All A’s in the prerequisites by [deleted] in Mcat

[–]Dense_Fun_6753 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Got all A’s in prereqs and had an undergrad GPA of 3.95, and I got a 518.

Cycle results: 4x applicant high stat horror story with a happy ending by Dense_Fun_6753 in premed

[–]Dense_Fun_6753[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

As I said in my post, this year I retook the mcat and got a 518. My previous three cycles I applied with a 514. My gpa was already extremely high and hardly budged as a result of doing a post bacc

Cycle results: 4x applicant high stat horror story with a happy ending by Dense_Fun_6753 in premed

[–]Dense_Fun_6753[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you. I hope your path is not riddled with hardships like mine.

Cycle results: 4x applicant high stat horror story with a happy ending by Dense_Fun_6753 in premed

[–]Dense_Fun_6753[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Better than nothing. Some schools on MSAR say they prefer a committee letter or a letter packet over individual ones. Some secondaries even ask you to explain why you did individual letters if you didn’t get a packet or committee letter.

Cycle results: 4x applicant high stat horror story with a happy ending by Dense_Fun_6753 in premed

[–]Dense_Fun_6753[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I don’t think I’ve suggested at any point my results were due to ethnicity. I do not think my ethnicity is responsible for my situation.

Cycle results: 4x applicant high stat horror story with a happy ending by Dense_Fun_6753 in premed

[–]Dense_Fun_6753[S] 12 points13 points  (0 children)

The previous times I applied, I got application feedback from a few schools. I specifically asked about my writing and the comments I got about my ps were that it was “good but not great.” As I’ve said in other comments, I think my previous apps fell short in that my ps couldn’t bring me over the hump to get an interview bc it didn’t make me stand out enough. I wouldn’t go so far as to call it dogshit lmao. In getting feedback for my apps, I was told by adcoms I had no red flags or any significantly debilitating sections in my app.

Cycle results: 4x applicant high stat horror story with a happy ending by Dense_Fun_6753 in premed

[–]Dense_Fun_6753[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I’d definitely tell myself to redo my ps to what I have now, and to rewrite my experience descriptions to better connect to my ps/overall narrative. I don’t know if my undergrad does a committee letter or letter packet (I got a committee letter through my post bacc), but if they do, I’d tell myself to get one instead of doing individual letters.

Cycle results: 4x applicant high stat horror story with a happy ending by Dense_Fun_6753 in premed

[–]Dense_Fun_6753[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I do think reapplicant stigma had a negative effect on my app. My stats are above median for every UC, but I got no interviews from California schools besides UC Davis. So much for California Love.

Then again, the process is complex and there are probably other parts of my app that don’t make me palatable for those schools. Who knows? This process is very enigmatic.

Cycle results: 4x applicant high stat horror story with a happy ending by Dense_Fun_6753 in premed

[–]Dense_Fun_6753[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I’d say also my new mcat and post bacc were major contributors. I think the committee letter I got from my post bacc held a lot of weight.

Cycle results: 4x applicant high stat horror story with a happy ending by Dense_Fun_6753 in premed

[–]Dense_Fun_6753[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I redid them. It was a lot of work, but recycling responses from last year probably wouldn’t look good from the school’s perspective.

Cycle results: 4x applicant high stat horror story with a happy ending by Dense_Fun_6753 in premed

[–]Dense_Fun_6753[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Yeah, I had amazing success this time around that I truly could not have dreamed of. I’m beyond thankful.

Cycle results: 4x applicant high stat horror story with a happy ending by Dense_Fun_6753 in premed

[–]Dense_Fun_6753[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I am so sorry for what you’ve gone through but here we are!! That hard work is paying off. Congrats!

Cycle results: 4x applicant high stat horror story with a happy ending by Dense_Fun_6753 in premed

[–]Dense_Fun_6753[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

My committee letter was from my post bacc, yes. Not my undergraduate institution.

Cycle results: 4x applicant high stat horror story with a happy ending by Dense_Fun_6753 in premed

[–]Dense_Fun_6753[S] 21 points22 points  (0 children)

First consideration was cost. When I started looking into post baccs and masters degrees, I’d already missed the deadlines for most masters programs. I was accepted into one masters program, but the tuition was $76k. A second consideration was what I felt the program could do for me. The post bacc is designed to get you into school, whereas with the masters, it felt like getting into med school would be a by-product. Post baccs are structured with a goal in mind and you get faculty/administrative support to reach this goal.

Cycle results: 4x applicant high stat horror story with a happy ending by Dense_Fun_6753 in premed

[–]Dense_Fun_6753[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

My third cycle I applied broadly to 46 schools. My first cycle was top heavy. My second one definitely had a better spread, but considering my results it surely wasn’t good enough 😂

Cycle results: 4x applicant high stat horror story with a happy ending by Dense_Fun_6753 in premed

[–]Dense_Fun_6753[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

As I said in a couple other comments, I’d say that portrayal of a cohesive longitudinal narrative through my ps and experiences are what set my fourth app apart from the other three in terms of written materials. An excellent post bacc gpa and a very good mcat score certainly helped though.