WAMC/School List Help (3.84/521);

[heymayo45]

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Hello everyone! I was looking into applying for the next 2022-2023 cycle (I will be taking a gap year), and would love some feedback on where my application stands as well as help with some of my weaknesses since I have a gap year to work on them. A school list would also be great so I can start researching where I'd be competitive.

General Stats + Info
cGPA - 3.84*
sGPA - 3.81
MCAT : 521 (131/128/130/132)
*Had one C in calculus and a B in Computer Science 1st semester, tanked my GPA but I've made all As and A-s since then (Strong upward trend)

GA resident and school is top 50. ORM.

ECs

Research

• 200 hours in iGEM where we placed with a silver medal after our presentation (not me presenting but helped with website/poster)
• 350 hours in p. Chem lab where I didn't accomplish much because none of my experiments worked
• 150 hours in clinical research at the clinic I volunteered at, will be 1st author/presenting author for poster at a large national conference by end of the year. The abstract will be published in its supplement journal.
• Joining new lab this semester for senior year - projected around 150 more hours, not sure how much I'll accomplish

Volunteering

• 1 year as TA for bio/biochem (200 hours)
• 1.5 years as Emergency Room Volunteer (180 hours)
• 1-year Underserved clinic (60 hours)
• Honors Student Council 3 years (180 hours) - helped implement a mentoring program for ~200 honors freshman
• 1 year Red Cross 60 hours
• 1 semester Outpatient Clinic Scribe - 500 hours (was not paid)

Shadowing

• 500 in cardiology/IM from scribing,
• 25 in NSG,
• 16 in Heme/Onc,
• 8 in Gyn

Honors

• Phi Beta Kappa
• Dean's List
• Leadership Fellow at University (had a service project for community park as part of this ~150 hours)
• Some other university-specific things
• Silver Medal at iGEM
• Poster

LORs

• 2 strong expected
• 2 Medium expected
• 1 semi medium/weak

What are your thoughts @Goro @Faha @LizzyM ? Also I'd love to know my weaknesses to focus on them for my gap year. Thank you!

 

[Goro]

Hello everyone! I was looking into applying for the next 2022-2023 cycle (I will be taking a gap year), and would love some feedback on where my application stands as well as help with some of my weaknesses since I have a gap year to work on them. A school list would also be great so I can start researching where I'd be competitive.

General Stats + Info
cGPA - 3.84*
sGPA - 3.81
MCAT : 521 (131/128/130/132)
*Had one C in calculus and a B in Computer Science 1st semester, tanked my GPA but I've made all As and A-s since then (Strong upward trend)

GA resident and school is top 50. ORM.

ECs

Research

• 200 hours in iGEM where we placed with a silver medal after our presentation (not me presenting but helped with website/poster)
• 350 hours in p. Chem lab where I didn't accomplish much because none of my experiments worked
• 150 hours in clinical research at the clinic I volunteered at, will be 1st author/presenting author for poster at a large national conference by end of the year. The abstract will be published in its supplement journal.
• Joining new lab this semester for senior year - projected around 150 more hours, not sure how much I'll accomplish

Volunteering

• 1 year as TA for bio/biochem (200 hours)
• 1.5 years as Emergency Room Volunteer (180 hours)
• 1-year Underserved clinic (60 hours)
• Honors Student Council 3 years (180 hours) - helped implement a mentoring program for ~200 honors freshman
• 1 year Red Cross 60 hours
• 1 semester Outpatient Clinic Scribe - 500 hours (was not paid)

Shadowing

• 500 in cardiology/IM from scribing,
• 25 in NSG,
• 16 in Heme/Onc,
• 8 in Gyn

Honors

• Phi Beta Kappa
• Dean's List
• Leadership Fellow at University (had a service project for community park as part of this ~150 hours)
• Some other university-specific things
• Silver Medal at iGEM
• Poster

LORs

• 2 strong expected
• 2 Medium expected
• 1 semi medium/weak

What are your thoughts @Goro @Faha @LizzyM ? Also I'd love to know my weaknesses to focus on them for my gap year. Thank you!

See if you can exchange that weak LOR for a stronger one. In this game of attrition, where med schools have to cull the herd of applicants, you want the best app possible.

I suggest:
NYU
Columbia
JHU
U Penn
WashU
Northwestern
Vanderbilt
Harvard
Yale
Cornell
U Chicago
Mayo
Case
Stanford
Duke
Sinai
U VA
BU
Baylor
UCSF
Pitt
UTSW (518+ OOS)
USC/Keck
UCLA
U MI
Rochester
Hofstra
Ohio State
U Cincy
Dartmouth
Western MI
USF Morsani
SUNY-SB
Brown
U MA
U IA
Albert Einstein
Emory
Tufts
NYU-LI
Jefferson
Miami
SLU
U WI
U CO
U VM
MCG
Mercer

 

[Mr.Smile12]

Since this is next year, what's your gap year plan? The big glaring weakness that you can address over the year is dedicate yourself to serving underserved/disadvantaged/disenfranchised communities in a NON-CLINICAL environment. No teaching, no administrative desk work with no contact with people who need the help. Go outside your comfort zone completely and learn some lessons about how the real world is like. If you do that with maybe some clinical volunteering (not shadowing), you should be able to pick schools that you want to take a long look at you based on your fit with their mission and curriculum.

 

[LizzyM]

Do not use the weak letter. Does your school have a committee letter? If so, use it and if pick letters of support to the committee that show you in your best light.

I agree that you need more service to the less fortunate in non-clinical settings.

Goro's list is too long... get the MSAR and take a look at the school's characteristics including OOS preferences and TUITION. Don't end up having one offer and it being a state school that soaks OOS residents. Also decide upfront if you want a school that requires a thesis for graduation. You might rule in or rule out some schools on that basis.

 

[Goro]

Do not use the weak letter. Does your school have a committee letter? If so, use it and if pick letters of support to the committee that show you in your best light.

I agree that you need more service to the less fortunate in non-clinical settings.

Goro's list is too long... get the MSAR and take a look at the school's characteristics including OOS preferences and TUITION. Don't end up having one offer and it being a state school that soaks OOS residents. Also decide upfront if you want a school that requires a thesis for graduation. You might rule in or rule out some schools on that basis.

Just a follow-up to my learned colleague's comment about my list being too long.

They are long because these are the schools for which I think the posters are competitive for. It is up to them to cull the herd.

 

[heymayo45]

Since this is next year, what's your gap year plan? The big glaring weakness that you can address over the year is dedicate yourself to serving underserved/disadvantaged/disenfranchised communities in a NON-CLINICAL environment. No teaching, no administrative desk work with no contact with people who need the help. Go outside your comfort zone completely and learn some lessons about how the real world is like.

@Mr.Smile12 Thank you for the feedback. For my gap year, I was looking into applying for an NIH IRTA but I know it's competitive and I'm not sure if I'll get it. I was also looking into service programs like City Year or something similar. Does that sound like a good plan?
I wasn't looking exclusively at City Year, but I assumed a lot of nonprofit work like MPHs and I wasn't sure if they'd want me with not much prior experience.

Also, I was looking into maybe some abroad programs like Princeton in Asia, Global Volunteers, or Volunteers for Peace. I've seen some differing opinions here on these types of programs and wasn't sure if it was a good idea, but these seem to really put me out of my comfort zone.

 

[heymayo45]

Do not use the weak letter. Does your school have a committee letter? If so, use it and if pick letters of support to the committee that show you in your best light.

I agree that you need more service to the less fortunate in non-clinical settings.

Goro's list is too long... get the MSAR and take a look at the school's characteristics including OOS preferences and TUITION. Don't end up having one offer and it being a state school that soaks OOS residents. Also decide upfront if you want a school that requires a thesis for graduation. You might rule in or rule out some schools on that basis.

@LizzyM @Goro, Thank you for the help, I will be sure not to use that letter. My school doesn't offer a committee letter, but instead, I can hopefully replace that letter with one from a supervisor from my gap year.
What's the minimum amount of letters I should aim for to be competitive?

And I'll be sure to get an MSAR soon to start comparing tuition prices. I wasn't aware of this thesis for graduation before, I'll sure to research this as well.

What are your opinions on my gap year plans above? If I do manage to get the IRTA I'll be sure to volunteer on the side in any way I can locally.

 

[LizzyM]

The MSAR will tell you what letters you need for each school. Most want, at a minimum, 2 science teachers and one non-science. Don't figure on a gap year letter if you will be submitting in June shortly after graduation as it will be too short a time for someone to write a strong letter.

Some top research schools will want to see letters from your PIs. If you have had several PIs, you might choose just the one you've been with most recently or the one you were with the longest.

 

[heymayo45]

The MSAR will tell you what letters you need for each school. Most want, at a minimum, 2 science teachers and one non-science. Don't figure on a gap year letter if you will be submitting in June shortly after graduation as it will be too short a time for someone to write a strong letter.

Some top research schools will want to see letters from your PIs. If you have had several PIs, you might choose just the one you've been with most recently or the one you were with the longest.

I will have had 3 PIs by the time I apply and was planning on asking them all to write a letter.

1st PI I also took her class so that should hopefully be okay, it was in the physical chemistry lab where I didn't accomplish much. (Science Faculty)
2nd PI is the doctor I got the poster presentation with (Not faculty)
3rd PI has been a mentor for a while and I'm just starting out at his lab. (Science Faculty)

My fourth letter comes from the professor I TAed with (Science Faculty)

The weak one would've been from a nonscience faculty, and I said "weak" because we haven't talked in a while. I can reconnect with him though and try to change that.

Is that an okay plan?

 

[LizzyM]

I will have had 3 PIs by the time I apply and was planning on asking them all to write a letter.

1st PI I also took her class so that should hopefully be okay, it was in the physical chemistry lab where I didn't accomplish much. (Science Faculty)
2nd PI is the doctor I got the poster presentation with (Not faculty)
3rd PI has been a mentor for a while and I'm just starting out at his lab. (Science Faculty)

My fourth letter comes from the professor I TAed with (Science Faculty)

The weak one would've been from a nonscience faculty, and I said "weak" because we haven't talked in a while. I can reconnect with him though and try to change that.

Is that an okay plan?

Pick a non-science faculty member who taught you in a class you did well in and start cultivating them.... stop by the office or send an email every 8 -12 weeks to say hi, make a comment about something that reminded you of the class, a book you've read (or even just a book review), a speaker you saw scheduled to give a talk, whatever... at the second or third contact let them know you are planning to apply to med school. At some point, make the ask and send the AMCAS tips for letter writers pamphlet.

 

[heymayo45]

Pick a non-science faculty member who taught you in a class you did well in and start cultivating them.... stop by the office or send an email every 8 -12 weeks to say hi, make a comment about something that reminded you of the class, a book you've read (or even just a book review), a speaker you saw scheduled to give a talk, whatever... at the second or third contact let them know you are planning to apply to med school. At some point, make the ask and send the AMCAS tips for letter writers pamphlet.

Great, thank you for the tips.

 

[deleted314957]

A weak letter was the kiss of death 48 years ago. It just cannot be better with the insane competition today. Please do not use it/those unless it is a REQUIREMENT.

 

[Mr.Smile12]

@Mr.Smile12 Thank you for the feedback. For my gap year, I was looking into applying for an NIH IRTA but I know it's competitive and I'm not sure if I'll get it. I was also looking into service programs like City Year or something similar. Does that sound like a good plan?
I wasn't looking exclusively at City Year, but I assumed a lot of nonprofit work like MPHs and I wasn't sure if they'd want me with not much prior experience.

Also, I was looking into maybe some abroad programs like Princeton in Asia, Global Volunteers, or Volunteers for Peace. I've seen some differing opinions here on these types of programs and wasn't sure if it was a good idea, but these seem to really put me out of my comfort zone.

City Year, Americorps, Teach for America, or similar. It doesn't have to be a national program like these, but a solid amount of time in a community service experience is what is desired. Work in America is better than abroad.