WAMC 3.6/501 URM

[jjcoolfish]

Hello all! I'm applying this cycle and would appreciate some insight on my chances. MD/DO but leaning towards DO due to my stats of course.
State: MI, URM

cGPA: 3.6, prestigious university
sGPA: ~3.5
MCAT: 501

Clinical Hours: 3600+ as CNA in hospital setting over 3 years (on the floor and ICU)

Clinical Research: ~300hrs as research assistant at a good research university hospital (if that matters). No pubs

Shadowing: ~50 hours. GI doctor, CT Surgeon, Infectious Disease (my PI lol)

Volunteering: ~60 hrs. Mainly involves mentorship and shadowing. I volunteer with highschool students who are healthcare-focused and I teach them what I've learned from my clinical and academic experience. This involves guest talks at the highschool, 1-on-1 talks, shadowing, and am also a member of the Pre-Health Advisory Board for the highschool. My experience in volunteering has been quality over quantity in regards to the hours.

LOR's: 1 from CNA manager, 1 from research PI (md/phd) who is also teaching faculty of the med school, 1 from volunteering (high school medical teacher). These, I would believe, are going to be very strong LOR's. My next two are from a science and non-science professor, respectively. I would say these are weaker.

My Personal statement/application has a strong focus on patient care over everything else; My mission in my statement revolves around geriatrics/palliation (without an emphasis on those specialties necessarily) due to my clinical experiences

Other: 100's of hours of video game development as an EC (unpaid). Would this count towards volunteering or just an EC? Would this activity help me much?

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[Faha]

Which URM community are you from ? If Hispanic, are you fluent in Spanish ?

 

[jjcoolfish]

Without giving too much information away, a minority ethnic group from the Middle East, a separate language from Arabic. I am fluent in this language and have used it to translate for many of our patients as a CNA.

 

[Faha]

I suggest these MD schools with your stats:
Central Michigan
Michigan State
Wayne State
Oakland Beaumont
For DO schools I suggest these:
MSUCOM
MU-COM
LECOM (all schools)
PCOM (all schools)
UP-KYCOM
WVSOM
UIWSOM
TUNCOM
WCU-COM
ACOM
LMU-DCOM (all schools)
BCOM (both schools)
OCOM
Noorda-COM
DUQCOM
BUCOM

 

[jjcoolfish]

Thank you for your input!!

 

[AJS59]

You could probably stand to get some more non-clinical volunteer hours

 

[Mr.Smile12]

I agree you need more service orientation activities in your non-clinical volunteering bucket. I can consider what you are doing either under the mentoring/teaching/tutoring bucket or developing academic/leadership skills. You are doing a lot to alleviate others distress in your geriatric/pallative care experience. You need 150 hours total to avoid getting screened out at most schools.

Video game development is either Miscellaneous or Hobby to me.

 

[jjcoolfish]

I agree with the non-clinical volunteering as an opportunity for improvement, however with time constraints and the application cycle on the horizon, this may be too short notice to pursue immediately. I will look into it, but will there be much benefit for this current cycle if I updated the schools with these hours after application? What about projecting my hours mentoring high school students?

 

[AJS59]

I agree with the non-clinical volunteering as an opportunity for improvement, however with time constraints and the application cycle on the horizon, this may be too short notice to pursue immediately. I will look into it, but will there be much benefit for this current cycle if I updated the schools with these hours after application? What about projecting my hours mentoring high school students?

The update may carry a little weight; projected hours not so much.

Another strategy you could do, if you're willing to hold off from submitting right away, is wait until later into June or the very start of July (no later than July 4) to submit your primary. That'll give you an extra month or so to accumulate some hours, and if you pre-write your secondaries you won't be behind.

 

[jjcoolfish]

Would this be true for DO schools as well? I've read that their rolling admissions are more aggressive. Are you suggesting that there isn't much difference in interview chances if I apply between May and July?

 

[AJS59]

Would this be true for DO schools as well? I've read that their rolling admissions are more aggressive. Are you suggesting that there isn't much difference in interview chances if I apply between May and July?

DO schools from what I've gathered are okay with applications being submitted that late. And as long as you're complete (secondaries, transcripts, LORs) at all schools by Labor Day, you'll be fine.