WAMC: 514, 3.79, TN Resident, ORM

[FordPrefectMD]

Thank you all for your help. I have limited resources

1. cGPA 3.79 (w/ upward trend) & sGPA 3.8
2. 514 131/127/128/128 (509 first attempt)
3. Tennessee Resident
4. White Male
5. Undergrad - private nothing special. Graduated May 2022
6. 600 hours as full time present medical assistant by the time I apply
7. About 1200 hours research as full time lab tech in Seattle Washington with 1 publication, about 100 hours of continued part time and volunteer research, presented once in undergrad.
8. About 70 hours shadowing over the past 6 years across about 10 specialties
9. About 300 hours after school tutoring in low income area from high school (can I use this?) and about 30 hours since graduating
10. Was a type of TA for psych/literature/identity studies 3 years during undergraduate
11. Dean's List x3 and Magna Cum Laude
12. I'm ORM but my mother is muslim and I'm the first doctor in my family.

My list:

Reach
Kaiser Permanente
Keck (USC)
University of Colorado
University of Miami
Emory
Wake Forest
Tufts
University of Washington (lived here for 14 months and worked full time in lab)
Brown
Georgetown (currently living and working in DC area)
University of Vermont


More Realistic
University of Tennessee
Sidney Kimmel
George Washington University (currently living and working in DC area)
Temple
Penn State University
Virginia Common Wealth
Medical College of Wisconsin
East Tenn State University (Quillen)
New York Medical College
New York Institute of Technology of Osteopathic Medicine (DO)
Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine (DO)

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[Mr.Smile12]

Since graduating, what is your community service? Purpose and mission fit?

 

[FordPrefectMD]

Since graduating, what is your community service? Purpose and mission fit?

Community service: I've taken part in assisting a nurse phone station at an inner city medical center for homeless males. I've also taken part in a blood pressure reading initiative in the community to educate and take blood pressure readings. Both of these have amounted to only 4 hours at this point. I'm trying to find more slots for these volunteering positions.

Since graduating, I took a research position that aligned with my major. I also reached out to physicians that allowed me to take part in a physical led journal club, attend monthly Rounds, and allowed me to shadow for a day.


Sorry if this seems loose. It does to me too. Trying to be genuine without scripted. Limited in my knowledge of how to frame these things.

 

[AJS59]

Are you applying this cycle?

The after school tutoring isn't ideal for showing service orientation — reason being that you are coming from an area of "expertise"; what you suggested about the nurse phone station and blood pressure reading is better and you should see if you can continue to push your hours up on that front. The other elements of your application look okay; this might be the only thing to hold you back.

As for the list: Georgetown, as one of the Jesuits, will expect many more hours in non-clinical service than what you listed. I am also not sure if you would qualify for WWAMI given that you are not claiming Washington residency; if so, you might need to remove that too since Washington's out of region rates are low (like 0.5% low). Otherwise, I think you have a decent start.

 

[FordPrefectMD]

Are you applying this cycle?

The after school tutoring isn't ideal for showing service orientation — reason being that you are coming from an area of "expertise"; what you suggested about the nurse phone station and blood pressure reading is better and you should see if you can continue to push your hours up on that front. The other elements of your application look okay; this might be the only thing to hold you back.

As for the list: Georgetown, as one of the Jesuits, will expect many more hours in non-clinical service than what you listed. I am also not sure if you would qualify for WWAMI given that you are not claiming Washington residency; if so, you might need to remove that too since Washington's out of region rates are low (like 0.5% low). Otherwise, I think you have a decent start.

Yes - this cycle.
Good info on the service - I appreciate it.

As for the decent start, how do I improve the list moving forward?
Do I have a good chance at getting into one of my reach schools, or am I shooting too high?

Thank you for your insight.

 

[Mr.Smile12]

Stalling so the listmakers can critique your list. I am still missing your mission fit and purpose as a physician.

If you admit there's nothing special about you, then why would a "special" reach school want to interview you?

I don't think you qualify as in-state for UWashington which is notoriously picky for selecting Washington or WWAMI students by design.
What is your appeal to California (KP, USC?)
ETSU is certainly possible as an in-state option, but to strengthen your chances, what experiences have you had with rural Tennessee/Appalachian communities?
Brown is possible but has a reputation to prefer other Ivy+ students. So what puts you in that league?

As noted, check the MSPA chapter list if your Muslim identity is important in your purpose.

 

[Faha]

Miami, Tufts, Vermont and Wake Forest are realistic from your Reach list. You could add these schools:
Belmont
Quinnipiac
Albany
Drexel
Eastern Virginia
Wake Forest
NOVA MD
TCU
Rosalind Franklin
Western Michigan
Oakland Beaumont
Wayne State
Alice Walton (when it opens)
Roseman (when it opens)

 

[FordPrefectMD]

Stalling so the listmakers can critique your list. I am still missing your mission fit and purpose as a physician.

If you admit there's nothing special about you, then why would a "special" reach school want to interview you?

I don't think you qualify as in-state for UWashington which is notoriously picky for selecting Washington or WWAMI students by design.
What is your appeal to California (KP, USC?)
ETSU is certainly possible as an in-state option, but to strengthen your chances, what experiences have you had with rural Tennessee/Appalachian communities?
Brown is possible but has a reputation to prefer other Ivy+ students. So what puts you in that league?

As noted, check the MSPA chapter list if your Muslim identity is important in your purpose.

I see your point in how you ask these questions. I should have considered it a bit more.
First, to answer your specific questions:
Why USC and KP? - I love the area and read that these schools are more willing to consider OOS.

To your broader question, what is my mission? - Is this something that is absent from my application as a whole or is it what I need to come up with? I will work on this and then come back to you.

 

[AJS59]

I see your point in how you ask these questions. I should have considered it a bit more.
First, to answer your specific questions:
Why USC and KP? - I love the area and read that these schools are more willing to consider OOS.

To your broader question, what is my mission? - Is this something that is absent from my application as a whole or is it what I need to come up with? I will work on this and then come back to you.

You should come up with it from your personal experiences. What populations do you wish to serve, both clinically and in a broader service context?

 

[FordPrefectMD]

You should come up with it from your personal experiences. What populations do you wish to serve, both clinically and in a broader service context?

This may sound like a stupid question(s) but:
1. Do med schools want to know the populations that I've demonstrated wanting to serve? Is there anything else that they should see in my personal statement like this?
2. Do I tell my story or do I try to match pieces of my story to my goal schools' missions for the best chances?

 

[Mr.Smile12]

This may sound like a stupid question(s) but:
1. Do med schools want to know the populations that I've demonstrated wanting to serve? Is there anything else that they should see in my personal statement like this?
2. Do I tell my story or do I try to match pieces of my story to my goal schools' missions for the best chances?

It's not really a stupid question. Just think about it:

1) Most medical schools are affiliated with non-profit(ish) health centers, some of which act as part of a critical social safety net and do a lot of charity care. Your clinical experiences in medical school will include exposure to those hospitals. They just don't want you coming in completely naive to this fact or expectation.

2) Mission fit:

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Mission Fit: Key to Your Success - SDN

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[AJS59]

This may sound like a stupid question(s) but:
1. Do med schools want to know the populations that I've demonstrated wanting to serve? Is there anything else that they should see in my personal statement like this?
2. Do I tell my story or do I try to match pieces of my story to my goal schools' missions for the best chances?

1. Yes; being able to develop a through-line on that is helpful. Your personal statement should be focused primarily around your "why be a physician?" and you can weave in that mission fit throughout.
2. Personally, I'd opt to tell your story the way you want to tell it in the primary and then match pieces accordingly for secondaries. Just be yourself and really sell home your personal reasons for being a physician and the impact you wish to have.