WAMC/school list help: nontrad ORM 3.56, 515

[perpetually_sleepy]

**Please do not quote this message**

Hi everyone, I'm considering if I should apply for DO and/or MD, and if I should apply in 2025 or 2026. Tentative school list is below. Any insight would be greatly appreciated!

1. cGPA - 3.56; sGPA - 3.49 (AACOMAS), 3.67 (AMCAS); graduated 2022
   1. I'm still missing a few science prereqs and plan to take them at a local CC, so these numbers may change
2. MCAT - 515 (129/128/130/128)
3. State of residence - CA
4. Ethnicity/race - East Asian (ORM)
5. Undergraduate institution or category - B.S. chemical engineering at T30 public state university
6. Clinical experience (volunteer and non-volunteer) - 450+ ongoing hours paid work as scribe in ENT clinic, planning to start volunteering at local community hospital and local free clinic in next 1-2 months
7. Research experience and productivity - 520 hours at immunology lab as undergrad research (1 publication as 2nd author)
8. Shadowing experience and specialties represented - 24 hours in primary care, 16 hours in ENT, currently looking for doctors to shadow other specialties
9. Non-clinical volunteering - 240 hours helping make websites for 2 free clinics, 20 hours peer mentor, 8 hours at biomedical robotics event, 8 hours at undergrad science career fair, planning to get more hours at local free clinic
10. Other extracurricular activities - treasurer for undergrad chemistry club (3 years), class representative for undergrad chemical engineering club (1 year), swim club (2 years)
11. Relevant honors or awards - Dean’s List for 2 quarters
12. Anything else not listed - 2 years full-time engineer at biotech company, 4 months engineering intern at different biotech company

Tentative school list:
MD (mostly based on stats)

• CUSM
• UCD
• UCR
• Howard
• Einstein
• FSU
• Tulane
• UNC
• NYMC
• SUNY
• UB

DO

• WesternU
• Touro
• CHSU
• NYITCOM
• PCOM
• Rowan
• MSOM
• UNECOM
• DUQCOM
• LUCOM
• VCOM
• WVSOM
• CUSOM

I would prefer to be either in CA or in/near NY, but am very open to applying anywhere.

Again, any insight is greatly appreciated. Thank you!

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[Mr.Smile12]

How to Engineer a Health Professional Career - SDN

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You shouldn't need to apply to DO programs unless you have a disappointing MD application process. You should add the engineering-oriented programs at Carle Illinois and Texas A&M EnMed.

I'm not sure about your list: UNC, UBuffalo, FSU, SUNY, NYMC, and Howard? UC-Riverside... are you from the Inland Empire area? UC-Davis: are you from Sacramento area?

 

[perpetually_sleepy]

How to Engineer a Health Professional Career - SDN

The Student Doctor Network provides free tools, resources, and advising services to help students become health professionals.

www.studentdoctor.net

You shouldn't need to apply to DO programs unless you have a disappointing MD application process. You should add the engineering-oriented programs at Carle Illinois and Texas A&M EnMed.

I'm not sure about your list: UNC, UBuffalo, FSU, SUNY, NYMC, and Howard? UC-Riverside... are you from the Inland Empire area? UC-Davis: are you from Sacramento area?

Thank you for the prompt response and for the article! I wasn't aware of the 2 programs you mentioned and will definitely look into them.

For my MD list, I mainly chose schools that had average GPA/MCAT close to mine, but am very open to applying elsewhere! For UCR and UCD - I'm not from those areas you mentioned. Do the schools on my list tend to favor local applicants?

 

[Faha]

The SUNYs, UNC and FSU admit few non residents with no connection to the state. Howard mainly admits applicants from the African American community. I suggest these schools with your stats:
California University
Kaiser
Loma Linda (if you fit their mission)
UC Davis
UC Riverside (if you are from that region)
TCU
Rosalind Franklin
Medical College Wisconsin
Western Michigan
Oakland Beaumont
Wayne State
tulae
Roseman
Alice Walton
Belmont
NOVA MD
Wake Forest
Virginia Commonwealth
Eastern Virginia
George Washington
Drexel
Temple
Jefferson
Penn State
Hackensack
New York Medical College
Albany
Vermont
Quinnipiac
You should also accumulate 150+ hours of non clinical volunteering (food bank, homeless shelter, etc.)
For DO schools include Western, TUCOM-CA, Touro-NY and NYITCOM.

 

[perpetually_sleepy]

The SUNYs, UNC and FSU admit few non residents with no connection to the state. Howard mainly admits applicants from the African American community. I suggest these schools with your stats:
California University
Kaiser
Loma Linda (if you fit their mission)
UC Davis
UC Riverside (if you are from that region)
TCU
Rosalind Franklin
Medical College Wisconsin
Western Michigan
Oakland Beaumont
Wayne State
tulae
Roseman
Alice Walton
Belmont
NOVA MD
Wake Forest
Virginia Commonwealth
Eastern Virginia
George Washington
Drexel
Temple
Jefferson
Penn State
Hackensack
New York Medical College
Albany
Vermont
Quinnipiac
You should also accumulate 150+ hours of non clinical volunteering (food bank, homeless shelter, etc.)
For DO schools include Western, TUCOM-CA, Touro-NY and NYITCOM.

That sounds good, thank you so much! One more thing, do you think I should apply in 2025 or 2026? I was thinking that if I apply in 2026, I could accumulate more clinical/volunteering hours, but not sure if it would significantly increase my chances of being accepted compared to 2025. I do plan to get at least 150 non-clinical volunteering hours before applying in 2025.

 

[Faha]

That sounds good, thank you so much! One more thing, do you think I should apply in 2025 or 2026? I was thinking that if I apply in 2026, I could accumulate more clinical/volunteering hours, but not sure if it would significantly increase my chances of being accepted compared to 2025. I do plan to get at least 150 non-clinical volunteering hours before applying in 2025.

You are fine to apply in June 2025 if you have the 150+ hours of non clinical volunteering I suggested.

 

[perpetually_sleepy]

You are fine to apply in June 2025 if you have the 150+ hours of non clinical volunteering I suggested.

Great, thank you again!