WAMC: Applying for Summer 2025 Cycle

[Spicy Noodles]

Hi Guys, I wanted to make this post to assess my competitiveness for med school. I'm currently a sophomore. I plan to apply Summer of 2025 (during my junior year) and matriculate straight through from undergrad to medical school. Shooting for either MD or MD-PhD. Is this app good enough for a mid-tier MD school that is good at matching students to competitive surgery residencies?

Demographic:

ORM, First-Gen, Male

Stats:

GPA: 3.99

MCAT: Plan to take Spring 2025, Projecting 508-510

EC's:

Research:

1 year of psychology research (200 hours)

1+ year of basic science research (300 hours)

2 Summer REU's (1st year was Clinical Research, Computational Research this year)

10+ Poster Presentations combined between all research experiences (80% Uni conferences, 20% National + Regional conferences)

Non-Clinical Volunteering: 200 hours (Tutoring K-12 Students) and Uni Students in Bio + Chem

Clinical Volunteering: 500 hours from various hospitals from the beginning of college to now. Might include my high school hours which brings this up to this value.

Shadowing: 100 hours spread between 3 specialties (Ophtho, Heme-Onc, Surgery)

Leadership:

Orientation Leader (1 Semester)

TA for Gen Chem Students (1 Semester)

Admissions Reviewer (1 Semester)

2 E-Board Officer Positions for humanitarian organizations (1 year each)

Planning to do from now until applying:

Looking for a hospital job (PCT or Transporter)

Any places that I can improve in besides gaining some more clinical experience? I noticed my app doesn't have an aligning theme with my current experiences. I've just done a lot of stuff but I'm confident I can make a connecting theme when I apply. Brutally honest feedback would be much appreciated. Thank you!

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[AJS59]

Can you break down your clinical volunteering into specific roles and hours to each role?

I think the big weakness that others will point to is your non-clinical: Tutoring is not non-clinical as it is something where you're coming in from an angle of being the "expert." The goal of non-clinical work is to show a commitment to underserved populations, and roles that would fit this best are one of: food distribution, shelter work, tax/job preparation, transport services, or housing rehab. You need at least 150 to avoid screening and 250 for the more competitive schools.

Also, it's hard to really get a bearing on what your odds are for the 2025 cycle without an MCAT. For now, focus on MCAT studying (and raising up those non-clinical hours) and come back once you have your score. Projected scores are largely worthless.

 

[Mr.Smile12]

You have to give us your MCAT. Your MCAT score is not associated with your GPA, so there's no way we can evaluate you without it.

As noted, you need service orientation activities, and tutoring/mentoring/teaching doesn't fulfill it. Furthermore, I don't get a sense that you have stretched beyond your comfort zone. You have a lot of on-campus activities, but it's not clear that you have activities working with underresourced or marginalilzed communities. From your description, I remain skeptical of your "connecting theme" being enough to present a strong application.

 

[Spicy Noodles]

Can you break down your clinical volunteering into specific roles and hours to each role?

I think the big weakness that others will point to is your non-clinical: Tutoring is not non-clinical as it is something where you're coming in from an angle of being the "expert." The goal of non-clinical work is to show a commitment to underserved populations, and roles that would fit this best are one of: food distribution, shelter work, tax/job preparation, transport services, or housing rehab. You need at least 150 to avoid screening and 250 for the more competitive schools.

Also, it's hard to really get a bearing on what your odds are for the 2025 cycle without an MCAT. For now, focus on MCAT studying (and raising up those non-clinical hours) and come back once you have your score. Projected scores are largely worthless.

Definitely, Clinical is Transporter at the hospital and Hospice Volunteer. Split 70% for Transporter and Hospice is 30%.

Non-clinical, I tutor K-12 students in undeserved areas of my community where educational resources are lacking. I do agree with your point here and maybe I should look for another activity that fulfills one of those criteria you mentioned.

 

[Spicy Noodles]

You have to give us your MCAT. Your MCAT score is not associated with your GPA, so there's no way we can evaluate you without it.

As noted, you need service orientation activities, and tutoring/mentoring/teaching doesn't fulfill it. Furthermore, I don't get a sense that you have stretched beyond your comfort zone. You have a lot of on-campus activities, but it's not clear that you have activities working with underresourced or marginalilzed communities. From your description, I remain skeptical of your "connecting theme" being enough to present a strong application.

Would you recommend pursuing more clinical experience such as a hospital job or upping my non-clinical hours in activities that serve under resourced communities for my following semester? As for comfort zone, what would constitute an applicant fulfilling this? Would it be a semi-unique activity that a premed had to seek outside of their Uni that helped changed the way medicine was practiced in a hospital or a unique activity in Uni that tested their leadership. I ask this because I have an activity for both of these points that I’ve put on the back-burner due to having too much on my plate.

 

[Spicy Noodles]

Would you recommend pursuing more clinical experience such as a hospital job or upping my non-clinical hours in activities that serve under resourced communities for my following semester? As for comfort zone, what would constitute an applicant fulfilling this? Would it be a semi-unique activity that a premed had to seek outside of their Uni that helped changed the way medicine was practiced in a hospital or a unique activity in Uni that tested their leadership. I ask this because I have an activity for both of these points that I’ve put on the back-burner due to having too much on my plate.

Just wanted to add that both would have an effect on underserved individuals in some form.