WAMC - Reapp or sMP (3.55,510)

[Monk-E]

I'm a current applicant for the 2024-25 cycle and had an interview with Drexel, where I was deferred. I’m feeling pretty lost about what to do next and was recommended to consider an SMP program. I applied and got accepted into Brown’s Masters of Medical Bioscience. Now, I’m trying to decide whether to reapply this cycle or do the SMP and apply again the year after. Any and all insight would be really appreciated! 😀 I'll have my school list at the bottom

Edit: I talked with a friend who will matriculate this year and they think if I can get my MCAT up I could have way better odds this year. It's been 8n months since I took the MCAT however my highest practice test score was a 515 (I got that a week before the test) and my CARS score on my actual MCAT is my worst score on the test but also my worst CARS score ever. I usually avg a 75% on CARS when I was doing my practice test so I believe I could get my MCAT score up and take it at the beginning of May as I will be able to solely focus on it if I chose this route.

1. 3.55 cGPA, 3.45 sGPA
2. 510 (130, 124, 129, 127)
3. State: WA
4. Ethnicity: ORM South Asian
5. Undergraduate institution: University of Washington
6. Clinical: CNA - 700 hours, Hospital Volunteer - 120 Hours
7. Research experience: 550 hours at an microbiology/immunology lab researching antiviral proteins. No publications came from it sadly only did a couple projects that didn't go anywhere
8. Shadowing experience: 70 hours across Infectious disease, Laboratory medicine / Pathology, Neuropathology, Outpatient Cardiology, Pediatric Cardiology, Robotic Surgery
9. Non-clinical volunteering: 170 hours as a young adult shelter volunteer, now I work there adding an additional 150 hours as the volunteer supervisor. 20 setting up and running a food drive. 20 hours and counting as a youth tutor in math and science and interviewing to become a court appointed special advocate for children in the foster care system
10. Other extracurricular activities: some informal personal training, Resident advisor for the quarter prior to my graduation,
11. Relevant honors or awards: Dean's List
    ​

School list
Boston University Aram V. Chobanian & Edward Avedisian School of Medicine
Drexel University College of Medicine
Indiana University School of Medicine
Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University
Medical College of Wisconsin
Sidney Kimmel Medical College at Thomas Jefferson University
University of Illinois College of Medicine
University of Washington School of Medicine
University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health
Washington State University Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine
Wayne State University School of Medicine
Frank H. Netter School of Medicine at Quinnipiac University
VCU School of Medicine

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[Faha]

You are competitive for all DO schools. Are you willing to apply to DO schools ?

 

[Monk-E]

You are competitive for all DO schools. Are you willing to apply to DO schools ?

I am open to it but I wanna go MD if possible. The idea of taking two board exams is not too appealing to me plus my family would prefer me to be an MD rather than a DO due to them having a bad experience with them (I know it's not a good reason but tryna make them proud lol)

 

[Faha]

Your GPA is not low enough that would require a SMP. You do need a larger and better school list and I suggest these:
U Washington
Washington State
Roseman
TCU
Creighton
Alice Walton
Belmont
NOVA MD
Ponce (St. Louis)
Rosalind Franklin
Medical College Wisconsin
Oakland Beaumont
Wayne State
Wake Forest
Virginia Commonwealth
Eastern Virginia
George Washington
Drexel
Temple
Jefferson
Penn State
Albany
Vermont
Quinnipiac
Methodist (when it opens)
Also apply to DO schools and I suggest these:
PNWU-COM
TUNCOM
AZCOM
KCU-COM
ATSU-KCOM
DMU-COM
CCOM
MU-COM
CUSOM
WVSOM
NYITCOM
LECOM
Touro-NY

 

[stew_md]

@Mr.Smile12

 

[Mr.Smile12]

Thanks! Tell me why you prefer MD over DO. Tell me how your non-clinical community service with troubled youth should inform me about your purpose as a physician. I would apply to your in-state options, though I surmise WSU will be more inclined to look at you given the number of seats they have to fill with in-state applicants vs. UW. Apply to Roseman as soon as they pop up into AMCAS in March.

 

[Monk-E]

Thanks! Tell me why you prefer MD over DO. Tell me how your non-clinical community service with troubled youth should inform me about your purpose as a physician. I would apply to your in-state options, though I surmise WSU will be more inclined to look at you given the number of seats they have to fill with in-state applicants vs. UW. Apply to Roseman as soon as they pop up into AMCAS in March.

For MD over DO, it's that I have to do another board exam to be certified, I've heard that it's more difficult for an DO to get into more competitive specialties (I wanna go into peds but don't know if I wanna specialize as of now and what to keep my options open) and there's family pressure to do MD.

For the second questions about community service with troubled youth, I grew up the oldest of 9 and helped raise all of them working as a third parent. When I was younger I dealt with a lot of issues with medical misinformation so I want to be a resource for the youth and being a physician will allow me to work with kids and educate them so they can go onto help educate their families to help combat misinformation. Working with troubled youth allows me the opportunity to work with kids going through the ringer and teach me how to approach and build a relationship with them while being aware of what they are going though and assisting them when I can. Also, it can teach me the signs of potential abuse or abandonment allowing me to help my future patients if I start to notice the signs.

I did apply to both schools and was rejected pre-interview (if it's any consolation, I was rejected at the end of their time period to offer interviews even though I completed secondaries in August). WSU said that my essays were not personal/reflective enough and that I need to spend more time reflecting on why I want to be a physician and what my exp had taught me that is unique to me. I will be throwing my hat in the ring for Roseman when it opens up

I am considering retaking my MCAT as I was thinking that maybe able to boost my chances. For context my highest practice test score was a 515 and my CARS score on my actual MCAT is my worst score on the test but also my worst CARS score ever. I usually avg a 75% on CARS when I was doing my practice test so I believe I could get my MCAT score up and take it at the beginning of May as I will be able to solely focus on it

 

[Monk-E]

Your GPA is not low enough that would require a SMP. You do need a larger and better school list and I suggest these:
U Washington
Washington State
Roseman
TCU
Creighton
Alice Walton
Belmont
NOVA MD
Ponce (St. Louis)
Rosalind Franklin
Medical College Wisconsin
Oakland Beaumont
Wayne State
Wake Forest
Virginia Commonwealth
Eastern Virginia
George Washington
Drexel
Temple
Jefferson
Penn State
Albany
Vermont
Quinnipiac
Methodist (when it opens)
Also apply to DO schools and I suggest these:
PNWU-COM
TUNCOM
AZCOM
KCU-COM
ATSU-KCOM
DMU-COM
CCOM
MU-COM
CUSOM
WVSOM
NYITCOM
LECOM
Touro-NY

Thank you for the list definitely will apply to all of these schools if I decide to apply this cycle. If you have a minute I was wondering how you got to these schools? What was your criteria?

 

[Faha]

Thank you for the list definitely will apply to all of these schools if I decide to apply this cycle. If you have a minute I was wondering how you got to these schools? What was your criteria?

The DO schools are the upper tier DO schools. You could potentially receive an interview at the MD schools with a MCAT of 510.