I have a feeling this will be met with some incredulity but I assure you it's all true. I apologize for the length.
Despite my numbers I am currently looking at applying to med school for not the second, but yes the third time! I need some suggestions on where to apply/what might be going wrong. Obviously I've made some big mistakes. Since this is my first post (and a heavy one at that) here's my background:
Graduated from an Honors program at Penn State in Fall of 2011
MCAT 37L 2010 (11VR, 12PS, 14BS) Not sure what happened in the writing section, didn't really care.
ECs:
150+ hours volunteering in ED/OR/clinic at local hospital (a little bit in 2010, mostly 2011-2012)
EMT certified with hands-on experience (2012)
Shadowed two docs, got a letter of recommendation from one (2012)
Eagle Scout
Multiple clubs including Penn State THON, student resident life. No major leadership positions
Study Abroad in Singapore
MCAT Instructor for Kaplan (2012-present)
Research:
Undergrad Honors Thesis on Ethanol Neurobio. It was a big project but I did not do any independent research. It was more of a review paper.
Psych Research Assistant: I gathered data from birth medical records for a long-term development study. Looked at prenatal care, drug use, living situation, and about a dozen other factors. I have not published anything.
LORS:
Two from science profs I had, one from my research professor, and one from the aforementioned doctor. These probably aren't amazing as I didn't know them (except for the physician) all that well. I don't know how to get better ones as I'm not a student anymore. I have not read these letters but I recently met with the Premed Director at Penn State, who has read them, and he was baffled that I haven't been accepted yet.
First time applying: Applied to about 15 schools. Interviews at Penn State, Temple, and Ohio State. At this time I had minimal clinical/shadowing experience and was eventually rejected by all three. My interviews were mediocre.
Second time applying: All of the above EC's apply except for the Kaplan gig, which I was currently training for at the time. Some of these apps were submitted semi-late; not terribly so, but not early. Only applied to 10 schools, which was stupid. Had one (!) interview at Ohio State...I'm currently on the deferred list with realistic (low) hopes of matriculation. My interview was much better, however.
Now my MCAT score is 3 years old and I have to retake it in anticipation of another application cycle. Fortunately with my experience I hope to do well; maybe not a 37, but ideally still upper tier. I've definitely made some big mistakes in not applying early enough or to enough schools, not putting enough time and thought into my essays, etc. I went into this process naive, overconfident, and lacking in commitment. I've always been the type to go at it alone, but clearly that's just about the worst approach when applying to med school. So at this point I'm breaking down and getting help from anyone who's kind enough to offer it. I'll be applying super early with a much better personal statement. The question is, what schools do I apply to now? I'm a PA resident and I have not applied to DO schools in the past. I would like to specialize in Internal Medicine. Consider that I've applied mostly to PA, Ohio, and DC schools in the past.
Any advice at all would be greatly appreciated. This has been a disappointing and humbling process.
Despite my numbers I am currently looking at applying to med school for not the second, but yes the third time! I need some suggestions on where to apply/what might be going wrong. Obviously I've made some big mistakes. Since this is my first post (and a heavy one at that) here's my background:
Graduated from an Honors program at Penn State in Fall of 2011
MCAT 37L 2010 (11VR, 12PS, 14BS) Not sure what happened in the writing section, didn't really care.
ECs:
150+ hours volunteering in ED/OR/clinic at local hospital (a little bit in 2010, mostly 2011-2012)
EMT certified with hands-on experience (2012)
Shadowed two docs, got a letter of recommendation from one (2012)
Eagle Scout
Multiple clubs including Penn State THON, student resident life. No major leadership positions
Study Abroad in Singapore
MCAT Instructor for Kaplan (2012-present)
Research:
Undergrad Honors Thesis on Ethanol Neurobio. It was a big project but I did not do any independent research. It was more of a review paper.
Psych Research Assistant: I gathered data from birth medical records for a long-term development study. Looked at prenatal care, drug use, living situation, and about a dozen other factors. I have not published anything.
LORS:
Two from science profs I had, one from my research professor, and one from the aforementioned doctor. These probably aren't amazing as I didn't know them (except for the physician) all that well. I don't know how to get better ones as I'm not a student anymore. I have not read these letters but I recently met with the Premed Director at Penn State, who has read them, and he was baffled that I haven't been accepted yet.
First time applying: Applied to about 15 schools. Interviews at Penn State, Temple, and Ohio State. At this time I had minimal clinical/shadowing experience and was eventually rejected by all three. My interviews were mediocre.
Second time applying: All of the above EC's apply except for the Kaplan gig, which I was currently training for at the time. Some of these apps were submitted semi-late; not terribly so, but not early. Only applied to 10 schools, which was stupid. Had one (!) interview at Ohio State...I'm currently on the deferred list with realistic (low) hopes of matriculation. My interview was much better, however.
Now my MCAT score is 3 years old and I have to retake it in anticipation of another application cycle. Fortunately with my experience I hope to do well; maybe not a 37, but ideally still upper tier. I've definitely made some big mistakes in not applying early enough or to enough schools, not putting enough time and thought into my essays, etc. I went into this process naive, overconfident, and lacking in commitment. I've always been the type to go at it alone, but clearly that's just about the worst approach when applying to med school. So at this point I'm breaking down and getting help from anyone who's kind enough to offer it. I'll be applying super early with a much better personal statement. The question is, what schools do I apply to now? I'm a PA resident and I have not applied to DO schools in the past. I would like to specialize in Internal Medicine. Consider that I've applied mostly to PA, Ohio, and DC schools in the past.
Any advice at all would be greatly appreciated. This has been a disappointing and humbling process.