WAMC 3.86/517 - Help with a school list?

[Anon-1665]

1.) Cumulative GPA of 3.86, unsure of cGPA/sGPA break down but believe sGPA is higher than the 3.86 composite
2.) Only MCAT taken, 517 (130/127/129/131)
3.) Nebraska resident
4.) White male
5.) Rockhurst University, small Jesuit liberal arts school in the mid-west
6.) Clinical experience, worked as pharmacy technician for 3 years, 800 volunteer hours as WIC certifier (nutrition education of pregnant and post-partum mothers, checking hemoglobin levels, discussing child development, assisting with breast feeding issues, etc)
7.) Zero research experience
8.) ~100 hours of shadowing between pediatrics, family medicine, radiology, and dermatology
9.) One year (1700 hours) as AmeriCorps volunteer (gap year); additional 200 hours of volunteering throughout undergrad
10.) All during college: Member of student senate, student ambassador, executive board member for my fraternity, anatomy TA for a semester, member of phi delta epsilon pre-med fraternity
11.) Member of honors program during college, summa cum laude
12.) Financially disadvantaged with no family members in medicine. Worked two jobs while taking 18 credit hours to get through school, went a long stint without health insurance, received no financial assistance from parents, was close to having to take a semester off to earn more money despite having already taken out student loans

I feel I am an otherwise competitive applicant, but do not have any research whatsoever (did not have time to do any during school as I had to work often). Should I even bother with any T20 applications? I figure for those schools research is an unwritten requirement.

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[Faha]

I suggest these schools with your stats:
Nebraska
Creighton
St. Louis
Loyola
Northwestern
Loyola
Rush
Western Michigan
Case Western
Cincinnati
TCU
Tulane
Emory
USF Morsani
Miami
Duke
Georgetown
George Washington
Pittsburgh
Temple
Jefferson
Hofstra
Einstein
Mount Sinai
Rochester
New York Medical College
Dartmouth
Brown
Boston University
Tufts
Mayo

 

[Mr.Smile12]

Are you eligible for FAP? What is your purpose as a physician?

 

[Anon-1665]

Are you eligible for FAP? What is your purpose as a physician?

I am eligible for FAP (was accepted). My purpose as a physician will be to take a wholistic approach to provide quality care. Ideally I would like to do direct primary care such that I can give adequate time and attention to my future patients at an affordable price, without pressure from hospital admin or insurance companies to dictate care and shuffle through patients quickly. I want to practice in such a way that goes against the profit driven corporate medicine that is leaving so many dissatisfied with their care, and give patients the sense that someone is in their corner with their best interest in mind. Studying medicine will give me the tools needed to make well-informed decisions surrounding health that no other career offer.

 

[Mr.Smile12]

I am eligible for FAP (was accepted). My purpose as a physician will be to take a wholistic approach to provide quality care. Ideally I would like to do direct primary care such that I can give adequate time and attention to my future patients at an affordable price, without pressure from hospital admin or insurance companies to dictate care and shuffle through patients quickly. I want to practice in such a way that goes against the profit driven corporate medicine that is leaving so many dissatisfied with their care, and give patients the sense that someone is in their corner with their best interest in mind. Studying medicine will give me the tools needed to make well-informed decisions surrounding health that no other career offer.

What mentors or champions have you shadowed that reflect and support your purpose? Will you sign up for HPSP or NHSC?

 

[Anon-1665]

Are you eligible for FAP? What is your purpose as a physician?

What mentors or champions have you shadowed that reflect and support your purpose? Will you sign up for HPSP or NHSC?

There is a family medicine doc in the town in which I live that I shadowed. I was only supposed to be with her for an hour that day but was having such a good time shadowing her DPC appointments that I stayed all day. She has encouraged me to pursue DPC and we have stayed in regular communication since I shadowed. She said something along the lines of "this is how medicine is meant to be practiced" and I whole heartedly agreed. I have also been a long time avid fan of Peter Attia's, and have listened to every episode of his podcast. Though I disagree with his wasteful and expensive concierge practice, the principle of preventative medicine and more care/time given to each patient is something I admire and wish to emulate. His episodes on insulin resistance, nutritional biochemistry, and exercise are ones I gave multiple listens to because I find the lifestyle aspect of health so interesting, and is inline with my nutritional interests.

I will not sign up for HPSP, and do not know much about NHSC. If NHSC requires that I become a PCP I likely will not sign up because I think it is possible that I fall in love with a different specialty during medical school and want to leave my options open.

 

[Anon-1665]

I am a fairly competitive applicant (517/3.86, AmeriCorps service year, involvement in leadership in college, many clinical hours, etc) but have 0 research. I want to apply to some reach/high-falutin places, but do not know which ones have research as a soft requirement. For example, I imagine its possible I get in to U Chicago Pritzker (service focus and I'm within 25% of median GPA and MCAT) but not Yale (soft requirement on research).

Which schools should I basically not waste an application on?
Conversely, which top 40 / top 20 schools is a service focus and lack of research least damaging?

 

[j_diggity]

I am a fairly competitive applicant (517/3.86, AmeriCorps service year, involvement in leadership in college, many clinical hours, etc) but have 0 research. I want to apply to some reach/high-falutin places, but do not know which ones have research as a soft requirement. For example, I imagine its possible I get in to U Chicago Pritzker (service focus and I'm within 25% of median GPA and MCAT) but not Yale (soft requirement on research).

Which schools should I basically not waste an application on?
Conversely, which top 40 / top 20 schools is a service focus and lack of research least damaging?

Even UChicago I’d wonder about your chances - one of their secondary essays is about how you’d utilize their comprehensive student research program.

Almost all those T20s have a soft research requirement. Doesn’t mean the doors are closed but I wouldn’t be surprised to not get into any. I’ve seen people get in at Mayo without research.