WAMC/School List: 511/3.93

[velvetcoffee]

Hi everyone! I would love some help with an OOS school list (applying to all in Texas)! I am happy with Texas schools, but my school sort of made me worry about my MCAT and suggested I throw other schools on there. If you can't tell, I would love a research-heavy school, and I know I am not competitive enough fro MD/PhD with my MCAT. Any feedback is great! I'm pretty happy with my application, but just want to get in somewhere!

RACE: White
GENDER: Female
MAJORS: Neuroscience and Public Health
STATE: TX

GPA: 3.93c/3.88s
MCAT: 511 (127/128/127/129)

CLINICAL:
~Scribing: 144 hours
~ER Intern: 49 hours
~Various Shadowing: 125 hours
~Virtual Shadowing too... a LOT.
~Clinical Research: 300+ hours

VOLUNTEERING:
Clinical:
~Oncology Volunteer: 147 hours

Non-clinical:
~100 hours - Crisis Textline Counselor
~67 hours - Community Service Org @ School
~Future: Ronald McDonald Front Desk: 3 hours a week (starts June)
~100 hours elsewhere since my honors societies I serve on go out and do service hours.
~Greeter: 28 hours one place
~Greeter: 45 hours

RESEARCH:
~Overall: 1,778
~Overall + Summer at BCM: 2,178
~Summer Programs: MCW, BCM, University of Cinn
~Senior Honors Thesis @ University
~Gap year is also at BCM! (so will gain a lot of hours)
~2 papers submitted for publication (3 others on the way)

LEADERSHIP:
~Introductory Biology I/II and Cell, Molecular, and Developmental Biology Tutor: 486 hours
~Various Teaching Assistant Roles (earned credit and verified hours): 367 hours
~Community Service Leadership
~Mentorship/Ambassador Roles
~Illness Narrative Project: 60 hours

Just need help making one for outside of Texas! Thank you!

*Applying to all TX schools, of course! *

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[Goro]

The people who leave TX to go to medical school are usually superstars.

For nonclinical volunteering, get off campus and out of your comfort zones.

For DO schools, I suggest:
UIW
TCOM
OKCOM
all Touros
KCU
both Westerns
KCOM
DMU
PCOM

 

[velvetcoffee]

The people who leave TX to go to medical school are usually superstars.

For nonclinical volunteering, get off campus and out of your comfort zones.

For DO schools, I suggest:
UIW
TCOM
OKCOM
all Touros
KCU
both Westerns
KCOM
DMU
PCOM

Am I going to have a shot at getting into an MD Texas school or should I be retaking?

 

[Mr.Smile12]

I'm sure that you have a shot at a TMDSAS school provided you match their mission fit. Where in Texas did you grow up? Near Houston?

As mentioned your nonclinical volunteering doesn't show a strong service orientation where you are alleviating distress. Maybe once you get to 100 hours at RMH this summer, but that won't be on your application unless you submit after you get those hours.

A handful of schools near Texas could be worth considering, but having a strong mission fit will help your chances. If you are more set on MD/PhD or a more research-focused program, you can check in with the Physician Scientists forum where most of our MSTP students and experts hang out. You have a strong case for a biomedical PhD program, but I'm not sure if your clinical experience (not including virtual shadowing) is satisfactory.

 

[velvetcoffee]

I'm sure that you have a shot at a TMDSAS school provided you match their mission fit. Where in Texas did you grow up? Near Houston?

As mentioned your nonclinical volunteering doesn't show a strong service orientation where you are alleviating distress. Maybe once you get to 100 hours at RMH this summer, but that won't be on your application unless you submit after you get those hours.

A handful of schools near Texas could be worth considering, but having a strong mission fit will help your chances. If you are more set on MD/PhD or a more research-focused program, you can check in with the Physician Scientists forum where most of our MSTP students and experts hang out. You have a strong case for a biomedical PhD program, but I'm not sure if your clinical experience (not including virtual shadowing) is satisfactory.

I didn’t think my stats were enough for MD/PhD anyways. Should I really be shifting my gap year to work a clinical job? I thought clinical research where I work with patients to design care plans (for underserved oncology patients) would count and I’d have around 400 hours? I didn’t know I wasn’t even prepped well for TMDSAS!

 

[Mr.Smile12]

I defer to @wysdoc 's expertise. I am under the impression the high GPA works in your favor for sure. The non-clinical experience is the major concern I have.

Your clinical research is research. You aren't alleviating distress... you are monitoring therapeutic effects. You can give us much more detail about the research and your responsibilities within it, but if this is towards a funded clinical trial, it's research.

 

[wysdoc]

Your GPA & MCAT are competitive for Texas so spend time writing some nice secondaries.
What happened in your last year’s application cycle, any interviews?

 

[velvetcoffee]

I defer to @wysdoc 's expertise. I am under the impression the high GPA works in your favor for sure. The non-clinical experience is the major concern I have.

Your clinical research is research. You aren't alleviating distress... you are monitoring therapeutic effects. You can give us much more detail about the research and your responsibilities within it, but if this is towards a funded clinical trial, it's research.

Thank you for the help! Not toward a clinical trial. It's under the improvement category. As in to improve their services. You directly look at patient distress for psychosocial needs and then provide them with resources to address those (almost like social work does). If that helps. It was meaningful to me, so I am not super concerned about the category, but I think it's pretty cool!

Perhaps I should just retake the mcat.

 

[velvetcoffee]

Your GPA & MCAT rare competetive for Texas so spend time writing some nice secondaries.
What happened in your last year’s application cycle, any interviews?

I didn't end up applying at all! Never submitted!

 

[velvetcoffee]

Your GPA & MCAT rare competetive for Texas so spend time writing some nice secondaries.
What happened in your last year’s application cycle, any interviews?

Is this meaning I should be retaking the MCAT since I have the ability to? I'm taking a gap year this year anyways. It also seems like I shouldn't be doing research for BCM again even though I like it. I should be getting a clinical job?

Omg. I read "rare" instead of are. You meant I'm fine for Texas (within reason like I have a shot). I'm so sorry. Actually. Now I'm not sure.

 

[wysdoc]

Is this meaning I should be retaking the MCAT since I have the ability to? I'm taking a gap year this year anyways. It also seems like I shouldn't be doing research for BCM again even though I like it. I should be getting a clinical job?

No, don’t retake the MCAT. Get busy on your application and turn it in this time!

 

[velvetcoffee]

No, don’t retake the MCAT. Get busy on your application and turn it in this time!

Thank you. Sorry I read "rare" as like you're a rare site to get into Texas schools... idiot. I'm turning it in June 5th! I got too nervous last time, my mom got pretty sick, and then Baylor offered me pretty much my dream job. But, also, if you don't think it would be wise to do research for another year, I won't. The position is 20% shadowing with my PI for clinical trials and 80% research which I found cool.

 

[wysdoc]

Thank you. Sorry I read "rare" as like you're a rare site to get into Texas schools... idiot. I'm turning it in June 5th! I got too nervous last time, my mom got pretty sick, and then Baylor offered me pretty much my dream job. But, also, if you don't think it would be wise to do research for another year, I won't. The position is 20% shadowing with my PI for clinical trials and 80% research which I found cool.

It was a typo, sorry

 

[Mr.Smile12]

Thank you for the help! Not toward a clinical trial. It's under the improvement category. As in to improve their services. You directly look at patient distress for psychosocial needs and then provide them with resources to address those (almost like social work does). If that helps. It was meaningful to me, so I am not super concerned about the category, but I think it's pretty cool!

Perhaps I should just retake the mcat.

Thanks for that description. How are you describing this activity then? If it's more like social work, then technically it's not a clinical experience. How many hours is involved and what training did you have to take?

I'm saying this because I want to see how faculty will discuss this, especially if you mark it as meaningful to you.

 

[velvetcoffee]

Thanks for that description. How are you describing this activity then? If it's more like social work, then technically it's not a clinical experience. How many hours is involved and what training did you have to take?

I'm saying this because I want to see how faculty will discuss this, especially if you mark it as meaningful to you.

I talk about interviewing and making the care plans was the patients and following up with the patients. Also talk about recruitment of the patients. So pretty much talk about only patient work (which it is) and then I move into impact. I have 2 publications from there and 3 upcoming as well. It’s 360+ hours! I loved the activity, but I did not select it as most meaningful. I did a different research experience, a shadowing exp, and oncology volunteering.