Feedback Needed - My School List (Reapplicant)

[cjhusky]

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Hi! Looking to get opinions on my application (I am a reapplicant). I have been significantly reworking my personal statement. First time around I applied to 15 (all MD) and got secondaries from nearly all, but only one interview (UW). I am reapplying to FOUR of the same schools, but also applying for the first time to the additional list below (*indicates reapplication). If you could please let me know your thoughts on the school list, or have ANY other feedback, I would really appreciate it. Thank you very much in advance for any comments.

• Major: Bioengineering
• cGPA and sGPA as calculated by AMCAS
  • cGPA: 3.71
  • sGPA: 3.59
  • My overall trend from freshman -> senior (3.65, 3.57, 3.69, 3.88)
    • Worked half-time job nearly all 4 years
• MCAT score(s) and breakdown
  • 515 –– 129/127/130/129
• State of residence or country of citizenship (if non-US)
  • WA
• Ethnicity and/or race
  • White
  • Gender: Female
• Undergraduate institution or category
  • University of Washington
• Clinical experience (volunteer and non-volunteer)
  • Paid: Overlake Hospital (Medical Imaging Assistant) – 260 hours
  • Paid: Integrative Health (Medical Administrative Assistant) – 220 hours
  • Volunteer: Univ of Wash Medical Center (Patient Aide) – 110 hours
• Research experience and productivity
  • General Bioengineering research (Capstone)
• Shadowing experience and specialties represented
  • Overlake Medical (Palliative Care) - 8 hours
  • Integrative Health - 60 hours
  • Overlake Medical (Radiation Oncology) - 42 hours
  • Overlake Medical (Breast Surgery) - 6 hours
  • Overlake Medical (Cardiothoracic Surgery) - 6 hours
  • Overlake Medical (Neurological Surgery) - 13 hours
• Non-clinical volunteering
  • Autism Speaks – 230 hours
  • Plateau Outreach Ministry – 270 hours
• Paid employment (not medical/clinical)
  • Bank Teller Wells Fargo – 2,100 hours
  • Nanny (two families) – 885 hours
• Other extracurricular activities (including athletics, military service, gap year activities, leadership, teaching, etc)
  • SNMA Region 1 Conference – 8 hours
  • Alpha Xi Delta Sorority (Communications Chair) – 500 hours
  • Society of Women Engineering member – 30 hours
  • Bioengineers without Borders (UW chapter) – 60 hours
  • Golf and Softball – Competitive golf and Fastpitch softball – 260 hours
• Relevant honors or awards
  • Dean's List for 10 quarters (2015-2019)
    • Annual Dean’s List (2017-2018 / 2018-2019)
  • Departmental Honors – Bioengineering (>3.5 GPA in core bioengineering curriculum)
• LOR
  • Two (2) from UW Bioengineering faculty
  • One (1) from MD @ Overlake Medical (Radiation Oncology)
  • One (1) from Supervisor at Wells Fargo
  • One (1) from Supervisor at Overlake Medical Center
    
    

1. UW*
2. WSU*
3. Emory*
4. Univ of Mass*
5. Case Western Reserve
6. St. Louis University
7. University of Cincinnati
8. ICAHN (Mt. Sinai)
9. Hofstra
10. Stony Brook
11. Boston U
12. Univ of Rochester
13. Univ of Pitt
14. RUSH
15. Ohio State
16. Sidney (Thomas Jefferson)
17. Univ of Buffalo – Jacobs
18. Univ of California – Riverside
19. NY Medical College
20. Univ of Toledo

 

[PapaGuava]

Thread moved to WAMC.

 

[caterwaiter]

Your app looks great to me! General advice seems to be make sure that you can write meaningfully about all of your experiences. If you have research-heavy schools on your list, I'd expect to be asked about it/be able to talk about it.

School-specific notes: UC Riverside, from my understanding as a CA applicant, has a pretty heavy bias towards students from their specific region of CA (the Inland Empire). Unless you have strong ties, I'd reconsider them. Also, Rush requires a "personal" LOR. One of the ones you have listed may be able to suffice, but I'd check their specific blurb on their website.

Were you able to get any feedback from UW?

 

[Faha]

UC Riverside admitted zero non residents last year. UMass, Toledo, Buffalo, Stony Brook are state public schools that accept few non residents with no connection to the state. You could add these schools:
Carle Illinois
Vermont
Quinnipiac
Einstein
Seton Hall
Drexel
Temple
George Washington
Georgetown
NOVA MD
Miami
USF Morsani
TCU-UNT
Creighton
Loyola
Western Michigan
Medical College Wisconsin
Oakland Beaumont

 

[cjhusky]

Thank you for the feedback! Where can one find the data regarding resident vs non-resident acceptance rates for schools, as that data would be very helpful, as I blend it with my GPA and MCAT to find a better fit? In my first set of applications, I believe I had too many stretch schools and had a primary plan of UW.

@caterwaiter, the feedback from UW was to add service and shadowing on the experience side.

 

[ciestar]

Thank you for the feedback! Where can one find the data regarding resident vs non-resident acceptance rates for schools, as that data would be very helpful, as I blend it with my GPA and MCAT to find a better fit? In my first set of applications, I believe I had too many stretch schools and had a primary plan of UW.

@caterwaiter, the feedback from UW was to add service and shadowing on the experience side.

Invest in the MSAR

 

[Goro]

UC Riverside admitted zero non residents last year. UMass, Toledo, Buffalo, Stony Brook are state public schools that accept few non residents with no connection to the state. You could add these schools:
Carle Illinois
Vermont
Quinnipiac
Einstein
Seton Hall
Drexel
Temple
George Washington
Georgetown
NOVA MD
Miami
USF Morsani
TCU-UNT
Creighton
Loyola
Western Michigan
Medical College Wisconsin
Oakland Beaumont

Agree 100% with the wise Faha

 

[cjhusky]

@ciestar , thanks for the advice. I just purchased it and will start combing through along with the advice from @Goro and @Faha 🙂

 

[proudofmykids]

Thank you for the feedback! Where can one find the data regarding resident vs non-resident acceptance rates for schools, as that data would be very helpful, as I blend it with my GPA and MCAT to find a better fit? In my first set of applications, I believe I had too many stretch schools and had a primary plan of UW.

@caterwaiter, the feedback from UW was to add service and shadowing on the experience side.

This table will show you instate vs out of state.