Schools? 27 MCAT, 3.80 cGPA, 3.83 sGPA, URM

[DoctorInVivo]

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[gyngyn]

Which Hispanic community do you represent?

 

[DoctorInVivo]

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[gyngyn]

South America. My parents are from Ecuador and Uruguay.

South Americans are not generally considered under-represented in medicine.
Language skills and commitment to service are always of value, though.
You may want to include the three Puerto Rican schools that accept mainlanders.

 

[DoctorInVivo]

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[gyngyn]

I find it hard to believe that being Latino/Hispanic doesn't qualify me as being an URM. I guess I'll have to let the schools decide. Do you have any feedback regarding my list of schools? Thanks.

Being Latino is insufficient for UIM and yes, schools have the latitude to make this decision. Thus, my query.
Central Americans are often included as UIM. Only those communities that have reduced access are considered under-represented.
I would add the Puerto Rican schools given your language skills.

 

[DoctorInVivo]

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[DoctorInVivo]

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[WedgeDawg]

List looks fairly solid. You could consider adding the Puerto Rican schools if you're interested in practicing there (underserved Spanish-speaking population). I'm not sure what your MCAT situation is, but if you retook it and improved 4-6 points (or equivalent on the new scale), your school options would expand immensely. A 27 is definitely a borderline score. If you don't decide to retake, it might be prudent to add a couple DO schools as well.

 

[DoctorInVivo]

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[Faha]

These schools are where you would have a chance for an interview. The ones not included are public state schools that accept very few OOS applicants with a MCAT of 27. 1. University of Connecticut School of Medicine
2. Frank H. Netter MD SOM at Quinnipiac University
3. New York Medical College
4. Albert Einstein College of Medicine
5. Albany Medical College
9. Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine
10. The Commonwealth Medical College
11. Drexel University College of Medicine
12. Howard University College of Medicine
13. George Washington University SOM and Health Sciences
14. Eastern Virginia Medical School
16. Morehouse School of Medicine
17. Meharry Medical College
19. Medical College of Wisconsin
22. Chicago Medical School at Rosalind Franklin University
24. Saint Louis University School of Medicine
25. Creighton University School of Medicine
Other schools worth adding to your list include Temple, Jefferson, Oakland Beaumont, Western Michigan, Rush and any new private MD schools that open up in 2016. Also apply to several DO schools. Apply to MD and DO in June and submit all your secondaries by July.

 

[DoctorInVivo]

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[ski89]

I'm curious @gyngyn , why does the country of origin matter? If someone looks Hispanic, speaks Spanish, and has shown a desire to serve that community, then wouldn't that fulfil the desired criteria of a URM? Isn't the point of increasing preference for URMs to have physicians that underserved populations can feel more comfortable with and thus improve care for that population? Just curious to hear your reasoning.

 

[ski89]

As for your question, OP. I do think that many if not most schools will consider you URM as long as you have shown a commitment to serving the Hispanic community. With the URM designation you have a decent shot at all of the schools you mentioned (with the exception of the state schools that are not your home state, I highly recommend you do not apply to those schools unless you have a compelling reason). I also think it would be smart of you to apply to 3-5 DO schools. In total I would not apply to more than 25 schools (20MD 5DO) simply because of the large number of secondaries that you will be so sick of writing.

 

[Lucca]

I'm curious @gyngyn , why does the country of origin matter? If someone looks Hispanic, speaks Spanish, and has shown a desire to serve that community, then wouldn't that fulfil the desired criteria of a URM? Isn't the point of increasing preference for URMs to have physicians that underserved populations can feel more comfortable with and thus improve care for that population? Just curious to hear your reasoning.

Well it's just a fact that South American does not count as URM (and I say that as a South American immigrant) based on the AAMC's official definition. The "point" of preference for URMs is 1) what you stated but also 2) to accurately represent the population of the United states in the medical workforce and 3) to take into consideration other factors such as systemic discrimination and other factors of diversity such as social economic status.

The reality is that *most* South Americans in the US may experience discrimination but have not been systemically excluded from the national community - historically, politically or economically - in the same way Mexican Americans and Central Americans have. It is also the case that most South American descendants in the U.S. are here because their families were able to come here and much like the Nigerian community in the US are generally already a successful, educated and wealthy group. As a result, South Americans while Hispanic and possibly wishing to serve the Latino communities generally stay in the more affluent, adequately served communities where the members of their SA community congregate to begin with. This is not the case, statistically, with Chicano and Central Americans who are generally poorer, less educated, and have less access to quality care than their SA counterparts.

Why does this difference exist for SA Latinos and not Nigerians (based on the available data)? Why do we care about the accurate representation of the Latino community in this highly specific way but not for the Asian or African American communities? All of these are important questions that have each a very nuanced and complicated answer none of which apply to this thread so let us perhaps sidestep that discussion for now or move it to a separate thread as it is interesting but irrelevant in this context.

 

[Cyberdyne 101]

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[DoctorInVivo]

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[Lucca]

Is there any reason that you cannot retake the MCAT ? Would you just prefer avoiding the new format outright? It's the only ding I can see in an otherwise competitive application. It could open up a lot more doors for you.

 

[Cyberdyne 101]

I agree with @Lucca. If you Barry Bonds the new MCAT, you'll have way more options.

 

[ski89]

Thank you @ski89 ! I think applying to 20 MD and 5 DO makes total sense too. I'll have to eliminate some of the state schools. The only reason I added some of those state schools is because MSAR shows good stats for OOS applicants.

Sure! And yeah, I hear ya as far as the OOS schools are concerned - once you really start looking into the schools as the application season starts, and you really like something about the OOS state school program and you think that it fits your interests and experiences, then I say go for it. But if in the end its just one of many that you are applying for because it fits your states, then I say drop it.

Lastly, if you have any more questions about Quinnipiac this summer while you are filling out secondaries, send me a PM. Unless I get into my state school, I will be attending Quinnipiac, it looks like a great new school and I am excited to attend. It also has the added benefit of being close to a great research institution (Yale), thus providing the opportunity for great research experiences even if you are not a yale student.

 

[DoctorInVivo]

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[ski89]

I agree with @Lucca. If you Barry Bonds the new MCAT, you'll have way more options.

I also agree with @Lucca on this. If you feel like you could do better (could have studied harder/scored well below your practice tests) then I would seriously consider it. That being said, I don't think its a terrible idea by any means to apply now if you don't want to retake (trust me, I thought that I could have done better, but the thought of taking that test again made me sick). If anything, you could apply this next cycle and if you don't have an acceptance by say mid Feb 2016, start studying for the new MCAT.

 

[Cyberdyne 101]

I also agree with @Lucca on this. If you feel like you could do better (could have studied harder/scored well below your practice tests) then I would seriously consider it. That being said, I don't think its a terrible idea by any means to apply now if you don't want to retake (trust me, I thought that I could have done better, but the thought of taking that test again made me sick). If anything, you could apply this next cycle and if you don't have an acceptance by say mid Feb 2016, start studying for the new MCAT.

I agree that his chances are pretty good if he applies this cycle. I know people who are 1/2 South American and who had great cycles without stellar stats. I guess it does depend on the school.

 

[DoctorInVivo]

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[Lucca]

I'm pretty optimistic about my chances. Studying for this test was a pain in the butt and I struggled a lot with the verbal section. I'm hoping to have some success this cycle. Fingers x!

If you're a Yalie and interview well I'm confident you can get in somewhere on your new trimmed list but personally I would want to make sure the application I sent in was the very best I could possibly produce. There will be harder longer tests in medical school and your score is really just not competitive. Perhaps I am just more risk averse than you but I strongly advise you to look at the SDN "What are my chances?" Graphs and look at the ORM curve. I would definitely just put the thought of being considered URM anywhere out of my mind.

 

[DoctorInVivo]

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[Lucca]

I attended a different undergraduate university in CT. And I appreciate your feedback, but there's no way I'm ORM. I'll definitely be applying in June. Thank you

Alright, best of luck, as long as you know the risks.

 

[whatsupdr]

Wow congrats to you on your 11 invites....looks like it all worked out for you!! Amazing!!