WAMC/School list? 522/3.8/3.73

[llkooper]

Hi! I'd love to know what we think of my school list & what the weakest parts of my application are. Considering applying next cycle (2024-2025) or the cycle after. Thanks in advance

• cGPA: 3.80 sGPA: 3.73, master's GPA: 4.0 (but I don't think this really counts/matters)
• MCAT score(s) and breakdown: 522 (130/132/130/130)
• State of residence or country of citizenship (if non-US): CT, ties to NY and NJ
• Ethnicity and/or race: URM (Black Female)
• Undergraduate institution or category: HPYSM, engineering
• Clinical experience (volunteer and non-volunteer): 250 hours clinical volunteering (position relates to my work / research)
• Research experience and productivity
  
  • Engineering lab: 300 hours
  • Current wet-lab: 840 hours (will continue this year)
  • Current clinical research: 800 hours (will continue this year), 1 presentation, 1-2 publications
• Shadowing experience and specialties represented: 80 hours, ENT, Ortho, Peds
• Non-clinical volunteering:
  • 300 hours as a volunteer sports coach for underserved pop. children
  • 200 hours as a volunteer for a local free clinic (but I do non-clinical outreach-based work)
• Other extracurricular activities (including athletics, military service, gap year activities, leadership, teaching, etc):
  • NCAA D1 athlete (2000 hours), hold a leadership position in DEI within my sport
  • TA for a class that focuses on community health, work with the same doctors that I do the free clinic outreach work with, help each student find a community partner to complete a volunteer project with
  • 2 summers of internships in business (MBB/goldman/jp/ms) working on healthcare related projects, one of which connects nicely to my clinical volunteering work (1450 hours of internships total)
  • Other random club leadership stuff stuff (can elaborate if it would be helpful)
  • Will be using my gap year to continue research and get a masters at the same school as my undergrad
• Anything else not listed you think might be important: I got pretty sick early on in college. I've wanted to pursue an MD ever since. Currently doing and publishing research about the disease that I had. Research is clinically focused and I use my engineering background frequently.
• School List : MD: Harvard, Penn (GPA too low?), Columbia, Stanford, Duke, Cornell, NYU (GPA probably too low?), Yale, Feinberg, Sinai, UChicago, Colorado, Keck, Boston, Brown, Albert Einstein, Giesel, Georgetown, George Washington, SUNYs, Rutgers (both), Hackensack, UConn

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[Mr.Smile12]

Have you submitted your application?

Any involvement with SNMA or MAPS or similar premed mentorship for Black applicant's?

Any word back about interviews?

 

[llkooper]

Have you submitted your application?

Any involvement with SNMA or MAPS or similar premed mentorship for Black applicant's?

Any word back about interviews?

Sorry, I’ll update my post to be more clear. This is for the 2024-2025 cycle!

 

[Mr.Smile12]

Sorry, I’ll update my post to be more clear. This is for the 2024-2025 cycle!

Fantastic. Go to recruitment events and get connected with SNMA chapters at the schools you want to go to. How much do you want your engineering background to be relevant to your studies? If the answer is very relevant, many engineering based medical programs exist (Carle Illinois, Texas ENMED) that you should look up, as well a others where there is an bioengineering program. With an early and strong application, you can be in high demand.

 

[llkooper]

Fantastic. Go to recruitment events and get connected with SNMA chapters at the schools you want to go to. How much do you want your engineering background to be relevant to your studies? If the answer is very relevant, many engineering based medical programs exist (Carle Illinois, Texas ENMED) that you should look up, as well a others where there is an bioengineering program. With an early and strong application, you can be in high demand.

Thanks! I'll look into the engineering programs.

 

[MyOdyssey]

Thanks! I'll look into the engineering programs.

Are you looking at MD/PhD at all?

 

[llkooper]

Are you looking at MD/PhD at all?

I've thought about it, but probably not...I don't know if I have the right background or the right interests.

 

[MyOdyssey]

I've thought about it, but probably not...I don't know if I have the right background or the right interests.

I asked because there are some good engineering focused MD/PhD programs including Harvard, USC/Caltech, UCLA/CalTech, Emory/Georgia Tech among others.

 

[Mr.Smile12]

If you haven't done so, leverage connections with NSBE and seek information from the SNMA. There are many organizations that mentor Black physicians that you will ultimately be connected to should you get admitted, so it doesn't hurt to meet them early (because you will meet them all eventually). It seems that you are open to private sector/medical affairs/medical innovation, so you may have a shortlist based on the work you have done.

More questions: Is your masters degree in engineering? What is your BCMP GPA? Stop believing your GPA is "too low"; as an engineer, you have a stellar/golden GPA. You have a golden ticket and should be able to call your shot. Make the schools recruit you.

 

[LeaveNoTrace]

A couple things:

Regardless of how your application will be viewed from a diversity standpoint, it is a very solid one. You'd be towards the strong end of pack fodder at top-20 schools at the very worst; a couple years ago, we would have said you were not golden but platinum. Get some family practice shadowing in - it's one of the only weaknesses on an otherwise stellar app! Congratulations; you should be a strong applicant at every school in the country.

I got pretty sick early on in college. I've wanted to pursue an MD ever since. Currently doing and publishing research about the disease that I had.

Secondly: there is some concern here. Although it's an excellent story and I'd like to think that schools didn't discriminate, they may. I don't know much about this, but if your illness is at all chronic or has flare-ups, I don't know how you would want to approach disclosing this. If it is at all progressive, another consideration. Consider also that the worst thing is not to fail to get into medical school due to the disease - it's more like completing medical school and being unable to practice in a residency, or getting partway through medical school and then needing to leave.

Throw some mid-tiers, your state schools, and HBCUs on as your safety schools and you're good to go - it's yours to lose.

 

[MyOdyssey]

A couple things:

Regardless of how your application will be viewed from a diversity standpoint, it is a very solid one. You'd be towards the strong end of pack fodder at top-20 schools at the very worst; a couple years ago, we would have said you were not golden but platinum. Get some family practice shadowing in - it's one of the only weaknesses on an otherwise stellar app! Congratulations; you should be a strong applicant at every school in the country.



Secondly: there is some concern here. Although it's an excellent story and I'd like to think that schools didn't discriminate, they may. I don't know much about this, but if your illness is at all chronic or has flare-ups, I don't know how you would want to approach disclosing this. If it is at all progressive, another consideration. Consider also that the worst thing is not to fail to get into medical school due to the disease - it's more like completing medical school and being unable to practice in a residency, or getting partway through medical school and then needing to leave.

Throw some mid-tiers, your state schools, and HBCUs on as your safety schools and you're good to go - it's yours to lose.

What’s changed in the past few years (re golden v platinum comment).

 

[LeaveNoTrace]

What’s changed in the past few years (re golden v platinum comment).

The Supreme Court decision re. affirmative action. Regardless of where you stand on the issue, it may mean that URM status means less in admissions than it did a few years ago. That being said, OP...if we were being pessimistic you're pack fodder for top 20 schools. That's a very good place to be in - and it only goes up from there.