4.0/520mcat, wanting input on competitiveness of my app

[deleted986277]

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Hello all, I was looking for feedback on my medical school list. I am an Arkansas native and I plan on applying heavily OOS, but I have the nagging feeling that my app inst competitive as people are telling me(my med advisor keeps telling me to add more top 20 schools to my application list). I plan on submitting my app this June(whenever I finish my shadowing).

1. 4.0 GPA, major in chem, minor in bio and math
2. 520, 130/130/130/130
3. southern state resident, not in a rural or undeserved area
4. White, male
5. Southern state school, stateschool@citname type school
6. For research experience:
   1. 400+ hours of research in a university hospital emergency department. Mostly I approached patients that were eligible for the studies and told them about the studies and did the consenting process for the studies.
   2. Working this summer in a medicinal chemistry/ pharmacy lab at the same university hospital mentioned above. Ill have 200+ hours by the end of summer, publication unlikely by time of app.
   3. I have worked in a chemistry lab as an unpaid researcher under the university chemistry department. I've presented at a few local and a few regional conferences. Publication unlikely by time of app, but maybe in the fall. 300+ hours/ 4 semesters
7. Shadowing: This is my weakest area as the shadowing opportunities I've set up thus far have fallen through. I plan on getting 70+ hours under 3/4 different specialties in the next month. Can I put future shadowing on the application If I already have it scheduled, or does the AMCAS look down on this?
8. Clinical Volunteering: I will have 200+ hours by end of summer at a free health clinic that is run by the universality hospital. The free clinic is ran by the medical/pharmacy/other medicine students at the university hospital and I shadow the teams there as well as running the labs recently.
9. Non clinical volunteering: Not much, I did 50 hrs freshman year at the local animal shelter. I have tons of miscellaneous hours from random/1 day volunteer things I've done, but Im unsure on how to write
10. Extracurricular and work experience
    1. I RAed for during my sophomore year.
    2. I have worked in the university tutoring center as a math and physics tutor as a junior and currently in the summer.
    3. I TAed a freshman level chemistry class this past semester.
    4. I am the VP of our schools chapter of the American Chemical Society
    5. I am the president of an Intramural sports club on campus.
    6. I am in a fraternity and I have had a spot on executive council since for 2.5 years.
11. Relevant honors or awards: I have had a few departmental awards, as well as two small grants for the research in the chemistry department from the school.
12. Other: How long does waiting hurt my application? I was shooting for submitting my app mid June, but should I submit earlier?

Schools. Affordability is a very big consideration for me as my family will give me very little if any support. I also would prefer to stay in a warmer climate but that is personal preference. Feel free to make suggestions to my list.
Reaches(no particular order):
UCSD
UT Southwestern
Baylor
Duke
WashU

Non-reach:
All the TMDAS schools
Alabama-Birmingham
Arkansas
Mizzou
UCF
Ohio state
UNC
South Carolina

 

[Faha]

I suggest these schools with your stats:
Your state public schools
Arkansas
Tulane
Vanderbilt
Emory
Baylor
Duke
Washington University
Miami
Ohio State
U Michigan
South Florida
Case Western
Pittsburgh
Rochester
Hofstra
Einstein
Mount Sinai
NYU
Harvard
Columbia
Yale
U Chicago
Northwestern

 

[Walter Raleigh]

Add those miscellaneous hours. With the low clinical volunteering, that makes a difference, especially if it's "tons" as you say. If you did twenty 8-hour days, that's 160 hours - a decent amount. Figure out how to get those in there somehow. You might also consider taking a gap year as you have no shadowing at all. Get 300+ hours of clinical and nonclinical volunteering and you're golden for top-20 schools. As you are, you've got a decent shot at an acceptance; the gap year is more if you want a top school.

 

[positivepuffin]

Add those miscellaneous hours. With the low clinical volunteering, that makes a difference, especially if it's "tons" as you say. If you did twenty 8-hour days, that's 160 hours - a decent amount. Figure out how to get those in there somehow. You might also consider taking a gap year as you have no shadowing at all. Get 300+ hours of clinical and nonclinical volunteering and you're golden for top-20 schools. As you are, you've got a decent shot at an acceptance; the gap year is more if you want a top school.

200 hours of clinical volunteering is low?
his 400 hours of research count as clinical experience as well since there is patient contact.
You are either trolling or totally misguided. OP has great stats and good enough ECs, taking an extra year just to increase number of clinical hours - which he has plenty of already - is illogical.

 

[Hi_I'mPaul]

200 hours of clinical volunteering is low?
his 400 hours of research count as clinical experience as well since there is patient contact.
You are either trolling or totally misguided. OP has great stats and good enough ECs, taking an extra year just to increase number of clinical hours - which he has plenty of already - is illogical.

I think Walter means low for Top schools. Top schools all have averages +/- a few points as OPs and you have to stand out in your ECs. 200 clinical hours and little non-clinical hours won't cut it. They'll get interviews to mid-tier schools though for sure. Definitely wouldn't recommend a gap year though lol, just work on it throughout the app year and send updates.

Research is a separate category on AMCAS so they will only see 200 clinical hours on first glances..

 

[Walter Raleigh]

My mistake: OP’s NONclinical hours are what is worrisomely low.

 

[Goro]

Here's a more realistic list:
U IA
NYU
Yale
JHU
U Chicago
U Penn
Northwestern
Case
Columbia
Harvard
Mayo
Cornell
Sinai
BU
U MI
Albert Einstein
Hofstra
Ohio State
Pitt
U Cincy
Dartmouth
Rochester
Tufts
U VM
Western MI


U VA
Vanderbilt
WashU
Stanford
Duke
Baylor
UCLA
UCSF
UCSD
USF Morsani
USC/Keck
Emory
Jefferson
Miami
SLU
Your state schools
UTxSW is worth a shot

Note: super cold winter schools are in blue.

 

[deleted966008]

My mistake: OP’s NONclinical hours are what is worrisomely low.

Ehh I’d like to think you can still do okay with pretty “low” non clinical volunteering. For what it’s worth I am not fond of this propensity to quantify altruism in med admissions, it inevitably leads to some people (not everyone) volunteering for the wrong reasons imo

 

[deleted986277]

Add those miscellaneous hours. With the low clinical volunteering, that makes a difference, especially if it's "tons" as you say. If you did twenty 8-hour days, that's 160 hours - a decent amount. Figure out how to get those in there somehow. You might also consider taking a gap year as you have no shadowing at all. Get 300+ hours of clinical and nonclinical volunteering and you're golden for top-20 schools. As you are, you've got a decent shot at an acceptance; the gap year is more if you want a top school.

Hey sorry for waiting so long to reply. I'm about to submit my application and I have one of my activities is labelled "misc volunteering" and I tried to do what you suggested. Here it is.

• Animal shelter, 50 hours, fall 2016/spring 2017 [contact name #]
• Campus living chemistry tutoring center, 50 hours, spring 2018 [contact name #]
• "School service scholarship" requirements, 15 hours a semester/ 90 hours total, fall 2016 to spring 2019 [contact name #]
• Boy scouts of America chemistry merit badge, 10 hours [contact name #]
• freshman move-in volunteering, fall 2017,2018,2019, 30hours [contact name and #]

Do you think this is better than not mentioning it?

 

[Dr panda]

Hey sorry for waiting so long to reply. I'm about to submit my application and I have one of my activities is labelled "misc volunteering" and I tried to do what you suggested. Here it is.

• Animal shelter, 50 hours, fall 2016/spring 2017 [contact name #]
• Campus living chemistry tutoring center, 50 hours, spring 2018 [contact name #]
• "School service scholarship" requirements, 15 hours a semester/ 90 hours total, fall 2016 to spring 2019 [contact name #]
• Boy scouts of America chemistry merit badge, 10 hours [contact name #]
• freshman move-in volunteering, fall 2017,2018,2019, 30hours [contact name and #]

Do you think this is better than not mentioning it?

You are definitely a competitive applicant regardless activities listed above, you can mention them or not, it doesn't really matter given that the rest of your app is very competitive. Don't list anything just to fill 15 spots, if you think it is important then do it, but it will hardly have any impact.

 

[MyOdyssey]

Hey sorry for waiting so long to reply. I'm about to submit my application and I have one of my activities is labelled "misc volunteering" and I tried to do what you suggested. Here it is.

• Animal shelter, 50 hours, fall 2016/spring 2017 [contact name #]
• Campus living chemistry tutoring center, 50 hours, spring 2018 [contact name #]
• "School service scholarship" requirements, 15 hours a semester/ 90 hours total, fall 2016 to spring 2019 [contact name #]
• Boy scouts of America chemistry merit badge, 10 hours [contact name #]
• freshman move-in volunteering, fall 2017,2018,2019, 30hours [contact name and #]

Do you think this is better than not mentioning it?

You should list these if only to show that you're able to perform at a very high level academically even while juggling a lot of different obligations. Plus, that adds up to a lot of hours.

 

[Walter Raleigh]

The Boy Scouts volunteering was in high school, and fairly insignificant, so not worth mentioning. Everything else is definitely worth mentioning, especially as you have little nonclinical volunteering otherwise. That's around 220 hours of volunteering you'd have, which is much, much better than nothing.

 

[deleted986277]

Sorry to bump this thread so long after it was initially created, but I've run into a predicament and this thread already has a lot of relevant info. will remove and post somewhere else if needed.

I've had a decent cycle with 6 interviews attended, but this weekend I got waitlisted at my state school which was the school I was "technically" supposed to have the best shot at and this state school traditionally has little if any WL movement. I have also been waitlisted at a TX school that traditionally has a decent amount of WL movement from what I've heard. All other schools( a T10, T20 and 2 T50) have yet to A/WL/R me yet. The WL at the state school has worried me about my chances and I am planning for the worst. I've unfortunately run into a tough financial situation and I have been working 30hrs across two jobs on top of attending classes full time, thus my ECs have really gained as much as they should have this past year.

All this being said, if the worst happens(6Rs) I was thinking it would be best for me to take a true gap year and apply in the 2021-2022 cycle. My thoughts were to move back in with parents and work as a scribe/MA full time while also doing volunteer work(HFH or tutoring at-risk kids is what I'm thinking)
My questions are:

1. Will being a reapplicant that took a gap year really hurt my chances at T20 schools. I know beggars can't be choosers but I was just curious?
2. Will adding a significant amount of clinical work and volunteering help my app that much? I currently think it is the weakest aspect of my app?
3. Is the idea of a gap year stupid and should I still shoot for 2020-2021 if the worst happens?

 

[Faha]

With 6 interviews the odds are very high that you will receive an acceptance by June.