WAMC/School list help (3.91 GPA, URM African Male, 500 MCAT, TX resident)

[Montyzar]

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To whoever reads this thank you in advance for your time and helping me.

*Just got my score back for 5/16 and I just finished writing my primaries. I haven't submitted anything (even CASPER and Preview) because I wanted to see if it was worth spending money on my app this year. Based on my app should I just focus on my MCAT and get more hours and apply next cycle, or do I have a chance this cycle. Also I really want to stay in Texas*

- Based on my ECs can I submit now and retake mcat on 8/20/24 ish and still look good, or just save money and apply next cycle?

Demographics: First-gen male, African American, TX Resident

Stats: 3.91 overall GPA (3.94 cGPA, 3.89 sGPA)

MCAT: 500 (126/121/127/126)

Extracurriculars:

Research: 720 hours (began in 07/2023, projected 500). Went from a summer internship (SURF) to becoming a lab associate working with postdocs. 1 poster after internship

Volunteer (Clinical): homeless population in downtown SA (300 hours, projected 200)

Volunteer (Non-clinical): Immigrant settlement for new families 40 hours (began 5/24, projected 240 hours), Youth Basketball Coach 25 (began 6/24, projected 50), Meal/supply distribution local community (50 hours)

Clinical: Patient Care Technician (1:1 sitter in hospital) 1012 hours (projected 900), Pharmacy Technician (Administered Vaccines): 2600 hours

Club/Organizations: Finance Officer for medical Org 110 hours

TA O-chem: 110 hours

Peer Mentor: Paired with children who are ESL from the Middle East (20 hours, projected 50)

Food service: 700 hours

Shadowing: 40 hours -- Vascular Surgery (32 hrs) and Personalized Medicine and Rehab for Cancer patients (10 hrs)

LOR: Pharmacist I worked with (strong) , Ochem Prof I was a TA for, Post-Doc I worked with (strong), Another O-chem teach

Current School List:

MD (in-state): All TX (because it is a flat fee)

MD OOS: HBCU schools + UCLA Charles Drew

DO:

(how will not having a physician's letter affect my chances at DO?)

1.TCOM

2. OSUSOM

3. CCOM

4.MU-COM

5.DMU-COM

6.ASTU-KCOM

7.KCU-COM

8.AZCOM

9.TUNCOM

10.CUSOM

11.PCOM (All-schools)

12.LECOM (all schools)

13.Touro-NY

14.NYITCOM

 

[wysdoc]

If you have enough time to really study for a retake, I think it's worth it to submit your application now & retake.
Most DO schools don't require a letter from a DO, (ATSU may be an exception) but it would help if you could shadow one before you apply on AACOMAS.
Charles R Drew is one of the HBCUs (along with Howard, Meharry, and Morehouse) but it is an independent school now and no longer affiliated with UCLA.
Among the TX schools, UH Fertitta has an especially strong focus on serving the urban Black population in their area of Houston.

 

[Mr.Smile12]

I also think it's worth a shot to apply. There are not that many African-American males in the applicant pool. Have you connected with SNMA or any mentoring programs that support Black (male) aspiring physicians? Your GPA is your asset. You may want to take Casper to maximize your chances among those schools that require a score before interviewing you. Attend/view on playback any TMDSAS office hours or panels from current students, especially from URM/SED backgrounds. I would consider an MCAT retake, but the rest of your application seems attractive to many schools, depending on your ultimate purpose as a physician.