Looking for advice on whether my application is strong enough to reapply this year, would like to stick with MD if possible. Applied to 9 schools with 2 interviews last year, so I'm fairly sure my interview skills were holding me back, will be applying to more this year (20-30).
---Background---
cGPA: 3.68 sGPA: 3.70 with a strong upwards trend 3.31 > 3.55 > 3.60 > 3.68 (almost all 4.0 end of junior through senior year)
MCAT: 514 (127/130/128/129)
Residency: Michigan
Race: White
UGrad School: Good liberal arts school
---Clinical Experience---
Ophthalmic Technician/MA (job is cross-listed): 3200 hours full-time across 3 different jobs. Direct patient care working hands-on with doctors in vitreoretinal surgery clinics. At my second position I was the only technician for a single-physician practice, as such have learned scribing, phlebotomy, and admin duties since applying. Certified imager for clinical therapeutic studies. I am planning to obtain my COA (certified ophtho assistant) during this year.
---Research Experience---
Research Assistant/Fellow: 600 hours part-time from 6/2021 - 12/2022. Bench work in a neuroendocrine lab at my dream school (UMich). I worked over summers only as I attended a different college that did not offer many research positions. My first summer I was a research assistant which lead to a middle author publication in an accredited neuroscience journal with my PI and senior honors thesis at my college. The second summer completed a neuroscience fellowship in the same lab resulting in a poster presentation.
---Non clinical Volunteering---
85 hours - Local Homeless Shelter food bank 2020-2021
70 hours (75 projected if I stay in DC) - Vision health, 1/2024 - now. Not sure if this one is clinical or non clinical as I participated in free clinics and screenings but also was heavily involved in non-clinical educational events. Used skills as ophtho tech in clinics and also taught techniques to medical students. Most of clinical + non-clinical work was focused on underserved populations.
Medical mission trip to Haiti in 2017 with fantastic hands-on clinical volunteering, not sure if I can count this as it was before college.
---Leadership---
200 hours - Cell and Molecular Biology Teaching Assistant 2021 - 2022
---Shadowing---
~150 hours total
15 hours Anesthesiology in a local hospital
Many hours of Opthalmology at my full-time job
10 hours with my Pediatrician
---Letters of Rec---
One from PI and neuro MD/PhD at dream school
One from MD at vitreoretinal surgery center
One from neuroscience professor at college I TA'd for
One from another bio professor at college
---Honors and Awards---
Phi Beta Kappa inductee
Cum Laude
Honors in biology
Honors senior thesis
Deans List 7x (trimester scheduling)
---Other Details---
My research PI reached out recently and offered me a full-time research position back in the same lab. I am conflicted between returning to do research (my PI says she would mentor me throughout the cycle as well) or continuing my MA job and getting my COA certificate in a few months.
Since my first application, I moved to Washington DC (girlfriend getting her masters out here) and I am having to debate between staying in DC or returning to Michigan.
First Cycle:
Wayne State - WL
Western MI - WL
OUWB - R
MI State - R
Central MI - R
UMich - R
Georgetown - R
GWU - R
RFU - R
Thank you!
---Background---
cGPA: 3.68 sGPA: 3.70 with a strong upwards trend 3.31 > 3.55 > 3.60 > 3.68 (almost all 4.0 end of junior through senior year)
MCAT: 514 (127/130/128/129)
Residency: Michigan
Race: White
UGrad School: Good liberal arts school
---Clinical Experience---
Ophthalmic Technician/MA (job is cross-listed): 3200 hours full-time across 3 different jobs. Direct patient care working hands-on with doctors in vitreoretinal surgery clinics. At my second position I was the only technician for a single-physician practice, as such have learned scribing, phlebotomy, and admin duties since applying. Certified imager for clinical therapeutic studies. I am planning to obtain my COA (certified ophtho assistant) during this year.
---Research Experience---
Research Assistant/Fellow: 600 hours part-time from 6/2021 - 12/2022. Bench work in a neuroendocrine lab at my dream school (UMich). I worked over summers only as I attended a different college that did not offer many research positions. My first summer I was a research assistant which lead to a middle author publication in an accredited neuroscience journal with my PI and senior honors thesis at my college. The second summer completed a neuroscience fellowship in the same lab resulting in a poster presentation.
---Non clinical Volunteering---
85 hours - Local Homeless Shelter food bank 2020-2021
70 hours (75 projected if I stay in DC) - Vision health, 1/2024 - now. Not sure if this one is clinical or non clinical as I participated in free clinics and screenings but also was heavily involved in non-clinical educational events. Used skills as ophtho tech in clinics and also taught techniques to medical students. Most of clinical + non-clinical work was focused on underserved populations.
Medical mission trip to Haiti in 2017 with fantastic hands-on clinical volunteering, not sure if I can count this as it was before college.
---Leadership---
200 hours - Cell and Molecular Biology Teaching Assistant 2021 - 2022
---Shadowing---
~150 hours total
15 hours Anesthesiology in a local hospital
Many hours of Opthalmology at my full-time job
10 hours with my Pediatrician
---Letters of Rec---
One from PI and neuro MD/PhD at dream school
One from MD at vitreoretinal surgery center
One from neuroscience professor at college I TA'd for
One from another bio professor at college
---Honors and Awards---
Phi Beta Kappa inductee
Cum Laude
Honors in biology
Honors senior thesis
Deans List 7x (trimester scheduling)
---Other Details---
My research PI reached out recently and offered me a full-time research position back in the same lab. I am conflicted between returning to do research (my PI says she would mentor me throughout the cycle as well) or continuing my MA job and getting my COA certificate in a few months.
Since my first application, I moved to Washington DC (girlfriend getting her masters out here) and I am having to debate between staying in DC or returning to Michigan.
First Cycle:
Wayne State - WL
Western MI - WL
OUWB - R
MI State - R
Central MI - R
UMich - R
Georgetown - R
GWU - R
RFU - R
Thank you!
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