WAMC 3.85 / 514 / IL School List Help for a reapplicant

[Whatisthepoint]

---

Members don't see this ad.

1. cGPA and sGPA as calculated by AMCAS or AACOMAS

cGPA: 3.85

sGPA: 3.81

1. MCAT score(s) and breakdown

514 (129/126/129/130)

1. State of residence or country of citizenship (if non-US)

Illinois

1. Ethnicity and/or race

White

1. Undergraduate institution or category

First University of Toronto before transferring to University of Illinois, Urbana Champaign

1. Clinical experience (volunteer and non-volunteer)

Free Health Clinic Volunteer: 50 hrs

Clinical Research Coordinator at UChicago GI: 1440hrs completed and should double by matriculation

1. Research experience and productivity

50hrs summer research project on racial disparities for a doctor I was shadowing

50hrs summer research project on M2 students failing step 2 test for doc I was shadowing

1,300hrs undergrad research which resulted in a thesis and a poster presentation which earned multiple department destinctions

1. Shadowing experience and specialties represented

70hrs Hematologist

30hrs Internist

1. Non-clinical volunteering

150hrs teaching elementary school kids nutrition and I was the treasurer of the student org

50 hrs + 50 projected for ESL tutoring

75hrs + 200 projected for a group that facilitates rock climbing for people with disabilities.

1. Other extracurricular activities (including athletics, military service, gap year activities, leadership, teaching, etc)

150hrs Executive member of social student org that I was really passionate about (nothing like a frat)

160hrs as a general chemistry TA

1. Relevant honors or awards

Magna Cum Laude

From undergraduate research

• Research Fellowship
• High Distinction
• Award for best thesis in department
• Award for best GPA in department that submitted a thesis

1. Anything else not listed you think might be important

I applied for the 2021 cycle but got no interviews. Only thing that changed is my essay strategy, more volunteering and I added actual clinical experience.

Is my school list shooting too low, high or is it about right? Last time I was told that I applied to too many public schools which caused me to shoot myself in the foot so I have taken a hard pivot. I am not so keen on a lot of these schools but I don't want to waste another year.

UIC
UW Madison
Rosalind Franklin
Medical College Wisconsin
Western Michigan
Oakland Beaumont
TCU-UNT
NOVA MD
SLU
Pittsburgh
Iowa
USF Morsani
Wake Forest
Virginia Commonwealth
Eastern Virginia
George Washington
Drexel
Temple
Jefferson
Penn State
Seton Hall
New York Medical College
Albany
Rochester
Hofstra
Einstein
Vermont
Quinnipiac

 

[voxveritatisetlucis]

Can you post your 2021 list?

This list looks good but seeing past list would help us deduce if that was the problem

 

[Faha]

Did you receive any interviews or waitlist in your previous application cycle ?

 

[Mr.Smile12]

OP: why do you think you got no interviews? Who wrote your letters? Where's your community service? What DO schools are on your radar since you say you don't want to reapply again?

 

[Whatisthepoint]

Can you post your 2021 list?

This list looks good but seeing past list would help us deduce if that was the problem

Here was the list I made last time
- Thomas Jefferson
-UVermont
-UIC
- SIU
-Medical College Of Wisconsin
-Temple
-Creighton
-Penn State
-U Cincinnati
-SLU
-Albert Einstein University
-Wayne State
-Rosalind Franklin
-UW Madison
-Colorado
-Dartmouth
-Rush
-U Pittsburgh
-Western Michigan
-Iowa
-Loyola
-Minnesota

 

[Whatisthepoint]

Did you receive any interviews or waitlist in your previous application cycle ?

No interviews or waitlists.

 

[Whatisthepoint]

OP: why do you think you got no interviews? Who wrote your letters? Where's your community service? What DO schools are on your radar since you say you don't want to reapply again?

My letters last time around were from a neurosceince instructor, a literature instructor, my undergrad lab PI and a doctor I shadowed at UIC. This year it will be from the PI of the lab I work at, a different neuro instructor, the same undergrad lab PI and a Physiology instructor.

I'm not sure what you mean by the community service question. Does the volunteering I have listed not count as community service?

I was hoping not to have to apply to DO schools since my app seemed, to me, strong enough to get into an MD program. I think last time my app was disqualified by a bad personal statement and a lack of clinical hours and I have resolved both of those for the most part.

 

[candbgirl]

-Why did you take Loyola and Rush off of your list this time?

-Where do you live in IL? (SIU has a particular geographic area they draw from.)

-I’m not sure your clinical research coordinator experience is actual clinical, face to face experience with the sick, injured and dying.

-Your nonclinical service is open to scrutiny. This is an area where you should be focusing on the unserved/underserved in your community. The teaching and tutoring are separate categories on the applications(at least they used to be). So that leaves you with rock climbing for this disabled. That sounds very cool but when it’s really your only nonclinical volunteering you might want to look at helping at a soup kitchen or homeless shelter. Medicine is a service profession and you have to show your altruism. You have to convince ADCOM members that you can work with people very unlike yourself because you will have many patients very unlike yourself.

-I am surprised you didn’t get any interviews last cycle. Any chance you have a not so great letter?

-I also want to say it would be foolish to apply to schools that you are “not so keen on a lot of these schools but I don't want to waste another year.” After failing to get any interviews I understand but what if your only acceptance was at one of these schools you aren’t so keen on? At this point you should develop a list you are happy with and gives you a good chance of acceptance. And as @Mr.Smile12 said, you need DO schools on your list. But only if you will attend a DO school if it is your only acceptance.

 

[Faha]

No interviews or waitlists.

I suggest these schools when you reapply:
UIC
Rosalind Franklin
Medical College Wisconsin
Western Michigan
Oakland Beaumont
TCU-UNT
Tulane
NOVA MD
Miami
USF Morsani
Wake Forest
Eastern Virginia
Virginia Commonwealth
George Washington
Drexel
Temple
Jefferson
Penn State
Hackensack
Hofstra
Einstein
New York Medical College
Rochester
Albany
Vermont
Quinnipiac

 

[Whatisthepoint]

-Why did you take Loyola and Rush off of your list this time?

-Where do you live in IL? (SIU has a particular geographic area they draw from.)

-I’m not sure your clinical research coordinator experience is actual clinical, face to face experience with the sick, injured and dying.

-Your nonclinical service is open to scrutiny. This is an area where you should be focusing on the unserved/underserved in your community. The teaching and tutoring are separate categories on the applications(at least they used to be). So that leaves you with rock climbing for this disabled. That sounds very cool but when it’s really your only nonclinical volunteering you might want to look at helping at a soup kitchen or homeless shelter. Medicine is a service profession and you have to show your altruism. You have to convince ADCOM members that you can work with people very unlike yourself because you will have many patients very unlike yourself.

-I am surprised you didn’t get any interviews last cycle. Any chance you have a not so great letter?

-I also want to say it would be foolish to apply to schools that you are “not so keen on a lot of these schools but I don't want to waste another year.” After failing to get any interviews I understand but what if your only acceptance was at one of these schools you aren’t so keen on? At this point you should develop a list you are happy with and gives you a good chance of acceptance. And as @Mr.Smile12 said, you need DO schools on your list. But only if you will attend a DO school if it is your only acceptance.

I took Loyola and Rush off because it was my understanding that they want many hours of volunteering to even be considered and I don't have that

I'm in Chicago so I am basically out of state for SIU

This is good to think about, thank you. I'll see if I can fit anything extra but I think I'm going to ride on that volunteering for now since it is so close to application submission at this point.

I suppose I didn't know one of my letter writers too well but I had classmates who knew him even less and they matriculated fine with a letter from him and comparable stats.

This is fair. I would be overjoyed to attend any medical school. These schools seem to be my best chance at that. I guess I am not excited about some of these schools purely based on location. I am not looking to live in a suburb but if it comes to that then it must happen.

 

[Whatisthepoint]

I suggest these schools when you reapply:
UIC
Rosalind Franklin
Medical College Wisconsin
Western Michigan
Oakland Beaumont
TCU-UNT
Tulane
NOVA MD
Miami
USF Morsani
Wake Forest
Eastern Virginia
Virginia Commonwealth
George Washington
Drexel
Temple
Jefferson
Penn State
Hackensack
Hofstra
Einstein
New York Medical College
Rochester
Albany
Vermont
Quinnipiac

Thank you Faha!

 

[Whatisthepoint]

-Why did you take Loyola and Rush off of your list this time?

-Where do you live in IL? (SIU has a particular geographic area they draw from.)

-I’m not sure your clinical research coordinator experience is actual clinical, face to face experience with the sick, injured and dying.

-Your nonclinical service is open to scrutiny. This is an area where you should be focusing on the unserved/underserved in your community. The teaching and tutoring are separate categories on the applications(at least they used to be). So that leaves you with rock climbing for this disabled. That sounds very cool but when it’s really your only nonclinical volunteering you might want to look at helping at a soup kitchen or homeless shelter. Medicine is a service profession and you have to show your altruism. You have to convince ADCOM members that you can work with people very unlike yourself because you will have many patients very unlike yourself.

-I am surprised you didn’t get any interviews last cycle. Any chance you have a not so great letter?

-I also want to say it would be foolish to apply to schools that you are “not so keen on a lot of these schools but I don't want to waste another year.” After failing to get any interviews I understand but what if your only acceptance was at one of these schools you aren’t so keen on? At this point you should develop a list you are happy with and gives you a good chance of acceptance. And as @Mr.Smile12 said, you need DO schools on your list. But only if you will attend a DO school if it is your only acceptance.

I forgot to respond to the bit about patient interactions. In my job, I do frequently see patients. Many of them are on liver transplant waitlists so they do fit into the "sick and dying" category you mentioned. I would say that about half of my work week is spent at the hospital on the GI floor where I am interacting with patients and then being present for their procedures, whether ERCP or colonoscopy. I made sure to stress that in my application so that admissions don't think that I am just working at a computer or a lab haha.