WAMC: 3.93/521, Non-Trad

[buatodkcas]

About Me:
Age: 25
Ethnicity/Race: Caucasian
Undergraduate Institution: Auburn
Home State: Alabama
Major: Mechanical Engineering, Spring 2021

Academics/Tests:
cGPA: 3.93 / sGPA: 3.94
MCAT: 521 (131/129/131/130)
PreView: 77th percentile score

Clinical Experience:
Medical Assistant: 2000 hours (paid and current)

Volunteering:
Clinical: PACU volunteer - 335 hours (current)
Non-clinical: Preparing and serving food to underprivileged individuals - 150 hours (current) and 70 hours at my undergraduate institution with a different program

Shadowing:
Primary Care (general and pediatric): 50 hours
Surgery (ENT, Endocrine): 25 hours
Orthopedics: >200 hours of my 2000 from working as an MA (I assume this doesn't count. However, part of my job is to literally shadow/chaperone the physician and it is without question the most impactful shadowing experience I have in terms of what I've learned.)

Research Involvement:
Minimal experience in a lab in spring 2020 - cut short by COVID after ~1-2 months (counted as 0 hours on my AMCAS as I was still in my training period)
This is what I'm working on improving currently as I anticipate at minimum part-time involvement in a lab beginning this summer - hopefully something I can use to show schools it is something I'm genuinely interested in, despite current lack of experience? Hoping for ~10 hours/week as I've still got to work to pay the bills.

Other Activities:
Physics Learning Assistant (1 semester)
Tutor for an advanced engineering course (1 semester) - self prepared and conducted weekly review lectures (probably closer to TA role than tutor despite title)

LORs: all individual
Employer (physician), Science Professor (my learning assistant coordinator as well), professor and chair of my engineering dept, and a physician I've shadowed

Other:
- Transitioned from engineering career path to medicine in Fall 2019, graduating in 2021.
- Cooking/food is a massive hobby/interest and part of who I am. It is a large part of the why I participate in the volunteering activities which I am involved in. While not an "X-factor" by any means, it is certainly plays a part in making me who I am.
- Passionate about fitness and health maintenance as I've battled significant weight loss and lifestyle changes

School List (somewhat limited by only 8 hours of biology, no stats course, no casper):

In-State: UAB, USA
Stanford, Grossman, Columbia, Chicago
UCLA, emory, UCSD, northwestern, cornell, vandy, wash-stl
USC, Rochester, OSU, UVA, einstein(?)
Cincinnati, Tufts, Brown, V-Tech, Creighton, Iowa, USF, UCF, albany, st louis
Considering: loyola, tulane, thomas jefferson, George washington, mayo

Any responses appreciated - is that list too ambitious? Is my lack of research as big a concern as I feel it is and would it eliminate my chances at any of the above schools?

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[chilly_md]

You do not need to put down more than 200 hours of ortho shadowing, especially since you have enough from the other specialities. It will be clear you have an understanding of what a physician’s responsibilities are like.

Leave off Stanford (research heavy), UCLA, UCSD, Virginia Tech, UCF, and Albany.

From the schools you are considering, add Jefferson and Mayo.

Also consider:
Hofstra
Miami
Vermont
Western Michigan
Hofstra
UMass
Colorado

 

[Mr.Smile12]

Carle Illinois and Texas A&M EnMed recruit engineers, and your profile should appeal.

 

[buatodkcas]

You do not need to put down more than 200 hours of ortho shadowing, especially since you have enough from the other specialities. It will be clear you have an understanding of what a physician’s responsibilities are like.

Leave off Stanford (research heavy), UCLA, UCSD, Virginia Tech, UCF, and Albany.

From the schools you are considering, add Jefferson and Mayo.

Also consider:
Hofstra
Miami
Vermont
Western Michigan
Hofstra
UMass
Colorado

Thanks for the response. Is there a reason why you suggest leaving off VT, UCF, and albany?

I would assume UCLA/UCSD due to low OOS%. Or did you mean all of these schools are research intensive?

 

[buatodkcas]

Carle Illinois and Texas A&M EnMed recruit engineers, and your profile should appeal.

I meant to include carle. An engineering based medical school is an interesting prospect. I was unaware TAMU had a similar program as I kind of bypassed looking at Texas schools.

 

[chilly_md]

Thanks for the response. Is there a reason why you suggest leaving off VT, UCF, and albany?

I would assume UCLA/UCSD due to low OOS%. Or did you mean all of these schools are research intensive?

They will likely think you will ultimately attend school elsewhere, so they may choose not to interview (especially for Albany). UCLA and UCSD likely want to see some research and it is hard to get in as OOS since they are very popular schools. UCLA definitely has had a research question as part of its secondary. You can try Kaiser if you want another CA school.

 

[buatodkcas]

They will likely think you will ultimately attend school elsewhere, so they may choose not to interview (especially for Albany). UCLA and UCSD likely want to see some research and it is hard to get in as OOS since they are very popular schools. UCLA definitely has had a research question as part of its secondary. You can try Kaiser if you want another CA school.

Oh that's valuable info regarding UCLA - thank you. UCSD is a bit of a dream so I might still take a shot. I don't know too much about Kaiser but will look into it. From what I'm aware, it is a similar model to Grossman with regards to low tuition; and frankly, I don't feel special enough to feel like I would have a shot at such an award.

Last question: why might a school like UCF think I would accept elsewhere?

 

[chilly_md]

Oh that's valuable info regarding UCLA - thank you. UCSD is a bit of a dream so I might still take a shot. I don't know too much about Kaiser but will look into it. From what I'm aware, it is a similar model to Grossman with regards to low tuition; and frankly, I don't feel special enough to feel like I would have a shot at such an award.

Last question: why might a school like UCF think I would accept elsewhere?

You have much higher stats than their median from what I last remember. UCF is also mostly in-state and was not known to be like USF where they had a program oriented for OOS students (SELECT) and targeted high MCAT scorers.