WAMC? (4.0, 524) TX ORM- thank you C: (2024)

Hi everyone! Bogged down by a million secondaries so figured I would ask here to see if anything should be prioritized. Submitted AMCAS/TMDSAS primary 6/4 not yet verified . Am new here so will try to follow the template by wedgedawg

1. GPA: 4.0
2. MCAT: 524 (132/131/129/132). 3Q casper for Tx schools
3. Residency: TX resident
4. Race/Ethnicity: Asian M
5. Undergrad: Public- Biology major philosophy minor, traditional (rising sr)
6. Clinical: Supported myself in college so lots of work stuff here. Bunch of different PT/PRN positions totaling about 4000 clinical hours (majority as PCT and CMA in psych ward, both MME). Others include home health, scribing, etc. Continuing PCT and scribe.
About 150 clinical volunteering with hospice
7. Research: About 700 hours split between basic science lab (poster) before transitioning to pharm lab (poster planned, pub next yr?)
8. Shadowing: ~80h- peds FM rads derm surg and cardiology planned
9. Non-clinical volunteering:
-Crisis text line ~120h
-Nonprofit (more below) ~250h
10. Other EC
-Founded local chapter of natl nonprofit in HS, continued to about jr yr- raised $30k for cause, led ~50 volunteers.
-Intramural frisbee team captain!
-Ochem tutor approx 5hr/week for a semester
-Non-clincal work: fast food 700h, ED registration 720h
11. Honors: President's volunteer service award gold, local merit scholarship for undergrad, typical dean's list/honor society stuff
12. Other: Short rundown of my story- before college, parents laid off and struggled with mental health, so pretty much began working as soon as I got to my freshman year dorm, first in fast food then progressing to clinical jobs, avg 45-50h a week. Worked nights/weekends to squeeze out extra dollars, so somewhat limited my ability to participate in non-paying stuff e.g. advocacy, research etc; had to step back from nonprofit and other commitments. Narrative mainly around mental health and my work in psych ward

LORs: physics, ochem, philosophy faculty, MD shadow, MD scribe, work supervisors/mentors

Schools:
TMDSAS
Baylor
McGovern
TAMU
Dell
Long
Sealy
TTech Lubbock
UTSW

AMCAS
Columbia
BU
Rochester
Emory
Einstein
Duke
Harvard
Mt Sinai
Hopkins
Northwestern
NYU
Penn
Stanford
WashU
Cornell
Yale
UCSF

Thanks so much for your time and help

LizzyM said:

If you don't get at least 3 interviews and at least 1 offer, I'd strongly suggest considering your essays, your letters and/or your interview skills. Stay humble, but you are highly unlikely to NOT be admitted this cycle.

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Thank you for your advice! On that note, I was wondering if you had any input on how I should frame my financial situation in essays/interviews- would it be better to come from like an adversity angle, diversity angle, etc? Are there any T20s/T10s you think I should focus on? Initially threw them in as more reaches since I think I am limited by research.

Thank you again for your help and I apologize if these questions are overreaching what's accepted here, please let me know if they are

boboddy1 said:

how I should frame my financial situation in essays/interviews

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Can I ask how you frame it now or in your application? You might not have enough research for me to ask why not clinical psychology because you aren't a psychology major.

I presume that you've listed your paid employment in the work/activities section. Have you listed your parents and listed them as unemployed (or underemployed given their education)? Did you include anything in the activities section describing your employment as necessary given family finances. How did you describe (%) how college was paid for? Those are all hints as to your familiy's financial situation.

The only thing that could make this better would be to reapply after doing a year of work at NIH or similar.

Yale and Columbia love psychiatry so those could be your best bets.

boboddy1 said:

Schools:
TMDSAS
Baylor
McGovern
TAMU
Dell
Long
Sealy
TTech Lubbock
UTSW

AMCAS
Columbia
BU
Rochester
Emory
Einstein
Duke
Harvard
Mt Sinai
Hopkins
Northwestern
NYU
Penn
Stanford
WashU
Cornell
Yale
UCSF

Thanks so much for your time and help

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Rock stars should aim high. List is fine.
Suggest considering USF/Morsani, Vanderbilt, U Chicago, U VA, U MI, Pitt, Case

Mr.Smile12 said:

Can I ask how you frame it now or in your application? You might not have enough research for me to ask why not clinical psychology because you aren't a psychology major.

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Thank you for your message! In my primary it was in my "other impactful experiences", but quite briefly- I just mentioned how I worked to support myself completely to relieve my parents. But my PS mostly focused on one of my parent's declining mental health leading to FMLA leave then unemployment etc. I tied that part in with my other work in the psych ward, NAS babies in the NICU, and the stigma around mental health/addiction.

So I guess for challenge/adversity secondaries going further into my work would be good? I don't want to make it seem like my work is an excuse for my lower research productivity if you get what I mean.

LizzyM said:

I presume that you've listed your paid employment in the work/activities section. Have you listed your parents and listed them as unemployed (or underemployed given their education)? Did you include anything in the activities section describing your employment as necessary given family finances. How did you describe (%) how college was paid for? Those are all hints as to your familiy's financial situation.

The only thing that could make this better would be to reapply after doing a year of work at NIH or similar.

Yale and Columbia love psychiatry so those could be your best bets.

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It was mostly in the impactful experiences section, and I did include all the relevant details about my parents in the "identifying info" section. I looked at my tuition bills, rent/utilities etc and my W-2s and put 20% from my scholarship and 80% applicant contribution.

And yeah, I figured the main thing hampering my competitiveness for the tippy top schools was research, but I've decided against a gap year. More prestige would be nice but I would be really happy to go to any of my state schools. Thank you again so much for your help!

Goro said:

Rock stars should aim high. List is fine.
Suggest considering USF/Morsani, Vanderbilt, U Chicago, U VA, U MI, Pitt, Case

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Thank you for the kind words, will go surf their websites!