WAMC - ORM 514/3.97

[bernaldo]

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Please do not quote this

Hello all,

I am a current senior planning in advance for the 2026-27 cycle. I am an undergraduate biology student and will graduate in December. I am only interested in MD programs at the moment, and I am looking for some advice on what programs to apply to as well as what I can do improve my application.

1. cGPA: 3.97, sGPA: 3.946
2. MCAT: 514 (128/127/131/128)
3. State: Illinois (Chicago)
4. Mixed Asian/White
5. Large public state school
6. Clinical Experience: 30 hours volunteer at outreach clinic, **projected ~700 hours as an MA by time of applying**
7. Research Experience: 950 hours, In progress 1st Author publication
8. Shadowing experience: 50 hours – gastroenterology, neurology, pediatrics, orthopedic surgery
9. Non-clinical volunteering: Food pantry – 300 hours
10. Other extracurricular activities:

• Teaching assistant for a semester
• Camp counselor 2 summers (camping trip leader and medic)
• Past fundraising chair, secretary, and current president of Doctors Without Borders club
• Past social chair of Pre-Med Professional Fraternity

1. Relevant honors/awards:

• On list of teachers rated as excellent by their students
• 4x deans list

I am new to SDN so please let me know what other details I can provide. Any help is greatly appreciated!

 

[Mr.Smile12]

Welcome to the forums.

What guidance have your prehealth advisors given you so far?

 

[bernaldo]

Welcome to the forums.

What guidance have your prehealth advisors given you so far?

Thank you!

When I asked my prehealth advisor for guidance on compiling a school list, they referred me to the MSAR to help identify schools that align with my completed prerequisites. Our advisors are known to provide general guidance rather than personalized school list recommendations.

 

[Faha]

I suggest these schools with your stats:
U Illinois
Southern Illinois
Rosalind Franklin
Medical College Wisconsin
Western Michigan
Oakland Beaumont
Wayne State
St. Louis
Creighton
TCU
Alice Walton
Roseman
Belmont
NOVA MD
Methodist
Wake Forest
Virginia Commonwealth
Eastern Virginia
George Washington
Georgetown
Drexel
Temple
Jefferson
Penn State
Hackensack
New York Medical College
Albany
Vermont
Quinnipiac
UMass

 

[bernaldo]

I suggest these schools with your stats:
U Illinois
Southern Illinois
Rosalind Franklin
Medical College Wisconsin
Western Michigan
Oakland Beaumont
Wayne State
St. Louis
Creighton
TCU
Alice Walton
Roseman
Belmont
NOVA MD
Methodist
Wake Forest
Virginia Commonwealth
Eastern Virginia
George Washington
Georgetown
Drexel
Temple
Jefferson
Penn State
Hackensack
New York Medical College
Albany
Vermont
Quinnipiac
UMass

Thank you for the list, this is very helpful!

 

[bernaldo]

I am reaching out again as I finalize my school list for the 2026–27 cycle. I recently received additional school recommendations from various sources based on my profile, and I wanted to get SDN thoughts because I really value the collective perspective here on identifying schools that may be unrealistic reaches, less OOS-friendly, or not the best mission fit.

Here are the updates to my profile:

1. Clinical Experience: 60 hours volunteer at outreach clinic, 1100 hours as an MA by time of applying
2. Research Experience: 1000 hours, accepted to two international conferences for poster presentation
3. Shadowing experience: 60 hours – gastroenterology, neurology, pediatrics, orthopedic surgery
4. Non-clinical volunteering: Food pantry – 350 hours
5. New relevant honors/awards:

• 5x deans list
• High distinction in Biology Research
• Latin Honors
• Cum Laude

Here are the additional school recommendations:

• University of Arizona
• Kaiser Permanente
• FAU (Schmidt)
• Florida State University
• Emory University
• Indiana University
• University of Kentucky
• University of Louisville
• Tulane University
• Boston University
• Central Michigan
• UMKC
• University of Missouri
• UNLV (Kerkorian)
• Cooper (Rowan)
• CUNY
• Brody (East Carolina)
• Northeast Ohio (NEOMED)
• University of Cincinnati
• University of Toledo
• Wright State (Boonshoft)
• OHSU
• ETSU (Quillen)
• Texas Tech University
• Rush
• Loyola Chicago
• Tufts

Thank you in advance!

 

[Mr.Smile12]

Here are the additional school recommendations:

• University of Arizona
• Kaiser Permanente
• FAU (Schmidt)
• Florida State University
• Emory University
• Indiana University
• University of Kentucky
• University of Louisville
• Tulane University
• Boston University
• Central Michigan
• UMKC
• University of Missouri
• UNLV (Kerkorian)
• Cooper (Rowan)
• CUNY
• Brody (East Carolina)
• Northeast Ohio (NEOMED)
• University of Cincinnati
• University of Toledo
• Wright State (Boonshoft)
• OHSU
• ETSU (Quillen)
• Texas Tech University
• Rush
• Loyola Chicago
• Tufts

How did you come up with these additional schools?

350 hours with food pantry work is still low for Rush and Loyola. You are not an Ohio resident for Boonshoft/Wright State and likely Toledo and NEOMED. You are not a North Carolina resident for East Carolina. Doesn't Florida State have a stronger in-state preference?