WAMC and School List Help: Non-Trad/ cGPA 3.52/ sGPA 3.45/ MCAT 516

[Belzeme]

Hello, everyone! After being a long time lurker, I would greatly appreciate help with finalizing my school list. I have applied once before (2021-2022) and received 1 WL and subsequent rejection from Wake Forest. I understand that my GPA is low as well as my number of shadowing and non-clinical volunteer hours which is why I am seeking help tailoring my list. Below are my stats, anything that I have added since my last application is marked with (NEW):

1. cGPA 3.52 and sGPA 3.45
2. MCAT 516 (128/129/129/130)
3. NC Resident
4. ORM (Asian female)
5. Undergraduate institution or category: UNC-CH class of 2020
6. Clinical experience (volunteer and non-volunteer):
   • Neurology Scribe ( 3,700 hours in office, currently pre-charting for appointments remotely approx. 4-6 hours a week)
   • (NEW) Medical Mission Trip Volunteer (40 hours triaging patients and charting during appointments over 5 days with plans to go on another trip February 2024)
   • (NEW) Care Center Volunteer (mostly triaging and helping in the pharmacy, completed: 15 hours, expected: 110 more hours)
7. (NEW) Research experience and productivity: Microbiology and Immunology Research Technician (Current full time employment, completed: 1000 hours, expected: 2000 more hours), no publications yet but papers are currently being written, no posters, presentations or awards)
8. Shadowing experience and specialties represented: 26 hours ( (NEW) Dermatology, Neurosurgery, Orthopedic surgery OR)
9. (NEW) Non-clinical volunteering: Food Pantry Volunteer (Online Order Coordinator + various other roles, Completed: 73 hours, expected: 170 more hours)
10. Other extracurricular activities (including athletics, military service, gap year activities, leadership, teaching, etc): Medical Microbiology TA (60 hours, completed in 2020)
11. Relevant honors or awards: none
12. Anything else not listed you think might be important: My application/PS is heavily tied to my role as a primary caregiver for my grandfather for the past 3 years.

I plan to apply to both MD and DO schools. During my last cycle, I made the mistake of making my school list based on location and not on best fit or overall chance of getting in. I already submitted my primary and added all my in-state schools (even Duke which I know is big stretch). I have done better research into my current school list but would appreciate any extra opinion(s).

MD Schools
Wake Forest
UNC
Duke
ECU
Virginia Commonwealth
Rosalind Franklin
George Washington
Drexel
Hackensack
Quinnipiac
Penn State
Temple
Vermont
New York Medical College

DO Schools
DMU-COM
MU-COM
AZCOM
TUNCOM
KCU-COM
ATSU-KCOM
PCOM
NYITCOM
Touro-NY
LECOM

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[Faha]

You could add these MD schools to your application:
NOVA MD
TCU
Creighton
Medical College Wisconsin
Western Michigan
Oakland Beaumont
Jefferson
For DO schools add CUSOM, MU-COM, NOVA.

 

[Belzeme]

You could add these MD schools to your application:
NOVA MD
TCU
Creighton
Medical College Wisconsin
Western Michigan
Oakland Beaumont
Jefferson
For DO schools add CUSOM, MU-COM, NOVA.

Thank you so much for your reply! Just curious, I was interested in Georgetown for their various longitudinal tracks as well as the location. Since my stats are on the low side, would would it be unwise to apply? Emory was also on my mind.

 

[Faha]

Thank you so much for your reply! Just curious, I was interested in Georgetown for their various longitudinal tracks as well as the location. Since my stats are on the low side, would would it be unwise to apply? Emory was also on my mind.

Georgetown is looking for applicants with far more non clinical volunteering hours than you have.

 

[Mr.Smile12]

I agrere that your food pantry hours is a good start, but you ideally should be closer to 150 hours at the time of submission. The zero next to service orientation activities may have been the problem with your lack of responses (other than Wake Forest) in your past cycle. Hopefully you get a bit more attention.

Can you tell me what you did to determine a best fit with the schools on your list? Have you taken Casper or PREview?

 

[Belzeme]

I agrere that your food pantry hours is a good start, but you ideally should be closer to 150 hours at the time of submission. The zero next to service orientation activities may have been the problem with your lack of responses (other than Wake Forest) in your past cycle. Hopefully you get a bit more attention.

Can you tell me what you did to determine a best fit with the schools on your list? Have you taken Casper or PREview?

After reading through mission statements, I mainly examined a schools curriculum and opportunities to work with the surrounding community. I also browsed the headlines of articles featured on their websites to see what the school felt it should promote. I know it is also encouraged to look at the school's or current students' social media but I do not use social media much myself. If you have suggestions on how to further see if I align with a school's mission fit, I would appreciate that!

I recently took the Casper on 6/27 but have not received my score yet. I have not taken Preview.