WAMC - reapplicant 512/3.95. MD/DO school list help

[terramar]

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Looking for input for my MD school list for a reapplication, for suggestions for DO schools I should apply to, and for any other thoughts of what I should do differently on this next cycle.

First, raw stats:

CA ORM Female, LGBTQ+
3 gap years

MCAT
First Attempt (Jan 2023) Overall 503 Chem 123 CARS 129 Bio 123 Psy/Soc 128
Second Attempt (Jan 2024) Overall 512 Chem 127 CARS 132 Bio 127 Psy/Soc 126

3.97 GPA, 3.95 SGPA
Graduate of one of the Seven Sisters, degree in Bio, Minor in Anthropology.

Main E/Cs
Family Business: 1640 hours (pre 2024)
COVID Testing/EMT: 1700 hours (pre 2024)
Hospital Volunteer: 450 hours current, 250 addl by matriculation 2026
UCLA Medical Scribe: 1500 hours current, 1500 addl by matriculation 2026
UCLA Translational Research: 150 hours current, 500 add'l by matriculation 2026

On my first go-around, I was encouraged here, and by some consulting services, including my school pre-med advisors, to just apply MD last cycle, but with 38 applications, I received only 1 interview invite, and am on a waitlist there. I need to pare down this list, perhaps consider other schools that I didn't apply to last time, and add DO applications as well.

At my one interview, my MD interviewer praised my work experience and thought I was a strong fit for the school and said they would advocate for me. I was surprised to be waitlisted. And while I hold out some hope, I know I have to prepare for a reapplication.

At time of primary application, I'd been at a new position scribing for a doctor at UCLA for just a few weeks, so while I listed the new position, I didn't feel I could make it the subject of a "most meaningful" essay after such a short period. It will definitely be a most-meaningful experience now.

My research position is new (since last application). I'll be author 3 of 4 in a paper submitted to Future Oncology, and author 4 of 9 for a paper submitted for presentation at annual meeting in June for the American Society for Clinical Oncology. I have begun work on a new trial as well, and will be a listed author there too.

My scribing experience and research projects were the subjects of update letters sent out in January. I have sent a letter of intent to the school where I am waitlisted.

The consulting services and outside editors all highly praised my PS and my writing overall - I think I'm a strong writer. I believe my LORs and Committee Letter were also strong. I know I will have exceptionally strong LORs from my MD boss at UCLA and the fellow leading the research projects I am working on.

My writing definitely shifted a bit from the time of the my first application. When I wrote my PS, it showed my main interest was in emergency medicine (which is still a primary interest), but my experience scribing for an gynecological oncologist and the translational research has been an amazing experience - this showed up more in my secondaries, I believe, since I had more experience and stories to share. And it's leading my strong interest in gynecological oncology, or OB/GYN in general.

I plan a new overall look at the overall story of my PS, activity descriptions, most-meaningful essays, and secondaries in order to be sure there's a good overarching story there.

Here's my original school list - I think I'll take out some state schools with low OOS acceptance rates, but what else should I change? Who should I add? And what DO schools should I add to this list?

Albany
Brown
CUSM
Dartmouth
Drexel
Eastern VA
Einstein
Emory
Geisinger
Georgetown
George Washington U
Kaiser
Loyola
Medical College of WI
NYMC
Oakland
Penn State
Quinnipiac
Rosalind Franklin
Rowan
Temple
Thomas Jefferson University
Tufts
U CO
U CT
U IL
U MASS
U MD
U VT
U WI
UCD
UCLA
UCSD
UCSF
USC
W MI
Wake Forest
Wayne State

 

[Mr.Smile12]

Previously

T

MD Thread 'WAMC (512/3.95) CA ORM Female'

Mar 14, 2024

I would love to get some opinions! What are my overall chances this year with MD schools?

And I'd love to get some help with my school list - I know it's long and needs to be trimmed - but where?

Here are my stats:

1. cGPA and sGPA as calculated by AMCAS or AACOMAS cGPA: 3.95 sGPA: 3.93
2. MCAT score(s) and breakdown. Include all (non-voided) attempts.
   1. 503 (c/p 123, cars 129, b/b 123, p/s 128)
   2. 512 (c/p 127, cars 132, b/b 127, p/s 126)
3. State of residence or country of citizenship (if non-US) California
4. Ethnicity and/or race White
5. Undergraduate institution or...

• terramar
• Replies: 2
• Forum: What Are My Chances? WAMC Medical

 

[Mr.Smile12]

Okay, first, I empathize with your disappointment if you didn't get more action. You should have been fine with MD, though maybe throwing some AACOMAS feelers out in August/September if it became obvious you weren't getting bites could have been helpful. Hopefully the list-makers here can suggest some DO schools. I mentioned MSPA in the old WAMC thread so hopefully you can look at the schools with affiliated chapters. Hopefully the waitlist will turn into an offer, but let's focus on a possible reapplication.

Among the schools where you applied, did any of them offer a mechanism for feedback to reapplicants? This includes just scheduling a short advising meeting (10-20 minutes); I think UCLA does this.

I suppose I would be interested in when secondaries were submitted. I presume your technical writing is not the issue, and you probably wrote compelling narratives or observations. (I guess I can look at a sample of the secondaries and the AMCAS.) Could you remind me in which part of California you grew up?

 

[Faha]

Where was your 1 interview ?

 

[terramar]

The one interview was with Jefferson (Sidney Kimmel School of Medicine at Thomas Jefferson University). I felt the interview went very well, and my faculty interviewer was very complementary. I am waiting (and hoping) that they'll take me off the wait list - I would be quite happy there, I believe.

I'm from the South Bay area in Los Angeles County (the "beach cities").

I will look to see if the schools offer any feedback - I didn't think that was an option, to be honest.

Primary was submitted By June 10. All secondaries done within 3 week of receiving them, and all were complete by the first week of August.

I have wondered if the fact that much of my "clinical experience" was as an EMT during covid, primarily doing covid testing. During the depth of the pandemic, that's what was so badly needed, but I wonder if the admissions committees don't consider it "real" clinical work. Hopefully, the 1500 hours I have scribing and working for a gynecological oncologist, and the research I've done with him and one of the fellows will offset this on the next round of applications.

 

[Faha]

Some of the schools on your list were unrealistic with MCAT scores of 503 and 512. I suggest these schools if you reapply:
Vermont
Quinnipiac
UMass
Albany
New York Medical College
Hackensack
Drexel
Temple
Jefferson
Penn State
George Washington
Virginia Commonwealth
Wake Forest
Methodist (when it opens)
NOVA MD
Belmont
Tulane
Alice Walton
TCU
Rosalind Franklin
Illinois
Medical College Wisconsin
Western Michigan
Oakland Beaumont
Wayne State
Roseman
California University
Kaiser
UC Davis
UC Riverside (if you are from that region)
For DO schools I suggest these:
WESTERN
TUCOM-CA
TUNCOM
AZCOM
CCOM
ATSU-KCOM
KCU-COM
PCOM
NYITCOM
Touro-NY

 

[Mr.Smile12]

Did you have any clinical experience in hospital settings? I'm sure your hours of scribing is very helpful. I just want to know to what other facets about academic medicine you had exposure.

 

[terramar]

My other clinical/patient experience is in my volunteer work at Cedars Sinai (approximately 450 hours to date). My scribing experience has been working directly with and interviewing patients, screening patients for trials, documenting research, etc....