WAMC: unsure minority status, 3.29GPA, 3.95 master's GPA (immunology), 523 MCAT

[rookiemohel]

cGPA and sGPA as calculated by AMCAS or AACOMAS
GPA 3.29 (sGPA 3.25) , Master's GPA 3.95

MCAT score(s) and breakdown
MCAT 523
130/131/131/131

State of residence or country of citizenship (if non-US)
CA resident, US citizen

Ethnicity and/or race
East Asian passing, but 1/4 hispanic and 1/8 pacific islander. Not sure if I should claim ORM cuz I look asian AF and my hispanic grandfather died when my mom was very young. Do I need to provide proof anywhere?

Undergraduate institution or category
JHU

Clinical experience (volunteer and non-volunteer)
4 years full time clinical researcher in a psychedelic clinic (>6000-8000hrs direct patient facing )
2 years as a campus EMT-B

Research experience and productivity
3 first author papers (clinical, not basic)
1 chapter medical textbook authorship
4 presentations
Co-PI of clinical trial

Shadowing experience and specialties represented
Little formal shadowing, maybe 10hrs neurology, 10hrs IM, 10hrs EM, 20hrs psych

Non-clinical volunteering
Boardmember and co-founder of a 501c3 educational nonprofit for 3 years where I worked in a student workshop. Likely 500hrs

Other extracurricular activities (including athletics, military service, gap year activities, leadership, teaching, etc)
Adjunct teaching faculty for 3 years in neuroscience. Taught >800 students
4 years Army (Reserves)
Founder of psychedelic nonprofit
Provisional patent holder for psychedelic therapy
Scientific Advisory Boardmember for pharmaceutical company
Part time audio engineer and hip hop artist (4 LPs, >100 songs, home studio)
Former downhill skateboarder (sponsored by monster and gopro)
Frontiers in Neuroscience reviewer
Freelance writer (>500k readership)

Relevant honors or awards
Sigma Xi Research honors society full member
Delta Omega Honors Society Full Member
National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Honorable Mention
Mayo Clinic Worrall Scholar

Anything else not listed you think might be important
Diagnosed with learning disability and ADHD post-army which I might mention in my PS. (should I?)
Diagnosed PTSD (should I mention?)
Aiming for MD/Ph.D.
Applied 3 canadian schools, reject from McMaster and UofT, interview then reject from Queen's

School List
Only sure things are the UCs and Mayo. I would prefer to stay west coast, pacific northwest, and southwest. Would appreciate recommended school list!!!

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[Osminog]

If you’re 1/4 Hispanic, list yourself as Hispanic. You wouldn’t be lying, and it would give your application a substantial boost due to affirmative action. Schools would not verify your ancestry.

Do not mention your learning disability or mental illnesses anywhere on your application, and do not talk about them during your interviews. By bringing them up, you’d be inviting admission counselors to question your ability to complete medical school. Avoid the stigma.

Your ECs are superb.

 

[rookiemohel]

If you’re 1/4 Hispanic, list yourself as Hispanic. You wouldn’t be lying, and it would give your application a substantial boost due to affirmative action. Schools would not verify your ancestry.

Do not mention your learning disability or mental illnesses anywhere on your application, and do not talk about them during your interviews. By bringing them up, you’d be inviting admission counselors to question your ability to complete medical school. Avoid the stigma.

Your ECs are superb.

Thank you for the input! A prior UCLA adcom person told me if I just lightly touched on the learning disability and ADHD it could help explain the undergrad GPA. She's def more understanding than most however. I'll keep clear

 

[theoceanman]

Thank you for the input! A prior UCLA adcom person told me if I just lightly touched on the learning disability and ADHD it could help explain the undergrad GPA. She's def more understanding than most however. I'll keep clear

Do not mention learning disabilities or any sort of mental illnesses on your PS, it will make admissions screen you out as they look for any possible way to lower the applicant pool they want to interview. It would be better to explain that you did not know how to study as well in your undergraduate career then add on you improved your studying techniques during your masters program.

 

[rookiemohel]

Do not mention learning disabilities or any sort of mental illnesses on your PS, it will make admissions screen you out as they look for any possible way to lower the applicant pool they want to interview. It would be better to explain that you did not know how to study as well in your undergraduate career then add on you improved your studying techniques during your masters program.

Very thankful to have heard these warnings. I will be mindful to re-structure

 

[Mr.Smile12]

First, thank you for serving, even in the Reserves. Are you still active? This makes you very desirable group in the admissions process. Would you go for HPSP?

Second, you can identify as multiracial. If you have identified with the Latinx community throughout your life and not just "pass", that matters more than your checkbox as Latinx. It is unclear when Affirmative Action goes away or its consequences, but if this is how you identify, so be it.

Third, you are not compelled to disclose disabilities or mental health. But make sure you have documentation in case you need accommodations at any step in applying or in your education.

Read and prepare all secondary essays. You can point out your GPA improving since the dx, but get a lot of professionals to help you edit.

Write Your Secondary Essays First - SDN

The Student Doctor Network provides free tools, resources, and advising services to help students become health professionals.

www.studentdoctor.net

If you ever get a traditional interview, your involvement with psychedelic clinics and your founding nonprofit immediately grabbed my interest.

Finally, go to our Research Scientists forum to get your WAMC evaluated for MSTP admissions.

PS. Why did you apply to Canadian schools?

Obviously, you should shoot high with appropriate safety schools. Reach out and make sure they recruit you.

At the very least:
Stanford
UCSF
UCSD
Other UC schools as regionally appropriate

 

[rookiemohel]

First, thank you for serving, even in the Reserves. Are you still active? This makes you very desirable group in the admissions process. Would you go for HPSP?

Second, you can identify as multiracial. If you have identified with the Latinx community throughout your life and not just "pass", that matters more than your checkbox as Latinx. It is unclear when Affirmative Action goes away or its consequences, but if this is how you identify, so be it.

Third, you are not compelled to disclose disabilities or mental health. But make sure you have documentation in case you need accommodations at any step in applying or in your education.

Read and prepare all secondary essays. You can point out your GPA improving since the dx, but get a lot of professionals to help you edit.

Write Your Secondary Essays First - SDN

The Student Doctor Network provides free tools, resources, and advising services to help students become health professionals.

www.studentdoctor.net

If you ever get a traditional interview, your involvement with psychedelic clinics and your founding nonprofit immediately grabbed my interest.

Finally, go to our Research Scientists forum to get your WAMC evaluated for MSTP admissions.

PS. Why did you apply to Canadian schools?

Obviously, you should shoot high with appropriate safety schools. Reach out and make sure they recruit you.

At the very least:
Stanford
UCSF
UCSD
Other UC schools as regionally appropriate

I appreciate the support! Yes I'm in the reserves. HPSP is super tempting but I've recently been involved in a car crash that will probably get me medically rejected for the second round of in-processing. Thank you also for the resources. I am a nontrad and I'm not very plugged in so this means a lot. I will post this in the research scientist forums. I'll be sure to speak to my psychedelic background in detail.

I applied to Canadian schools because my partner is from Toronto and has a lot of sick family. I am allowed to put my service commitment on hold if I move out of country.

When you say reach out and make sure they recruit, do you mean emailing schools prior to applying and saying I'm interested, and starting a dialogue? I didn't know schools went out of their way to recruit certain students.

I am surprised Stanford is a remote possibility! I thought my GPA would screen me out immediately. Thank you again for so much help.

 

[Mr.Smile12]

I appreciate the support! Yes I'm in the reserves. HPSP is super tempting but I've recently been involved in a car crash that will probably get me medically rejected for the second round of in-processing. Thank you also for the resources. I am a nontrad and I'm not very plugged in so this means a lot. I will post this in the research scientist forums. I'll be sure to speak to my psychedelic background in detail.

I applied to Canadian schools because my partner is from Toronto and has a lot of sick family. I am allowed to put my service commitment on hold if I move out of country.

When you say reach out and make sure they recruit, do you mean emailing schools prior to applying and saying I'm interested, and starting a dialogue? I didn't know schools went out of their way to recruit certain students.

I am surprised Stanford is a remote possibility! I thought my GPA would screen me out immediately. Thank you again for so much help.

You have a lot of entrepreneur experience. And where else would I believe would psychedelic research in the community be available. You have gotten funded and could get a patent. It's worth reaching out to their MSTP and MD admissions teams just to see. Similarly with UCSF.

Being a US applicant and getting an interview at Queens is still impressive.

 

[LeaveNoTrace]

Would you be averse to Dartmouth, Columbia, or Vanderbilt? They like reinventors.

Whether you're considered an URM or not - and my advice isn't taking into consideration any affirmative-action boost you might get - you're golden. Thank you for your service.

 

[rookiemohel]

Would you be averse to Dartmouth, Columbia, or Vanderbilt? They like reinventors.

Whether you're considered an URM or not - and my advice isn't taking into consideration any affirmative-action boost you might get - you're golden. Thank you for your service.

In all honesty I never thought such schools would be within reach by any stretch of the imagination. If they're looking for reinventors, I'll sign right up! Thank you for the advice and support!