WAMC: Nontrad- 3.88 / 520 / ORM Would appreciate any input on my school list!

[plutonic8]

Hi everyone! I'm a non-trad, age 26, going on 27, and looking for some help making my school list and perhaps what to make of my application. After graduation with a BS in psychology, I was initially unsure what direction to go. I landed on medicine a few years ago, beginning by working as a CNA and applying to postbacc programs to get my course requirements. I would love to get your input on what a good school list will look like, although I will include my current list of the schools that look promising from my first afternoon of research. I might not be doing a good job of choosing "lower" tier schools to round out my app. Maybe worth noting, I recognize some of the "recency" of some of my activities and a lack of overt leadership positions, but I am unsure how to weigh this.

cGPA and sGPA as calculated by AMCAS or AACOMAS
cGPA: 3.88 (3.85 undergrad, 4.0 postbacc)
sGPA: 3.91

MCAT score(s) and breakdown
520 (129/130/129/132)

State of residence or country of citizenship (if non-US)
Washington State Residency

Ethnicity and/or race
White Male

Undergraduate institution or category
University of Washington, Postbacc done at Seattle University

Clinical experience (volunteer and non-volunteer)
Paid Position as a CNA at a nursing home (2018-2019): 720 hours
Paid Position as a CNA at a public hospital, inpatient setting (2019-present): 3200 hours the first chunk came while working full-time, then I transitioned to part-time throughout my postbacc doing about 12.5 hours per week.

Research experience and productivity
~250 hours starting last summer (2021-2022) in a biochemistry lab within my school analyzing proteins. Finished a school poster and presentation, no pubs etc.
~ 180 hours during my initial degree in a psych lab. I also did a poster presentation there (2017)

Shadowing experience and specialties represented
12 hours from 2019 in neurology
30 hours from December 2021, nephrology
55 hours from January 2021, hospitalist / ED

Total is ~95 hours, but in relatively short periods, mainly in the last 8 months. I'm hoping my large amount of clinical hours alongside physicians helps here, but I'm unsure.

Non-clinical volunteering
375 hours taking phone calls at a crisis line since November 2020. Very impactful experience for me, and will keep doing it
95 hours as a Tutor for ESOL Program in Seattle since August 2021
30 hours as a "College Mentor" for students in Seattle Community Colleges

Other extracurricular activities (including athletics, military service, gap year activities, leadership, teaching, etc)
~80 hours of a paid position as an organic chemistry study hall leader during my postbacc

~25 hours of leadership as a study group leader for an unofficial, unpaid study group for physics during my postbacc.

Worked a "boring" job at the front desk of a gym after graduation, ~1000hrs

Trumpet performance since childhood, including paid gigs, college band, and symphony involvement, but stopped ~2018

At both my CNA jobs, I have been able to help train new CNAs. I didn't list this as a separate activity, but it would likely be my "leadership" experience alongside the paid study hall leader position.

Relevant honors or awards
Organic Chemistry Department Honors for 2021-2022 during my postbacc.
Typical "presidents list" etc, but didn't include due to it being visible in the GPA.

Anything else not listed you think might be important
I have a committee letter from the postbac. It includes letters from my professors, the internal medicine physician I shadowed, my research advisor, and a clinician from my Position as a crisis line phone worker.

I will continue most of these experiences into the next year and include those "forward" hours in my primary application, but not here since I imagine they don't count for much.


Schools I currently have on my developing school List (under development, would love your input!)
UW
Washington State
U Michigan
Hopkins
Vanderbilt
Cornell
Emory
U. of Pittsburgh
Emory
NYU- Grossman
Case
U Cincinnati
U Vermont
Ohio State
Rochester
Hofstra
Einstein
Dartmouth
Boston U
Wake
Western Michigan
Quinnipiac
Tufts
Brown
Drexel
Temple (Lewis Katz)
Albany

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[chilly_md]

Your shadowing is fine, it is common for applicants to pick it up over a few months.

Schools such as Drexel and Albany would likely interview applicants more likely to attend. I suggest:

UW
Washington State
U Michigan
Hopkins
Vanderbilt
Cornell
Emory
U. of Pittsburgh
Emory
NYU- Grossman
Case
U Cincinnati
U Vermont
Ohio State
Rochester
Hofstra
Einstein
Dartmouth
Boston U
Western Michigan
Tufts
Brown
Jefferson
USF
Miami
Keck
Mayo
WUSTL
Iowa
UVA
UCLA
Kaiser

 

[plutonic8]

Hi, thanks for your input! Is there a general rule I could follow regarding stats to decide not to apply to schools similar to Drexel / Albany if I look to add schools later or would it need to be on a school-by-school basis? I worry that my stats are potentially better than my ECs can backup and if I go too top-heavy with my list I won't find success. It's much more important to me that I get in somewhere than that I get into a prestigious school. Do you think this is a valid concern or do you think the list with your modifications is fairly balanced in this regard?

 

[chilly_md]

Hi, thanks for your input! Is there a general rule I could follow regarding stats to decide not to apply to schools similar to Drexel / Albany if I look to add schools later or would it need to be on a school-by-school basis? I worry that my stats are potentially better than my ECs can backup and if I go too top-heavy with my list I won't find success. It's much more important to me that I get in somewhere than that I get into a prestigious school. Do you think this is a valid concern or do you think the list with your modifications is fairly balanced in this regard?

The above list is broad and you have extensive clinical experience compared to most applicants. While overconfidence and aiming too high can be an issue for some people, you have strong ECs and should receive multiple interviews.