't know what happened to the one woman, but the other guy is now a GI fellow, and I'm in my last year as a resident at Duke.

So we did all right.

 

[mdjd]

I applied 5 times ('94, '95, '96, '98 and 2001) before finally being accepted - I also took the MCAT three times and have a total of 104 rejection letters.

That's a lot of endurance.

 

[cyclegirl]

A friend of my MD mentors dad applyed 5 times before he got in and he is now a neurosurgeon.

 

[LooKing4Ward]

Are you guys rich to have re-applied so many times? What was the average cost for each time? How did you finance it? For those that DIDN'T quit, why not? What kept the perserverance going? For those that DID quit, why? What was the defining factor(s) that made you decide it's to move on?

 

[kutastha]

holy crapp....!

What were you doing throughout the years to improve your application?

To make a very long story short, I just kept on going to school. After the first time, I went on to get a Masters - no help. I also improved 6 points on the MCAT - no help either. At that point I pretty much gave up. I then went on to get a PhD in molecular genetics, decided to apply again, improved another 2 points on the MCAT, and finally got in (to one school).

Neither I, nor anyone with whom I've pored this over, have been able to figure it out. Now it's pretty much a moot point since I'll have that MD in 5 months.

So, if this is what you feel you were meant to do - don't ever give up. At each of my residency interviews, the word "perseverance" always comes up.

 

[drjds]

WHAT WERE YOUR MCAT SCORES?

This is my 4th year--2002, 2003, 2004, and 2005.

Hopefully it's my last!

 

[run4boston]

To make a very long story short, I just kept on going to school. After the first time, I went on to get a Masters - no help. I also improved 6 points on the MCAT - no help either. At that point I pretty much gave up. I then went on to get a PhD in molecular genetics, decided to apply again, improved another 2 points on the MCAT, and finally got in (to one school).

Neither I, nor anyone with whom I've pored this over, have been able to figure it out. Now it's pretty much a moot point since I'll have that MD in 5 months.

So, if this is what you feel you were meant to do - don't ever give up. At each of my residency interviews, the word "perseverance" always comes up.

and perseverence is key for getting through med school too.

 

[Jezzielin]

Me and my mother went in to talk to my advisor before I sent in my primary application. My advisor once told me of a man who applied consecutively for 25 years. No joke, it became some sort of addiction/sickness.

Every year he would come to my professor and talk about his application and such, until I believe my adivisor put a stop to it and he got some help.

Very interesting story to hear from him...

 

[71263]

Heyy guys. Im not a reapplicant, but I just wanted to wish you all the best of luck. A few of my close friends fought some very uphill battles to get where they are now but they ultimately succeeded. If you guys dont mind me sharing a few inspirational stories:

1. My roommate: 6 years

Hes from india and wanted to do medicine his whole life, and on the one test that decides his future, he scored 8 pts short of medicine and 4 pts short of dentistry. So those spots filled up and he was stuck doing engineering. After his first ug year, he was accepted to an indian dental school, but had to turn down the offer due to financial reasons. So he spend another ug year in india before coming to the US.

In the US, he spent a year at a community college, and then transferred to my UG when I came in as a freshman. He spent another year doing engineering before deciding to go pre-health (he gave up on medicine and instead fluctuated between dentistry and optometry). His 5th year he took all his prereqs, and that summer, he worked his ass off studying for the DATs, filling out AADSAS, and applying, even getting professional editing for his essay.

That year, he only got one interview, and that was all he needed. He is now Tufts Dental 09, after 6 years of waiting and going back and forth between India and the US.

I saw how tough he had it, adjusting to the culture and language, and fitting in here without his family or anything. I was so happy for him after seeing how much he had to struggle. If he can do it, you guys can to. Hang in there!!

 

[71263]

One more inspirational story:

A friend of mine, (same age as the last one but lived in US all his life), applied to the BS/MD program that I was later accepted to. He was a 3rd year when I came in. He was rejected from the program, but he went to the school anyway, because they offered another BS/MD program for 2nd yr students to apply to.

After 2 years of working his @ss off and doing research, he got the acceptance his second year... only to lose it a semester later because the program stipulated that he could get no grade below a 'C'.

That summer, he retook the MCAT, applied to med school again, and was denied. During his year off, he rethought everything and decided to go dental. He applied the following year, got several interviews, but no acceptances. This year (his 2nd year off since college), he was accepted to his top choice.



Now I know both of these guys ended up going dental, rather than med, but the latter proved he was capable of med school since he did have an acceptance at some point. As for the former, having come from India barely knowing any english and not having any close family with him, getting into dental school was arguably harder than getting into med school for alot of us. You guys can do it!!

 

[DoctorPardi]

I don't know how many times the guy applied but one of my sister's friends who is now a doctor said a guy took the MCAT 7 times and finally got in the same year she did.

Since then they have put a restriction on the number of times you can take it I think right?

 

[jon stewart]

I don't know how many times the guy applied but one of my sister's friends who is now a doctor said a guy took the MCAT 7 times and finally got in the same year she did.

Since then they have put a restriction on the number of times you can take it I think right?

3 times is the limit, after that you have to write a letter or something requesting to take it again.

 

[jon stewart]

Heyy guys. Im not a reapplicant, but I just wanted to wish you all the best of luck. A few of my close friends fought some very uphill battles to get where they are now but they ultimately succeeded. If you guys dont mind me sharing a few inspirational stories:

1. My roommate: 6 years

Hes from india and wanted to do medicine his whole life

wow really? what a suprise......

anyhow, did he end up applying as an intl applicant?

 

[71263]

Heyy guys. Im not a reapplicant, but I just wanted to wish you all the best of luck. A few of my close friends fought some very uphill battles to get where they are now but they ultimately succeeded. If you guys dont mind me sharing a few inspirational stories:

1. My roommate: 6 years

Hes from india and wanted to do medicine his whole life

wow really? what a suprise......

anyhow, did he end up applying as an intl applicant?

lol, nahh. By the time he ended up applying, he was able to get permanent resident status. (His address became his uncles, but he barely went home cuz of family drama, im not exactly sure).

 

[PurpleHaze]

I applied 5 times ('94, '95, '96, '98 and 2001) before finally being accepted - I also took the MCAT three times and have a total of 104 rejection letters.

I truly admire you and your determination to get into medical school. I'm not sure if I could take 104 rejection letters.

 

[Doctor Bagel]

3 times is the limit, after that you have to write a letter or something requesting to take it again.

it's not a hard limit, though. my understanding is that you just have to show proof that you're still applying to schools. basically, they don't want kaplan and princeton review people to take it multiple times to learn how to teach the test.

 

[PurpleHaze]

it's not a hard limit, though. my understanding is that you just have to show proof that you're still applying to schools. basically, they don't want kaplan and princeton review people to take it multiple times to learn how to teach the test.

I always wondered why that limit was in place. Good call.

 

[Dr Trek 1]

As long as you are actually applying to med schools, you can take the MCAT an unlimited number of times. AAMC is not going to turn away $200 as long as you aren't obvious about being a test prep. companie's spy, hehe.

 

[BubbleHead]

Would you mind sharing with us why you two were screaming at each other?

I'll admit that I got into a bit of a row myself with a student interviewer (MS1) last year. She kept asking really stupid questions and I had to explain to her more than half the medical terms I was using to describe both my clinical and research work. She didn't even know what intubation was for chris'sake! It was very frustrating to say the least and I definitely took on a more hostile attitude during the latter half of the interview.

I'm sure it didn't help that I was loaded with caffeine too.

No matter what anyone tells you (med students that is) their role is to answer a simple question. Does this person remind you of your classmates, why, why not? This answer usually takes the form of several paragraphs and may never actually get answered, but that is their role. Just smile and ask them about themselves. How do you like it here? What is the best part in your mind? What is the worst part? Some people take it way more seriously than they should, but others will be a joy to sit and talk with.

An aside, a student at my school (current 4th year) got in on his third try. His father is a PhD researcher and leading faculty in the medical school. He was in the 95 percentile of his class and is interviewing for one of the most difficult and sought after specialties in medicine. Stay the course!

 

[cochlea2]

Hey guys. I saw the thread and figured I'd add my 2 cents. I applied 6 times before getting into medical school. I'm now an m4 and will finish up in May. I'm ended up senior AOA (approximately top 10% of my class) with strong board scores, and I'm applying for ENT - a very competitive residency. I write this to encourage others. If you're turned down, be realistic and assess your chances, but sometimes an applicant can slip through the cracks and end up being turned down. Good luck all.

 

[drjds]

What were your stats?

Hey guys. I saw the thread and figured I'd add my 2 cents. I applied 6 times before getting into medical school. I'm now an m4 and will finish up in May. I'm ended up senior AOA (approximately top 10% of my class) with strong board scores, and I'm applying for ENT - a very competitive residency. I write this to encourage others. If you're turned down, be realistic and assess your chances, but sometimes an applicant can slip through the cracks and end up being turned down. Good luck all.

 

[2tall]

LOL@People who always need to know the stats.

Your story is cute and all, but gimme the figures!

 

[cochlea2]

My point wasn't so much to hash stats, but here goes. I had MCAT of 23 first time (didn't study - don't ask why), 29 (2-5), and 28 (final application due to MCAT expiring). I had a undergrad science GPA of 3.2 from a smaller school. Did grad school. Did well while there, but wait list "didn't move that year". My point was more to encourage you guys, because just because you might be reapplying does not mean you won't do well in med school. I've talked to numerous people in my class that with so many well qualified people applying sometimes it can be numbers game. Again, if you get turned down, examine your application and be realistic. It doesn't hurt to ask your 1st choice school why they turned you down and how you might improve. If it's what you want to do, then try to improve your application each time, and keep at it. Good luck.

 

[RxnMan]

It doesn't hurt to ask your 1st choice school why they turned you down and how you might improve. If it's what you want to do, then try to improve your application each time, and keep at it. Good luck.

Many schools hold "rejected applicant" meetings, where they will tell you why you were rejected and how you can strengthen your application. I went to my state school's and I ended up talking with the dean for a half an hour. The admissions staff also look out for this - were you assertive in following upyour app? Did you make the changes they suggested?