WAMC / School list advice for trad applicant (3.99 / 525, ORM, TX resident)

[OrcaLover]

Advertisement - Members don't see this ad

Hi, all! I’m a current junior hoping to apply this cycle and was hoping to get a WAMC and school list recs.

TX ORM

GPA is 3.99 at an Ivy. 525 MCAT

Research:
-~2000+ hrs translational research in one lab (4 posters and 2 grants so far but hoping for more soon)
-~750+ hrs dry lab research in one lab…started in high school but completed in college (1 first author pub)

Clinical:
~350 hrs hospital volunteer (clinical as 100% of time is spent assisting/providing companionship to patients)
~150 hrs (inpatient) hospice volunteer

Non-clinical:
~350 hrs mentoring FGLI high schoolers applying to college (leadership role in this org)
~200 hrs mentoring at-risk youth (think BBBS)

Shadowing
~50 hrs with 20 in primary care and 30 in 2 other specialties

Other:
~200-300 hrs of leading a business club where we consult for companies (signed NDAs so not going to say much more than that)

 

[Mr.Smile12]

Previously,

O

Thread 'Deleted'

Dec 27, 2024

Deleted

• OrcaLover
• Replies: 3
• Forum: What Are My Chances? WAMC Medical

Did you watch the TMDSAS videos or podcasts (my advice)?

Have you attended any summer enrichment programs outside of Texas? Have you attended recruitment sessions run by medical schools? I suspect you want to know if you have a chance at the Ivy/brand-name schools.

Why list your involvement in a business club if you sign off NDAs? How are you going to describe this in your W/A sections?

Where is your non-clinical volunteering? I see tutoring/teaching/mentoring for 500+ hours, but no service orientation activities (food distribution, shelter volunteer, job/tax preparation, legal support, transportation services, or housing rehabilitation. I previously advised you to have 250 hours when you submit your application to keep up with other high-metrics profiles.

What is your purpose as a physician? I commend you getting primary care exposure, and you should be fine with 50 hours of shadowing, but I don't see a connection between what you did and your research (assuming you want to show readiness for research programs at a brand name school) if you want to specialize.

You have the metrics to be a superstar applicant for an OOS shot, but I don't see a superstar profile here.

 

[OrcaLover]

Previously,

O

Thread 'Deleted'

Dec 27, 2024

Deleted

• OrcaLover
• Replies: 3
• Forum: What Are My Chances? WAMC Medical

Did you watch the TMDSAS videos or podcasts (my advice)?

Have you attended any summer enrichment programs outside of Texas? Have you attended recruitment sessions run by medical schools? I suspect you want to know if you have a chance at the Ivy/brand-name schools.

Why list your involvement in a business club if you sign off NDAs? How are you going to describe this in your W/A sections?

Where is your non-clinical volunteering? I see tutoring/teaching/mentoring for 500+ hours, but no service orientation activities (food distribution, shelter volunteer, job/tax preparation, legal support, transportation services, or housing rehabilitation. I previously advised you to have 250 hours when you submit your application to keep up with other high-metrics profiles.

What is your purpose as a physician? I commend you getting primary care exposure, and you should be fine with 50 hours of shadowing, but I don't see a connection between what you did and your research (assuming you want to show readiness for research programs at a brand name school) if you want to specialize.

You have the metrics to be a superstar applicant for an OOS shot, but I don't see a superstar profile here.

@Mr.Smile12

I did watch the videos! Thank you for that advice!

I have not attended any summer enrichment programs outside of Texas. I generally just do research over my summers. I have also not attended recruitment sessions yet. Also, I'm not currently living in Texas and haven't for a while. I am still considered in-state there, however (bit of a personal/complicated situation I don't necessarily want to go into here but I looked into this matter in detail so am positive).

I will take the business club off!

As for non-clinical volunteering, I thought the BBBS-like work I do would count(?) The program is identical to BBBS but just under a different name. The other activity I have listed there with 350 is also similar but with emphasis on near-college age youth.

I'm not entirely sure I'm following your 5th paragraph to be completely honest...

 

[Mr.Smile12]

I'm saying that there's nothing compelling in the profile that persuades me to want to interview you. Your metrics are great, but nothing else stands out as a mission fit to me, and as a Texas applicant, I (not in the TMDSAS system) want more of a signal that you would thrive at my institution as opposed to another brand name school. Having over 500 hours of teaching or mentoring students is very common.

 

[OrcaLover]

I'm saying that there's nothing compelling in the profile that persuades me to want to interview you. Your metrics are great, but nothing else stands out as a mission fit to me, and as a Texas applicant, I (not in the TMDSAS system) want more of a signal that you would thrive at my institution as opposed to another brand name school. Having over 500 hours of teaching or mentoring students is very common.

Gotcha! Thank you for the reply!

Would you say it's worth taking a gap year if my goal is simply to go to a medical school (prefer MD but DO is ok with me too)? If so, what specifically would you recommend I do to improve my application?

Thank you once again for all of your wisdom!

 

[Mr.Smile12]

Gotcha! Thank you for the reply!

Would you say it's worth taking a gap year if my goal is simply to go to a medical school (prefer MD but DO is ok with me too)? If so, what specifically would you recommend I do to improve my application?

Thank you once again for all of your wisdom!

What would be the purpose of a gap year to achieve your goals to become a doctor? (what do you plan to do?)

I'm not trying to persuade you to take a gap or not. I acknowledge you aren't sharing your entire application (because we won't have your letters, and who knows if you have to take Casper or PREview). The questions I'm posing ask about what would make being a doctor a meaningful career for you. You should have an answer that reflects where you are thinking now (noting 70+% of medical students tend to switch specialties).

 

[OrcaLover]

What would be the purpose of a gap year to achieve your goals to become a doctor? (what do you plan to do?)

I'm not trying to persuade you to take a gap or not. I acknowledge you aren't sharing your entire application (because we won't have your letters, and who knows if you have to take Casper or PREview). The questions I'm posing ask about what would make being a doctor a meaningful career for you. You should have an answer that reflects where you are thinking now (noting 70+% of medical students tend to switch specialties).

I see. Thank you for the clarification!

I have somewhat of a narrative answer to that question (I won't share here bc don't want to doxx myself) but I'll spend more time reflecting and refining!

Thank you once again for all of your guidance!