WAMC: high stat school list help, applying this spring

[unumsolum]

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Hi y'all, I'm looking to curate my school list and to maximize my last few months before application. Thanks!

GPA: 3.98 ish for both. AB in organic chemistry II and a personal interest class

MCAT: 526 (130/132/132/132)

UW-Madison (WI local)

White woman

Creative writing + genetics major, gender studies minor

Clinical XP:
135 hours hospital volunteering
341 hours CNA (home care, nursing home)

Research:
~1.1k hours. 2 short-term internships plus two long-term placements. 4 low-impact first author posters and 1 mid-impact second author abstract. 1 funding grant, 1 award, participation in semi-competitive fellowship (all of which @ the campus level). No publications.

Shadowing:
56 hours across several specialties including family practice

Non-clinical volunteering:
100 hours at a diaper bank
60 hours blood drive check-in
55 hours food bank
50 hours Crisis Text Line
(continuing these is my priority going forward)

Social justice / advocacy:
60 hours volunteer @ campus sex-ed org
20 hours volunteer @ LGBT org + leadership
(I care a lot about gender issues and want this to be a main focus of my app. Continuing)

Other ECs:
Serious creative writing pursuit including publications and local leadership
Misc jobs
Game tournament organizer (high impact, but I likely will not include this because in my experience it delegitimizes the application)

Rudimentary school list:
Note: rural is a dealbreaker for me

Stanford

UCSF

Harvard

Hopkins

Duke

Penn

Columbia

NYU

Vanderbilt

Weill Cornell

Northwestern

Mayo

UCLA

CWRU

UChicago

University of Pittsburgh

Sinai

Emory

UCLA

Rush

Albert Einstein

USC Keck

BU

MCW

UW Madison

 

[polymerization]

Yeah, if I could have applied to UCLA twice, I would have, too!

Maybe WashU instead.

 

[Mr.Smile12]

If you want to play in the big leagues, you need larger experience numbers... at least twice as many of each of your activities above in my estimation (clinical and non-clinical). You are trying to metrics-maxx to be appealing to the brand-name schools on your list. You definitely need more for Rush. More importantly, these schools are used to seeing top-percentile applicants in their pools, so a clear vision of your future career as a physician will set you apart. Okay, thanks for telling us you don't want rural medicine (which argues to strike your in-state UWisc). Your creative writing background likely makes "narrative medicine" programs appealing.

Keep an eye on AMSA's Gender and Sexuality Committee and chat with those who serve about your list. Identify specific opportunities and training that appeal to you as a next step in your growth. Really think about which experiences will help you become the expert you aspire to be.

I suspect WashU is off the list because Missouri is still a "red state." Of course, Vandy still has a strong gender-affirming program though they decided against doing surgeries. Ditto with Cleveland Clinic (CWRU, Ohio is a red state but Cleveland is definitely not red... neither is St. Louis for that matter).

 

[unumsolum]

Yeah, if I could have applied to UCLA twice, I would have, too!

Maybe WashU instead.

LOL. what can I say I like california

 

[unumsolum]

at least twice as many of each of your activities above in my estimation (clinical and non-clinical).

Woah, ok. Thanks for the heads up, that's exactly why I posted. I'm already planning to quit my research lab @ the end of the semester and lock in on hours.

That would come out to ~1k clinical and ~500 nonclinical as a goal? In the case I'm not able to hit that in the next ~5 months, would you recommend a (second) gap year? Lowering my school list? YOLOing anyway? My writing will be good, at least.

Keep an eye on AMSA's Gender and Sexuality Committee and chat with those who serve about your list. Identify specific opportunities and training that appeal to you as a next step in your growth. Really think about which experiences will help you become the expert you aspire to be.

I suspect WashU is off the list because Missouri is still a "red state." Of course, Vandy still has a strong gender-affirming program though they decided against doing surgeries. Ditto with Cleveland Clinic (CWRU, Ohio is a red state but Cleveland is definitely not red... neither is St. Louis for that matter).

Great resources and insight, thanks!

 

[Mr.Smile12]

Woah, ok. Thanks for the heads up, that's exactly why I posted. I'm already planning to quit my research lab @ the end of the semester and lock in on hours.

That would come out to ~1k clinical and ~500 nonclinical as a goal? In the case I'm not able to hit that in the next ~5 months, would you recommend a (second) gap year? Lowering my school list? YOLOing anyway? My writing will be good, at least.

Great resources and insight, thanks!

Maybe it's just the way it appears now from the profile (like I would want more diverse healthcare experiences, but what your responsibilities are matters too). Obviously, quality and a tie-in with your purpose matter as much as the numbers. You'll be around people with a few hundred or so hours in all the categories; I just want to make sure you feel comfortable hanging around people with a ton of experience to draw from in small group discussions.

Connect with the schools at the upcoming virtual fair if they happen to exhibit. Otherwise, follow the advice I posted (Beyond MSAR):

Resources for Building Your School List | SDN

Compilations like the MSAR and the ADEA DSE are key resources for your school list, but don't overlook these other great information sources.

www.studentdoctor.net

 

[unumsolum]

Maybe it's just the way it appears now from the profile (like I would want more diverse healthcare experiences, but what your responsibilities are matters too). Obviously, quality and a tie-in with your purpose matter as much as the numbers. You'll be around people with a few hundred or so hours in all the categories; I just want to make sure you feel comfortable hanging around people with a ton of experience to draw from in small group discussions.

Connect with the schools at the upcoming virtual fair if they happen to exhibit. Otherwise, follow the advice I posted (Beyond MSAR):

Resources for Building Your School List | SDN

Compilations like the MSAR and the ADEA DSE are key resources for your school list, but don't overlook these other great information sources.

www.studentdoctor.net

That makes sense. Thanks so much!

 

[polymerization]

LOL. what can I say I like california

Understandable. It's a really beautiful place to train, and there are resources aplenty.

That said, I agree with the above that it's usually not enough just to have the scores. Most of my colleagues, from what I can tell, excelled in an unusual way through all of the extracurricular categories (and I'm saying that as the current reigning most toxic/neurotic SDN commenter), and many of them have a health equity slant in their application.

I'm not talking about 50 hours volunteering in this student org or that—I'm talking about sustained, impactful initiatives that actually helped people. I think that's a harder thing to plan for and attain, because it brings into contrast the distinction between being an aspirant/participant and actually leading/executing.

For the application itself, I would say that the benefit is not simply the fact that you would have done all the things and deserve to be rewarded for doing so. The real benefit is the strength of the claims you would want to make and how justified making them would be with your background.

When you say things like "I care a lot about gender issues and want this to be a main focus of my app," I worry for you, because your application does not really justify saying so, and I think it would be conspicuous for someone reviewing, no matter how well you write about it.

Consider that most serious applicants are going to do research on these schools and claim that they care about all of the things the school cares about. They are now armed with AI that could do a surprisingly decent job at actually wording those claims.

My guess is that this is where AI will change admissions: more reviewers and admissions committees are going to look briefly at essays, nod, and then say "fine, prove it."

 

[unumsolum]

Understandable. It's a really beautiful place to train, and there are resources aplenty.

That said, I agree with the above that it's usually not enough just to have the scores. Most of my colleagues, from what I can tell, excelled in an unusual way through all of the extracurricular categories (and I'm saying that as the current reigning most toxic/neurotic SDN commenter), and many of them have a health equity slant in their application.

I'm not talking about 50 hours volunteering in this student org or that—I'm talking about sustained, impactful initiatives that actually helped people. I think that's a harder thing to plan for and attain, because it brings into contrast the distinction between being an aspirant/participant and actually leading/executing.

For the application itself, I would say that the benefit is not simply the fact that you would have done all the things and deserve to be rewarded for doing so. The real benefit is the strength of the claims you would want to make and how justified making them would be with your background.

When you say things like "I care a lot about gender issues and want this to be a main focus of my app," I worry for you, because your application does not really justify saying so, and I think it would be conspicuous for someone reviewing, no matter how well you write about it.

Consider that most serious applicants are going to do research on these schools and claim that they care about all of the things the school cares about. They are now armed with AI that could do a surprisingly decent job at actually wording those claims.

My guess is that this is where AI will change admissions: more reviewers and admissions committees are going to look briefly at essays, nod, and then say "fine, prove it."

Appreciate the insight. I'm continuing to work on activity depth and I would respectfully disagree that they're not impactful (I didn't go into detail for brevity's sake). "100 hours at the diaper bank" is shorthand for "supported thousands of new mothers in need via direct customer service". I've learned a lot and learned to emphasize with people carrying entirely different struggles.

I only recently switched from a research focus to an advocacy focus but, personally, it was definitely the right move. In your opinion what's the best way to enhance my (feminist/queer) mission? Beyond the obvious, which is to keep trucking w hours.

 

[polymerization]

Appreciate the insight. I'm continuing to work on activity depth and I would respectfully disagree that they're not impactful (I didn't go into detail for brevity's sake). "100 hours at the diaper bank" is shorthand for "supported thousands of new mothers in need via direct customer service". I've learned a lot and learned to emphasize with people carrying entirely different struggles.

I only recently switched from a research focus to an advocacy focus but, personally, it was definitely the right move. In your opinion what's the best way to enhance my (feminist/queer) mission? Beyond the obvious, which is to keep trucking w hours.

First, if I offended you, I apologize. That wasn't my intention at all, and I understand your position as an aspiring student anxious about where you fit into your pool of peers.

I'm just saying that what qualifies as impressive (within the unique universe of U,S, medical school admissions in 2026) is more than just wordplay... to say one has "supported thousands of new mothers in need via direct customer service" could be true of pretty much any entry-level or volunteering job, maybe entirely by coincidence. The consequence has to be more nuanced and sophisticated, and not every role is going to provide you with the raw materials to be able to claim that.

If you said you wanted to position your application around women's health and LGBTQ+-affirming care, and you were a Rhodes/Churchill scholar who went abroad to study health policy relevant to those areas, then came back to the States to join the executive team at Planned Parenthood for a few years or something, then, yeah, totally valid. 100 hours at the diaper bank literally handing new mothers diapers is definitely valuable, but does not communicate the same claim, and the claim it does communicate does not rise to the same level.

So, I struggle a lot with your question and feel frustrated trying to answer. I want to give you what you want, i.e., a clean response that gives you something actionable to aspire to... but I think anything I can say would be insincere.

Why? The kinds of things these schools seem to be looking for seem to be prestigious, difficult to obtain, very risky, and presume personal resources most people don't have, period. You can be determined, persistent and intelligent and eventually do those things given enough time, but rarely are students bending over backwards to delay progression toward their goal, with no guarantees any of it would earn them the edge they need to get to their dream school. So it is not only bad advice on my part, but will probably be poorly received on yours.

These schools are looking for the next generation of leaders in medicine. You cannot demonstrate you have the chops by just finding an eloquent way to talk about the experiences most pre-meds get.

To avoid overstatements of my own, I want to be clear that you don't have to be an Olympian-astronaut-Mother Teresa type to get into medical school, or even a really great one. I'm just saying that I see your list and aspirations, and there is a gap between what you have and where you want to go.

How you fill that gap is up to you. Personally, I don't see easy answers. And again, I'm really sorry—I know how taxing this is. What I've noticed is that some aspect of this game is providing novelty (in the right way), and that involves taking risks I don't know many students would be willing to, even under the advice from people who know a hell of a lot more than I do.

I think that's why advisors so often tell you to follow your heart, or whatever (I know, gross). Whatever it is you do, it has to be intrinsically valuable to you as a person, beyond admissions currency. Sometimes it pays off. Sometimes it doesn't. If it doesn't, and you risked quite a lot to do it, you have to be happy with that decision. Nobody else is going to want to take responsibility for your outcome, so you can see how some of the common advice becomes self-sealing.

But I digress... hopefully I'm conveying my message through all of the rambling.

When people say medical school is hard, I wasn't thinking it would be this kind of hard. Beyond the DEI BS that I am realizing nobody actually takes seriously except for applicants and outsiders (i.e., even the minorities generally have to meet unreasonable standards to wind up at a prestigious program—there is no free lunch), the grades, and the superficial level of admissions is the real, elite game. The one all the upper- and upper-middle-class kids are playing. That is mainly the competition you're up against... not because I think it should be this way, but because I think it is a disservice to the applicant to collectively shut our eyes and pretend we don't see what is so clear. This career path is so prestige-sensitive, it is basically pseudo-aristocratic. And I don't want to perpetuate this idea that it isn't—that it's available to everyone and we can all hold hands and kumbaya together. It's not. I can see that in my classmates and I can see it in the classes of our peer schools.

But hey, I'm just one person with a very specific view on admissions. I promise you someone will come out of the woodwork and call me crazy, and there are parts that may even be valid. This is what worked for me.

 

[unumsolum]

The kinds of things these schools seem to be looking for seem to be prestigious, difficult to obtain, very risky, and presume personal resources most people don't have, period.

yeah I'm just some chick from Wisconsin doing the best I can with the resources I have. I drove past cornfields to go to my (public) high school and I worked food service all last summer to pay for the MCAT. No connections here.

Maybe I could've put in more hours, applied for the executive positions, whatever, but ultimately I have no regrets because I enjoyed my undergrad and still got a workable, if not elite, app out of it.

No frustration directed at you and I genuinely appreciate the response.

 

[polymerization]

yeah I'm just some chick from Wisconsin doing the best I can with the resources I have. I drove past cornfields to go to my (public) high school and I worked food service all last summer to pay for the MCAT. No connections here.

Maybe I could've put in more hours, applied for the executive positions, whatever, but ultimately I have no regrets because I enjoyed my undergrad and still got a workable, if not elite, app out of it.

No frustration directed at you and I genuinely appreciate the response.

Trust me, I get it. My grandparents never received any formal education, and my parents got up to roughly the 6th or 7th grade. There was no AMCAS category for that. I grew up in a home where the expectation was that I would be successful simply because we were in the U.S. and not our home country.

Now I am in this wonderful place, and it's hard to reconcile that I had to work twice as hard as everyone else AND everyone else is genuinely just impressive. I can't know how hard those people worked for it, and I'm sure if I asked, I'd get a sob story, too.

And yet, the competition is what it is. When even the rich people are complaining, you know it's bad.