Trying for a second application cycle, WAMC

[MrNonsuch]

Hello everyone,
I am working on my application for the 2024-2025 application cycle after having applied last cycle and I'm looking for some advice on making a school list/what my best move is for the upcoming year. I am currently volunteering at my town's food pantry every week, and working full time in an emergency room as a technician. This cycle I received 3 II (Cooper Rowan, Rutgers NJMS, Perelman School of Med) and am on the normal waitlist at Rutgers NJMS (I am an NJ resident). I think my main weaknesses the last cycle were my school list (embarrassingly I only applied to only six schools), as well as my low service hours and my interview skills. Plenty of things to improve on lol. I have placed the aspects of my application below, with things that are new on my application marked.

My stats are 3.92 GPA/3.92 sGPA, 518 MCAT.

Extracurriculars are as follows:
Pharmacy tech: 11/2022-05/2023 (200 hours)
Anatomy and Physiology TA: 01/2022-12/2022 (120 hours)
Chemistry Research Assistant: 10/2021-08/2022 (197 hours)
Shadowing 05/2021-01/2023 (130 Hours)
Weight lifting 09/2015-05/2023 (2500 hours)
Drawing and Painting 09/2006-05/2023 (1500 hours)
Emergency Department Technician 06/2023-06/2024 (1820 hours) *NEW
Food Pantry Volunteer 03/2020-03/2020 (40 hours), 12/2023 - 06/2024 (96 hours) *NEW
MISC volunteering (trail maintenance crews/town events) 10/2022-04/2023 (24 hours) *NEW (did not list last time I was self conscious about hours)

I have also been studying Spanish and have reached roughly intermediate proficiency, which I am getting evaluated to put on my app.

Recommendation letters from:
Art Professor, Pre-med advisor/professor, A&P course director, Surgeon I shadowed, Doctor I currently work with, and hopefully from volunteer coordinator for this upcoming cycle.

To better prepare my school list this time I aimed for 20 schools focusing on those with high OOS matriculant %, which are as follows: (25% reach, 50% target, 25% undershoot)
Reach
UCSF (received a secondary last cycle) *Reapplicant
Washington St.Louis
Duke
Perelman SOM *Reapplicant
Vanderbilt U

Target
Colorado U
Boston U
Rutgers U (RWJ)
Kaiser Permanente
UC San Diego
Jefferson University *Reapplicant
Emory University
Einstein
Cooper Rowan *Reapplicant
Rutgers U (NJMS) *Reapplicant

Undershoot
UCLA Geffen
Wake Forest SOM
Drexel Med
Penn State
Temple U

Any thoughts or advice would be greatly appreciated. I know there is not much time before the next cycle starts, but I am likely to be switching jobs at the end of August due to moving. I am considering looking for a research position instead of/to supplement my clinical work. Should I consider applying DO? I feel like most DOs I talked to said they went that route because they had low academic stats. Let me know what you think, I really value your opinions!

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[Faha]

What have you heard from Cooper Rowan and Perelman ?

 

[AJS59]

Any thoughts or advice would be greatly appreciated. I know there is not much time before the next cycle starts, but I am likely to be switching jobs at the end of August due to moving. I am considering looking for a research position instead of/to supplement my clinical work. Should I consider applying DO? I feel like most DOs I talked to said they went that route because they had low academic stats. Let me know what you think, I really value your opinions!

Everything on your app looks great, with the possible exception of non-clinical service (136 hours is a bit lower than the desired 150), so if you can squeeze a few more hours out of the food pantry, that'd be solid.

Any reason why Hackensack is not on your list?

You definitely don't need DO, you have the stats and activities to back up an MD application!

 

[Mr.Smile12]

I'm guessing there is a reason you only applied to six schools in your proximity (seeing where you got interviewed). That would be the reason I would include DO schools (to stay near your area).

As long as you have more experience hours, you should be in a stronger position to reapply. If you really want to consider more schools, add more along I-95 unless you are open to a larger displacement out of NJ .

 

[MrNonsuch]

What have you heard from Cooper Rowan and Perelman ?

Sadly I was rejected from both

 

[MrNonsuch]

Everything on your app looks great, with the possible exception of non-clinical service (136 hours is a bit lower than the desired 150), so if you can squeeze a few more hours out of the food pantry, that'd be solid.

Any reason why Hackensack is not on your list?

You definitely don't need DO, you have the stats and activities to back up an MD application!

Thank you for the guidance! I will try to squeeze in a bit more time before the next cycle.

I excluded Hackensack from my list because I thought it had a Catholic affiliation, and I am not interested in religious schools. I just looked into it and I think that is no longer the case since their separation from Seton Hall in 2020.

 

[MrNonsuch]

I'm guessing there is a reason you only applied to six schools in your proximity (seeing where you got interviewed). That would be the reason I would include DO schools (to stay near your area).

As long as you have more experience hours, you should be in a stronger position to reapply. If you really want to consider more schools, add more along I-95 unless you are open to a larger displacement out of NJ .

Thank you for your advice!
I am worried about the experience hours component, because my application last cycle included the 1820 hours of the ED Tech job as 'anticipated'. I am not sure if I basically got an "advance" on the hours which I have only just paid off for this cycle. I'm going to try and demonstrate what it is I have actually learned, but I'm not sure how good it looks on paper.

 

[Mr.Smile12]

Thank you for your advice!
I am worried about the experience hours component, because my application last cycle included the 1820 hours of the ED Tech job as 'anticipated'. I am not sure if I basically got an "advance" on the hours which I have only just paid off for this cycle. I'm going to try and demonstrate what it is I have actually learned, but I'm not sure how good it looks on paper.

As you will see us mention repeatedly on the forums here, anticipated hours don't hold weight. Otherwise everyone would be promising thousands of hours to try to game the process. Documented hours are what count and we hope that interviews will reveal the depth of your involvement. So perhaps that's the difference.

Again, your metrics should get you attention from MD programs, but if you are geographically constrained, add the DO schools near you to maximize your chances.

 

[MrNonsuch]

As you will see us mention repeatedly on the forums here, anticipated hours don't hold weight. Otherwise everyone would be promising thousands of hours to try to game the process. Documented hours are what count and we hope that interviews will reveal the depth of your involvement. So perhaps that's the difference.

Again, your metrics should get you attention from MD programs, but if you are geographically constrained, add the DO schools near you to maximize your chances.

It's true that anticipated hours could definitely be used that way haha. Thank you again for your advice.
I wouldn't say that I am super geographically constrained, but I definitely have a strong preference for areas that are close to my family. I will consider applying DO based on how the initial response from MD schools plays out.

 

[Faha]

I suggest these schools with your stats:
Your 3 NJ state public schools
Hackensack
Hofstra
Einstein
Mount Sinai
New York Medical College
Albany
Rochester
Vermont
Tufts
Boston University
Pittsburgh
Jefferson
Temple
Drexel
Penn State
UPenn
George Washington
Georgetown
Wake Forest
USF Morsani
Miami
Cincinnati
Western Michigan
Medical College Wisconsin
Washington University (in St. Louis)
Kaiser