MD WAMC/School List - (MCAT/GPA vs Experiences??)

[painted_roses]

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I just got my MCAT back, and I’m really disappointed in my performance. Given the imbalance in my experiences compared to MCAT and GPA alone, I can’t gauge where to apply. I worked so hard switching majors to be here! Any input would be wonderful!

1. GPA as calculated by AMCAS
   1. cGPA = 3.71 sGPA =3.73 (5Ws 2018, strong upward trend to 2023)
2. MCAT score(s):
   1. 510 (128 / 125 / 127 / 130) + learning disabilities. Second attempt not scored yet. Felt worse.
3. Residency
   1. CO
4. Ethnicity and or race:
   1. ORM (white female)
5. Undergraduate University:
   1. CU Boulder
6. Clinical Experience: 1900 h
   1. 700 hospital phlebotomist
   2. 560 Covid tester/school health aide
   3. 101 volunteering/ 250 paid at COVID Recovery Center (for the homeless (CRC -- exp labeled “Social Justice Advocacy”)
7. Research: 1910h, No pubs
   1. 500 CAR T internship at Anschutz SOM
   2. 530 MedTech - start-up incubator
   3. 600 UGRA Neuroscience - Learned Helplessness
   4. 280 business/marketing/clinical literature for start-up
8. Shadowing: 450 h
   1. 7 MD specialties, plus 1 indigent care
9. Non-clinical volunteering: 150h
   1. 90 student club - local homeless population
   2. 60 tutoring underserved youth
10. Other extracurricular:
    1. Gap Year: 2080 h Clinical Research at Stanford
    2. Social Justice Advocacy - high school to college: 600 h - Co-founder of Teentelehelp, volunteer org, turning required high school volunteer hours into meaningful experiences.
    3. Leadership: 300 h - 3 exec roles at a club, one per semester
    4. Tutoring: 80 h - Immunology
11. Relevant honors or awards
    1. Deans list the last 3 years of college (5 years, 5 Ws on the first semester)
    2. CRC: Challenge Coin
    3. TeenTelehelp: Congressional Award (highschool)

Experiences Delivery: I was advised to combine experiences and awards. So, there is no awards section; I haven’t specified volunteer hours from paid hours at CRC, and each non-clinical volunteer/tutoring experience has its own space. Any advice on delivering my experiences would be amazing.

 

[Mr.Smile12]

We'll see when your next MCAT score posts.

Boost your homeless shelter work up to 150+ hours to avoid getting screened out at most schools.

 

[painted_roses]

We'll see when your next MCAT score posts.

Boost your homeless shelter work up to 150+ hours to avoid getting screened out at most schools.

So don't apply until mid-July when the second mcat comes back?

 

[Mr.Smile12]

A 510 isn't bad. You could do a throwaway to get verification over with. But get more work in that shelter, as much as you can before applying.

 

[wysdoc]

So don't apply until mid-July when the second mcat comes back?

Apply now so they can start processing, but include your second MCAT test date on there so it can be matched to your app when it comes in.
You can choose schools for now that match your 510 MCAT, and add more later after your application is verified if your score improved.
Don't beat yourself up about the score but choose schools in the range.

Listing 450 shadowing hours is a little unusual, would any of those hours fit better in another category like community volunteering?

 

[painted_roses]

Apply now so they can start processing, but include your second MCAT test date on there so it can be matched to your app when it comes in.
You can choose schools for now that match your 510 MCAT, and add more later after your application is verified if your score improved.
Don't beat yourself up about the score but choose schools in the range.

Listing 450 shadowing hours is a little unusual, would any of those hours fit better in another category like community volunteering?

Whats the regular range for shadowing hours? (I was told to inflate them to this number as my parent is a physician. Even tho... they did not help me shadow these doctors at my different jobs. I did not like using the nepotism card. Or using her money.)

 

[wysdoc]

Shadowing of 50 hours or so is more typical and it is intended for a person to go from thinking "it would be cool to be a doctor" to "I know what a doctor's day is like, not just seeing patients but all the other work."

450 hours of shadowing might be true for you if you hung around in your family's doctors offices a lot. Some children of physicians do their homework in the office until mom/dad is done for the day.
A person reading your app might think, though, "why did they spend hundreds of hour shadowing, they could have spent that time doing community service?"

 

[painted_roses]

Shadowing of 50 hours or so is more typical and it is intended for a person to go from thinking "it would be cool to be a doctor" to "I know what a doctor's day is like, not just seeing patients but all the other work."

450 hours of shadowing might be true for you if you hung around in your family's doctors offices a lot. Some children of physicians do their homework in the office until mom/dad is done for the day.
A person reading your app might think, though, "why did they spend hundreds of hour shadowing, they could have spent that time doing community service?"

Well, I worked to support my endeavors, and at work, I shadowed. lots of them were in device companies to see the products of our work, or in research, or at my clinical jobs to learn more about how they work, or during volunteering with volunteer physicians. I really went out of my way, and volunteering was difficult with how much I had to work. I am also the daughter of a physician, and I was advised to put a high mark as it is "expected" and they did fluff these hours a lot... though I didn't choose medicine until college, in another state, and had issues with my family relationships. But I understand, and I'll see if I can improve this for next year 🙂

 

[wysdoc]

Well, I worked to support my endeavors, and at work, I shadowed. lots of them were in device companies to see the products of our work, or in research, or at my clinical jobs to learn more about how they work, or during volunteering with volunteer physicians. I really went out of my way, and volunteering was difficult with how much I had to work. I am also the daughter of a physician, and I was advised to put a high mark as it is "expected" and they did fluff these hours a lot... though I didn't choose medicine until college, in another state, and had issues with my family relationships. But I understand, and I'll see if I can improve this for next year 🙂

"I was advised to put a high mark as it is "expected" and they did fluff these hours a lot..."
this is very concerning to me, be concrete, be honest, and don't inflate your hours.

 

[candbgirl]

You have mentioned “fluffing” and inflating your hours twice in this thread. This is wrong on several levels. First of all, it is dishonest. Now maybe you didn’t mean this but you mentioned it twice so…