WAMC and school list/suggestions

[medicineandcalculus]

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• cGPA and sGPA as calculated by AMCAS or AACOMAS
  AACOMAS cGPA and sGPA are 3.53 and 3.523 respectively with TMDSAS sGPA 3.619
• MCAT score(s) and breakdown
  510: 129 126 128 121
• State of residence or country of citizenship (if non-US)
  TX
• Ethnicity and/or race
  black
• Undergraduate institution or category
  Flagship school in state of residency
• Clinical experience (volunteer and non-volunteer)
  4 hours so far, but gain more weekly.
• Research experience and productivity
  Many hours of research (>=700) between 2 labs but no publications. Name on paper of group I volunteered with as contributor
• Shadowing experience and specialties represented
  8 hours neurosurgery
• Non-clinical volunteering
  200 since 2019, 2019-2014 ~200 between clubs, public org., uni groups Etc.
• Other extracurricular activities (including athletics, military service, gap year activities, leadership, teaching, etc)
  I instruct classes to children, teens and adults. I like to learn languages and will get another cert soon. Lifting weights
• Relevant honors or awards
  None. other than certs I've gotten in my gap year
• Anything else not listed you think might be important
  I do not currently reside in the USA, yet all above was completed in the USA. some credits from abroad but i don’t know if they need to be included. I think I have all the reqs. I was worried about some English requirements being AP credit but they seem to be accepted at the schools I was looking at. I've given some presentations at uni on some topics I found interesting to faculty and staff. I wan to be a psychiatrist.
• MD School list: Emory, McGovern, Medical College of Wisconsin, University of Minnesota, Texas Tech
• DO School list: OSU-COM, AZCOM, TUNCOM, ATSU-KCOM, KCU-COM, DMU-COM, CUSOM, VCOM (all 4 schools), WCU-COM, ACOM, PCOM, LECOM, WVSOM, NYITCOM, Touro-NY

Scores above are slightly changed for anonymity. Please do not quote this message.

I need to work on my clinical volunteering hours I saw a link somewhere about 'finding activities' but as I do not live in the US I will see if I can adapt them to fit me where I am. I do plan on shadowing and may have found someone nice enough to let me shadow them here. I am aware that this not be representative of the USA doctor experience but it is a start and hopefully something I can add more to in the future with USA doctors. Any advice is appreciated. I have already received some helpful insight and DO schools from members here. I will not be offended by criticism.

 

[Mr.Smile12]

It would help to know how much longer you will be out of the US. When are your expecting to return? I say this also to gauge your availability for any on-campus interviews or second look visits.

Please provide detail of your non clinical experiences, especially focused on community service.

 

[candbgirl]

When do you plan to apply? You aren’t ready to apply in June 2022. Four hours of clinical experience and 8 hours of shadowing , really? Are you studying abroad, working? Unless you share what your long term plans are there is nothing we can help you with. When you get back to the US you can implement that plan and get your ECs done and somewhere down the line apply. Are you a US citizen?

 

[chilly_md]

I would agree with the above. Do not apply with your current level of clinical experience. Even if you were back in the US right now, gaining 4 hrs/week for example would get you maybe 60 more hours by the time you apply this year. You will not be able to write a strong personal statement or answer secondaries asking about your exposure to healthcare.

I see you posted before and shared that you are teaching English abroad and doing a bit of Red Cross work. Based on that, I think it makes the most sense to wait till you come back here and can gain stateside experience over the next year.

 

[medicineandcalculus]

I wanted to return at the end of the summer but from seeing what you all say about my lack of experience, I have to consider moving back before the end of the summer. I work abroad and I have a contract so I would leave at the end of that.

Of my non-clinical experiences volunteering during uni: I volunteered with the library in my city, food banks, and mentoring students at high schools, mentoring other undergraduates and matching them into research labs. Of my non-clinical volunteering experiences now: I've translated grant applications from the local language to English, done research for a project leading to us a earning a large sum of money to continue working internationally, I go to schools and give talks about the sustainable development goals and how to implement them in their day-to-day, I do translations for talks from English to the local language, had a part in a talk and took part in a video in the local language to spread awareness about the SDGs.

 

[candbgirl]

I wanted to return at the end of the summer but from seeing what you all say about my lack of experience, I have to consider moving back before the end of the summer. I work abroad and I have a contract so I would leave at the end of that.

Of my non-clinical experiences volunteering during uni: I volunteered with the library in my city, food banks, and mentoring students at high schools, mentoring other undergraduates and matching them into research labs. Of my non-clinical volunteering experiences now: I've translated grant applications from the local language to English, done research for a project leading to us a earning a large sum of money to continue working internationally, I go to schools and give talks about the sustainable development goals and how to implement them in their day-to-day, I do translations for talks from English to the local language, had a part in a talk and took part in a video in the local language to spread awareness about the SDGs.

The only activity on the very long list of nonclinical volunteering that is the least bit relevant to serving the unserved/underserved in your community is the food banks work. And who knows if what you did really applies.
I don’t think coming back to America early will help you for this cycle. I mean you need 200+ hours of clinical experience(can be paid or volunteer), 50 hours of physician shadowing including time with a primary care doc and 200+ hours of nonclinical volunteer work serving the unserved/underserved in your community. You have to get off campus and out of your comfort zone. You will be working with all kinds of people as a physician and you have to be comfortable dealing with them, even at their very worst.
Your GPAs are below average, your MCAT is average or maybe a bit below so the rest of your application should be exceptional. Currently yours isn’t. You have lots of work to do to become a competitive applicant. If you are serious about going to med school you can certainly get there but you have to but in the work.

 

[chilly_md]

Yes, I think rushing to come back is not going to really help you. If you return even in March and start doing activities in April, you will only have 2 months worth of experience when submitting. Actually, I just remembered TMDAS submission is even earlier I believe, so even less than that. On top of this, you will most likely not be able to go through multiple drafts and revisions for your personal statement and activity descriptions.

Candbgirl is absolutely spot on about your application. It would be advisable to take an extra year before applying to school.

 

[medicineandcalculus]

Thanks for the feedback. I'll keep doing what am doing here then and not rush to get back. My volunteering here WRT the SDG are with schools in underservered areas so I'll be sure to mention it. I'll also speak to the non-profits I'm in to see if I can pivot to other things without leaving them. I'll still try to shadow in this country despite it to not being the same as in the USA. I do not make much money. Would it be better it try to work to get clinical experience or try to do a post-bacc and volunteer?

 

[chilly_md]

If you are in need of money, then working is a priority. Try to find a clinical job and see if the pay is enough for cost of living. Is there an upward trend for your GPA?

 

[candbgirl]

YOU CANNOT APPLY WITHOUT CLINICAL EXPERIENCE AND SHADOWING! And it should be right here in the USA.

 

[medicineandcalculus]

No, my GPA is U-shaped. the up trend is between my junior and senior years with a recent A+ post bacc in biochemistry.

Also, of course it should be in the USA but I won't not try to do some of it here. I understand the systems are not the same but bed side manner, speaking with patients etc ought to be universal experiences.

I will keep in mind that 150 is a minimum and my hours need to be clinical and non-clinical preferably with a focus on the underservered.

I don't think I said it. I won't apply this cycle. It's clear that it is not unreasonable.

Thanks to everyone for the vetting. 👍 I sincerely appreciate it.

 

[SpoiledMilk]

When you are ready to apply, please have your school's writing center go over your personal statement and secondaries. If not available, then pay for an admissions service to go over them.

 

[medicineandcalculus]

I left a like, but I want to be clear that that is something I will do.
Thank you for the foresight. I'll also look more at the TMDAS

 

[chilly_md]

U-shaped is fine, especially since you did well at the end with senior year and the biochem post-bacc. Don’t have to do more classes, just focus on the activities like you said.