***2020-2021 URM Medical School Application Thread***

[gramnegative]

Hey all,

I'm glad to see find this forum/thread. How screwed am I by submitting this month? I just took the MCAT and I work full-time. I'm almost done with my PS/WAs.

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[9blade]

Hey all,

I'm glad to see find this forum/thread. How screwed am I by submitting this month? I just took the MCAT and I work full-time. I'm almost done with my PS/WAs.

I don't think you're screwed applying this month. You still have plenty of time

 

[OchemOficionado]

Hey all,

I'm glad to see find this forum/thread. How screwed am I by submitting this month? I just took the MCAT and I work full-time. I'm almost done with my PS/WAs.

Have your secondaries completed by Labor Day and you're still on time.

 

[throwingaway]

Thanks!

 

[9blade]

Oh nice. Congrats on that MCAT. That looks like a nice list to me. Also add your state school and I think @Faha would agree it looks nice.

 

[ITOJIG]

anyone taking the mcat on july 31st??

 

[strawberrylemon]

.

 

[SimpleMinds33]

Hey Everyone.
So I'm applying this cycle and would love any feedback I could get on my application and my school list. Also any feedback on my chances with in state
schools would be nice

URM: AA, Female,
Undergrad: Florida School
Major: Biology
cGPA: 3.64
sGPA: 3.42
MCAT: 501; 124/125/126/126 (scored 506 on practice test-idk what happened)
Research: ~300 hours; 2 conferences and 1 poster presentation
Clinical Volunteering: ~180 hours
Shadowing- 50+ hours
Non-clinical Volunteering/ tutoring: 230 hours
Other/Leadership: 1 year as board member for a club
Work experience: 3 years working in family's business

Schools List:
FIU
FSU
UF
UCF
NOVA MD
USF (maybe)
UM (maybe)
Wayne State
EVMS
Virginia Commonwealth
Meharry
Morehouse
Georgetown
George Washington
New York Medical College
UCLA Drew
Medical College of Wisconsin
Tulane
Loyola

 

[9blade]

anyone taking the mcat on july 31st??

I have some friends taking it on the 31st. I don't think you will be late if that's what you're wondering

 

[Say_Hey]

anyone taking the mcat on july 31st??

I am taking it on the 23rd! I've had to reschedule 4 times already due to COVID so I'm sure schools are aware of the circumstances! Good luck!

 

[Faha]

Hi everyone, hope everybody is safe and healthy! I'm finalizing my school list, I want to keep it around 20-25 schools and would like some feedback on my current list! Thanks in advance, and best of luck to y'all this cycle!

URM: AA female, FAP recipient, immigrant parents
Undergrad: T20 (CA resident; rising senior)
cGPA: 3.83
sGPA: 3.81
MCAT: 510 (128,127,126,129)
EC's:
-clinical: 268 hours + 9 shadowing (I know ): lol)
-non-clinical: ~950 w/AmeriCorps (+ a leadership position); ~290 across other service organizations; ~380 as bio lab assistant; I have an interesting hobby in there as well
-research: ~65 hours over a summer w/ UCSF
-participated in shpep one summer
I think my PS and life story are strong with a strong focus towards work with underserved and interest in rural care + LORs should be solid as well

School list:
Meharry
Howard
Morehouse
UC Davis
UCLA Geffen and UCLA Drew
UC Irvine
UC San Diego
UC San Francisco
Loma Linda
CUSM (CalMed)
Kaiser
USC Keck
Copper @ Rowan
Emory
Rosalind Franklin
George Washington
Creighton
Tufts
New York Med College
NYU Long Island
Oakland University
Penn State
Sidney Kimmel @ Thomas Jeff
Brown
Georgetown
Seton Hall
Virginia Commonwealth
EVMS

You have a good list and should receive many interviews.

 

[Faha]

Hey Everyone.
So I'm applying this cycle and would love any feedback I could get on my application and my school list. Also any feedback on my chances with in state
schools would be nice

URM: AA, Female,
Undergrad: Florida School
Major: Biology
cGPA: 3.64
sGPA: 3.42
MCAT: 501; 124/125/126/126 (scored 506 on practice test-idk what happened)
Research: ~300 hours; 2 conferences and 1 poster presentation
Clinical Volunteering: ~180 hours
Shadowing- 50+ hours
Non-clinical Volunteering/ tutoring: 230 hours
Other/Leadership: 1 year as board member for a club
Work experience: 3 years working in family's business

Schools List:
FIU
FSU
UF
UCF
NOVA MD
USF (maybe)
UM (maybe)
Wayne State
EVMS
Virginia Commonwealth
Meharry
Morehouse
Georgetown
George Washington
New York Medical College
UCLA Drew
Medical College of Wisconsin
Tulane
Loyola

You could add these schools to your application:
Florida Atlantic
Howard
TCU-UNT
Oakland Beaumont
Seton Hall
Drexel
Temple

 

[deleted785419]

Does anyone know how to answer the
How does under-representation affect your community?

question for USC? Am I supposed to talk about African Americans or Nigerians or both (I am a Nigerian Immigrant)

 

[OchemOficionado]

Does anyone know how to answer the
How does under-representation affect your community?

question for USC? Am I supposed to talk about African Americans or Nigerians or both (I am a Nigerian Immigrant)

Talk about one or more of the communities you identify with. I would guess the Black community or even the Nigerian American community here.

 

[deleted785419]

Did anyone receive an email from Mayo telling them to consider applying? Trying to decipher if its just spam or not. I already submitted my primary, but I was considering adding 2 more schools.

I got it as well. I had already added Mayo to my AMCAS application

 

[teeraa]

Is it too late to apply this cycle and should I even bother for MD (I'm not aiming for any top tiers)? I'm having trouble finding guidance through the application process.

-Black Female
-Biology and neuroscience double major with minor in global health
-3.7 cumulative GPA.
-505 (124/124/127/130) -I know I can score 510+ if I retake which is why I'm hesitant to apply. I wanted to submit my app now and retake at the end of September but I haven't seen any info on people doing this so I'm assuming it's a bad idea.
- AAMC FL scores were 509, 505, 509. I was always weak in C/P (FL scores ranged 125-128) but I completely choked on the real thing. I ran out of time and rush/guessed through several questions.
-I did okay in CARS typically but scores suddenly decreased closer I got to the test date (scored 127 on several TPR FLs then on AAMC FLs it went from 127 down to 123). I think I developed an issue with timing in this section and on the real thing I probably had to guess or rush through the last 1 or 2 passages.

ECs:
-75 hrs hospital volunteering
-1,000+ hours as an MA/Scribe
-public health volunteer in Africa for 1.5 months
-year and a half of undergrad research
-I worked 2 jobs throughout my undergrad (pharmacy tech and restaurant)
-a couple clubs, elementary school tutoring, and leadership positions

 

[14_karat]

Is it too late to apply this cycle and should I even bother for MD (I'm not aiming for any top tiers)? I'm having trouble finding guidance through the application process.

-Black Female
-Biology and neuroscience double major with minor in global health
-3.7 cumulative GPA.
-505 (124/124/127/130) -I know I can score 510+ if I retake which is why I'm hesitant to apply. I wanted to submit my app now and retake at the end of September but I haven't seen any info on people doing this so I'm assuming it's a bad idea.
- AAMC FL scores were 509, 505, 509. I was always weak in C/P (FL scores ranged 125-128) but I completely choked on the real thing. I ran out of time and rush/guessed through several questions.
-I did okay in CARS typically but scores suddenly decreased closer I got to the test date (scored 127 on several TPR FLs then on AAMC FLs it went from 127 down to 123). I think I developed an issue with timing in this section and on the real thing I probably had to guess or rush through the last 1 or 2 passages.

ECs:
-75 hrs hospital volunteering
-1,000+ hours as an MA/Scribe
-public health volunteer in Africa for 1.5 months
-year and a half of undergrad research
-I worked 2 jobs throughout my undergrad (pharmacy tech and restaurant)
-a couple clubs, elementary school tutoring, and leadership positions

You should definitely apply to MD schools! IMO your overall MCAT score isn't a problem, but it is very unbalanced with two sections sub-125. That's what I would be concerned about. I feel like it would be in your best interest to retake, but you don't want to be rushed and pressured due to the current climate.

How far are you with the personal statement, work & activities, LORs, etc?

 

[teeraa]

You should definitely apply to MD schools! IMO your overall MCAT score isn't a problem, but it is very unbalanced with two sections sub-125. That's what I would be concerned about. I feel like it would be in your best interest to retake, but you don't want to be rushed and pressured due to the current climate.

How far are you with the personal statement, work & activities, LORs, etc?

I have my personal statement done. I completed a rough draft of my work and activities, I would just need to review it and possibly have someone else look over it. I have 3 LORs in (2 science profs, 1 research supervisor) and I'm waiting on 1 more non-science prof. He already agreed to write it but I have been non-stop emailing him and I haven't heard anything back. I graduated 2 years ago so reaching out to someone else would be difficult. I work for a podiatrist (DPM) and I could easily get a LOR from him this week. AMCAS has already received my transcripts.

If I apply now, there's no way for me to retake and have schools see my new score, right? If I retake at the end of September, could that help my app? I'm also afraid of applying and not getting in and then having to deal with my app being viewed differently as a "re-applicant" next cycle.

 

[14_karat]

I have my personal statement done. I completed a rough draft of my work and activities, I would just need to review it and possibly have someone else look over it. I have 3 LORs in (2 science profs, 1 research supervisor) and I'm waiting on 1 more non-science prof. He already agreed to write it but I have been non-stop emailing him and I haven't heard anything back. I graduated 2 years ago so reaching out to someone else would be difficult. I work for a podiatrist (DPM) and I could easily get a LOR from him this week. AMCAS has already received my transcripts.

If I apply now, there's no way for me to retake and have schools see my new score, right? If I retake at the end of September, could that help my app? I'm also afraid of applying and not getting in and then having to deal with my app being viewed differently as a "re-applicant" next cycle.

What state are you in?

Schools can see your new score after a re-take, however, whether they will seriously review your app again with that new score when they your old app was already under review is up in the air.

If it were me, I would retake and wait until next cycle to apply. I hope someone else chimes in.

 

[teeraa]

What state are you in?

Schools can see your new score after a re-take, however, whether they will seriously review your app again with that new score when they your old app was already under review is up in the air.

If it were me, I would retake and wait until next cycle to apply. I hope someone else chimes in.

I'm an AZ resident.
I posted in another SDN thread and the person that commented suggested that I apply. I really hope someone else chimes in too. Idk what to do.

 

[BothSides]

I have my personal statement done. I completed a rough draft of my work and activities, I would just need to review it and possibly have someone else look over it. I have 3 LORs in (2 science profs, 1 research supervisor) and I'm waiting on 1 more non-science prof. He already agreed to write it but I have been non-stop emailing him and I haven't heard anything back. I graduated 2 years ago so reaching out to someone else would be difficult. I work for a podiatrist (DPM) and I could easily get a LOR from him this week. AMCAS has already received my transcripts.

If I apply now, there's no way for me to retake and have schools see my new score, right? If I retake at the end of September, could that help my app? I'm also afraid of applying and not getting in and then having to deal with my app being viewed differently as a "re-applicant" next cycle.

I'm applying as well so not an expert but personally, I would not retake. I saw your WAMC thread and the person who suggested you apply is Faha, a well-respected physician on this forum so I would go with what Faha says. 505 is a good score and paired with your strong GPA, you stand a good chance at acceptances. They are a lot of black female incoming first-year medical students on social media (youtube, instagram etc.) who just had very successful cycles with similar stats. It's all about the other parts of your applications now (strong personal statement + W&A section), which will suffer if you have a MCAT retake lingering over your head. It seems like you are trying to get those things together in addition to getting another LOR. I would focus on those things. Schools are already sending out secondaries, which will be another stressful thing added to your plate. I do not see how you can adequately prepare for another MCAT and improve substantially, which schools expect on a retake. Schools also have no obligation to wait on your score so some schools might make a decision before they see your retake score. I also think you could possible delay interview invites since some schools will put your application on hold until they have your retake score. Just have a realistic school list and you should be good.

 

[teeraa]

I'm applying as well so not an expert but personally, I would not retake. I saw your WAMC thread and the person who suggested you apply is Faha, a well-respected physician on this forum so I would go with what Faha says. 505 is a good score and paired with your strong GPA, you stand a good chance at acceptances. They are a lot of black female incoming first-year medical students on social media (youtube, instagram etc.) who just had very successful cycles with similar stats. It's all about the other parts of your applications now (strong personal statement + W&A section), which will suffer if you have a MCAT retake lingering over your head. It seems like you are trying to get those things together in addition to getting another LOR. I would focus on those things. Schools are already sending out secondaries, which will be another stressful thing added to your plate. I do not see how you can adequately prepare for another MCAT and improve substantially, which schools expect on a retake. Schools also have no obligation to wait on your score so some schools might make a decision before they see your retake score. I also think you could possible delay interview invites since some schools will put your application on hold until they have your retake score. Just have a realistic school list and you should be good.

Thank you for your input. I did a little more research and talked to a pre-med advisor and a couple other people. Everyone is suggesting I apply so I'll give it a shot!

 

[deleted785419]

Anyone else get the Pritzker multicultural recruitment email and think it was an II just to be let down?? Hyuge sad energy

 

[deleted785419]

But actually did anyone get it? Im a bit confused since I was complete since Friday

 

[gramnegative]

So, I got the Chicago email...I may be a sucker, and I've already applied to too many schools, but is UChicago particularly URM/nontrad friendly?

 

[sunkissedmelanin]

But actually did anyone get it? Im a bit confused since I was complete since Friday

Yea i got it, but I thought Prtizker was stat heavy?

 

[deleted853360]

Yea i got it, but I thought Prtizker was stat heavy?

This is the stats range from the incoming class. I’m not sure of how many are accepted with lower gpas and/or MCATs but this shows that they actually do a holistic approach in admissions.

 

[deleted785419]

anyone know when IIs gonna start generally this year? haven't heard of any for any schools this cycle

 

[teeraa]

Under "Biographic Info" there is a spot to indicate multiple languages. I speak a foreign language but very very little. Both my parents are fluent and it was spoken in my home. I was more fluent when I visited my family there but I have forgotten more since then. I can understand more than I speak (I understand the subject of a sentence but have to respond in English). Basically I speak at a 2 year old level. Do I include this as "basic proficiency" or just leave it out?

 

[SilverWoman]

Hi Everyone,

First time posting here and really need your help. Submitted primaries with 1 school and need help finalizing my list. I really appreciate your opinions. @Faha Could you please let me know what you think. Thank you so much in advance!
URM- Black, Female, Immigrant, Disadvantaged
Undergrad: Liberal arts
State: MA
Major: Chemistry
cGPA- 3.52
sGPA- 3.48
MCAT- 496 (126,122,122,126)-->508 (128/124/128/128) ESL hence low CARS
Research- Been involved in Infectious disease research since undergrad
- 1200+ hours Undergraduate Malaria research (5+ Posters), won $2500 research grant
- 6000+ hours paid Infectious disease research ->3 Publications (1 first author), 4 Poster presentations at local symposiums+national Infectious Disease conferences
-Four Weeks Independent research mission in Asia: trained collaborators and improved laboratory workflows
Clinical Volunteering:
100 hrs emergency department and 280 hrs health center volunteer in Africa
Non-Clinical ECs:
-240 hrs East African community involvement
-250 hrs volunteer at a local Pantry
-300hrs Gen chem tutor and Analytical chemistry lab TA
Shadowing- 150hrs (Infectious Disease, Family medicine, and Surgery)

School List:

1. Yale School of Medicine
2. Harvard Medical School
3. Boston University
4. Hofstra/Northwell
5. Dartmouth
6. University of Massachusetts School of Medicine
7. Tufts School of Medicine
8. Albert Einstein School of Medicine
9. Brown University
10. Quinnipiac University
11. University of Connecticut School of Medicine
12. Thomas Jefferson University
13. University of Rochester
14. George Washington University
15. Georgetown University School of Medicine
16. New York Medical College
17. Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine
18. Temple University
19. Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine
20. Drexel University College of Medicine
21. University of Vermont
22. Cooper Medical School of Rowan University
23. Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine
24. Albany Medical College
25. Howard University College of Medicine

Unfortunately, I have geographical limitations so really trying to stay in the MA, NY, NJ, PA, and DC area. Please let me know if I should remove/add anything.

 

[Faha]

Hi Everyone,

First time posting here and really need your help. Submitted primaries with 1 school and need help finalizing my list. I really appreciate your opinions. @Faha Could you please let me know what you think. Thank you so much in advance!
URM- Black, Female, Immigrant, Disadvantaged
Undergrad: Liberal arts
State: MA
Major: Chemistry
cGPA- 3.52
sGPA- 3.48
MCAT- 496 (126,122,122,126)-->508 (128/124/128/128) ESL hence low CARS
Research- Been involved in Infectious disease research since undergrad
- 1200+ hours Undergraduate Malaria research (5+ Posters), won $2500 research grant
- 6000+ hours paid Infectious disease research ->3 Publications (1 first author), 4 Poster presentations at local symposiums+national Infectious Disease conferences
-Four Weeks Independent research mission in Asia: trained collaborators and improved laboratory workflows
Clinical Volunteering:
100 hrs emergency department and 280 hrs health center volunteer in Africa
Non-Clinical ECs:
-240 hrs East African community involvement
-250 hrs volunteer at a local Pantry
-300hrs Gen chem tutor and Analytical chemistry lab TA
Shadowing- 150hrs (Infectious Disease, Family medicine, and Surgery)

School List:

1. Yale School of Medicine
2. Harvard Medical School
3. Boston University
4. Hofstra/Northwell
5. Dartmouth
6. University of Massachusetts School of Medicine
7. Tufts School of Medicine
8. Albert Einstein School of Medicine
9. Brown University
10. Quinnipiac University
11. University of Connecticut School of Medicine
12. Thomas Jefferson University
13. University of Rochester
14. George Washington University
15. Georgetown University School of Medicine
16. New York Medical College
17. Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine
18. Temple University
19. Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine
20. Drexel University College of Medicine
21. University of Vermont
22. Cooper Medical School of Rowan University
23. Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine
24. Albany Medical College
25. Howard University College of Medicine

Unfortunately, I have geographical limitations so really trying to stay in the MA, NY, NJ, PA, and DC area. Please let me know if I should remove/add anything.

Remove Harvard and Yale since they are unrealistic with your MCAT scores. You should receive several interviews from your list of schools.

 

[OchemOficionado]

WAMC? Help with school list
URM: AA, Female
Undergrad: Ivy
Major: Biology
cGPA: 3.6
sGPA: 3.5 (strong upward trend in both)
MCAT: 502 (128,123,126,125)

Strong ECs , aiming for MD, I was wondering what schools should I put on my list/ have a good chance for acceptance @Faha

You have a good shot at MD. What state are you from and what are your ECs and volunteer hours?

 

[Faha]

General Research: ~300 hours; 1 national award granted
Clinical: ~500+ hours in hospital
Non-clinical Volunteering/ tutoring: ~350 hours tutoring and volunteering, also have been a mentor
Other/Leadership: 2 president positions, 1 other exec position
Work experience: ~ 300 hours
Participated in off campus semester

And Ohio! Thank you so much

I suggest these schools with your stats and ECs
Toledo
Wright State
NEOMED
Ohio State
Cincinnati
Howard
Meharry
Morehouse
UCLA Drew
Oakland Beaumont
Wayne State
Medical College Wisconsin
Loyola
St. Louis
Creighton
TCU-UNT
NOVA MD
Miami
George Washington
Georgetown
Drexel
Temple
Jefferson
Pittsburgh
Seton Hall
New York Medical College
Quinnipiac
Vermont
West Virginia
Indiana

 

[Faha]

Hi everyone, first time posting on here after a couple of years of lurking through SDN.
URM- Latino, born in Los Angeles, 23 YO
Undergrad: University of California
State: CA
Major: Biology
cGPA- 3.52 (3.8 average during last 2 years in college)
sGPA- 3.46
MCAT- 1st: 504, 2nd: 510
Research-
MARC research fellow last two years of undergrad, worked in neuroscience lab starting my sophomore year (3 years)
1 poster, 4 symposiums
summer research internship at a T10
NIH Postbac IRTA research fellow
Clinical Volunteering:
80 hours at my community hospital (6 months)
80 hours in ER at a hospital in Maryland ( 1 year)
100 hours as an STI screener in DC (1 year 6 months)
Non-Clinical ECs:
-served as a mentor for non-english speaking high school students from Latin America
-500 hours created a club to help combat food insecurity and received a grant for this club
-worked at my parents small business since I was 12, weekends and summers
Shadowing- 70hrs (Family medicine)

School List:
UC Davis
UC Riverside
Kaiser
Drew
Loma Linda
FIU
GW
Miller
University of Maryland
Tufts
University of Arizona - Tucson

I want to apply strategically and not overshoot. I would like to know if this school list is realistic or if I should drop or add any schools. any help @Faha would be greatly appreciated.

I suggest adding these schools to your application:
UC Irvine
UCSD
California University
Arizona Phoenix
TCU-UNT
Creighton
Loyola
Medical College Wisconsin
Oakland Beaumont
Wayne State
Georgetown
Seton Hall
Einstein
New York Medical College
Quinnipiac
Boston University
Dartmouth
Brown

 

[OchemOficionado]

Hi everyone. Just came across this thread and very happy to see all the positive energy. Hoping for some feedback on my stats and school list if anyone can help out. I've already applied to some DO and estimating my AMCAS will be verified by tomorrow or Wed so want to add schools on ASAP.

URM- AA, 27
Undergrad: Maryland school
State: NJ
Major: Biochem
cGPA- AMCAS: 2.99 AACOMAS: 3.0
sGPA- AMCAS: 2.64 AACOMAS: 2.9
Grad GPA- 3.75 (32 cr)
MCAT- 21 -> 495 -> 499 -> 508 (128/124/127/129)


Shadowing - 440 hrs (peds and ob/gyn)

Clinical Employment -
3600 hrs FT medical assistant (Ob/gyn)
1220 medical scribe (family medicine and EM)

Research - no pubs or conference presentations
800 hrs - 3 different research projects during undergrad and grad school
not sure if this is really research but currently working in a diagnostics lab doing covid stuff. ~210 hrs so far

Clinical Volunteering:
200 hrs - volunteer medical assistant
200 hrs on 2 medical mission trips (African so I'm interested in global health in addition to primary care)

Non-Clinical ECs:
- 3.5 yrs - resident assistant
- 2 yrs in a scholars program - mentorship, leadership, volunteering, poster presentation, etc.
- sorority - lots of volunteering (food banks, homeless shelters, tutoring elementary school, philanthropy, some healthcare-related activities although not direct patient care)
- member of an outreach program from a previous job since 2007 (same activities as above)
- ~ 160 hrs blood drive volunteering
- ~60 hrs volunteering during an alternative spring break in chicago (this is currently not on any of my apps but may add it to DO since there's unlimited ECs)

*have several more service memberships that I may try to squeeze into MD secondaries but unfortunately, couldn't fit much into AMCAS*

Non-clinical Employment:
~ 100 hrs - PT fashion sales rep in grad school
~1200 hrs - student training manger for transportation services
~960 hrs - PT position with scholarship foundation
(technically, resident assistant also but I didn't classify as employment)

Leadership: nothing too significant
2 yrs as fundraising chair of my sorority
1 yr so far of instructing a dance class (combined as a hobby)


School list:
MD:
Reapplicant
Albany Medical College*
Cooper Medical School of Rowan University*
Drexel University College of Medicine**
Eastern Virginia Medical School*
George Washington University School of Medicine & Hlth Sci*
Hofstra Northwell School of Medicine at Hofstra University**
Howard University**
Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine**
Meharry Medical College*
Morehouse School of Medicine**
New York Medical College*
Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine*
Ohio State University College of Medicine*
Rutgers New Jersey Medical School**
Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School**
Temple University School of Medicine*
Wayne State University School of Medicine*

* - applied once; ** - applied twice

First-Time Applicant
Albert Einstein
Georgetown
Seton Hall
Penn State
Rosalind Franklin
Rush Medical College
SUNY Downstate
SUNY Upstate
Thomas Jefferson
Tufts University School of Medicine
Tulane University
University of Miami
Virginia Commonwealth
Wright State

DO: first-time applicant to all
App Submitted Already
Edward Via COM
Liberty University COM
Lincoln Memorial University DeBusk COM
Marian University COM
Michigan State University COM
Midwestern University - Chicago COM
New York Institute of Technology COM
Nova Southeastern University
PCOM - all campuses
Rowan University SOM
Touro COM New York

thinking of adding LECOM


thoughts?? also, if anyone knows how adcoms view applying more than twice to same school, pls share (it's been 3 yrs so I'm hoping not a huge deal). for context, I (very stupidly and in denial about having to take a gap year) applied for 2015 cycle but didn't submit any secondaries once I realized there was no way I was going to be successful (I know this is really bad, don't judge me pls lol). fully applied 2017 with 1 II -> WL -> R (only had 1 semester of grad school at that point and sub-500 mcat). now reapplying this cycle.

thanks in advance for any feedback!

Great job improving your MCAT. Applying so many times doesn't look great, but won't stop you from getting in somewhere. I think your sGPA is the most concerning. If it were higher I would say remove all DO schools and add more MD schools, but I don't know how you should proceed. What is your Master's in?

Let's see what the wise @Faha says.

 

[mmedr]

Great job improving your MCAT. Applying so many times doesn't look great, but won't stop you from getting in somewhere. I think your sGPA is the most concerning. If it were higher I would say remove all DO schools and add more MD schools, but I don't know how you should proceed. What is your Master's in?

Let's see what the wise @Faha says.

thank you! and I agree with you about sGPA. it sucks because it was my upper level major classes that really brought it down, not pre-reqs. final semester was intense and I was pretty down about not going straight to med school and well, ended up with 3 C's (also had another bad semester soph year but all others were fine). Master's is in Biomedical Sciences. also took 2 med school classes in my program and did well so hoping adcoms truly give me a holistic review and see my potential to thrive.

I think I'm def going to leave my state schools and the HBCUs but I am considering removing some of others like hofstra, loyola, GW.

 

[Faha]

Hi everyone. Just came across this thread and very happy to see all the positive energy. Hoping for some feedback on my stats and school list if anyone can help out. I've already applied to some DO and estimating my AMCAS will be verified by tomorrow or Wed so want to add schools on ASAP.

URM- AA, 27
Undergrad: Maryland school (graduated 2015)
State: NJ
Major: Biochem
cGPA- AMCAS: 2.99 AACOMAS: 3.0
sGPA- AMCAS: 2.64 AACOMAS: 2.9
Grad GPA- 3.75 (32 cr in Biomedical Sciences; graduated Dec 2017)
MCAT- 21 -> 495 -> 499 -> 508 (128/124/127/129)


Shadowing - 440 hrs (peds and ob/gyn)

Clinical Employment -
3600 hrs FT medical assistant (Ob/gyn)
1220 medical scribe (family medicine and EM)

Research - no pubs or conference presentations
800 hrs - 3 different research projects during undergrad and grad school
not sure if this is really research but currently working in a diagnostics lab doing covid stuff. ~210 hrs so far

Clinical Volunteering:
200 hrs - volunteer medical assistant
200 hrs on 2 medical mission trips (African so I'm interested in global health in addition to primary care)

Non-Clinical ECs:
- 3.5 yrs - resident assistant
- 2 yrs in a scholars program - mentorship, leadership, volunteering, poster presentation, etc.
- sorority - lots of volunteering (food banks, homeless shelters, tutoring elementary school, philanthropy, some healthcare-related activities although not direct patient care)
- member of an outreach program from a previous job since 2007 (same activities as above)
- ~ 160 hrs blood drive volunteering
- ~60 hrs volunteering during an alternative spring break in chicago (this is currently not on any of my apps but may add it to DO since there's unlimited ECs)

*have several more service memberships that I may try to squeeze into MD secondaries but unfortunately, couldn't fit much into AMCAS*

Non-clinical Employment:
~ 100 hrs - PT fashion sales rep in grad school
~1200 hrs - student training manger for transportation services
~960 hrs - PT position with scholarship foundation
(technically, resident assistant also but I didn't classify as employment)

Leadership: nothing too significant
2 yrs as fundraising chair of my sorority
1 yr so far of instructing a dance class (combined as a hobby)


School list:
MD:
Reapplicant
Albany Medical College*
Cooper Medical School of Rowan University*
Drexel University College of Medicine**
Eastern Virginia Medical School*
George Washington University School of Medicine & Hlth Sci*
Hofstra Northwell School of Medicine at Hofstra University**
Howard University**
Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine**
Meharry Medical College*
Morehouse School of Medicine**
New York Medical College*
Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine*
Ohio State University College of Medicine*
Rutgers New Jersey Medical School**
Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School**
Temple University School of Medicine*
Wayne State University School of Medicine*

* - applied once; ** - applied twice in previous cycles

First-Time Applicant
Albert Einstein
Georgetown
Seton Hall
Penn State
Rosalind Franklin
Rush Medical College
SUNY Downstate
SUNY Upstate
Thomas Jefferson
Tufts University School of Medicine
Tulane University
University of Miami
Virginia Commonwealth
Wright State

DO: first-time applicant to all
App Submitted Already
Edward Via COM
Liberty University COM
Lincoln Memorial University DeBusk COM
Marian University COM
Michigan State University COM
Midwestern University - Chicago COM
New York Institute of Technology COM
Nova Southeastern University
PCOM - all campuses
Rowan University SOM
Touro COM New York

thinking of adding LECOM


thoughts?? also, if anyone knows how adcoms view applying more than twice to same school, pls share (it's been 3 yrs so I'm hoping not a huge deal). for context, I (very stupidly and in denial about having to take a gap year) applied for 2015 cycle but didn't submit any secondaries once I realized there was no way I was going to be successful (I know this is really bad, don't judge me pls lol). fully applied 2017 with 1 II -> WL -> R (only had 1 semester of grad school at that point and sub-500 mcat). now reapplying this cycle.

thanks in advance for any feedback!

Ohio State is a reach with your GPA. The SUNYs accept few non residents with your GPA and no connection to the state. The GPA-MCAT grid shows you have a ~50% chance for a MD acceptance. You could add these MD schools:
Quinnipiac
NOVA MD
TCU-UNT
Medical College Wisconsin
UCLA Drew
Indiana
Also add more DO schools and consider these:
ACOM
ARCOM
NYIT-AR
UIWSOM
WVSOM
UP-KYCOM

 

[mmedr]

Ohio State is a reach with your GPA. The SUNYs accept few non residents with your GPA and no connection to the state. The GPA-MCAT grid shows you have a ~50% chance for a MD acceptance. You could add these MD schools:
Quinnipiac
NOVA MD
TCU-UNT
Medical College Wisconsin
UCLA Drew
Indiana
Also add more DO schools and consider these:
ACOM
ARCOM
NYIT-AR
UIWSOM
WVSOM
UP-KYCOM

thank you so much for your feedback! I will adjust my list accordingly.

 

[sunkissedmelanin]

Anybody get an email from WashU to apply based on MCAT? I only have a 510 (third retake) and I thought they were a stat heavy school. Not sure if I should apply.

 

[bisonboy]

Anybody get an email from WashU to apply based on MCAT? I only have a 510 (third retake) and I thought they were a stat heavy school. Not sure if I should apply.

Are you WWAMI?

 

[CaptainZeki]

Are you WWAMI?

WashU (in STL) is not WWAMI. That’s UWashington in Seattle

 

[deleted785419]

Anyone just get the SNMA virtual info session invite from drexel? Were applicants screened for this or nah?

 

[deleted785419]

Are you WWAMI?

I also got the email and have a 513 -- is it worth applying?

 

[bisonboy]

WashU (in STL) is not WWAMI. That’s UWashington in Seattle

Oh lol my bad

 

[2.9GPA]

.

 

[Blessed!]

Hello, everyone! It's really great to find this community.

URM: Black, Female, NJ, FAP
Undergrad: Top 40
Major: Chemistry (BS/MS)
MCAT: 516
cGPA: 3.7 (upward trend)
sGPA: 3.65
gradGPA: 3.8
Research: 4 years in different labs (1500 hours)
Clinical Volunteering: 2.5 years at a hospital (250 hours)
Shadowing: Good experience but not much (9 hours)
Non-Clinical Volunteering: 3 years with various organizations (1100 hours)
Leadership: Summer camp (450 hours)
Other/Work: Teaching (2900 hours)

My primary is verified. I submitted to only one school, and I need help constructing the rest of my school list. I'm looking to apply to 15-19 more schools apart from my state schools. @Faha @OchemOficionado

Also, how bad will it look to retake my current MCAT score? I'm leaning towards not doing it again, but I just want some feedback.

 

[Faha]

Hello, everyone! It's really great to find this community.

URM: Black, Female, NJ, FAP
Undergrad: Top 40
Major: Chemistry (BS/MS)
MCAT: 516
cGPA: 3.7 (upward trend)
sGPA: 3.65
gradGPA: 3.8
Research: 4 years in different labs (1500 hours)
Clinical Volunteering: 2.5 years at a hospital (250 hours)
Shadowing: Good experience but not much (9 hours)
Non-Clinical Volunteering: 3 years with various organizations (1100 hours)
Leadership: Summer camp (450 hours)
Other/Work: Teaching (2900 hours)

My primary is verified. I submitted to only one school, and I need help constructing the rest of my school list. I'm looking to apply to 15-19 more schools apart from my state schools. @Faha @OchemOficionado

Also, how bad will it look to retake my current MCAT score? I'm leaning towards not doing it again, but I just want some feedback.

You do not need to retake the MCAT ! I suggest these schools with your stats:
Your 3 NJ state public schools
Harvard
Boston University
Dartmouth
Brown
Yale
Hofstra
Einstein
Mount Sinai
NYU
Columbia
Cornell
Rochester
Pittsburgh
Georgetown
U Virginia
Duke
Emory
Vanderbilt
Miami
Tulane
Washington University
U Chicago
Northwestern
Case Western
USC Keck
UCLA
Kaiser

 

[Blessed!]

You do not need to retake the MCAT ! I suggest these schools with your stats:
Your 3 NJ state public schools
Harvard
Boston University
Dartmouth
Brown
Yale
Hofstra
Einstein
Mount Sinai
NYU
Columbia
Cornell
Rochester
Pittsburgh
Georgetown
U Virginia
Duke
Emory
Vanderbilt
Miami
Tulane
Washington University
U Chicago
Northwestern
Case Western
USC Keck
UCLA
Kaiser

Okay, good to know. I'll add some of the schools to my list. Thank you so much!

 

[Mr.Blackdoc.5]

Hi all,
Great to see the support for all the URMs here. With keeping things as vague as possible:
URM: Black, Male, NJ
Undergrad: Small LAC, graduated in 2016
Major: Biochem
MCAT: 522 (132/127/132/131)
cGPA: 3.55 (senior year had a 3.9)
sGPA: 3.50
gradGPA: N/A
Research:
Working full-time in a basic research lab since 2017 (8000+ hours): mid co-authorship on one published paper with IF 8, second or mid co-authorships on three other papers that are currently under revision at high-impact journals, co-first authorship on submitted book chapter. outside of basic research, I volunteer as a research assistant with a "cancer disparities" program at my institute, and have a mid co-authorship on a manuscript that has also been accepted for revision.

Clinical Volunteering:
- Volunteer with a "narrative medicine" program (400 hours)
- volunteer with the "cancer disparities" program (400 hours)

Shadowing:
Family medicine (50 hours)
Vascular Surgery (25 hours)
Cardiac Surgery (25 hours)
Surgical oncology (100 hours)
Radiation oncology (100 hours)
Medical oncology (20 hours)

Non-Clinical Volunteering:
- a member of a few different educational programs at the local jail (200 hours)
- soccer coach (250 hours)
- mentor in high school science enrichment program (150 hours)
- tutor kids at local mid school (100 hours)
- genetics tutor in college (100 hours)
- led development and implementation of soccer-based educational programs that continue to serve hundres of youth in a low-income, medically underserved area (500 hours)
- big sibling in college (100 hours)

Leadership:
- four-year member and captain of college soccer team (3000 hours)

Other/Work:
- Worked full-time as a medical scribe for 8 months (1300 hours)
- manual labor jobs (1400 hours)
- Of note, IA from first month of freshman year (2012) where I made the poor decision to a help a classmate on a homework assignment in calculus.

Faha was kind enough to give me school list recommendations earlier, but the pre-health advisors I've been in touch with at my undergrad have recently recommended I add some DO schools to my list, so curious to see what others recommend. Initially i wanted to stay in the NE and tri-state area, but now there are no geographic restrictions.

Best of luck to everyone else applying!

 

[BlackPsych27]

Hey everyone, good luck to all you guys this cycle! My stats aren't much to brag about, I struggled academically throughout my tenure in undergrad but I wanted help coming up with a realistic list of prospective allopathic schools, I'm mainly focused on osteopathic but I DO want to shoot my shot with MDs. Here are my stats:

URM: AA, Male, 27, Maryland
Undergrad: George Washington
Major: Psychology
MCAT: 499 > 503 (124, 124, 127, 128)
cGPA: 2.8
sGPA: 3.4
Clinical Volunteering: Mental Health Helpline, Tutoring program for elementary school students
Shadowing: Family Medicine
Post-school employment: Mental Health Technician (hospital), Patient Services Rep. (private practice), Youth Counselor (group home for at-risk youth/non-profit org), Case Manager (same non-profit org), SAT tutor
Other/Leadership: Creative Director of African Student Association (3 years), Member of Black Student Union


I have Morehouse, Howard and Meharry on my list, and I just added VCU, but any suggestions would be greatly welcomed