MD WAMC? School list help and advice!

[saddiebaddie123]

Hi everyone. I think my school list needs some help. I do feel like I am in quite an awkward spot since my MCAT is decent (with the exception of CARS) but my GPA is on the lower end. I'd like to apply to around 25 schools. Any advice is greatly appreciated!

State: MS (strong ties to WA, but super iffy about applying. Also strong ties to TN)

School: Small liberal arts

Major: Biochemistry w/ Spanish minor

URM? Yes, African-American Female

cGPA: 3.73 (unfortunately expecting a slight drop due to an actually impossible class I’m in rn).
sGPA: 3.65 (will also drop bc of this class *insert sad face*)

MCAT: 510 (127/124/128/131)

Clinical Experience: 200 hours via unpaid internship through university. Working a full time clinical job during my gap year.

Clinical Volunteering: 100 hours as hospice volunteer (mostly running errands for patients). Planning on continuing this throughout gap year.

Non-clinical Volunteering: 70 hours with Crisis Text Line (also continuing this throughout gap year)

Shadowing: 60 hrs across IM, OBGYN, plastics, general surgery, radiology

Research: 1k with abstract publication and national convention presentation by PI. Two different projects, both focused on finding therapeutics for illnesses (autoimmune and COVID). One project was done over 2 summers with an internship at my state's medical center. Other project was on-campus research.

Awards/Honors:
-Honor Roll (≤3.85 GPA): 2 semesters
-Dean's List (≤3.7 GPA): 2 semesters
-Excellence in First Year Chemistry award
-Award for outstanding work in upper-level Spanish courses
-Two honor societies which I am pretty active in (Tri-beta, ODK)

Other:
-virtually tutor students at local school in my area (2 years)
-campus tour guide (1 year)
-mentor for incoming students of color (3 years)
-mentor for pre-health student on campus (2 years)
-exec board of biochem org (2 years)


List (MD only as of now)

Univ. of MS
Univ. of TN
Meharry
Morehouse
Howard
George Washington
Belmont
Tulane
Saint Louis University
TCU
Wake Forest
Temple
Drexel
UAB
Rosalind Franklin

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[Faha]

You could add any of these schools to your application:
Emory
Vanderbilt
Miami
Duke
Georgetown
Jefferson
Pittsburgh
Boston University
Tufts
Dartmouth
Brown
Einstein
U Michigan
Northwestern
Indiana

 

[Mr.Smile12]

Connect with SNMA and any mentoring organizations supporting Black aspiring physicians.

Find an in-person community service experience that is not health-adjacent. Text line and tutoring do not count, but you could build on those skills as a shelter volunteer. Other desirable experiences include food distribution, job/tax preparation, transportation services, and housing rehabilitation. You must complete 150 hours before submission to avoid getting screened out at most schools.

Washington doesn't take a lot of applicants who are out of the region. What are your strong ties?

 

[saddiebaddie123]

Connect with SNMA and any mentoring organizations supporting Black aspiring physicians.

Find an in-person community service experience that is not health-adjacent. Text line and tutoring do not count, but you could build on those skills as a shelter volunteer. Other desirable experiences include food distribution, job/tax preparation, transportation services, and housing rehabilitation. You must complete 150 hours before submission to avoid getting screened out at most schools.

Washington doesn't take a lot of applicants who are out of the region. What are your strong ties?

Oh man, I thought CTL and tutoring would work. I really don't want to risk taking another year off. Do you think it's too late to try signing up for a local volunteering opportunity?

And as for WA, I have family there and also have a second residential home up there.

 

[Mr.Smile12]

Oh man, I thought CTL and tutoring would work. I really don't want to risk taking another year off. Do you think it's too late to try signing up for a local volunteering opportunity?

And as for WA, I have family there and also have a second residential home up there.

Check the requirements for residency. This is from the University website.

Residency Requirements (Non-affidavit) - Office of the University Registrar

Note: this information is for students who do not meet the requirements to apply using the Residency Affidavit. Students who meet the requirements of the affidavit should submit that form. Establishing Bona Fide Domicile The advice from the Office of the Attorney General, Education Division...

registrar.washington.edu

Start soon and build the hours as soon as you can. Tutoring and mentoring are academic competencies and thus expected of all successful medical students. (And you'll continue doing this.)

 

[saddiebaddie123]

Check the requirements for residency. This is from the University website.

Residency Requirements (Non-affidavit) - Office of the University Registrar

Note: this information is for students who do not meet the requirements to apply using the Residency Affidavit. Students who meet the requirements of the affidavit should submit that form. Establishing Bona Fide Domicile The advice from the Office of the Attorney General, Education Division...

registrar.washington.edu

Start soon and build the hours as soon as you can. Tutoring and mentoring are academic competencies and thus expected of all successful medical students. (And you'll continue doing this.)

I've looked into some and contacted a few places, but I definitely won't have 150 by the time I submit. Will projected hours be okay?

 

[Mr.Smile12]

I've looked into some and contacted a few places, but I definitely won't have 150 by the time I submit. Will projected hours be okay?

Projected hours won't matter. Otherwise everyone would promise thousands of hours.

 

[saddiebaddie123]

Projected hours won't matter. Otherwise everyone would promise thousands of hours.

Hmmmm okay. Is it risky to submit my app this cycle?

 

[AJS59]

Hmmmm okay. Is it risky to submit my app this cycle?

It's definitely not ideal, but one strategy you could take is delaying your primary submission date to the end of June or beginning of July (July 4, according to LizzyM) and then keep your focus on accumulating hours. If you have time on your hands and can throw 10ish hrs/week while still a student and ramp it up to 25-30 hours (or more) once you graduate, you might be able to clear the barrier by then. But at the end of the day it's up to you; in addition to securing all those hours and dealing with the general life of transition to post-grad, you'd also have to get most-all of your secondaries written.

The other option of course is punt a year, which as long as your MCAT isn't expiring, may be the smart choice. That'll give you plenty of time secure several hundred hours in non-clinical and perhaps bolster other areas as well.