WAMC 3.90 cGPA 518 MCAT, ORM, Trad applicant

[ilovelebronjames]

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Need help trimming list, if I should be doing anything else until I apply, and wondering if I am missing schools that I should be looking at, if I am top heavy, etc. Obviously want to find a school good for research but would love good clinical training, and to be in a big city(NYC, Chicago, Boston, DC- all ideal but obviously just want to get in as well). Thanks to all for the help in advance. I am a junior, aged 20. Looking to apply to ideally a max of 40 schools. Outside of volunteering maybe and publications, unsure what I should do to improve.

cGPA and sGPA as calculated by AMCAS or AACOMAS - cGPA: 3.90, sGPA: 3.86
MCAT score(s) and breakdown - 1 attempt, Jan 26: 518 (132/129/129/128)
State of residence or country of citizenship (if non-US) - OH
Ethnicity and/or race - South Asian
Undergraduate institution or category - Michigan double major in Biology & Spanish with minor in Anatomy and Physiology
Clinical experience (volunteer and non-volunteer) - 75 hours volunteer with elder patients, 400 hours as a Patient Care Associate, 200 hours as MA for local opioid addiction clinic
Research experience and productivity - 3 years in lab(will have 4 by graduation), 600 in my lab at Michigan(translational surgery research), 400 at USC through summer program. Abstract and poster for each. Unrelated case report with lab fellow, acknowledgements in manuscript from lab, working to get 1 more first author case report, 1-2 late author ortho papers, and possibly some authorship in my lab.
Shadowing experience and specialties represented - 100 hours with 27 diff physicians in 8 specialties(mostly surgery related), 3 clinical settings
Non-clinical volunteering - 150 hours through school club(with leadership for 2 years) to improve healthcare settings through volunteering, crafts, etc.
Other extracurricular activities (including athletics, military service, gap year activities, leadership, teaching, etc) - club boxing, Physics tutor, was a camp counselor for 2 summers, held leadership in a class, looking to be Anatomy TA this upcoming fall
Relevant honors or awards - scholarships from school each year, 3rd place for my age group in a half marathon in August.

High Reaches:
Harvard
Hopkins
Stanford
Duke
UCSF - have small connection, likely will do nothing
NYU(fully a donation)
Northwestern
Vanderbilt(donation)
Columbia(donation)

Reaches:
Michigan
Cornell
Emory
Sinai
UChicago
Brown
Boston

Targets:
Case Western
Hofstra
Kaiser
Pitt
OSU
UCSD
USC Keck - big connection, summer program
UMiami
Albert Einstein
Colorado - decent connection
Dartmouth
Georgetown
Tufts

Lower Targets/Baselines:
Cincinnati
Kimmel - parent alma mater/med school
Wake Forest
Ohio University Heritage(DO)
George Washington
University of Illinois
SUNY Downstate
Tulane - parent alma mater/med school and residency
Northeast Ohio
Toledo
Indiana
Loyola Stritch
Drexel
Rosalind Franklin
Temple
Wisconsin
Wayne State?

Thank you

 

[Faha]

What does your Patient Care Associate and volunteering with elder patients involve? Also, what are the details of your non clinical volunteering?

 

[ilovelebronjames]

Hey, thanks for responding! My PCA role was in an ambulatory surgical unit and post anesthesia care unit in a large cancer hospital. I did everything from checking patients in, getting vitals, to drawing blood, working with the rest of the care team(RN, NP, MD, anesthesiologist) and patient transport between connecting hospitals. The clinical volunteering I would volunteer with elder patients and round on them in their rooms to see how they were doing from a more mental/holistic perspective: checking on them, asking about their family, bringing games, newspapers, taking for walks, ambulating. The non-clinical volunteering was arts and crafts for local hospitals, nursing homes, the VA as well as volunteering in nursing homes to spend time with patients but more so on the non-clinical side as I spent more time outside of facilities and organizing these events, attending, outreach.

 

[Mr.Smile12]

Non-clinical community service is missing. I can appreciate arts/crafts, but you should gain more direct experience with people who are in need (food distribution, shelter volunteer, job/tax preparation, legal support, transportation services, or housing rehabilitation).

 

[ilovelebronjames]

That makes sense. I have maybe 70 hours at a food shelter and can definitely get more before I apply and through the summer but I don’t know what activity it would replace. Any thoughts? Also, would I be able to group these two food shelters under one experience if they were at different locations?

 

[Faha]

That makes sense. I have maybe 70 hours at a food shelter and can definitely get more before I apply and through the summer but I don’t know what activity it would replace. Any thoughts? Also, would I be able to group these two food shelters under one experience if they were at different locations?

Accumulate another 80+ hours at the food shelter before you submit your application since some schools screen at 150 hours. I suggest these schools with your stats:
Ohio State
Case Western
Cincinnati
NEOMED
Wright State
Toledo
West Virginia
U Michigan
Northwestern
Washington University
Vanderbilt
Tulane
Emory
USF Morsani
Miami
Duke
U Virginia
Johns Hopkins
Georgetown
Pittsburgh
Jefferson
Hofstra
Einstein
Mount Sinai
NYU
Columbia
Cornell
Dartmouth
Brown
Boston University
Tufts

 

[Mr.Smile12]

That makes sense. I have maybe 70 hours at a food shelter and can definitely get more before I apply and through the summer but I don’t know what activity it would replace. Any thoughts? Also, would I be able to group these two food shelters under one experience if they were at different locations?

We don't have your application. What is the difference between the two locations/experiences? I don't think you can lump them together like you would shadowing, but we need the details to confirm.

 

[ilovelebronjames]

Accumulate another 80+ hours at the food shelter before you submit your application since some schools screen at 150 hours. I suggest these schools with your stats:
Ohio State
Case Western
Cincinnati
NEOMED
Wright State
Toledo
West Virginia
U Michigan
Northwestern
Washington University
Vanderbilt
Tulane
Emory
USF Morsani
Miami
Duke
U Virginia
Johns Hopkins
Georgetown
Pittsburgh
Jefferson
Hofstra
Einstein
Mount Sinai
NYU
Columbia
Cornell
Dartmouth
Brown
Boston University
Tufts

Thanks so much. Any particular reason to opt for Vandy/Columbia over schools like Chicago/Harvard? Just looking from an MCAT perspective I would assume the latter would help as the median MCAT is lower but maybe they value service or other components higher?

 

[ilovelebronjames]

We don't have your application. What is the difference between the two locations/experiences? I don't think you can lump them together like you would shadowing, but we need the details to confirm.

If they were essentially the same thing, two food bank experiences but just in different locations(one in my hometown, one in Europe during my current study abroad). If they weren't the same thing I would think no but I would think it may be redundant to put two food pantry volunteers instead of just grouping.

 

[Mr.Smile12]

If they were essentially the same thing, two food bank experiences but just in different locations(one in my hometown, one in Europe during my current study abroad). If they weren't the same thing I would think no but I would think it may be redundant to put two food pantry volunteers instead of just grouping.

I would highlight the work you did at home.

 

[Faha]

Thanks so much. Any particular reason to opt for Vandy/Columbia over schools like Chicago/Harvard? Just looking from an MCAT perspective I would assume the latter would help as the median MCAT is lower but maybe they value service or other components higher?

Chicago and Harvard expect far more non clinical volunteering hours than you have.