WAMC: Finalizing Schools

[Pastamahn]

Hello all, here are my stats. I had posted previously, but these are updated schools and MCAT.

I’m a junior and resident of Wisconsin, neurobiology major, URM, 514 MCAT, 3.82 overall GPA, science GPA which I haven’t calculated out yet but will be near identical.

- Competitive scholarship, very involved academically and with volunteering
- Class co-chair (basically president) of my class of above scholarship for one year
-Member of social fraternity, community service chair for fraternity for past 4 semesters
-Overall I have a ton of general volunteering through my scholarship and my fraternity being community service co-chair
-A little over a year of research, was nominated by a supervisor in my lab for a paid undergrad research fellowship for this summer
-Have had job past 3 summers and worked full time during said summers
-Over 60 hours of shadowing, and have much more lined up this summer
-Spoke on a pre health panel to talk to middle and high school Native Americans to talk about future health professions and daily life of pre med student


*I already know lack of clinical volunteering is the weak point of my app, so no need to talk about that extensively. I am about to start volunteering at a hospital this summer and adding shadowing hours to at least slightly fill in that gap.

Wisconsin
MCW
SLU
Indiana
Minnesota
Einstein
NYMC
Creighton
Drexel
Loyola
Wake Forest
Penn St.
Thomas Jefferson
Tulane
Tufts
Iowa
Miami
Rochester
Albany
Rosalind Franklin
BU
*Dartmouth
**Emory
**Ohio State
**USC
**Cincinnati
**Duke

The schools with the "**" means they are quite borderline for me. Schools bolded means I already applied to them.

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[SmurfingReviews]

What's the MCAT score? I don't see it on your original post

 

[Pastamahn]

Woops, could have sworn I posted that. But a 514, or 91st percentile.

 

[md-2020]

@Pastamahn do not underestimate URM status. you are competitive for all schools on your list. Duke is a little iffy but not out of reach.

 

[Goro]

URM? What community do you represent? And please don't say "Kenosha".

If you're African-American or URM Hispanic, you're golden.

Hello all, here are my stats. I had posted previously, but these are updated schools and MCAT.

I’m a junior and resident of Wisconsin, neurobiology major, URM, 514 MCAT, 3.82 overall GPA, science GPA which I haven’t calculated out yet but will be near identical.

-Full ride competitive scholarship for URM, very involved academically and with volunteering
-Class co-chair (basically president) of my class of above scholarship for one year
-Member of social fraternity, community service chair for fraternity for past 4 semesters
-Overall I have a ton of general volunteering through my scholarship and my fraternity being community service co-chair
-A little over a year of research, was nominated by a supervisor in my lab for a paid undergrad research fellowship for this summer
-Have had job past 3 summers and worked full time during said summers
-Member of Phi Kappa Phi and obviously dean’s list multiple semesters.
-Over 50 hours of shadowing, and have much more lined up this summer
-Spoke on a pre health panel to talk to middle and high school Native Americans to talk about future health professions and daily life of pre med student
-Have had fairly strong upward trend. Freshman year had 3.6 cumulative, and since have had 3.9, 3.8, 4.0, 4.0

*I already know lack of clinical volunteering is the weak point of my app, so no need to talk about that extensively. I am about to start volunteering at a hospital this summer and adding shadowing hours to at least slightly fill in that gap.

Wisconsin
MCW
SLU
Indiana
Minnesota
Einstein
NYMC
Creighton
Drexel
Loyola
Wake Forest
Penn St.
Thomas Jefferson
Tulane
Tufts
Iowa
Miami
Rochester
Albany
Rosalind Franklin
BU
*Dartmouth
**Emory
**Ohio State
**USC
**Cincinnati
**Duke

The schools with the "**" means they are quite borderline for me. Schools bolded means I already applied to them.

 

[Pastamahn]

URM? What community do you represent? And please don't say "Kenosha".

If you're African-American or URM Hispanic, you're golden.

I'm Native American. Has someone answered that question by saying they're from Kenosha?

 

[Goro]

No, but gyngyn asked the question once and someone thought he was referring to "neighborhood".

Hence, to make sure there's never any doubt, I add my qualifier. I also change the locale based upon the residency of the poster.

I believe gyngyn recommended U OR for you as well.

I'm Native American. Has someone answered that question by saying they're from Kenosha?

 

[Pastamahn]

No, but gyngyn asked the question once and someone thought he was referring to "neighborhood".

Hence, to make sure there's never any doubt, I add my qualifier. I also change the locale based upon the residency of the poster.

I believe gyngyn recommended U OR for you as well.

Ahh I see. I was wondering if it was coincidence you said Kenosha. And by U OR, do you mean Oregon? I think he recommended North Dakota. Also, does Native American status hold less weight than other URM?

 

[Goro]

Yes, OHSU

Native Americans are very much URM and in need of Native American doctors!

As gyngyn also pointed out, evidence of service to your community will be greatly appreciated. A Creek child adopted by, say, the Kowalskis and who grew up in Chicago? Not so much.

Ahh I see. I was wondering if it was coincidence you said Kenosha. And by U OR, do you mean Oregon? Also, does Native American Status hold less weight than other URM?

 

[Pastamahn]

One last question regarding my list. Is keeping Duke or USC at all feasible? I know they would be a reach, but wondering to what extent.

 

[gyngyn]

One last question regarding my list. Is keeping Duke or USC at all feasible? I know they would be a reach, but wondering to what extent.

If you are Native, either is a good choice.
If your evidence of commitment to community is a single panel presentation, it's hard to say how far it will go, though. The NA's at my school can be pretty discerning about things like this.

 

[ndafife]

Ahh I see. I was wondering if it was coincidence you said Kenosha. And by U OR, do you mean Oregon? I think he recommended North Dakota. Also, does Native American status hold less weight than other URM?

If you can verify your tribal membership, North Dakota reserves multiple spots for Native Americans as part of its INMED program (Indians into Medicine)

 

[Pastamahn]

I've refrained from adding really any reach schools yet out of indecisiveness and want to try to pick one by tonight. Are Duke, Pitt, or Michigan viable options at all? Or would they be too much of reaches?

 

[md-2020]

I've refrained from adding really any reach schools yet out of indecisiveness and want to try to pick one by tonight. Are Duke, Pitt, or Michigan viable options at all? Or would they be too much of reaches?

Go Duke.

They value ECs the most, and can give you leeway on your stats. Also Michigan is a state school, so.

 

[Pastamahn]

Go Duke.

They value ECs the most, and can give you leeway on your stats. Also Michigan is a state school, so.

Would Pitt be less of a chance than Duke? Also, looking at stats it looks that the acceptance rate for Duke, Pitt, and Michigan all are pretty similar, so I don't know if Michigan being a state school matters as much. I've also heard it acts less like a state school than most.

 

[md-2020]

Would Pitt be less of a chance than Duke? Also, looking at stats it looks that the acceptance rate for Duke, Pitt, and Michigan all are pretty similar, so I don't know if Michigan being a state school matters as much. I've also heard it acts less like a state school than most.

Acceptance rates are highly misleading; don't use it to decide. Harvard is less selective than NYMC, Drexel, GW etc etc. Michigan is slightly more open to OOS, but there is still a heavy in-state bias. Non worth it unless you're 4.0/40 and know you want to go there and there only.

Duke is known to be holistic and considers ECs heavily which is better in your case b/c your ECs are nice. But honestly if you're torn between Pitt/Duke and have time+money apply to both. You're within striking distance (disregard their average stats b/c of your URM status).

 

[Pastamahn]

Acceptance rates are highly misleading; don't use it to decide. Harvard is less selective than NYMC, Drexel, GW etc etc. Michigan is slightly more open to OOS, but there is still a heavy in-state bias. Non worth it unless you're 4.0/40 and know you want to go there and there only.

Duke is known to be holistic and considers ECs heavily which is better in your case b/c your ECs are nice. But honestly if you're torn between Pitt/Duke and have time+money apply to both. You're within striking distance (disregard their average stats b/c of your URM status).

That explanation makes sense. It is hard to not get trapped into the numbers game. Thanks! I'll have to decide whether in my mind its worth the money and time to do both, or if I should just choose one and run with it.