WAMC/School List/Reapp/cGPA 3.5, sGPA 3.45, MCAT 513

[sweetpotatofever]

GPA: cGPA 3.5, sGPA 3.45

MCAT breakdown: 513 (126/127/131/129)

Residence - NY

Race/Ethnicity - Asian, mixed race, but grew up in the Caribbean

Undergrad - T40 National University, Majored in Bio, minored in Spanish

Clinical experience -

1. Medical Assistant - 2000 hours in derm, serving patients of all backgrounds,
2. Medical Scribe - 1700 hours in emergency medicine, lvl 1 trauma center
3. Patient Care Volunteer - 300 hrs - emergency room and inpatient units

Research experience - Volunteer Research Assistant - 300 hrs clinical research with underserved populations, especially immigrant populations with poor health literacy

Shadowing -

1. 50 hrs dermatology - nursing home populations
2. 50 hrs pediatrics, including pediatric sub specialties like peds neuro, peds heme/onc
3. 15 hours virtual shadowing

Non-clinical volunteering -

1. Crisis Textline Counselor - 100 hrs - currently trying to become bilingual certified currently

Paid non-clinical

1. Retail 1800 hrs - have a cool story where I intervened in a near suicide attempt

Extracurriculars

1. Black belt!
2. Guitar as a hobby

Awards

1. Dean's list, made it freshman year then had bad grades for a bit, but turned myself around and secured it again senior year

Miscellaneous

1. Very strong upward trend from junior to senior year, basically straight A's and one A-.
2. low SES, disadvantaged
3. I believe my strengths lie in my large amount of clinical experience, breadth of experience, and my mixed background and Spanish proficiency which allow me to communicate with a large range of populations, especially underserved immigrant populations.

Reapplicant - I received several pre II holds, which became two II's last cycle, one from a T100 and one from a T50. I am currently on the WL, but am prepping to reapply since it's getting late and I'm losing hope. What's new from last cycle is the addition of 1800 hours as an MA, my shadowing experiences in other specialties, my volunteer research, and my crisis counseling experience. I believe I have made substantial efforts to improve my app, including stronger writing. But given my lack of success last cycle, I would prefer some constructive criticism.

School List: I've included some more reaches that I didn't apply to the first time given my app improvements (thank you FAP)

Albany
Einstein
Boston
Case Western
Hofstra
Duke
Emory
Geiseil
Georgetown
Hackensack
Indiana
Buffalo
Kaiser
Temple
Mayo
NYMC
NYU LISOM
Ohio State
Penn State
Stonybrook
Vermont - Larner
Rush
SKMC
SUNY Upstate +Downstate
Tufts
Tulane
UMiami
UMich
UPitt

Thank you all very much for reading and critiquing, lmk what you guys think.

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[Faha]

Where were your 2 interviews ?

 

[sweetpotatofever]

Where were your 2 interviews ?

My interviews were at Albany and NYU LISOM!

 

[Mr.Smile12]

Good luck getting off the waitlist.

Reapplying: My concern is your relatively low number of community service hours. Text line is fine, but having an activity that is more person-facing would be better. Demonstrate your service orientation with food distribution, shelter work, job placement services, transportation assistance, or housing rehabilitation. You would avoid being screened out at many schools if you have 150 hours before applying. If you had none before applying last cycle, you were fortunate to get the interviews you did, but it could explain why you were waitlisted.

 

[sweetpotatofever]

Good luck getting off the waitlist.

Reapplying: My concern is your relatively low number of community service hours. Text line is fine, but having an activity that is more person-facing would be better. Demonstrate your service orientation with food distribution, shelter work, job placement services, transportation assistance, or housing rehabilitation. You would avoid being screened out at many schools if you have 150 hours before applying. If you had none before applying last cycle, you were fortunate to get the interviews you did, but it could explain why you were waitlisted.

Thank you for your feedback!

 

[Faha]

I suggest these schools with your stats if you reapply:
All 4 SUNYs
New York Medical College
Albany
NYU Long Island
Einstein
Vermont
Quinnipiac
Hackensack
Penn State
Drexel
Temple
Jefferson
Georgetown
George Washington
Virginia Commonwealth
Eastern Virginia
Wake Forest
NOVA MD
Tulane
TCU
Creighton
Rosalind Franklin
Rush
Loyola
Medical College Wisconsin
Oakland Beaumont
Wayne State
Western Michigan

 

[sweetpotatofever]

I suggest these schools with your stats if you reapply:
All 4 SUNYs
New York Medical College
Albany
NYU Long Island
Einstein
Vermont
Quinnipiac
Hackensack
Penn State
Drexel
Temple
Jefferson
Georgetown
George Washington
Virginia Commonwealth
Eastern Virginia
Wake Forest
NOVA MD
Tulane
TCU
Creighton
Rosalind Franklin
Rush
Loyola
Medical College Wisconsin
Oakland Beaumont
Wayne State
Western Michigan

Thank you for your recommendations!

 

[sweetpotatofever]

Good luck getting off the waitlist.

Reapplying: My concern is your relatively low number of community service hours. Text line is fine, but having an activity that is more person-facing would be better. Demonstrate your service orientation with food distribution, shelter work, job placement services, transportation assistance, or housing rehabilitation. You would avoid being screened out at many schools if you have 150 hours before applying. If you had none before applying last cycle, you were fortunate to get the interviews you did, but it could explain why you were waitlisted.

Follow-up question: Does my time as a patient care volunteer or a volunteer clinical research assistant not count towards community service? Does it need to be non-clinical to be deemed as such?

 

[Mr.Smile12]

Follow-up question: Does my time as a patient care volunteer or a volunteer clinical research assistant not count towards community service? Does it need to be non-clinical to be deemed as such?

Clinical activities by definition show service orientation (so it's a given), but many adcoms want to see service orientation in non-clinical activities.