WAMC - Help with school list! (3.5/508)

[bluemushroom03]

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Need help with school list! (Mid/low stat applicant)


Hey all. I am applying this cycle and wanted some guidance with my application. My stats are obviously not stellar but I am hesitant to do a post bacc or SMP cause of cost and time.

GENERAL INFO
- NY resident with ties to FL (born and raised), CT, MA (family live in other 2 states)
- ORM and URM (mixed) 22yo male
- T25 private undergraduate college, current senior

STATS
- cGPA and sGPA = 3.5/4 but have 3.9-4.0 senior year (3.4-3.7-3.2-4.0)
- MCAT = 505 -> 508 (127/126/127/128)

ECs
- Clinical employment = 500 hours scribing, 2000 hours projected working as an MA in Derm (gap year)

- Clinical volunteer = total 130 (university hospital + pop up clinic in underserved area)

- Non clinical volunteer = 125 hours making food for cancer patients, 225 hours + 225 projected (started a harm reduction nonprofit chapter on campus and will be starting an NYC one during gap year)

- Tutor/TA = 60 hours for biochem and 130 hours for teaching leadership course to freshman

- Research = 400 hours in bio population genetics (author on poster at conference), 1500 hours in drug discovery (3 posters)

- Shadowing = 30 hours in psychiatry and 15 in cardiology

- LORs = Strong committee letter (1 PI, 1 bio prof, 1 MD)

OTHER
- Lived abroad growing up and did an exchange semester abroad too junior year
- Gardening as a hobby since COVID-19
- DJ/Podcaster for school radio
- Involved in the rave scene (reason why I started harm reduction chapter)
- University scholarship

I am currently curating a broad list of schools and will apply to a few DO schools in addition to ~35 MDs. Thanks for the help!

 

[Mr.Smile12]

Welcome to the forums.

Given your 508 high score, I think you need a better balance between MDs and DOs (I'd suggest about as many DOs as MDs). Remember, many schools average the MCAT scores for screening. Being a NY resident helps in that your state schools are in play as long as you aren't so picky that you have to live in Manhattan. Born/raised in Florida: you should include both DO programs based in Florida, and a few DO satellites that have made their way there.

I'm a little worried some of your clinical experiences don't quite align with your strong interest in harm reduction (maybe you have an angle on this with your MA position?). Is it me or do your clinical activities seem random compared to this interest? I guess without the AMCAS, who knows.

In any case, you should look for med school programs that value what you know in harm reduction:

Medical Students for Harm Reduction | Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine

www.bumc.bu.edu

Student Harm Reduction Organization of Morgantown (SHROOM) | School of Medicine | West Virginia University

Promoting Harm Reduction in Primary Care and in the Community

With funding from SAMHSA through the Minnesota Department of Human Services, Robert Levy, MD, Tanner Nissly, DO, and Mary Lonergan-Cullum, PhD, have created a harm reduction program at University of Minnesota Physicians Broadway Family Medicine Clinic.

med.umn.edu

Introduction to Harm Reduction Video Series

www.jefferson.edu

 

[bluemushroom03]

Welcome to the forums.

Given your 508 high score, I think you need a better balance between MDs and DOs (I'd suggest about as many DOs as MDs). Remember, many schools average the MCAT scores for screening. Being a NY resident helps in that your state schools are in play as long as you aren't so picky that you have to live in Manhattan. Born/raised in Florida: you should include both DO programs based in Florida, and a few DO satellites that have made their way there.

I'm a little worried some of your clinical experiences don't quite align with your strong interest in harm reduction (maybe you have an angle on this with your MA position?). Is it me or do your clinical activities seem random compared to this interest? I guess without the AMCAS, who knows.

In any case, you should look for med school programs that value what you know in harm reduction:

Medical Students for Harm Reduction | Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine

www.bumc.bu.edu

Student Harm Reduction Organization of Morgantown (SHROOM) | School of Medicine | West Virginia University

Promoting Harm Reduction in Primary Care and in the Community

With funding from SAMHSA through the Minnesota Department of Human Services, Robert Levy, MD, Tanner Nissly, DO, and Mary Lonergan-Cullum, PhD, have created a harm reduction program at University of Minnesota Physicians Broadway Family Medicine Clinic.

med.umn.edu

Introduction to Harm Reduction Video Series

www.jefferson.edu

Thanks for the help!

My clinical experience so far is working in the ED at a large children’s hospital. I have gotten involved in harm reduction through the non-clinical side. I have not seen much opportunities to work with substance use victims as part of a clinical team. If there ways to do so via volunteering then please let me know where to look.

 

[Faha]

I suggest these MD schools with your stats;
All 4 SUNYs
Albany
New York Medical College
Vermont
Quinnipiac
Penn State
Drexel
Temple
Jefferson
George Washington
Virginia Commonwealth
Eastern Virginia
Wake Forest
Methodist (when it opens)
NOVA MD
Florida Atlantic
Florida International
Central Florida
Belmont
Alice Walton
TCU
Rosalind Franklin
Medical College Wisconsin
Oakland Beaumont
Wayne State
Roseman
For DO schools I suggest these:
Touro-NY
NYITCOM
UNECOM
LECOM (all schools)
PCOM (all schools)
CUSOM
DMU-COM
KCU-COM
ATSU-KCOM
AZCOM

 

[bluemushroom03]

I suggest these MD schools with your stats;
All 4 SUNYs
Albany
New York Medical College
Vermont
Quinnipiac
Penn State
Drexel
Temple
Jefferson
George Washington
Virginia Commonwealth
Eastern Virginia
Wake Forest
Methodist (when it opens)
NOVA MD
Florida Atlantic
Florida International
Central Florida
Belmont
Alice Walton
TCU
Rosalind Franklin
Medical College Wisconsin
Oakland Beaumont
Wayne State
Roseman
For DO schools I suggest these:
Touro-NY
NYITCOM
UNECOM
LECOM (all schools)
PCOM (all schools)
CUSOM
DMU-COM
KCU-COM
ATSU-KCOM
AZCOM

Thanks for the list! Definitely be applying to these schools. I was wondering if it would be ok to also add more reaches or schools that I can see myself going based on mission? I would at least like to add Tulane, Georgetown, Loyola, Virginia Tech, Dartmouth, etc.

 

[Faha]

Thanks for the list! Definitely be applying to these schools. I was wondering if it would be ok to also add more reaches or schools that I can see myself going based on mission? I would at least like to add Tulane, Georgetown, Loyola, Virginia Tech, Dartmouth, etc.

Those schools are not realistic with a GPA of 3.5 and MCAT scores of 505 and 508.