Hi there, just looking for some advice on school list and my activities/application. Also wanting to know if I should apply DO. I was planning to submit AMCAS, complete secondaries, and then consider DO at that point since their application process seems less time sensitive. I have been told I do not need to apply DO from some people, but with my age (34) coming from a completely non-medical career (retail/customer service/outdoor industry) I want to make sure I'm hitting all my bases.
I'm primarily interested in specialities like family medicine, internal medicine, psych, etc. Not really concerned with school prestige, I would love to go to a school that is more focused on community service, primary care, underserved populations. Would love to work rurally and tried to find programs that had a rural track or concentration if possible.
1. GPA: cGPA: 3.86/ sGPA: 3.68 (DIY post-bac GPA 4.0, 37 credits)
2. MCAT: 518 (130/129/128/131)
3. AZ resident
4. ORM
5. Undergrad Institution: State university undergrad, post bacc at in state CC and 4 year university
6. Clinical Experience:
Clinical volunteering - 380 hrs free clinic, acting as MA during patient visits and taking vitals (2022-present)
- 200 hrs free clinic working with asylum seekers, taking vitals, acting as MA during patient visits (2023-Jan 2025 (shut down because of current administration)
Clinical employment - 200 hrs back in my undergrad (2011) working as a PT aide. Unsure of whether this is even worth including. I hated this job, and it was a really toxic environment. It was so long ago that I don't even know if it's relevant.
7. Research Experience:
~ 100 hrs in an exercise science lab, back in undergrad (2011). There is a publication, I was not named as I just assisted at a very basic level. I have the paper and can write about how I assisted but do not remember much beyond that.
I prioritized clinical experience during my post bacc because I was juggling a full time corporate 9-5 with classes and volunteering. I would have loved to get a recent research experience but there was no way to make it work. I am not interested in research at all with the exception of what is required of me in medical school, so I want to focus my application more on community service/primary care.
8. Shadowing: 110 hrs (internal medicine, emergency medicine/wound care)
9. Non-clinical volunteering:
Women's shelter - 350 hrs (2020-present)
Girls on the Run coach - 100 hrs, back in 2010-2011 timeframe
10. Non-clinical employment
- Currently work in corporate America for a global manufacturing company as customer service/order management/account management (2020- present, at least 10,000 hrs)
- worked in a variety of bike shops as a sales associate, buyer, warranty manager, you name it because all were small businesses (another 8,000 hrs or so)
- Worked as a USA swimming certified coach at several swim teams, was assistant and head coach at various times, probably 1000 hrs total
- Completed an internship in exercise physiology and worked at a coaching company for 1.5 years. Did have involvement in coaching athletes, lab testing, etc (back in 2012-2013)
Here's my current MD school list:
University of Arizona - Tucson
University of Arizona - Phoenix
University of Colorado (lived here for 8 years, significant ties to the state)
Tulane University (born and raised in NOLA)
University of Vermont
Medical College of Wisconsin
Virginia Commonwealth
Drexel
Temple
Geisel Dartmouth
Rush
Brown
University of Wisconsin
Pitt
University of Rochester
Ohio State
University of Iowa
Creighton
Georgetown
University of Cinncinati
Eastern Virginia Medical School
Super reaches
Northwestern
Mt Sinai
University of Virgnia
Mayo Clinic
University of Michigan
NYU Grossman LI
I'm primarily interested in specialities like family medicine, internal medicine, psych, etc. Not really concerned with school prestige, I would love to go to a school that is more focused on community service, primary care, underserved populations. Would love to work rurally and tried to find programs that had a rural track or concentration if possible.
1. GPA: cGPA: 3.86/ sGPA: 3.68 (DIY post-bac GPA 4.0, 37 credits)
2. MCAT: 518 (130/129/128/131)
3. AZ resident
4. ORM
5. Undergrad Institution: State university undergrad, post bacc at in state CC and 4 year university
6. Clinical Experience:
Clinical volunteering - 380 hrs free clinic, acting as MA during patient visits and taking vitals (2022-present)
- 200 hrs free clinic working with asylum seekers, taking vitals, acting as MA during patient visits (2023-Jan 2025 (shut down because of current administration)
Clinical employment - 200 hrs back in my undergrad (2011) working as a PT aide. Unsure of whether this is even worth including. I hated this job, and it was a really toxic environment. It was so long ago that I don't even know if it's relevant.
7. Research Experience:
~ 100 hrs in an exercise science lab, back in undergrad (2011). There is a publication, I was not named as I just assisted at a very basic level. I have the paper and can write about how I assisted but do not remember much beyond that.
I prioritized clinical experience during my post bacc because I was juggling a full time corporate 9-5 with classes and volunteering. I would have loved to get a recent research experience but there was no way to make it work. I am not interested in research at all with the exception of what is required of me in medical school, so I want to focus my application more on community service/primary care.
8. Shadowing: 110 hrs (internal medicine, emergency medicine/wound care)
9. Non-clinical volunteering:
Women's shelter - 350 hrs (2020-present)
Girls on the Run coach - 100 hrs, back in 2010-2011 timeframe
10. Non-clinical employment
- Currently work in corporate America for a global manufacturing company as customer service/order management/account management (2020- present, at least 10,000 hrs)
- worked in a variety of bike shops as a sales associate, buyer, warranty manager, you name it because all were small businesses (another 8,000 hrs or so)
- Worked as a USA swimming certified coach at several swim teams, was assistant and head coach at various times, probably 1000 hrs total
- Completed an internship in exercise physiology and worked at a coaching company for 1.5 years. Did have involvement in coaching athletes, lab testing, etc (back in 2012-2013)
Here's my current MD school list:
University of Arizona - Tucson
University of Arizona - Phoenix
University of Colorado (lived here for 8 years, significant ties to the state)
Tulane University (born and raised in NOLA)
University of Vermont
Medical College of Wisconsin
Virginia Commonwealth
Drexel
Temple
Geisel Dartmouth
Rush
Brown
University of Wisconsin
Pitt
University of Rochester
Ohio State
University of Iowa
Creighton
Georgetown
University of Cinncinati
Eastern Virginia Medical School
Super reaches
Northwestern
Mt Sinai
University of Virgnia
Mayo Clinic
University of Michigan
NYU Grossman LI
