WAMC Non-trad Reapplicant, High stat/no research

[deathbymiccheck]

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cGPA 3.92, sGPA 4.0
MCAT:
- 2022 521 (130/130/131/130)
- 2025 524 (129/132/131/132)
Southern CA Resident, no connections to any other state
White female, 30
UCLA grad. 2017, theater degree
Temple University pre-med postbaccalaureate grad. 2022

Clinical experience:
- Blood bank phlebotomist, 4000 hours (2 yrs full-time)
- Hospital volunteer, 180 hours
- Cancer treatment clinic volunteer, 60 hours

Research:
- None

Shadowing:
- 150 hours virtual shadowing with HEAL, various specialties
- 20 hours in-person shadowing, primary care

Non-clinical volunteering:
- Beach cleanup volunteer with national org, 60 hours

Undergrad activities:
- Paid A/V job, about 2000 hours (2 yrs part-time)
- Theater work, about 4000 hours (all 4 yrs, essentially a part-time job)

Other Employment:
- MCAT tutor, 800 hours
- MCAT teacher, 400 hours
- Theater audio engineer, 5000 hours (2017-early 2020, two different companies)

Other:
- I have an admissions consultant this year who has helped me immensely with my writing. She seems unconcerned about my lack of research and low volunteer hours, even though everything I've seen on SDN so far implies that this is a numbers game. My writing sets me up as a mature, professional person interested in educating and great at listening and working with people, in addition to explaining my career change motivations.
- Interests: primary care

Looking for help:
- It's like my stats and experiences don't really match each other. I'm hoping for some help picking schools that are friendly toward non-trads and won't screen me out for either too-high MCAT or too-low research. I just feel more lost than I did a week ago and any advice for this cycle would be helpful.

School list so far:
- Every UC except Riverside (picked UCSD for verification, my local school)
- CUSM
- USC
- Drexel
- Einstein
- U Colorado
- Dartmouth
- UMass
- Tulane
- Tufts
- Temple
- NYU Long Island
- NYMC
- Roseman, yolo
- Baylor

Thank you for your thoughts.

 

[Mr.Smile12]

Welcome to the forums.

I am worried about your lack of clinical exposure. Regardless, do you have any help from your postbac faculty director about your application? What feedback have they given you (compared to your consultant)? What did your 180 hours of hospital volunteering involve?

Any other service orientation activities? I presume you didn't do much beach cleaning in Temple, but I could obviously be wrong. What have you done in the last two years?

Your postbac director needs to tell you what schools past students with your experiences and journey have gotten into, and they should be very honest where your deficiencies may lie. The metrics and your non-trad journey aren't your problem.

 

[deathbymiccheck]

Welcome to the forums.

I am worried about your lack of clinical exposure. Regardless, do you have any help from your postbac faculty director about your application? What feedback have they given you (compared to your consultant)? What did your 180 hours of hospital volunteering involve?

Any other service orientation activities? I presume you didn't do much beach cleaning in Temple, but I could obviously be wrong. What have you done in the last two years?

Your postbac director needs to tell you what schools past students with your experiences and journey have gotten into, and they should be very honest where your deficiencies may lie. The metrics and your non-trad journey aren't your problem.

Hospital/clinic volunteering: direct patient interaction for both, your classic candy striper tasks.
Postbac support: has been minimal, and as a result I was woefully underprepared for what this journey actually requires
Last two years: full time job, two part time jobs, clinical volunteering, additional college classes to add to the basic sciences my postbac gave me
I also have 30 hours food bank but I couldn’t continue due to distance and time

 

[Faha]

Your lack of non clinical volunteering hours will limit your chances for interviews as some schools screen at 150 hours and you have 30 hours ( your 30 hours at food bank). I suggest these schools with your stats:
Washington University (in St. Louis-they like high stat applicants)
Vanderbilt
TCU
USF Morsani
Miami
U Virginia
George Washington
Cincinnati
Ohio State
Iowa
Colorado
Arizona (Phoenix)
Jefferson
Temple
Hofstra
Mount Sinai
Rochester
New York Medical College
Rochester
Vermont
Dartmouth
Brown
Tufts
Boston University
UMass
California University
Kaiser
USC Keck
The UCs (except Riverside)

 

[deathbymiccheck]

Your lack of non clinical volunteering hours will limit your chances for interviews as some schools screen at 150 hours and you have 30 hours ( your 30 hours at food bank). I suggest these schools with your stats:
Washington University (in St. Louis-they like high stat applicants)
Vanderbilt
TCU
USF Morsani
Miami
U Virginia
George Washington
Cincinnati
Ohio State
Iowa
Colorado
Arizona (Phoenix)
Jefferson
Temple
Hofstra
Mount Sinai
Rochester
New York Medical College
Rochester
Vermont
Dartmouth
Brown
Tufts
Boston University
UMass
California University
Kaiser
USC Keck
The UCs (except Riverside)

Thank you, I will look into these.