MD WAMC: check MD school list?

[autey1]

Hi, basically just wanting to have my school list checked -- appreciate any and all help/advice!!!

Stats:
cGPA 3.89
sGPA 3.94
MCAT 518 (129/130/127/132)

Background

• State of residence: California
• Ethnicity and/or race: Caucasian woman
• Undergraduate institution or category: UC Berkeley
• Clinical experience (volunteer and non-volunteer)
  1. Americorps aka National Health Corps (1 year, 1700 hours of significant clinical experience w underserved)
  2. Medical scribe in ER (1 year, 650 hours)
  3. Volunteer with free clinic, reception/resource navigator and helped build food security program for underseved latinx/undocumented population (2 years, 500 hours)
  4. Opioid safety project volunteer, looked at state metrics (utox/pain agreement), targeted outreach to providers that weren't abiding by them (3 months, 100 hours)
• Research experience and productivity
  1. No formal research/lab experience, one clinical project where I was a patient navigator, will have opportunity for some data analysis/present an abstract (4 months, 120 hours)
• Shadowing experience and specialties represented
  1. Shadowed in primary care, addiction medicine (50 hours)
• Non-clinical volunteering
  1. Mentorship for incoming post-bac students (50 hours)
  2. Student government first year of college (1 year, 180 hours)
• Other extracurricular activities (including athletics, military service, gap year activities, leadership, teaching, etc)
  • Marketing Manager a rocketry organization (1 year, 750 hours)
  • Alumni Director for my sorority (1 year, 320 hours)
  • Two teaching roles: one physiology class in undergrad (1 semester, 80 hours), one seminar about positive psychology (2 years, 150 hours)
• Relevant honors or awards
  • None other than deans list stuff
• Anything else not listed you think might be important
  • Nontraditional career changer post bac applicant

School List:

Reach

1. University of Washington
2. OHSU
3. Mayo Alix Clinic
4. Mount Sinai
5. Columbia
6. NYU
7. Cornell
8. UCSF
9. Stanford
10. UCLA
11. UCSD
12. UCR
13. Pritzker
14. Northwestern

Target

1. Emory University
2. Georgetown University
3. Albert Einstein
4. USC
5. BU
6. Hofstra
7. University of Arizona - Phoenix
8. Brown
9. Kaiser
10. UCI
11. Davis
12. SUNY Downstate
13. Creighton
14. NYU Long Island

"Safety"

1. Temple
2. Rush University
3. University of Vermont
4. Tulane
5. Tufts

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[autey1]

@Faha @Goro

 

[ujsc]

Some issues here. I am not sure item 3 listed as clinical can be characterized as such as originally written. Item 4 would have to be explained. You are lacking research but have applied to several research heavy emphasis schools which will decrease your chances there.

Replace Temple with Jefferson, better match list. Would add SLU as another safety

 

[Faha]

remove U Washington (they admit less than 1% of applicants who are not from states in the Northwest) and OHSU since you are not a resident of those states. You should receive several interviews from the other schools on your list.

 

[autey1]

Some issues here. I am not sure item 3 listed as clinical can be characterized as such, probably nonclinical. Item 4 would have to be explained. You are lacking research but have applied to several research heavy emphasis schools which will decrease your chances there.

really? the position had me directly interacting w patients in clinic setting. Added some more details for 3 and 4. Agree about the research, def my weakest point

 

[autey1]

remove U Washington (they admit less than 1% of applicants who are not from states in the Northwest) and OHSU since you are not a resident of those states. You should receive several interviews from the other schools on your list

right, figured these would be reaches. any tips on schools to add? thank you so much!!

 

[chilly_md]

really? the position had me directly interacting w patients in clinic setting. Added some more details for 3 and 4. Agree about the research, def my weakest point

Social determinants of health are important, but are more non-clinical despite the setting. Opioid safety project volunteer is also non clinical if you were looking at data and contacting others. You have ample clinical experience so do not worry.

 

[autey1]

Social determinants of health are important, but are more non-clinical despite the setting. Opioid safety project volunteer is also non clinical if you were looking at data and contacting others. You have ample clinical experience so do not worry.

got it! and good to know, thank you both

 

[ujsc]

You look good to go. Best wishes. Don't underestimate the importance of writing your story in personal statement as well as how you explain yourself in the secondaries. Have someone look over writing samples. Interviews are given often by the way your app stands out. This is where the importance of your writing makes a difference.

 

[Faha]

right, figured these would be reaches. any tips on schools to add? thank you so much!!

You could add any of these schools:
Dartmouth
Rochester
Pittsburgh
Jefferson
USF Morsani
Western Michigan
St. Louis

 

[Goro]

Hi, basically just wanting to have my school list checked -- appreciate any and all help/advice!!!

Stats:
cGPA 3.89
sGPA 3.94
MCAT 518 (129/130/127/132)

Background

• State of residence: California
• Ethnicity and/or race: Caucasian woman
• Undergraduate institution or category: UC Berkeley
• Clinical experience (volunteer and non-volunteer)
  1. Americorps aka National Health Corps (1 year, 1700 hours of significant clinical experience w underserved)
  2. Medical scribe in ER (1 year, 650 hours)
  3. Volunteer with free clinic, reception/resource navigator and helped build food security program for underseved latinx/undocumented population (2 years, 500 hours)
  4. Opioid safety project volunteer, looked at state metrics (utox/pain agreement), targeted outreach to providers that weren't abiding by them (3 months, 100 hours)
• Research experience and productivity
  1. No formal research/lab experience, one clinical project where I was a patient navigator, will have opportunity for some data analysis/present an abstract (4 months, 120 hours)
• Shadowing experience and specialties represented
  1. Shadowed in primary care, addiction medicine (50 hours)
• Non-clinical volunteering
  1. Mentorship for incoming post-bac students (50 hours)
  2. Student government first year of college (1 year, 180 hours)
• Other extracurricular activities (including athletics, military service, gap year activities, leadership, teaching, etc)
  • Marketing Manager a rocketry organization (1 year, 750 hours)
  • Alumni Director for my sorority (1 year, 320 hours)
  • Two teaching roles: one physiology class in undergrad (1 semester, 80 hours), one seminar about positive psychology (2 years, 150 hours)
• Relevant honors or awards
  • None other than deans list stuff
• Anything else not listed you think might be important
  • Nontraditional career changer post bac applicant

School List:

Reach

1. Mayo Alix Clinic
2. Mount Sinai
3. Columbia
4. NYU
5. Cornell
6. UCSF
7. Stanford
8. UCLA
9. UCSD
10. UCR Keep only if you're from the Inland Empire
11. Pritzker
12. Northwestern

Target

1. Emory University
2. Georgetown University
3. Albert Einstein
4. USC
5. BU
6. Hofstra
7. Brown
8. Kaiser
9. UCI
10. Davis
11. Creighton
12. NYU Long Island

"Safety"

1. Temple
2. Rush University
3. University of Vermont
4. Tulane

1. Tufts

My mods to your list above.

ADD:
SLU
Netter
U VM
U WI
OH State
U Cincy
USF/Morsani
U Rochester
Miami
U CO

 

[candbgirl]

You should look at your clinical experiences and see what you can move or could consider nonclinical volunteering. Nonclinical volunteering should be focused on the unserved/underserved in your community. You are expected to step out of your comfort zone and learn to deal with people very unlike yourself. What you currently have listed is only in your comfort zone. But many of your clinical activities really could be either clinical or nonclinical. So look at your clinical volunteering (#3&4 ?) and see if you are comfortable listing those as nonclinical volunteering. You can’t list them as both clinical and nonclinical.
Good luck as you move forward.

 

[Mr.Smile12]

You should look at your clinical experiences and see what you can move or could consider nonclinical volunteering. Nonclinical volunteering should be focused on the unserved/underserved in your community. You are expected to step out of your comfort zone and learn to deal with people very unlike yourself. What you currently have listed is only in your comfort zone. But many of your clinical activities really could be either clinical or nonclinical. So look at your clinical volunteering (#3&4 ?) and see if you are comfortable listing those as nonclinical volunteering. You can’t list them as both clinical and nonclinical.
Good luck as you move forward.

I concur. I find that what the OP has listed as "non-clinical volunteering" can be considered more as leadership (student government, mentoring other postbacs). The clinical volunteering seems to be intermingled or could be more "non-clinical" depending on what the tasks were and whether they were directly trained and supervised at all times by clinicians/physicians. Med scribe is clinical. Opioid safety project is non-clinical even though there is a healthcare basis... unless you have been taught to administer naloxone.

In short, make sure your activities descriptions and classifications are clear.

 

[autey1]

I concur. I find that what the OP has listed as "non-clinical volunteering" can be considered more as leadership (student government, mentoring other postbacs). The clinical volunteering seems to be intermingled or could be more "non-clinical" depending on what the tasks were and whether they were directly trained and supervised at all times by clinicians/physicians. Med scribe is clinical. Opioid safety project is non-clinical even though there is a healthcare basis... unless you have been taught to administer naloxone.

In short, make sure your activities descriptions and classifications are clear.

thank you so much!! Agree w what you're saying, looking back at everything now

 

[autey1]

You should look at your clinical experiences and see what you can move or could consider nonclinical volunteering. Nonclinical volunteering should be focused on the unserved/underserved in your community. You are expected to step out of your comfort zone and learn to deal with people very unlike yourself. What you currently have listed is only in your comfort zone. But many of your clinical activities really could be either clinical or nonclinical. So look at your clinical volunteering (#3&4 ?) and see if you are comfortable listing those as nonclinical volunteering. You can’t list them as both clinical and nonclinical.
Good luck as you move forward.

I see what you mean - thank you!!