WAMC (no gap year)

[TK1121]

1. cGPA: 3.90, sGPA: 3.95
2. MCAT score: 515
3. State Residency: PA
4. Race/Ethnicity: White
5. T25 School (Public State School)
6. Clinical experience (volunteer and non-volunteer)
   1. Clinical Experience:
      1. Family Medicine Scribe (Both in Office and Nursing Home Visits)- 800 Hours
      2. Hospice Volunteer in a Dementia Unit- 200 Hours
      3. Rural Medicine Free Clinic Volunteer (Volunteered with Vision and Medical Services)- 200 Hours
7. Research experience and productivity
   1. Public Health Research Lab- 400 Hours
      • Focused on developing an online phone based program to help people in rural communities looking to quit using tobacco- No papers/posters
      • Performed data input and statistical analysis for a regional survey done across rural southern virginia high schools looking to determine the most effective messaging to reduce drug use- No papers/posters
   2. Independent Project- 100 Hours
      • Statistics project focused on analyzing nationwide diabetes population data to determine social determinant links
      • Published in statistics journal and invited to present at undergraduate statistics conference
8. Shadowing experience and specialties represented
   1. Over 200 Hours Across Several Specialties:
      1. Family Medicine, General Surgery, Ophthalmology, Dermatology, Physical Medicine and Rehab, Pain Management, Addiction Medicine
9. Non-clinical volunteering
   1. Student Ran Mental Health Volunteer- 200 Hours
   2. Peer Financial Counselor (Provide a resource for students looking for financial advice, underwent training by Financial Services)- 200 Hours
   3. Colorectal Cancer Initiative (Part of a program that signed up patients in underserved communities without health insurance and mailed them FIT tests to check for colorectal cancer)- 200 Hours
10. Other extracurricular activities (including athletics, military service, gap year activities, leadership, teaching, etc)
    1. A part of a community host group that organized and ran a free healthcare clinic in a rural part of VA, saw over 400 patients and provided over $300,000 in services
    2. Club Field Hockey President (Team currently ranked 3rd nationally) - 800 Hours
    3. Field Hockey Summer Coach- 80 Hours
    4. All Female Investing Group (Underwent financial literacy course)- 80 Hours
    5. Real Estate Investing Group (Underwent financial training, listened to speakers)- 80 Hours
    6. TA for Organic Chemistry
11. Relevant honors or awards
    1. Member of Honors College (only 5% of a class)
    2. 3rd place national undergrad Statistics Project
    3. Accepted to an academically prestigious society on campus
    4. Applied and was accepted to a senior housing opportunity which only selects the top 5% of applicants at my school

School List:

DO Schools:
PCOM
DUQCOM
LECOM
Rowan-Virtua SOM
VCOM
WVSOM

MD Schools:
Geisinger
Penn State
UVA
Wake Forest
Virginia Tech School of Medicine
Pitt
Drexel
Thomas Jefferson
Georgetown
Dartmouth
Brown
Ohio State
University of Cincinnati College of Medicine

*really just looking for advice on my current list as well as if I need a gap year. Thanks!
*also really trying to emphasize my interest in rural medicine, preventative care, and financial literacy. Was wondering if this came through?

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[Mr.Smile12]

Application Advice for Future Rural Health Professionals - SDN

The Student Doctor Network provides free tools, resources, and advising services to help students become health professionals.

www.studentdoctor.net

 

[LunaOri]

You could add most of the other New England schools—UVM, UMass, Tufts, BU, Quinnipiac.

 

[Mr.Smile12]

I agree. You should check out northeast schools with rural health tracks. Read the article for resources.

Definitely look at Duquesne (on your list) and the satellite LECOMs. But you can get into the MDs like Vermont and Dartmouth (IMO).

Look into NHSC and perhaps HPSP. Look up med schools running AHECs.

 

[Faha]

I suggest these MD schools with your stats:
Geisinger
Drexel
Temple
Jefferson
Penn State
Pittsburgh
Rochester
New York Medical College
Albany
Hofstra
Vermont
Quinnipiac
Dartmouth
Tufts
Hackensack
George Washington
Wake Forest
NOVA MD
Belmont
Tulane
TCU
Creighton
St. Louis
Rosalind Franklin
Medical College Wisconsin
Western Michigan
Oakland Beaumont
Alice Walton (when it opens)
You have a good DO list.

 

[TK1121]

I agree. You should check out northeast schools with rural health tracks. Read the article for resources.

Definitely look at Duquesne (on your list) and the satellite LECOMs. But you can get into the MDs like Vermont and Dartmouth (IMO).

Look into NHSC and perhaps HPSP. Look up med schools running AHECs.

Thank you for the feedback! This was very helpful! I am a little bit away from applying to schools so I just wanted to get an idea of current weak spots on my application. Just like two questions:

1. For my non-clinical volunteering do you feel that my current activities are satisfactory for what a med school might be looking for? I really enjoy everything that I am doing but I have seen some past WAMC's where they have been told to do food bank or homeless shelter volunteering. Was not sure if I needed that?
2. Is there any glaring red flags in my application? Or anything you think I should work on?

Thank you so much for all the help!

 

[TK1121]

I suggest these MD schools with your stats:
Geisinger
Drexel
Temple
Jefferson
Penn State
Pittsburgh
Rochester
New York Medical College
Albany
Hofstra
Vermont
Quinnipiac
Dartmouth
Tufts
Hackensack
George Washington
Wake Forest
NOVA MD
Belmont
Tulane
TCU
Creighton
St. Louis
Rosalind Franklin
Medical College Wisconsin
Western Michigan
Oakland Beaumont
Alice Walton (when it opens)
You have a good DO list.

Thank you so much for the helpful list! Was wondering your thoughts about whether it would be worth applying to UVA?

 

[Faha]

Thank you so much for the helpful list! Was wondering your thoughts about whether it would be worth applying to UVA?

You could try UVA as a reach.

 

[Mr.Smile12]

Thank you so much for the helpful list! Was wondering your thoughts about whether it would be worth applying to UVA?

Not looking at metrics here, but they do have some interesting rural health initiatives. Do a little research on that.

 

[Mr.Smile12]

1. For my non-clinical volunteering do you feel that my current activities are satisfactory for what a med school might be looking for? I really enjoy everything that I am doing but I have seen some past WAMC's where they have been told to do food bank or homeless shelter volunteering. Was not sure if I needed that?
2. Is there any glaring red flags in my application? Or anything you think I should work on?

1. Without details on what you have done at the free clinic, you can always do more with food bank to be safe. Going beyond peer financial counselor in a community center setting would be nice too, given many rural people's financial challenges.

Human Services to Support Rural Health Overview - Rural Health Information Hub

Provides resources on and answers frequently asked questions related to rural human services. Includes information on income, housing supports, job training and placement programs, child care, child welfare programs, virtual models for delivering human services, and more.

www.ruralhealthinfo.org

2. Not a red flag but your background may be important to connect with your interest in rural health.