WAMC / Looking for school list advice! (3.97/525)

[sodi]

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Hi everyone! I’m currently working on my school list and would love some help narrowing down/adding more appropriate schools. These are the schools I currently have on my list, but it definitely feels top heavy, but I'm not sure which schools I should add.

No gap year, GA resident, ORM
GPA: 3.97
MCAT: 525
Research: 650 hours clinical research, 800 hours dry lab
1 mid-author pub and 1 first-author manuscript submission by time of application, 2 posters (presented at undergrad institution)
Clinical employment: 500 hours MA
Clinical volunteer: 150 hours scribe
Leadership: TA, 2 club exec positions, 1 student-involvement related position (400+ hours)
Volunteer: 450 hours over several long-term activities
Shadowing: 75 hours (several specialties)
Study abroad: 1 summer

Extra: national awards and national/international recognition for hobby
Clinical work and research focuses on underserved populations

Current list:
Harvard
Johns Hopkins
Colombia
Duke
Upenn
NYU
WashU
Umich
Yale
Mayo Clinic
Emory
Vanderbilt
Cornell
Icahn Mount Sinai
Albert Einstein
Baylor
UTSW
UVA
Augusta
UGA
NY Medical College
Iowa
USF

 

[Mr.Smile12]

Welcome to the forums.

I suppose to respond to your feeling that your list is top-heavy, let me ask you because of the dearth of details: what elements of your application should make you desirable to the "top" of your list? In other words, what makes you a "rockstar" applicant?

 

[Faha]

What is the breakdown by hours of your 450 hours of non clinical volunteering?

 

[sodi]

Welcome to the forums.

I suppose to respond to your feeling that your list is top-heavy, let me ask you because of the dearth of details: what elements of your application should make you desirable to the "top" of your list? In other words, what makes you a "rockstar" applicant?

Hi thanks for your reply! Sorry about being so vague about everything but just wanted to keep some details personal. But to provide more information, I've been able to tie in my hobby into one of the clubs I'm in (and co-founded), where I volunteer and engage with patients. This is a creative endeavor that I've done since I was young and it's helped me to really engage with medicine from several perspectives, which I think is one of the main themes of my application.

I will say that I'm worried this isn't strong enough for some of these top-heavy schools, which is why I'm looking to expand my list as well. Any advice would be much appreciated!

 

[sodi]

What is the breakdown by hours of your 450 hours of non clinical volunteering?

It's split over 3 activities, around 150 per activity! I do them all weekly and have been doing each one for at least a year. I volunteer at a food bank, senior care facility, and an alzheimers facility.

 

[Faha]

You have a good list and should receive several interviews. You could add Northwestern, U Chicago and UCSF.

 

[sodi]

You have a good list and should receive several interviews. You could add Northwestern, U Chicago and UCSF.

Thank you! I appreciate the help 🙂

 

[Mr.Smile12]

Hi thanks for your reply! Sorry about being so vague about everything but just wanted to keep some details personal. But to provide more information, I've been able to tie in my hobby into one of the clubs I'm in (and co-founded), where I volunteer and engage with patients. This is a creative endeavor that I've done since I was young and it's helped me to really engage with medicine from several perspectives, which I think is one of the main themes of my application.

I will say that I'm worried this isn't strong enough for some of these top-heavy schools, which is why I'm looking to expand my list as well. Any advice would be much appreciated!

Without any more details, there's no way we can tell if your application is strong enough for the top-heavy schools. Conservatively, I will take the position that if you aren't proud enough to tout your accomplishments, it's probably not strong enough.