Application Cycle 2026-27

[Higmo]

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CA ORM (Asian, sadly)

3.99 GPA at a T20 undergrad (if that even matters)

514 MCAT (132/123/130/129)

3 pubs (1000+ hours research)

600+ clinical hours

500+ non-clinical

2 gaps in total

Plan on finding another clinical job during application season and will continue research at a new lab due to having other interests.

Any schools I should add/remove that I missed? Mainly interested in lower/mid tier schools due to my atrocious CARS score.

 

[Faha]

What is the breakdown by hours and activities for your 500 hours of non clinical volunteering?

 

[Mr.Smile12]

Please provide details, like state residency and a description of activities. You are more than just numbers and will be evaluated accordingly.

 

[Higmo]

Hey guys, thanks for responding 🙂

My state residency is CA.

Counselor (300+ hours)
Crisis Textline (200+ hours)
Soup Kitchen Volunteer (500+ hours)

Medical Assistant (600 hours, laid off due to research cuts)
Hospital Volunteer (100 hours)

Will find another clinical job during application cycle.

 

[Mr.Smile12]

Seriously, follow the instructions. MORE details.

Thread '*~*~*~*IMPORTANT: How to Format Your WAMC Thread for Optimal Results and More!!*~*~*~*'

Nov 19, 2015

Hello, and welcome to the What Are My Chances (WAMC) forum.

The purpose of this forum is to

• Post threads about your chances of acceptance to MD and/or DO schools
• Have your school list critiqued and modified by other members of SDN
• Determine how to strengthen your current application

General guidelines for posting threads

• Please DO NOT call out specific users in the title of your thread
• Please include the word "Texas", "Canadian", or "International" in your thread title if you are a resident of Texas, Canada, or another non-US country in order to...

• WedgeDawg
• Replies: 1
• Forum: What Are My Chances? WAMC Medical

• 

How did you choose the schools on your list? I count about a dozen that makes me very curious because I don't know why you would want to go to those schools. Is it just leveraging your metrics, because I can't see a mission fit with these schools.

 

[Faha]

Marshall, Geisinger and Oklahoma admit few applicants who are not from the state of region. You should receive several interviews from the other schools on your list.

 

[Higmo]

1. Seriously, follow the instructions. MORE details.
   

   

   Thread '*~*~*~*IMPORTANT: How to Format Your WAMC Thread for Optimal Results and More!!*~*~*~*'

   Nov 19, 2015

   Hello, and welcome to the What Are My Chances (WAMC) forum.
   
   The purpose of this forum is to
   

   • Post threads about your chances of acceptance to MD and/or DO schools
   • Have your school list critiqued and modified by other members of SDN
   • Determine how to strengthen your current application

   General guidelines for posting threads
   

   • Please DO NOT call out specific users in the title of your thread
   • Please include the word "Texas", "Canadian", or "International" in your thread title if you are a resident of Texas, Canada, or another non-US country in order to...

   • WedgeDawg
   • Replies: 1
   • Forum: What Are My Chances? WAMC Medical

   • 

   
   How did you choose the schools on your list? I count about a dozen that makes me very curious because I don't know why you would want to go to those schools. Is it just leveraging your metrics, because I can't see a mission fit with these schools.

   1. 3.994 cGPA, 3.99 sGPA
   2. 514 (132/123/130/129)
   3. CA
   4. Asian ORM
   5. UCLA (T20, doubt it matters)
   6. 600+ hours MA, 500+ soup kitchen, 200+ hours Crisis Textline, 100 hours hospital, Merit Badge Counselor (50-100 hours), Advocacy Director of Club at my school (50+ hours)
   7. 3 pubs (1000+ hours of research in ENT)
   8. 108 shadowing hours (internist), 10 hours (radiologist)
   9. Dean honors list, Eagle Scout, some other ones

• Hey, sorry about that. I'm new to SDN so don't really know about the rules. Are there schools that I shouldn't apply to? Because I just want an MD at this point, regardless of location (with the exception of Caribbean). Are there other schools that I should add that might be a better fit?

My main concern is that low CARS score, but many have advised against a retake. I've never scored this low on CARS before, but I don't want to risk a lower score cause I know that'll hurt my application.

 

[Higmo]

Marshall, Geisinger and Oklahoma admit few applicants who are not from the state of region. You should receive several interviews from the other schools on your list.

Thanks 🙂

 

[Mr.Smile12]

• Hey, sorry about that. I'm new to SDN so don't really know about the rules. Are there schools that I shouldn't apply to? Because I just want an MD at this point, regardless of location (with the exception of Caribbean). Are there other schools that I should add that might be a better fit?

My main concern is that low CARS score, but many have advised against a retake. I've never scored this low on CARS before, but I don't want to risk a lower score cause I know that'll hurt my application.

The hard part is that determining your "fit" with a school depends on what activities you wish to continue while you are in medical school that you want to build on for a residency application (IMO). I'm okay now with your service orientation activities, but now I want to know how much you want your practice to help specific subpopulations. Every school should give you a chance to work with "underserved populations," and that's the impact academic medical centers make with communities (that have them). Do you wish to continue advocacy for whatever cause you have been involved with in college? Believe us, you will have opportunities to advocate (for medical education) wherever you go to medical school (hence the details matter). What makes you a classmate that people would be excited to have around? In other words, what makes you cool, and why should a medical school interview you? I don't have a strong answer from the description.

In addition to the ones pointed out above, I'm not sure why some of the medical schools in some of the other Midwest cities would appeal with you. Do you want to live in Detroit (Oakland Beaumont and Wayne State)? Can you live in Norfolk (EVMS), Roanoke (VTC) or Penn State? Have you ever been to Kalamazoo (Western Michigan)? I think 514 is a stretch for Case, Michigan, and Brown, but if you need a reach... I guess so.

 

[Higmo]

The hard part is that determining your "fit" with a school depends on what activities you wish to continue while you are in medical school that you want to build on for a residency application (IMO). I'm okay now with your service orientation activities, but now I want to know how much you want your practice to help specific subpopulations. Every school should give you a chance to work with "underserved populations," and that's the impact academic medical centers make with communities (that have them). Do you wish to continue advocacy for whatever cause you have been involved with in college? Believe us, you will have opportunities to advocate (for medical education) wherever you go to medical school (hence the details matter). What makes you a classmate that people would be excited to have around? In other words, what makes you cool, and why should a medical school interview you? I don't have a strong answer from the description.

In addition to the ones pointed out above, I'm not sure why some of the medical schools in some of the other Midwest cities would appeal with you. Do you want to live in Detroit (Oakland Beaumont and Wayne State)? Can you live in Norfolk (EVMS), Roanoke (VTC) or Penn State? Have you ever been to Kalamazoo (Western Michigan)? I think 514 is a stretch for Case, Michigan, and Brown, but if you need a reach... I guess so.

Got it, I'll remove those schools from my list (Case, Brown, and UMich). Any other lower tier schools that I missed? I only added ones that were OOS friendly and will look at mission fit in the next few days.

 

[Mr.Smile12]

Got it, I'll remove those schools from my list (Case, Brown, and UMich). Any other lower tier schools that I missed? I only added ones that were OOS friendly and will look at mission fit in the next few days.

You can't gauge mission fit unless you have a purpose first. Otherwise, you'll make excuses to try to fit into schools you wish you could attend.