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[baylafan]

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[m1redsox]

I think we would need to see more of your application following the WAMC template including your GPA, MCAT score, state of residence (although I assume it is CA) and ECs. But from the get-go, I will say to remove:
UCR (unless you are an "inland empire" resident)
U Washington - they accept very few true OOS students who aren't involved in the WWAMI program
UNC - for regional bias as well

and add (assuming you are a CA applicant):
CalMed (CUSM)
Kaiser
and some more safeties since you've only applied to well-known, competitive schools (although this will also certainly depend on your stats and ECs that you provide because if your stats are 520+/3.9+, then this list might be fine)

Generally for extremely competitive applicants (like you've rated yourself on the WARS score), 25 schools is sufficient.

 

[baylafan]

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[m1redsox]

Thanks for your reply. Here is some more info.

Regarding UCR, I lived in the Inland Empire for 8 years and have many family connections there. I will remove UW. As for UNC, I want to apply again because ~20% of their matriculants are OOS and I fit their mission. I also like their MPH program.

cGPA: 3.88, sGPA: 3.92
MCAT: 516 (129/127/130/130). Taken 1x.
Undergrad: Top 20. C/O 2018.
Gender: Male
Ethnicity: Some would say URM.
State: CA
Family and Childhood: Dad has Bachelor's, mom less than high school. Average income throughout childhood 50-75k. Family used assistance programs, I had paid employment before 18, and I contributed to family income with job.
Activities: (# of hours completed + projected I listed on 19-20 app)

• Paid Employment - Medical/Clinical
  • Primary care/mental health case manager with underserved (3600)
• Paid Employment - Not Medical/Clinical
  • Mentorship coordinator and peer counselor for underserved college students (1400)
• Leadership
  • Founded and led a religious student organization (1800)
• Clinical Volunteering
  • Vice president and volunteer for an organization that hosts health fairs for underserved (900)
  • Linking patients who were screened to long-term care (75)
  • Heroin addiction clinic for underserved (40)
  • Medical assistant at community health center (40)
• Non-clinical Volunteering
  • Yearly event for underserved high school students (200)
• Research/Lab
  • Mid-author on abstract accepted into national journal (100)
  • Research assistant in minority mental health lab (400)
• Presentations/Posters
  • 2nd author on project with medical students (100). Presented at national medical student conferences.
• Physician Shadowing
  • Gastroenterology (24)
  • Family Medicine (20)
  • Psychiatry (5)
• Conferences
  • A lot that fit with my themes (90)
• Teaching
  • Volunteer SAT teacher for underserved (80)
• Other
  • Language learning to be a better physician (1000)
• Hobby
  • Unique hobby (700)

Which URM group do you represent? Also, recent MSAR data shows only 24/190 matriculants as OOS for UNC, and I bet most of them are regional (S. Carolina, Virginia, etc) or have direct connections to the state (went IS for undergrad, have grandparents there). 24 matriculants out of 6000 applicants is really terrible. Even if you account for double that (50), it is low.

 

[baylafan]

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[m1redsox]

I cannot say because it would reveal too much about myself on the internet. But it is neither Black nor Latino.

Okay, well consider what I wrote about UNC above. Also, I would consider adding more safety programs - as the majority of your list includes exclusively T20 schools. Your GPA and ECs are really great, but your MCAT is below average at almost every single one. So you will want to include some targets and safeties. I recommend 8 reaches, 8 targets, and 8 safeties (and a few super reaches if you're dying for Harvard, Stanford, Penn, Hopkins). Right now, it looks like you have 22 reaches, 4 targets (UCI, USC, Brown, Emory), and 3 safeties (GT, UCD, and UCR) and 2 unrealistics due to OOS acceptance rate (UNC and UW). I am just speaking stats-wise. Your GPA and ECs are great (and your possible URM status), so maybe you are an exception to the stats, but 7 schools that are actually at your target/safety range is not enough. Perhaps you can adjust your list to be 10 reaches (+some supers), 7 targets, and 7 safeties because your app is good.
You can start by considering these:
Kaiser (target)
CalMed (CUSM)
Loma Linda (since you are religious)
GWU (since you may be interested in D.C. indicated by GT)
Wake Forest (since you may be interested in NC)
Temple (" Philly)
Jefferson ("")
Tufts (" Boston)
Miami

 

[GreenDuck12]

I would encourage you to rewrite your personal statements for a few reasons especially if you are going to reapply to some of the same schools. While I’m sure your essays are well written and thoughtful, delving into religion and mental health is tricky, especially if your reader is not going to closely read what you have written . I’ve done application reviews for a national service org with tens of thousands and applicants and I can tell you at most I spent 4 minutes reading a personal statement before entering info in our rubric. I would rarely reread a paragraph or essay twice. While it might seem harsh, the reality is that we had a lot of really well qualified candidates and not a lot of time (similar to medical school admissions). I would get a batch of 30 applicants that I would need to process in two evenings after working my full time job.

The challenging part with personal statements with religious undertones is what if the person who reads it is turned off by it? The challenge with mental health is many folks in health professions view mental health as a weakness instead of as a common challenge. Add that medical training tends to bring out unresolved mental health challenges or previously resolved ones, you may be viewed as a risky applicant by folks whose views have not evolved.

I used to do informational and recruiting workshops on college campuses for the service org I mentioned above and one of the biggest things I would get asked about was the personal statement. The advice that I would give is pay attention to the mission (in this case what the AAMC says about training future doctors and competencies) and tell your story in that context. Remember that the person reading it will not know any personal details about you. If there is anything in your essay that cannot be understood without knowing additional details from your life - take it out or rewrite it. I also generally advised refraining from politics and religion because you never know who your reader is.

Take this with a grain of salt. Your essays need to be true to yourself. Even if you keep the content and themes of your essays, I think it would be in your interest to rewrite them.

 

[baylafan]

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