MD & DO WAMC/School List/Last min suggestions 3.7 509

[bioprocrastin8r]

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Hi, looking for some advice. What's the best way for me to maximize my chances at this point in the cycle? Have submitted about half of the MD secondaries. Should I be getting more clinical experience to talk about in interviews or if I don't get in? Do I need to add schools? Any advice appreciated.

1. cGPA and sGPA as calculated by AMCAS or AACOMAS
   1. 3.7
2. MCAT score(s) and breakdown
   1. 509: 127,127,127,128
3. State of residence or country of citizenship (if non-US)
   1. PA
4. Ethnicity and/or race
   1. White
5. Undergraduate institution or category
   1. Small private, OOS
6. Clinical experience (volunteer and non-volunteer)
   1. EMT
7. Research experience and productivity
   1. microbiology, 4 posters, 1 pub from a science course
8. Shadowing experience and specialties represented
   1. 80 ED, PICU, derm, cardio
   2. 40 NP primary care
9. Non-clinical volunteering
   1. 200 hrs spring break service trips
   2. 550 hrs as president of service club
   3. 220 hrs misc
10. Other extracurricular activities (including athletics, military service, gap year activities, leadership, teaching, etc)
    1. athlete

Schools I am planning to apply to or have already applied:
Lewis Katz
Geisinger
Drexel
PSU
Quinnipiac
Robert Larner UVM
NYMC
SUNY Downstate
SUNY Upstate
Albany
Buffalo
Cooper Medical (Rowan)
GW
Georgetown
VT
Wright State
WVU
USC-Greenville
Rush
Tulane
-
PCOM
Rowan
Touro
UNECOM
NYITCOM
LECOM
Campbell University Jerry Wallace

 

[candbgirl]

Why haven’t you sent all of your secondaries in yet? Out of that last, how many have you submitted? When you plan on getting the rest done? Are you complete at any of those schools?.
Your nonclinical volunteer activities might need working on. Service trips are not looked upon favorably. They are usually considered voluntourism. The rest of your activities seem to be administrative in nature or campus based. You should be focused on serving the unserved/underserved in your community. You should get out of your comfort zone and get your hands dirty and work with people very unlike yourself. Even if you are uncomfortable doing that. Medicine is a service profession and you have to show your altruism.
And if you haven’t sent your secondary to Rush don’t bother. Your ECs are not what they are looking for. They expect hundreds ,if not thousands, of service hours. And they get them. So save the money.

 

[bioprocrastin8r]

Why haven’t you sent all of your secondaries in yet? Out of that last, how many have you submitted? When you plan on getting the rest done? Are you complete at any of those schools?.
Your nonclinical volunteer activities might need working on. Service trips are not looked upon favorably. They are usually considered voluntourism. The rest of your activities seem to be administrative in nature or campus based. You should be focused on serving the unserved/underserved in your community. You should get out of your comfort zone and get your hands dirty and work with people very unlike yourself. Even if you are uncomfortable doing that. Medicine is a service profession and you have to show your altruism.
And if you haven’t sent your secondary to Rush don’t bother. Your ECs are not what they are looking for. They expect hundreds ,if not thousands, of service hours. And they get them. So save the money.

Mainly due to being a slow writer and working while trying to write. Complete at 7 schools. Planning to finish in the next 10 days but definitely by Nov 1.
Ok. The service trips are within the US and within an organization, I would say in this case it isn't voluntourism, which I didn't explain in my initial post. I was trying to be vague, but I see that was not beneficial. I see what you mean about being campus based & administrative in nature and I will work on that.
Thanks for your time!

 

[chilly_md]

Getting secondaries in during October with your app profile does not bode well for MD. Hopefully you have already completed them at all the PA schools on your list as that is where your chances are the best.

You should gain more clinical experience if you need to reapply. Shadowing is fine, but don’t include the NP hours next time. It is supposed to be physician shadowing only. Service break trips within the US are better but are still limited in scope and usually the hours are inflated. If these occurred during say your last 3 spring breaks, 200 hours doesn’t make sense even if you include planning time (which you shouldn’t).

Don’t apply to the SUNY public schools (favors NY residents), Virginia Tech (usually looks for more research than you have), Wright State, WVU, Greenville (these last 3 take few OOS students), Rush (as noted by candbgirl), Georgetown (similar reason as Rush + they get the most apps) or Tulane (they have already booked interviews into March).

 

[bioprocrastin8r]

Getting secondaries in during October with your app profile does not bode well for MD. Hopefully you have already completed them at all the PA schools on your list as that is where your chances are the best.

You should gain more clinical experience if you need to reapply. Shadowing is fine, but don’t include the NP hours next time. It is supposed to be physician shadowing only. Service break trips within the US are better but are still limited in scope and usually the hours are inflated. If these occurred during say your last 3 spring breaks, 200 hours doesn’t make sense even if you include planning time (which you shouldn’t).

Don’t apply to the SUNY public schools (favors NY residents), Virginia Tech (usually looks for more research than you have), Wright State, WVU, Greenville (these last 3 take few OOS students), Rush (as noted by candbgirl), Georgetown (similar reason as Rush + they get the most apps) or Tulane (they have already booked interviews into March).

Yeah, started with the PA and was complete in July and August. Thanks for the advice on getting more clinical experience, I am working on that now!
Why should I not include trip planning time? I delineated it, ie. Spring Break 1 Dates: 60 hrs Spring Break 2 Dates: 60 Hrs Planning: 80 - should I have dropped off the planning?

Thank you for the advice regarding the schools. Your time and insight is appreciated.

 

[chilly_md]

Yeah, started with the PA and was complete in July and August. Thanks for the advice on getting more clinical experience, I am working on that now!
Why should I not include trip planning time? I delineated it, ie. Spring Break 1 Dates: 60 hrs Spring Break 2 Dates: 60 Hrs Planning: 80 - should I have dropped off the planning?

Thank you for the advice regarding the schools. Your time and insight is appreciated.

Nearly half your hours were planning and it is unlikely you volunteered for 60 hours in 1 week if this didn’t occur over a 2-3 week period. It comes across as padding your hours. Short term volunteering like this is also not what schools are looking for. They want to see a longitudinal commitment to a particular community or population.