MD WAMC: deleted

[homonuclear]

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[Mr.Smile12]

Hi, I've never posted on SDN before so apologies if my formatting is off!
I've looked through MSARS and the WARS calculator and all of that and am still having an impossible time narrowing down my schools list. Any time I try to delete one I keep second-guessing myself.

Me: White LGBT female from northern California, degree in Neuroscience from mid-tier university in Massachusetts.
cGPA: 3.58. sGPA: 3.78 - Very strong upward trend. Intend to touch on the (medical) reason for my poor freshman year grades.
MCAT: 526 (132/130/132/132)
Clinical Volunteering: ~200-300 hours at community hospital: patient transport, doing rounding, front desk, etc
Clinical job: Currently ~150 hours scribing at busy urban ER/trauma center, estimate will have around 500 by the time I submit applications and will have significantly more by the time I actually matriculate.
Research: ~700 hours bench work in neurobio lab at a medical school - no pubs/posters/LOR
Shadowing: ~50 hours with PCP, 10 hours with OBGYN, 30 hours with cardiologist
Non-clinical volunteering: This one’s tricky. Continued a volunteer experience from high school at a mental health center - all in all probably have 400 hours there but only last 75-100 are from college, and are in the first two years. Other than that, scattered hours at other experiences ie 50 hours teaching self-defense to girls, 50 hours at an animal rescue, etc.
Other extracurricular activities: 50 hours MCAT tutor, member of LGBT in STEM club at university
Relevant honors or awards: special full tuition scholarship program at university, Dean’s List, nothing else important
Other: Minored in Japanese, did 5 week study abroad in japan? lol.
Letters of Rec: 2 science professors (one will be very strong, the other will check the box), 1 nonscience (will be strong), 1 MD (doctor I shadowed), 1 from hospital volunteer director

Schools List: Honestly right now I'm looking at 80 schools. Unsure if I'm actually competitive at all for T10/T20/T30. Also am not sure if I should axe the "low yield" schools from my list/ if I have enough volunteering to keep them on, etc.
Finally, would love some input on schools that see LGBT as URM - I know there are a scattered few and would like to keep those on my list for the time being.

Yes, 80 schools is way too many for any applicant. What are the distinguishing characteristics you seek that will assure your success in medical school?

What connection do you have with the medical school where you did your undergraduate research?

I don't think admissions committees conflate LGBTQ status with URM status. They are very different identities and diasporas even though both are underrepresented when it comes to proper access to health care. That doesn't mean that some schools are overtly unfriendly to LGBTQ students or community members, but I just wanted to be sure that in my opinion it doesn't really work the way you think it does (usually). Network with the schools you are really interested in attending and see if they put money on their word regarding the importance of helping LGBTQ patients, students, faculty, and all community members.

 

[Goro]

I have several schools on this list that consider LGBT as URM.

I suggest:
NYU
Vanderbilt
WashU
Yale
JHU
U Chicago
U Penn
Northwestern
Columbia
Harvard
Stanford
Mayo
Cornell
Sinai
BU
U VA
Duke
Baylor
Case
ALL UCs , UCR (IF you’re from the Inland Empire)
U MI
Albert Einstein
Hofstra
Ohio State
Pitt
U Cincy
USF Morsani
Dartmouth
Rochester
USC/Keck
Emory
Jefferson
Miami
SLU
Tufts
U VM
Kaiser
CalU MD

 

[imbesrs]

Thank you SO much. I'm liking the look of this list a lot - my concern would be that it is very top-heavy. If you were to add some lower tier schools, what might they be? Is yield protect a genuine concern or is that a myth?

Also, thoughts on the TMDSAS schools? Worth applying to?

Dont apply TMDSAS you wont have to/youre oos.

I think youre worried because of your cgpa but your sgpa is a 3.8.... youre nearly a max stat applicant at that point. Goro gave you a good list but if youre worried add all the mid tiers and a couple low tiers at your own discretion

 

[Etopn23]

Your stats are similar to mine and I applied to way too many schools. You won’t need to apply to 80 schools. Honestly, 30 is enough. I ended up rejecting many interviews by the end of the cycle.

 

[Goro]

Thank you SO much. I'm liking the look of this list a lot - my concern would be that it is very top-heavy. If you were to add some lower tier schools, what might they be? Is yield protect a genuine concern or is that a myth?

Also, thoughts on the TMDSAS schools? Worth applying to?

You can add UTx SW, UTxA and U Tx H.

Resource protection is real, and I have Keck/Emory class schools for some balance. You don't need Albany/Drexel class schools

 

[Mr.Smile12]

Distinguishing characteristics - I'm really open to almost anything - preference for true P/F grading, access to research (but not necessarily as a primary focus), liberal environment, access to mental health care I guess? I feel I could be happy almost anywhere.

I don't have a significant connection to that medical school unfortunately- I was a research assistant in a lab for several months and that's it. A doctor I shadowed is also at the affiliated hospital.

Also - I understand that! I'd just heard rumors that some medical schools place an emphasis on accepting a larger number of LGBT students, and anything to increase my chances would be lovely (and of course I'd like to attend an institution that values my community as well). I understand I am ORM.

1) On the curriculum: that is perhaps the major factor determining success in medical school, and you need to know how comfortable you are with grading (if it's true pass/fail or it's a tiered A/B/F or honors/pass/fail for all classes... and what that means for residency applications), with group work, with individual scholar tracks, with the management of clinical rotations, etc. When you come to an interview, you need to have that down solid and know how that arrangement meets your learning style and feeds your motivation to seek more tools and help when you need to. Being happy almost anywhere means you won't stand out to any school.

2) Medical schools place a value on diversity, and that does include LBGTQ students. However, as you know, not every LGBTQ student wishes to be so identified. While one can ask on an application, what we know is based on what information is volunteered (and I can surmise that fewer than 2% self-identify as non-binary on applications). No one should be actively asking you about your sexual identity during an admissions interview or process. That's why I strongly encourage networking with students at the schools or through AMSA to ask about the student environment/attitude/support for LGBTQ+ students BEFORE APPLYING. Is the environment truly inclusive, and would you or others like you feel like they are valued as students and peers?

There is a maxim that says, you cannot measure progress without having things to measure. There are no studies (that I know of) looking at statistics of accepted LGBTQ applicants or what proportion of the health care workforce consists of LGBTQ community members. Allyship comes with experience and meaningful connection, and that is not evident from websites and marketing alone.

3) Networking: so you worked in a research lab near the medical school. It doesn't mean you still can't reach out to the admissions staff there. Did you meet other faculty in the department where you were working?