WAMC/4.0/526 + low ECs & Clinical

[kjak1234]

Hi, thinking of applying this cycle and would like some input.

I am finishing my undergrad degree in 3 years (applying now as I have finished my 2nd year). I have good stats (526 MCAT 132/130/132/132; 4.0 GPA) and lots of research starting since HS (1500 hrs in HS; 2000 hrs in college, including 3 summers). I don’t however have recent shadowing and volunteering hours in college, although I am planning to acquire some future hours. In HS, though, had plenty. I have strong LORs from a non-science teacher and my research mentors.

Given my profile below, considering that I don’t have recent shadowing and volunteering, nor a science LOR yet, would I have a good chance at applying to top medical schools (t20?) this cycle? Can I include my extensive hours from high school since some are still within 3-4 years?

1. cGPA: 4.0
2. MCAT: 526

• C/P: 132
• CARS: 130
• B/B: 132
• P/S: 132

3. Undergraduate Institution: not very prestigious school w/ science major, hard to travel out of without car (hence why I was unable to acquire shadowing and volunteering)
4. Demographic: ORM

5. Research:

• 2000 hours in college (continued in the same position from high school for 1 year, before joining new lab)
• 1500 hours from HS
• 1 poster presentation upcoming
• 1 paper published (first-author); drafting another first-author manuscript
• 2+ strong PI LORs

6. Shadowing:

• Neurology (College) – 65 hrs. by May 2024
• Orthopedic Surgery (2019, high school) – 150 hrs

7. Clinical Experience (paid):

• 60 hours of patient interaction in Neurology clinic (current) – part of research job

8. Clinical Volunteering:

• ICU (high school starting 2019) – 300 hours

9. Non-Clinical Volunteering:

• Service club (college) – 50 hours (served on leadership team)
• Hoping to get around 30-50 more hours by May 2024

10. Extracurriculars:

• Blog writer for tutoring company (current): 75 hrs
• AP and college applications paid tutor (current): 250 hrs

Major concerns:

• No science teacher who I am confident knows me well enough to write a LOR, although I will try to find someone
• Lots of prior (high school) experiences in shadowing and volunteering, but less so in college – mostly due to inability to access places without a car and a large focus on research

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[chrshug]

your stats are obviously amazing so congrats on that! I think the one point of concern here is your experiences mainly from high school. The common sentiment expressed here is that you should pretend your application started when you started college (except for any longitudinal hobbies). Unfortunately, I don't think those experiences would be looked on favorably or included, further complicated by the fact that you are so young! I do not know your situation or circumstances besides what you've posted, but what I will say is that you will be compared side by side with applicants who have 1,000+ hours of recent clinical experience, some of whom have similar stats to you. These people have probably taken gap years to get more experience. As someone starting medical school this summer fresh off 2 gap years, I think my cycle went as well as it did because of the maturity and experiences I gained. Being able to speak passionately about my activities is something that comes with time and reflection.

All in all, this is just advice from someone who had a pretty good cycle and wants to give back feel free to take or leave anything I said! I truly wish you the best with everything and good luck!

 

[kjak1234]

Thank you so much for taking the time to share your insights and congrats on your successful cycle! You made a lot of great points, and I do agree that my application has a lot of gaps in it in the recent years. I will work on bulking up my hours.

Thanks again for your super kind and thoughful comment! Enjoy med school!

your stats are obviously amazing so congrats on that! I think the one point of concern here is your experiences mainly from high school. The common sentiment expressed here is that you should pretend your application started when you started college (except for any longitudinal hobbies). Unfortunately, I don't think those experiences would be looked on favorably or included, further complicated by the fact that you are so young! I do not know your situation or circumstances besides what you've posted, but what I will say is that you will be compared side by side with applicants who have 1,000+ hours of recent clinical experience, some of whom have similar stats to you. These people have probably taken gap years to get more experience. As someone starting medical school this summer fresh off 2 gap years, I think my cycle went as well as it did because of the maturity and experiences I gained. Being able to speak passionately about my activities is something that comes with time and reflection.

All in all, this is just advice from someone who had a pretty good cycle and wants to give back feel free to take or leave anything I said! I truly wish you the best with everything and good luck!

 

[ClashRoyaleKing]

Major concerns:

• No science teacher who I am confident knows me well enough to write a LOR, although I will try to find someone
• Lots of prior (high school) experiences in shadowing and volunteering, but less so in college – mostly due to inability to access places without a car and a large focus on research

You definitely need 2 science LORs, so look hard for those. You also need to get some more recent shadowing. Accumulating more clinical experience will definitely help in writing too.

For schools, definitely apply to T20's as well as a mix of mid tiers. You could apply to any of the following, pick and choose with your preferences however and cross check MSAR for any requirements.

Harvard
Columbia
Yale
Duke
Vanderbilt
Hopkins
Mayo
Stanford
Pittsburg
UPenn
UCSF
UCSD
UCI
Emory
Dartmouth
Brown
Boston
Kaiser
NYU
NYU-LI
Rochester
UWashington (in St. Louis, Faha would probably say "almost a guaranteed interview with your stats."
Hofstra
Miami
USF Morsani
Hofstra
Case Western

If you wanna add TMDSAS
Baylor
Dell

Could add, but not sure:
UCLA
USC (Keck)
NYMC
UMichigian

 

[kjak1234]

Apologies for the late reply!

I'll definitely keep all of this in mind. I really appreciate you suggesting those schools since I wasn't considering some of them. Thank you!

 

[Mr.Smile12]

• No science teacher who I am confident knows me well enough to write a LOR, although I will try to find someone

You have excellent metrics and you don't have a professor who knows you well after this many years? Not even your PI's? (The PI's count as science professor letters if your research is in "science.")

Stop counting your high school hours.

You have a serious mismatch in non-clinical community service hours. If you are going to play with the "brand schools" you have to be on par with applicants in their pools who have had hundreds if not thousands of hours showing community impact and involvement as changemakers. You don't give a lot of details so you're not boastful about your accomplishments... it's fine to be humble or it's a problem if you have nothing. You must have 150 hours at submission to avoid getting screened out at most schools, and 250 for a fair shot at many programs. Brand schools will see candidates with higher numbers of hours with accomplishments... comparable to the thousands of hours you have in research.

Your accomplishments as listed are in the research bucket, so why not pursue research as an academic? You have interests in neurology/neuroscience, and many programs would accommodate your interest there.

What is your state of legal residence?

UWashington (in St. Louis, Faha would probably say "almost a guaranteed interview with your stats."

Whoa.... branding convention is "WashU St. Louis." Respect the trademarks.

 

[Faha]

Where is your state of residence ? Your low post high school clinical and non clinical hours will limit your chances for interviews, especially at the more competitive schools.

 

[AJS59]

I really think you would stand to benefit from a gap year. Look at this way: either you can take the gap year, accumulate hours next year and then apply with your strongest foot or you can apply now and run the risk of having to re-apply again anyways. I also applied with a similar number of hours for volunteering and clinical hours and while I got in, I cannot recommend this to anyone, ESPECIALLY for people shooting for t20s.

Also, should you choose a gap year, I'd recommend getting some shadowing with a PCP to show a better diversity of experiences.

 

[kjak1234]

Thank you for all the feedback! I definitely have a lot to improve on.

I didn't realize my PI's count as science LORs since they weren't my professors in the classes I took, but that is great to know.

What is your state of legal residence?

I'm from MD.

I really think you would stand to benefit from a gap year. Look at this way: either you can take the gap year, accumulate hours next year and then apply with your strongest foot or you can apply now and run the risk of having to re-apply again anyways. I also applied with a similar number of hours for volunteering and clinical hours and while I got in, I cannot recommend this to anyone, ESPECIALLY for people shooting for t20s.

Also, should you choose a gap year, I'd recommend getting some shadowing with a PCP to show a better diversity of experiences.

Thanks for the suggestion. I will definitely consider taking a gap year since it seems like my hours are insufficient and I don't have much time to increase them this cycle.