WAMC? Applying this May

[creativead777]

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First-time applicant applying straight through (no gap year), preparing AMCAS. More info:

• Age: 21 (traditional applicant)
• State of residence: Missouri
• Citizenship: U.S.
• Ethnicity/Race: ORM (North African so I list white)
• Education: Currently completing undergraduate degree at a Midwestern private university.
  • cGPA (AMCAS): 3.90
  • sGPA (AMCAS): 3.99
• MCAT: 522 (single attempt)
• Clinical experience:
  • 500 hours as a Patient Care Technician
  • 260 hours hospital volunteering (patient transport)
• Research:
  • ~2,000+ total hours across basic science, clinical/translational, and qualitative health policy research
  • Productivity: peer-reviewed educational microbiology chapters (co-first author on two), 3 poster presentations, one oral presentation, internal competitive research grant
• Shadowing:
  • ~170 hours total
  • Transplant hepatology, pediatric neurology (PICU/NICU), general pediatrics, pediatric cardiology
• Non-clinical volunteering / service:
  • ~120 Mental health policy advocacy pod (worked with city officials on suicide prevention outreach)
  • ~550 Founder & Treasurer of a university blood drive organization
  • ~120 hours hospice bereavement support volunteering
  • ~200 Private STEM tutoring for underserved local children
• Teaching / leadership / other extracurriculars:
  • ~165 Biology TA
  • [COLOR=rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.6)]~120 hrs Chemistry teaching lab preparatory assistant[/COLOR]
  • Long-term fitness/weightlifting hobby
• Letters of recommendation:
  
  • Committee letter from my university, with my basic science and health policy PIs both contributing (as well as the professor I was a TA for)

I am primarily applying MD and am interested in research-heavy and academic medicine programs. As a straight-through applicant, I am unsure whether my school list is too top-heavy and whether I should broaden my mid-tier options.

Here is my current school list:

• Harvard (MD)
• Johns Hopkins (MD)
• Stanford (MD)
• Yale (MD)
• UPenn Perelman (MD)
• Duke (MD)
• UCSF (MD)
• Columbia (MD)
• Washington University in St. Louis (MD)
• NYU Grossman (MD)
• Vanderbilt (MD)
• Mayo Clinic (MD)
• Weill Cornell (MD)
• Northwestern (MD)
• UCLA (MD)
• University of Michigan (MD)
• University of Pittsburgh (MD)
• Emory (MD)
• Icahn at Mount Sinai (MD)
• University of Chicago Pritzker (MD)
• Case Western Reserve (MD)
• USC Keck (MD)
• University of Virginia (MD)
• Georgetown (MD)
• Alice Walton (MD)
• Boston University (MD)
• Ohio State (MD)
• Albert Einstein (MD)
• University of Miami (MD)
• University of Colorado (MD)
• Saint Louis University (MD)
• University of Missouri–Columbia (MD)
• University of Missouri–Kansas City (MD)

Do I have a realistic chance across this MD list as a straight-through applicant, or should I expand my school list further? Are there specific schools here that stand out as particularly good or poor fits?

 

[RockClimberMed]

Youll be good bruv

 

[Mr.Smile12]

Welcome to the forums.

What's your narrative? Where's your service orientation activities? Your research is lumped together and very broad, so I can't tell if you understand hypothesis-based research. The profile shows me a Jack of all trades but could be a master of none from what is given. And still no service orientation that is not health adjacent.

I would expect you getting a lot of attention, but mission fit is a challenge to me. You need 250 hours of service orientation, and I don't see anything that would make your application stand out.

 

[wysdoc]

First-time applicant applying straight through (no gap year), preparing AMCAS. More info:

• Age: 21 (traditional applicant)
• State of residence: Missouri
• Citizenship: U.S.
• Ethnicity/Race: ORM (North African so I list white)
• Education: Currently completing undergraduate degree at a Midwestern private university.
  • cGPA (AMCAS): 3.90
  • sGPA (AMCAS): 3.99
• MCAT: 522 (single attempt)
• Clinical experience:
  • 500 hours as a Patient Care Technician
  • 260 hours hospital volunteering (patient transport)
• Research:
  • ~2,000+ total hours across basic science, clinical/translational, and qualitative health policy research
  • Productivity: peer-reviewed educational microbiology chapters (co-first author on two), 3 poster presentations, one oral presentation, internal competitive research grant
• Shadowing:
  • ~170 hours total
  • Transplant hepatology, pediatric neurology (PICU/NICU), general pediatrics, pediatric cardiology
• Non-clinical volunteering / service:
  • ~120 Mental health policy advocacy pod (worked with city officials on suicide prevention outreach)
  • ~550 Founder & Treasurer of a university blood drive organization
  • ~120 hours hospice bereavement support volunteering
  • ~200 Private STEM tutoring for underserved local children
• Teaching / leadership / other extracurriculars:
  • ~165 Biology TA
  • [COLOR=rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.6)]~120 hrs Chemistry teaching lab preparatory assistant[/COLOR]
  • Long-term fitness/weightlifting hobby
• Letters of recommendation:
  • Committee letter from my university, with my basic science and health policy PIs both contributing (as well as the professor I was a TA for)

I am primarily applying MD and am interested in research-heavy and academic medicine programs. As a straight-through applicant, I am unsure whether my school list is too top-heavy and whether I should broaden my mid-tier options.

Here is my current school list:

• Harvard (MD)
• Johns Hopkins (MD)
• Stanford (MD)
• Yale (MD)
• UPenn Perelman (MD)
• Duke (MD)
• UCSF (MD)
• Columbia (MD)
• Washington University in St. Louis (MD)
• NYU Grossman (MD)
• Vanderbilt (MD)
• Mayo Clinic (MD)
• Weill Cornell (MD)
• Northwestern (MD)
• UCLA (MD)
• University of Michigan (MD)
• University of Pittsburgh (MD)
• Emory (MD)
• Icahn at Mount Sinai (MD)
• University of Chicago Pritzker (MD)
• Case Western Reserve (MD)
• USC Keck (MD)
• University of Virginia (MD)
• Georgetown (MD)
• Alice Walton (MD)
• Boston University (MD)
• Ohio State (MD)
• Albert Einstein (MD)
• University of Miami (MD)
• University of Colorado (MD)
• Saint Louis University (MD)
• University of Missouri–Columbia (MD)
• University of Missouri–Kansas City (MD)

Do I have a realistic chance across this MD list as a straight-through applicant, or should I expand my school list further? Are there specific schools here that stand out as particularly good or poor fits?

I think you have a strong variety of activities along with your excellent stats.
A few you could leave off your list:
UMKC takes most of its class from their BS/MD program
UM-Columbia only if you’re from Missouri
Alice Walton is a new school & won’t have the research you are looking for

 

[creativead777]

Welcome to the forums.

What's your narrative? Where's your service orientation activities? Your research is lumped together and very broad, so I can't tell if you understand hypothesis-based research. The profile shows me a Jack of all trades but could be a master of none from what is given. And still no service orientation that is not health adjacent.

I would expect you getting a lot of attention, but mission fit is a challenge to me. You need 250 hours of service orientation, and I don't see anything that would make your application stand out.

Hi, I can clarify a bit so you get a bit of a better idea:
my research in my basic science lab is focused on antibiotic discovery, and we mainly tested a large supply of known & unknown compounds against antibiotic resistant bacteria. My policy work is focused on how medical practice is regulated/legislated, focusing specifically on how opioids are policed on both patients and physicians as well as how abortion has become more policed in recent years. My clinical/translational research is focused on finding genetic influences on ischemic reperfusion injury.

Also, I should get my bereavement close to 300 hours by May, all of my hours were listed as they currently stand.

Please let me know if that helps kinda address what you mentioned, and if not what you recommend I could change in my list/try to bolster my app with come may!

Thanks’

 

[Mr.Smile12]

Hi, I can clarify a bit so you get a bit of a better idea:
my research in my basic science lab is focused on antibiotic discovery, and we mainly tested a large supply of known & unknown compounds against antibiotic resistant bacteria. My policy work is focused on how medical practice is regulated/legislated, focusing specifically on how opioids are policed on both patients and physicians as well as how abortion has become more policed in recent years. My clinical/translational research is focused on finding genetic influences on ischemic reperfusion injury.

Also, I should get my bereavement close to 300 hours by May, all of my hours were listed as they currently stand.

Please let me know if that helps kinda address what you mentioned, and if not what you recommend I could change in my list/try to bolster my app with come may!

Thanks’

Well, sort of. Note, I'm trying to give you constructive advice to improve your profile and your chances for an interview and an offer. The details matter, so I only go with what you have disclosed.

What I mean by a narrative: I want to know what motivates you to pursue medicine over the next 30 years. I understand the curiosity about medicine and its impacts, and many faculty will appreciate it. However, the few faculty I have worked with want to be sure you aren't paralyzed by this curiosity when choosing your path to a specialty. Where do you see yourself satisfied as a future resident and physician when it comes to your role: more diagnostic, more hands-on, more big-picture/pattern, more academic, more innovative/impactful? Many know and admire the idealism of the "Jack of all trades," but from their experience, they know the problems of being "master of none."

Service orientation is very important because most schools understand that one of medicine's greatest impacts comes from the duty to care for everyone in the life context they inhabit. Most schools see applicants with significant hours that buttress their understanding of social determinants of health. Maybe you have that with your health policy capstone; some schools may not view it that way. Food distribution, shelter volunteer, job/tax preparation, legal support, transportation services, or housing rehabilitation usually fulfills this bucket, and any way to show your interest in these areas outside of the safety net of a campus support structure (i.e., after you graduate when you have more control over how you spend your time) will benefit you with service-oriented programs.

Comforting the isolated and bereaved shows a strong desire to form empathetic connections (why not become a counselor or a chaplain?). I am sure you learn about life context when tutoring underresourced schoolchildren (along with being a TA, teaching/mentoring shows academic competence). But when you are given a choice to pursue an "academic career" with a solid dose of "research," what will you do if you are given a choice of hard-core bench science, animal models, behavioral or clinical studies, community health, or policy/systems improvement? You have lumped your 3 projects into one 2000-hour experience and undesignated presentation assets. If asked about research, how would you juggle the three in a way that makes a PI (who is usually focused on one area) want you as a mentee? If it is in the area of health policy, how do you see yourself doing this? AMSA has several advocacy committees, so which one would you choose? They aren't the only ones. Which schools help their students get involved in national advocacy? (Sure, the brand-name schools should, but how do they support those students to pursue those interests.) How do you convince a faculty or student interviewer to be excited about what you could do as a student, assuming you pass the preclinical curriculum?

Clearly, you have the metrics and a variety of experiences. Your essays need to persuade us that you are capable of drawing a through-line that points towards a focused pursuit of medicine and the anticipated impact/vision you wish to make that align with their mission to train future physicians throughout the healthcare workforce.

Happiness 2.0: Cultivating Your Purpose - Hidden Brain Media

Having a sense of purpose can be a buffer against the challenges we all face at various stages of life. Purpose can also boost our health and longevity. In the kick-off to our annual You 2.0 series, Cornell University psychologist Anthony Burrow explains why purpose isn’t something to be found —...

www.hiddenbrain.org

 

[creativead777]

Well, sort of. Note, I'm trying to give you constructive advice to improve your profile and your chances for an interview and an offer. The details matter, so I only go with what you have disclosed.

What I mean by a narrative: I want to know what motivates you to pursue medicine over the next 30 years. I understand the curiosity about medicine and its impacts, and many faculty will appreciate it. However, the few faculty I have worked with want to be sure you aren't paralyzed by this curiosity when choosing your path to a specialty. Where do you see yourself satisfied as a future resident and physician when it comes to your role: more diagnostic, more hands-on, more big-picture/pattern, more academic, more innovative/impactful? Many know and admire the idealism of the "Jack of all trades," but from their experience, they know the problems of being "master of none."

Service orientation is very important because most schools understand that one of medicine's greatest impacts comes from the duty to care for everyone in the life context they inhabit. Most schools see applicants with significant hours that buttress their understanding of social determinants of health. Maybe you have that with your health policy capstone; some schools may not view it that way. Food distribution, shelter volunteer, job/tax preparation, legal support, transportation services, or housing rehabilitation usually fulfills this bucket, and any way to show your interest in these areas outside of the safety net of a campus support structure (i.e., after you graduate when you have more control over how you spend your time) will benefit you with service-oriented programs.

Comforting the isolated and bereaved shows a strong desire to form empathetic connections (why not become a counselor or a chaplain?). I am sure you learn about life context when tutoring underresourced schoolchildren (along with being a TA, teaching/mentoring shows academic competence). But when you are given a choice to pursue an "academic career" with a solid dose of "research," what will you do if you are given a choice of hard-core bench science, animal models, behavioral or clinical studies, community health, or policy/systems improvement? You have lumped your 3 projects into one 2000-hour experience and undesignated presentation assets. If asked about research, how would you juggle the three in a way that makes a PI (who is usually focused on one area) want you as a mentee? If it is in the area of health policy, how do you see yourself doing this? AMSA has several advocacy committees, so which one would you choose? They aren't the only ones. Which schools help their students get involved in national advocacy? (Sure, the brand-name schools should, but how do they support those students to pursue those interests.) How do you convince a faculty or student interviewer to be excited about what you could do as a student, assuming you pass the preclinical curriculum?

Clearly, you have the metrics and a variety of experiences. Your essays need to persuade us that you are capable of drawing a through-line that points towards a focused pursuit of medicine and the anticipated impact/vision you wish to make that align with their mission to train future physicians throughout the healthcare workforce.

Happiness 2.0: Cultivating Your Purpose - Hidden Brain Media

Having a sense of purpose can be a buffer against the challenges we all face at various stages of life. Purpose can also boost our health and longevity. In the kick-off to our annual You 2.0 series, Cornell University psychologist Anthony Burrow explains why purpose isn’t something to be found —...

www.hiddenbrain.org

I guess my only question now is if you have any advice for something actionable I can do to work on my application until this May. Any advice is greatly appreciated!

 

[Mr.Smile12]

I guess my only question now is if you have any advice for something actionable I can do to work on my application until this May. Any advice is greatly appreciated!

Work on your writing. Practice secondary essays. Network with current students and admissions officers. Don't take an offer for granted. Make the schools recruit you.