WAMC: School list help/MCAT: 510/GPA:3.97

[xxsi2000isXX]

Hi! I am looking to apply this upcoming cycle and I am really conflicted primarily on my low CARS score on the MCAT. Wondering if I should apply with this score for the upcoming cycle or if I should risk retaking it and potentially dropping in other sections to get my CARS score higher.

• cGPA and sGPA as calculated by AMCAS or AACOMAS
  • 3.97/4.0
• MCAT score(s) and breakdown
  • 510 (129/122/130/129)
• State of residence or country of citizenship (if non-US)
  • Texas
• Ethnicity and/or race
  • South Asian (Pakistan)
• Undergraduate institution or category
  • The University of Texas at Austin
• Clinical experience (volunteer and non-volunteer)
  • Patient Care Technician at Dell Seton hospital in Oncology/Neurology/surgery unit. 150+ hours, and still employed
  • Medical Scribe for a remote scribing company 200 hrs. Non-volunteer
  • 200+ hours as a volunteer at a local urgent care clinic
  • 12 hours shadowing a doctor in oncology unit at Dell Seton
  • 64 hours as a volunteer at Methodist hospital
  • 32 hours as a volunteer at Memorial Hermann hospital
• Research experience and productivity
  • No research
• Shadowing experience and specialties represented
  • 50 hours primary care physician
  • 40 hours gastroenterologist
• Non-clinical volunteering
  • Food recovery network: collect leftover food from dining halls to donate to the local community in Austin (40hrs)
  • Texas Crohn’s and Colitis Initiative: raise funds for Crohn’s and Colitis research (4 semesters)
  • Ace reading: reading to children in Austin (25 hrs)
  • Mosque teacher for Sunday school (50 hrs)
• Other extracurricular activities (including athletics, military service, gap year activities, leadership, teaching, etc)
  • Sanger Learning Center Tutor: tutored undergrad students in STEM courses at UT Austin (500+ hr long sessions held)
  • Physics Learning assistant: I was a TA for Physics 2 where I hosted weekly discussion sections and office hours and graded assignments.
  • UTeach Outreach: Provided interactive lesson plans related to STEM topics for underprivileged children in Austin.
  • EMT certified (plan to work as an EMT during gap year)
  • Basketball IMs
  • Weightlifting
  • Hair-cutting side business
• Relevant honors or awards
  • Dean’s list all semesters
  • Honors all semesters
  • Distinguished Scholar
• Anything else not listed you think might be important
  • I am a Senior and graduating this May 2023.
  • Looking to apply for the cycle that opens in May 2023
  • I am primarily concerned about my low CARS score on the MCAT and if I should consider retaking it. Just worried about another repeat of a low cars and possibly also dropping in the other sections.
  • Secondly, I am worried about having no research experience.
  • Would like some help making a list of schools to apply to. I am a texas resident but want to apply broadly as well

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[Mr.Smile12]

So you don't have a lot of service orientation in your community service activities, especially in activities where you really stretch out of your comfort zone. The food recovery work is a great start, but doing something similar off-campus during your gap year is going to help you. Other than that, you really barely have 100 total hours as you describe it, and the usual minimum threshold for most medical schools is 150 hours.

Because you don't have any research experience (which I'll say is your perogative), your application needs to match to service-mission programs. To that end, your number of community service hours should make up for it, so 150 may not be enough, especially some OOS schools. Typical activities should include food distribution, shelter work, job placement services, or housing rehabilitation. If you do any teaching, go through City Year or Teach for America, or get hired as a substitute teacher.

 

[Faha]

The Texas schools like high GPAs so you should receive interviews. Apply to all your TMDSAS MD and DO schools. You could try TCU and Tulane for AMCAS schools.

 

[xxsi2000isXX]

So you don't have a lot of service orientation in your community service activities, especially in activities where you really stretch out of your comfort zone. The food recovery work is a great start, but doing something similar off-campus during your gap year is going to help you. Other than that, you really barely have 100 total hours as you describe it, and the usual minimum threshold for most medical schools is 150 hours.

Because you don't have any research experience (which I'll say is your perogative), your application needs to match to service-mission programs. To that end, your number of community service hours should make up for it, so 150 may not be enough, especially some OOS schools. Typical activities should include food distribution, shelter work, job placement services, or housing rehabilitation. If you do any teaching, go through City Year or Teach for America, or get hired as a substitute teacher.

I did forget to include that i was a member of a professional premed fraternity called delta epsilon mu for 4 semesters. Here I participated in many events to volunteer such as giving waters out at marathons, hosting workshops on campus to build resumes and professional development, and at the foodbank. I also was not sure how I would record these miscellaneous events that I participated in as a part of this organization.

 

[Mr.Smile12]

I did forget to include that i was a member of a professional premed fraternity called delta epsilon mu for 4 semesters. Here I participated in many events to volunteer such as giving waters out at marathons, hosting workshops on campus to build resumes and professional development, and at the foodbank. I also was not sure how I would record these miscellaneous events that I participated in as a part of this organization.

Break down your hours, but it is best to show you can still do community service by yourself off-campus.