WAMC/School List Help: 528 MCAT, 4.0 GPA, potentially weak ECs

[dreamcokedreamboat]

Please don't quote this post, thanks 🙂

Hey all! I'm a reapplicant from last cycle looking for some help on my school list, as well as what you guys think of my chances this cycle. Last cycle I only got one interview and I think I crumbled under the high stakes. After getting some people to look at my app, the feedback I got was mostly that my PS didn't answer "Why Medicine" and my clinical experience was also weak. I rewrote all my essays and added some more shadowing, trying to get another clinical job as well but it's too late to add that to my app. Personally, I think a big factor was also my very late app submission; I was verified on 9/1 and I took 4-6 weeks to complete my secondaries. The only school I got an interview at doesn't have a secondary application, which I think further highlights how my submission timing hurt me. I did consider pushing off my app until next cycle and getting more clinical experience, but my MCAT score will start to expire for some schools starting next year so I thought I'd just go for it. EC changes from last cycle include the psychiatry and PM&R shadowing, non-clinical volunteering, and my English teaching job.

1. cGPA and sGPA as calculated by AMCAS or AACOMAS: 4.0 (graduated 2021)
2. MCAT score(s) and breakdown: 528
3. State of residence or country of citizenship (if non-US): FL
4. Ethnicity and/or race: Asian
5. Undergraduate institution or category: Florida public school
6. Clinical experience (volunteer and non-volunteer): 600 hours as an orthopedic scribe, done from May 2021 to October 2021 (the short duration could potentially be a red flag)
7. Research experience and productivity: 900 hours as a Research Assistant, 2 posters presented
8. Shadowing experience and specialties represented: 25 hours virtual shadowing (many specialties), 20 hours psychiatry, 14 hours PM&R
9. Non-clinical volunteering: Crisis Text Line, 68 hours completed, 152 hours projected; projected 60 hours tutoring at my former high school starting in the fall
10. Other extracurricular activities (including athletics, military service, gap year activities, leadership, teaching, etc): 500 hours as Quiz Bowl member, Treasurer for two years and placed at the national level (keeping it vague on purpose); 700 hours tutoring through my university's tutoring center; spent my gap year/450 hours teaching English in France (I'm fluent in French); I also listed programming, reading/writing, and walking as hobbies
11. Relevant honors or awards: A couple Liberal Arts & Sciences awards, Phi Beta Kappa member
12. Anything else not listed you think might be important: Two STEM majors and two humanities minors, not sure if med schools care but I feel like it made me a more well-rounded person. Also someone very close to me is starting as an MS1 at Albert Einstein, so if any of you have any insight on Einstein or any other Manhattan-area schools, I would very much appreciate it. Finally, I'm interested in Psychiatry, Oncology, and Family Medicine

I think my list is very top-heavy, I did this because some of my friends advised me that my high stats and below-average ECs meant my chances would be better at "higher tier" schools, though I'm not sure how sound that advice is. I'm also not sure if I should apply to DO schools as well, considering I'm a reapplicant.

Current school list (similar to my list last cycle):
Harvard
BU
Chicago Pritzker
Northwestern (Feinberg)
Miami Miller
USF-Morsani
University of Florida
UCF
Indiana University
Columbia
Weill Cornell
Icahn
NYU
Rochester
Albert Einstein
SUNY
CUNY
Hofstra
NYMC
Rutgers
Washington University in St. Louis

Sorry if my tone sounds a bit cold, I was just trying to focus on being informative. I really appreciate everyone's help and input, I value your advice and I recognize that helping me is a completely selfless act. Thank you in advance for your feedback 🙂

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[Faha]

CUNY is a 7 year BS/MD program so you cannot apply there. Indiana will "yield protect" with your stats. You could add these schools:
Florida Atlantic
Florida International
Vanderbilt
Duke
U Virginia
Johns Hopkins
U Penn
Yale
Case Western
Cincinnati
Ohio State
U Michigan
UCSF
USC Keck

 

[dreamcokedreamboat]

CUNY is a 7 year BS/MD program so you cannot apply there. Indiana will "yield protect" with your stats. You could add these schools:
Florida Atlantic
Florida International
Vanderbilt
Duke
U Virginia
Johns Hopkins
U Penn
Yale
Case Western
Cincinnati
Ohio State
U Michigan
UCSF
USC Keck

Thank you so much for your response!! It's interesting what you say about Indiana, since that's the only school that sent me an interview invite last cycle. Some of the schools from your list (Duke, UPenn, UCSF, USC Keck) I actually applied to last cycle but removed from my list this cycle. You don't think my clinical+volunteer experience and being a reapplicant would prevent me from getting attention at those schools?

Thank you so much for your help!!!! 🙂 I will take a look at those schools and add them to my tentative list, and I'll make sure to remove CUNY as well lol

 

[Faha]

I am surprised about Indiana since they seem to be looking for non residents who are URM. You have clinical experience this cycle that you did not have a year ago and since you will not be applying late in the cycle you should receive more interviews. Try Indiana again since they were willing to interview you previously.

 

[dreamcokedreamboat]

I am surprised about Indiana since they seem to be looking for non residents who are URM. You have clinical experience this cycle that you did not have a year ago and since you will not be applying late in the cycle you should receive more interviews. Try Indiana again since they were willing to interview you previously.

I was also surprised by Indiana, I do have ties there but they didn't know about that. I did include my scribing hours in my app last cycle (I submitted so late that I had completed most of my hours already lol) but I did feel like they would be viewed in a different light this time since it's no longer overlapping with the application cycle. I'm really happy to hear that you view it that way as well 😀 Thank you again for your help, I feel a lot more hopeful now and I'm definitely going to take a look at all the schools you listed.

 

[Mr.Smile12]

Community service is the only thing that im concerned with. Text line may be okay, but I don't see any in-person service where you are stretching outside your comfort zone. Tutoring falls under teaching and not community service unless you are employed especially through Americorps or similar.

Let's hope your revamped application with more experience gets you more attention.

 

[dreamcokedreamboat]

Community service is the only thing that im concerned with. Text line may be okay, but I don't see any in-person service where you are stretching outside your comfort zone. Tutoring falls under teaching and not community service unless you are employed especially through Americorps or similar.

Let's hope your revamped application with more experience gets you more attention.

I agree, other than the text line I don't have much else. I did project 60 hours tutoring Physics at my former high school, I listed it as community service but it's too late to change it. But, I'm happy to hear that you aren't concerned about my clinical experience. I appreciate your input, I hope that I have more success this time too 🙂

 

[dreamcokedreamboat]

Alright, it looks like I've gotten my "final" list:

Columbia
Cornell
Icahn
NYU
Albert Einstein
Rochester
Hofstra
NYU Long Island
NYMC
Harvard
Chicago
Northwestern Feinberg
UMiami
USF
UF
UCF
FAU
Indiana
Stanford
UCSF
UCLA
Kaiser Permanente
USC Keck
UPenn
Washington University St. Louis
Vanderbilt
UVirginia
Johns Hopkins
Yale
Case Western
Cincinnati
Ohio State
UMichigan

It's 31 schools total. I think it's balanced but it could also potentially be too top-heavy. I appreciate both of your guys' help 🙂

 

[Faha]

Remove NYMC since they will "yield protect" with your stats.

 

[LeaveNoTrace]

Your low volunteering sunk you. That and your late application. You barely check the box as it is...but you do have a solid amount of clinical experience. That and your literally perfect stats might carry you. Add a few low tiers and mid tiers for insurance. Good luck. I wonder what @Goro thinks...maybe you need some DO schools on your list as well due to the low volunteering. With 300 hours of volunteer experience, you'd be a rock star.

 

[Goro]

Your low volunteering sunk you. That and your late application. You barely check the box as it is...but you do have a solid amount of clinical experience. That and your literally perfect stats might carry you. Add a few low tiers and mid tiers for insurance. Good luck. I wonder what @Goro thinks...maybe you need some DO schools on your list as well due to the low volunteering. With 300 hours of volunteer experience, you'd be a rock star.

OP, delete Kaiser, as they tend like CA residents and their class size is tiny. Consider BU, Tufts, Jefferson, Vandy, Baylor, Emory.

Get in more service to others less fortunate than yourself and get off campus and out of your comfort zone.