Original low stat applicant; Reinvention WAMC 2026-2027 cycle

[hopeful.reapp123]

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Hello Everyone. This is my first post here so I hope I am doing this correctly. It may be a bit long as I am a re-applicant and want to include my previous application information so it can be compared to my planned reapplication.

Brief Overview: I am a 26 year old white male from California, low stat (GPA/MCAT), with a large amount of research experience including publications and awards. I complete my Bachelor's degree in 2022. Upon graduating college, I essentially had nothing except for my GPA, so decided to take gap years. All experiences occurred during my gap years. I first applied in 2024-2025 to about 40 programs with 0 luck (no interviews at all), took some time to revamp my application, and am planning to apply again for the 2026-2027 cycle. Every stat will be the at the time of application submission, so no projected stats.

2024-2025 Cycle Stats:
Current Year: Graduated 2022, so was about 2 years out of college.
Current GPA: 3.24 (Science 3.07); 140 hours total; 77 science
MCAT: 507 with 125/126/128/128
Research: 3250 Hours with 2 publications in revision at the time, one middle author the other 4th author (papers were NOT published until December 2024, update letters sent then); 2 posters; Research area is translational cancer research at a large west coast research university. Heavy emphasis on driving the advancement of clinical outcomes rather than just basic research
Clinical Volunteering: None
Non-clinical Volunteering: 350 hours as a volunteer wrestling coach
Shadowing: 100 hours with Heme/onc specialist

Planned 2026-2027 Reapplication Stats:
Current Year: Graduated 2022, so now about 4 years out of college.
Current GPA: During the time since my previous application I completed a 30 credit DIY post-bacc at UC extension programs, all upper level science courses. I finished this post-bacc with a 4.0 GPA; New Cumulative GPA is 3.37, science is now a 3.33; Post-bacc completed approximately January 2025-January 2026
MCAT: 507 with 125/126/128/128; RETEST LATE APRIL; I know this information is crucial to anyone giving me feedback, but this is what I have at the moment.
Research: 7280 Hours; 4 FULLY published publications; Middle author CCR, Middle Author Science, 4th Author Nature Cancer, 2nd Author Nature Communications; 3 posters; IMO Biggest part of my application now-->Submitted a proposal for an internal pilot grant. Application pool consisted of 29 applicants, majority of which were early-career faculty or post-docs (MDs, PhDs, or MD/PhDs); My proposal won the award and received $50,000 of research funding and I am listed as the PI on this award. Successfully competed in an extremely competitive applicant pool and won the award as a lab technician.
Clinical Volunteering: 150 hours at cancer support center; one on one interaction with patients, helping them navigate the stress of diagnosis and guiding them towards the proper resources they need (emotional, financial, etc).
Non-clinical Volunteering: 500 hours as a volunteer wrestling coach.
Shadowing: 250 hours with heme/onc specialist

ANY feedback would be appreciated. I am very much wondering how adcoms will view my new application compared to the first. I have worked hard to rebuild my application and I hope it is noticeable. Also, any school recommendations would be much appreciated. I should also probably mention a few more relevant pieces of information:

• Low SES applicant
• Since graduating college, I have maintained full time employment in the lab I conduct research in. This includes during the post-bacc I completed.
• Of course, I would love to attend an MD program but I am not naive to my stats. I am open to DO programs as well but just wanted to get some MD feedback first.
• I know my application is extremely research heavy, but I am not interested in an MD/PhD. Do not misinterpret me; I very much love research and being able to investigate interesting questions relating to advancing patient care, but the major missing piece is patient interaction. Through my work, shadowing experiences, and volunteer experiences I have come to understand that I really desire a patient-facing career as I believe this is the most impactful part of all that I do. My research focuses on advancing patient care/treatment outcomes, not phenomenons of basic science.

If you have read through this whole post, I really do appreciate your time. I am open to any and all feedback/information that can be given based on what I provided.

 

[Mr.Smile12]

Welcome to the forums. Sorry you didn't find us years before your first application. Having zero clinical experience hours and zero service orientation hours are app-killers.

That said, I still think you have zero service orientation hours. I'm sure being a wrestling coach has personal meaning to you, but it doesn't move the needle. Your clinical volunteering at a cancer support center could be closer to service orientation activities (though it is health-adjacent), and it could be classified as having value in the service orientation category for me. Would it be enough? I guess it depends on mission/purpose.

Being a California applicant, the relatively low ugGPA is a challenge to overcome. Could you provide year-by-year undergraduate GPA's including your postbac term? A 3.3 is still on the low side, though the trend would be helpful to a few MD and DO schools.

You say your missing piece is patient interaction. I'll broaden that to say community interaction. You are okay with patients and caregivers. You are fine in a role as a coach or expert. I don't know if you are fine with random people who are suffering, in pain, or just make you uncomfortable.

What is going to happen with this grant if you get into medical school? Why don't you want a MS research career?

 

[hopeful.reapp123]

Welcome to the forums. Sorry you didn't find us years before your first application. Having zero clinical experience hours and zero service orientation hours are app-killers.

That said, I still think you have zero service orientation hours. I'm sure being a wrestling coach has personal meaning to you, but it doesn't move the needle. Your clinical volunteering at a cancer support center could be closer to service orientation activities (though it is health-adjacent), and it could be classified as having value in the service orientation category for me. Would it be enough? I guess it depends on mission/purpose.

Being a California applicant, the relatively low ugGPA is a challenge to overcome. Could you provide year-by-year undergraduate GPA's including your postbac term? A 3.3 is still on the low side, though the trend would be helpful to a few MD and DO schools.

You say your missing piece is patient interaction. I'll broaden that to say community interaction. You are okay with patients and caregivers. You are fine in a role as a coach or expert. I don't know if you are fine with random people who are suffering, in pain, or just make you uncomfortable.

What is going to happen with this grant if you get into medical school? Why don't you want a MS research career?

Thanks for the quick reply. To address your questions and clarify some for my own understanding:

1. By service orientation, you mean volunteer hours with those less fortunate than myself? The patients at the cancer support center are primarily underserved. One of our key goals is to help patients find and secure financial resources, such as finding organizations that will help cover the costs of care or even supplying our own vouchers for other needs (wigs/prosthetics for patients). Does this help to clarify? There are some other local opportunities I could earn some hours in prior to application (soup kitchen, etc) if you think that would be helpful, but that feels more box checky to me rather than driven by my interests/mission.

2. I fully recognize my undergraduate GPA is truly a challenge to overcome. That being said, I have done what I can to address it that my own personal situation allows for. The 30 credit post-bacc was a significant financial expense and I have also pretty much exhausted the courses I could even take (I was a biology major on the pre-med track in college, so I have taken almost all the course offered by post-bacc programs at this time)The breakdown of my GPA is: Freshman 2.94, Sophomore 2.91, Junior 3.05, Senior 3.18; post-bacc was DIY spread across 2 semesters (2.5? 3? a bit was during the summer), earning a 4.0. There is a 3 year gap of time between my undergraduate career and the start of my post bacc, if this means anything as well. My goal with the post-bacc wasn't really to raise my GPA, but rather to demonstrate that the student I am now is not the same student I was during my undergraduate education.

3. Thanks for this observation. I more meant the missing piece for me when it comes to my current research career (not my application) was that I desire patient interaction. This ties into the answer to your point about a MS research career: I do not want a research career, I want a clinical career that involves research. I enjoy research thoroughly, but my goal is not to become a professor at a university or staff scientist at a biotech; I believe the greatest/broadest impact I can have on the lives of patients is via this route and thus is the logical next step for me.

4. For the grant, the timeline is 1 year. It was just awarded this month, so aims will be completed prior to (hopeful) matriculation into medical school. I do not plan to abandon the funds/leave the project half finished if that is what you were getting at.

 

[Faha]

You would benefit from 150+ hours of non clinical volunteering such as food bank, homeless shelter. You are competitive for most DO schools and I suggest these:
WESTERN
TUCOM-CA
CHSU-COM
TUNCOM
AZCOM
ATSU-KCOM
KCU-COM
UIWSOM
DMU-COM
ACOM
WCU-COM
MU-COM
WVSOM
PCOM (all schools)
LECOM (all schools)
NYITCOM
Touro-NY
Post your new MCAT score when available. If your score is higher you may be able to apply to MD schools also.

 

[MateoGM416]

There are some other local opportunities I could earn some hours in prior to application (soup kitchen, etc) if you think that would be helpful, but that feels more box checky to me rather than driven by my interests/mission.

If you get interviews I don't see how they wouldn't ask why you didn't do any volunteering outside of what appears to be a clinical volunteering experience. Just do something like one or two evenings a week. It'll add up

 

[Mr.Smile12]

Others can add comments as they would like.

Thanks for the quick reply. To address your questions and clarify some for my own understanding:

1. By service orientation, you mean volunteer hours with those less fortunate than myself? The patients at the cancer support center are primarily underserved. One of our key goals is to help patients find and secure financial resources, such as finding organizations that will help cover the costs of care or even supplying our own vouchers for other needs (wigs/prosthetics for patients). Does this help to clarify? There are some other local opportunities I could earn some hours in prior to application (soup kitchen, etc) if you think that would be helpful, but that feels more box checky to me rather than driven by my interests/mission.

What is your mission/purpose? Why didn't you apply DO initially?

I'll let the other med educators comment, but a lot of medical education is about checking boxes. Guess what community service activities you and your fellow medical students are going to be doing to balance against studying your flashcards? Your future residency may not rely on your knowledge of nutrition, but since it's the topic of the day in medical schools, you will likely be learning about it. Teaching kitchens around culinary medicine have popped up over the years. I'm sure you know cancer patients are susceptible to food insecurity, so while community meals may not interest you (though it is something many premeds did at our local cancer patient support shelter/house), you probably are a few collaborative non-profits away from doing meal delivery for cancer patients living in underserved areas or developing healthier recipes.

Improving Availability of Healthy Food Reduces Cancer Inequities

Dietician and researcher urges policymakers to help build healthy food environments to reduce cancer cases in under-resourced areas.

www.cancer.org

2. I fully recognize my undergraduate GPA is truly a challenge to overcome. That being said, I have done what I can to address it that my own personal situation allows for. The 30 credit post-bacc was a significant financial expense and I have also pretty much exhausted the courses I could even take (I was a biology major on the pre-med track in college, so I have taken almost all the course offered by post-bacc programs at this time)The breakdown of my GPA is: Freshman 2.94, Sophomore 2.91, Junior 3.05, Senior 3.18; post-bacc was DIY spread across 2 semesters (2.5? 3? a bit was during the summer), earning a 4.0. There is a 3 year gap of time between my undergraduate career and the start of my post bacc, if this means anything as well. My goal with the post-bacc wasn't really to raise my GPA, but rather to demonstrate that the student I am now is not the same student I was during my undergraduate education.

Presuming your BS degree is in a biomedical science, your year-by-year shows a modest upward trend, but not a satisfying one for many admissions committees. If we're talking MD, you need at least two years of a 3.7+ GPA before graduating, and now that's a bit too late. Your GPA is pretty much baked where it is because you can't overcome 120 hours of a 3.0-area sciGPA. You may need to pursue a second bachelor's degree to bring your sciGPA closer to 3.5. Alternatively you can succeed in a special master's program with a 3.7+ grad GPA... which is likely still the only way you can address the academic challenge issue to most of the schools you want to attend. The DO's are more forgiving. Maybe an improved MCAT would help your standing with some MD schools, but I think you might be too optimistic to believe it will open the doors to MD interviews, as if you hit the sweet spot on a pinata and the candy (invitations) pours out. A high MCAT spotlights lower GPAs for scrutiny.

3. Thanks for this observation. I more meant the missing piece for me when it comes to my current research career (not my application) was that I desire patient interaction. This ties into the answer to your point about a MS research career: I do not want a research career, I want a clinical career that involves research. I enjoy research thoroughly, but my goal is not to become a professor at a university or staff scientist at a biotech; I believe the greatest/broadest impact I can have on the lives of patients is via this route and thus is the logical next step for me.

Check out the DO schools with a good research infrastructure for students and faculty. It's clear you are accomplished in that area, and you feel most comfortable in the oncology space.

 

[RagingBolt34]

When it comes to MD's, one of the troubles you are going to face as a low stat applicant with a research-focused app is finding med schools that align with that mission. Most schools that place a heavy emphasis on research also tend to be higher stat and more competitive. Make sure to apply to Virginia Tech Carilion as they are uniquely a relatively low-stat school that places an extreme emphasis on research.

 

[hopeful.reapp123]

You would benefit from 150+ hours of non clinical volunteering such as food bank, homeless shelter. You are competitive for most DO schools and I suggest these:
WESTERN
TUCOM-CA
CHSU-COM
TUNCOM
AZCOM
ATSU-KCOM
KCU-COM
UIWSOM
DMU-COM
ACOM
WCU-COM
MU-COM
WVSOM
PCOM (all schools)
LECOM (all schools)
NYITCOM
Touro-NY
Post your new MCAT score when available. If your score is higher you may be able to apply to MD schools also.

Thanks for your reply, I appreciate it. Seems a consensus is I need volunteer hours outside of the volunteer coaching and my cancer support center hours. Any chance you could give a few MD schools that may be worth applying to? Or are you suggesting that those are entirely out of the question at this current moment.

 

[Mr.Smile12]

Thanks for your reply, I appreciate it. Seems a consensus is I need volunteer hours outside of the volunteer coaching and my cancer support center hours. Any chance you could give a few MD schools that may be worth applying to? Or are you suggesting that those are entirely out of the question at this current moment.

Which MD schools have you reached out to? Have you discussed your profile with them? I think UCLA Geffen has a limited schedule where they give short appointments to prospective applicants (I could be mistaken too, so check with them).

 

[hopeful.reapp123]

Others can add comments as they would like.



What is your mission/purpose? Why didn't you apply DO initially?

I'll let the other med educators comment, but a lot of medical education is about checking boxes. Guess what community service activities you and your fellow medical students are going to be doing to balance against studying your flashcards? Your future residency may not rely on your knowledge of nutrition, but since it's the topic of the day in medical schools, you will likely be learning about it. Teaching kitchens around culinary medicine have popped up over the years. I'm sure you know cancer patients are susceptible to food insecurity, so while community meals may not interest you (though it is something many premeds did at our local cancer patient support shelter/house), you probably are a few collaborative non-profits away from doing meal delivery for cancer patients living in underserved areas or developing healthier recipes.

Improving Availability of Healthy Food Reduces Cancer Inequities

Dietician and researcher urges policymakers to help build healthy food environments to reduce cancer cases in under-resourced areas.

www.cancer.org

Presuming your BS degree is in a biomedical science, your year-by-year shows a modest upward trend, but not a satisfying one for many admissions committees. If we're talking MD, you need at least two years of a 3.7+ GPA before graduating, and now that's a bit too late. Your GPA is pretty much baked where it is because you can't overcome 120 hours of a 3.0-area sciGPA. You may need to pursue a second bachelor's degree to bring your sciGPA closer to 3.5. Alternatively you can succeed in a special master's program with a 3.7+ grad GPA... which is likely still the only way you can address the academic challenge issue to most of the schools you want to attend. The DO's are more forgiving. Maybe an improved MCAT would help your standing with some MD schools, but I think you might be too optimistic to believe it will open the doors to MD interviews, as if you hit the sweet spot on a pinata and the candy (invitations) pours out. A high MCAT spotlights lower GPAs for scrutiny.



Check out the DO schools with a good research infrastructure for students and faculty. It's clear you are accomplished in that area, and you feel most comfortable in the oncology space.

Thanks again for replying and giving detailed feedback. As you and others have pointed out I need to do some underserved volunteering of some sort, so thanks for bringing that to my attention.

To keep it brief, my mission/purpose is to have a career where I can have a significant impact in advancing clinical care for patients, particularly those who are unable to benefit from our current standards of care. Even with out vast medical knowledge, we consistently fall short when it comes to treating a myriad of diseases/pathologies. I see these gaps in knowledge as areas that lead patients to be especially vulnerable, as they are left without any options when they are facing potentially serious diagnoses, and I would like to play a role in bridging these gaps in the clinic through the development and implementation of new methods that significantly improve clinical outcomes.

I did not apply DO at first because I was uninformed, clearly. I should never have applied MD in the first place as well, in retrospect, but no point in dwelling on that currently.

Even with my time out of school, my research, and my clinical volunteering, your opinion is fixed in that I will be overlooked by pretty much all MD programs (and that even if I achieve a high MCAT score this will raise even more negative questions)? Comparing my last application to my upcoming one, I have definitely attempted to address my shortcomings to the extent that I am able (outside of the service orientation volunteering, which has already been covered). To be blunt, a second bachelor's degree is more than out of the picture. As mentioned before, my post-bacc was meant to demonstrate that I am not the student I previously was. This was completed concurrently with full-time employment; does that hold no bearing? If thats really the truth, then so be it, but a direct answer addressing that would be excellent.

 

[hopeful.reapp123]

Which MD schools have you reached out to? Have you discussed your profile with them? I think UCLA Geffen has a limited schedule where they give short appointments to prospective applicants (I could be mistaken too, so check with them).

I have not directly reached out to any institutions, as my understanding is that generally it is not a good look to email the adcoms office and ask them to give insight on applications. Many schools specifically state they do not provide this service as well. I just looked up the UCLA Geffen appointments, and from what I can tell it is only a 1 hour, public office hours once a week.

However, I know one school (Medical College of Wisconsin) that does have 1:1 advising for prospective applicants. I am planning to register for that when more spots open this coming month.

 

[Mr.Smile12]

To keep it brief, my mission/purpose is to have a career where I can have a significant impact in advancing clinical care for patients, particularly those who are unable to benefit from our current standards of care. Even with out vast medical knowledge, we consistently fall short when it comes to treating a myriad of diseases/pathologies. I see these gaps in knowledge as areas that lead patients to be especially vulnerable, as they are left without any options when they are facing potentially serious diagnoses, and I would like to play a role in bridging these gaps in the clinic through the development and implementation of new methods that significantly improve clinical outcomes.

To be blunt, this is a lot of jargon. The reasons why we fall short are complex, and you can help a lot in health policy and access to put some dent in preventable diseases. You can be an environmental health warrior to advocate for cleaner water and air, especially in geographically designated areas where we have historically cornered people who are poor or are disenfranchised. There are education deserts, physician deserts, dentist deserts, and mental health deserts. Rural hospitals are closing. And millions of people cannot afford health insurance. All of these strategies are important and do not require you to be a doctor to be effective.

Where are YOU in this picture, and I mean what are you DOING in this picture? How have your past activities given you momentum forward in your journey?

 

[hopeful.reapp123]

To be blunt, this is a lot of jargon. The reasons why we fall short are complex, and you can help a lot in health policy and access to put some dent in preventable diseases. You can be an environmental health warrior to advocate for cleaner water and air, especially in geographically designated areas where we have historically cornered people who are poor or are disenfranchised. There are education deserts, physician deserts, dentist deserts, and mental health deserts. Rural hospitals are closing. And millions of people cannot afford health insurance. All of these strategies are important and do not require you to be a doctor to be effective.

Where are YOU in this picture, and I mean what are you DOING in this picture? How have your past activities given you momentum forward in your journey?

I hear what you are saying and appreciate the input, but those are not the careers I desire or I would be applying into those programs/investigating those routes and not seeking advice on an MD forum. That is not where I fall into place in this puzzle. I feel like my research experience gives a clear indication of what I would be doing in this picture, which is why I kept my explanation relatively brief/broad. To advance clinical care and outcomes directly, a MD is the bare necessity. I acknowledge that MD/PhD is the gold standard for this sort of impact, but I do not want a research career. I want a clinical career that involves research and the implementation/advancement of therapeutics, as I stated before. I feel my activities have given me a thorough understanding of translational research/research directed at improving patient outcomes and now the next step is obtaining my clinical education so that I may further advance my knowledge and actually be able to drive the impact I want to see. I will keep my specific research area anonymous, but everything I investigate will (eventually) directly impact patient care and drive better clinical outcomes.

Any other feedback is appreciated.

 

[Mr.Smile12]

I hear what you are saying and appreciate the input, but those are not the careers I desire or I would be applying into those programs/investigating those routes and not seeking advice on an MD forum. That is not where I fall into place in this puzzle. I feel like my research experience gives a clear indication of what I would be doing in this picture, which is why I kept my explanation relatively brief/broad. To advance clinical care and outcomes directly, a MD is the bare necessity. I acknowledge that MD/PhD is the gold standard for this sort of impact, but I do not want a research career. I want a clinical career that involves research and the implementation/advancement of therapeutics, as I stated before. I feel my activities have given me a thorough understanding of translational research/research directed at improving patient outcomes and now the next step is obtaining my clinical education so that I may further advance my knowledge and actually be able to drive the impact I want to see. I will keep my specific research area anonymous, but everything I investigate will (eventually) directly impact patient care and drive better clinical outcomes.

Any other feedback is appreciated.

I'm waiting to see if others can comment.

My point is your own pitch may be a problem. You went zero for 40? schools in your first cycle (which means you will be a reapplicant to those 40 schools). Are you sure your message resonates with admissions committees when they are discerning whether your rationale for a clinical career aligns with their expectations of you as a medical student? Especially given the metrics you presented? I point out that the added burden of a reapplicant is to show you have figured out how to improve your application to articulate your mission fit as a student with the programs you are applying to. You may feel your activities have informed you about what a translational research career entails and how well prepared you are for it. Hopefully, your additional activities and accomplishments will make your point more persuasive; make sure with the details you have redacted from us that you are doing it. We can't give you better advice if you won't let us help you. Put your focus on slaying the MCAT.

 

[hopeful.reapp123]

I'm waiting to see if others can comment.

My point is your own pitch may be a problem. You went zero for 40? schools in your first cycle (which means you will be a reapplicant to those 40 schools). Are you sure your message resonates with admissions committees when they are discerning whether your rationale for a clinical career aligns with their expectations of you as a medical student? Especially given the metrics you presented? I point out that the added burden of a reapplicant is to show you have figured out how to improve your application to articulate your mission fit as a student with the programs you are applying to. You may feel your activities have informed you about what a translational research career entails and how well prepared you are for it. Hopefully, your additional activities and accomplishments will make your point more persuasive; make sure with the details you have redacted from us that you are doing it. We can't give you better advice if you won't let us help you. Put your focus on slaying the MCAT.

Thanks again for the feedback, I have a better understanding of what you are trying to get at now. Yes, I did go 0/40ish during my prior cycle, however my school list was not tailored as it should have been, I lacked any volunteering (besides the wrestling coaching), I had no post-bacc GPA repair, and my research at that point in time was even subpar (I had hours, but no measurable output in the form of pubs). Additionally, I applied later in the cycle (secondaries finished September/October) putting me at a disadvantage even if I was a stellar applicant due to the rolling admissions process at many medical schools; my writing was probably rushed due to this as well.

I guess what I am trying to say is that I am not sure my pitch was the issue, more so that what I had at the time didn't align with my pitch and I didn't have anything to really back up what I was writing. My GPA was atrocious, my MCAT was low, no volunteering, bad school list, etc etc etc. I have a feeling my application was closed before adcoms even had time to think about my pitch. I have spent a significant amount of time/effort addressing these issues (primarily GPA and improving my research profile, adding clinical volunteer hours, hopefully a better MCAT score but thats irrelevant until the score is in my hands), so like we are both saying, I hope adcoms will recognize this.

 

[Med Ed]

I guess what I am trying to say is that I am not sure my pitch was the issue, more so that what I had at the time didn't align with my pitch and I didn't have anything to really back up what I was writing. My GPA was atrocious, my MCAT was low, no volunteering, bad school list, etc etc etc. I have a feeling my application was closed before adcoms even had time to think about my pitch. I have spent a significant amount of time/effort addressing these issues (primarily GPA and improving my research profile, adding clinical volunteer hours, hopefully a better MCAT score but thats irrelevant until the score is in my hands), so like we are both saying, I hope adcoms will recognize this.

The issue with your pitch is that it falls into a pattern that I would call "savior." This pattern is interpreted as naive at best. More extreme examples come off as accusatory, as in "the system is failing because currently practicing physicians (i.e., the people who will judge your candidacy) have not stood up and fixed it."

A good candidate is someone who wants to be a doctor first and foremost, has studied the profession and can articulate their interest and investment, but is not yet hellbent on achieving a specific career outcome.

 

[hopeful.reapp123]

The issue with your pitch is that it falls into a pattern that I would call "savior." This pattern is interpreted as naive at best. More extreme examples come off as accusatory, as in "the system is failing because currently practicing physicians (i.e., the people who will judge your candidacy) have not stood up and fixed it."

A good candidate is someone who wants to be a doctor first and foremost, has studied the profession and can articulate their interest and investment, but is not yet hellbent on achieving a specific career outcome.

Thanks for the feedback. I appreciate the warning about the savior pitfall and that is something I will definitely be mindful of when writing my personal statement/secondaries. I think I may be being misinterpreted a bit, since this is just a WAMC and not my full application you have in your hands, so let me clarify. I am not saying that the reason I want to be a doctor is because the system is failing and I will fix it; that is understandably naive like you said and quite arrogant. Rather, I am saying that there are areas where we do not yet have good answers/solutions for patients and I want to help develop those answers and implement them as part of my clinical career. Does this help? Any further advice on this is greatly appreciated.

I would love some clarification/more feedback on your second point as well. I do want to be a doctor first and foremost (clinical career with research, NOT a research career). My translational research has allowed me to realize that the clinical impact/patient facing aspect is the most essential part; It has given me an understanding of why exactly clinical medicine matters and what role I want to play/rationale for playing this role; My time in the cancer support center has absolutely solidified my drive for this career as this is where I have had the most tangible outcomes and interactions. I want to serve patients to the best of my ability and this is the path I see to do so. I am not hellbent on achieving a specific career outcome, but I do know that this is what I want my future clinical practice to look like. I think the difference with my situation is that I am not coming to this fresh out of undergrad with a vague sense of direction. I have spent several years working full time in translational research, have volunteered with cancer patients, and have shadowed in a clinical setting, all motivating me to pursue a career as a doctor. Does this explain my positioning a bit better?

 

[Mr.Smile12]

Thanks for the feedback. I appreciate the warning about the savior pitfall and that is something I will definitely be mindful of when writing my personal statement/secondaries. I think I may be being misinterpreted a bit, since this is just a WAMC and not my full application you have in your hands, so let me clarify. I am not saying that the reason I want to be a doctor is because the system is failing and I will fix it; that is understandably naive like you said and quite arrogant. Rather, I am saying that there are areas where we do not yet have good answers/solutions for patients and I want to help develop those answers and implement them as part of my clinical career. Does this help? Any further advice on this is greatly appreciated.

I would love some clarification/more feedback on your second point as well. I do want to be a doctor first and foremost (clinical career with research, NOT a research career). My translation research has allowed me to realize that the clinical impact/patient facing aspect is the most essential part; It has given me a understanding of why exactly clinical medicine matters and what role I want to play/rationale for playing this role; My time in the cancer support center has absolutely solidified my drive for this career as this is where I have had the most tangible outcomes and interactions. I want to serve patients to the best of my ability and this is the path I see to do so. I am not hellbent on achieving a specific career outcome, but I do know that this is what I want my future clinical practice to look like. I think the difference with my situation is that I am not coming to this fresh out of undergrad with a vague sense of direction. I have spent several years working full time in translational research, have volunteered with cancer patients, and have shadowed in a clinical setting, all motivating me to pursue a career as a doctor. Does this explain my positioning a bit better?

The advantage of our forums is that you can treat conversations with experts as a learning experience and a laboratory. We don't have your application, but we should have your honest thoughts and give you feedback to help you. I highlighted your sentence to point out this sentence would be good to include in the purpose statement you wrote earlier. A screener (and an interviewer) wants to see specific insights and gaps from your experiences and observations shadowing doctors (because you could do all of the above as an oncology PA or NP on the clinic side). I know quite a few DNPs who are involved in clinical trials, too. Remember your statements must ultimately appeal to faculty members who must become enthusiastic to teach you, especially if you know what more you need to learn.

I am 100% sure most doctors want to serve patients to the best of their abilities, too.... so why are there still gaps? If MD's can't "fix" the gaps no matter how hard they try to serve their patients, then what? I don't need to refer to all the "med student/resident burnout" videos by influencers, and there are many physicians and researchers who also reach the point where "they can't do any more." All of us claim to have the motivation early in their admissions process or early orientation. I empathize with many doctors who serve patients to the best of their ability, but they still fail because their best is not good enough (to the patient's perspective or the hospital's).

What you write now is helpful to see you want to be a clinician scientist. I haven't read how you have developed specific competencies or insights that you have what it takes and/or you know what you need. Furthermore, you claim it is a bare necessity to be a "clinician'/with an MD to do what you want to do. I'm confident you have the insight to share it eventually on your application.

Read

Finding Your Purpose as a Health Professional | Student Doctor Network | SDN

In the 2004 Tony-award-winning musical Avenue Q, Princeton, a recent college graduate (with an English degree from a prestigious university), searches to

www.studentdoctor.net

Charting Your Purpose by Writing Your Professional Oath | Student Doctor Network | SDN

Premeds dream of reciting the Hippocratic Oath dressed in their new white coat embroidered with the crest of their medical school. The White Coat

www.studentdoctor.net

 

[hopeful.reapp123]

The advantage of our forums is that you can treat conversations with experts as a learning experience and a laboratory. We don't have your application, but we should have your honest thoughts and give you feedback to help you. I highlighted your sentence to point out this sentence would be good to include in the purpose statement you wrote earlier. A screener (and an interviewer) wants to see specific insights and gaps from your experiences and observations shadowing doctors (because you could do all of the above as an oncology PA or NP on the clinic side). I know quite a few DNPs who are involved in clinical trials, too. Remember your statements must ultimately appeal to faculty members who must become enthusiastic to teach you, especially if you know what more you need to learn.

I am 100% sure most doctors want to serve patients to the best of their abilities, too.... so why are there still gaps? If MD's can't "fix" the gaps no matter how hard they try to serve their patients, then what? I don't need to refer to all the "med student/resident burnout" videos by influencers, and there are many physicians and researchers who also reach the point where "they can't do any more." All of us claim to have the motivation early in their admissions process or early orientation. I empathize with many doctors who serve patients to the best of their ability, but they still fail because their best is not good enough (to the patient's perspective or the hospital's).

What you write now is helpful to see you want to be a clinician scientist. I haven't read how you have developed specific competencies or insights that you have what it takes and/or you know what you need. Furthermore, you claim it is a bare necessity to be a "clinician'/with an MD to do what you want to do. I'm confident you have the insight to share it eventually on your application.

Read

Finding Your Purpose as a Health Professional | Student Doctor Network | SDN

In the 2004 Tony-award-winning musical Avenue Q, Princeton, a recent college graduate (with an English degree from a prestigious university), searches to

www.studentdoctor.net

Charting Your Purpose by Writing Your Professional Oath | Student Doctor Network | SDN

Premeds dream of reciting the Hippocratic Oath dressed in their new white coat embroidered with the crest of their medical school. The White Coat

www.studentdoctor.net

Thanks for the clear insight. I definitely understand what you are saying and will take it to heart and let it influence my personal statement/writing on my actual application. I agree that I will need to answer the "why MD specifically" question in a clear and coherent way that still aligns with the rest of my application. I will be sure to make it clear how I have developed specific competencies/insights to communicate that I have/know what I need to pursue this career. Also, I will be sure to read the two articles you linked as well.

If I could ask us to take a step away from the broad overview of why I know I want to be a doctor/why MD/etc, I would really appreciate any insight on how the adcoms would weigh my uGPA and my post bacc GPA specifically. I am aware of how difficult a poor undergraduate performance is to overcome. However, I do want to emphasize that this post bacc was completed 3 years after completion of my undergraduate degree and concurrently with full time employment. My goal was not to repair my GPA (as you mentioned earlier, this is a little late at this point, with already having 140 credits from my Bachelor's degree), but instead it was to demonstrate that the student I am now is fundamentally different from the student I was in undergrad. I managed to complete essentially another full year of college with a 4.0 GPA while maintaining employment in a demanding research environment. Do you think that distinction will read clearly to an adcom, or does the undergraduate performance tend to overshadow everything else regardless?

^If anyone else has feedback on this, feel free to chime in. This isn't specifically directed at Mr.Smile12; any input on this would be great.

 

[Mr.Smile12]

Thanks for the clear insight. I definitely understand what you are saying and will take it to heart and let it influence my personal statement/writing on my actual application. I agree that I will need to answer the "why MD specifically" question in a clear and coherent way that still aligns with the rest of my application. I will be sure to make it clear how I have developed specific competencies/insights to communicate that I have/know what I need to pursue this career. Also, I will be sure to read the two articles you linked as well.

If I could ask us to take a step away from the broad overview of why I know I want to be a doctor/why MD/etc, I would really appreciate any insight on how the adcoms would weigh my uGPA and my post bacc GPA specifically. I am aware of how difficult a poor undergraduate performance is to overcome. However, I do want to emphasize that this post bacc was completed 3 years after completion of my undergraduate degree and concurrently with full time employment. My goal was not to repair my GPA (as you mentioned earlier, this is a little late at this point, with already having 140 credits from my Bachelor's degree), but instead it was to demonstrate that the student I am now is fundamentally different from the student I was in undergrad. I managed to complete essentially another full year of college with a 4.0 GPA while maintaining employment in a demanding research environment. Do you think that distinction will read clearly to an adcom, or does the undergraduate performance tend to overshadow everything else regardless?

^If anyone else has feedback on this, feel free to chime in. This isn't specifically directed at Mr.Smile12; any input on this would be great.

Taking what you are describing at face value (without a transcript), on AMCAS, your postbac grades are calculated with your undergraduate GPA. AMCAS breaks down a few dozen GPAs that we can use to note any GPA trends. I also look at the courses, especially if your most recent postbac courses were taken in the last 3 years. But I can't say that your old grades won't factor in somehow.

 

[LelouchLamperouge]

I will keep my specific research area anonymous, but everything I investigate will (eventually) directly impact patient care and drive better clinical outcomes.

This is a huge claim to make. The most brilliant minds in cancer research are working diligently to create new drug regiments, planning clinical trials, and working to improve the outcomes of the respective niches in the beast that is cancer. Saying that the reason you want to be a doctor is because you want to do the same is a very tall order.

By saying you want to become a clinician, probably an oncologist of some sort based on your post, you have unconsciously told all 40 medical schools that you have no interest in any other specialties. In my personal opinion, medical schools strive to select diverse student bodies that will best meet the diverse healthcare needs of the future. Cancer is a beast, but is it the most pressing issue that we need doctors for right now? Is it the mission of the 40 schools you applied to? With a 507 MCAT, I can think of most of the schools that fall into that stat range and many of them are not research focused FIRST. I feel like maybe your application feels out of touch as to answering “why do you want to come here?”, “how do you FIT in with what we want to do for the future?”, or “what experiences do you have that make you a doctor we can confidently say will carry on our vision of medicine in the future?”

Are we able to get a school list?

 

[saltykiosk]

I have similar GPA and have USMD A, feel free to DM me for help.
But I won't lie, it's incredibly difficult and you need to be near perfect in every other aspect of your app, The biggest variable here is MCAT, you need 515 minimum. However the other issue is that since your service hours are low you might struggle with hollistic schools that have service mission, so you should aim for 520 to maximaize your chances.

I do know a few people with 3.3 and similar research heavy background who made it to research T20s with post bacc and 520+ mcat so it’s definitely possible

 

[Med Ed]

I would love some clarification/more feedback on your second point as well. I do want to be a doctor first and foremost (clinical career with research, NOT a research career). My translational research has allowed me to realize that the clinical impact/patient facing aspect is the most essential part; It has given me an understanding of why exactly clinical medicine matters and what role I want to play/rationale for playing this role; My time in the cancer support center has absolutely solidified my drive for this career as this is where I have had the most tangible outcomes and interactions. I want to serve patients to the best of my ability and this is the path I see to do so. I am not hellbent on achieving a specific career outcome, but I do know that this is what I want my future clinical practice to look like. I think the difference with my situation is that I am not coming to this fresh out of undergrad with a vague sense of direction. I have spent several years working full time in translational research, have volunteered with cancer patients, and have shadowed in a clinical setting, all motivating me to pursue a career as a doctor. Does this explain my positioning a bit better?

I would actually classify an MD oncologist working in translational research as a fairly specific career outcome. Depending on how you frame it, and the idiosyncrasies of the people reading your application, it could strengthen your case or be off-putting.

To understand why it may be off-putting, I will refer to the Dunning-Kruger curve. When you're young, a few years of work experience is a lot. When you're older, it's a drop in the bucket. You may think you've scaled the slope of enlightenment. Adcoms may conclude you're actually atop mount stupid.

Medical students are somewhat famous for a number of things, and one of them is changing their minds about specialty choice. About 80% of students change their minds as they move through the program and get exposure to things they haven't previously seen or considered. There is literally no downside to acknowledging that medicine is vast, you haven't seen it all, and keeping an open mind as you progress.

If you do end up changing your mind, then great. And if you sample the wares and come back around to your original plan, then also great.

I say all this as one of the atypical people who did not alter my specialty choice one iota in medical school. At the time it felt compelling and motivating, but in retrospect I had tunnel vision, and that hurt me to some extent.

 

[hopeful.reapp123]

I would actually classify an MD oncologist working in translational research as a fairly specific career outcome. Depending on how you frame it, and the idiosyncrasies of the people reading your application, it could strengthen your case or be off-putting.

To understand why it may be off-putting, I will refer to the Dunning-Kruger curve. When you're young, a few years of work experience is a lot. When you're older, it's a drop in the bucket. You may think you've scaled the slope of enlightenment. Adcoms may conclude you're actually atop mount stupid.

Medical students are somewhat famous for a number of things, and one of them is changing their minds about specialty choice. About 80% of students change their minds as they move through the program and get exposure to things they haven't previously seen or considered. There is literally no downside to acknowledging that medicine is vast, you haven't seen it all, and keeping an open mind as you progress.

If you do end up changing your mind, then great. And if you sample the wares and come back around to your original plan, then also great.

I say all this as one of the atypical people who did not alter my specialty choice one iota in medical school. At the time it felt compelling and motivating, but in retrospect I had tunnel vision, and that hurt me to some extent.

Thanks for the clarification. I definitely see what you are saying and 100% acknowledge that I am more than likely to actually end up choosing a different specialty.

That being said, I would also like to clarify (since you and another commenter have mentioned it now) I am not set on being an MD oncologist. I see how my post/comments may give off that impression, but I just want to clear the air here: I have not specifically outright stated that I want to be an MD oncologist working to cure cancer; I have said that I am interested in a clinical career that involves research to advance patient care/gaps in knowledge to inform treatment. That could be in any speciality/field and is not strictly locked into oncology. Almost any academic doctor conducts/participates in research of some sort. Yes, my current work is cancer research like I mentioned, but I am interested in being a part of research in any capacity in my clinical career. I do not already have my heart set on a position where I can specifically conduct cancer research; I just know that I want research to be an aspect of my future practice, and that it is a significant motivator for me choosing to pursue a career as a physician.

I should have been more elaborate from the beginning, because going back and reading my comments and replies I can see how that was implied, but hopefully this is more clear now.

Any advice on how I can avoid giving off this impression to adcoms and signaling that I am of course still open to other areas of medicine?

 

[Mr.Smile12]

I think we are still waiting for your list of 40 schools from your last cycle.

 

[polymerization]

I guess what I am trying to say is that I am not sure my pitch was the issue, more so that what I had at the time didn't align with my pitch and I didn't have anything to really back up what I was writing.

I agree, though I disagree that you are doing any better the second time around.

Research credentials do not translate to clinical credentials simply because clinicians make use of technology that originated in research labs. The way you wordsmith explanations for your clinical interests fall flat because it is clear based on your use of time that you have ducked typical opportunities to engage with patients in a clinical context (scribe, MA, EMT, etc.).

You preempt this by saying "I know my application is extremely research heavy, but I am not interested in an MD/PhD. Do not misinterpret me; I very much love research and being able to investigate interesting questions relating to advancing patient care, but the major missing piece is patient interaction. Through my work, shadowing experiences, and volunteer experiences I have come to understand that I really desire a patient-facing career as I believe this is the most impactful part of all that I do." [...] but I can't tell how it could be possible that you would have come to that conclusion from shadowing and coaching wrestling. You come across as false both in your research aspirations (since you are applying MD and not MD/PhD or PhD-only), as well as your clinical aspirations (given the complete lack of clinical experience).

Worse, you have no service orientation activities that could at least inspire confidence that you could, in theory, care for patients on the basis of common humanity. Your response to @Mr.Smile12 when prompted ("...if you think that would be helpful, but that feels more box checky to me rather than driven by my interests/mission") further entrenches that perception. It means that you're doubling down by saying that your lack of service orientation was a considered signal you were sending, and not just a glaring hole in your application. I'm not sure that helps, though I understand the desire to save face before evaluators.

I understand the urgency to apply as soon as possible, but you are watching admissions professionals tell you that you don't have enough, and you are arguing with them. The real application cycle, as you know, is not a dialogue. If you can't internalize what's being said sincerely, you're just going to waste time and money applying and being rejected again. I don't think any of us want that for you. I say that as a low GPA/MCAT (even lower than yours!) applicant choosing between a UC and an Ivy this cycle. You have to compensate for deficiencies, and no amount of written pinky-promises will do it.

 

[hopeful.reapp123]

I think we are still waiting for your list of 40 schools from your last cycle.

CUSM
USC
UCSF
UCLA
UC Davis
UCSD
UC Riverside
Loma Linda
Stanford
Wayne State
Tulane
Creighton
NYMC
OHSU
TCU
Belmont
CMUCM
Hofstra/Northwell
Drexel
MCW
Hackensack
Rosalind Franklin
Albany
UA Tuscon
UA Phoenix
Stony Brook
Tufts
Buffalo (Jacobs)
George Washington
Georgetown
Emory
Sidney Kimmel
Loyola Stritch
Stryker
Case Western
Frank Netter
University of Pittsburgh
UMiami
OUWB

As you can tell, I didn't know what I was doing. Scattered, very little mission fit. All schools were reaches but probably had too many far reaches as well.

I agree, though I disagree that you are doing any better the second time around.

Research credentials do not translate to clinical credentials simply because clinicians make use of technology that originated in research labs. The way you wordsmith explanations for your clinical interests fall flat because it is clear based on your use of time that you have ducked typical opportunities to engage with patients in a clinical context (scribe, MA, EMT, etc.).

You preempt this by saying "I know my application is extremely research heavy, but I am not interested in an MD/PhD. Do not misinterpret me; I very much love research and being able to investigate interesting questions relating to advancing patient care, but the major missing piece is patient interaction. Through my work, shadowing experiences, and volunteer experiences I have come to understand that I really desire a patient-facing career as I believe this is the most impactful part of all that I do." [...] but I can't tell how it could be possible that you would have come to that conclusion from shadowing and coaching wrestling. You come across as false both in your research aspirations (since you are applying MD and not MD/PhD or PhD-only), as well as your clinical aspirations (given the complete lack of clinical experience).

Worse, you have no service orientation activities that could at least inspire confidence that you could, in theory, care for patients on the basis of common humanity. Your response to @Mr.Smile12 when prompted ("...if you think that would be helpful, but that feels more box checky to me rather than driven by my interests/mission") further entrenches that perception. It means that you're doubling down by saying that your lack of service orientation was a considered signal you were sending, and not just a glaring hole in your application. I'm not sure that helps, though I understand the desire to save face before evaluators.

I understand the urgency to apply as soon as possible, but you are watching admissions professionals tell you that you don't have enough, and you are arguing with them. The real application cycle, as you know, is not a dialogue. If you can't internalize what's being said sincerely, you're just going to waste time and money applying and being rejected again. I don't think any of us want that for you. I say that as a low GPA/MCAT (even lower than yours!) applicant choosing between a UC and an Ivy this cycle. You have to compensate for deficiencies, and no amount of written pinky-promises will do it.

Thanks for the reply. I apologize I have not meant to come off as argumentative. You and others are definitely correct, I have some glaring holes in my application. The upcoming cycle will not be a dialogue like this, so definitely need to figure out how to adjust/correct. I will push back a bit on your point about coming across false in both research aspirations and MD. I have clinical exposure in shadowing as well as my cancer support center volunteering (although on the low end). I am informed on my decision on that part; so how do I help myself not come across as false? I know I want an MD career through my experiences, I know I want research to be a part of it. This is 100% genuine, but clearly I must communicate that a bit better and some advice would be welcome.

I am now planning to get some service orientation hours. I should be able to gain about 200 by the time of application (soup kitchen/homeless shelter), maybe more if time allows. I know this still isn't a lot, but it is something. I am retaking the MCAT, but saying anything about a hypothetical score is pointless, I will just have to see how I perform.

I am struggling with figuring out how to reframe what I am telling admissions then. My pitch is bad/not well thought out, and that is coming from multiple credible sources now. I don't know how to proceed with my research heavy app if I am being told this is definitely not the way to portray my reasoning for becoming a doctor. I'm not asking you all to do my thinking for me, but I am asking for some help in the right direction: what can I, with my current stats and everything I have presented to you all, do in order to improve my portrayal of my why?

 

[Mr.Smile12]

I am struggling with figuring out how to reframe what I am telling admissions then. My pitch is bad/not well thought out, and that is coming from multiple credible sources now. I don't know how to proceed with my research heavy app if I am being told this is definitely not the way to portray my reasoning for becoming a doctor. I'm not asking you all to do my thinking for me, but I am asking for some help in the right direction: what can I, with my current stats and everything I have presented to you all, do in order to improve my portrayal of my why?

I previously pointed out...

Finding Your Purpose as a Health Professional | Student Doctor Network | SDN

In the 2004 Tony-award-winning musical Avenue Q, Princeton, a recent college graduate (with an English degree from a prestigious university), searches to

www.studentdoctor.net

Charting Your Purpose by Writing Your Professional Oath | Student Doctor Network | SDN

Premeds dream of reciting the Hippocratic Oath dressed in their new white coat embroidered with the crest of their medical school. The White Coat

www.studentdoctor.net

 

[polymerization]

Thanks for the reply. I apologize I have not meant to come off as argumentative. You and others are definitely correct, I have some glaring holes in my application. The upcoming cycle will not be a dialogue like this, so definitely need to figure out how to adjust/correct. I will push back a bit on your point about coming across false in both research aspirations and MD. I have clinical exposure in shadowing as well as my cancer support center volunteering (although on the low end). I am informed on my decision on that part; so how do I help myself not come across as false? I know I want an MD career through my experiences, I know I want research to be a part of it. This is 100% genuine, but clearly I must communicate that a bit better and some advice would be welcome.

I am now planning to get some service orientation hours. I should be able to gain about 200 by the time of application (soup kitchen/homeless shelter), maybe more if time allows. I know this still isn't a lot, but it is something. I am retaking the MCAT, but saying anything about a hypothetical score is pointless, I will just have to see how I perform.

I am struggling with figuring out how to reframe what I am telling admissions then. My pitch is bad/not well thought out, and that is coming from multiple credible sources now. I don't know how to proceed with my research heavy app if I am being told this is definitely not the way to portray my reasoning for becoming a doctor. I'm not asking you all to do my thinking for me, but I am asking for some help in the right direction: what can I, with my current stats and everything I have presented to you all, do in order to improve my portrayal of my why?

No apologies necessary, I didn't think you came across argumentative at all. I can appreciate that you're trying to be serious about your goal.

It's not that the words you are saying are wrong. On the contrary, a lot of things that you are communicating align well with what admissions committees probably want to hear. The problem is that anybody can say them. In fact, I would probably venture to say that most applicants do make general claims like that.

Because we are not living in a surveillance state (though that point remains hotly debated elsewhere), medical schools don't really have a way of vetting the claims you're making outside of coarsely interpreting your hours and activities as a narrow summation of who you are as a person.

How you spend your time, within that framework, really matters. It allows them to make a lot of (sometimes, admittedly unfair) inferences about an applicant based on very limited information. In a way, it's a form of communication; you're communicating what you value by showing them the causes you choose to spend your time advancing.

Right now, you have almost 4 years' worth of full-time-equivalent hours working in a wet lab, and view your work there as the centerpiece of your application. Compare that to your 0 hours actively engaging the clinical environment as a member of the clinical team (scribe, CNA, EMT, MA, etc.). I know that you are trying to convince people you really want to be a doctor, but it comes across like you didn't even try to go out of your way to test what it would mean to be one... and to point at shadowing or an admin role where you sit totally outside the process of diagnosis and treatment as compensatory is a bit of a stretch. Agree to disagree here.

Your profile just reads like you thrive on solitary, academic engagement—and your productivity is proof of that. I do think that, absent meaningful clinical and service experiences that mirror your productivity in academia, it's going to be hard for you to make your argument that you would enjoy being a physician more than they know you enjoy being a scientist. At least, based on what you have reported.

What you wrote is right, it's just not true. They'll know the difference. Instead of trying to rewrite the claim, just do the thing.

 

[LelouchLamperouge]

CUSM
USC
UCSF
UCLA
UC Davis
UCSD
UC Riverside
Loma Linda
Stanford
Wayne State
Tulane
Creighton
NYMC
OHSU
TCU
Belmont
CMUCM
Hofstra/Northwell
Drexel
MCW
Hackensack
Rosalind Franklin
Albany
UA Tuscon
UA Phoenix
Stony Brook
Tufts
Buffalo (Jacobs)
George Washington
Georgetown
Emory
Sidney Kimmel
Loyola Stritch
Stryker
Case Western
Frank Netter
University of Pittsburgh
UMiami
OUWB

There are a LOT of schools on here that are at least 4-5 points greater than your MCAT score. You can definitely apply to them, but it cuts your odds down if they compose a good amount of schools on your list. Also, you have a few schools that are very IS-friendly (ie., OUWB, Stryker). You also have UCD/UCR, which I don't know where you're from in CA, but are very friendly to their respective regions. With that being said, what's left over are low-yield programs that are not very researched-focused, which is the breadth of your application.

 

[Med Ed]

I am struggling with figuring out how to reframe what I am telling admissions then. My pitch is bad/not well thought out, and that is coming from multiple credible sources now. I don't know how to proceed with my research heavy app if I am being told this is definitely not the way to portray my reasoning for becoming a doctor. I'm not asking you all to do my thinking for me, but I am asking for some help in the right direction: what can I, with my current stats and everything I have presented to you all, do in order to improve my portrayal of my why?

Agree that you will have to do your own thinking here. But I have a few points you can consider.

1. There is an old adage for political campaigns: "when you're explaining, you're losing." Look back in this thread at how many words have been expended trying to clarify your position(s). You should be able to express the basic thesis of your candidacy in terms that are concise, clear, and easily understood. If you can see yourself someday working in translational research irrespective of specialty, then just say that.

2. You should be mindful of what medical schools are actually selling, which is a foundational education in clinical medicine. That product obviously serves as the basis for more specialization, but if you aren't excited about receiving a foundational education in clinical medicine, that may come through in your application and be detrimental.

3. Your exposure to translational research makes for a perfectly fine origin story, and has the benefit of being true. There are multiple ways to frame it, and you will have to ponder which one has the broadest appeal. A point made above was correct, the schools most likely to be enticed by your research success are also the least likely to be forgiving of your metrics (even the new improved ones).

4. A "clinical career with research" is still a research career. The role you want to play, "bridging these gaps in the clinic through the development and implementation of new methods that significantly improve clinical outcomes," does not describe someone who is an occasional minor contributor to projects that are being led by others.

 

[HuskyMD Emeritus]

I agree with the comments made by all the very knowledgeable contributors here on SDN.
Here are are my thoughts as an application reviewer and interviewer:
1. Your mission statement, as @Mr.Smile12 said, is a lot of jargon, which to me comes across as trying to impress the reader but not actually saying much, a big turn off.
2. Your research is in oncology. You shadowed heme/onc doctors 250 hours. I see that as shadowing while you are doing your research, kind of like double dipping. Plus it reflects your very narrow vision of what the practice of medicine is like.
3. Lacking in clinical and nonclinical volunteering.

A career as a doctor is most satisfying, I definitely recommend it but the journey just to get to the starting point, is very difficult. I hope you will succeed.

 

[AJ25]

I personally don't agree with the idea that you need to be "open minded" to a specialty as a pre-med and 1st or 2nd year medical student. If you have legitimately in-depth clinical exposure to certain specialties during your pre-med and pre-clinical years, it is totally fair to conclude what you like and dislike. I watched more open-heart surgery than the average pre-med and concluded that I did not like the mechanical nature of the work and could never see myself doing that. That has not changed today and I highly doubt it ever will. I have had very broad primary care experiences and that is still what I want to pursue after all these years. If you're penalized for thinking like that, then the system is flawed.

Now, when I see premeds all saying that they want to go into derm, I know right away that they are not doing this for the right reasons.

I don't know about oncology though, that seems like a career choice that you would better understand after third year and working with A LOT of patients first.

 

[Med Ed]

I personally don't agree with the idea that you need to be "open minded" to a specialty as a pre-med and 1st or 2nd year medical student. If you have legitimately in-depth clinical exposure to certain specialties during your pre-med and pre-clinical years, it is totally fair to conclude what you like and dislike. I watched more open-heart surgery than the average pre-med and concluded that I did not like the mechanical nature of the work and could never see myself doing that. That has not changed today and I highly doubt it ever will. I have had very broad primary care experiences and that is still what I want to pursue after all these years. If you're penalized for thinking like that, then the system is flawed.

I’m not convinced you understand what “keeping an open mind” entails.

 

[AJ25]

I’m not convinced you understand what “keeping an open mind” entails.

To be fair, you don't seem convinced about a lot of things lol.

 

[Moko]

I personally don't agree with the idea that you need to be "open minded" to a specialty as a pre-med and 1st or 2nd year medical student. If you have legitimately in-depth clinical exposure to certain specialties during your pre-med and pre-clinical years, it is totally fair to conclude what you like and dislike. I watched more open-heart surgery than the average pre-med and concluded that I did not like the mechanical nature of the work and could never see myself doing that. That has not changed today and I highly doubt it ever will. I have had very broad primary care experiences and that is still what I want to pursue after all these years. If you're penalized for thinking like that, then the system is flawed.

Now, when I see premeds all saying that they want to go into derm, I know right away that they are not doing this for the right reasons.

I don't know about oncology though, that seems like a career choice that you would better understand after third year and working with A LOT of patients first.

In your case, you kept an open mind by gaining "in-depth clinical exposure" in multiple specialties before deciding on primary care. Being open minded does not mean that you need to like everything equally forever. It's okay for doors to close once they've been adequately explored. Just my thoughts.

 

[hopeful.reapp123]

Thanks everyone for the feedback. Special thanks to the several adcoms/more knowledgeable members who took time out of their schedule to engage with this thread. This has been a mostly productive conversation and some quality, actionable advice was given. I definitely understand many of the viewpoints in this thread and will do my best to take them to heart, even if I do not entirely see eye to eye with some of the points. I am still planning to apply in this upcoming cycle, so I have some next steps I am going to take. Some of the major parts that need improvement:

1. I will be able to gain about 200+ service orientation hours by the time application submissions start on June 1st. I will attempt to get more, but this is the extent of what I can guarantee at this exact moment.

2. I need to do some work to exactly articulate my why, or at least make it easier to understand/more direct. Its been clear from this thread that what I have said is easily interpreted in other ways that can be detrimental to my success in the cycle. I understand that 150 hours of clinical volunteering and 250 of shadowing are a little limited, but that is what I have and it has been instrumental in my decision. The volunteer work and the shadowing I have done have revealed that the clinical side of medicine is what I desire. My translational research experience was the basis for my decision, but having tangible, one on one, observable impacts with patients has truly been the most rewarding/inspiring aspect of my work/extracurriculars.

3. I need to excel on my upcoming MCAT exam. No other words here, just will do what I can to prepare and get the highest score that I am capable of.

If anyone has any further input, then please continue the discussion and I will do my best to engage. Any more comments addressing actionable changes I can make are appreciated. No need to argue in the replies please; I understand some people may come across as harsh but I did ask for this advice and this is what they are providing. No hard feelings.

If anyone would be willing to review my personal statement as well (will be a few weeks; caught up with studying and lab work currently) that would be particularly helpful.

 

[Med Ed]

If anyone would be willing to review my personal statement as well (will be a few weeks; caught up with studying and lab work currently) that would be particularly helpful.

I can have a look and give you my opinion.

Considering your situation, it will help you to have an above average personal statement. Doesn't have to be Steinbeck, but you want something thoughtful and well crafted.

To that end, a good personal statement is a mixture of both plot and character development. I see many applicants reduce their statements to almost nothing but plot, essentially rehashing their EC's in chronological order. This is a relatively easy thing to write, but at the end the reader knows very little about the person who wrote it.

Character development speaks to identity and the immutable characteristics that make you you. It's more difficult to write about, but need not be lengthy to be effective. In 1980 a fictionalized account of country music singer Loretta Lynn's was released in the film "Coal Miner's Daughter." Those three words paint an entire picture of someone's early life and development, the place they grew up, their socioeconomic status, community structure, education, religion, family structure, etc.

Perhaps all those immediate impressions are not 100% accurate, but it gives the reader something useful as opposed to the usual:
1. My grandma died
2. I became a biology major
3. I shadowed
4. I volunteered
5. I worked
6. I will be a good doctor

Good luck.

 

[Goro]

I can have a look and give you my opinion.

Considering your situation, it will help you to have an above average personal statement. Doesn't have to be Steinbeck, but you want something thoughtful and well crafted.

To that end, a good personal statement is a mixture of both plot and character development. I see many applicants reduce their statements to almost nothing but plot, essentially rehashing their EC's in chronological order. This is a relatively easy thing to write, but at the end the reader knows very little about the person who wrote it.

Character development speaks to identity and the immutable characteristics that make you you. It's more difficult to write about, but need not be lengthy to be effective. In 1980 a fictionalized account of country music singer Loretta Lynn's was released in the film "Coal Miner's Daughter." Those three words paint an entire picture of someone's early life and development, the place they grew up, their socioeconomic status, community structure, education, religion, family structure, etc.

Perhaps all those immediate impressions are not 100% accurate, but it gives the reader something useful as opposed to the usual:
1. My grandma died
2. I became a biology major
3. I shadowed
4. I volunteered
5. I worked
6. I will be a good doctor

Good luck.

1a) I got sick