WAMC: 3.9/524, ORM

[emjay2021]

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**edited for anonymity but left general info in case it'll be helpful to future readers. Thanks to everyone for the feedback!**

1. GPA: 3.9

2. 524 (131/131/131/131)

3. ~

4. ORM

5. T20

6. Clinical experience (volunteer and non-volunteer):

• Clinical research. 50 hours

7. Research experience and productivity:

• Basic science. 300 hours
• Computational research. 200 hours. Local poster pres.

8. Shadowing experience and specialties represented:

• Primary care (40 hours)
• Neurology (40 hours)

9. Non-clinical volunteering:

• Conservation (60 hours)
• Tutoring (60 hours)

10. Other extracurricular activities:

• Arts and culture groups
• Multiple part time employment

List:

High-Reach:

• UCSF
• Stanford
• Harvard
• NYU
• Columbia
• Penn
• Yale

Reach:

• UChicago (Pritzker)
• UPitt
• UVA
• Cornell (Weill)
• Sinai (Icahn)
• Northwestern
• Boston University

Match:

• Case Western
• UCincinnati
• Emory
• USC (Keck)
• UCSD
• UCLA (Geffen)
• Dartmouth (Geisel)
• Stony Brook
• Kaiser Permanente
• UMich
• Einstein
• Hofstra
• Rochester
• Tufts
• State school

 

[Banco]

Your stats are excellent and your list would be appropriate, but do you only have 50 hours of clinical experience? And is this only through clinical research? If so, this could limit you.


Did you continue your high school volunteering in college?

 

[emjay2021]

Your stats are excellent and your list would be appropriate, but do you only have 50 hours of clinical experience? And is this only through clinical research? If so, this could limit you.


Did you continue your high school volunteering in college?

My clinical hours (and to a lesser degree, service hours) are definitely low. I only have 50 hours of clinical experience through my current research position. However, since COVID-19 vaccinations we've been scheduling more patients and my "completed" hours when I apply will be higher. I also discuss the clinical experience I do have extensively in my PS to supplement the hour deficit.
And no, I did not continue my high school volunteering in college.
Given that my clinical hours are low/recent, would you recommend removing some reach schools and adding more matches? Thanks again for the feedback!

 

[toastedbutter]

Moving schools around won't help much imo because every school wants to see clinical hours. I would say you need to bulk up in that department regardless. In fact, I would have thought the higher ranked research schools would be more receptive to an application like yours, schools with lower research rankings and higher PC rankings definitely want more clinical exposure than research, though both are important.

 

[emjay2021]

Moving schools around won't help much imo because every school wants to see clinical hours. I would say you need to bulk up in that department regardless. In fact, I would have thought the higher ranked research schools would be more receptive to an application like yours, schools with lower research rankings and higher PC rankings definitely want more clinical exposure than research, though both are important.

A good point. Thanks for the feedback.

 

[Banco]

My clinical hours (and to a lesser degree, service hours) are definitely low. I only have 50 hours of clinical experience through my current research position. However, since COVID-19 vaccinations we've been scheduling more patients and my "completed" hours when I apply will be higher. I also discuss the clinical experience I do have extensively in my PS to supplement the hour deficit.
And no, I did not continue my high school volunteering in college.
Given that my clinical hours are low/recent, would you recommend removing some reach schools and adding more matches? Thanks again for the feedback!

No I don't think removing or changing your list addresses the issue, which I think can potentially exist for pretty much all schools. It's unfortunate that we are so fixated on "hours" in the process - theoretically the point of clinical experience is to have a good insight into medicine, patients, and the life of a physician. I think you can make the argument that you have that insight from years of experience. If you write about it well and speak about it well, then it's all good.

Realistically however, it is possible that hinders you a bit. In your position, I would try to ram in as many more clinical/shadowing hours as I can prior to primary submission; and definitely include the neurologist activity too. I would also in such a position contemplate maybe listing the high school hours as an activity too - it's not that it's technically not allowed or something (but admittedly this shouldn't be necessary as you talk about it in your PS). The main problem is we (and I assume sometimes adcoms) get fixated on the checkbox+hours mentality of medical school admissions to filter students.

You otherwise have a very strong application.

Option #2 would be to take a gap year - in this case I think all concerns would be alleviated and you'd have as "perfect" an application as one could realistically get.

 

[candbgirl]

Although the areas you have touched on as ECs are good your hours are very low. In fact, I’m not sure I’d even apply with only 50 clinical hours. Your weekly meeting with the neurology team is interesting, but your time could be spent more wisely. Maybe they could hook you up in one of the neurology clinics helping patients etc. Your nonclinical volunteering isn’t any better. Nonclinical volunteering is supposed to focus on the unserved/underserved in your community. Those less fortunate and those very different from yourself. (There is a section for teaching/tutoring.) Find a homeless shelter or soup kitchen and go to work. Although we are still in a pandemic the need for volunteers to help the disadvantaged is huge and continues to grow. Get out of your comfort zone and come face to face with people very unlike yourself.
You have a wonderful MCAT and strong GPAs but your ECs need some serious work.

 

[emjay2021]

No I don't think removing or changing your list addresses the issue, which I think can potentially exist for pretty much all schools. It's unfortunate that we are so fixated on "hours" in the process - theoretically the point of clinical experience is to have a good insight into medicine, patients, and the life of a physician. I think you can make the argument that you have that insight from years of experience. If you write about it well and speak about it well, then it's all good.

Realistically however, it is possible that hinders you a bit. In your position, I would try to ram in as many more clinical/shadowing hours as I can prior to primary submission; and definitely include the neurologist activity too. I would also in such a position contemplate maybe listing the high school hours as an activity too - it's not that it's technically not allowed or something (but admittedly this shouldn't be necessary as you talk about it in your PS). The main problem is we (and I assume sometimes adcoms) get fixated on the checkbox+hours mentality of medical school admissions to filter students.

You otherwise have a very strong application.

Option #2 would be to take a gap year - in this case I think all concerns would be alleviated and you'd have as "perfect" an application as one could realistically get.

Your advice is great, thank you.
Recognizing that I may be a reapplicant for 2022-2023 if I apply now, does being a reapp vs. first-time app after another gap year differ in the eyes of adcoms? I've saved up some money in undergrad and my current position can be extended, so I would be willing to apply twice if necessary and strengthen my application for the second go. I'm not fixated on prestige and would happily attend any of the schools listed above.

 

[emjay2021]

Although the areas you have touched on as ECs are good your hours are very low. In fact, I’m not sure I’d even apply with only 50 clinical hours. Your weekly meeting with the neurology team is interesting, but your time could be spent more wisely. Maybe they could hook you up in one of the neurology clinics helping patients etc. Your nonclinical volunteering isn’t any better. Nonclinical volunteering is supposed to focus on the unserved/underserved in your community. Those less fortunate and those very different from yourself. (There is a section for teaching/tutoring.) Find a homeless shelter or soup kitchen and go to work. Although we are still in a pandemic the need for volunteers to help the disadvantaged is huge and continues to grow. Get out of your comfort zone and come face to face with people very unlike yourself.
You have a wonderful MCAT and strong GPAs but your ECs need some serious work.

You make some important points. I haven't stepped out of my undergrad bubble and can learn a lot from connecting with diverse communities. Thanks for the feedback.

 

[Banco]

Your advice is great, thank you.
Recognizing that I may be a reapplicant for 2022-2023 if I apply now, does being a reapp vs. first-time app after another gap year differ in the eyes of adcoms? I've saved up some money in undergrad and my current position can be extended, so I would be willing to apply twice if necessary and strengthen my application for the second go. I'm not fixated on prestige and would happily attend any of the schools listed above.

The schools that you applied to the first time will know you are a reapplicant. I want to say that’ll make it harder unless the issue for you being rejected is significantly addressed - but honestly I’m not too well versed on how adcoms handle that.

Any thoughts @Goro @Faha ?

 

[candbgirl]

Your advice is great, thank you.
Recognizing that I may be a reapplicant for 2022-2023 if I apply now, does being a reapp vs. first-time app after another gap year differ in the eyes of adcoms? I've saved up some money in undergrad and my current position can be extended, so I would be willing to apply twice if necessary and strengthen my application for the second go. I'm not fixated on prestige and would happily attend any of the schools listed above.

The thing is you really only want to apply one time with the best possible application. Statistically only about 40-42% of ALL applicants are accepted each cycle. That means the 57%+ of ALL applicants are outright rejected each cycle. This includes applicants with near perfect applications. If you apply now and have to reapply next cycle, ADCOMS will expect to see significant improvement across your application. Think carefully before you apply this cycle. You know there are weaknesses in your application. You know they can be fixed with a gap year.

 

[EdgeTrimmer]

It's unfortunate that we are so fixated on "hours" in the process - theoretically the point of clinical experience is to have a good insight into medicine, patients, and the life of a physician.

Are all schools fixated on "hours" or is it a SDN myth created by some adcoms? My observation for lot of schools is, your narrative is more important than accumulating hundreds of hours in each category. One very strong EC (research or leadership or service) and around 100 hours each of the other categories may be sufficient even for reach schools.

 

[Faha]

Your chances for interviews will be decreased with your low clinical exposure hours. Add a few more schools including:
Washington University (almost a guaranteed interview with your stats)
Vanderbilt
Ohio State
Western Michigan
Duke

 

[Banco]

Are all schools fixated on "hours" or is it a SDN myth created by some adcoms? My observation for lot of schools is, your narrative is more important than accumulating hundreds of hours in each category. One very strong EC (research or leadership or service) and around 100 hours each of the other categories may be sufficient even for reach schools.

Hard to say, as I'm not an adcom haha. The hours are more of a "cover your bases" suggestion I feel. In my med school I've known people with hundreds of hours of clinical experience, some with none and only shadowing, some with only clinical research experience etc. as pre-meds.

 

[emjay2021]

Your chances for interviews will be decreased with your low clinical exposure hours. Add a few more schools including:
Washington University (almost a guaranteed interview with your stats)
Vanderbilt
Ohio State
Western Michigan
Duke

Thanks for these suggestions. I'll work on broadening my school list.