WAMC/MD-PhD School list help, low clinical and volunteer hours

[grouper]

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Hello, everyone

Long time observer, but first time poster here. I am planning to apply to mostly MD/PhD programs this cycle (2025-2026), and would like to seek your inputs about my school list and chances. I am providing my WAMC profiles below to help with the assessment and suggestions. Please do not hesitate to criticize if you think my school list is too top heavy and need more targets/safeties. I would wholeheartedly welcome any suggestions. My sincere thanks in advance.

My WAMC Profile

• CA resident, Asian, ORM
• 4.0 cGPA / 4.0sGPA, biology major
• 519 MCAT
• Preview 7
• Community volunteer – Clinical
  • 70 hours completed at a Hospital
• Community volunteer – not Clinical
  • 100 hours completed at a Food Bank
• Research (~4000hours)
• Shadowing
  • 40 hours completed with multiple specialties
• Paid employment
  • Summer intern at a Biotech company (500 hours)
  • Employment on campus (150 hours)
• Leadership
  • Founder and President of a club (600 hours)
• Teaching/Tutoring (550 hours)
• Letters of Recommendation
  • 1 science professor
  • 1 non-science professor
  • PI of my Research Labs
  • 1 supervisor of paid employment
• Extracurricular activity (800 hours)
  • various
• Hobbies and Artistic Endeavors (2000 hours total)
• Awards
  • Deans list and Graduation with honors
• Publications
  o 1 publication in journal, mid-author
• Poster/Presentation
  o At least 5 posters at various venues

My planned School list (I am primarily interested in MD/PhD, but MD only is also OK) - my primary research interests are in Regenerative Medicine, CVRM and Oncology

Super reaches (5): Standford, UCSF, U Penn, WashU, Columbia

High reaches (5): UCLA, NYU (MD only), Icahn at Mount Sinai, U Wash, U Pitt

Reaches (5): UCSD, CWRU, Emory, Albert Eistein, U Rochester

High Targets (5): UCI, USC, UCD, Tufts, BU

Targets (8): UMass, SBU, UIC, VCU, UMD, U Buffalo, OHSU, Penn State

 

[trilobites10294814]

In my opinion every California school is harder because of location.

For regenerative medicine/stem cells, consider: University of Wisconsin, Wake Forest (MD-only)
For oncology as more "target" schools consider: Iowa, other great midwest schools, UVA -- look at places where there's an NCI-designated cancer center and if they also have an mstp

 

[grouper]

Thank you very much for the suggestions "Trilobites20490814"! I will certainly look into those schools.😊

 

[dimplesage]

You could consider Northwestern, UChicago, UNC Chapel Hill (Regenerative Medicine through collab with NC State)

 

[Sweet Baby Boy]

You clearly have a very strong application. I think adding the Kaiser-Caltech program as a target/high target could be a good idea, as I see you’re interested in the UCLA and USC programs (though you don’t have to do the PhD at Caltech for those). I mention it because you have a solid amount of community work, which the school really likes to see alongside academic and scholarly success such as yours.

 

[grouper]

Thank you so much "dimplesage" and "Sweet Baby Boy" for the additional inputs...Really appreciated it! I will do some more research around these programs.