Hi all,
Going to try to keep this short and sweet. I applied this past cycle (25-26) and was unfortunately waitlisted at all three schools where I was invited to interview. While I still hold hope, I am preparing myself to apply again. To give a brief context of my app, here are my stats:
- Non-trad applicant
- 3.4 undergrad sGPA, 4.0 master's GPA
- 508 MCAT (very low score I know for MD/PhD, an unexpected major personal emergency occurred during my MCAT study period which resulted in me having probably about 3 weeks of cumulative study time)
- Over 10,000 research hours (paid)
- ~20 publications, 5 are CNS
- Most are mid-author, the most recent one is a second authorship published in a journal well known for the field but fairly niche (IF of 10)
- ~2000 clinical hours (paid)
- Very unique lifelong extracurricular (plays into my personal statement as well as some leadership experience)
For a bit more context, this is my second time applying. I applied many cycles ago (before COVID) but in all honesty my application was just a donation for all the schools I applied to. I didn't have anywhere near the necessary research, and if I'm being completely truthful, the maturity to realize what I was applying to. Which leads me to the current question I am asking myself:
Do I delay my reapplication (which would be the third) another year to take the MCAT again or do I take the fact that I received 3 interviews this past cycle as a good sign and go ahead and try to reapply immediately?
My concern with waiting is that, being a non-trad applicant, my age would become a meaningful consideration to adcoms. Any thoughts are greatly welcomed, thank you in advance.