WAMC: ORM 515/3.6, non-trad

[tovarishch]

I'd love feedback on my application and school list.

• cGPA 3.60, sGPA 3.84. Upward trend during a postbac from a 3.42 in undergrad
• Projected based on average of practice tests: 515 (128, 128, 130, 129). Scheduled to take the test in mid May.
• Montana resident for 4 years.
• White male
• B.S. from Georgetown University School of Foreign Service, 2016. Certificate from Montana State University (premed postbac), 2022
• Letters of Rec: 1 ochem/biochem professor, 1 literature professor, 1 research PI/Biology professor, 1 family practice M.D. I shadowed for a week.
  • I don't really know how to assess the strength of any of these letters, I know they all like me as a person for what that's worth.
• 250 hours volunteering at the local hospital and a hospice organization
  • Signed up for an EMT course ending in June and planning to get a job using it over the next year
• ~100 hours biology/biochemistry research over the past 5 months. Nothing published yet, but hopeful for an abstract or even a paper in the next year based on the project I'm leading.
• 40 hours shadowing family practice doctors, planning another 40 hours in May and trying to arrange more specialties.
• ~600 hours of non-clinical volunteering since 2012. ~400 hours were in undergrad. Not sure how to write about the rest given the limited slots and the fact that they're spread over 6 or so organizations.
• 2 years as a programmer at a local tech company, 2 years as a ski instructor/raft guide/rafting company manager.
• No interesting awards, the usual dean's/president's list irrelevancies.
• I speak Russian, but I suspect it's too rusty to really be worth mentioning.

School list in no particular order. I know it's huge, but I'm trying to pre-write secondaries and I want to apply as broadly as possible.

• University of Arizona College of Medicine - Tucson
• UCSF School of Medicine (reach, but my grandmother lives alone in SF and needs someone to move in with her)
• University of Colorado School of Medicine
• Georgetown University School of Medicine
• University of Utah School of Medicine
• University of Vermont College of Medicine
• Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth
• Loma Linda University
• University of Washington School of Medicine
• George Washington University School of Medicine& Health Sciences
• University of Hawaii at Manoa John A. Burns School of Medicine
• University of California, Davis School of Medicine
• Rush Medical College
• Tufts University School of Medicine
• University of New Mexico School of Medicine
• University of Nevada, Reno School of Medicine
• University of Arizona College of Medicine - Phoenix
• Morehouse School of Medicine
• Oregon Health & Science University School of Medicine
• Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine
• Frank H. Netter M.D. School of Medicine at Quinnipiac University
• University of Connecticut School of Medicine
• Chicago Medical School of Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science
• University of Illinois College of Medicine
• Wake Forest School of Medicine
• Albany Medical College
• New York Medical College
• State University of New York Upstate Medical University
• Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine
• Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University
• Medical University of South Carolina College of Medicine
• Meharry Medical College School of Medicine
• Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine
• West Virginia University School of Medicine
• University of California, Irvine
• Albert Einstein College of Medicine

DO Schools

• Rocky Vista University College of Osteopathic Medicine
• Pacific Northwest University of Health and Sciences College of Osteopathic Medicine
• A.T. Still University School of Osteopathic Medicine in Arizona
• Midwestern University Arizona College of Osteopathic Medicine
• Touro University California College of Osteopathic Medicine
• Western University of Health Sciences College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific
• New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine
• Rocky Vista University College of Osteopathic Medicine - Southern Utah Campus
• Idaho College of Osteopathic Medicine

I know I've got a lot of Cali schools on the list, but my gf is from there and would love to move back, I was born there and still have family in the area so I'm tempted to shoot my shot with them and see if I can get lucky.

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[chilly_md]

You have several public schools that take few OOS students without ties (New Mexico, Hawaii, UConn etc) as well as HBCUs. These are essentially donations. What exactly were your non-clinical volunteering activities? Old pre-college hours don’t count.

Of your DO list, I cannot recommend Rocky Vista due to their for-profit status or ICOM (is also not established). You could apply to Touro Nevada instead. Your actual MCAT will determine where you can apply. You could score higher or lower than your practice and that would eliminate several schools.

 

[tovarishch]

You have several public schools that take few OOS students without ties (New Mexico, Hawaii, UConn etc) as well as HBCUs. These are essentially donations. What exactly were your non-clinical volunteering activities? Old pre-college hours don’t count.

Of your DO list, I cannot recommend Rocky Vista due to their for-profit status or ICOM (is also not established). You could apply to Touro Nevada instead. Your actual MCAT will determine where you can apply. You could score higher or lower than your practice and that would eliminate several schools.

Thanks, I had a list of WICHE schools that treat Montana residents as in state but it's super out of date and may not have been correct to begin with. I can't find anything about New Mexico giving MT students preferential status online, so I'll remove it, UConn, the HBCUs, and Rocky Vista. ICOM should get it's accreditation next month, and Montana has an agreement with them to forgive loans if you go into a family med residency here, so I'm inclined to keep them on the list.

My nonclinical volunteering is all post college, I'm just old. I did ~400 hours as a member of a community service fraternity in school. Not sure I want to associate the word frat with my application, but it was a significant part of my university experience and I was involved in leadership, so I think I'll have to. Since then, I volunteered in a couple programs teaching disadvantaged kids to ski (I'll lump these together) and just generally helped out with my local warming shelter, food bank, and housing agencies. My ex was a social worker, so I would just show up and help whenever they needed it, but that means I'm not sure who to put as a reference on those hours, or how to report them given they're spread over half a dozen organizations.

And yeah, I'm just trying to be ready to pull the trigger as soon as I get my scores.

 

[Mr.Smile12]

Good luck on your MCAT. No additional thoughts until you post your official score.

 

[tovarishch]

I posted something similar a few months ago and was told to come back when I had an official MCAT score. Now that I've got it, I'd love feedback on my application and school list.

I already submitted my application to 1 school and it was verified last week, so I intend to add more schools to the list before the 25th.

• cGPA 3.61, sGPA 3.79. Upward trend during a postbac from a 3.42 in undergrad
• MCAT: 519 (127, 131, 131, 130)
• Montana resident for 4 years.
• White male
• B.S. from Georgetown University School of Foreign Service, 2016. Certificate from Montana State University (premed postbac), 2022
• Letters of Rec: 1 ochem/biochem professor, 1 literature/Russian language professor, 1 research PI/Biology professor, 1 family practice M.D. I shadowed for a week.
  • I don't really know how to assess the strength of any of these letters, I know they all like me as a person for what that's worth.
• 250 hours volunteering at the local hospital and a hospice organization
  • Passed my EMT last week and currently applying for jobs.
• ~100 hours biology/biochemistry research over the past 5 months. Nothing published yet, but hopeful for an abstract or even a paper in the next year based on the project I'm leading.
• 75 hours shadowing a variety of specialties.
• ~700 hours of non-clinical volunteering since 2012. ~500 hours were in undergrad.
• 2 years as a programmer at a local tech company, 3 years as a ski instructor/raft guide/rafting company manager.
• No interesting awards, the usual dean's/president's list irrelevancies.
• I speak Russian, but I suspect it's too rusty to really be worth mentioning.

School list in no particular order. I know it's huge, but I'm trying to pre-write secondaries and I want to apply as broadly as possible.

• University of Arizona College of Medicine - Tucson
• UCSF School of Medicine (reach, but my grandmother lives alone in SF and needs someone to move in with her)
• University of Colorado School of Medicine
• Georgetown University School of Medicine
• University of Utah School of Medicine
• University of Vermont College of Medicine
• Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth
• Loma Linda University
• University of Washington School of Medicine (WWAMI)
• George Washington University School of Medicine& Health Sciences
• University of Hawaii at Manoa John A. Burns School of Medicine
• University of California, Davis School of Medicine
• Rush Medical College
• Tufts University School of Medicine
• University of Nevada, Reno School of Medicine
• University of Arizona College of Medicine - Phoenix
• Oregon Health & Science University School of Medicine
• Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine
• Frank H. Netter M.D. School of Medicine at Quinnipiac University
• Chicago Medical School of Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science
• University of Illinois College of Medicine
• Wake Forest School of Medicine
• Albany Medical College
• New York Medical College
• State University of New York Upstate Medical University
• Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine
• Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University
• Medical University of South Carolina College of Medicine
• Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine
• West Virginia University School of Medicine
• University of California, Irvine
• Albert Einstein College of Medicine

 

[chilly_md]

I posted something similar a few months ago and was told to come back when I had an official MCAT score. Now that I've got it, I'd love feedback on my application and school list.

I already submitted my application to 1 school and it was verified last week, so I intend to add more schools to the list before the 25th.

• cGPA 3.61, sGPA 3.79. Upward trend during a postbac from a 3.42 in undergrad
• MCAT: 519 (127, 131, 131, 130)
• Montana resident for 4 years.
• White male
• B.S. from Georgetown University School of Foreign Service, 2016. Certificate from Montana State University (premed postbac), 2022
• Letters of Rec: 1 ochem/biochem professor, 1 literature/Russian language professor, 1 research PI/Biology professor, 1 family practice M.D. I shadowed for a week.
  • I don't really know how to assess the strength of any of these letters, I know they all like me as a person for what that's worth.
• 250 hours volunteering at the local hospital and a hospice organization
  • Passed my EMT last week and currently applying for jobs.
• ~100 hours biology/biochemistry research over the past 5 months. Nothing published yet, but hopeful for an abstract or even a paper in the next year based on the project I'm leading.
• 75 hours shadowing a variety of specialties.
• ~700 hours of non-clinical volunteering since 2012. ~500 hours were in undergrad.
• 2 years as a programmer at a local tech company, 3 years as a ski instructor/raft guide/rafting company manager.
• No interesting awards, the usual dean's/president's list irrelevancies.
• I speak Russian, but I suspect it's too rusty to really be worth mentioning.

School list in no particular order. I know it's huge, but I'm trying to pre-write secondaries and I want to apply as broadly as possible.

• University of Arizona College of Medicine - Tucson
• UCSF School of Medicine (reach, but my grandmother lives alone in SF and needs someone to move in with her)
• University of Colorado School of Medicine
• Georgetown University School of Medicine
• University of Utah School of Medicine
• University of Vermont College of Medicine
• Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth
• Loma Linda University
• University of Washington School of Medicine (WWAMI)
• George Washington University School of Medicine& Health Sciences
• University of Hawaii at Manoa John A. Burns School of Medicine
• University of California, Davis School of Medicine
• Rush Medical College
• Tufts University School of Medicine
• University of Nevada, Reno School of Medicine
• University of Arizona College of Medicine - Phoenix
• Oregon Health & Science University School of Medicine
• Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine
• Frank H. Netter M.D. School of Medicine at Quinnipiac University
• Chicago Medical School of Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science
• University of Illinois College of Medicine
• Wake Forest School of Medicine
• Albany Medical College
• New York Medical College
• State University of New York Upstate Medical University
• Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine
• Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University
• Medical University of South Carolina College of Medicine
• Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine
• West Virginia University School of Medicine
• University of California, Irvine
• Albert Einstein College of Medicine

I have merged your post with your old thread. You have many schools that take few OOS students without ties (Nevada, Davis, SUNY, South Carolina etc).

I suggest the following:

UCSF
Georgetown
University of Utah
University of Vermont
Dartmouth
University of Washington
Tufts
Oregon Health & Science
Quinnipiac University
Wake Forest School of Medicine
Temple University
Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Jefferson
Hofstra
Rochester
USF
Western Michigan
Colorado
Vanderbilt
WUSTL
Miami
Iowa
VCU
EVMS
UVA
Wisconsin
MCW
Creighton
Keck
Boston

 

[tovarishch]

I have merged your post with your old thread. You have many schools that take few OOS students without ties (Nevada, Davis, SUNY, South Carolina etc).

I suggest the following:

UCSF
Georgetown
University of Utah
University of Vermont
Dartmouth
University of Washington
Tufts
Oregon Health & Science
Quinnipiac University
Wake Forest School of Medicine
Temple University
Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Jefferson
Hofstra
Rochester
USF
Western Michigan
Colorado
Vanderbilt
WUSTL
Miami
Iowa
VCU
EVMS
UVA
Wisconsin
MCW
Creighton
Keck
Boston

Thanks for the response! I'm wondering if you can help me understand something. Keck School of Medicine doesn't seem friendly to out of state applicants. Is there something I'm not understanding when looking at the numbers which would justify me applying to it?

Thanks,

 

[chilly_md]

Thanks for the response! I'm wondering if you can help me understand something. Keck School of Medicine doesn't seem friendly to out of state applicants. Is there something I'm not understanding when looking at the numbers which would justify me applying to it?

Thanks,

It’s a private school. If you scored a 519, you could be competitive there.

 

[tovarishch]

It’s a private school. If you scored a 519, you could be competitive there.

jeez, the private/public difference seems like an obvious distinction now you point it out...

Thanks for helping me wrap my head around it.