WAMC/School List - Reapplicant 3.88/520

[mnh21]

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Hi guys,
It appears that I am going to be a reapplicant for this coming cycle. I did not have a very successful cycle only having one II resulting in a R. Any tips and recommendations for my school list is greatly appreciated.

• cGPA: 3.88
• sGPA: 3.84
• MCAT: 520
  • 132/128/128/132
• MN Resident
• ORM - White
• Undergraduate - University of Wisconsin-Madison

Clinical Experience
1200 hours as an ED scribe working in both urban (Madison) and rural EDs and urgent cares (Most meaningful) (paid)
2500 hours (~2500 additional anticipated hours) as a clinical support technician at an outpatient orthopedic clinic working in multiple subspecialties. Job responsibilities include rooming patients and gathering histories, assisting with procedures, scribing for providers, discharge and coordinating follow up visits as well as orders. (Most meaningful) (paid)

Research Experience
My research is admittedly weak.
125 hours working with a professor to create teaching materials and the effect use of these materials in student outcomes. (This may be better placed as a miscellaneous activity)
450 hours working as a lab assistant for a food safety lab. This lab was based more on private usage rather than academic research and I have no publications due to this.
I have also recently began working with a physician looking at clinical data looking at patient outcomes. This should also result in a publication before the time I would matriculate. I anticipate having about 50 hours by the time of submission with an unknown amount of anticipated hours.

Shadowing
I have no formal shadowing however in both my roles as a scribe and clinical support tech, I have worked closely with physicians. In my current role, I have the ability to observe surgery as well and have been able to observe two hip replacements and hope to observe in the OR 2-3 more times in the coming months.

Non-clinical Volunteering
30 hours working at a overnight camp working with children with intellectual disabilities.
100 hours working as a volunteer youth baseball coach.
I have also recently began volunteering with the Red Cross in their Disaster Cycle Services department

Non-clinical Paid Employment
1600 hours working for a construction company as a shop hand, preparing materials and delivering materials to jobsites
1000 hours driving for Doordash

Hobbies
Golf

Honors/Awards
Graduated with Distinction (top 20% of my major)
Dean's List 5/7 semesters

2024-25 School List (Schools that I am planning on reapplying to are in bold)
Boston University
Case Western
Rosalind Franklin
Creighton
Hofstra
Quinnipiac
Dartmouth
Mayo
MCW
Northwestern
University of Ohio State
Stony Brook
University of Vermont
Saint Louis
University of Arizona - Phoenix
UChicago
University of Colorado
University of Iowa
University of Michigan
University of Minnesota
University of North Carolina
University of Virginia
University of Wisconsin
Wake Forest
WashU
Cornell
Western Michigan
Yale

I am planning on applying to both MD and DO schools this coming cycle, approximately 25-30 schools total. My current school list is:
MD:
Mayo
MCW
Northwestern
University of Minnesota
University of Wisconsin
University of Arizona - Phoenix
UPitt
Icahn Mount Sinai
Rochester
Oakland University
University of North Dakota
Tufts
George Washington
Geisenger
Hackensack Meridian

DO:
CCOM
AZCOM
DMU
Michigan State
PCOM
UNECOM
ATSU-Arizona

Thanks everyone in advance!

 

[Mr.Smile12]

So I want to know why you think you were unsuccessful. Where did you improve over your application cycle? If you only went in with around 100 hours of non-clinical volunteering... I don't count your activities with fewer than 50 hours.

I also don't have a strong sense of your purpose as a physician. Do you want to go rural or urban? Do you want entry-level primary care (including urgent and ED) or a desired specialty (orthopedics)? Your description seems to hit the extremes, but I don't get a vision other than "I'm leaving all my options open." I am interested in how your writing was received, especially with just one II (was it your in-state?). Did you only apply to six schools!!???

 

[mnh21]

So I want to know why you think you were unsuccessful. Where did you improve over your application cycle? If you only went in with around 100 hours of non-clinical volunteering... I don't count your activities with fewer than 50 hours.

I also don't have a strong sense of your purpose as a physician. Do you want to go rural or urban? Do you want entry-level primary care (including urgent and ED) or a desired specialty (orthopedics)? Your description seems to hit the extremes, but I don't get a vision other than "I'm leaving all my options open." I am interested in how your writing was received, especially with just one II (was it your in-state?). Did you only apply to six schools!!???

I think I was unsuccessful last cycle because my messaging for why I want to be a physician. I think that it wasn't really clear why I was pursuing medicine in my personal statement and I felt rushed going through my secondaries as I didn't pre write at all. I think this upcoming cycle my narrative for why medicine is stronger starting from an earlier interest in the physiology in orthopedic injury to now working in orthopedics. Ultimately, I am not certain what specialty I want to be practicing, but at the moment orthopedics is my top choice.

Besides that, I think that not having formal shadowing as well as low volunteering and research hurt me. I ended up applying to 28 schools, the six are just schools I am thinking about reapplying too.

 

[mnh21]

I think I was unsuccessful last cycle because my messaging for why I want to be a physician. I think that it wasn't really clear why I was pursuing medicine in my personal statement and I felt rushed going through my secondaries as I didn't pre write at all. I think this upcoming cycle my narrative for why medicine is stronger starting from an earlier interest in the physiology in orthopedic injury to now working in orthopedics. Ultimately, I am not certain what specialty I want to be practicing, but at the moment orthopedics is my top choice.

Besides that, I think that not having formal shadowing as well as low volunteering and research hurt me. I ended up applying to 28 schools, the six are just schools I am thinking about reapplying too.

Also, yes it was my in state school that interviewed me.

 

[Mr.Smile12]

I think I was unsuccessful last cycle because my messaging for why I want to be a physician. I think that it wasn't really clear why I was pursuing medicine in my personal statement and I felt rushed going through my secondaries as I didn't pre write at all. I think this upcoming cycle my narrative for why medicine is stronger starting from an earlier interest in the physiology in orthopedic injury to now working in orthopedics. Ultimately, I am not certain what specialty I want to be practicing, but at the moment orthopedics is my top choice.

Besides that, I think that not having formal shadowing as well as low volunteering and research hurt me. I ended up applying to 28 schools, the six are just schools I am thinking about reapplying too.

Get more primary care in. I am sure being in the OR for a ortho surg is cool, but it helps to be on the front lines where there are more sick people with lifestyle-related or social-context-related illness or challenges. Stretch outside your comfort zone; I can understand your interest in orthopedics and how it connects with all your sports-related hobbies (or at least youth coaching).

 

[mnh21]

Get more primary care in. I am sure being in the OR for a ortho surg is cool, but it helps to be on the front lines where there are more sick people with lifestyle-related or social-context-related illness or challenges. Stretch outside your comfort zone; I can understand your interest in orthopedics and how it connects with all your sports-related hobbies (or at least youth coaching).

For this, are you saying to obtain more primary care shadowing or to change clinical jobs?

 

[Mr.Smile12]

For this, are you saying to obtain more primary care shadowing or to change clinical jobs?

I'm saying what I said: get more primary care exposure. You choose if you want to do it through shadowing or changing jobs. But you're the one who said you had no shadowing aside from your scribing in the ED (which technically can be primary care, but I want something less urgent).

 

[mnh21]

Thank you. I will work on that prior to this application cycle. Is there a target that I should be shooting for, or just as much as possible prior to submitting.

 

[Mr.Smile12]

Thank you. I will work on that prior to this application cycle. Is there a target that I should be shooting for, or just as much as possible prior to submitting.

To avoid trying to conflate the advice:

1) Get some clinical exposure to primary care that isn't urgent or emergent. As much as you can.

2) You need a minimum of 150 hours of service orientation experience when submitting (future hours don't count) to avoid getting screened out at most schools. On the surface, your Red Cross Disaster Services work offers some good opportunities, but I'm guessing you won't get 150 hours by the time you submit your application. Roll with it and see what happens, but if you have to reapply next year, you need to be above 150 hours (or 250 hours if you insist on applying to highly-recognizable brand-name schools). Please note though that "disaster services" is inherently urgent/emergent, so if you can find something more consistent and regular, that would help.

 

[mnh21]

To avoid trying to conflate the advice:

1) Get some clinical exposure to primary care that isn't urgent or emergent. As much as you can.

2) You need a minimum of 150 hours of service orientation experience when submitting (future hours don't count) to avoid getting screened out at most schools. On the surface, your Red Cross Disaster Services work offers some good opportunities, but I'm guessing you won't get 150 hours by the time you submit your application. Roll with it and see what happens, but if you have to reapply next year, you need to be above 150 hours (or 250 hours if you insist on applying to highly-recognizable brand-name schools). Please note though that "disaster services" is inherently urgent/emergent, so if you can find something more consistent and regular, that would help.

Thanks for all the help

 

[mnh21]

@Faha You seem to be pretty knowledgeable on school lists. Do you have any ideas for schools to add for this upcoming cycle?

 

[Faha]

@Faha You seem to be pretty knowledgeable on school lists. Do you have any ideas for schools to add for this upcoming cycle?

You can assign 50 hours of your scribing to physician shadowing. Your lack of non clinical volunteering was a major factor in your lack of interviews. You should accumulate 150+ hours of non clinical volunteering such as food bank, homeless shelter, etc. before you submit your application.
I suggest these schools if you accumulate those hours:
U Minnesota
Mayo
U Wisconsin
Medical College Wisconsin
North Dakota
Iowa
Colorado
Arizona (Phoenix)
Illinois
Northwestern
Western Michigan
U Michigan
Oakland Beaumont
Washington University
Vanderbilt
USF Morsani
U Virginia
George Washington
Cincinnati
Pittsburgh
Jefferson
Temple
Hackensack
Hofstra
Mount Sinai
New York Medical College
Rochester
Vermont
Rochester
Tufts
Boston University
UMass

 

[mnh21]

@Faha I am filling out my work and activities portion of my application. How would you go about listing my 50 hours of scribe experience as shadowing?

Something like this:

50 hours shadowing ED physicians in Madison, WI and Baraboo, WI during onboarding for my role as a scribe.

 

[Faha]

@Faha I am filling out my work and activities portion of my application. How would you go about listing my 50 hours of scribe experience as shadowing?

Something like this:

50 hours shadowing ED physicians in Madison, WI and Baraboo, WI during onboarding for my role as a scribe.

That sounds good.