WAMC, PLEASE BE BRUTAL AS POSSIBLE

[SimmySoom]

Hello! I think I won't be matriculating into any medical institutions this year, unfortunately. I applied to 23 schools and not 1 II. Editors have said I had solid writing and PS but it is what it is, right? So, I wanted to composite a list together for medical schools that I'm applying to this following year and I would really appreciate some insight.

BS in Neuroscience & BS in Human Biology in 4 Years (w/ Minor in Spanish Language/Culture)

MCAT: 503 first try, then 513 a year later with (129/125/130/129) (I'd say I'm fairly articulate in most situations, but I'm pretty dumb when it comes to CARS)

Ethnicity, Residence, and Institution: ORM Asian, 1st Gen, Midwest, State School


LORs: 1 strong from professor, 2 strong from 2 doctors, (4th would've been PI but he hasn't responded in months)... I will get a fourth at some point

Clinical Exp: ~100 hours in hospital volunteering, ~75 hours in Motherland assisting in emergency department of an underprivileged community (definitely my worst but I will add 400-500 hours for this cycle, assume that as you may)

Research Exp: ~300 hours in computational bioinformatics, genetics, and obesity research (was close to two pubs but never culminated), reaching out to PIs for more experience and possible pub

Volunteer Non-Clinical: ~1000 hours over span of 7 years at my church (leadership, inaugural event coordinator, feeding less fortunate, taking care of children, etc.), ~300 hours as group fitness training leader, ~75 hours in hospitals outside of U.S.

Shadowing: ~225 hours with 5 different specialties (ortho, cardio, ENT, trauma, and derm) (2 solid letters from this), ~30 hours in the Dominican Republic shadowing doctors

EC: Fitness (I used to weigh 300lbs in high school and have grown a passion for it, huge gym-bro now, social media account with >25k followers encouraging healthier lifestyle)

Work: Over 8000 hours combined since freshman year of high school managing three family businesses (I went extensively into detail with my responsibilities in my app because one of the businesses was 1/3 of the most meaningful experiences (taught me discipline, teamwork, leadership, handling stress, working 14-16 hour shifts during holidays and summer, etc. I'd also go home every single weekend during college to work and volunteer)

~200 hours as STEM tutor for 3 years during college

MD Schools for next cycle: U of Michigan, Chicago Rosalind, Vanderbilt, Michigan State CHM, Ohio State, Tulane, Temple, Rush, Rutgers, C Michigan, Phoenix Arizona, Tuscon Arizona, Wisconsin, Wake Forest, Western M, Loyola

I want to add several more (12-15 more) but I don't know. Which schools are OOS friendly? Should I add Texas Schools even though I'm not a resident? And what about DO schools? I would rather have more comments on my weaknesses than my strengths, please and thank you. I am pretty disappointed in myself, but it'll add more to the discipline I've developed over my life and will test my resilience and tenacity for the following months.

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[wysdoc]

Hello! I think I won't be matriculating into any medical institutions this year, unfortunately. I applied to 23 schools and not 1 II. Editors have said I had solid writing and PS but it is what it is, right? So, I wanted to composite a list together for medical schools that I'm applying to this following year and I would really appreciate some insight.

BS in Neuroscience & BS in Human Biology in 4 Years (w/ Minor in Spanish Language/Culture)

MCAT: 503 first try, then 513 a year later with (129/125/130/129) (I'd say I'm fairly articulate in most situations, but I'm pretty dumb when it comes to CARS)

Ethnicity, Residence, and Institution: ORM Asian, 1st Gen, Midwest, State School


LORs: 1 strong from professor, 2 strong from 2 doctors, (4th would've been PI but he hasn't responded in months)... I will get a fourth at some point

Clinical Exp: ~100 hours in hospital volunteering, ~75 hours in Motherland assisting in emergency department of an underprivileged community (definitely my worst but I will add 400-500 hours for this cycle, assume that as you may)

Research Exp: ~300 hours in computational bioinformatics, genetics, and obesity research (was close to two pubs but never culminated), reaching out to PIs for more experience and possible pub

Volunteer Non-Clinical: ~1000 hours over span of 7 years at my church (leadership, inaugural event coordinator, feeding less fortunate, taking care of children, etc.), ~300 hours as group fitness training leader, ~75 hours in hospitals outside of U.S.

Shadowing: ~225 hours with 5 different specialties (ortho, cardio, ENT, trauma, and derm) (2 solid letters from this), ~30 hours in the Dominican Republic shadowing doctors

EC: Fitness (I used to weigh 300lbs in high school and have grown a passion for it, huge gym-bro now, social media account with >25k followers encouraging healthier lifestyle)

Work: Over 8000 hours combined since freshman year of high school managing three family businesses (I went extensively into detail with my responsibilities in my app because one of the businesses was 1/3 of the most meaningful experiences (taught me discipline, teamwork, leadership, handling stress, working 14-16 hour shifts during holidays and summer, etc. I'd also go home every single weekend during college to work and volunteer)

~200 hours as STEM tutor for 3 years during college

MD Schools for next cycle: U of Michigan, Chicago Rosalind, Vanderbilt, Michigan State CHM, Ohio State, Tulane, Temple, Rush, Rutgers, C Michigan, Phoenix Arizona, Tuscon Arizona, Wisconsin, Wake Forest, Western M, Loyola

I want to add several more (12-15 more) but I don't know. Which schools are OOS friendly? Should I add Texas Schools even though I'm not a resident? And what about DO schools? I would rather have more comments on my weaknesses than my strengths, please and thank you. I am pretty disappointed in myself, but it'll add more to the discipline I've developed over my life and will test my resilience and tenacity for the following months.

For better help on constructing a new list, please list all the schools you applied to this time, and more important which state are you an official resident of?

 

[Faha]

Which schools did you apply to ? Where is your state of residence ? How many hours of clinical volunteering do you have in this country ? When and where will you be accumulating the 400-500 hours of future clinical volunteering ?

 

[Mr.Smile12]

It's too bad you apparently had an unsuccessful application. How early did you submit your AMCAS and your secondaries? We can't guess your state residency, and that is an important factor. It may also help listing your last wishlist, though I suspect many on your current list were on the last one.

Break down your non-clinical volunteering. 1000 hours of church volunteering needs to be detailed how much you did within each sponsored activity.

8000 hours managing the family business = 8 years of half-time work throughout the year. Is this an accurate description of how much you actually worked at home with your family business?

What did you say was your purpose to pursuing medicine? How have your activities supported your mission statement and connect with the schools'? You may have solid writing technique, but if your message doesn't connect with the screeners, it doesn't matter.

 

[SimmySoom]

Which schools did you apply to ? Where is your state of residence ? How many hours of clinical volunteering do you have in this country ? When and where will you be accumulating the 400-500 hours of future clinical volunteering ?

20 of the schools I previously applied to were T50 and the other three are in my current list. I'm pretty sure most of them were wishful thinking but I was surprised about not getting an II from Rush, Rosalind Franklin, U of Rochester, and U of M. I'm a Michigan resident. Clinical volunteering in this country is 100 hours. The 400-500 future hours are going to be from possible MA with a clinic, which will accumulate prior to primary app sending.

I do want to add that my secondaries last time were sent within the encouraged 2-3 week time frame but two of my letter writers forgot to sign their respective letter which pushed me back months. Meaning, I got the email that they forgot to sign in late October, 10 weeks after the letters were verified.

 

[Faha]

Rush was no surprise since they are looking for applicants with 1,000+ hours of clinical exposure. Half the schools on your list are unrealistic since some are state public schools that admit few non residents with no connection to the state and others are far reaches (Vanderbilt, Ohio State). Your 100 hours was too low for top tier schools.
If you accumulate those 400+ hours as a MA prior to applying then you can reapply in June. If that position as a MA does not occur you should wait another year. You need more than the 100 hours of clinical volunteering that you currently have. I suggest these schools when you accumulate those 400 additional hours:
Wayne State
Michigan State
Central Michigan
Western Michigan
Oakland Beaumont
U Michigan
Toledo
Medical College Wisconsin
Rosalind Franklin
TCU
Tulane
NOVA MD
Wake Forest
Virginia Commonwealth
George Washington
Drexel
Temple
Jefferson
Penn State
Hackensack
New York Medical College
Albany
Vermont
Quinnipiac
Belmont (when it opens)
You should also apply to DO schools and consider these:
MSUCOM
CCOM
DMU-COM
MU-COM
ATSU-KCOM
KCU-COM
TUNCOM
AZCOM
CUSOM
PCOM
NYITCOM
Touro-NY
Apply in June and submit all your secondaries by July.

 

[Mr.Smile12]

If you got no interviews from your many in state schools (including a DO program had you chosen it), you have a more fundamental issue. I point out your nonclinical community service. Others have also pointed out your deficiency in clinical experience.

Did you follow any advice from prehealth advisors? I don't get why you applied with these issues.

 

[Putkernerinthehall]

Your dual MCAT scores might have played a role as well. Some schools use your latest score and some average your scores. A 513 is pretty competitive for MD, but the average of 508 not so much.

Before you apply again, you really must have all your ducks lined up. LORs all completed and signed. Hundreds of hours of clinical volunteering already completed. A genuine, well written, attention-getting statement of purpose. And a school list that is realistic and consistent with your MCAT numbers.

Based on what I've seen, it's best to apply to schools with an average MCAT of accepted applicants that is within a couple points either way of your own score. A school like Vanderbilt is too far of a reach. Same with Ohio State and Wisconsin.

Good luck!

 

[SimmySoom]

I've already posted something like this a few weeks ago but I got some major updates to the app and forgot to mention a couple things.

Reapplicant, applied to 23 schools last year and received no II. This time around I made a massive list and would love insight on grinding it down or adding any new ones I missed.
BS in Neuroscience and BS in Human Biology in 4 years (w/ Minor in Spanish Language/Culture)
On my 2nd Gap Year

1. cGPA and sGPA as calculated by AMCAS or AACOMAS: 3.9 cGPA, 3.9 sGPA
2. MCAT score(s) and breakdown: 503 first try, then 513 a year later with (129/125/130/129)
3. State of residence or country of citizenship (if non-US): Michigan
4. Ethnicity and/or race: ORM Asian, 1st Gen immigrant, 1st gen college
5. Undergraduate institution or category: State School
6. Clinical experience (volunteer and non-volunteer): ~100 hours in hospital volunteering, ~75 hours in Motherland assisting in emergency department of an underprivileged community (meaningful because I want to dedicate time to underprivileged communities across seas once I'm a physician and can get financial backing), AND WILL DEFINITELY HAVE 500+ hours as legit Medical Assistant from clinic by app time and will continue for 500-750 more hours throughout app cycle
7. Research experience and productivity: ~300 hours in computational bioinformatics, genetics, and obesity research (was close to two pubs but never culminated), still reaching out to PIs for more experience and possible pub
8. Shadowing experience and specialties represented: ~225 hours with 5 different specialties (ortho, cardio, ENT, trauma, and derm) (2 solid letters from this), ~30 hours in the Dominican Republic shadowing doctors
9. Non-clinical volunteering: ~1000 hours over span of 7 years at my church (leadership, inaugural event coordinator, feeding less fortunate, taking care of children, etc.), ~350 hours as group fitness training leader (meaningful because it means a lot to me that I've changed a lot of lives from their words and actions outside of taking care of their body)
10. Other extracurricular activities (including athletics, military service, gap year activities, leadership, teaching, etc): Fitness (I used to weigh 300lbs in high school and have grown a passion for it, huge gym-bro now, social media account with >25k followers encouraging healthier lifestyle), over 8000 hours combined since freshman year of high school managing three family businesses (I went extensively into detail with my responsibilities in my app because one of the businesses was 1/3 of the most meaningful experiences (taught me discipline, teamwork, leadership, handling stress, working 14-16 hour shifts during holidays and summer, etc. I'd also go home every single weekend during college to work and volunteer), ~250 hours as STEM tutor,
11. Anything else not listed you think might be important: I speak five languages, two fluently, two advanced, and one decent/conversation. 5 LORs (2 science profs, 3 doctors I've shadowed). I might also get a huge clinical project in the next couple weeks but I don't want it to affect my school choices.

These are for sure: U of M, Western Michigan, Tufts, Creighton, VG Commonwealth, Virginia Tech, Drexel, NOVA South, Quinnipac, Wake Forest, Temple, MSU CHM, Penn State, Vermont, Albany, NY Medical, Florida Atlantic, FIU, Wisconsin, MSU COM, AZCOM

Schools I'm iffy on: Rutgers (both), TCU, Hackensack, Stanford, Maryland, UNLV

Who should I add? Who should I drop? Should I add any reach schools? I would really appreciate some help!

 

[SimmySoom]

AND PLEASE REPLY AS IF MONEY IS NOT AN ISSUE (ofc money is an issue but I would love transparent and unbias advice)

 

[Mr.Smile12]

Please give your previous list where you once applied, knowing these schools may expect a significant improvement as a reapplicant.

All of your in state schools should be in play though I think UMich is a real reach with a 513. The total number of Michigan in-state seats should give you a mathematical advantage.

Mods: can we merge this with the previous WAMC post since it was so recent, and I think the advice is still relevant?

 

[SimmySoom]

The only schools I'm reapplying to this year are U of M and Stanford. My list was awful to say the least last year, they were pretty much all high reaches

 

[Mr.Smile12]

The only schools I'm reapplying to this year are U of M and Stanford. My list was awful to say the least last year, they were pretty much all high reaches

Dude, you asked us to be brutal so give us a chance!

 

[SimmySoom]

Dude, you asked us to be brutal so give us a chance!

What do you meannnn, my app doesn't seem competitive compared to everyone I'm reading and hearing about. I don't know if the schools I listed are target schools for me, so I might need to go for schools that would accept someone like me

 

[LunaOri]

Add Dartmouth.

 

[Mr.Smile12]

What do you meannnn, my app doesn't seem competitive compared to everyone I'm reading and hearing about. I don't know if the schools I listed are target schools for me, so I might need to go for schools that would accept someone like me

What was your last list? That's it.

 

[chilly_md]

Leave off the Dominican shadowing, it serves no purpose.

What is new that was not on your app from last cycle? The MA work?

Your current list contains several schools that would end up as donations due to them not taking many OOS students or expecting much higher stats (UNLV, Stanford, Rutgers, FAU, FIU etc).

 

[Mr.Smile12]

I want to dedicate time to underprivileged communities across seas once I'm a physician and can get financial backing

That's a great goal once you are established in practice, but there are plenty of communities in the US that also need help. These opportunities will come but this could turn off some reviewers.

Remember some schools average your MCAT attempts so for them, you look like a 508 at screening.

 

[E2RXN]

Isolated advice: Virginia Tech will be an unrealistic app unless you can string together another 2000 hours in research this year.