WAMC School List Feedback GPA: 4.0 MCAT: 518 (24-25 cycle)

[icepenguin2024]

I have started organizing application materials and LORs. I would appreciate any feedback regarding my school list, thank you so much 🙂

1. cGPA: 4.0 and sGPA: 4.0
2. MCAT score: 518 (130/128/129/131)
3. State of residence: Michigan
4. Ethnicity and/or race and gender : Middle Eastern female (first generation American, first generation college student)
5. Undergraduate institution or category: University of Michigan, public-research
   1. Major: Biopsychology, Cognition and Neuroscience
   2. Minor: Biochemistry
6. Clinical experience (volunteer and non-volunteer):
   1. Patient Safety Attendant - 360 Hours
   2. Hospital Volunteer (multiple units) - 170 hours
   3. Hospice Volunteer - (by application projected 150 hours)
   4. Medical Assistant at Wound Clinic and HBO Private Practice - (by application projected 1300 hours)
7. Research experience and productivity
   1. Michigan Twin Neurogenetics Study + Study of Adolescent Neural Development RA
      • Two labs at once, combined 1050 hours for 2 years
      • fMRI, collect bio specimens, data collection in interviews (not clinical)
      • underrepresented populations
      • no publications/presentations
   2. Michigan Center for Contextual Factors in Alzheimer's Disease RA
      • 250 hours
      • community outreach with educational events about neurodegenerative diseases
      • worked with underserved populations
      • no publications/presentations
   3. Possibly researching w/ Urology department in HF system
   4. Will be writing a case report with the MD I work w/ regarding Long-term COVID and HBO therapy (done by April)
8. Shadowing experience and specialties represented
   1. General Surgery (not in the OR) - 20 hours
   2. Internal Medicine - 15 hours
   3. Pending (to be done by January): Urology, NICU, neurology, and ER
9. Non-clinical volunteering
   1. Crisis Text Hotline - 700 hours (ongoing)
10. Non-clinical work
    1. Pharmacy Technician CVS - 320 hours
    2. Organic Chemistry TA for high school program - 80 hours
    3. DEI Facilitator for college organization workshops - 120 hours
11. Gap Year activities
    • Full time working as an MA at a wound care clinic
    • Volunteering for the Crisis Text Line
    • Hospice Volunteering
    • National Executive Board for Pre-Health fraternity (2nd year)
    • Shadowing the above pending specialties
12. Additional
    1. Was awarded $15,000 from the University of Michigan Leadership Institute to create a project regarding health disparities
       • Organized surveys and interviews for pre-health students on campus
       • Held a large conference where students and health care professionals spoke about a variety of topics in medical social justice
    2. Hobby on my app is Playing the piano (also include this in my hospice volunteering)
    3. Honors/Awards
       • Phi Beta Kappa, Bachelor's of Science with Highest Distinction, Dean's Honor List

LORS will be written from close mentors

• Biochemistry Professor - also was a TA with her
• Genetics/Physiology Progressor
• Sociology Professor - also in charge of the first-generation college student program
• PI from my main lab (Michigan Twins Neurogenetics Study)
• MD that I work with during my gap year

SCHOOL LIST

1. Central Michigan
2. MSU
3. Oakland University
4. Indiana University
5. Wayne State University
6. Tufts
7. Western Michigan
8. University of Cincinnati
9. UMass
10. Brown University Warren Alpert
11. Rochester
12. Ohio State
13. Boston University
14. University of Michigan
15. Icahn
16. Hofstra
17. Case Western
18. Duke
19. UVA
20. Northwestern - Feinberg
21. Harvard
22. Mayo - MN campus
23. NYU Grossman
24. Johns Hopkins
25. University of Chicago - Pritzker

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[Mr.Smile12]

What are your responsibilities with hospice volunteering? As it stands, I need to be sure you have in-person nonclinical volunteering to have an otherwise solid application.

 

[icepenguin2024]

What are your responsibilities with hospice volunteering? As it stands, I need to be sure you have in-person nonclinical volunteering to have an otherwise solid application.

I am assigned patients and my role is companionship + music therapy. I go about 2x a week to see my patients and I chat with them and/or play the piano. Would you say this is clinical or non-clinical?

 

[Mr.Smile12]

I am assigned patients and my role is companionship + music therapy. I go about 2x a week to see my patients and I chat with them and/or play the piano. Would you say this is clinical or non-clinical?

If you are doing this in your gap, get to at least 150 hours by submission to avoid getting screened out. For a chance at higher tiered or service schools, you need at least 300.

 

[LeaveNoTrace]

I'm not all that sure about the need for in person nonclinical volunteering; the crisis line is definitely work with very vulnerable people! I think that she's a rock star and very competitive for top 20 schools. She might have even broken free from being pack fodder in that elite pack of applicants. However...let's ask @Goro @LizzyM @Moko and @gyngyn what they think. I'm thinking the OP might want to add two or three more top 20s to their list, they're a platinum tier rock star.

 

[LizzyM]

I'm not all that sure about the need for in person nonclinical volunteering; the crisis line is definitely work with very vulnerable people! I think that she's a rock star and very competitive for top 20 schools. She might have even broken free from being pack fodder in that elite pack of applicants. However...let's ask @Goro @LizzyM @Moko and @gyngyn what they think. I'm thinking the OP might want to add two or three more top 20s to their list, they're a platinum tier rock star.

I would like to see in-person non-clinical volunteering. During COVID there were fewer opportunities for such activities but we're back to that expectation.

 

[xNinjaBurrito1]

What are your responsibilities with hospice volunteering? As it stands, I need to be sure you have in-person nonclinical volunteering to have an otherwise solid application.

I'm currently considering a crisis line center for non-clinical volunteering since its one of the few volunteer opportunities in my city that operates on the weekend. Will I get screened out if I don't have 200+ in person?

 

[Mr.Smile12]

its one of the few volunteer opportunities in my city that operates on the weekend. Will I get screened out if I don't have 200+ in person?

... really? Which city is this that doesn't have community service opportunities on weekends?

I give my advice based on probabilities. A lot of schools won't be impressed because they see applicants with a lot more hours than you have. 150 is a baseline from my experience at the decision desk. Take the advice or take the risk.

 

[chilly_md]

I'm currently considering a crisis line center for non-clinical volunteering since its one of the few volunteer opportunities in my city that operates on the weekend. Will I get screened out if I don't have 200+ in person?

Please try to keep more specific questions to your own WAMC threads. It allows us to best help posters.

 

[icepenguin2024]

I'm not all that sure about the need for in person nonclinical volunteering; the crisis line is definitely work with very vulnerable people! I think that she's a rock star and very competitive for top 20 schools. She might have even broken free from being pack fodder in that elite pack of applicants. However...let's ask @Goro @LizzyM @Moko and @gyngyn what they think. I'm thinking the OP might want to add two or three more top 20s to their list, they're a platinum tier rock star.

Thank you so much for this incredibly nice comment.