WAMC (3.8/520) No Shadowing / School List Help

[anotherusername]

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**State/Country of Residence**: Oregon

**Ties to other States/Regions**: None

**URM?**: No - White

**Year in School**: Graduated 2020

**Undergraduate Degree**: Public Health from unranked state school

**GPA**: 3.81 overall, 3.82 science

**MCAT**: 520 (131, 130, 129, 130)

**Research Experience**: 700 hours under a clinical psychologist, working with kids who have chronic health conditions who were experiencing poor outcomes due to psychosocial stressors

**Publications/Abstracts/Posters**: 3 posters at national conferences, didn't present, late author

**Clinical Experience (paid and volunteer)**:
Volunteer: 80 hours at nursing home for children
20 hours at COVID vaccine site

Paid:
640 hours as a residential counselor at apartment building for people with severe and persistent mental illness that also provided behavioral health and primary care
2000 hours (1800 of them projected) as a care coordinator for a healthcare non-profit that provides behavioral health and primary care services to people experiencing severe and persistent mental illness

**Physician Shadowing**: None 🙁 (I know I should have started earlier in my college career but thought I'd have lots of time for shadowing during a gap year that turned into COVID shut downs)

**Non-Clinical Volunteering**: 200 hours- Crisis Text Line Crisis Counselor

**Other Extracurricular Activities**: Study abroad, Camp counselor for people with disabilities as part of a capstone course for school

**Other Employment History**: 2000 hours as a nanny

**Immediate family members in medicine? (Y/N)**: Yes, mom is a nurse

**Specialty of Interest**: Primary care, psychiatry, PM&R, but very open to changing my mind!

**Interest in Primary Care (Y/N)**: Yes

**Interest in Rural Health (Y/N)**: Not really

Extra Info: I took significantly longer than 4 years to finish my bachelor's degree. Got an associate's degree, then took time off, nannied/traveled, then spent three years at university to finish my undergrad. If I get in this cycle I'd be matriculating at 27 but don't really consider myself a non-trad. Worried about lack of direct physician exposure and relatively weak EC's. My current list is pretty top heavy so I'd love to know more lower-tier schools that will look positively on my MCAT score. Submitted my primary at the beginning of the month and it isn't verified yet. I only want to apply to a max of 30 schools so wondering which would be good to cut and which would be good to add? Thank you in advance!

Current School List:
Duke
NYU
Hopkins
Cornell
UMich
UCLA
Sinai
Northwestern
Case Western
Pitt
Kaiser
Dartmouth
UVA
Ohio
Einstein
U Miami
Brown
Boston U
Tufts
Emory
Rochester
University of Colorado
USF Morsani
Iowa
Cincinatti
Wayne State
OHSU

 

[anotherusername]

@Faha @Goro I know you're some of the superstars when it comes to helping on these threads! Any input would be much appreciated.

 

[Goro]

**State/Country of Residence**: Oregon

**Ties to other States/Regions**: None

**URM?**: No - White

**Year in School**: Graduated 2020

**Undergraduate Degree**: Public Health from unranked state school

**GPA**: 3.81 overall, 3.82 science

**MCAT**: 520 (131, 130, 129, 130)

**Research Experience**: 700 hours under a clinical psychologist, working with kids who have chronic health conditions who were experiencing poor outcomes due to psychosocial stressors

**Publications/Abstracts/Posters**: 3 posters at national conferences, didn't present, late author

**Clinical Experience (paid and volunteer)**:
Volunteer: 80 hours at nursing home for children
20 hours at COVID vaccine site

Paid:
640 hours as a residential counselor at apartment building for people with severe and persistent mental illness that also provided behavioral health and primary care
2000 hours (1800 of them projected) as a care coordinator for a healthcare non-profit that provides behavioral health and primary care services to people experiencing severe and persistent mental illness

**Physician Shadowing**: None 🙁 (I know I should have started earlier in my college career but thought I'd have lots of time for shadowing during a gap year that turned into COVID shut downs)

**Non-Clinical Volunteering**: 200 hours- Crisis Text Line Crisis Counselor

**Other Extracurricular Activities**: Study abroad, Camp counselor for people with disabilities as part of a capstone course for school

**Other Employment History**: 2000 hours as a nanny

**Immediate family members in medicine? (Y/N)**: Yes, mom is a nurse

**Specialty of Interest**: Primary care, psychiatry, PM&R, but very open to changing my mind!

**Interest in Primary Care (Y/N)**: Yes

**Interest in Rural Health (Y/N)**: Not really

Extra Info: I took significantly longer than 4 years to finish my bachelor's degree. Got an associate's degree, then took time off, nannied/traveled, then spent three years at university to finish my undergrad. If I get in this cycle I'd be matriculating at 27 but don't really consider myself a non-trad. Worried about lack of direct physician exposure and relatively weak EC's. My current list is pretty top heavy so I'd love to know more lower-tier schools that will look positively on my MCAT score. Submitted my primary at the beginning of the month and it isn't verified yet. I only want to apply to a max of 30 schools so wondering which would be good to cut and which would be good to add? Thank you in advance!

Current School List:
Duke
NYU
Hopkins
Cornell
UMich
UCLA
Sinai
Northwestern
Case Western
Pitt
Kaiser
Dartmouth
UVA
Ohio
Einstein
U Miami
Brown
Boston U
Tufts
Emory
Rochester
University of Colorado
USF Morsani
Iowa
Cincinatti
Wayne State
OHSU

List is fine but delete Wayne State. Add all NYC Titans.

I am worried that the lack of shadowing will be lethal. I've others get dinged for it. You do need to know what a doctor's day is like and how they approach the practice of Medicine.

 

[anotherusername]

List is fine but delete Wayne State. Add all NYC Titans.

I am worried that the lack of shadowing will be lethal. I've others get dinged for it. You do need to know what a doctor's day is like and how they approach the practice of Medicine.

It's worrying to have some of my fears about the lack of shadowing confirmed. However, it's exciting to hear you think it could still be worth adding more top tier schools to my list! I really appreciate the feedback. Thank you for the time you spend on this community!

 

[Mr.Smile12]

I think the light number of hours in clinical experience overall is the challenge, not just shadowing. There's not a lot of opportunity you have seeing what doctors do.

 

[Goro]

I think the light number of hours in clinical experience overall is the challenge, not just shadowing. There's not a lot of opportunity you have seeing what doctors do.

Oh, I missed that! OP, can you get a scribing job? That will kill two birds with one stone.

If not, get in another 100 hrs of clinical exposure. Your stats merit this.

 

[anotherusername]

I think the light number of hours in clinical experience overall is the challenge, not just shadowing. There's not a lot of opportunity you have seeing what doctors do.

I appreciate you adding your voice! Do you think if I'm able to get ~100 hours of shadowing over the next few months that will make a big difference, given my primaries/secondaries will already be submitted? Do you think I'll still get interviews despite this and are there other schools you would add or remove from my list?

 

[anotherusername]

Oh, I missed that! OP, can you get a scribing job? That will kill two birds with one stone.

If not, get in another 100 hrs of clinical exposure. Your stats merit this.

I appreciate you reinforcing this. I can't get a scribing job now, but I do feel like I can utilize my resources and get at least 100 hours of shadowing of over the next few months! Do you think this will make a big difference given my primaries and secondaries will already be submitted by then? And does this change the schools you would recommend?

 

[candbgirl]

The big issue is that projected hours are just that projected. And we all know life frequently intervenes and stuff doesn’t get done. And schools might just read your app and decide that this person couldn’t even do the basic activities and put your app in a reject pile or think about it pile. You only need 50 hours of shadowing and some of those hours should be with a primary care doc. So you need to do those quickly so they can get on your secondaries. IMO You really need to get out of your comfort zone. ALL of your activities are focused on mental health , every single one. And although mental health is a serious concern and certainly a needed service, you should also try to find physically sick, injured and dying people to help. But maybe that’s just me.

I do have to say I love your research topic focused on chronically ill kids and outcomes in life. There is a big need for that. Another area is siblings of chronically ill kids and their emotional needs and their place in the family.