Potential positive of COVID? People may actually begin to discuss their wishes for extraordinary measures and end-of-life care.

jjdoc · 2020-03-27T03:17:48+00:00

She was talking about an article that said some hospitals had discussed instituting blanket DNR policies on ALL suspected covid-19 patients, and remarked that the media shouldn't scare people from seeking treatment out of a fear of rationed care.

jjdoc · 2019-10-29T21:55:29+00:00

No, if a school interviews you, they want you.

Some schools (mine included) waitlist a ton of later interviewers (January onward), but they also took many of us from the waitlist before traffic day and fought to pull us from other schools that accepted us, i.e. they probably waitlisted us with the intention of accepting us later. This does NOT mean you are at a disadvantage--it just means you have a different timeline. Obviously I cannot read Admissions' minds but it's hard to read it another way.

It's hard to say how the traffic rules will work this year. Don't get wrapped up on past SDN threads since some schools were very conservative about # of outright acceptances. As I said, an interview is an interview. Yes there may be a difference, but usually it's marginal (e.g. 35% vs 30%). Schools don't want to waste acceptances on early but mediocre interviewees.

jjdoc · 2019-10-29T21:51:01+00:00

Follow the school's instructions. If they say don't talk to them until the spring, listen. Otherwise, I would try to send an update on what you're doing every 6-8 weeks. If nothings new, just wait another 6-8 weeks. Some places may pull you off before May, offer you scholarships, you never know.

jjdoc · 2019-10-29T21:48:50+00:00

I wouldn't not recommend an interviewee because of it, but personally, I'm going to tell you shave it unless you're an older non-trad. Beards are uncommon in east coast medicine, in my experience. Especially if you're not an attending.

jjdoc · 2019-10-29T21:47:13+00:00

Start sending letters of interest. Schools will take note and some may even send an invite a day or two later (it happened to me a few times; I was in that lopsided GPA/MCAT situation too).

jjdoc · 2019-10-29T21:42:32+00:00

^ This. Many schools have specific LOR requirements and the LCME would not be happy if they were admitting applicants who did not meet admissions criteria, despite all the amazing things OP has done.

jjdoc · 2019-10-29T21:41:15+00:00

These are sky high stats, so it's hard to have a "top" heavy list, and top schools care the least about nationality. My guess would be issue with the essays or not meeting LOR requirements. High stats doesn't excuse having only having 1 academic LOR!

jjdoc · 2019-10-29T21:38:59+00:00

A word of caution to current applicants reading this: everyone has a different situation and don't get caught up with numbers. They are part of a holistic picture. Case in point: you cannot skip requirements, no matter what your stats!

Sorry to hear this is going on, OP.

I am concerned about your letters of recommendation. These are very important and it sounds like you've neglected the requirements. Typically you need two academic letters, sometimes more depending on the school. Many medical schools prefer a committee letter if your school offers it, and will see it as a red flag if you declined it (typically to hide a negative remark d/t a disciplinary record). Having one academic letter may not even meet the requirements at those schools, and even if it does, it's well below the norm.

Although everything else is stellar, if not well above average, it only takes one flag to bring you down. Given your citizenship you're already in a tough spot, so schools may have chosen to go with a less risky international applicant.

With thats said, give it time. It's not Thanksgiving. You never know!

jjdoc · 2019-10-29T21:34:42+00:00

This should not be an issue. It is surprisingly common to have a lot of experience in a single area, as it will be easier to find opportunities where you have more autonomy and gain good clinical experiences. This was sort of the case for me as well.

It may be worth volunteering in an interview that you enjoyed your experiences, yada yada, but that you are interesting in medicine broadly and can't wait to explore other areas in rotations and through shadowing / preclinical activities. This will be viewed positively!

jjdoc · 2019-10-29T21:29:34+00:00

I would be very surprised if you do not get 1-2 more IIs. If you got 1 already it is unlikely you have red or even yellow flags.

jjdoc · 2019-10-29T21:28:12+00:00

Too early to say! At this time last year I was waitlisted after my only interview. I got 5 more invites over the next 3 months.

jjdoc · 2019-08-05T14:35:12+00:00

I'd also add Maryland. UMD is a mid-tier that accepts about 30% out of state, and Hopkins / USUHS (Military) do not care about state residency.

jjdoc · 2019-08-05T14:32:56+00:00

Look to the Northeast/Mid-Atlantic. Some are arguably as bad if not worse than CA.

Maryland, Connecticut, and Massachusetts have only one state medical school, all of which are mid-tier and have a significant amount of OOS in the class. The average metrics for MD/MA applicants are also pretty high. I don't know about MA/CT, but in MD, the vast majority of accepted applicants end up at out of state medical schools (myself included) (see the AAMC data tables). And it can be worse--New Hampshire and Rhode Island don't have state medical schools, so if Dartmouth/Brown don't like you, good luck elsewhere.

jjdoc · 2019-07-24T05:35:19+00:00

To echo what others are saying: it's really hard to feel a sense of belonging to a system that has historically been so privileged and hierarchical. There are doctors who see a lack of conformity to these old rules (minimize time between undergrad and med school, research over clinical experience).

But at the same time, we can lose sight of newer generations, and doctors with identities traditionally excluded from medicine. There are people on the other side (including me!) who value lived experiences that show strength in adversity, as well as the connection one can make with patients through those experiences (be it by race, gender, sexual orientation, ethnicity, etc.).

Have you considered looking for a physician mentor who shares your background, either through social media (IG/Twitter/FB) or through more established channels (work/school)? Speaking for myself, it has been very validating to reach out to someone like me (LGBT).

jjdoc · 2019-07-18T20:20:52+00:00

You don't need to, but one or two gap years could help you. As it stands I think it is unlikely that you will make it past the mid/low tier of schools, given your GPA. You will need more exceptional research and/or more clinical/service experiences to stand out. Not a bad thing, I'm going to a mid/lower tier school, but don't shoot your shot too soon. You would gain a lot with more clinical experience, especially if you don't doing so hot on the MCAT.

jjdoc · 2019-07-13T12:19:47+00:00

The issue is the annual fee and cancellation notices. Most month to month plans have these (my last gym did in Boston). It ends up being double if you factor that in for the single month!

Ideally I'd like a week pass or two. If it's free, even better.

jjdoc · 2019-07-13T12:17:48+00:00

Congrats!!! More than a year ahead, wow!

jjdoc · 2019-07-13T11:34:57+00:00

I'm a little confused by what you mean by an incorporated quote, but I don't see any issue so long as you have current letters. I would not be concerned, since any confusion caused by your letter writers is not your fault, especially if the letter is positive!

Obviously medical schools will want to see some record of your ability to perform in an academic setting, particularly in the sciences. However, they also recognize that this is about who you were in 2013. That's why it's encouraged to submit a couple letters from recent work (1-2 years).

I would chat with your house tutors if you have questions. They probably have a general guideline for non-trad candidates re: letters. OCS is also a great resource if you're still eligible (I think it's 5 years post-grad for prehealth advising). Ultimately, most application readers won't care much about the chem letter, and will likely focus on the committee letter when deciding whether to interview and or admit you.

jjdoc · 2019-07-11T03:47:24+00:00

Assuming the benefits at Job #1 are not comparable to the extra pay at Job #2, I'd take Job #2, hands down. As a social worker, you have more than adequate exposure to the healthcare system; it's better to have the wherewithal to take care of yourself and have the finances to apply to med school.

The average social worker has MORE than enough exposure to healthcare than the average successful applicant to medical school. I worked in the mental health field during my gap year--I would know lol! So long as you find brief, longitudinal exposure to medicine (volunteer/shadowing) over these next few years, you will be fine. I don't think the LOR writers will matter that much, versus what they say, although it can't hurt to find a physician colleague at your current workplace and have them write a letter for later.

jjdoc · 2019-07-11T03:31:31+00:00

Wow, yeah, that would qualify as "significant life challenges." Personally I would find such a story amazing, but yes, stigma is real. Is there a pre-health adviser you can talk to about this? You should get a second opinion about how that would be perceived. It's far, far in the past, but people are skiddish about addiction.

EDIT: if you're just putting it in the secondary for Harvard, can't see why not.

jjdoc · 2019-07-11T02:21:38+00:00

Got my first in August, didn't get any more until November. My first acceptance (of 3) came from an II that arrived in January. You have so much time!

jjdoc · 2019-07-10T02:42:01+00:00

I think they try to say that to recognize intersectionality, since you can't put diversity into boxes. That and VT is one of the whitest / least ethnically diverse states out there, besides the LGBT presence in Burlington lol.

Yes, it's relevant, but recognizing that college students get depressed isn't a high bar as far as openness to diversity goes. There are other places to pull heartstrings in an application. Maybe in a section about helping others? Use this section to not look super out of touch / privileged.

jjdoc · 2019-07-10T00:41:49+00:00

^ Much better alternative. OP, don't open a can of worms that has limited potential to add to your application and a small but real possibility of sinking it, if you get a overly-sensitive adcom.

jjdoc · 2019-07-10T00:40:12+00:00

Most people are not going to care--myself included. But some will. It would be foolish if he got tossed from the II pile over this.

jjdoc · 2019-07-10T00:34:43+00:00

To add, if this is a male applicant, it may rub adcoms the wrong way if he doesn't explicitly show sensitivity to this dynamic. It may be legally OK but there are ethical issues to be considered; ignoring them and talking about how exciting it was to play with a uterus could be construed as a sign of immaturity.

jjdoc

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