WAMC/3.96/518

Discover Your Odds of Getting into Medical School
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thriving12

thriving12

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1st post on here!
  1. cGPA and sGPA as calculated by AMCAS or AACOMAS
    1. 3.96 cGPA, 3.95 sGPA
  2. MCAT score(s) and breakdown. Include all (non-voided) attempts.
    1. 518, 130/128/128/132
  3. State of residence or country of citizenship (if non-US)
    1. WI
  4. Ethnicity and/or race
    1. ORM Asian Male
  5. Undergraduate institution or category
    1. UW-Madison Senior (taking a gap year)
  6. Clinical experience (volunteer and non-volunteer)
    1. Volunteer: Hospital volunteer with dementia/geriatric patients. Sat with them and assisted with needs (ambulation and feeding) and conversation to reduce delirium. ~70 by the time of application and will continue doing this through my gap year.
    2. CNA: ~170 by the time of application, taking a gap year so will work throughout the summer at minimum and probably after too depending on what jobs I can find.
  7. Research experience and productivity.
    1. Microbiology Lab Assistant during breaks from school
      1. Volunteered over summer before sophomore year and transitioned to paid position during the winter break.
      2. Studied bacteria to help gauge road salt use and environmental impact
      3. ~250 Volunteer
      4. ~75 Hours Paid
    2. Neurophysiology Vision Lab
      1. ~800 hours
      2. Three Poster presentations
      3. Research Award
    3. Genetics/Ophthalmology Lab
      1. ~800 Hours
      2. Senior Thesis & Symposium Presentation
      3. 1-2 Potential Pubs (in-progress)
  8. Shadowing experience and specialties represented.
    1. ~50 hours Pediatric Cardiothoracic Surgeon
    2. Will be getting more in the next few months before application across multiple specialty (aiming for ~20 hours)
  9. Non-clinical volunteering
    1. Admissions Volunteering ~20 hours
  10. Other extracurricular activities (including athletics, military service, gap year activities, leadership, teaching, etc)
    1. Chinese American Student Association
      1. General Member, Intern, Public Relations Chair, President
      2. ~500 hours
    2. Lecture Manager, worked with professor to make discussion worksheets for student volunteer led discussions for other students enrolled in the course.
      1. ~40 hours
    3. Co-Founder of Community Health Education Club
      1. Club focuses on compiling and distributing of health information to help raise awareness to stay healthy in the community. (Senior Center, Schools, On Campus, Community Centers, Non-English speakers)
      2. Been working on it for a year-ish, foundation is set and hoping to get out into the community soon
      3. Kind of a personal passion project I've been trying to squeeze time into
      4. ~50 hours
    4. Math Tutor
      1. High school until sophomore year of college (300 hrs)
    5. Was also a general member in a spectrum of student orgs during various time periods (Vietnamese Student Association, AED, Undergraduate Neuroscience Society, Ceramics Club)
  11. Relevant honors or awards
    1. Freshman BME Scholarship
    2. Sophomore Research Fellowship
    3. Senior Academic Scholarship
    4. Phi Beta Kappa
  12. Anything else not listed you think might be important.
    1. Taught myself and others pottery ~250 hours
    2. Tennis Group Organizer (practice and matchplay) ~100 hours
    3. I feel like I did a bunch of random stuff especially in the first half of college so I don't entirely remember everything I did but everything I can/is significant I listed.
  13. Concerns
    1. I originally wanted to do research/industry but then decided to pursue medical school right before my junior year of college. With that said:
      1. Low EC (especially clinical exp and non-clinical volunteering)
      2. Too research heavy?
    2. Gap year suggestions?
School List
Its pretty small right now, I have a lot more research and thinking to do. Open to any thoughts and suggestions!
Mayo
Northwestern
Icahn
Michigan
Stanford
Tufts
Minnesota
Wisconsin
MCW
Rush
UIC
SLU
Sidney Kimmel
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Everything you have listed looks solid but for 1 exception: non-clinical volunteering. Volunteering for an admissions office isn't really the type of non-clinical volunteering a med school is looking for; instead, they're looking for hours that are focused directly on serving underprivileged populations (think food pantry, soup kitchen, tax preparation, transportation services, etc.). I applied (and got in!) with minimal hours in that category but can't make that recommendation for everyone. Obviously during your gap year you'd want to bring this up but it's even better if you can start now (hours by the time of application matter much more than projected hours).

As for your list - that is definitely going to need some updating. I would probably remove Rush and maybe SLU; both are going to expect significantly more commitment in the non-clinical volunteering realm. In return, maybe consider adding schools like Wayne State, Ohio State, Cincinnati, etc. People like @Faha may be able to develop a better list.
 
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AJS59 said:
Everything you have listed looks solid but for 1 exception: non-clinical volunteering. Volunteering for an admissions office isn't really the type of non-clinical volunteering a med school is looking for; instead, they're looking for hours that are focused directly on serving underprivileged populations (think food pantry, soup kitchen, tax preparation, transportation services, etc.). I applied (and got in!) with minimal hours in that category but can't make that recommendation for everyone. Obviously during your gap year you'd want to bring this up but it's even better if you can start now (hours by the time of application matter much more than projected hours).

As for your list - that is definitely going to need some updating. I would probably remove Rush and maybe SLU; both are going to expect significantly more commitment in the non-clinical volunteering realm. In return, maybe consider adding schools like Wayne State, Ohio State, Cincinnati, etc. People like @Faha may be able to develop a better list.
Click to expand...
Thank you so much!
 
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You're a very competive applicant if you can add some non-clinical volunteering with underpriviledged communities. You'll have a solid shot at some T20s. Your main focus right now should be non-clinical volunteering and obtaining more clinical experience. Shadowing another specialty would help too. Maybe primary care, psychiatry, family medicine.

Your original list looks ok. Definetely shoot your shot at the T20's. The service heavys should not be on your list through given your non-clinical volunteering. I've crossed them out below.

Mayo
Northwestern
Icahn
Michigan
Stanford
Tufts
Minnesota
Wisconsin
MCW
Rush
UIC
SLU
Sidney Kimmel

You could also apply to:
Cincinnati
NYMC
Hofstra
Miami
USF Morsani
Emory
TCU
NYU
Columbia
Creighton
Iowa
EVMS
VTC
VCU
Dartmouth
Brown
Einstein
Rochester
Case Western
Hackensack
Duke
Ohio
 
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With no non clinical volunteering your chances for interviews are limited. Accumulate 150+ hours of non clinical volunteering (food bank, homeless shelter, etc) before you apply. I suggest these schools with your stats and current ECs.
U Wisconsin
Medical College Wisconsin
Rosalind Franklin
Western Michigan
Oakland Beaumont
U Michigan
Washington University (in St.Louis)
Miami
USF Morsani
NOVA MD
Wake Forest
Belmont
Virginia Commonwealth
George Washington
Drexel
Temple
Jefferson
Pittsburgh
Rochester
New York Medical College
Mount Sinai
Vermont
Cincinnati
Quinnipiac
Tufts
 
ClashRoyaleKing said:
You're a very competive applicant if you can add some non-clinical volunteering with underpriviledged communities. You'll have a solid shot at some T20s. Your main focus right now should be non-clinical volunteering and obtaining more clinical experience. Shadowing another specialty would help too. Maybe primary care, psychiatry, family medicine.

Your original list looks ok. Definetely shoot your shot at the T20's. The service heavys should not be on your list through given your non-clinical volunteering. I've crossed them out below.

Mayo
Northwestern
Icahn
Michigan
Stanford
Tufts
Minnesota
Wisconsin
MCW
Rush
UIC
SLU
Sidney Kimmel

You could also apply to:
Cincinnati
NYMC
Hofstra
Miami
USF Morsani
Emory
TCU
NYU
Columbia
Creighton
Iowa
EVMS
VTC
VCU
Dartmouth
Brown
Einstein
Rochester
Case Western
Hackensack
Duke
Ohio
Click to expand...
Thank you so much!
 
Faha said:
With no non clinical volunteering your chances for interviews are limited. Accumulate 150+ hours of non clinical volunteering (food bank, homeless shelter, etc) before you apply. I suggest these schools with your stats and current ECs.
U Wisconsin
Medical College Wisconsin
Rosalind Franklin
Western Michigan
Oakland Beaumont
U Michigan
Washington University (in St.Louis)
Miami
USF Morsani
NOVA MD
Wake Forest
Belmont
Virginia Commonwealth
George Washington
Drexel
Temple
Jefferson
Pittsburgh
Rochester
New York Medical College
Mount Sinai
Vermont
Cincinnati
Quinnipiac
Tufts
Click to expand...
Thank you so much!
 
Tell me more about this club you co-founded. What exactly are your doing? What is your transition plan once you graduate or get into medical school? How are you choosing to go to these community centers?

If you only volunteered at those centers first before trying to come in with your own programming... like through Americorps.
 
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