WAMC + school list help + advice

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damonkirk

New Member
Joined
Aug 23, 2025
Messages
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Stats:
cGPA:
3.30 (projected)
sGPA: 3.10 (projected)
MCAT: 525 (first attempt) - 132/131/132/130 (C/P/CARS/B/B/P/S)
State: California
Ethnicity: Hispanic/Latino (Mexican-American), bilingual Spanish speaker
Undergrad: UC Irvine, Mathematics major

Clinical Experience:
Clinical lab work with EEG (working directly with patients)

Research Experience:
1 non-clinical (cancer research)

Shadowing:
50 hours with neurologist
50 with urologist
50 with oncology

Non-Clinical Volunteering:
1,000+ hours at food bank
500 hours at school basic need center

Other Activities:
250 hours leadership/tutoring
250 hours tutoring underprivileged kids
750 hours emt

Gap Year Plans:Taking a gap year and considering SMP options
Note: huge upward trend so for 4.0, a few F's in random classes such as history I did not attended before I was interested in medicine
Questions:
  1. Should I pursue an SMP during my gap year given my stats?
  2. What schools should I target for my school list at my current stats?
  3. Any other advice for strengthening my application?
 
You would benefit from a DIY post bacc at a local college starting in September. Take undergraduate level science courses in order to raise your sGPA. I suggest these schools with your stats:
The UCs
USC Keck
California University
Kaiser
Loma Linda (if you fit their mission)
Arizona (both schools)
Roseman
Colorado
TCU
Creighton
Loyola
Rosalind Franklin
Medical College Wisconsin
Oakland Beaumont
Wayne State
Belmont
Wake Forest
Miami
USF Morsani
Eastern Virginia
Georgetown
George Washington
Drexel
Temple
Jefferson
Hackensack
Hofstra
Einstein
Mount Sinai
New York Medical College
Albany
Rochester
Vermont
Quinnipiac
Tufts
Boston University
Dartmouth
Brown
 
You would benefit from a DIY post bacc at a local college starting in September. Take undergraduate level science courses in order to raise your sGPA. I suggest these schools with your stats:
The UCs
USC Keck
California University
Kaiser
Loma Linda (if you fit their mission)
Arizona (both schools)
Roseman
Colorado
TCU
Creighton
Loyola
Rosalind Franklin
Medical College Wisconsin
Oakland Beaumont
Wayne State
Belmont
Wake Forest
Miami
USF Morsani
Eastern Virginia
Georgetown
George Washington
Drexel
Temple
Jefferson
Hackensack
Hofstra
Einstein
Mount Sinai
New York Medical College
Albany
Rochester
Vermont
Quinnipiac
Tufts
Boston University
Dartmouth
Brown
I seriously appreciate your feedback; would you recommend a SMP at all?
 
Stats:
cGPA:
3.30 (projected)
sGPA: 3.10 (projected)
MCAT: 525 (first attempt) - 132/131/132/130 (C/P/CARS/B/B/P/S)
State: California
Ethnicity: Hispanic/Latino (Mexican-American), bilingual Spanish speaker
Undergrad: UC Irvine, Mathematics major

Clinical Experience:
Clinical lab work with EEG (working directly with patients)

Research Experience:
1 non-clinical (cancer research)

Shadowing:
50 hours with neurologist
50 with urologist
50 with oncology

Non-Clinical Volunteering:
1,000+ hours at food bank
500 hours at school basic need center

Other Activities:
250 hours leadership/tutoring
250 hours tutoring underprivileged kids
750 hours emt

Gap Year Plans:Taking a gap year and considering SMP options
Note: huge upward trend so for 4.0, a few F's in random classes such as history I did not attended before I was interested in medicine
Questions:
  1. Should I pursue an SMP during my gap year given my stats?
  2. What schools should I target for my school list at my current stats?
  3. Any other advice for strengthening my application?
Thanks for posting this WAMC. So much easier to help you. If you end up pursuing a SMP look for schools with Med Schools that offer a guaranteed interview.
Good luck.
 
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