Need help in applying

Just got my rejection letter a couple of days ago and feeling absolutely confused and discouraged. Any advice on where to go from here?
Background:
1. Miserable undegrad grades (3.1 overall and 3.3 sciences)
Northwestern Univ. BA - Anthro
2. UIC, MPH (biostats/epi). gpa around 3.8 (I had 2 courses with B, the rest A’s)
3. MCAT: took 2 before grad school abysmally low. I don’t remember. Latest (After grad school) in Aug 2004 (PS 8, VS 9, BS 10) still low.
4. Two publications in so-so journals: third author as statistician. Additionally, around 4 manuscript submitted but still waiting reponse/decision. One as first author (masters thesis) but likely to be rejected. around 6-7abstracts so far.
5. Job experiences: 2 years basic science lab after undergrad. Brief stint in pharmaceutical (also after undergrad). Worked for free tuition in grad school. Now currently works (for a little over a year) in Univ. of Chicago - Data Analyst (or even as statistician according to several RO1 grants). Works in MICU 5 hrs a week.
6. Volunteered: latest, a long time ago in UIC.
7. LOR: several MDs (employers), Profs from grad school.
Other factors:
1. Applied to 5 midwestern school in 2005 (financial reason). Interviewed at school X. The 2005 interviewers were very nice. I actually had a nice impression of the school. Waitlisted in school X in 2005. Admission counselor from school X adviced me NOT to re-apply immediately (seriously, I met with her several times and she kept telling me to WAIT). Rejection letter never arrived. I ended up re-applying late around Oct. (It sounds really stupid but I could only apply to school X because of time and lack of preparation ie. recommendation letters). Had another interview at school X. Unfortunately, one of the interviewer hated me before I even sat down. He spent the first half of the interview talking to a patient (or possibly wife, I could not tell). The second half trying to turn off the ringer in the frequently ringing phone which was apparently his wife. Looked disinterested for the rest of the time. Subsequently got a rejection letter last week.
2. Considering moving to Buffalo, New York. Fiance will be moving there in July.
3. Does not have any file/storage place for recommendation letters. Graduate advisor passed away in 2005. The only complete recommendation file is in School X.
3. Turning 30 this summer. Am I too old to be pursuing the medical school dream? I’d hate to abandon this dream especially since I work closely with MD’s (attending, fellows, and med students). I know how hard their lifestyle is (from the constant complaints by the fellow - I share my room with them) but I know that I can do it. I actually would be very happy to have an opportunity to practice medicine which they take for granted!
Sorry for the long post. I just don’t know what I should do next. Have I sunk my chances by only applying to one school in 2006? Will my MCAT still be valid for my 2007 application? If I can re-apply, can I ask School X to forward my only complete copy of LOR to some other place that would hold it for me? Should I still reapply to school X (I’m somewhat annoyed by them)? Should I take a post bacc program in Buffalo? How about continuing with a PhD program in Buffalo and eventually re-applying?
Any help is greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.
Even if no one responds, I hope that my post prevents other old premeds from doing the same mistakes.

Hi there,
Thirty is not too old to apply to medical school since I applied at age 45 back in 1997 and got into all six schools that I applied to. If I were applying in 2006 or later, I would have applied to no less than 20 schools because the competition is stiffer and schools demand more of applicants.
You need to cast a wider net and you need to look very seriously at whether you want to stay in one location or become a physician. The process of applying to medical school may not permit you to be regional. You need to look at every school in the MSAR and apply to those that you have numbers close to matching.
I love to use the story of one of my friends who had 3.9 undergraduate GPA and a 42 MCAT who applied to two schools (one of which his father was chairman of a department). He did not get in that year. He reapplied the next year, cast a wider net (applied to 15 schools) and got into six. Things change from year to year but you maximize your chances by applying to more schools.
You need to do a jaundiced inventory of your interview skills. You would not be the first applicant to blow an interview and not realize your situation. If your interviewer did not give you complete attention, you can politely request that you be interviewed by another person. This has been done. After all, you spent the time and money to come to the interview, you should be given at least total attention for 15 minutes.
If you are re-applying, you need to get some professional advice in terms of what you need to do to upgrade your application. Your MCAT is low and that may have killed you for the schools that you applied to. I do not know what your LORs looked like but there could have been something there that red flagged you. I also do not know what your coursework looked like. In short, there could have been many things that, when added up, sunk your application. Spend the money, get some good professional advice, and get the mistakes off your application before you apply again.
Finally, and I cannot emphasize this more, figure out if you actually want to become a physician. If so, then look at every school in this country, match your stats and apply to many schools across the board allopathic and osteopathic. In 2007, you have more options for becoming a physician than I had in 1997 so utilize them. Do not apply until you have done a thorough inventory of your application and changed some things.
Medicine is d–med hard to do well and getting here is far from a chip shot. If you want this life, then you need to do everything that you can to get it. Age is going to be the last thing that will get in your way so make that application as competitive as possible. Sure rejection hurts but let it sting for a little while and then use it to get yourself in gear for the next round.
Good luck!
Natalie

Just to add to Nat’s excellent post, you might want to consider your ECs, also. Several schools where I applied told me that they like to see RECENT volunteer work and shadowing. “Recent,” to them, means you are engaged in doing it NOW. So if your last volunteering was done a long time ago as you said, and you haven’t done any shadowing, you should start doing both. You don’t have to go crazy; just an hour or two per week is sufficient. But you should do it over a period of several months, and ideally over a year or more. It’s great if you can get the doc you shadow to write you a LOR, too.





I recommend for your LORs that you get an account with Interfolio. It costs about $15, and it is worth every penny. Go to www.interfolio.com to check it out. Basically, Interfolio is an online “briefcase” that will hold all of your LORs. You sign a waiver that you will keep the recommendations confidential, and your recommenders upload their letters directly to Interfolio. Interfolio tells you that the letters are there, but you are not able to read them yourself. When you are ready to submit LORs to schools, you just tell Interfolio which ones to send, and it sends them all as a packet for a flat fee. Some schools will even accept electronic transmission from Interfolio, which means that the schools get the LORs seconds after you tell Interfolio to send them. (I’ll warn you, though, that you should check back with the school after a week or so to make sure that they actually DOWNLOADED your letters. )





The issue with your stats is a tough one. Your UG GPA is lower than most schools’ averages, and your MCAT is average or below average for most schools, too. So you need to be really stellar in other ways (LORs, ECs, essays, interviews) in order to stand out and get an interview invite and acceptance. It’s an encouraging sign that your School X interviewed you twice, but I would definitely recommend that you contact someone in the admissions office there and talk to them about what you can do to make yourself more competitive. Since you seem to need or want to stay at that one school, you might also look into whether School X has an EDP (early decision program).





Applying ED is a gamble that may or may not work out well for you. The way it works is that you only apply to one school. The school gives you priority consideration for an interview invitation, and if you are invited, priority consideration for admission and a sooner-than-normal admission decision (before Oct. 15!). In return, you cannot apply to any other schools while School X is considering you, and you must agree to attend School X if they accept you; you cannot change your mind later and apply elsewhere. There are two possible outcomes: School X could accept you ED, in which case you are in, and your app process is over after a relatively short and painless time. One of my non-trad friends applied ED to USF here in FL, and she was admitted and done with the whole process by the last week of Sept. However, if School X decides not to admit you ED, you must then apply RD (regular decision) to a bunch of schools. The downside is that you will be applying late (submitting your AMCAS in late Sept. or early Oct.), which puts you at a disadvantage by giving you a shorter window of time in which to gain interview invites compared to people who apply in June. If your School X does have an ED option, and you want to try it, I would DEFINITELY talk to them about your chances first. If they don’t seem excited about your prospects, you probably shouldn’t do it. But I just wanted to make sure you were aware that some schools have this as an option.





Hope this helps, and good luck to you.





P.S. I am starting med school this summer at 31. You are definitely not too old.

Thank you for your all of your advices! It took me two days to think normally. And yes, I will go to the ends of the world just to get into any medical school. I just thought that most schools want in-state residents… or rather, heavily favoured residents in acceptance.
I am now contemplating (if it’s even possible) to retake my MCAT - but that means that I would possibly quit my job (or go part-time). I’m not sure if post-bacc (?) programs would help improve my chances…if so, where should I start looking?
I have already scheduled to talk to the admission counselor in School X.
I’m already looking at some volunteer programs…
Thanks again!

Quote:

Thank you for your all of your advices! It took me two days to think normally. And yes, I will go to the ends of the world just to get into any medical school. I just thought that most schools want in-state residents… or rather, heavily favoured residents in acceptance.
I am now contemplating (if it’s even possible) to retake my MCAT - but that means that I would possibly quit my job (or go part-time). I’m not sure if post-bacc (?) programs would help improve my chances…if so, where should I start looking?
I have already scheduled to talk to the admission counselor in School X.
I’m already looking at some volunteer programs…
Thanks again!


What worries me is the Retaking the MCAT for a 4th time? I thought past 2 and that was a no no? I don’t know?
There are a lot of options for you and I think you should try to apply to a lot more schools and maybe even the Caribbean, I don’t say the carribean aften cause I think it’s only an option when there may not be many choices,
In the Caribbean it is not 4 years, it is 18 months then the rest in the USA beside US med stundents in clinicals.
The next step is up to you.
Good Luck.

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What worries me is the Retaking the MCAT for a 4th time? I thought past 2 and that was a no no? I don’t know?


After three MCAT exams you need to petition the MCAT folks to take it again.
Cheers,
Judy

Quote:

Quote:


What worries me is the Retaking the MCAT for a 4th time? I thought past 2 and that was a no no? I don’t know?


After three MCAT exams you need to petition the MCAT folks to take it again.
Cheers,
Judy


Well your 3rd score is 27 may get you in a school if the rest is really good. Some schools look at the whole application and what you have done too.
Hang in there I’m sure if you really want to go to med school you will, I did and I doing it now.
Good Luck.