WAMC/School list: 506/3.87 ORM.

[billybob321]

1. cGPA: 3.87 and sGPA: 3.80
2. 506 (127, 124, 127, and 128)
3. Northern CA
4. Asian
5. T20
6. 250 hospital volunteering and 350 medical scribing.
7. 1500 hours and strong rec letter. 1 accepted at mBio and another is currently under review at cell reports.
8. 184 (55 in ER, 27.5 in pain management, 10 in anesthesia and neuroradiologist, and the rest are online shadowing).
9. 150 hrs at teaching at a marginalized elementary school, and 60 hours at a food bank over covid.
10. Heavy in leadership: student government (320 hours) and multiple president positions I started a nonprofit chapter to donate unused medical supplies: 80 hours.
Teacher Assistant: 200 hours tutoring for discrete math.
11. Eagle Scout and dean's list.
12. Started a nonprofit to redistribute unused medical supplies.

I tried framing my application with the theme of mental health advocacy and listening to others. If anyone would be willing to look over my apps, that would be greatly appreciated too.

Here is my school list thus far:
University of Minnesota Medical School
University of California, Davis, School of Medicine
University of California, Riverside School of Medicine
Drexel University College of Medicine
Loma Linda University School of Medicine
Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine
George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences
Saint Louis University School of Medicine
Anne Burnett Marion School of Medicine at TCU
Albany Medical College
Medical College of Wisconsin
Robert Larner, M.D., College of Medicine at the University of Vermont
Eastern Virginia Medical School
Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University
Wayne State University School of Medicine
Wake Forest University School of Medicine
Tulane University School of Medicine
Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine
Northeast Ohio Medical University
Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine
Georgetown University School of Medicine
California University of Science and Medicine-School of Medicine
Chicago Medical School at Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine & Science
Kirk Kerkorian School of Medicine at UNLV
SUNY Upstate
Rush Medical College of Rush University Medical Center

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[Faha]

You have several state public schools on your list that admit very few non residents with a MCAT of 506 and no connection to the state. Rush expects many more hours of non clinical volunteering than you have. I suggest these schools from your list:
University of California, Davis, School of Medicine
University of California, Riverside School of Medicine If you are from that region)
Drexel University College of Medicine
Loma Linda University School of Medicine
George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences
Anne Burnett Marion School of Medicine at TCU
Albany Medical College
Medical College of Wisconsin
Robert Larner, M.D., College of Medicine at the University of Vermont
Eastern Virginia Medical School
Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University
Wake Forest University School of Medicine
Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine
Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine
California University of Science and Medicine-School of Medicine
Chicago Medical School at Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine & Science
You could add these MD schools:
NOVA MD
Creighton
With a MCAT of 506 you should also apply to DO schools and I suggest these:
WESTERN
TUCOM-CA
TUNCOM
AZCOM
CCOM
DMU-COM
KCU-COM
ATSU-KCOM
MU-COM
UIWSOM
ACOM
CUSOM
WVSOM
PCOM
LECOM
NYITCOM
Touro-NY

 

[Mr.Smile12]

Mental health advocacy... where is this in your activities inventory above? It's not obvious from your shadowing even though, yes, mental health can be comorbid or relevant. I don't see it tie in with donated medical supply drives. No crisis text line work which many other applicants will have and they acknowledge the importance of having some mental health awareness and listening skills, so I don't see how you would favorably compare with applicants with that experience. Am I missing something?

150 hrs at teaching at a marginalized elementary school

Did you receive certification as a teacher, or was this a full-time position?

 

[billybob321]

Mental health advocacy... where is this in your activities inventory above? It's not obvious from your shadowing even though, yes, mental health can be comorbid or relevant. I don't see it tie in with donated medical supply drives. No crisis text line work which many other applicants will have and they acknowledge the importance of having some mental health awareness and listening skills, so I don't see how you would favorably compare with applicants with that experience. Am I missing something?


Did you receive certification as a teacher, or was this a full-time position?

Thank you for your comment Mr. Smile. I did not fully detail my activities because I thought it would be a bit much. But in terms of mental health, I organized group therapy sessions at my school, helped organize an asian mental health conference, and held panels about mental health as part of the student government.

The teaching was part of a volunteering program.

 

[billybob321]

You have several state public schools on your list that admit very few non residents with a MCAT of 506 and no connection to the state. Rush expects many more hours of non clinical volunteering than you have. I suggest these schools from your list:
University of California, Davis, School of Medicine
University of California, Riverside School of Medicine If you are from that region)
Drexel University College of Medicine
Loma Linda University School of Medicine
George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences
Anne Burnett Marion School of Medicine at TCU
Albany Medical College
Medical College of Wisconsin
Robert Larner, M.D., College of Medicine at the University of Vermont
Eastern Virginia Medical School
Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University
Wake Forest University School of Medicine
Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine
Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine
California University of Science and Medicine-School of Medicine
Chicago Medical School at Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine & Science
You could add these MD schools:
NOVA MD
Creighton
With a MCAT of 506 you should also apply to DO schools and I suggest these:
WESTERN
TUCOM-CA
TUNCOM
AZCOM
CCOM
DMU-COM
KCU-COM
ATSU-KCOM
MU-COM
UIWSOM
ACOM
CUSOM
WVSOM
PCOM
LECOM
NYITCOM
Touro-NY

Thank you for the list. I am wondering why schools like SLU and Georgetown were removed because they are private schools as well. Also, some of the public schools grant a lot of interviews to out of state students like Wayne state. If there are a few private schools for me to keep, which ones would they be?

 

[Mr.Smile12]

Thank you for your comment Mr. Smile. I did not fully detail my activities because I thought it would be a bit much. But in terms of mental health, I organized group therapy sessions at my school, helped organize an asian mental health conference, and held panels about mental health as part of the student government.

The teaching was part of a volunteering program.

Include it next time... you need to sell yourself in this sandbox. Don't be afraid.

The problem I see is that you need to clarify who you are passionate about listening to regarding mental health.

Your activities and descriptions focus on your peers, community, and other professionals. That's okay because it's a real problem.
Medical Student Well-Being

Student wellness trends and interventions in medical education: a narrative review - Humanities and Social Sciences Communications

Medical education is a time wrought with personal and professional stressors, posing serious challenges to maintaining student wellness. Extensive research has thus been conducted to identify these stressors and develop practical solutions to alleviate their harmful effects. This narrative...

www.nature.com

Medical school burnout: How to take care of yourself

How can medical students best practice self-care during medical school? A psychiatric expert weighs in, and medical students offer their hard-won advice.

www.ama-assn.org

But there is also a much larger mental health crisis in this country and worldwide. It's not obvious you have experience or interest in this.

Mental health

Mental health

www.who.int

Mental Illness

An overview of statistics for mental illnesses. Mental illnesses are common in the United States. One in six U.S. adults lives with a mental illness (43.4 million in 2015). Mental illnesses include many different conditions that vary in degree of severity, ranging from mild to moderate to severe.

www.nimh.nih.gov

We need more behavioral health specialists to address this challenge:

FACT SHEET: President Biden to Announce Strategy to Address Our National Mental Health Crisis, As Part of Unity Agenda in his First State of the Union | The White House

In his first State of the Union, the President will outline a unity agenda consisting of policy where there has historically been support from both Republicans and Democrats, and call on Congress to send bills to his desk to deliver progress for the American people. As part of this unity...

www.whitehouse.gov

So why go through the medical education grind? Would you take advantage of the NHSC and serve in mental health underserved areas? What about experience listening to others to help them recover from substance abuse?

I admit you are probably going to be okay for many of the schools that you list and want to interview you. What I want to be sure is that your interest in mental health goes beyond the people you see all the time in the way you present your "mission" as a physician.

 

[Faha]

Thank you for the list. I am wondering why schools like SLU and Georgetown were removed because they are private schools as well. Also, some of the public schools grant a lot of interviews to out of state students like Wayne state. If there are a few private schools for me to keep, which ones would they be?

Your MCAT of 506 is below the 10th percentile for Georgetown and St. Louis. Wayne State is possible though I assume that Wayne State has a preference for URM for the non residents admitted.

 

[billybob321]

Include it next time... you need to sell yourself in this sandbox. Don't be afraid.

The problem I see is that you need to clarify who you are passionate about listening to regarding mental health.

Your activities and descriptions focus on your peers, community, and other professionals. That's okay because it's a real problem.
Medical Student Well-Being

Student wellness trends and interventions in medical education: a narrative review - Humanities and Social Sciences Communications

Medical education is a time wrought with personal and professional stressors, posing serious challenges to maintaining student wellness. Extensive research has thus been conducted to identify these stressors and develop practical solutions to alleviate their harmful effects. This narrative...

www.nature.com

Medical school burnout: How to take care of yourself

How can medical students best practice self-care during medical school? A psychiatric expert weighs in, and medical students offer their hard-won advice.

www.ama-assn.org

But there is also a much larger mental health crisis in this country and worldwide. It's not obvious you have experience or interest in this.

Mental health

Mental health

www.who.int

Mental Illness

An overview of statistics for mental illnesses. Mental illnesses are common in the United States. One in six U.S. adults lives with a mental illness (43.4 million in 2015). Mental illnesses include many different conditions that vary in degree of severity, ranging from mild to moderate to severe.

www.nimh.nih.gov

We need more behavioral health specialists to address this challenge:

FACT SHEET: President Biden to Announce Strategy to Address Our National Mental Health Crisis, As Part of Unity Agenda in his First State of the Union | The White House

In his first State of the Union, the President will outline a unity agenda consisting of policy where there has historically been support from both Republicans and Democrats, and call on Congress to send bills to his desk to deliver progress for the American people. As part of this unity...

www.whitehouse.gov

So why go through the medical education grind? Would you take advantage of the NHSC and serve in mental health underserved areas? What about experience listening to others to help them recover from substance abuse?

I admit you are probably going to be okay for many of the schools that you list and want to interview you. What I want to be sure is that your interest in mental health goes beyond the people you see all the time in the way you present your "mission" as a physician.

Thank you for bringing this up. I did not think about the grander impact of mental health at all. I think I want to impact those around me for now and hopefully make a bigger impact in my community down the line. As a physician, I see that I can do the most good here.

For the medical schools, would you echo Faha's perspectives or do you think I can keep the public schools?

 

[Mr.Smile12]

For the medical schools, would you echo Faha's perspectives or do you think I can keep the public schools?

We all deal in probabilities and data, but if you have a persuasive mission fit with a public school on your list, you could have a better shot to an interview or offer. Unless you have been told otherwise through prior networking and conversations with admissions staff or students, I don't have a reason to override the suggested list. Being OOS with a relatively low MCAT does not by itself put your application in a strong position.

 

[Goro]

A lot of donations on that list, OP. The schools don't need the money. Take your dad to lunch for Father's Day instead.
I recommend:

Albany
EVMS
GWU
Loma Linda (only if you are SDA or a very devout Christian)
MCW
NEOMED
Oakland-B
Rosy Franklin
Rush
Temple
Tulane
U VM
Uniformed Services University/Hebert (just be aware of the military service commitment)
Wake Forest
Wayne State

Any DO program. Include PacNW. I can't recommend LMU, SOMA, ARCOM, RVU, BCOM, ICOM and LUCOM, for different reasons. Avoid those new schools that haven't graduated a class yet, if at all possible.
Others to target include:
Both Westerns
TUNCOM
Touro-CA
AZCOM
UIW
DMU