WAMC + School List [CA/ORM] (3.9/517)

[ohgeezy]

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cGPA: 3.93 // sGPA: 3.90
MCAT: 518 (130/127/131/130) — first and only attempt
State of Residence: California
Ethnicity/Race: ORM
Undergraduate: Mid tier UC, Grad 2024. Been working full time in clinical trials since

Clinical Experience (paid):
-- Clinical Research Coordinator, Neurology (3,000 hrs) — coordinate trials for rare neuro diseases. Direct patient-facing role: consenting, coordinating visits, basically the patients contact throughout the study for anything.
-- Aside from Neuro, I also helped create an institution wide biospecimen bank on the side with my PI from undergrad.

Volunteering:
-- 3 years volunteering at orphanage abroad
-- Helped create a club to do Virtual Reality with Alzheimer's patients.
-- 300 hours through a volunteering club, split across food banks, soup kitchens, gardens for food insecurity, working with the homeless

Research Experience & Productivity:
-- Undergraduate wet lab in gastric cancer for 2 years (650+ hours). Poster at Undergrad Symposium.
From my current Neuro work:
-- Developing a novel disease scale for a rare autoimmune disease — submitting to international conferences, pursuing six-figure foundation grant with my PI.
-- 1 third-author publication in a neurology subspecialty journal review
-- Abstracts in progress for an international disease-specific conference
-- Fulbright semifinalist for an Neuro project

Shadowing:
-- 40 hours SurgOnc
-- 40 hours Emergency Medicine

Paid work:
-- Volunteer Coordinator (300 hrs) — Designed and led community service projects through university Volunteering department
-- 3 years as an orientation staffer (1k+ hrs). made me really passionate about belonging and how that fosters student success in college. Developed a track record of mentoring and helping first gen and marginalized students. Helped train incoming volunteering staff every summer.
-- (300 hrs): Also worked on campus in a role that designed programming around student belonging and successful integration into college.

Other Extracurriculars / Leadership / Teaching:
-- Organic Chemistry Learning Assistant for 350+ students (personal arc: C in Orgo 1 → A+ in Orgo 3 → teaching the course)
-- Tutored for free on the side since I graduated (~450 hrs)

LORS:
-- Neurology PI (physician-scientist, worked with closely for 2+ years on clinical trials and independent research project)
-- Oncology PI (physician-scientist, 5+ year longitudinal relationship from undergrad through post-grad)
-- OChem Prof (was my LA supervisor, saw the C → A+ → teaching arc firsthand)
-- Bio Prof (upper div coursework)
-- History Prof (upper div elective)
-- University staff advisor (3 yrs employment supervisor)

Honors/Awards:
-- Latin Honors
-- Fulbright semifinalist (Fingers Crossed!)
-- Deans honors list

Some red flags:
C in organic chemistry, and 4 Ws the following quarter due to withdrawal from school, explained by family bereavement (ties into PS). Maintained a 3.98 after I got back. Ended up teaching Ochem and getting an A+ in the rest of the series.

Reaches: JHU, Harvard, Duke, WashU, Penn, Stanford, Columbia, Northwestern, UCSF, Yale, Michigan, Cornell, Vanderbilt, Pritzker, Dartmouth, Brown
Targets: Pitt, USC Keck, Iowa, Mayo, NYU, UCLA, OSU, Rochester, Emory, UTSW, UF, Mt. Sinai, Colorado, Baylor, Case Western, Albert Einstein, Cincinnati, UCSD, UCI, UNC, Minnesota, UVA, OHSU, UCD, VCU, Kansas, Miami

 

[Mr.Smile12]

Welcome to the forums.

Overall things look pretty good. I don't consider your listed red flags as problems, especially if you intend to make a story arc of your Organic Chemistry courses and TA.

I otherwise see more focus on your academics and research accomplishments than I see community contributions and accomplishments. I don't think it's enough to knock your application out of most pools, but I would like to see more of your community impact as a physician.

 

[ohgeezy]

Welcome to the forums.

Overall things look pretty good. I don't consider your listed red flags as problems, especially if you intend to make a story arc of your Organic Chemistry courses and TA.

I otherwise see more focus on your academics and research accomplishments than I see community contributions and accomplishments. I don't think it's enough to knock your application out of most pools, but I would like to see more of your community impact as a physician.

Thank you for the response Mr. Smile12!

Do you think I should include my orientation work in my most meaningful, or would it be more prudent to focus on my research, as my application leans that way?

Do your recommend me adding any more schools that are more within my MCAT score? Feels like im trying to punch above my weight, but not sure what other schools would best fit my range.

 

[Mr.Smile12]

Thank you for the response Mr. Smile12!

Do you think I should include my orientation work in my most meaningful, or would it be more prudent to focus on my research, as my application leans that way?

Do your recommend me adding any more schools that are more within my MCAT score? Feels like im trying to punch above my weight, but not sure what other schools would best fit my range.

Have you attended any recruitment events or met with admissions staff at the schools closest to you?

Orientation leader for 3 years... you must make the call about "most meaningful," not me. I always recommend to get more non-clinical service orientation activities: you seem to enjoy tackling community food security so keep going there.

 

[ohgeezy]

Have you attended any recruitment events or met with admissions staff at the schools closest to you?

Orientation leader for 3 years... you must make the call about "most meaningful," not me. I always recommend to get more non-clinical service orientation activities: you seem to enjoy tackling community food security so keep going there.

I haven't really gotten the chance to attend any of these events. I will try to look into them. Do these tend to be virtual?

I understand. A bit worried because 300ish of my hours have been at an orphanage abroad, which raises the question of why not here in the USA. hoping I supplemented it with enough local volunteering hours. I also did volunteer coordination locally.