MD WAMC/School List Help: 2-time reapp, 517/3.91, CA ORM

[essell314]

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1. GPA: cGPA and sGPA = 3.91
2. MCAT: 517 (131/126/129/131)
3. State: CA
4. Demographics: Asian, Male, 23 yo
5. Undergrad institution: UCLA, biochemistry major
6. Clinical experience:
   • 1000 paid hours as a facility lead of a cadaver lab (will accrue 500 more hrs)
   • 1000 paid hours as EMT
   • 25 volunteer hours at a hospital (will continue until at least 100 hrs)
7. Research:
   • 3000 hours at a structural biology lab
   • 1 publication to high impact journal (4th author)
8. Shadowing: pediatric endocrinology (30 hrs)
9. Non-clinical volunteering:
   • 250 hrs with a global health club
   • 400 hrs in a community club working with disabled children
   • 400 hrs as a volunteer teaching assistant
   • 250 hrs in a pro bono consulting club
   • 400 hrs as a counselor at an overnight type 1 diabetic summer camp
10. Leadership: Financial director and vice exec of community club for 2 years
11. Gap year:
    • Continue full time job at cadaver lab but I intend to switch to be a CRC
    • Continue volunteering at hospital
12. LOR: 6 letters in total
    • Research PI (who was also my prof in a bio class)
    • Biochem prof (took class and TAd for)
    • Nonstem prof
    • Director of diabetes camp
    • Endocrinologist (different from one I shadowed)
    • VP of cadaver lab (cosigned and written by my manager)
13. Additional info:
    • Now let's address the elephant in the room - this will be my third application cycle. I applied 24-25 cycle and 25-26 cycle, and I'm applying again for this 26-27 cycle.
      • First cycle, I had no idea what I was doing, received no IIs.
      • Second cycle, realized I had to reapply a bit too late but hired a consultant and thought I was in good hands, so I got a little lazy with apps, one II and currently waitlisted
      • I received feedback on my app and was told that my essays were very weird and all over the place, so I rewrote them from scratch for this cycle.
    • Because this is my third cycle, my MCAT score is too old for many schools.
    • I want to stick to a list of high-30s to 40 schools
    • Not open to Texas schools (no connection to Tx at all)
    • The list is very rough and not been vetted at all - I've only chose schools that accept my MCAT score

School list:

1. UCLA
2. UCSD
3. UC Irvine
4. Harvard
5. Johns Hopkins
6. University of Pennsylvania
7. Columbia
8. WashU in St. Louis
9. Mount Sinai
10. Case Western Reserve University
11. UPitt
12. Vanderbilt
13. Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell
14. Albert Einstein College of Medicine
15. Tufts University
16. Sidney Kimmel Medical College at Thomas Jefferson University
17. George Washington University
18. University of Rochester
19. Hackensack Meridian
20. Ohio State University
21. University of Cincinnati
22. Wake Forest University
23. Saint Louis University
24. University of Vermont
25. Tulane University
26. Wayne State University
27. Uconn
28. Umass
29. Albany
30. Methodist University
31. Alice L. Walton
32. Emory University
33. Maryland
34. Cornell
35. University of Colorado
36. UofA Phoenix
37. California Northstate University
38. Nova Southeastern University
39. Virginia Tech Carilion
40. University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine

Open to any and all suggestions/questions

 

[Faha]

As a 2 time reapplicant you should include DO schools and I suggest these:
WESTERN
TUCOM-CA
AZCOM
CCOM
DMU-COM
ATSU-KCOM
KCU-COM
CUSOM
PCOM (all schools)
LECOM (all schools)
Touro-NY
NYITCOM

 

[Mr.Smile12]

One waitlist, so good luck. Obviously we need to see your application, but it just takes one. Where was this interview, and did you apply there both times?

More details about your activities will help. I don't think your nonclinical volunteering covers service orientation activities; you mention communities but not activities here. You may even be double dipping with your community club. Without more information, I think many schools summarily screened out your application. Your "weird writing" probably didn't help.

I don't know how working in a cadaver lab is clinical experience. Please explain.

It looks weird that you only shadowed 1 doctor for 30 hours if you are a reapplicant. No primary care experience?

I think your list is aspirationally top-heavy.

You are up against a possible barrier in that some programs will wonder why you didn't get in the previous cycles. Some schools will not look at applicants who apply more than twice to their program. Has any school that have you feedback said this to you?

 

[essell314]

One waitlist, so good luck. Obviously we need to see your application, but it just takes one. Where was this interview, and did you apply there both times?

More details about your activities will help. I don't think your nonclinical volunteering covers service orientation activities; you mention communities but not activities here. You may even be double dipping with your community club. Without more information, I think many schools summarily screened out your application. Your "weird writing" probably didn't help.

I don't know how working in a cadaver lab is clinical experience. Please explain.

It looks weird that you only shadowed 1 doctor for 30 hours if you are a reapplicant. No primary care experience?

I think your list is aspirationally top-heavy.

You are up against a possible barrier in that some programs will wonder why you didn't get in the previous cycles. Some schools will not look at applicants who apply more than twice to their program. Has any school that have you feedback said this to you?

Thanks for looking at this, and sorry for the late response

Interview and waitlist at URochester, applied both times.

Some more details about my activities:
- Cadaver lab - more medical than clinical as I coordinate surgical trainings for med students, residents, and physicians
- Global health club - worked with a small village in Africa to provide and support sustainable projects that would help them with income and clean water
- Community club - worked with disabled adoptees as a mentor figure and built a community for them by hosting activities and events
- Consulting club - consulted for with minority- and women-owned small businesses adjacent to health
- Camp counselor - support families and supervise children with type 1 diabetes at an overnight camp

No other shadowing or primary care experience.
Also, half of these schools are new to my list - not sure if its relevant info but just in case

 

[essell314]

As a 2 time reapplicant you should include DO schools and I suggest these:
WESTERN
TUCOM-CA
AZCOM
CCOM
DMU-COM
ATSU-KCOM
KCU-COM
CUSOM
PCOM (all schools)
LECOM (all schools)
Touro-NY
NYITCOM

Thanks for the recs! Given what Mr.Smile12 said abt it being top-heavy, would you recommend adding/removing any MD schools from my list?

 

[Faha]

Thanks for the recs! Given what Mr.Smile12 said abt it being top-heavy, would you recommend adding/removing any MD schools from my list?

You could remove UConn since they admit few non residents with no connection to the state. Also Harvard, U Penn, Cornell and Johns Hopkins are unlikely. You could add any of these schools:
Western Michigan
USF Morsani
Quinnipiac
Temple
Miami
Kaiser
California University

 

[essell314]

You could remove UConn since they admit few non residents with no connection to the state. Also Harvard, U Penn, Cornell and Johns Hopkins are unlikely. You could add any of these schools:
Western Michigan
USF Morsani
Quinnipiac
Temple
Miami
Kaiser
California University

Unfortunately, none of them accept my MCAT (September 2023)