MD WAMC? 524 4.0 Applicant (College Senior on 1-Gap Year Track)

[BigDawg101]

Hey everyone! I am applying this cycle on AMCAS and TMDSAS for the 2024-2025 cycle. I am a NC resident and go to a top-50 private US college.

MCAT: 524 (131/129/132/132)
sGPA, cGPA: 4.0

Race: ORM (Chinese)

Major: Biochemistry and Spanish

Key Interests: Public Health, MD, MD-MPH dual degree

Clinical Experience: 450 hours as a medical Spanish interpreter at various free clinics/non-profits in my town. I directly work with physicians during consults for underserved patients. Included are 50 hours I have completed in a hospital, with pediatrics and ED consults. I will get 800-1000 hours more between April 2024 and the time I matriculate in July 2025 as an AmeriCorps intern.

Shadowing: 80 hours (ortho, heme/onc, IR, cardiology, gastroenterology)

Non-Clinical Volunteering: 220 hours in a food pantry (registering/escorting clients in Spanish/English). I will get 250-300 more hours during gap year.

Research: 1100 hours in a plant physiology lab (I made 2 posters I shared at the school's undergrad research conference). I worked two whole summers collecting data, with one of those summers being entirely in Kenya. Intending to write a manuscript for publication, but this will not likely be published until earlier next year. I also joined a virology lab and plan to work as a paid research assistant for one full year (1700 hours), hoping to get my name on a few more manuscripts.

Other ECs:
Residential Adviser (since Fall 2021, 1400 hours, three years)
Chemistry Tutor and Supplemental Lecturer (250 hours) -- lead tutoring sessions and worked with students one-on-one
Non-Profit Intern (250 hours with 150 more projected between April 2024 and August 2024 -- assist in calling patients and clients, registering them for services, designing promotional handouts, fundraising, and doing community outreach and tabling in underserved areas)
Linguistics Research (150 hours and gave a presentation at a regional conference)

Chess Club (150 hours, Treasurer (Fall '23 - Spring '24)
Student Conduct Adviser (40 hours)

School List (Tentative) -- 25 schools
- UNC
- ECU
- Duke
- Vermont
- Texas A& M
- Baylor
- McGovern
- UTSW
- Emory
- Geisel Dartmouth
- Wake Forest
- Wash U. St. Louis
- Weill Cornell
- Hofstra Northwell
- Case Western
- Hackensack Meridian
- University of Colorado
- EVMS
- Quinnipiac
- Northwestern University Feinberg
- Ohio State
- Perelman UPenn
- UVA
- VCU
- Vanderbilt

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[Alejandro]

I might advise shadowing someone in primary care based on your exposures. Its pretty clear that you're highly successful and so forth, but I do think doing some lip service to at least say you have explored outpatient medicine/primary care would be an asset. Plus some of the schools on your list are pretty prominent in the primary care space. If i saw your app i might assume that you think youre too cool for school which might be true, but no need to make it seem too obvious.

I'm curious to see what else you do in your spare time. Clearly academically accomplished, but I'd love to see what else you bring to the table from an admissions standpoint. (Not asking you to answer this, its just a suggestion in terms of where to take your application next).

Schoolwise, i think you have a decent mix of schools so i think you should be fine.

 

[Faha]

Remove Vermont, EVMS, VCU since they will "yield protect" with your stats. You could add these schools:
Harvard
Yale
Einstein
Mount Sinai
Johns Hopkins
NYU

 

[Mr.Smile12]

What are your Americorps responsibilities? Why are you applying to Texas schools?

 

[BigDawg101]

What are your Americorps responsibilities? Why are you applying to Texas schools?

My AmeriCorps responsibilities are calling patients, registering them for clinics and other services, designing promotional material, tabling, and also volunteering clinically and non-clinically all at a local non profit that has a food bank and medical clinic. I also interpret at other non profits as well. It’s called the public health americorps program and its service based although I am paid in a stipend per month. I have a 900 hour service time commitment, and I will repeat this program again from this September 1st to August 31st before I matriculate hopefully.

 

[BigDawg101]

My AmeriCorps responsibilities are calling patients, registering them for clinics and other services, designing promotional material, tabling, and also volunteering clinically and non-clinically all at a local non profit that has a food bank and medical clinic. I also interpret at other non profits as well. It’s called the public health americorps program and its service based although I am paid in a stipend per month. I have a 900 hour service time commitment, and I will repeat this program again from this September 1st to August 31st before I matriculate hopefully.

I am applying via TMDSAS due to my high stats and Spanish fluency. I know it’s a tough competition but they have great in state tuition and I am hoping my experiences will earn me an interview or two.

 

[BigDawg101]

Remove Vermont, EVMS, VCU since they will "yield protect" with your stats. You could add these schools:
Harvard
Yale
Einstein
Mount Sinai
Johns Hopkins
NYU

I’m wary of doing this with zero true research productivity. No National conferences or publications or abstracts. Also, my publication next year is hopeful. Why get rejected for something I know they are looking for which I don’t have? That was my logic. Would you still recommend I try?

 

[Faha]

I’m wary of doing this with zero true research productivity. No National conferences or publications or abstracts. Also, my publication next year is hopeful. Why get rejected for something I know they are looking for which I don’t have? That was my logic. Would you still recommend I try?

Yes, you have a 4.0 GPA and your MCAT is in the top 1% .

 

[BigDawg101]

I guess one question I have is what weaknesses do you see on my application, and what do you recommend I pursue for my gap year? I already mentioned my route as a virology lab researcher AND volunteer interpreter, but my plans are not solidified yet. I have routes as a full time hospital staff Spanish interpreter, a clinical research coordinator in psychiatry, and the combined virology lab tech, public health AmeriCorps thing. The virology lab is bench work. What would you recommend?

 

[Mr.Smile12]

I guess one question I have is what weaknesses do you see on my application, and what do you recommend I pursue for my gap year? I already mentioned my route as a virology lab researcher AND volunteer interpreter, but my plans are not solidified yet. I have routes as a full time hospital staff Spanish interpreter, a clinical research coordinator in psychiatry, and the combined virology lab tech, public health AmeriCorps thing. The virology lab is bench work. What would you recommend?

We don't actually have your application to give you definite advice, but I have things to think about.

You are striving to play at the Olympic level of applications. The "weakness" you have will come from trying to compare yourself to similar applicants. You probably haven't been elected president of a country or run your own food pantry from $5M of donations yet or gotten 5 first-author publications in Cell. You may not have organized a youth protest rally for climate change when you were 18, or rebuilt a community devastated by forest fires or hurricanes as an Eagle Scout (that time has passed). Others are going to feel inadequate because you spent time in Kenya or got an Americorps position or can speak Spanish/Chinese/Russian (if applicable) to patients.

I would recommend understanding yourself and why your experiences make you more prepared and valuable to a community as a future physician. This isn't an easy task for those below 30 (or 50), but the more you appreciate your accomplishments and vision/purpose, the easier it is for admissions committees to ascertain your mission fit with their program. Don't try to do everything to please other people (much easier once you cross 30 years old); do things that help you achieve your goals and keep you healthy in that pursuit. Your weaknesses could be others' strengths, and if you can appreciate that, your journey as a professional will be much more pleasant.

 

[RunnerDad]

Don't try to do everything to please other people (much easier once you cross 30 years old); do things that help you achieve your goals and keep you healthy in that pursuit. Your weaknesses could be others' strengths, and if you can appreciate that, your journey as a professional will be much more pleasant.

Some of us learned this much later in life, but this is so, so true.

 

[LeaveNoTrace]

I’m wary of doing this with zero true research productivity. No National conferences or publications or abstracts. Also, my publication next year is hopeful. Why get rejected for something I know they are looking for which I don’t have? That was my logic. Would you still recommend I try?

I mean - does a bear do its business in the woods?

You are a solid applicant for top-20 schools; the Spanish proficiency adds a little as does the solid ECs and Americorps service. You're not an unobtainium-grade rock star...but even SDN maybe gets a couple people like that a year. The Navy SEAL with a 4.0 and 523, or the former concert pianist, or the Army Ranger officer. These people are rare even at Harvard. People like you make up the bulk of the class at top 20 schools and you'd be shooting yourself in the foot not to apply. I'd bet cash money on you getting several top-20 interviews if your list is 15 top 20s, some midtiers, and your state schools.

 

[LunaOri]

UMass likes high-stat OOS applicants, and you have enough service activities to catch their attention. Actually, any of the New England schools other than UConn are strong possibilities.