WAMC/School List Help (4.0 GPA, 522 MCAT)

[hungryhippo123]

1. cGPA and sGPA: 4.0 cGPA and sGPA
2. MCAT score(s) and breakdown: 522 (131/128/132/131)
3. State of residence: GA
4. Ethnicity and/or race: ORM
5. Undergraduate institution or category: T15 Private
6. Clinical experience (volunteer and non-volunteer):
Volunteer:

• 250 hours – hospital volunteering
• 200 hours – free pop-up clinic volunteering
• 200 hours – interpreter at a free clinic

Non-volunteer:

• 150 hours – paid medical assistant

7. Research experience and productivity

• 1300 hours - clinical/translational research (not clinical trials) - 1 first author publication in a mid-impact journal relative to the field, 2 posters (one won best clinical poster at school conference; 1 natl conference with conference abstract), should have an additional second author publication submitted by May
• 200 hours - social determinants of health research via summer internship, possible poster?

8. Shadowing experience and specialties represented: ~100 hours pediatrics, emergency medicine, GI/Hepatology, cardiology, ortho, & oncology
9. Non-clinical volunteering

• 200 hours – crisis text line, bilingual counselor
• 115 hours – food pantry/furniture delivery for unfurnished homes (should have ~50+ more by application)

10. Other extracurricular activities (including athletics, military service, gap year activities, leadership, teaching, etc):

• Club sports Co-President - ~900 hours
• Lead ESL volunteer tutoring - 130 hours
• TA - 125 hours
• Fast Food worker - ~500+ hours

11. Relevant honors or awards
Nothing major except Dean's List and possible summer research grant
Past fast food company scholarship recipient (2x)

12. Anything else not listed you think might be important: traditional applicant

Current School List: Currently, I think my school list is a little long (aiming to apply for ~30-35) and would like some help cutting it down/adding others as necessary. Also worried that my list is too "top heavy". Ideally, I am looking for schools on the East Coast or as far west as the Midwest that have an aspect of developing Spanish-speaking/multi-lingual doctors either explicitly through the curriculum or through the demographics of the rotation/clerkship sites. Open to most specialities with a focus on long-term patient relationships. Additionally, any ways to further improve my application before May would be appreciated .

Rush Medical College
Wake Forest SOM
Drexel University College of Medicine
Medical College of GA
University of Maryland SOM
Frank H. Netter SOM at Quinnipiac
UNC SOM
Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine
UMiami SOM
Sidney Kimmel Medical College at Thomas Jefferson University
Tufts University SOM
New York Medical College
Ohio State University College of Medicine
Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Emory SOM
Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth
University of Cincinnati College of Medicine
Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University
University of Michigan Medical School
Ichan School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine
Boston University SOM
Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell
Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine
Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine
University of Virginia School of Medicine
Weill Cornell Medicine
Northwestern Feinberg SOM
Duke SOM
Vanderbilt SOM
Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine
Harvard Medical School
Mayo Clinic Alix School of Medicine
UChicago Pritzker SOM
Columbia University Vagelos
NYU Grossman School of Medicine
Yale SOM
Johns Hopkins SOM
Perelman School of Medicine at University of Pennsylvania
University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry

Other possibilities: Penn State, FIU, USF?

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[Faha]

Some of the schools on your list will "yield protect" with your stats. I suggest these schools from your list:
Medical College of GA
University of Maryland SOM
UNC SOM
UMiami SOM
Sidney Kimmel Medical College at Thomas Jefferson University
Tufts University SOM
Ohio State University College of Medicine
Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Emory SOM
Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth
University of Cincinnati College of Medicine
Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University
University of Michigan Medical School
Ichan School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine
Boston University SOM
Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell
Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine
University of Virginia School of Medicine
Weill Cornell Medicine
Northwestern Feinberg SOM
Duke SOM
Vanderbilt SOM
Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine
Harvard Medical School
Mayo Clinic Alix School of Medicine
UChicago Pritzker SOM
Columbia University Vagelos
NYU Grossman School of Medicine
Yale SOM
Johns Hopkins SOM
Perelman School of Medicine at University of Pennsylvania
University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry

 

[Mr.Smile12]

• 200 hours – crisis text line, bilingual counselor
• 115 hours – food pantry/furniture delivery for unfurnished homes (should have ~50+ more by application)

Bump the food pantry/furniture delivery opportunity at least to match your crisis text line/bilingual counselor (equal hours for each).

Note: your experience numbers are still relatively low for service/community-focused schools like Rush, Loyola, and Georgetown, but your additional language fluency could help you. Investigate schools' language needs (obviously everyone needs Spanish, but I surmise you have possibly an Asian/Arabic language that will help you.

As a high-stat applicant, if you are intent on going for brand-name/T20 schools, you need to bump your experience hours to minimum 250 clinical (shadowing+employment+volunteering) and 250-300 non-clinical/community service/service orientation. I think you have it (mostly), but I'm giving you my advice to check on it with your prehealth advising team.

Your interpretation skills will be valued, so narrow your list based on early opportunities with free clinics that may use your expertise.
Also check out similar opportunities to Homes For Healing Furniture Request | MMIA .

 

[hungryhippo123]

Some of the schools on your list will "yield protect" with your stats. I suggest these schools from your list:
Medical College of GA
University of Maryland SOM
UNC SOM
UMiami SOM
Sidney Kimmel Medical College at Thomas Jefferson University
Tufts University SOM
Ohio State University College of Medicine
Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Emory SOM
Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth
University of Cincinnati College of Medicine
Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University
University of Michigan Medical School
Ichan School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine
Boston University SOM
Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell
Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine
University of Virginia School of Medicine
Weill Cornell Medicine
Northwestern Feinberg SOM
Duke SOM
Vanderbilt SOM
Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine
Harvard Medical School
Mayo Clinic Alix School of Medicine
UChicago Pritzker SOM
Columbia University Vagelos
NYU Grossman School of Medicine
Yale SOM
Johns Hopkins SOM
Perelman School of Medicine at University of Pennsylvania
University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry

Thanks for your input! Should I reconsider applying to certain schools if I am above their 90th percentile stat wise even if I think I fit well with their mission? Not sure how common yield protection is. Also, what are your thoughts on schools like FIU/USF/FAU that are situated in areas with high non-English speaking populations?

 

[hungryhippo123]

Note: your experience numbers are still relatively low for service/community-focused schools like Rush, Loyola, and Georgetown, but your additional language fluency could help you. Investigate schools' language needs (obviously everyone needs Spanish, but I surmise you have possibly an Asian/Arabic language that will help you.

Thank you for your advice! In terms of finding a school's language needs, would this depend on the area that it is located in or something explicitly stated elsewhere?

 

[Mr.Smile12]

Thank you for your advice! In terms of finding a school's language needs, would this depend on the area that it is located in or something explicitly stated elsewhere?

Location of clinic opportunities can help. You should also ask students.

 

[Faha]

Thanks for your input! Should I reconsider applying to certain schools if I am above their 90th percentile stat wise even if I think I fit well with their mission? Not sure how common yield protection is. Also, what are your thoughts on schools like FIU/USF/FAU that are situated in areas with high non-English speaking populations?

USF is worth applying to since they will like your high stats. The other 2 will "yield protect" (they know from past experience that applicants with your stats go elsewhere).

 

[LeaveNoTrace]

I'm hearing rock music: you're a rockstar. Aim high: half top 20s, half midtiers, and half state schools. You're pack fodder at those top 20s.