WAMC (3.6 cGPA, 510ish FL avg)/School List??

[HelpMeAhhHelp]

1. cGPA 3.63, sGPA 3.34
2. MCAT: don’t know yet, testing 1/18 - been averaging ~510 with low CARS
3. NY, USA
4. White
5. Marist College
6. Clinical experience
   1. Medical Assistant: 650 hours and counting
   2. Crisis Text Line Support: 100 hours and counting
7. Research experience and productivity
   1. 120 hours research, 1 publication 2nd author
8. Shadowing experience and specialties represented
   1. No shadowing - hoping clinical would help
9. Non-clinical volunteering
   1. Assistant Track and Field Coach at Public High School: 600 hours and counting
   2. Student Government Vice President of Athletic Affairs: 420 hours
   3. Member of SAAC (Student-Athlete Advisory Committee): 30 hours
   4. Member of SAFES (Student-Athletes for Emotional Support): 30 hours
10. Other extracurricular activities
    1. NCAA Div. 1 Cross Country/Track and Field: 2900 hours
       1. Captain of Cross Country and Track and Field: 725 hours
       2. 2 school records
    2. Co-Founder and VP of Research of mental health company for students: 500 hours
    3. Tutor/Lab Assistant: 130 hours
    4. Intramurals Worker (paid, non-medical): 450 hours (promoted to supervisor)
    5. Chair of FOXPYs Committee: 200 hours
    6. Co-Creator of Scholarship for Track and Field Athletes in High School
    7. Hobby: Training for Ironman: 300 hours and counting
11. Relevant honors or awards
    1. (Athletic Conference) Student-Athlete of the Month
    2. Gerrard A. Cox Award for excellence in leadership for Student Government
    3. All-Academic Teams for all years in college
    4. Pazzani Award Nominee
    5. 2023 Student-Athlete Leadership Nominee
12. Anything else not listed you think might be important
    1. Personal statement will talk about me being drawn to mental health and equity

Planning on only MD schools in the Northeast. What should my school list look like???

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[chilly_md]

Can't say without an actual MCAT score. With a 3.34 sGPA, you will not be able to apply to schools only in the Northeast unless you are fine with going DO (and this is still pending the actual score).

D-1 athlete is always an interesting addition, but all your non-clinical volunteering was within your comfort zone as opposed to helping those less fortunate. Student government is not volunteering either; it is leadership.

 

[HelpMeAhhHelp]

Can't say without an actual MCAT score. With a 3.34 sGPA, you will not be able to apply to schools only in the Northeast unless you are fine with going DO (and this is still pending the actual score).

D-1 athlete is always an interesting addition, but all your non-clinical volunteering was within your comfort zone as opposed to helping those less fortunate. Student government is not volunteering either; it is leadership.

Thanks for the feedback! Where regionally would I have to apply with a 3.34 sGPA? Also, I am volunteering as a crisis text support person - could this maybe be non-clinical?

 

[Mr.Smile12]

Your non-clinical volunteering is leadership. You have a lot of leadership.

Service orientation is missing and will get your application screened out until you get at least 150 hours by the time you apply. Text line is not in person. Take it to the next level as a shelter volunteer for battered women or families or for teenage runaways (for example). Face to face.

You do need some shadowing. Otherwise, why not PA?

 

[chilly_md]

Thanks for the feedback! Where regionally would I have to apply with a 3.34 sGPA? Also, I am volunteering as a crisis text support person - could this maybe be non-clinical?

Midwest has some schools that are more open to students with a lower GPA, but MD is still an uphill battle. Do you have a downward year by year trend?

You should do crisis text support but it is not a substitute for in-person experiences such as at a food bank, homeless shelter, etc. You will also need 50 hours of shadowing. Substituting clinical experience is not allowed unless you are a scribe.

 

[HelpMeAhhHelp]

Your non-clinical volunteering is leadership. You have a lot of leadership.

Service orientation is missing and will get your application screened out until you get at least 150 hours by the time you apply. Text line is not in person. Take it to the next level as a shelter volunteer for battered women or families or for teenage runaways (for example). Face to face.

You do need some shadowing. Otherwise, why not PA?

Ok so non-clinical hours is fine BUT I should start on service volunteering. Cool.
I didn't think shadowing was necessary but I suppose it makes sense in not determining that I want to go into healthcare but that I specifically want to be MD. So other than service and shadowing are there any other weka areas that I can try to fix?

 

[HelpMeAhhHelp]

Midwest has some schools that are more open to students with a lower GPA, but MD is still an uphill battle. Do you have a downward year by year trend?

You should do crisis text support but it is not a substitute for in-person experiences such as at a food bank, homeless shelter, etc. You will also need 50 hours of shadowing. Substituting clinical experience is not allowed unless you are a scribe.

Can I not subtract some hours from MA and have that as physician shadowing, especially if I have been in the room with the physician taking notes?

 

[chilly_md]

Can I not subtract some hours from MA and have that as physician shadowing, especially if I have been in the room with the physician taking notes?

You will probably still want to get separate shadowing.

 

[Mr.Smile12]

Ok so non-clinical hours is fine BUT I should start on service volunteering. Cool.

Not exactly "cool" IMO. You have a lot of leadership when I think "non-clinical," there are multiple buckets: tutoring, leadership, and community service are the big ones. You need coverage, but especially community service where you are outside your comfort zone and not in a position of expertise or fundraising. Focus there

I didn't think shadowing was necessary but I suppose it makes sense in not determining that I want to go into healthcare but that I specifically want to be MD. So other than service and shadowing are there any other weka areas that I can try to fix?

You haven't given details of what you do as an MA. Not all hospitals or clinics are the same, and you need a better understanding of what doctors have to do in different specialties.

 

[candbgirl]

Non-clinical volunteering

1. Assistant Track and Field Coach at Public High School: 600 hours and counting
2. Student Government Vice President of Athletic Affairs: 420 hours
3. Member of SAAC (Student-Athlete Advisory Committee): 30 hours
4. Member of SAFES (Student-Athletes for Emotional Support): 30 hours

Ok so non-clinical hours is fine BUT I should start on service volunteering. Cool.

Your nonclinical hours are NOT FINE! You have no nonclinical volunteering hours. Every single activity you have listed is under leadership. You need 150+ hours of service to the unserved/underserved/ migrants/ indigent. You have to get off campus and OUT of your comfort zone. Medicine is a service profession. You have to show you are comfortable dealing with patients at their very worst. Try finding homeless shelters, migrant facilities, food distribution center, soup kitchens, habitat for humanity sites, . Almost anyplace you get your hands dirty and doing something that you are not comfortable doing at first.

Get those hours and shadowing is very important. Make sure you get some with a primary Care doc and move on from there if you want.