WAMC/School List Help, no pubs/decent stats/nontrad applicant

[cowmeleon]

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Hi all, I have received conflicting advice from advisors on my school list and chances, and I would love to crowd-source some more opinions. Currently, my application list consists mainly of T20 schools, with some mid-tier schools also included. My glaring weak point for the MD/PhD program is my lack of publications, but my lab is very small (three people, including me), and due to some unforeseen challenges, we experienced significant lapses in productivity. And ultimately, I don't know if the rest of my application can make up for that.

About me: non-trad, ORM F, taking two gap years, had a previous career before completing my degree, average socioeconomic background

1. cGPA: 3.79, sGPA: 3.99 (important note: I returned to school after multiple years to complete my degree, so my cGPA includes scores from 6+ years ago; my degree was completed at a T30 where I received a 4.0)
2. MCAT: 522 (129, 130, 131, 132)
3. State of residence: North Carolina
4. Ethnicity: White
5. Undergraduate: T30 State School
6. Clinical experience: 1800 hours paid, 700 volunteer, both 911 system EMT-B, more hours expected for both
7. Research experience: 2000 hours (1 lab, 1 honors thesis (received highest honors), 0 pubs, 1 oral presentation, 1 poster presentation)
8. Shadowing experience: 50 hours OBGYN
9. Non-clinical volunteering: 400 hours refugee support, 200 hours university-affiliated community outreach
10. Other extracurricular: had a successful artistry career for half a decade before transitioning to medicine, university research ambassador for two years/chair of ambassadors for one year, was on the event committee for new student orientation for a year, multiple tutoring/teaching experiences: MCAT, EMT classes, CPR, and university science classes, language club member
11. Relevant honors or awards: Fulbright Student Research Award finalist (to be completed May 2026, was a Semi-Finalist for last year and reapplied), member of undergrad university's highest honorary society, recognized for research and public service hours at graduation, Phi Beta Kappa, Language Honors Society member, part of my university's honor's college, dean's list all semesters

School List: (in alphabetical order)
1. Case Western
2. Columbia
3. Duke
4. Emory
5. Harvard
6. Mount Sinai/Icahn
7. Johns Hopkins
8. Mayo Clinic
9. Northwestern
10. NYU
11. UPenn
12. Stanford
13. Brown
14. UCLA
15. UCSF
16. UMich
17. UNC
18. Vanderbilt
19. Tri-I
20. Yale

My school list is primarily based on schools with the strongest women's reproductive health programs, as that is my primary interest and what I have completed all of my research in, but, unfortunately, that list also aligns pretty closely with the T20 school list. Does the rest of my application possibly make up for the fact that I don't have any publications? I am working on a first-author paper, and there is a paper I am a co-author on that's forthcoming in the next few months. However, I know that if it's not finished and published at the time of application, it doesn't really count. Some advisors said I show enough research potential that the lack of publications is okay, but others have said I have no chance without any publications. Taking any and all advice, including school list additions.

 

[trilobites10294814]

Brown doesn't take many matriculants, I would suggest switching it out.

I would suggest broadening your school list. Consider picking 10 schools ranging in T30-T60 range. Worst case if you have too many interviews you can decline them and they'll go to someone else.