WAMC / School list advice (ORM/URM, 3.90/519, CA resident)

[HCVHCV4]

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Hey guys! I've been doing a bit of battle-planning and would like feedback if possible. If anyone is able/willing to tell me if I'm headed in the right direction, I'd be more than appreciative. Thank you!

4th year student planning on graduating in June and then applying. (One gap year).

3.9 GPA / 519 MCAT (130/127/132/130)

CA resident. (Half white, half pacific islander).

Attending a UC school.

Not first gen, not economically disadvantaged. Major in human biology and minor in Spanish.

Research:

36 months of environmental research at time of application. Anticipated 3 posters, 4 conference/symposium presentations, 2 undergrad journal publications.

TOTAL RESEARCH: 800 HOURS

Clinical:

EMT: 18 months. Around 1200-1400 hours.

Emergency Room Tech: 7 months. Around 300-400 hours.

Patient Care Tech: Now until time of application in June (full time job). 600ish hours

TOTAL CLINICAL: 2100-2400 hours

Volunteering:

Zero clinical volunteering.

Non-clinical volunteering: 36 months. Afterschool program for disadvantaged kids with limited English skills and economic/familial support. 550 hours at time of application.

Non-clinical volunteering: 12 months. Mentor for a child from an unstable home. I am essentially a big brother for the kid and we hang out, study, etc. 200 hours at time of application.

TOTAL VOLUNTEERING: 700 HOURS

Shadowing:

Have a couple emergency med physicians that let me shadow for 10 shifts. 100hrs.

Tutoring/Teaching

Tutor for undergrad bio students. 300 hours (last year)

Tutor coordinator (leadership): coordinator for other tutors: 200 hours (this year)

Other stuff:

Won a bunch of scholarships. About half of college tuition paid. Won a fair bit of environmental service awards too.

Paid fast food worker for half by first year of college.

Intern at student government sustainability commission at my university for my first year of college.

Hobbies: I surf and love to teach my little (from volunteering) as well as my friends. I also gym and mountain bike.

MY SCHOOL LIST:

- Reaches:

Stanford, Duke, UCSF, U Michigan, UCLA, UVA, Cornell, Ichan, Brown, Boston

- Target:

Pittsburgh, Emory, UCSD, USC (Keck), Rochester, Hofstra, Albert Einstein, UC Irvine, U Miami, Dartmouth, Colorado, Kaiser Permanente, Hackensack, NYMC

- Baseline:

UC Davis, Tufts, Georgetown, Jefferson, Nova Southeastern, UVM, Temple, Quinnipiac, Eastern Virginia, Drexel, George Washington, CUSM, U Arizona Pheonix, U Florida, Rutgers, Hawaii (I have family there), Stony Brook, U Nevada Reno (I am from one of the OK California counties), Geisinger

- DO: Tuoro CA, Western U

 

[Mr.Smile12]

Welcome to the forums.

First, what are you doing for the gap/application year? You should have something in place by submission, I presume, even if the projected hours won't count.

Second, you have a lot of teaching, tutoring, or mentoring, especially children. That is very common among premed applicants and won't help you stand out. I'm missing a sense of activities where you show opportunities to be comfortable around uncomfortable people or situations and where you are not the subject matter expert (teacher or mentor). With zero hours of service orientation activities at submission, your application is at risk of getting screened out at most schools. This is particularly important for many of the UC medical schools you have listed.

 

[HCVHCV4]

Welcome to the forums.

First, what are you doing for the gap/application year? You should have something in place by submission, I presume, even if the projected hours won't count.

Second, you have a lot of teaching, tutoring, or mentoring, especially children. That is very common among premed applicants and won't help you stand out. I'm missing a sense of activities where you show opportunities to be comfortable around uncomfortable people or situations and where you are not the subject matter expert (teacher or mentor). With zero hours of service orientation activities at submission, your application is at risk of getting screened out at most schools. This is particularly important for many of the UC medical schools you have listed.

(1) Working as a patient care tech in an underserved area, continuing volunteering, and starting a new research position at a health disparities lab. I routinely also serve as a Spanish translator in a community that is 90+% Hispanic.

(2) All of my clinical roles have been based in majority low income, highly Spanish speaking areas. I did not grow up with any Spanish experience and have made immersion in Latin communities and Spanish-speaking commmunities centerpieces of my application. I will have over 700 hours of volunteering by the time of application. Is that not sufficient to avoid being "screened out?"

 

[Mr.Smile12]

(2) All of my clinical roles have been based in majority low income, highly Spanish speaking areas. I did not grow up with any Spanish experience and have made immersion in Latin communities and Spanish-speaking commmunities centerpieces of my application. I will have over 700 hours of volunteering by the time of application. Is that not sufficient to avoid being "screened out?"

That depends... what UC-PRIME programs do you feel best align with what you want to do? Spanish-speaking communities are not a monolith, so I would be more interested in more context for "underserved areas."

 

[HCVHCV4]

That depends... what UC-PRIME programs do you feel best align with what you want to do? Spanish-speaking communities are not a monolith, so I would be more interested in more context for "underserved areas."

I have not looked into the specific nuances of each PRIME program.

Though, I have worked in Santa Ana for three years now. So predominantly Mexican, Guatemalan, and Chicano communities.

 

[Faha]

You have some state public schools on your list that admit few non residents with no strong connection to the state (having family in Hawaii is not a connection for medical school admissions). I suggest these schools with your stats:
The UCs (except Riverside unless you are from that region)
USC Keck
Kaiser
California University
Arizona (Phoenix)
Roseman
Nevada-Reno
Colorado
TCU
Tulane
Miami
USF Morsani
NOVA MD
Duke
Wake Forest
Virginia Commonwealth
Eastern Virginia
George Washington
Drexel
Temple
Jefferson
Pittsburgh
Hackensack
Hofstra
Einstein
Mount Sinai
New York Medical College
Rochester
Vermont
Quinnipiac
Tufts
UMass
Dartmouth
Western Michigan
Cincinnati
Medical College Wisconsin
Rosalind Franklin