WAMC for MD? High stat (3.95, 522) but mediocre ECs/story

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theiceprincess

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What are my chances of getting into an MD school this cycle? I applied broadly to 25 US MD schools (both in-state and out-of-state, with a wide range of rankings). I submitted as soon as possible (verified 6/24, most secondaries done by mid-July) but haven't received any IIs yet and it is starting to scare me a little bit. I know it's still the beginning of the cycle but any advice/suggestions would be much appreciated.

  1. cGPA: 3.95, sGPA: 3.92
  2. 522 MCAT (132/130/128/132), only 1 attempt ever
  3. Lifelong CA resident
  4. White
  5. T25 undergrad institution
  6. Clinical experience: 450 hrs MA experience at a hem/onc clinic, 250 hrs experience as MA/scribe at FM practice, 300 hrs as an urgent care scribe, 100 hrs basic hospital volunteering
  7. Research: ~750 hrs in a psych lab as an RA, 1 poster but no pubs; ~100 hrs in a marine bio lab (1 presentation, no pubs)
  8. Shadowing experience: 20 hrs dermatology (I haven't shadowed any others but I hope my scribing experience can make up for it)
  9. Non-clinical volunteering: 100 hrs as a crisis hotline counselor (projected to get 100 more over the next year), 80 hrs as a student instructor for underserved elementary schools (teaching kids about health-related topics)
  10. Other extracurricular activities: president of a large co-ed club sports team for 3 years (talked a lot about my relationship w/the sport and how I have grown/built up the club during my time in college), sorority member/social chair
  11. Relevant honors or awards: I honestly cannot think of any outside of a leadership scholarship received from my university and an invitation to join my school's honor society
  12. Other relevant info: I held a couple nonclinical jobs such as coaching my sport and working as a line cook in a restaurant. I grew up in a rural/underserved area and talked a lot about my upbringing/wanting to expand access to care in remote populations.
Overall, I feel like I just don't have any super interesting ECs or a really strong story that stands out. I thought my personal statement/secondary essays were true to myself and my motivations/story when I initially submitted and I do consider myself to be a decent writer, but seeing other applicants and what they have talked about has made me start to doubt my app. Any feedback is highly appreciated:)

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Chances are you just need to be a little more patient, but also depends on your school list. You're almost certain to get in somewhere as long as you included a few non-CA schools of medium competitiveness.

Your ECs overall are fine, with your nonclinical volunteering being on the low side especially since "projected" hours are meaningless. Definitely prioritize that activity over the next year and find a way to discuss once you get to the interview stage
 
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What are my chances of getting into an MD school this cycle? I applied broadly to 25 US MD schools (both in-state and out-of-state, with a wide range of rankings). I submitted as soon as possible (verified 6/24, most secondaries done by mid-July) but haven't received any IIs yet and it is starting to scare me a little bit. I know it's still the beginning of the cycle but any advice/suggestions would be much appreciated.

  1. cGPA: 3.95, sGPA: 3.92
  2. 522 MCAT (132/130/128/132), only 1 attempt ever
  3. Lifelong CA resident
  4. White
  5. T25 undergrad institution
  6. Clinical experience: 450 hrs MA experience at a hem/onc clinic, 250 hrs experience as MA/scribe at FM practice, 300 hrs as an urgent care scribe, 100 hrs basic hospital volunteering
  7. Research: ~750 hrs in a psych lab as an RA, 1 poster but no pubs; ~100 hrs in a marine bio lab (1 presentation, no pubs)
  8. Shadowing experience: 20 hrs dermatology (I haven't shadowed any others but I hope my scribing experience can make up for it)
  9. Non-clinical volunteering: 100 hrs as a crisis hotline counselor (projected to get 100 more over the next year), 80 hrs as a student instructor for underserved elementary schools (teaching kids about health-related topics)
  10. Other extracurricular activities: president of a large co-ed club sports team for 3 years (talked a lot about my relationship w/the sport and how I have grown/built up the club during my time in college), sorority member/social chair
  11. Relevant honors or awards: I honestly cannot think of any outside of a leadership scholarship received from my university and an invitation to join my school's honor society
  12. Other relevant info: I held a couple nonclinical jobs such as coaching my sport and working as a line cook in a restaurant. I grew up in a rural/underserved area and talked a lot about my upbringing/wanting to expand access to care in remote populations.
Overall, I feel like I just don't have any super interesting ECs or a really strong story that stands out. I thought my personal statement/secondary essays were true to myself and my motivations/story when I initially submitted and I do consider myself to be a decent writer, but seeing other applicants and what they have talked about has made me start to doubt my app. Any feedback is highly appreciated:)
Chances really good; suggest getting in more service to others less fortunate than yourself.
 
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Welcome to the forums. There's a reason why we want people to gauge their WAMC profile in the winter/spring before you plunk down hundreds of dollars into the application process. Regardless, I concur with the above... it would help you to get more non-clinical community orientation hours as suggested. We don't have your application, so I don't have a sense of your real fit with the medical schools (and no list either). UC schools are focused on addressing underserved populations within the state, and the profile you have given may not have enough depth to resonate with many of those medical schools.
 
Nonclinical volunteering barely checks the box but you have clinical experience and great stats. Towards the lower end of pack fodder at top 20s, solid anywhere else, you should get several interviews but they might (or might not) dig deeper into your altruism at interview. Good luck.
 
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