WAMC 3.85/516 and school list help

[aishahwjwodj]

deleted

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[deleted1167714]

Hi! I’m trying to make a school list for the 2024-2025 cycle (first-time applicant)


Notes:
I am originally from PA and went to a T25 undergrad in GA. Location is the most important factor for me as my boyfriend will be attending medical school in Detroit. I would love to apply to MD schools as close to Detroit as possible OR in cities with big airports. I will be moving to Detroit in May-June and plan on getting MI residency as my boyfriend and I want to settle down in that state (he is originally from MI).


Stats:
- white female from low-income rural community, current PA resident
- 22 y/o two gap years (graduated spring 2023, Neuroscience and Behavior Biology Major)
- 3.85 GPA/3.8 cGPA
- 516 MCAT (128/129/129/130)


ECs:

Clinical:
-1100 EMT hours (911) by May
-36 hours of shadowing (psych, internal med, endo - looking to reach 50+ by May)


Research:
- 1000 hours across 2 labs by May, have been in one lab (neuroscience/psychiatry) for the past 3 years (working more on the data collecting/clinical end - at least 600 hours of direct participant contact) 2 poster presentations (1 at undergrad symposium 1 at national conference) no pubs


Volunteering:
- Volunteering in an orphanage and school in Tanzania teaching children from the ages of 3-7 basic English and children up to 15 advanced English, biology, first aid, anatomy/physiology, social studies, and math/statistics. Also using EMT background to treat injuries and illnesses/transport children to medical facilities. Started medical records for children. Did whatever needed to be done around the facility (cleaning, child care, etc). In contact with the alumni association of my undergraduate institution and will be leading a project/fundraiser through them to send the children we worked with school supplies, desks, chairs, and computers. (240 hrs)
- Hope Lodge Volunteer working in guest services at a housing facility for cancer patients receiving treatment far from home (50 hrs)
- School district lunch delivery, delivered school lunches to those who qualified for free reduced lunches in my home school district (this was almost 40% of the school district) during the peak months of COVID-19 in 2020 (50 hrs)
- Draw change volunteer working with impoverished children through art therapy (will be around 100 hours by May);
- Hospital volunteer guest services (will be around 50-100 hours by May)
- Applying to be a camp counselor for a summer camp for children with epilepsy or seizure disorders in May (56 hrs)


Leadership (post-grad):
- Serving as the vice president of philanthropy and service for the Atlanta Young Alumni Association of my undergrad institution (not sure how many hours that’s going to be, but I’ll primarily be organizing philanthropic events for the association)


Leadership (undergrad):
- Panhellenic Council Vice President of Philanthropy and Service, lead all sororities on campus in raising money for She's The First, an organization that sponsors girls' education around the world. I was able to meet with the dean of campus life, the associate vice president for health, well-being, access, and prevention, the executive director of Counseling and Psychological Services, and others to discuss the ongoing mental health crisis on our campus. I was able to work with them to help plan events, plan workshops, and promote a new wellness resource list available for students. Ultimately, I was able to help our campus instate a “ Lets Talk” program for undergraduate students (as the law school had it and found it helpful) where students could come to talk to licensed counselors during open hours to get mental health and wellness guidance. (200 hrs)
- Philanthropy director of my sorority and mental health committee (50 hrs), helped raise thousands of dollars for CASA and Mental health America (150 hrs)
- B+ Foundation Social Media Director helped plan, promote, and run charity events for our campus chapter including a 5K, a tennis tournament, and a basketball tournament (75 hrs)
- Helped found Sports analytics club (50 hours)
- Human Physiology TA (100 hours)
- Upper Level Neuroscience course TA (100 hours)


Other undergraduate ECs
- PhiDE premedical fraternity (3 years)
- Club tennis, on the A team that required tryouts and traveled to tournaments (3 years)


Awards/Honors:

No national awards, but was named to the 100 Senior Honorary at my undergrad (awarded to the top most outstanding students in the graduating senior class encompassing academics and community involvement), Nu Rho Psi Neuroscience Honor Society, Omicron Delta Kappa leadership Honors Society, Order of Omega Greek Honors Society


Hobbies:
I am a huge hockey fan, I am self-teaching myself Swahili and I’ll be running a marathon in May

School list:

U Michigan
Pitt
Northwestern
Uchigaco
Emory
Case Western
Ohio State
UVA
Maryland
U Cincinnati
U Wisco
U indiana
U iowa
Georgetown
George Washington
U Illinois
Sidney Kimmel
Rush
Wayne State
Temple
Drexel
Michigan State
Geisinger
U of Toledo
Northeast Ohio Medical University
Write State University
Western Michigan
Oakland
CMU
Penn State
Rosalind Franklin
Loyola


I’m looking to apply to around 20-25 schools so I need help cutting some schools out and/or adding more lower-tier schools. Thanks!

Hi! I feel like you have a lot of public medical schools that are unfriendly to out-of-state applicants on your list. I think there are more private schools you should add. For example, unless you have ties to Indiana, I would remove it.

 

[aishahwjwodj]

Hi! I feel like you have a lot of public medical schools that are unfriendly to out-of-state applicants on your list. I think there are more private schools you should add. For example, unless you have ties to Indiana, I would remove it.

Thank you for your response! Do you have any sources would you recommend for checking out-of-state friendliness? I see conflicting responses everywhere I look.

 

[deleted1167714]

Thank you for your response! Do you have any sources would you recommend for checking out-of-state friendliness? I see conflicting responses everywhere I look.

I would look to some of the experts on SDN for this (@Faha for example). Also, you should check out the MSAR (Medical School Admissions Requirement), produced by the AAMC. It costs $28 but gives you valuable numbers in terms of how many in-state and out-of-state students apply, interview, and matriculate. Unfortunately, it doesn't provide data on how many of each are accepted. I think pretty much any private school that is at or below your MCAT range will be good for you to apply to.

 

[aishahwjwodj]

I would look to some of the experts on SDN for this (@Faha for example). Also, you should check out the MSAR (Medical School Admissions Requirement), produced by the AAMC. It costs $28 but gives you valuable numbers in terms of how many in-state and out-of-state students apply, interview, and matriculate. Unfortunately, it doesn't provide data on how many of each are accepted. I think pretty much any private school that is at or below your MCAT range will be good for you to apply to.

thank you so much!

 

[HappyRabbit]

Here are some schools you can pick from (based on PA residency, if MI is residency Michigan State can be added):

Reach (Above MCAT/GPA)
Case Western
Hofstra
Sinai
Stanford
Pitt
USF Morsani
UMichigan

Match (Around MCAT/GPA)
Einstein
BU
Creighton
Emory
Dartmouth
Ohio State
St. Louis
Hackensack
Thomas Jefferson
Brown
Tufts
Arizona-Phoenix
Cincinnati
Colorado
Iowa
Miami
Rochester
Virginia Commonwealth

Safety (Below MCAT/GPA)
Drexel
Geisinger
Georgetown
Temple
Loma Linda (if you fit their mission)
NYMC
Nova MD
Oakland Beaumont
Penn State
Quinnipiac
Rosalind Franklin
Maryland
Wake Forest
Wayne State
Western Michigan

@Faha will be able to narrow the list down or suggest other schools the way he does it but these should be all the schools you're in range for. Pick and choose based on your personal mission and where you want to live or go to school.

 

[Faha]

I suggest these schools with your stats:
Wayne State
Oakland Beaumont
Michigan State
Western Michigan
U Michigan
Toledo
Drexel
Temple
Jefferson
Pittsburgh
Geisinger
Hackensack
Hofstra
Einstein
Mount Sinai
New York Medical College
Boston University
Tufts
George Washington
Georgetown
Virginia Commonwealth
Eastern Virginia
Rosalind Franklin
Loyola
Medical College Wisconsin
St. Louis
TCU
Tulane

 

[HappyRabbit]

I suggest these schools with your stats:
Wayne State
Oakland Beaumont
Michigan State
Western Michigan
U Michigan
Toledo
Drexel
Temple
Jefferson
Pittsburgh
Geisinger
Hackensack
Hofstra
Einstein
Mount Sinai
New York Medical College
Boston University
Tufts
George Washington
Georgetown
Virginia Commonwealth
Eastern Virginia
Rosalind Franklin
Loyola
Medical College Wisconsin
St. Louis
TCU
Tulane

What do you think about CWRU - 25th percentile with solid research might be worth a shot.

 

[Mr.Smile12]

What do you think about CWRU - 25th percentile with solid research might be worth a shot.

Only if the OP didn't mind the distance to Detroit (preference). UM is the more convenient program here. UM (the University) is very pro Peace Corps if you look up the history, and they would really be drawn to the overseas experiences and service orientation.

I also presume the other MI medical schools are in play. We don't know where the SO attends medical school.

 

[aishahwjwodj]

T

Here are some schools you can pick from (based on PA residency, if MI is residency Michigan State can be added):

Reach (Above MCAT/GPA)
Case Western
Hofstra
Sinai
Stanford
Pitt
USF Morsani
UMichigan

Match (Around MCAT/GPA)
Einstein
BU
Creighton
Emory
Dartmouth
Ohio State
St. Louis
Hackensack
Thomas Jefferson
Brown
Tufts
Arizona-Phoenix
Cincinnati
Colorado
Iowa
Miami
Rochester
Virginia Commonwealth

Safety (Below MCAT/GPA)
Drexel
Geisinger
Georgetown
Temple
Loma Linda (if you fit their mission)
NYMC
Nova MD
Oakland Beaumont
Penn State
Quinnipiac
Rosalind Franklin
Maryland
Wake Forest
Wayne State
Western Michigan

@Faha will be able to narrow the list down or suggest other schools the way he does it but these should be all the schools you're in range for. Pick and choose based on your personal mission and where you want to live or go to school.

This is extremely helpful thank you!!

 

[aishahwjwodj]

I suggest these schools with your stats:
Wayne State
Oakland Beaumont
Michigan State
Western Michigan
U Michigan
Toledo
Drexel
Temple
Jefferson
Pittsburgh
Geisinger
Hackensack
Hofstra
Einstein
Mount Sinai
New York Medical College
Boston University
Tufts
George Washington
Georgetown
Virginia Commonwealth
Eastern Virginia
Rosalind Franklin
Loyola
Medical College Wisconsin
St. Louis
TCU
Tulane

This is also extremely helpful thank you all so much!

 

[aishahwjwodj]

Only if the OP didn't mind the distance to Detroit (preference). UM is the more convenient program here. UM (the University) is very pro Peace Corps if you look up the history, and they would really be drawn to the overseas experiences and service orientation.

I also presume the other MI medical schools are in play. We don't know where the SO attends medical school.

My SO is attending Wayne State, so Wayne State and UM would be my top choices, I might still apply to CWRU as it's not too far in comparison to some other schools, and its closer to my hometown (western PA)

 

[HappyRabbit]

T

This is extremely helpful thank you!!

@Faha added deeper safeties (much lower MCAT) which I would definitely add as your insurance policy. If you need to keep the list thin to 20 schools, take it from reach/match and have these + the Michigan schools + your PA schools as the core then build around it with whatever you want.

Toledo
George Washington
Eastern Virginia
Loyola
Medical College Wisconsin
Texas Christian U
Tulane

 

[wysdoc]

Here are some schools you can pick from (based on PA residency, if MI is residency Michigan State can be added):

Reach (Above MCAT/GPA)
Case Western
Hofstra
Sinai
Stanford
Pitt
USF Morsani
UMichigan

Match (Around MCAT/GPA)
Einstein
BU
Creighton
Emory
Dartmouth
Ohio State
St. Louis
Hackensack
Thomas Jefferson
Brown
Tufts
Arizona-Phoenix
Cincinnati
Colorado
Iowa
Miami
Rochester
Virginia Commonwealth

Safety (Below MCAT/GPA)
Drexel
Geisinger
Georgetown
Temple
Loma Linda (if you fit their mission)
NYMC
Nova MD
Oakland Beaumont
Penn State
Quinnipiac
Rosalind Franklin
Maryland
Wake Forest
Wayne State
Western Michigan

@Faha will be able to narrow the list down or suggest other schools the way he does it but these should be all the schools you're in range for. Pick and choose based on your personal mission and where you want to live or go to school.

@HappyRabbit There are no safety schools in Med School applications.
That is a term that is bandied about in the college application world, to mean schools you are certain to be admitted to.

 

[HappyRabbit]

@HappyRabbit There are no safety schools in Med School applications.
That is a term that is bandied about in the college application world, to mean schools you are certain to be admitted to.

Right that's why I included the clarification by it (below MCAT) - safety isn't the proper word but I wasn't sure what else to call them. I felt it was important to group the schools into similar bins for the applicant to then pick and choose which in the list to apply to based on personal preference.

 

[wysdoc]

Right that's why I included the clarification by it (below MCAT) - safety isn't the proper word but I wasn't sure what else to call them. I felt it was important to group the schools into similar bins for the applicant to then pick and choose which in the list to apply to based on personal preference.

How about target schools and reach schools

 

[HappyRabbit]

How about target schools and reach schools

I like that. My only worry is that the target group becomes too large since it makes up the bulk of the list.

A third grouping seems important, not for the purpose of identification but rather to help an applicant pick and choose schools they want to apply to. For example, Georgetown shouldn't be paired with TCU because they don't replace each other. TCU is a solid target for the applicant while Georgetown is more of a reach and they could easily be rejected by.

 

[Mr.Smile12]

I guess if one needs three tiers, you could say Baseline, Target, Reach. I think it might be important to remind people of a proper mix of Baseline, Target, and Reach. Just brainstorming. There may be some adjustments for being from a specific state and number of in-state available seats as well as purge circumstances. Those from California may have to consider a different mix compared to those in Texas.

The other thing I have also noticed which could be beyond the project is specific program track affinity and estimated number of seats committed to articulation agreements (as I read people commenting on the school specific threads).

 

[HappyRabbit]

I guess if one needs three tiers, you could say Baseline, Target, Reach. I think it might be important to remind people of a proper mix of Baseline, Target, and Reach. Just brainstorming.

Sounds good to me, what do you think @wysdoc

 

[Faha]

What do you think about CWRU - 25th percentile with solid research might be worth a shot.

Yes, and not too far from Detroit.