wamc / balancing school list for md-phd 3.5/515 URM TX

[poptartdeconstructionist]

Hello, I was hoping I could get some advice on cutting down my school list. I want to apply broadly, and I feel like my stats confuse me about my chances. I want a more balanced list, so I put a bunch of options in a doc. I’m at 60 or so, trying to cut down to 30, and I already sent my app to the 7 in purple.

*For Reference -- I’m also applying to all schools in TMDSAS and kept my list to temperate/warm areas as much as possible*

Demographics and Stats

• 23M, URM, 2 gap years, TX Resident (soft ties to CA, GA)
• T20 undergrad, BS in physics and neurobiology
• 3.50 GPA, 3.56sGPA, 508 → 515 MCAT

Narrative

• Talked about personal experience with family disorder: physician role model → research interest in disorder → Fell in love with research and learning → sought out clinical research → Research empowers patients
• MDPHD essay focuses on education and leadership in academic medicine, research coming from the community, advocating in the science community
• Tried to tell alot of stories, show my personality in my ECs
• Future Research Interests → BME/computational biophysics in umbrella field related to family disorder (hem/onc x cardiovascular)

Research (~2900 hours, 0 projected technically)

• neuroimaging and physiology research lab in undergrad, lots of small different projects in neuroscience
• computational neuroscience lab, wrote a 1st author manuscript on math modeling of neuron sodium pumps
• clinical/development psychology lab as a full-time research assistant doing intervention work to help emotional regulation.

Research Output

• 2 Posters/Conferences, 1 Presentation, 2 publications (1st author + conference abstract)

Clinical Experience (750, 2000 projected)

• [MME 1] Currently working in a translational neuroscience / clinical psychology lab as a full-time clinical research assistant and, taking on a phlebotomy role as well.
  • Cognitive Health tests, health exams, lots of participant interaction, and assessment administration. No manuscripts in the pipeline

Extracurriculars

• Various Tutoring and Teaching (800* total, 375 projected)
  • College Biology TA for 2 semesters, SAT Math Tutor in under-served high school for 1 semester
  • SAT & AP Tutor/Instructor Job for 1 semester, Small Private tutoring for about 1+ year
  • First-Gen College Access Mentoring for 2 years (Hours on App for Volunteering)
  • Currently employed part-time as MCAT Instructor
• Leadership (1920 hrs, 0 projected)
  • [MME 2] Social Multicultural Fraternity (1800hrs)
    • Some volunteering initiatives and leadership positions with college fraternity (listed all hours for leadership). Started a new chair position based on philanthropy, liked putting on quirky events, and became Vice-President as a senior
  • Freshman year Hall Council (120hrs) -- Put on Cute social events

Volunteering (375hrs, 0 projected)

• [MME 3] First-Gen College Access Mentoring for 2 years
• Talked about fundraising for philanthropic organizations in a fraternity (no hours listed)

Shadowing (~40hrs, 20 projected),

• some in Nuclear Medicine, IM, Neurosurgery

Other Stuff - programs/honors

• Participated in AAMC’s SHPEP (200hrs)
• $5000 Undergrad Research Fellowship
• participated in a Diversity in Medicine workshop at a T10 Medical School (20hrs)
• Hobby was a story about liking video games like RockBand and turning it into a hobby

Schools I'm Considering...
Non-Negotiables (Already Applied)

• Morehouse (UW-MSTP)
• Yale SOM (MSTP)
• Howard COM (PhD?)
• Stanford SOM (MSTP)
• UCSF SOM (MSTP)
• Meharry COM (PhD?)
• Charles R Drew COM

Top Interest

• Mayo Clinic (MSTP)
• Emory SOM (MSTP)
• UCLA SOM (MSTP)
• USC Keck SOM (PhD)
• Case Western (MSTP)
• Kaiser SOM (PhD)
• VCU SOM (MSTP)
• UIUC Carle (M1 MDPHD)

Heavily Interested

• Tulane SOM (PhD)
• VTech Carilion SOM (PhD)
• MCG Augusta (PhD)
• Wake Forest SOM (PhD)
• UArizona PHX MD Only
• UCSD SOM (MSTP)
• UC Davis SOM (MSTP)
• UMD SOM (MSTP)

Moderately Interested

• LSU New Orleans (MSTP)
• UC Irvine (MSTP)
• UColorado (MSTP)
• South Carolina MUSC (MSTP)
• UNC-Chapel Hill (MSTP)
• UMiami (MSTP)
• LSU SOM Shrevport (PhD)
• FAU (PhD)
• Georgetown (PhD)
• Mizzou SOM (PhD)
• TCU
• N.OVA Southeastern
• Eastern Virginia EVMS
• George Washington GWU
• Wake Forest SOM (PhD)
• UArizona Tucson MSTP
• UPitt SOM (MSTP)
• Albert Einstein (MSTP)
• UNMC (Nebraska) (LEAD MSTP)
• UTHSC TEnnesee (PhD)
• Temple Katz SOM (PhD)
• Ohio State University (MSTP)
• Creighton SOM PHX (PhD)

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[ddhopeful]

Your MCAT is very good based on historical URM scores. Your GPA is average for that group and you are a T20 undergrad. You should receive As from a few of these programs. Best of luck.

 

[Fencer]

There is no UC Davis MSTP. The T32 is for DVM/PhD. You missed MSTPs in Texas but you clearly want to get out. Some of your schools are truly aspirational.

My standard advice:
I tell applicants to be very open to applying broadly. Take AAMC table B-8 in excel from the AAMC FACTS tables webpage. Calculate number of applicants per matriculating slot of all programs. Select the list of MSTP programs from the NIGMS website. Arrange the spreadsheet by size of entry class. Examine table B-12 to see if a particular year was odd with more matriculants than it seems. Check their websites. For example, my program takes 7 applicants every year since 2018, we used to take 4-5 prior to that. We just received an Impact Score of top 5% in our T32 MSTP renewal, and we will be adding an extra slot per year (now 8/yr since 2022). Examine NIH funding tables at the Blue Ridge or NIH websites, particularly looking at funding from the NIH Institute of your area of interest (NCI, NIA, etc.). Depending upon your stats, you will group the 53 MSTPs by groups of 15-20, and select several from each group for your list... You have to have different levels of difficulty to make sure that you get into the best program for you (interest, fit, location, etc. low in the scale is USNWR ranking or perceived prestige). Choose at least 5-10 from each tier (more in top tier if you wish)... Apply early, if you need to triage interviews, that would be a good problem to have. If you follow my advice, you will get MD/PhD acceptance early from the bottom tier, and might end up in one of your dream schools by matriculation date. MSTPs do not care for state of residence. Texas is 90% resident for the MD class but <50% in-state for MD/PhD programs.