WAMC at a T20 current cycle (23-24)

[LeftElbow]

I'm applying this cycle and have been doing great so far. However, I noticed that I haven't really received any II from schools above T50, and wanted to get an idea of whether I should expect any or if I should shut my mouth and be happy with what I have.

1. cGPA and sGPA as calculated by AMCAS or AACOMAS: 3.9+ for both
2. MCAT score(s) and breakdown: 516 (131/126/127/132)
3. State of residence or country of citizenship (if non-US): NY
4. Ethnicity and/or race: ORM
5. Undergraduate institution or category: T10
6. Clinical experience (volunteer and non-volunteer): ~150 hours as a volunteer at a local hospital, mostly managing patient comfort and supporting them emotionally/explaining procedures. Clinical research hours (~400) in a data science/psych lab.
7. Research experience and productivity: ~1.3k hrs across 4 labs in which I contributed on the computational back-end of data science, systems engineering, and app development projects (all in the realm of basic science or healthcare). 3 posters, 1 pub pending (high author).
8. Shadowing experience and specialties represented: ~75 hours shadowing psychiatrist. ~130 hours shadowing podiatrist.
9. Non-clinical volunteering: ~200 hours with an organization that educates inner-city kids (kind of like a big-brother program) and supports healthcare/support for unhoused people. ~700 hours with peer-to-peer emotional support and mental health organization. (most meaningful)
10. Other extracurricular activities (including athletics, military service, gap year activities, leadership, teaching, etc): ~150 hours with social advocacy organization that supports healthy relationships and sexual health on campus (most meaningful). ~600 hours in club sports on campus. Campus customer service job worked due to financial background. Included because it was important to my growth during undergrad (most meaningful). ~300 hours as a student representative for the university's office of conduct. ~100 hours of leadership experience with cultural organization.
11. LORs: All pretty strong, people who I have developed strong relationships with.
12. Why Medicine: Grew up in a low-income, high crime, and gang-violence afflicated community where I observed the negative health outcomes that afflicted my neighbors. Coming to college, I saw the same in a community whose social and economic state was similar to mine. through my research, volunteer, adn clinical experiences, I realized that our communities suffer from underrepresentation in medicine and thus lack a voice which speaks for them. Through my experiences, I gained some tools necessary to help bridge that gap. I came to realize that as a physician, I would be able to represent my community while working on technologies to support future generations of patients. (more to it but this is the synposis).
13. School List:

Sidney Kimmel, NYMC, Kaiser, Rosalind Franklin, Charles R Drew, NYU LI, NYU, ISMMS, SUNY Downstate, Georgetown, Pritzker, Tulane, Hofstra, Columbia, both Rutgers, UICOM, GW, Drexel, Einstein, Penn State, Rush, Harvard, Lewis Katz, Cooper, Stony Brook, Northwestern, UCR, UCI, Loyola, BU, UCD, Howard, UCLA, UCSD, OHSU, Keck, UCSF, SUNY Upstate, SUNY Buffalo, Meharry, Albany med, Tufts, Morehouse, UMich, Emory, Wayne State, Oakland.

interviews: Kaiser, Charles R Drew, SUNY Downstate, Hofstra, Stony Brook, Oakland.

Thank you all in advance!

EDIT: told my friends and they said "I should shut my mouth and be happy with what I have." So please let me know if you agree after letting me know what my chances are.

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[thr1932359]

AFAIK UCR and UCD were functionally donations as a non-CA resident with no ties, NYU is a notorious giga-stats lover where your MCAT is 7 points below the median of the entering class, Columbia and Northwestern are similar stories. And then Harvard is just being Harvard

These are the things I can think of off the top of my head. With that said, you still have time in the admissions cycle and things can very well change! You seem to be a good applicant on paper and you have interviews at good schools so far, I wouldn’t be surprised if you saw better luck with T20 interview invitations later on.

I’d say that your friends are being harsh, but without knowing how you brought up this topic I’d agree that you are in a fortunate position given your several interviews and that your chances of getting in somewhere are high. That’s more than what most applicants could ask for! At least with this process, it is just making the most of what we have. Are your friends also pre-meds applying this cycle?

 

[lacrossegirl420]

Your application has potential, but as of now it’s on the weaker side for T20’s. I don’t think you’d get screened out anywhere though

 

[LeftElbow]

AFAIK UCR and UCD were functionally donations as a non-CA resident with no ties, NYU is a notorious giga-stats lover where your MCAT is 7 points below the median of the entering class, Columbia and Northwestern are similar stories. And then Harvard is just being Harvard

These are the things I can think of off the top of my head. With that said, you still have time in the admissions cycle and things can very well change! You seem to be a good applicant on paper and you have interviews at good schools so far, I wouldn’t be surprised if you saw better luck with T20 interview invitations later on.

I’d say that your friends are being harsh, but without knowing how you brought up this topic I’d agree that you are in a fortunate position given your several interviews and that your chances of getting in somewhere are high. That’s more than what most applicants could ask for! At least with this process, it is just making the most of what we have. Are your friends also pre-meds applying this cycle?

Hey, Thanks for your reply. my friends are pre-meds applying this cycle. Its been going well for them, an they asked about how it was going. Maybe should have been less honest, but can't do anything about it now so i'll live.

I have ties to California through family and my partner. I've visited frequently over the last couple of years, and expressed my connections throughout my secondaries. Hopefully that covers my bases.

For NYU, Columbia, and Northwestern, it figures. I didn't really expect interviews but crossed my fingers and hoped. Good to know what a realistic expectation is, though.

 

[Mr.Smile12]

Comparison is the thief of joy. Don't you have an offer already?

I don't know what your mission fit is with the schools that you consider have a higher rank. The "Why Medicine" response doesn't really tell me "why medicine" as much as it tells me why you want to be an advocate for marginalized populations. Without a specific example, I don't see how working with specific technologies to support patients requires medical training. I presume you are working on your answer with appropriate detail for your interviews. Regardless if you have an offer...

Some of the schools where you have interviewed seem to seek individuals with a background story similar to yours, so you do fit their mission there (where appropriate).

 

[LeftElbow]

Comparison is the thief of joy. Don't you have an offer already?

I don't know what your mission fit is with the schools that you consider have a higher rank. The "Why Medicine" response doesn't really tell me "why medicine" as much as it tells me why you want to be an advocate for marginalized populations. Without a specific example, I don't see how working with specific technologies to support patients requires medical training. I presume you are working on your answer with appropriate detail for your interviews. Regardless if you have an offer...

Some of the schools where you have interviewed seem to seek individuals with a background story similar to yours, so you do fit their mission there (where appropriate).

😬