What tier of medical schools could I get into?

[Homie712]

So I'm a junior currently in a BA/MPH program and I am planning on applying to medical school in either next cycle (2021) or 2022. I will officially graduate with the MPH degree in 2022

URM; first gen African American

Major: Philosophy; certificate in African studies;
MPH is in Epidemiology, Women's Health concentration and very research focus
Stats: 3.54 cGpc; 3.37 sGPA; ,
Huge upward trend. Been getting 3.7-4.0 my last three semesters. my cGpa is projected to be at 3.62 by the end of this semester and hopefully 3.7 by the time I graduate. I'm trying to raise my sGpa to a 3.45/3.5 by the time I graduate.

MCAT: haven't taken yet lol

Activities:

-(4 years) President of a large organization dedicated to increasing retention rates of African Americans on campus. around 200 people in org and ran by the dean of students. We give book scholarships, pair students with grad mentors and host developmental dinners once a month.

-(3 years) Student health peer educator; work with the student health center to deliver programs on various health topics to student dorms; Solely working with counseling center to create a mental heath program for black students and creating a campaign for sexual awareness.

-(4 years) Tutor for at risk high school students and refugees

-(2 years, 2k+ hours) Undergraduate research at NIH sponsor lab at T10 medical school. mostly wet lab work, I should be an author in a paper tho.. who knows because of Corona

-(one summer( 500 hours) full time research with a Surp program at a T10 medical school. Continued research there for two years(listed above)

-One summer( 300 hours) spent working with an NGO in Nigeria. Soley created and led a health initiative on basic hygiene to over 200 elementary and middle school age students. created academic guides.

- projected(1000 hours) next summer working on maternal health project in West Africa

Sadly I dont have any clinical or shadowing hours yet. I was supposed to knock them out this summer but Rona ruined my plans. I was thinking of working in a maternal clinical research lab starting next semester and also looking into organizations that involve combating health disparities because these are topics that I'm really passionate about . I could apply next cycle, however, I am thinking of holding off another year to do some sort of Global maternal health/ research fellowship in West African right after I graduate with the MPH and apply while I am abroad. I would really like to go to a T20 schools because they are innovators and dedicated to serving undeserved groups which aligns with my future goals.

So what do you guys think? Also what can I do to become more competitive besides raising my science Gpa and doing well on the mcat?

Also sorry for all the typos, I wrote this all in a rush.

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[efle]

Entirely depends on your MCAT.

 

[rdyotz]

^. Depends on mcat. Also, grades for your MPH will not be combined with undergrad grades.

 

[Mr.Smile12]

What's your BCPM GPA, and how many upper-level biomedical science courses have you taken? Yes, your MCAT will be a heavy factor, but you should also get some insight from your networking with public health faculty and students at the schools.

 

[deleted480308]

Hi all, I don’t have 3 of the major 4 components of an application. Can you predict my success to the level of knowing what tier I get in?

Bruh.

 

[zNoodlez]

So I'm a junior currently in a BA/MPH program and I am planning on applying to medical school in either next cycle (2021) or 2022. I will officially graduate with the MPH degree in 2022

URM; first gen African American

Major: Philosophy; certificate in African studies;
MPH is in Epidemiology, Women's Health concentration and very research focus
Stats: 3.54 cGpc; 3.37 sGPA; ,
Huge upward trend. Been getting 3.7-4.0 my last three semesters. my cGpa is projected to be at 3.62 by the end of this semester and hopefully 3.7 by the time I graduate. I'm trying to raise my sGpa to a 3.45/3.5 by the time I graduate.

MCAT: haven't taken yet lol

Activities:

-(4 years) President of a large organization dedicated to increasing retention rates of African Americans on campus. around 200 people in org and ran by the dean of students. We give book scholarships, pair students with grad mentors and host developmental dinners once a month.

-(3 years) Student health peer educator; work with the student health center to deliver programs on various health topics to student dorms; Solely working with counseling center to create a mental heath program for black students and creating a campaign for sexual awareness.

-(4 years) Tutor for at risk high school students and refugees

-(2 years, 2k+ hours) Undergraduate research at NIH sponsor lab at T10 medical school. mostly wet lab work, I should be an author in a paper tho.. who knows because of Corona

-(one summer( 500 hours) full time research with a Surp program at a T10 medical school. Continued research there for two years(listed above)

-One summer( 300 hours) spent working with an NGO in Nigeria. Soley created and led a health initiative on basic hygiene to over 200 elementary and middle school age students. created academic guides.

- projected(1000 hours) next summer working on maternal health project in West Africa

Sadly I dont have any clinical or shadowing hours yet. I was supposed to knock them out this summer but Rona ruined my plans. I was thinking of working in a maternal clinical research lab starting next semester and also looking into organizations that involve combating health disparities because these are topics that I'm really passionate about . I could apply next cycle, however, I am thinking of holding off another year to do some sort of Global maternal health/ research fellowship in West African right after I graduate with the MPH and apply while I am abroad. I would really like to go to a T20 schools because they are innovators and dedicated to serving undeserved groups which aligns with my future goals.

So what do you guys think? Also what can I do to become more competitive besides raising my science Gpa and doing well on the mcat?

Also sorry for all the typos, I wrote this all in a rush.

Come back with your MCAT

 

[Homie712]

Hi all, I don’t have 3 of the major 4 components of an application. Can you predict my success to the level of knowing what tier I get in?

Bruh.

refer to the end of the section “So what do you guys think? Also what can I do to become more competitive besides raising my science Gpa and doing well on the mcat?”

there is no reason to be rude. I am not applying for at least another year so Im trying to just gage to see where my GPA and EC put me so far.

 

[Homie712]

As others have said, MCAT will be key in gauging the tier of school you can get into. GPA will be fine, and if you can get it to a 3.7 that will not keep you out of any school. Your ECs look great - outstanding research even without a pub, great longitudinal work with underserved populations both here and abroad, etc. The one exception is the following:

I am planning on applying to medical school in either next cycle (2021) or 2022...Sadly I dont have any clinical or shadowing hours yet.
These two statements don't jive. It will be very difficult for you to get into medical school with really no experience seeing what the day-to-day work of a physician is like. This is a serious weak spot. This will also be worthwhile for you as a person, not just as a med school applicant, to see if this is really a career you're willing to invest upwards of $200k and the next 7+ years of your life in. You need about 50 hours of shadowing, at least some with a primary care doctor. And you need a couple hundred hours of clinical experience in a healthcare setting here in the US - think free clinic or hospital volunteering, scribing, EMT or ER tech, nursing assistant in a hospital or nursing home, phlebotomist, hospice volunteer in a clinical role, etc. If you're wanting to do a service-oriented activity during your gap year anyway, I would consider doing a year of service with something like Americorps, etc. in a clinical role here in the US. Your international experience will be valuable but you also need to learn to understand the healthcare system that you'll be working in here. Obviously COVID will put a hold on this for a while, and may potentially result in you needing to take a gap year in order to get that clinical experience.

Finally, if serving the underserved is truly important to you, I think you'll find that the schools that tend to actually "walk the walk" in terms of caring for those in greatest need are mostly outside the top 20. I would encourage you to expand your horizons a bit if that's what you're looking for - there are a lot of schools out there doing some really awesome work. Opportunities for community service can be found at most medical schools, but I'm not aware of any top 20 schools that primarily focus on preparing folks for a career working in the specialties and patient populations with greatest need. (If anyone has other perspectives, I'd love to hear them - I'm not super familiar with them beyond the research I did as a med school applicant interested in working with underserved populations 5+ years ago now.)

shadowing is not my biggest worry. As I said I’m not applying for at least another year or two and I was supposed to get those hours this summer but Rona ruined my planes. Also I didn’t put this in my original statement but my SURP summer program had us rotate with different doctors in different fields once a week so I am very sure how the medical profession is like lol. As for clinical hours I am applying for clinical research positions for the fall so that should not be an issue as well

 

[zNoodlez]

shadowing is not my biggest worry. As I said I’m not applying for at least another year or two and I was supposed to get those hours this summer but Rona ruined my planes. Also I didn’t put this in my original statement but my SURP summer program had us rotate with different doctors in different fields once a week so I am very sure how the medical profession is like lol. As for clinical hours I am applying for clinical research positions for the fall so that should not be an issue as well

That would have been helpful info to provide don't you think?

 

[Isoval]

So I'm a junior currently in a BA/MPH program and I am planning on applying to medical school in either next cycle (2021) or 2022. I will officially graduate with the MPH degree in 2022

URM; first gen African American

Major: Philosophy; certificate in African studies;
MPH is in Epidemiology, Women's Health concentration and very research focus
Stats: 3.54 cGpc; 3.37 sGPA; ,
Huge upward trend. Been getting 3.7-4.0 my last three semesters. my cGpa is projected to be at 3.62 by the end of this semester and hopefully 3.7 by the time I graduate. I'm trying to raise my sGpa to a 3.45/3.5 by the time I graduate.

MCAT: haven't taken yet lol

Activities:

-(4 years) President of a large organization dedicated to increasing retention rates of African Americans on campus. around 200 people in org and ran by the dean of students. We give book scholarships, pair students with grad mentors and host developmental dinners once a month.

-(3 years) Student health peer educator; work with the student health center to deliver programs on various health topics to student dorms; Solely working with counseling center to create a mental heath program for black students and creating a campaign for sexual awareness.

-(4 years) Tutor for at risk high school students and refugees

-(2 years, 2k+ hours) Undergraduate research at NIH sponsor lab at T10 medical school. mostly wet lab work, I should be an author in a paper tho.. who knows because of Corona

-(one summer( 500 hours) full time research with a Surp program at a T10 medical school. Continued research there for two years(listed above)

-One summer( 300 hours) spent working with an NGO in Nigeria. Soley created and led a health initiative on basic hygiene to over 200 elementary and middle school age students. created academic guides.

- projected(1000 hours) next summer working on maternal health project in West Africa

Sadly I dont have any clinical or shadowing hours yet. I was supposed to knock them out this summer but Rona ruined my plans. I was thinking of working in a maternal clinical research lab starting next semester and also looking into organizations that involve combating health disparities because these are topics that I'm really passionate about . I could apply next cycle, however, I am thinking of holding off another year to do some sort of Global maternal health/ research fellowship in West African right after I graduate with the MPH and apply while I am abroad. I would really like to go to a T20 schools because they are innovators and dedicated to serving undeserved groups which aligns with my future goals.

So what do you guys think? Also what can I do to become more competitive besides raising my science Gpa and doing well on the mcat?

Also sorry for all the typos, I wrote this all in a rush.

Every medical school - from Harvard to LUCOM - cultivates and inspires inspiration. It’s a core component of many curriculums. While this is good interview fodder, it’s not really a good reason of which to actually choose your medical school. I would focus on schools that place a large emphasis on international medicine, as this seems in line with your goals. The schools that do this are not limited to the T20, and, in fact, it is not a primary focus of several of them.

 

[Goro]

So I'm a junior currently in a BA/MPH program and I am planning on applying to medical school in either next cycle (2021) or 2022. I will officially graduate with the MPH degree in 2022

URM; first gen African American

Major: Philosophy; certificate in African studies;
MPH is in Epidemiology, Women's Health concentration and very research focus
Stats: 3.54 cGpc; 3.37 sGPA; ,
Huge upward trend. Been getting 3.7-4.0 my last three semesters. my cGpa is projected to be at 3.62 by the end of this semester and hopefully 3.7 by the time I graduate. I'm trying to raise my sGpa to a 3.45/3.5 by the time I graduate.

MCAT: haven't taken yet lol

Activities:

-(4 years) President of a large organization dedicated to increasing retention rates of African Americans on campus. around 200 people in org and ran by the dean of students. We give book scholarships, pair students with grad mentors and host developmental dinners once a month.

-(3 years) Student health peer educator; work with the student health center to deliver programs on various health topics to student dorms; Solely working with counseling center to create a mental heath program for black students and creating a campaign for sexual awareness.

-(4 years) Tutor for at risk high school students and refugees

-(2 years, 2k+ hours) Undergraduate research at NIH sponsor lab at T10 medical school. mostly wet lab work, I should be an author in a paper tho.. who knows because of Corona

-(one summer( 500 hours) full time research with a Surp program at a T10 medical school. Continued research there for two years(listed above)

-One summer( 300 hours) spent working with an NGO in Nigeria. Soley created and led a health initiative on basic hygiene to over 200 elementary and middle school age students. created academic guides.

- projected(1000 hours) next summer working on maternal health project in West Africa

Sadly I dont have any clinical or shadowing hours yet. I was supposed to knock them out this summer but Rona ruined my plans. I was thinking of working in a maternal clinical research lab starting next semester and also looking into organizations that involve combating health disparities because these are topics that I'm really passionate about . I could apply next cycle, however, I am thinking of holding off another year to do some sort of Global maternal health/ research fellowship in West African right after I graduate with the MPH and apply while I am abroad. I would really like to go to a T20 schools because they are innovators and dedicated to serving undeserved groups which aligns with my future goals.

So what do you guys think? Also what can I do to become more competitive besides raising my science Gpa and doing well on the mcat?

Also sorry for all the typos, I wrote this all in a rush.

Come back when you have an MCAT score and then we can properly advise.

 

[deleted859689]

there is no reason to be rude

No one is trying to be rude. We just can't answer your question properly without all the information.

 

[deleted480308]

refer to the end of the section “So what do you guys think? Also what can I do to become more competitive besides raising my science Gpa and doing well on the mcat?”

there is no reason to be rude. I am not applying for at least another year so Im trying to just gage to see where my GPA and EC put me so far.

You don’t have enough info to pretend to legitimately ask what your odds are...and you know that

 

[LeaveNoTrace]

Get some clinical volunteering and make sure to get a good MCAT. 515+ and you might have a shot at Harvard. 520+ and you are very, very strong. But you are circling the drain with no clinical experience at all.

 

[LeaveNoTrace]

Yeah. I’d hold off on the MPH and get some clinical experience instead. You’re going to get a solid boost with being an URM and a first generation college student, but you’ll go from merely adequate to very strong with a year of full-time clinical experience.

 

[Homie712]

Get some clinical volunteering and make sure to get a good MCAT. 515+ and you might have a shot at Harvard. 520+ and you are very, very strong. But you are circling the drain with no clinical experience at all.

I was going to start volunteering starting next month at a lactation center at a women’s hospital starting next month. However because of corona I probably won’t be able to start until the fall. If I volunteer at the lactation center every week for a couple hours for the next two years and gain someone clinical research experience do you think that will be okay?
Also I would love to go to a t20 school(who wouldn’t) but I mostly just wanted to know if I had a chance at medical school at all lol and what tiers I should be looking at based on my experiences so far and gpa. But as everyone said I guess No one can tell without an mcat.

 

[LeaveNoTrace]

Clinical research is not necessary. You have enough research. What you need is clinical volunteering or paid clinical experience. Volunteer at the lactation center as well as somewhere like a hospice or nursing home.

With 200 hours of any clinical volunteering, you should be OK. More like 300+ for top 20 schools.