cGPA and sGPA as calculated by AMCAS or AACOMAS
3.89 for both
MCAT score(s) and breakdown: 519 129/130/129/131
State of residence or country of citizenship (if non-US): California
Ethnicity and/or race: White/Caucasian
Undergraduate institution or category: UCSD/UCI/UCSB (one of these three)
Clinical experience (volunteer and non-volunteer): 800+ hours as a scribe/medical assistant at a surgical private practice. I have currently worked here a year and a half. I will have over 2 years of experience in June when I apply. I currently have an offer to stay on during my gap year as the head scribe/MA working full-time.
Research experience and productivity
500-600 hours in neuroscience lab conducted over one summer (after freshman year) and one winter break
The lab was shut down by the federal government for ties to China. One of the old senior scientists is the new PI as the lab just reopened and he is willing to write me a LOR for my time there as I worked with him
Shadowing experience and specialties represented:
8 hours IM in a rural area
I plan on having 50 hours by the time I apply in June including the same internal medicine doc for 2 more days, a neurosurgeon, and an oncologist. They have all agreed I can shadow and said they would prefer if we wait until after the covid situation is safer. If covid doesn’t clear up by spring then they said I can still shadow anyway before I apply.
Non-clinical volunteering
150 hours environmental stuff (ended)
Taught science to elementary students 50 hours (ended)
~300-400+ volunteering with the homeless. Mostly cooking/serving food at the shelter, going to the streets and giving out water/socks/blankets. Some of it (30 hours+) was helping homeless patient’s at a street clinic get social services. Hopefully I can continue this if COVID clears up but I had to stop. It's over a 2 year period.
Other extracurricular activities:
1. 3 years and 500+ hours of leadership in Regent Scholar’s association as vice-president, president, and board member. Made major lasting contributions to the club and built it up from nothing. Worked closely with tons of faculty at my institution and held/personally ran the annual state conference which was the largest in history. (continuing)
2. Club gymnastics - 2 years (10 hours a week, ended due to covid)
3. Learning assistant for mostly first-gen/underserved freshman biology majors 2-3 hours a week (current)
4. Mentored honors students and Regent scholars extensively 100+ hours (current)
5. I grow orchids as a hobby
Relevant honors or awards
Regent Scholar
National merit scholar recipient (I assume this doesn’t matter for med school apps)
Dean’s honors
Specialty of interest: Neurosurgery, ophthalmology, general surgery
Interest in Primary Care: No unless it turns out I hate surgery
Interest in rural health: Yes but I don’t have many experiences to back this up (although I was born in rural indiana)
WARS: low A level I think it was 80-82 when I checked but I can't remember. I was also nervous about judging my own extracurriculars so I tried to be conservative
Medical School List Currently: I am relatively less certain about applying to a school the further it is down the list
UCLA
UCSD
UCI
UCR
UCSF
Kaiser
Stanford
USC - Keck
University of Colorado (family very close)
University of Michigan (family very close and one who attends)
Western Michigan
Jefferson (my boss is an active alumni and several past scribes currently attend)
Mount Sinai
Einstein
Boston
Case Western
Duke ?
Dartmouth ??
Northwestern ?
Ohio State ?
Penn?
Tufts?
Pitt?
University of Virginia?
Vanderbilt?
Cornell?
Columbia?
Yale?
Mayo ??
Harvard ??
Does this list look reasonable and does it have enough mid/lower tier schools?
I'm wondering if i'm just throwing away my money if I were to apply to high prestige/stat places like vanderbilt, cornell, yale, mayo, harvard, hopkins, NYU. Is is reasonable to apply to a few? If I have the time/money should I apply to all of those? Also is there an area of experience I should really focus on improving during my gap year? I have several ideas but no solid plans
Thank you so much for your time and help! It is much appreciated!
3.89 for both
MCAT score(s) and breakdown: 519 129/130/129/131
State of residence or country of citizenship (if non-US): California
Ethnicity and/or race: White/Caucasian
Undergraduate institution or category: UCSD/UCI/UCSB (one of these three)
Clinical experience (volunteer and non-volunteer): 800+ hours as a scribe/medical assistant at a surgical private practice. I have currently worked here a year and a half. I will have over 2 years of experience in June when I apply. I currently have an offer to stay on during my gap year as the head scribe/MA working full-time.
Research experience and productivity
500-600 hours in neuroscience lab conducted over one summer (after freshman year) and one winter break
The lab was shut down by the federal government for ties to China. One of the old senior scientists is the new PI as the lab just reopened and he is willing to write me a LOR for my time there as I worked with him
Shadowing experience and specialties represented:
8 hours IM in a rural area
I plan on having 50 hours by the time I apply in June including the same internal medicine doc for 2 more days, a neurosurgeon, and an oncologist. They have all agreed I can shadow and said they would prefer if we wait until after the covid situation is safer. If covid doesn’t clear up by spring then they said I can still shadow anyway before I apply.
Non-clinical volunteering
150 hours environmental stuff (ended)
Taught science to elementary students 50 hours (ended)
~300-400+ volunteering with the homeless. Mostly cooking/serving food at the shelter, going to the streets and giving out water/socks/blankets. Some of it (30 hours+) was helping homeless patient’s at a street clinic get social services. Hopefully I can continue this if COVID clears up but I had to stop. It's over a 2 year period.
Other extracurricular activities:
1. 3 years and 500+ hours of leadership in Regent Scholar’s association as vice-president, president, and board member. Made major lasting contributions to the club and built it up from nothing. Worked closely with tons of faculty at my institution and held/personally ran the annual state conference which was the largest in history. (continuing)
2. Club gymnastics - 2 years (10 hours a week, ended due to covid)
3. Learning assistant for mostly first-gen/underserved freshman biology majors 2-3 hours a week (current)
4. Mentored honors students and Regent scholars extensively 100+ hours (current)
5. I grow orchids as a hobby
Relevant honors or awards
Regent Scholar
National merit scholar recipient (I assume this doesn’t matter for med school apps)
Dean’s honors
Specialty of interest: Neurosurgery, ophthalmology, general surgery
Interest in Primary Care: No unless it turns out I hate surgery
Interest in rural health: Yes but I don’t have many experiences to back this up (although I was born in rural indiana)
WARS: low A level I think it was 80-82 when I checked but I can't remember. I was also nervous about judging my own extracurriculars so I tried to be conservative
Medical School List Currently: I am relatively less certain about applying to a school the further it is down the list
UCLA
UCSD
UCI
UCR
UCSF
Kaiser
Stanford
USC - Keck
University of Colorado (family very close)
University of Michigan (family very close and one who attends)
Western Michigan
Jefferson (my boss is an active alumni and several past scribes currently attend)
Mount Sinai
Einstein
Boston
Case Western
Duke ?
Dartmouth ??
Northwestern ?
Ohio State ?
Penn?
Tufts?
Pitt?
University of Virginia?
Vanderbilt?
Cornell?
Columbia?
Yale?
Mayo ??
Harvard ??
Does this list look reasonable and does it have enough mid/lower tier schools?
I'm wondering if i'm just throwing away my money if I were to apply to high prestige/stat places like vanderbilt, cornell, yale, mayo, harvard, hopkins, NYU. Is is reasonable to apply to a few? If I have the time/money should I apply to all of those? Also is there an area of experience I should really focus on improving during my gap year? I have several ideas but no solid plans
Thank you so much for your time and help! It is much appreciated!
