WAMC in Texas? Should I apply to any other schools?

[adrummingdog]

Here's my app generally, will be a Texas resident this cycle

cGPA: 3.64 (BS in Biology)
sGPA: 3.52
MCAT: 515

My ECs are as follow

Medical Scribe 1800 hours- All internal medicine, also cross trained in cardiology
Shadowing 64 hours- 8 hours GI showing, 40 in IM, 16 in Cardiology
EMT Certified- no experience though, I applied for a lot of jobs but was never offered one, bummer
Medical mission trip to Nicaragua- (May decide not to mention this on in my app cuz idk if it'll help at all) About 60 hours of service, working in an impoverished area in Managua, we helped out at a small clinic and got to shadow a little bit

Leadership:
Associate Chief Scribe- Since January, basically assistant chief scribe

Research: about 55 hours of a project for my Cell developmental bio professor working with nematodes, this was a part of a class my senior year, culminated in a poster and presentation at the university undergrad research symposium that semester.

Employment during college: 1830 hours
Academic tutor - 300 hours. Tutored student-athletes at my college in bio, physics, chem, and Religion.
Tour guide- 680 hours, summer job in between junior and senior year.
Weight room staff- 300 hours at my college, part time job
Usher at my college auditorium - 150 hours, part time job
New student orientation leader- 400 hours, at my college working with incoming freshmen

Non clinical service: 615 hours
Church Soup kitchen type ministry for the impoverished in my city - about 50 hours (had to stop cuz of corona but will resume hopefully)
Fraternity service - 90 hours all together, in a variety of aspects. I did go a week long service trip one spring break and we helped remodel and fix up and old camp.
Two mission trips to South Texas- 120 hours of service, one week in 2016 and one week in 2017, through my church
College service organization- 55 hours, variety of areas (at a middle school, at a homeless shelter, and at a nearby hunger relief farm)
Royal Family Kids Camp - summer camp for foster children aged 7-11, 5 years (one week each year), total of 350 hours of service. Very much disadvantaged kids, neglected and abused. This is the service I'm most proud to be involved in.

I don't have clinical service, was planning on volunteering at a hospice center but I was honestly so busy with everything else this year

My school list: pretty much all the TMDSAS schools except UTSW and Baylor cuz I don't think I really have a shot at those.

• Long School of Medicine, UT Health San Antonio
• McGovern Medical School
• Texas A&M University College of Medicine
• Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center School of Medicine
• Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center El Paso
• The University of Texas at Austin, Dell Medical School
• The UT Medical Branch at Galveston
• The UT Rio Grande Valley School of Medicine
• University of Houston
• TCOM
• SHSU
• TCU
• CUSM (I'm originally from California and got an interview here this cycle, still waiting to hear back actually)

Also this will technically be my third time applying (RIP), but it will be my first as a Texas resident. I've added a ton to my app since my first time applying

Hows my school list? I feel like 12 isn't very many but I've heard if you're a TX resident to generally just stick with the Texas schools.

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[A_Knowbody]

Your GPA is below average for MD. Are you URM? Also, know that TMDSAS may inflate your GPAs. For reference my 3.8 UG was 3.9 on AMCAS and 4.0 on TMDAS. TMDSAS is still highly competitive and your GPA will still be on the lower side.

I'd add ~6 DO schools. Also consider adding the religious oriented schools (I only know of Loma Linda, but there are others). Possibly some of the low-mid tier service oriented schools, but lack of clinical volunteering is worrisome.

Maybe @Goro can help give specific schools.

 

[Goro]

Here's my app generally, will be a Texas resident this cycle

cGPA: 3.64 (BS in Biology)
sGPA: 3.52
MCAT: 515

My ECs are as follow

Medical Scribe 1800 hours- All internal medicine, also cross trained in cardiology
Shadowing 64 hours- 8 hours GI showing, 40 in IM, 16 in Cardiology
EMT Certified- no experience though, I applied for a lot of jobs but was never offered one, bummer
Medical mission trip to Nicaragua- (May decide not to mention this on in my app cuz idk if it'll help at all) About 60 hours of service, working in an impoverished area in Managua, we helped out at a small clinic and got to shadow a little bit

Leadership:
Associate Chief Scribe- Since January, basically assistant chief scribe

Research: about 55 hours of a project for my Cell developmental bio professor working with nematodes, this was a part of a class my senior year, culminated in a poster and presentation at the university undergrad research symposium that semester.

Employment during college: 1830 hours
Academic tutor - 300 hours. Tutored student-athletes at my college in bio, physics, chem, and Religion.
Tour guide- 680 hours, summer job in between junior and senior year.
Weight room staff- 300 hours at my college, part time job
Usher at my college auditorium - 150 hours, part time job
New student orientation leader- 400 hours, at my college working with incoming freshmen

Non clinical service: 615 hours
Church Soup kitchen type ministry for the impoverished in my city - about 50 hours (had to stop cuz of corona but will resume hopefully)
Fraternity service - 90 hours all together, in a variety of aspects. I did go a week long service trip one spring break and we helped remodel and fix up and old camp.
Two mission trips to South Texas- 120 hours of service, one week in 2016 and one week in 2017, through my church
College service organization- 55 hours, variety of areas (at a middle school, at a homeless shelter, and at a nearby hunger relief farm)
Royal Family Kids Camp - summer camp for foster children aged 7-11, 5 years (one week each year), total of 350 hours of service. Very much disadvantaged kids, neglected and abused. This is the service I'm most proud to be involved in.

I don't have clinical service, was planning on volunteering at a hospice center but I was honestly so busy with everything else this year

My school list: pretty much all the TMDSAS schools except UTSW and Baylor cuz I don't think I really have a shot at those.

• Long School of Medicine, UT Health San Antonio
• McGovern Medical School
• Texas A&M University College of Medicine
• Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center School of Medicine
• Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center El Paso
• The University of Texas at Austin, Dell Medical School
• The UT Medical Branch at Galveston
• The UT Rio Grande Valley School of Medicine
• University of Houston
• TCOM
• SHSU
• TCU
• CUSM (I'm originally from California and got an interview here this cycle, still waiting to hear back actually)

Also this will technically be my third time applying (RIP), but it will be my first as a Texas resident. I've added a ton to my app since my first time applying

Hows my school list? I feel like 12 isn't very many but I've heard if you're a TX resident to generally just stick with the Texas schools.

Chances best with the TX schools.

 

[m1redsox]

Your GPA is below average for MD. Are you URM? Also, know that TMDSAS may inflate your GPAs. For reference my 3.8 UG was 3.9 on AMCAS and 4.0 on TMDAS. TMDSAS is still highly competitive and your GPA will still be on the lower side.

I'd add ~6 DO schools. Also consider adding the religious oriented schools (I only know of Loma Linda, but there are others). Possibly some of the low-mid tier service oriented schools, but lack of clinical volunteering is worrisome.

Maybe @Goro can help give specific schools.

If you’re religious, I know Creighton, Loma Linda, and Seton Hall prefer religious students. I also believe Georgetown is Jesuit and Emory is Methodist, but I don’t think they prefer religious students over others. Same with the Wake Forest “Baptist” Medical Center, but who knows— you might be able to shoot your shot. I had a lot of religious stuff on my app, and I got into Wake. No love from Loma Linda or Creighton though.

 

[Mr.Smile12]

Medical Scribe 1800 hours- All internal medicine, also cross trained in cardiology
Shadowing 64 hours- 8 hours GI showing, 40 in IM, 16 in Cardiology
EMT Certified- no experience though, I applied for a lot of jobs but was never offered one, bummer
Medical mission trip to Nicaragua- (May decide not to mention this on in my app cuz idk if it'll help at all) About 60 hours of service, working in an impoverished area in Managua, we helped out at a small clinic and got to shadow a little bit
…
I don't have clinical service, was planning on volunteering at a hospice center but I was honestly so busy with everything else this year

International mission trips are generally discounted in importance. If you're worried you don't have any clinical volunteering, you'll probably have to mention it in the absence of any other experience. Your South Texas mission trips... what happened there?

That said... you have over 1800 hours as a scribe and 64 separate hours of shadowing. While I would suggest if you wanted more patient-centered experiences to seek opportunities with hospice care or free clinics (probably not right now due to stay-at-home precautions), you already have quite a bit of experience.

"Third time applying, but first time as a Texas resident": explain how you have improved your application. When did you take your MCAT and were there any previous attempts? I am curious why DO schools were not interested in your most immediate previous application.

 

[adrummingdog]

International mission trips are generally discounted in importance. If you're worried you don't have any clinical volunteering, you'll probably have to mention it in the absence of any other experience. Your South Texas mission trips... what happened there?

That said... you have over 1800 hours as a scribe and 64 separate hours of shadowing. While I would suggest if you wanted more patient-centered experiences to seek opportunities with hospice care or free clinics (probably not right now due to stay-at-home precautions), you already have quite a bit of experience.

"Third time applying, but first time as a Texas resident": explain how you have improved your application. When did you take your MCAT and were there any previous attempts? I am curious why DO schools were not interested in your most immediate previous application.

The south texas trips were service based, we did a bunch of stuff, picked up trash around the neighborhood, helped renovate old buildings. A lot of it was ministry based as well. It was an underserved population, in the same city as UTRGV actually.

Ways I've improved my app since college this year: added the scribing and shadowing hours, have kept up service to the underserved at the soup kitchen at my church, added leadership experience as I got promoted at my job to assistant chief scribe. I also got 2 letters from physicians I work with as a scribe. That's pretty much it, planning on knocking out my essays, applying early, and creating a narrative focused on service as well.

Only took the MCAT once in 2018. I didn't get an A the first time because I didn't have any clinical experience. Second time was just a bad school list (I was anticipating being a TX resident last cycle but ended up being classified a Californian still, big bummer), and I had just started scribing, although I am still waiting for a post interview decision from the school I interviewed at. I haven't had any DO acceptances yet simply because I haven't applied to DO schools. Foolish of me I know, I'm all in for a DO acceptance this time around however.