WAMC as a re-applicant

[veil_ca]

Hi everyone! I posted on here a little while back asking for advice and was told to focus on adding volunteer hours. I’ve worked hard on that and I’m hoping to get some feedback on the current state of my application. I am a re-applicant so I’ll compare from before to now. I’ve now graduated and entered my gap year.

stats:
- cGPA: 3.63 —> 3.71
- sGPA: 3.33 —> 3.48 (C in Orgo 1, W and retake in Orgo 2)
- MCAT: 514 (126/130/126/132)

demographics:
- North Carolina, US citizen
- ORM female
- alma mater: UNC Chapel Hill

clinical experience:

• EMT license (in the middle of the class when applying), but have not worked as EMT (used it to get MA job)
• scribing remotely/virtually (ScribeAmerica) 500 —> 800 hours in UCSF’s oncology dept (quit in November)
• primary care medical assistant (not mentioned on primaries, sent in on update letters starting in October) —> 300 hours
• volunteering
  • 50 —> 100 hours (emergency department)
  • 20 —> 40 hours (hospice companionship)
  • 10 hours (just started at mobile health clinic)

research experience:

• in my lab at school: 1200 —> 1600 hours over 3.5 years (cancer-related)
  • 1 AACR poster —> +local conference poster
  • one year for class credit —> recently completed undergraduate thesis and received honors
  • summer fellowship recipient (on original app)
  • gearing up for second author pub towards end of the year; 1 mid-author submission under review
• 1 publication for helping edit a public health paper (5/11 authors) 30 hours (on original app)
• summer internship in industry 400 hours (on original app)

shadowing:

• shadowing: 6 —> 40 (oncologists)
  • I know I’m lacking here for sure, but now that I’m graduated and have the time, I’m talking to a cardiologist, pediatrician, and GI doc about shadowing with them in the next few weeks! However, I’m trying to apply ASAP when it opens so I don’t know if I’ll have this by then. is it worth waiting a week or two to submit for?

non-clinical volunteering:

• local food pantry 0 —> 150 since February. was worried about it being so recent but really nothing I can do to fix that

other EC's

• RA in the dorms 640 —> 1280 hours (two years)
• peer mentoring 110 hours
• paid tutoring bio and math 25 —> 120 hours
• didn’t have heavy club involvement, but was a co president of a journal club and a member of two other science-related clubs

awards

• honors and distinction, 2024 Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship, Dean’s List. nothing special

last year’s application: primary submitted 6/16, verified 7/22

• school list: UNC, ECU, CDU (rip), NEOMED, U of Illinois, EVMS, Virginia Tech, Larner, Netter, Penn State, UCSF, Indiana, Wake Forest, Wisconsin, Kimmel, Stryker, Colorado, OSU, Hackensack, TCU, West Virginia, NYMC, Einstein, Wright, Albany, ETSU, USC Greenville, Phoenix, Duke (rip)
  • I did not apply to DO schools. I think I will this time arounds
• no interviews, received secondaries from all but CDU
• interview waitlist —> rejection at WVU; hold —> rejection at NMYC
• feedback from a few schools; overall seems like low GPA (improved by upward trend senior year) and clinical/service hours were the issues. Essays and LORs apparently were good.

I was told pretty clearly that the major deficits in my original application were to do with in-person clinical experience and volunteer hours. I’m hopeful that I’ve done enough to shore these up, but still worried about having only 300 hours of MA experience (frustrating manager who won’t give me shifts). I’m looking into getting another job now but it won’t be reflected on my primary. And I definitely have this huge fear hanging over me that my GPA, especially sGPA, is so bad that I can’t get into med school without doing some kind of post-bacc. I have a dip in my sophomore year but an upward trend since then (and all A’s senior year), so hopefully that will help!

I also keep hearing about how important it is to apply ASAP. Last year, I submitted my primary mid-June and it took five weeks to get verified. This year, I would like to submit within the first week of it opening and I’m trying to balance submitting right away with taking extra time to add shadowing/volunteer/work hours.

Please let me know your thoughts and thank you!

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[YodaPineapple]

I am not an expert, but it’s possible schools may have been worried about your science GPA, and the science sections of your MCAT extrapolate out to a much lower score.

Wait to see what the people who know what they’re really talking about say, but it’s possible you may need to prove your skills in the sciences to schools.

It’s also entirely possible the barrier was the ECs that you’ve remedied already.

Your science GPA is also below the so called magic number of 3.5, which may even be raised to 3.6 at many schools. A post-bacc or smp could be a great way to improve that

 

[Faha]

I suggest these schools when you reapply:
UNC
East Carolina
Wake Forest
Methodist (when it opens)
NOVA MD
Belmont
Alice Walton
Roseman
TCU
Rosalind Franklin
Medical College Wisconsin
Western Michigan
Oakland Beaumont
Wayne State
Ponce (St. Louis)
Virginia Commonwealth
Eastern Virginia
George Washington
Penn State
Drexel
Temple
Jefferson
Hackensack
New York Medical College
Albany
Vermont
Quinnipiac
For DO schools I suggest these:
CUSOM
VCOM (all schools)
WVSOM
PCOM
LECOM
NYITCOM
Touro-NY
KCU-COM
ATSU-KCOM
DMU-COM
AZCOM

 

[veil_ca]

I suggest these schools when you reapply:
UNC
East Carolina
Wake Forest
Methodist (when it opens)
NOVA MD
Belmont
Alice Walton
Roseman
TCU
Rosalind Franklin
Medical College Wisconsin
Western Michigan
Oakland Beaumont
Wayne State
Ponce (St. Louis)
Virginia Commonwealth
Eastern Virginia
George Washington
Penn State
Drexel
Temple
Jefferson
Hackensack
New York Medical College
Albany
Vermont
Quinnipiac
For DO schools I suggest these:
CUSOM
VCOM (all schools)
WVSOM
PCOM
LECOM
NYITCOM
Touro-NY
KCU-COM
ATSU-KCOM
DMU-COM
AZCOM

Hi Faha, thank you! So I would take this to assume you think I have a chance at MD schools despite the low sGPA?
I am also wondering about schools like Rosalind Franklin and GWU- aren’t they famously service-oriented? I’ve heard they would several hundreds of service hours and I’m definitely not up there with mine.

 

[veil_ca]

I am not an expert, but it’s possible schools may have been worried about your science GPA, and the science sections of your MCAT extrapolate out to a much lower score.

Wait to see what the people who know what they’re really talking about say, but it’s possible you may need to prove your skills in the sciences to schools.

It’s also entirely possible the barrier was the ECs that you’ve remedied already.

Your science GPA is also below the so called magic number of 3.5, which may even be raised to 3.6 at many schools. A post-bacc or smp could be a great way to improve that

Thank you for your response. I’m definitely very very worried about the sGPA. I really do not want to do a post-bacc/smp, they are so expensive and I hate to take more undergrad classes but I guess I will look into a post-bacc if I have to. Maybe if I could just take 2 or 3 upper level science classes in the fall it would be enough, but I’d be worried not getting the grades back until December dooms me for this cycle, too.

 

[Mr.Smile12]

In general, I don't count activities with fewer than 50 hours unless it's shadowing, which you're better since you're closer to the 50 hours we recommend. The food pantry hours are better than zero, so let's see if that helps you. It is striking that you got no action from your in-state options, and I would encourage you to include DO schools this time around, as Faha lists. The sGPA of 3.50 is fine, but we'll see.

 

[Faha]

Hi Faha, thank you! So I would take this to assume you think I have a chance at MD schools despite the low sGPA?
I am also wondering about schools like Rosalind Franklin and GWU- aren’t they famously service-oriented? I’ve heard they would several hundreds of service hours and I’m definitely not up there with mine.

Your service hours are adequate for those schools.

 

[veil_ca]

@Goro May I solicit your opinion as well?

 

[Goro]

@Goro May I solicit your opinion as well?

What are your year by year GPAs?
Many of the schools in your list are donations. Faha's list is much better. I didn't know Alice Walton was taking students yet!

 

[veil_ca]

What are your year by year GPAs?
Many of the schools in your list are donations. Faha's list is much better. I didn't know Alice Walton was taking students yet!

That was my list from last year, I’m definitely updating it for this year! And yeah, I didn’t realize either but looks like they started taking apps mid-cycle!
cGPA: 3.63 —> 3.48 —> 3.58 —> 4.0
sGPA: 3.31 —> 3.15 —> 3.38 —> 4.0

I tried to explain the sophomore year dip (personal family issues + really not knowing how to study for difficult stem classes) but I guess I have to go more in depth. I got a C in orgo 1, withdrew from orgo 2 and retook it for a B. Otherwise the low sGPA is mostly due to Bs in gen chems and physics.

 

[Goro]

That was my list from last year, I’m definitely updating it for this year! And yeah, I didn’t realize either but looks like they started taking apps mid-cycle!
cGPA: 3.63 —> 3.48 —> 3.58 —> 4.0
sGPA: 3.31 —> 3.15 —> 3.38 —> 4.0

I tried to explain the sophomore year dip (personal family issues + really not knowing how to study for difficult stem classes) but I guess I have to go more in depth. I got a C in orgo 1, withdrew from orgo 2 and retook it for a B. Otherwise the low sGPA is mostly due to Bs in gen chems and physics.

Invest in MSAR and especially target schools from Faha's list where your gpas are above the 10th percentile for accepted students.

 

[veil_ca]

I suggest these schools when you reapply:
UNC
East Carolina
Wake Forest
Methodist (when it opens)
NOVA MD
Belmont
Alice Walton
Roseman
TCU
Rosalind Franklin
Medical College Wisconsin
Western Michigan
Oakland Beaumont
Wayne State
Ponce (St. Louis)
Virginia Commonwealth
Eastern Virginia
George Washington
Penn State
Drexel
Temple
Jefferson
Hackensack
New York Medical College
Albany
Vermont
Quinnipiac
For DO schools I suggest these:
CUSOM
VCOM (all schools)
WVSOM
PCOM
LECOM
NYITCOM
Touro-NY
KCU-COM
ATSU-KCOM
DMU-COM
AZCOM

Can I apply to Ponce without speaking Spanish?

 

[veil_ca]

Invest in MSAR and especially target schools from Faha's list where your gpas are above the 10th percentile for accepted students.

In that case, do you think I have a decent chance without a postbacc? Or should I look into postbaccs just in case (god forbid) I become a 3x reapplicant?

 

[LunaOri]

I don’t think you need a postbacc. I would delay the application by a week or two to get those additional hours you mentioned. And make sure you have someone read your application to make sure that your essays are well written and show clearly why you want to be a physician.

 

[Goro]

I don’t think you need a postbacc. I would delay the application by a week or two to get those additional hours you mentioned. And make sure you have someone read your application to make sure that your essays are well written and show clearly why you want to be a physician.

I concur 1000% with my wise colleague.

 

[Faha]

Can I apply to Ponce without speaking Spanish?

Ponce St. Louis-yes.