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[storm4067]

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[chilly_md]

You have low service hours for schools like Rush, and it is a bit unrealistic as well with that plus the rest of your app for the number of reaches you have included. You have included several schools that are not friendly to OOS students such as the SUNY schools, Rutgers, Maryland etc. If you have MSAR, check UMass, but they previously were going after higher stat OOS students and you already want to include at least a few reaches. I suggest:

Wayne state
MCW
Albany
Toledo
Wright State
UIC
Saint louis univeristy
George washington
NEOMED
OSU
Cinnicinati
Emory
dartmouth
tufts
Albert Einstein
Case Western
Boston
Virginia
Hofstra
NYMC
Rochester
Vermont
Hackensack
Miami
VCU
EVMS
Colorado
Penn State
Creighton
Quinnipiac
Rosalind Franklin
IU
Wake

 

[storm4067]

You have low service hours for schools like Rush, and it is a bit unrealistic as well with that plus the rest of your app for the number of reaches you have included. You have included several schools that are not friendly to OOS students such as the SUNY schools, Rutgers, Maryland etc. If you have MSAR, check UMass, but they previously were going after higher stat OOS students and you already want to include at least a few reaches. I suggest:

Wayne state
MCW
Albany
Toledo
Wright State
UIC
Saint louis univeristy
George washington
NEOMED
OSU
Cinnicinati
Emory
dartmouth
tufts
Albert Einstein
Case Western
Boston
Virginia
Hofstra
NYMC
Rochester
Vermont
Hackensack
Miami
VCU
EVMS
Colorado
Penn State
Creighton
Quinnipiac
Rosalind Franklin
IU
Wake

Thank you for the list! What would be considered a good amount of service hours?

 

[chilly_md]

Thank you for the list! What would be considered a good amount of service hours?

Several hundred for Rush. Welcome desk is not really a service activity and your remaining 150 hours is fine for the minimum, but they are split between 2 activities and cannot be used as a strength. UCSF and U of Chicago are notably interested in service as well.

 

[Mr.Smile12]

You need 150 hours of non-clinical service orientation activities: food distribution, shelter volunteer, job/tax preparation, legal support, transportation services, or housing rehabilitation. From your description, you have zero hours which puts your application at risk of getting screend out at most schools. (I give different credit for underserved communities across all activity groups.)

 

[ophthoaspirant]

Include a few top DO schools such as MSUCOM and Rowan.

 

[storm4067]

You need 150 hours of non-clinical service orientation activities: food distribution, shelter volunteer, job/tax preparation, legal support, transportation services, or housing rehabilitation. From your description, you have zero hours which puts your application at risk of getting screend out at most schools. (I give different credit for underserved communities across all activity groups.)

Thank you for your response! Do none of my three volunteering activities I mentioned above count as non-clinical service orientation? I saw another comment saying the welcome desk does not count, which I can understand, but why do my other two volunteering experiences not qualify?

 

[Mr.Smile12]

Thank you for your response! Do none of my three volunteering activities I mentioned above count as non-clinical service orientation? I saw another comment saying the welcome desk does not count, which I can understand, but why do my other two volunteering experiences not qualify?

Tell me what you did. "Volunteering" is not detailed enough. Did you do anything related to the six categories of activities I mentioned? Note that helping marginalized communities is a separate consideration for me.

 

[storm4067]

Tell me what you did. "Volunteering" is not detailed enough. Did you do anything related to the six categories of activities I mentioned? Note that helping marginalized communities is a separate consideration for me.

Truthfully I don't think they specifically qualify for the categories you have mentioned. The refugee volunteer experience was through a program working with my church that had me matched with a family and help them settle in the US, including helping with job preparation, English teaching, etc. We'd meet with them roughly weekly. I could see how this might qualify for some of those above categories, but I didn't emphasize them in my primary description, rather focusing on the connection I built with their son, etc.

The Paralympic volunteer experience was part of a national veteran Paralympic event where I helped the event run smoothly. I'd help with classifications, help distribute water/food (maybe food distribution), help athletes warm up, set up events, etc. Again the food distribution part (if it does count) wasn't really emphasized in my primary description either.

I'm curious why these specific 6 categories are the only ones that count. Many of my friends from last years cycle were very successful with their applications despite not having volunteer experiences that directly fit into the categories you mentioned. I apologize if I appear defensive, but I'm just curious to know where I can I learn more about the requirements as this is the first I've heard of them.

 

[Mr.Smile12]

Truthfully I don't think they specifically qualify for the categories you have mentioned. The refugee volunteer experience was through a program working with my church that had me matched with a family and help them settle in the US, including helping with job preparation, English teaching, etc. We'd meet with them roughly weekly. I could see how this might qualify for some of those above categories, but I didn't emphasize them in my primary description, rather focusing on the connection I built with their son, etc.

The Paralympic volunteer experience was part of a national veteran Paralympic event where I helped the event run smoothly. I'd help with classifications, help distribute water/food (maybe food distribution), help athletes warm up, set up events, etc. Again the food distribution part (if it does count) wasn't really emphasized in my primary description either.

I'm curious why these specific 6 categories are the only ones that count. Many of my friends from last years cycle were very successful with their applications despite not having volunteer experiences that directly fit into the categories you mentioned. I apologize if I appear defensive, but I'm just curious to know where I can I learn more about the requirements as this is the first I've heard of them.

I can't answer for anyone else who doesn't post here, and we don't know about mission fit or how they present their profiles either. All I can say is that my own experience and the aggregate experiences from those who post here form our positions, so if they never posted here, we can't take your observation into account. Clearly, you don't have to follow my advice.

Also, I can't predict every adcom's decisions, and sometimes if an adcom wants a student, they'll take the student provided it passes legal muster.

Suffice to say, these six categories gives us a better idea of your understanding of your purpose as a physician and your impact upon community health. This is what the faculty that I worked for came up with, and I had plenty of discussions about it.