Do I even have a shot at an MD? Low MCAT problem

[aimhighwillis1010]

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23-year-old female, Virginia resident
I submitted my primary on June 1st. I’m wondering if there are any schools I might be missing based on my stats and profile. What do you all think my chances of getting an interview?

• Graduated in 2023 from a Top 25 university
• GPA: 3.8 cGPA / 3.8 sGPA
• Major: Statistics & Psychology (double)
• Minor: Linguistics (French)
• MCAT: 505 (definitely the weakest part of my app) Kinda screwed with that one

DO: Have not decided yet which ones, but was thinking of doing 5-8. Any advice on those would be great!!!!
Theme of application:
Focused on serving vulnerable populations, including incarcerated individuals
Extracurriculars:

• 3 manuscripts under review (1 first-author)
• 3 poster presentations at an international conference
• 1 local poster presentation
• Strong clinical and research experiences, including a full-time research coordinator role and several years as a medical scribe

Research & Academic

1. Research Project Coordinator – 6/2023 to 6/2026 🔹 Total Hours: 6240 hours (4160 completed + 2080 anticipated)
2. Manuscript Authorship – 6/2023 to 4/2026 🔹 Total Hours: 450 hours (300 completed + 150 anticipated)
3. Senior Thesis – Distinguished Majors Program – 8/2022 to 5/2023 🔹 Hours: 350 hours
4. Research Assistant & Laboratory Animal Handler – 1/2020 to 5/2023 🔹 Hours: 650 hours
5. Research Assistant) – 1/2020 to 5/2021 🔹 Hours: 300 hours

Teaching & Mentorship​

1. Teaching Assistant – Child Psychology – 8/2022 to 5/2023 🔹 Hours: 300 hours
2. Teaching Assistant – Data Visualization & Statistical Management – 8/2022 to 12/2022 🔹 Hours: 180 hours
3. French Language Tutor – 9/2019 to 5/2023 🔹 Hours: 800 hours

Clinical & Healthcare​

1. Medical Scribe at a Federally Funded Center (justice impacted individuals, homelessness, uninsured populations) – 3/2021 to 5/2025 🔹 Hours: 2900 hours �� Most Meaningful: ✅
2. Physician Shadowing – 8/2021 to 12/2025 🔹 Total Hours: 165 hours (140 completed + 25 anticipated)

Leadership & Community Engagement​

1. Chief Residential Community Advisor – Summers 2022 & 2023 🔹 Hours: 550 hours (275 per summer) �� Most Meaningful: ✅
2. Resident Advisor for First-Year Students – 8/2020 to 5/2023 🔹 Hours: 1800 hours

Professional/Other​

1. Data Science Intern – 6/2022 to 8/2022 🔹 Hours: 450 hours
2. Poster Presenter (Conferences – APA ) – 4/2023 to 5/2025 🔹 Hours: 40 hours

Personal Interests​

1. Equestrian Athlete (Eventing) – 5/2007 to 5/2025 🔹 Hours: 4000 hours

I haven't made my DO list yet but I was thinking of doing 5-8 schools, any recommendations on those would be appreciated
Arizona

• University of Arizona College of Medicine – Tucson

Connecticut​

• University of Connecticut School of Medicine

Illinois​

• Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine
• University of Illinois College of Medicine

Kentucky​

• University of Kentucky College of Medicine
• University of Louisville School of Medicine

Louisiana​

• Tulane University School of Medicine

Maryland​

• University of Maryland School of Medicine

​

Michigan​

• Michigan State University College of Human Medicine
• Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine
• Wayne State University School of Medicine

Minnesota​

• University of Minnesota Medical School

North Dakota​

• University of North Dakota School of Medicine and Health Sciences

Ohio​

• University of Cincinnati College of Medicine
• Wright State University Boonshoft School of Medicine

Pennsylvania​

• Drexel University College of Medicine
• Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine
• Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine

South Dakota​

• University of South Dakota, Sanford School of Medicine

Tennessee​

• Thomas F. Frist, Jr. College of Medicine at Belmont University

Vermont​

• Robert Larner, M.D., College of Medicine at the University of Vermont

Virginia​

• Eastern Virginia Medical School at Old Dominion University
• University of Virginia School of Medicine
• Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine
• Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine

West Virginia​

• Marshall University Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine
• West Virginia University School of Medicine

Wisconsin​

• University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health

Toledo (Ohio)​

• The University of Toledo College of Medicine and Life Sciences

South Carolina Schools
My father resides here (I am out of state though). But I was thinking of applying to some of them since my father lives in Greenville SC. Do you think it is worth it, despite not being in state due to family ties?

 

[candbgirl]

Do you have any nonclinical volunteering?
Unless you haven’t shadowed a primary care doc, you have more than enough shadowing. Projected hours are not really counted.

 

[Mr.Smile12]

Welcome to the forums.

Focused on serving vulnerable populations, including incarcerated individuals

Can you highlight which activities highlight serving incarcerated individuals in your descriptions above? I don't see anything that indicates this from your activities, especially your community engagement/leadership. Is it just your scribing work? Have you taken courses? Are you involved in legal support services (court appointed advocate)? I just don't see you walking the talk.

Where is your experience in hospital settings?

With a 505 MCAT, did you only include schools that include matriculants with that score? I wonder because many of your schools are not OOS friendly at all (Toledo, Arizona, Illinois, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wright State... why did you not include Toledo in Ohio???). I really don't know how you have a mission fit with the schools on your list offhand... in what ways do these schools put students in position to help patients who are incarcerated?

 

[evangelinelover]

i’m just an applicant but the sheer number of hours you have don’t add up

 

[aimhighwillis1010]

i’m just an applicant but the sheer number of hours you have don’t add up

I graduated in 2023, have been working as a project coordinator for 2 years since graduation full time and started clinical work in college, consistently working 15h or so a week

 

[aimhighwillis1010]

Do you have any nonclinical volunteering?
Unless you haven’t shadowed a primary care doc, you have more than enough shadowing. Projected hours are not really counted.

Yes, my nonclinical volunteering is French tutoring in high schools

 

[aimhighwillis1010]

Welcome to the forums.


Can you highlight which activities highlight serving incarcerated individuals in your descriptions above? I don't see anything that indicates this from your activities, especially your community engagement/leadership. Is it just your scribing work? Have you taken courses? Are you involved in legal support services (court appointed advocate)? I just don't see you walking the talk.

Where is your experience in hospital settings?

With a 505 MCAT, did you only include schools that include matriculants with that score? I wonder because many of your schools are not OOS friendly at all (Toledo, Arizona, Illinois, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wright State... why did you not include Toledo in Ohio???). I really don't know how you have a mission fit with the schools on your list offhand... in what ways do these schools put students in position to help patients who are incarcerated?

Thank you for your reply, I really appreciate it. I completed a college course focused on rural health, though I did not include it in my primary application beyond the transcript area.

Yes, I worked as a medical scribe for four years at a federally funded health center that primarily served justice-impacted individuals. Each week, inmates from a nearby jail were brought in under guard for infectious disease treatment that the jail was not equipped to manage. We also cared for patients who were homeless, uninsured, or on Medicaid. I currently also scribe at a local free clinic where we serve uninsured patients. I have not worked in any other hospital settings.

I was initially including schools in Ohio because of my mother residing there (so thats why I had Toledo)

I primarily targeted medical schools with a strong focus on serving marginalized populations or rural communities, as that aligns with the kind of work I hope to pursue after medical school.

 

[aimhighwillis1010]

Do you have any nonclinical volunteering?
Unless you haven’t shadowed a primary care doc, you have more than enough shadowing. Projected hours are not really counted.

Yes, I have shadowed a primary care physician and also worked as a scribe in primary care for those four years. I wasn't initially concerned about this, but after someone mentioned it, I'm wondering if my reported hours might seem beyond the norm (although I have been out of school for 2 years now). I have no issues of course with medical schools verifying my hours by contacting the individuals I’ve listed, such as professors or clinic heads. My goal is for everything to come across as authentic. I worked diligently during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond to gain my clinical hours and research experience.

 

[Mr.Smile12]

Thank you for your reply, I really appreciate it. I completed a college course focused on rural health, though I did not include it in my primary application beyond the transcript area.

Yes, I worked as a medical scribe for four years at a federally funded health center that primarily served justice-impacted individuals. Each week, inmates from a nearby jail were brought in under guard for infectious disease treatment that the jail was not equipped to manage. We also cared for patients who were homeless, uninsured, or on Medicaid. I currently also scribe at a local free clinic where we serve uninsured patients. I have not worked in any other hospital settings.

I was initially including schools in Ohio because of my mother residing there (so thats why I had Toledo)

I primarily targeted medical schools with a strong focus on serving marginalized populations or rural communities, as that aligns with the kind of work I hope to pursue after medical school.

You have applied for NHSC or HPSP, right?

 

[aimhighwillis1010]

You have applied for NHSC or HPSP, right?

NHSC was the plan if I obtained an acceptance

Any advice on anything else? Or any other problems you may see with my app. I know my MCAT is my main issue and the plan is to retake it in Spring 2026 if I do not get an interview for this cycle

A fellow student mentioned that I might have more hours than the average applicant, but I genuinely hope schools will reach out to the individuals I've listed if they have any questions—I worked very hard to earn those hours.

 

[Mr.Smile12]

Yes, I have shadowed a primary care physician and also worked as a scribe in primary care for those four years. I wasn't initially concerned about this, but after someone mentioned it, I'm wondering if my reported hours might seem beyond the norm (although I have been out of school for 2 years now). I have no issues of course with medical schools verifying my hours by contacting the individuals I’ve listed, such as professors or clinic heads. My goal is for everything to come across as authentic. I worked diligently during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond to gain my clinical hours and research experience.

Remember a WAMC is not an application. You disclose your dates of employment on your AMCAS so you will have context about your reported hours that we don't have here. Medical schools will not have time to contact your references or supervisors; your insights must stand independently to offer credibility about your preparation for medical school.

Now I will say your research experiences are unusual: why are you attributing hours and anticipated hours to manuscript authorship and thesis writing? It looks like you're double-dipping hours with your research projects that overlap these hours in time. As noted by @evangelinelover, it looks like you are trying to compensate for low MCAT with large number of hours, which you just confirmed in how you are emphasizing how hard you have worked. It would be better to know how productive you are with that amount of work, and

French tutoring does not address service orientation; activities we seek that fulfill this category include food distribution, shelter volunteer, job/tax preparation, legal support, transportation services, or housing rehabilitation. With zero hours, your application is at risk of getting screened out at most schools where you have no mission fit. You have zero community engagement hours listed after you graduated three years ago, which also isn't going to help you.

Yes, you should have DO schools, but getting an offer isn't a slam dunk because of the above. I will suggest the usual established DO programs and in-state and new MD schools (who would likely take you on your metrics):
EVMS
VCU
Belmont
AWSOM
VCOM (DO)
PCOM
LECOM
NYCOM
Liberty (DO) - do your homework

Here are a few places where a higher MCAT could have helped you with your interest in prison care:

Study: Medical students need more training in carceral care

Though the U.S. incarcerates more people than any other nation, a new study finds its medical professionals are not being effectively trained to care for the vulnerable population.

www.apha.org

Students and Faculty Member Spotlight Prison Health Crisis in Prestigious Journal

medicine.temple.edu

Center for the Health of Incarcerated Persons

The Center for the Health of Incarcerated Persons (CHIP) is committed to advancing the health of institutionalized populations through research around infectious diseases and implementation science.

sph.emory.edu

Medical Students Participate in Elective Course with Incarcerated Individuals

The Unique Course Focused on Health in the Jail Population and Included NYMC Students and Individuals Incarcerated in the Westchester County Jail

www.nymc.edu

SEICHE Center for Health and Justice

The SEICHE Center works to understand and address the extensive public health harms of mass incarceration through clinical care, research, education, and legal

medicine.yale.edu

 

[Faha]

You have many state public schools on your list that admit few (if any) non residents with a MCAT of 505. I suggest these school with your stats:
Eastern Virginia
Virginia Commonwealth
West Virginia
Wake Forest
Methodist (when it opens)
NOVA MD
Belmont
Alice Walton
Roseman
TCU
Rosalind Franklin
Medical College Wisconsin
Oakland Beaumont
Wayne State
Drexel
Temple
Albany
Vermont
Quinnipiac
Ponce ( St. Louis)
For DO schools I suggest these:
VCOM (all schools)
WVSOM
PCOM
CUSOM
DMU-COM
ATSU-KCOM
KCU-COM
AZCOM

 

[aimhighwillis1010]

You have many state public schools on your list that admit few (if any) non residents with a MCAT of 505. I suggest these school with your stats:
Eastern Virginia
Virginia Commonwealth
West Virginia
Wake Forest
Methodist (when it opens)
NOVA MD
Belmont
Alice Walton
Roseman
TCU
Rosalind Franklin
Medical College Wisconsin
Oakland Beaumont
Wayne State
Drexel
Temple
Albany
Vermont
Quinnipiac
Ponce ( St. Louis)
For DO schools I suggest these:
VCOM (all schools)
WVSOM
PCOM
CUSOM
DMU-COM
ATSU-KCOM
KCU-COM
AZCOM

Thank you for your help!!!