WedgeDawg's Applicant Rating System (Updated Jan 2017)

This forum made possible through the generous support of SDN members, donors, and sponsors. Thank you.
sophop said:
Before I try weaning myself from SDN, here's my data point and endorsement for WARS from this past cycle for those of you now making your list. LM ~71, but work/activities pushed WARS up to ~81, so I decided to use sort of an A/B level. Red=Pre-II reject/Silence; Green=II:
Category 1: Chicago, Penn, UCSF, Duke, WashU, Yale
Category 2: Emory, Michigan, Pitt, UCLA, UCSD, Mayo / Mayo, Mt Sinai, Northwestern
Category 3: USC, Dartmouth, Ohio State, Rochester
Category 4: Wake Forest, Cincinnati
Category 5: UC Davis, UC Irvine
Category 6: Jefferson, Brown, BU, Tufts
Comments:
1) Thank you @WedgeDawg and @Goro ! Your advice from WARS and a (now deleted) WAMC convinced me to drop more than half my original GPA/MCAT-based list (mostly Cat 4 and 6 schools) and aim “higher” – which ended up really paying off.
2) It really sucks being a resident of California - even if you go to a college on the east coast.
3) Despite my WARS score, I did keep some Cat 6 schools for personal reasons.
4) Post-mortem advice: Run several scenarios to account for differences in how schools view activities, and like @WedgeDawg suggests, be conservative in your scoring. Use MSAR to narrow your schools within categories: For me, besides the California thing, things did NOT go well at schools where I scored above the 75th percentile on MCAT or below the 25th percentile on GPA - although a couple of acceptances were actually where I was down around the 10th percentile on both - so be crazy on a couple of your choices, because it’s a really crazy process!
Click to expand...
Congrats on all the IIs!!!
:thumbup::love::love::love::luck::luck::luck::hardy::hardy::hardy::highfive::highfive::highfive::soexcited::soexcited::soexcited::clap::clap::clap::=|:-)::=|:-)::=|:-)::woot::woot::woot::claps::claps::claps::banana::banana::banana::biglove::biglove::biglove::hello:
Members don't see this ad.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
A suggestion:
Would it make sense to add a category: ties to X school (Higly significant, moderate, slight)? For school that an applicant has ties to, he/she can recalculate WARS score accordingly.
 
mega_ said:
A suggestion:
Would it make sense to add a category: ties to X school (Higly significant, moderate, slight)? For school that an applicant has ties to, he/she can recalculate WARS score accordingly.
Click to expand...
At that point you should just apply to that school - this likely wouldn’t affect any other school and if it did, it would be too much on a case by case basis to be generally applicable enough to put into the system.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
Members don't see this ad :)
I know this doesnt really apply to the rating system because its hard to rate, but would a significant background story and fitting a schools mission perfectly add when you are on the edge (say between groups)? I range anywhere from 68-74 have spoken to some higher tier admissions about app feedback and they said those 2 factors would give me a decent chance but I assumed it wouldnt have toooooo much of an impact. So I was slightly surprised.

Also with activities, do you add points if they are inter related and are working towards a future mission? IE non clinical/clinical volunteering in say the Hispanic population and your goal is to decrease healthcare disparities in that population once you start practicing.
 
Has anyone made a large list of allopathic med schools that fall into each category for this system? Or, should I just try and it figure it out from the MSAR?
 
subdermallight said:
Has anyone made a large list of allopathic med schools that fall into each category for this system? Or, should I just try and it figure it out from the MSAR?
Click to expand...

Most of the ones not listed fall into category “state school” as in don’t bother applying without ties to the state or school.
 
Why are UCLA* and UCSD* starred in the High category?
 
If I got A's every semester, would I still put "1" since it's not considered an upward trend?
 
Hey @WedgeDawg
How would you incorporate a PB into your system? Not sure if it was previously mentioned, but I am curious. I've got a low cGPA but 3.9 pbGPA
 
CJhooper123 said:
Hey @WedgeDawg
How would you incorporate a PB into your system? Not sure if it was previously mentioned, but I am curious. I've got a low cGPA but 3.9 pbGPA
Click to expand...

You could try averaging / using your cGPA and put yes for upward trend, but you'll also definitely want to get some personalized feedback via WAMC rather than just going off of this system.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
@WedgeDawg Just curious as to how each school was placed into each category? Like UChicago or Yale based on us news to me would fit better with category 2 rather than 1.
 
Longshot6 said:
@WedgeDawg Just curious as to how each school was placed into each category? Like UChicago or Yale based on us news to me would fit better with category 2 rather than 1.
Click to expand...

General reputation and competitiveness. Don’t get hung up on 1 vs 2 that much, overall they’re pretty similar with a few exceptions. Feel free to tweak the percentages.
 
Members don't see this ad :)
WedgeDawg said:
General reputation and competitiveness. Don’t get hung up on 1 vs 2 that much, overall they’re pretty similar with a few exceptions. Feel free to tweak the percentages.
Click to expand...

Maybe consider adding the schools that aren't listed to the OP? Like Seton Hall/CalMed presumably in the lower section with Drexel.
 
Removed for anonymity!
 
Last edited:
blurb_123 said:
Few questions: what tier undergrad would UCSD fall under? 1 or 2 ? Would a fulbright scholarship qualify as a 3 or a 4 for miscellaneous? Also, would working as a scribe and a patient coord. for a year (over 1000 hours) classify as a "3" for clinical experience?
Click to expand...

UCSD 1
Fullbright 3
Clinical 3
 
@WedgeDawg What tier do truly extraordinary achievements that occur a few times in a century for medical students fall under? Stuff like the Medal of Honor or a Nobel Prize.
 
WedgeDawg said:
If you have a nobel prize you probably don’t need this system to come up with a school list
Click to expand...
Come on - you couldn't imagine Malala Youzufsai looking to SDN for a little school list advice?
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
UNMedGa said:
A few times a century? When has anyone applied to med school with a nobel prize on their app?
Click to expand...
I don't think that's ever happened; correct me if I am wrong. The Medal of Honor, possibly - most likely in the years after the Civil War, or after WWII.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
Would volunteering as an EMT for about 8 months (around 550) hours count as 2 or 3 for clinical experience?
 
WedgeDawg said:
Agree, conservatively a 2
Click to expand...
WedgeDawg: what was the most impressive set of ECs you have ever heard of? A WWII or Vietnam vet applying with the Medal of Honor? Letters of recommendation from sitting US presidents? A MacArthur Genius Grant, or full professorship at an elite university like Harvard?
 
Last edited:
Meridian17 said:
Freaking out a bit...depending on how generous I am with myself, my WARS is between 50 and 63, I'd say 60 is most likely. It feels really nerve-wracking to be at the bottom of the lowest MD tier! I've applied roughly in accordance with the guidelines but I'm not applying DO. Did anyone do better with getting ii's (still none for me) or on the interview trail than your score alone would suggest? What do you think made the difference?
Click to expand...

If your wars is that low then you really need to apply DO ASAP.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 users
How does multiple years of hospital volunteering look like in terms of clinical experience and the rating scale? The hours might not be super high (though probably still adequate) but I would hope that a consistent, weekly involvement over multiple years in a clinical setting would account for something?

Similar question for the volunteering. How does an activity done for 1.5-2 years but hourly, consistent (though the total hours are less than 200) look?

@WedgeDawg
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
Would LGBT and HIV communities be considered underserved in terms of clinical and non clinical volunteering? The clinical is low hours (150) for 1.5 years and the non clinical is about 130 over 1 year (9 months when I sent my primary).
 
MomJeansandDadJorts said:
Would LGBT and HIV communities be considered underserved in terms of clinical and non clinical volunteering? The clinical is low hours (150) for 1.5 years and the non clinical is about 130 over 1 year (9 months when I sent my primary).
Click to expand...

150 h is good, not low. And I would personally consider those populations underserved, but idk what an adcom might think. I think that LGBT and HIV communities are a significant minority that often overlaps with other marginalized and disadvantaged groups.
 
Lucca said:
150 h is good, not low. And I would personally consider those populations underserved, but idk what an adcom might think. I think that LGBT and HIV communities are a significant minority that often overlaps with other marginalized and disadvantaged groups.
Click to expand...
So far in my 2 IIs they have been the majority of the focus of the convo (especially since it ties in with my mission). Im just trying to calculate my score so I can see how the groups stack up against the % given in each group. So far im at like 70-77 (77-84 if LGBT is a urm at the school like Pritz, NW, etc) and all 3 IIs have been in Cat 5 and 6 so I think the 55% will be pretty accurate for me.
 
Remember, if you’re unsure, go conservative. Also remember that this created an initial list and you’re supposed to modify it after. Finally, if you’re borderline, you can feel free to modify categories as necessary.

Tl;dr - rate conservatively, modify your list after
 
gessefelstein98 said:
@gonnif @Goro @WedgeDawg @LizzyM @gyngyn
Wanted to get some opinions on my school list because I'm getting a lot of contradictory information on where to apply. Also I'm not sure what my WARS score should be (conservatively getting 77, liberally 82, not sure what you guys think). Would I be considered A, B, or C level?

I am a current senior here applying in the next cycle. I wanted some general advice on my school list and other aspects of my app from successful applicants who may have had the same stats as me (or someone who got an Fs or Cs in a class). I wanted to know how to portray to adcoms that my freshman year woes is not who I am, and that I am a hardworking, motivated individual. Thanks!

Year in school: Senior
Demographics: ORM
State of residence: NJ
Undergrad: Liberal Arts School in the Northeast
Cumulative GPA: 3.67

Science GPA: 3.67 (F in Gen bio I, retook and got an A. Had a bad Semester in Freshman year after suffering a loss from someone close to me and got a 2.0 GPA. After that dip in grades, it only fortified my interest in medicine and buckled down; after that semester, every other semester has been a 4.0).

Major of study: Neuroscience

MCAT Score: 515 (129/125/130/131)

Research (~1000+ hours):
Dept of Neuroscience: Wet lab research on diabetes and stress.
  • Competitively selected for several awards, grants and undergraduate awards.
  • 1 First Author pub in a peer reviewed journal (impact factor 3+).
  • Another First author pub in the process of being written (likely being submitted by end of February and hopefully published by June).
  • Presented at national conference and state conference with several posters.
Clinical Volunteering (~700 hours)
  • EMT for about ~600 hours,
  • Hospital Volunteering for ~100 hours
Physician shadowing (~100 hours)
  • 100 hours between radiation oncology, ENT, cardiology
  • 200 hours shadowing family medicine overseas in asia (don’t know if that really counts lol but had a good global health experience)
Non-clinical volunteering: ~1350 hours
  • President of mental health club on campus- 300
  • Crisis hotline- 250
  • Tutoring for inner city children- 300
  • Meals on Wheels- 300
  • Part of of an organization that provides shelter and food for homeless in India (I worked closely with the founder and fundraised for it heavily) - 200
Extracurricular activities:

  • one of the founding member of our school’s mental health task force. Inspiration from attending national conference in mental health, implemented a campus wide mental health software that allows students to check up on their mental health directly from their dorms during registration for courses (prompts them during registration for courses)
  • Avid cook trained by professional chef in several cuisines, worked with a CNN top hero

    Leadership:
  • Started Tutoring Company
  • Taught young children math and reading as a private tutor before starting company
  • Organic Chemistry TA
School List (Are there any that I need to add or remove?)

Rush Medical College of Rush University Medical Center
Wake Forest School of Medicine of Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center
University of Vermont College of Medicine
California Northstate University College of Medicine
Creighton University School of Medicine
Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell
Sidney Kimmel Medical College at Thomas Jefferson University
Drexel University College of Medicine
Frank H. Netter MD School of Medicine at Quinnipiac University
Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth
Emory University School of Medicine
Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine
Georgetown University School of Medicine
George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences
State University of New York Downstate Medical Center College of Medicine
Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine
University of Miami Leonard M. Miller School of Medicine
Medical College of Wisconsin
Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California
Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University
New York Medical College
Seton Hall - Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine
Tufts University School of Medicine
Tulane University School of Medicine
Rutgers New Jersey Medical School
Rutgers, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School
Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine
Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine
Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine
Western Michigan University Homer Stryker M.D. School of Medicine
Cooper Medical School of Rowan University
Chicago Medical School at Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine & Science
Nova Southeastern University Dr. Kiran C. Patel College of Allopathic Medicine
Albert Einstein College of Medicine
University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine
University of Rochester School of Medicine
Click to expand...

I’d cut that list down to 25. Skip Geisel unless you have something that can convincingly peg you as someone passionate about rural med. For someone with a lot of research and a refereed pub, there aren’t very many research powerhouses on your list but that’s fine, you do have some.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
gessefelstein98 said:
@gonnif @Goro @WedgeDawg @LizzyM @gyngyn
Wanted to get some opinions on my school list because I'm getting a lot of contradictory information on where to apply. Also I'm not sure what my WARS score should be (conservatively getting 77, liberally 82, not sure what you guys think). Would I be considered A, B, or C level?

I am a current senior here applying in the next cycle. I wanted some general advice on my school list and other aspects of my app from successful applicants who may have had the same stats as me (or someone who got an Fs or Cs in a class). I wanted to know how to portray to adcoms that my freshman year woes is not who I am, and that I am a hardworking, motivated individual. Thanks!

Year in school: Senior
Demographics: ORM
State of residence: NJ
Undergrad: Liberal Arts School in the Northeast
Cumulative GPA: 3.67

Science GPA: 3.67 (F in Gen bio I, retook and got an A. Had a bad Semester in Freshman year after suffering a loss from someone close to me and got a 2.0 GPA. After that dip in grades, it only fortified my interest in medicine and buckled down; after that semester, every other semester has been a 4.0).

Major of study: Neuroscience

MCAT Score: 515 (129/125/130/131)

Research (~1000+ hours):
Dept of Neuroscience: Wet lab research on diabetes and stress.
  • Competitively selected for several awards, grants and undergraduate awards.
  • 1 First Author pub in a peer reviewed journal (impact factor 3+).
  • Another First author pub in the process of being written (likely being submitted by end of February and hopefully published by June).
  • Presented at national conference and state conference with several posters.
Clinical Volunteering (~700 hours)
  • EMT for about ~600 hours,
  • Hospital Volunteering for ~100 hours
Physician shadowing (~100 hours)
  • 100 hours between radiation oncology, ENT, cardiology
  • 200 hours shadowing family medicine overseas in asia (don’t know if that really counts lol but had a good global health experience)
Non-clinical volunteering: ~1350 hours
  • President of mental health club on campus- 300
  • Crisis hotline- 250
  • Tutoring for inner city children- 300
  • Meals on Wheels- 300
  • Part of of an organization that provides shelter and food for homeless in India (I worked closely with the founder and fundraised for it heavily) - 200
Extracurricular activities:

  • one of the founding member of our school’s mental health task force. Inspiration from attending national conference in mental health, implemented a campus wide mental health software that allows students to check up on their mental health directly from their dorms during registration for courses (prompts them during registration for courses)
  • Avid cook trained by professional chef in several cuisines, worked with a CNN top hero

    Leadership:
  • Started Tutoring Company
  • Taught young children math and reading as a private tutor before starting company
  • Organic Chemistry TA
School List (Are there any that I need to add or remove?)

Rush Medical College of Rush University Medical Center
Wake Forest School of Medicine of Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center
University of Vermont College of Medicine
California Northstate University College of Medicine
Creighton University School of Medicine
Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell
Sidney Kimmel Medical College at Thomas Jefferson University
Drexel University College of Medicine
Frank H. Netter MD School of Medicine at Quinnipiac University
Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth
Emory University School of Medicine
Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine
Georgetown University School of Medicine
George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences
State University of New York Downstate Medical Center College of Medicine
Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine
University of Miami Leonard M. Miller School of Medicine
Medical College of Wisconsin
Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California
Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University
New York Medical College
Seton Hall - Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine
Tufts University School of Medicine
Tulane University School of Medicine
Rutgers New Jersey Medical School
Rutgers, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School
Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine
Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine
Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine
Western Michigan University Homer Stryker M.D. School of Medicine
Cooper Medical School of Rowan University
Chicago Medical School at Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine & Science
Nova Southeastern University Dr. Kiran C. Patel College of Allopathic Medicine
Albert Einstein College of Medicine
University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine
University of Rochester School of Medicine
Click to expand...

I would make a WAMC post in the WAMC forum
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
gessefelstein98 said:
(or

Rush Medical College of Rush University Medical Center
Wake Forest School of Medicine of Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center
University of Vermont College of Medicine
Creighton University School of Medicine
Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell
Sidney Kimmel Medical College at Thomas Jefferson University
Drexel University College of Medicine
Frank H. Netter MD School of Medicine at Quinnipiac University
Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth
Emory University School of Medicine
Georgetown University School of Medicine
George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences

Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine
University of Miami Leonard M. Miller School of Medicine
Medical College of Wisconsin
Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California
Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University
New York Medical College
Seton Hall - Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine
Tufts University School of Medicine
Tulane University School of Medicine
Rutgers New Jersey Medical School
Rutgers, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School
Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine
Western Michigan University Homer Stryker M.D. School of Medicine
Cooper Medical School of Rowan University
Chicago Medical School at Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine & Science
Nova Southeastern University Dr. Kiran C. Patel College of Allopathic Medicine
Albert Einstein College of Medicine
University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine
University of Rochester School of Medicine
Click to expand...
My suggestions above
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
Wouldn't schools like Cincinnati, MCW, SLU, and Miami be considered mid-tier rather than low-tier?
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
StanleyYelnats said:
Haha no worries dude, it’s still a fantastic resource. Just saying that some schools have had changes in competitiveness since you last made this list.
Click to expand...
It’s been 2 years so doesn’t surprise me :p

I’m hoping that we push out a 2019 revamp before I become an intern
 
  • Like
Reactions: 2 users
@WedgeDawg

Just a quick suggestion: I don't think shadowing should be an "all or nothing" category. I feel like there should be a middle ground where the shadowing isn't as much as desired but at least the applicant doesn't have zero shadowing (which can be lethal).
 
ClamShell said:
@WedgeDawg

Just a quick suggestion: I don't think shadowing should be an "all or nothing" category. I feel like there should be a middle ground where the shadowing isn't as much as desired but at least the applicant doesn't have zero shadowing (which can be lethal).
Click to expand...

There isn’t really a middle ground when it comes to shadowing and admissions though. If you can convince admissions committees that you know what the day to day life of a physician is and show that you want to do that for the rest of your professional life, then it’s enough. There is no in between. Some people can do that with 20 hours of shadowing, some people need 100. Once you hit that threshold shadowing has steeply diminishing returns, but until you hit it, it has pretty much no admissions value.

Think of it like an action potential
 
WD - I've been meaning to reach out and send you a hearty thank you for this tool. I had such a successful cycle and I attribute a fair amount of that success to my well-targeted school list. Thank you for taking the time to come up with this awesome tool!
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
Hi @WedgeDawg,

I'm preparing to apply in the upcoming cylce and I'm trying to compile my school list, but I'm running into a "lack of data" problem... You see I have either an S-91 or an A-80 depending on how I factor my 35 hours of shadowing. Either one of those scores is fantastic, but I'm also a Community College transfer student to UC Berkeley. There were some unforseen circumstances that led to me being forced to go to a CC out of high school instead of to a normal 4 year, but I dont want to just rely on admissions offices buying into my sob story you know? I want to be smart with where I apply, and there just doesnt seem to be any data on transfer students; so I'm unsure if i should just lower my APS score by some fixed amount to compensate? Thanks for putting so much work into this btw I had absolutely no idea where to even start with designing my list and it's been a TREMENDOUS help.
 
Kvothe7 said:
Hi @WedgeDawg,

I'm preparing to apply in the upcoming cylce and I'm trying to compile my school list, but I'm running into a "lack of data" problem... You see I have either an S-91 or an A-80 depending on how I factor my 35 hours of shadowing. Either one of those scores is fantastic, but I'm also a Community College transfer student to UC Berkeley. There were some unforseen circumstances that led to me being forced to go to a CC out of high school instead of to a normal 4 year, but I dont want to just rely on admissions offices buying into my sob story you know? I want to be smart with where I apply, and there just doesnt seem to be any data on transfer students; so I'm unsure if i should just lower my APS score by some fixed amount to compensate? Thanks for putting so much work into this btw I had absolutely no idea where to even start with designing my list and it's been a TREMENDOUS help.
Click to expand...

Apply as if you’re in between A and S if you’re not sure
 
WedgeDawg said:
Apply as if you’re in between A and S if you’re not sure
Click to expand...

Should I use a 1 or a 2 for my Undergraduate school if I'm a transfer? Even then I'm unsure if it would accurately reflect being a transfer student... :/
 
Last edited:
Kvothe7 said:
Should I use a 1 or a 2 for my Undergraduate school if I'm a transfer? Even then I'm unsure if it would accurately reflect being a transfer student... :/
Click to expand...
Berkeley is a 1, they send a huge number of students to T10/20s every year.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Next unread thread

Similar threads

HappyRabbit
Updated Post II Acceptance Rates 2023
2
Replies
88
Views
15K
HappyRabbit
HappyRabbit
D
WedgeDawg's Calculator and School List Discrepancies? Confused!
Replies
3
Views
2K
Goro
Goro
oatmilkplease
Current state of US health system and policy
Replies
3
Views
666
pablo213
pablo213
L
Jan-Feb Interview Invitations
Replies
2
Views
1K
MercifulCamper
MercifulCamper
P
Possible Updated Letter?
Replies
1
Views
288
Mr.Smile12
Mr.Smile12
Top