WAMC + School List Help // ORM, MI Resident, 3.83 GPA, 510 MCAT

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Hi! If anyone could please help me review my school list and give any advice on the apps cycle, that would be great! I submitted my AMCAS primary on May 28 (day 1) and it was verified. I just got my MCAT score this week and have been working to finalize things before AMCAS transmission in a few days.

Demographics:

• Michigan resident. Ties to OH, AZ, CT.
• Middle Eastern/Arab (ORM), female
• Low SES, first-gen
• Focus on underserved, low-income, refugee/migrant communities. Passion in public health equity and accessibility.

Academics:

• cGPA: 3.83
• sGPA: 3.72.
• Consistent upward trend (3.64 -> 3.80 -> 3.91 -> 4.00). Initially struggled with adjusting to rigor of college academics while entering college after the pandemic.
• Recent grad from HYP Ivy League (taking 1 gap year)
• Major: history of medicine (BA)

MCAT: 510 (127/128/126/129). 5/15/25 date, 79th percentile. Honestly a bit disappointed since I was aiming for 512-515 but don’t think I plan to retake it at this point.


Clinical employment:

• Current gap year job: medical assistant at OB-GYN clinic (forgot to include this in AMCAS primary so I will write it in secondary essays)

Clinical volunteering:

• Volunteer medical assistant + pharmacy tech at free clinic: 75 hours current + 75 hours anticipated
• Patient navigator for ESL families: 75 hours
• Patient aide in acute medicine wing of hospital: 50 hours
• Patient health counselor at free clinic: 125 hours

Research:

• RNA wet lab research: 750 hours
• Clinical research fellowship in cardiology: 100 hours, manuscript in review
• Public health research on social determinants of health: 240 hours, presented training workshops for med students, public health workers
• Undergrad history of medicine senior thesis: 500 hours, 2 conference presentations
• Refugee health conferences: 2 posters at national/state conference, 1 oral presentation at national conference

Paid employment:

• Health director at refugee resettlement organization: 2000 hours (work study job for 3 years of college + summers)
• Refugee health conference coordinator: 125 hours
• College math tutor for peers: 150 hours current, 75 hours anticipated during gap year

Extracurriculars:

• ASL student club executive board: 230 hours

Nonclinical volunteering:

• Advisor to FGLI students applying to college: 400 hours
• Anticipated homeless shelter volunteering during gap year: 100 hours

Shadowing:

• Psychiatry: 40 hours
• Cardiology: 70 hours
• Pediatrics: 15 hours
• Projected gap year hours in peds and OB-GYN (total 30 hrs)

Leadership:

• Public service fellowship coordinator: 250 hours
• + other leadership in ASL club, work-study job

Honors/Awards:

• Nominated for and awarded the public service award awarded to 1 undergrad in university annually
• Awarded $1500+ in research grants

Letters of recommendation: all pretty strong

• 1 STEM course lab professor
• 1 STEM seminar professor
• 1 public health professor
• Biology lab PI
• Executive director of refugee resettlement organization, co-signed with 3 physicians I’ve worked with
• Cardiologist

Misc.: Interest in family medicine/primary care. I know DO schools are an option, but I currently plan to go MD only if possible due to cheaper costs and curriculum preferences. I developed the following MD school list after working through stats, mission, and location fits. Most of the schools were within 25th-75th percentile of my stats, and I researched out-of-state friendly schools.


School List:

University of Arizona College of Medicine – Tucson
Frank H. Netter M.D. School of Medicine at Quinnipiac University
Chicago Medical School of Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science
Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine
Rush Medical College
University of Illinois College of Medicine
University of Massachusetts Medical School
Central Michigan University College of Medicine
Michigan State University College of Human Medicine
Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine
Wayne State University School of Medicine
Albany Medical College
Wake Forest School of Medicine
Boonshoft School of Medicine at Wright State University
University of Toledo College of Medicine
Drexel University College of Medicine
Lewis Katz School of Medicine, Temple University
Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine
University of Vermont College of Medicine
Eastern Virginia Medical School
Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine and Research Institute
University of Connecticut School of Medicine
Georgetown University School of Medicine
University of Michigan Medical School
Western Michigan University Homer Stryker M.D. School of Medicine
The Ohio State University College of Medicine
University of Cincinnati College of Medicine
Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine

 

[Mr.Smile12]

Welcome to the forums.

You should cut your list down to about 25-30 schools, including all of your in-state options (though 510 is low for Ann Arbor).

I don't know what your Ohio, Arizona, or Connecticut ties are.

Your service orientation activities seem very low. I don't see anything that involves food distribution, shelter volunteer, job/tax preparation, legal support, transportation services, or housing rehabilitation. You need 150 hours at submission or your file might get screened out. 100 hours anticipated in homeless shelter doesn't count here.

 

[Faha]

You have state public schools on your list that admit few non residents with your stats. Rush and Loyola expect far more non clinical volunteering hours than you have. I suggest these schools:
Central Michigan
Wayne State
Michigan State
U Michigan
Oakland Beaumont
Western Michigan
Toledo
Medical College Wisconsin
Ponce (St. Louis)
TCU
Roseman
Alice Walton
Belmont
NOVA MD
Wake Forest
Methodist (when it opens)
Virginia Commonwealth
Eastern Virginia
George Washington
Geisinger
Drexel
Temple
Jefferson
Penn State
Albany
Vermont
Quinnipiac