u/PeytonHop

I applied to 10 schools this year, the main thing limiting me to 10 schools is that I had two prereqs in progress (many schools only allow 1 in progress) and that some of my prereqs are 7-10 years old.

I have received 4 rejections and no interviews. I don’t think I’m a perfect applicant but not a bad one either.

cGPA: 3.5
sGPA: 3.4
shadowing: 150 PA, 50 MD
Volunteering: 300
PCE: 2,000 performing ECGs, vitals, collecting medical histories, consenting patients as a clinical research coordinator.
HCE: 6,000 hours as a clinical laboratory scientist
4 LOR’s: 1 PA, 2 physicians, 1 supervisor

What do I need to improve for next year? Should I start retaking my older coursework, take a lower paying job like a PCT, any other advice? I do worry that schools may over look my patient facing work as a research coordinator since it’s a little non traditional, which is unfortunate because I work closely with patients on a daily basis.

Most of the schools I’ve applied to and looked at dont require the GRE. Is it still helpful to have this on your application? I am more of a non-traditional applicant having been out of school for 5 years now. Retaking 3 courses this year and have gotten A’s in 2 of them so far. I want to show I am still academically sound, would a decent GRE score make a big difference for someone in my situation?

cGPA: 3.5
sGPA: 3.4
PCE: 2,000
HCE: 6,000
Shadowing: 150
Volunteer: 200

Got my first rejection out of the 8 schools I applied to. I felt like this cycle was a longshot for me. I’m a fairly non traditional applicant since I’ve been out of school for 5 years. I am retaking some courses this year that I hope help my application next cycle. Some of my early coursework is hitting the 10 year mark next year so should I continue retaking courses like gen chem next year? Was hoping to get away with only retaking A&P 1 and 2 and microbiology which I’m doing this year.

PCE: 2,000
HCE: 5,000
cGPA: 3.5
sGPA: 3.4
Shadowing: 150
Volunteer: 200
LOR: 4 (2 physicians, 1 PA, 1 supervisor)

I feel my biggest downfall on my application is how long ago some of my classes were taken. I started school in 2017 and finished my bachelors in fall of 2021, so some of my earlier classes like gen chem are reaching their 10 year mark. I took A&P 1 in the spring this year and got an A, currently getting an A in microbiology this summer, and taking A&P 2 in the fall to try to bolster my application with some recent coursework. Do you guys recommend continuing to retake courses into next year if I don’t get in this cycle?

PCE: 2000
HCE: 5,000
cGPA: 3.5
sGPA: 3.4
Shadowing: 150
Volunteer: 200

I worked as a medical lab scientist for three years before transitioning to a CRC 15 months ago. I see patients on clinical trials and do things like phlebotomy, EKGs, administer pulmonary function tests, consenting, collect vitals, charting, go over medical history, and administer questionnaires. Outside of that I review charts and medications to look for patients who may qualify for trials, call patients to schedule visits, work with physicians that run the studies, coordinate with clinical teams like radiology, respiratory therapy, and nursing for patients that need different testing.

I feel that my job is very patient facing but not sure how schools view it since it seems like a less traditional role for applicants. What are your thoughts?