WAMC school list help! need to cut down schools (2024)

Hi all!

I'm applying this cycle and have a huuuuge school list so far and have no idea how to cut it down. Lots are gonna be reach schools and I know while my chances may be low for them I wasn't sure if to keep them/take them out? I don't wanna have any regrets with the list - any help is super appreciated!! Was thinking of having 50 schools max

My stats:
ORM (middle eastern) female, CA resident
508 --> 513 (129/126/127/131) MCAT
4.0 GPA
Transferred from community college to T20 4-year university (took almost all my pre-reqs @ CC)
7200 hrs (2 years - only 8 weeks off) combat medic/combat medic instructor (in foreign military though - not US)
1000 hrs medical scribe (800 at surgeons office, 200 ER)
~250-300 hrs research assistant at stress lab (no pubs or anything special)
~250 hrs volunteering at student-run shelter
~65 hrs working on research in one of my courses, presented it at research week at my school
~200-250 hrs free tutoring students from my CC not officially though so not sure if this counts
~80 hrs biochem TA
~80 hrs shadowing the surgeon before working as medical scribe
Chemistry award from my CC

Current (way too long) school list:

1. Einstein
2. Albany
3. Boston U
4. Florida Atlantic
5. Hofstra/Northwell
6. Drexel
7. Duke
8. Emory
9. Quinnipiac
10. Dartmouth
11. George Washington
12. Georgetown
13. USC
14. Mayo
15. NYU LI
16. NY medical college
17. Stony Brook
18. Rush
19. Rutgers
20. Rutgers RW
21. Stanford
22. Tufts
23. Tulane
24. UCD
25. UA Phenoix
26. UCI
27. UCLA
28. UCSF
29. UCSD
30. UChicago
31. Colorado
32. UFlorida
33. UIllinois
34. UMaryland
35. UMass
36. UMichigan
37. UPitt
38. Rochester
39. UVA
40. UWash (family friends that live there that I visit once per year, don't know if that counts as having "ties")
41. USF
42. Cornell
43. Creighton
44. Temple
45. Northwestern
46. Ohio State
47. Sidney Kimmel
48. Brown
49. SUNY Brooklyn
50. Southwestern
51. UT
52. Rosalind Franklin
53. UWisconsin
54. Vanderbilt
55. Loyola
56. Columbia
57. St. Louis
58. VCU
59. Icahn Mt. Sinai
60. UTennessee
61. Wayne State

As you can tell I'm a bit delusional when it comes to my school list lol pls helpppp

I suggest these schools from your list:

• Albany
• Drexel
• Quinnipiac
• George Washington
• Georgetown
• USC
• NY medical college
• Tufts
• Tulane
• UCD
• UA Phoenix
• UCI
• UCLA
• UCSF
• UCSD
• Colorado
• UIllinois
• UMass
• UPitt
• Rochester
• Creighton
• Temple
• Sidney Kimmel
• Rosalind Franklin
• St. Louis
• VCU
• Wayne State
• You could add these schools:
• Belmont
• NOVA MD
• Wake Forest
• Oakland Beaumont
• Penn State
• Eastern Virginia

Perfunctory: Check if there are AMMSA chapters or similar organizations at the schools on your list.

Mission: medic for a different military stands out to me here. What is your endgoal/purpose as a physician? What are you writing for your PS/OIE/MME?

Mr.Smile12 said:

Perfunctory: Check if there are AMMSA chapters or similar organizations at the schools on your list.

Mission: medic for a different military stands out to me here. What is your endgoal/purpose as a physician? What are you writing for your PS/OIE/MME?

Click to expand...

Thanks so much for the response! My end goal as a physician is to work with underserved populations. My military work was serving civilians and also training combat medics. My PS reflects that goal, I talked a lot about serving underserved populations and also discussing the unbiased nature of medicine.
Do you think I need to remove most of the top programs that I listed given that?

Mr.Smile12 said:

Can you be more specific with underserved populations and if you want to remain more on the front lines with primary care or in a more specialized role?

Click to expand...

Yes for sure!
In terms of underserved populations that was mentioned in my PS: I talked about helping a civilian living in a poor village (army), anecdote about a patient that was non English speaking in the surgery clinic, anecdote about a homeless man that died in the ER due to an undiagnosed disease and I reflected on how it could’ve been different had the system not failed him
My interests as a physician: open to everything, but would love to work as an OB in an underserved/rural region to women who lack access to care. Also open to primary care for these populations

Hi everyone!

After posting last week, I cut down my school list. My school list currently has 27 schools (a mix of target/reach schools given my stats) but I'm not sure if I should include any of the following shown below:

• Boston U
• Florida Atlantic
• Hofstra/Northwell
• Mayo
• NYU Long Island
• NYMC
• Stony Brook
• Rush
• Rutgers
• UChicago
• UFlorida
• UMaryland
• UMichigan
• Rochester
• UVA
• Cornell
• Northwestwen
• Southwestern
• UT
• UTennessee
• Vanderbilt

My stats:
ORM (middle eastern) female, CA resident
508 --> 513 (129/126/127/131) MCAT
4.0 GPA
Transferred from community college to T20 4-year university (took almost all my pre-reqs @ CC)
5200 hrs (2 years - only 8 weeks off) combat medic/combat medic instructor (in foreign military though - not US)
1000 hrs medical scribe (800 at surgeons office, 200 ER)
~250-300 hrs research assistant at stress lab (no pubs or anything special)
~250 hrs volunteering at student-run shelter
~65 hrs working on research in one of my courses, presented it at research week at my school
~200-250 hrs free tutoring students from my CC not officially though so not sure if this counts
~80 hrs biochem TA
~80 hrs shadowing the surgeon before working as medical scribe
Chemistry award from my CC

App focuses on underserved populations

Any help is appreciated!

Previously

wanderingsoul47 said:

Hi everyone!

After posting last week, I cut down my school list. My school list currently has 27 schools (a mix of target/reach schools given my stats) but I'm not sure if I should include any of the following shown below:

• Boston U
• Florida Atlantic
• Hofstra/Northwell
• Mayo
• NYU Long Island
• NYMC
• Stony Brook
• Rush
• Rutgers
• UChicago
• UFlorida
• UMaryland
• UMichigan
• Rochester
• UVA
• Cornell
• Northwestwen
• Southwestern
• UT
• UTennessee
• Vanderbilt

My stats:
ORM (middle eastern) female, CA resident
508 --> 513 (129/126/127/131) MCAT
4.0 GPA
Transferred from community college to T20 4-year university (took almost all my pre-reqs @ CC)
5200 hrs (2 years - only 8 weeks off) combat medic/combat medic instructor (in foreign military though - not US)
1000 hrs medical scribe (800 at surgeons office, 200 ER)
~250-300 hrs research assistant at stress lab (no pubs or anything special)
~250 hrs volunteering at student-run shelter
~65 hrs working on research in one of my courses, presented it at research week at my school
~200-250 hrs free tutoring students from my CC not officially though so not sure if this counts
~80 hrs biochem TA
~80 hrs shadowing the surgeon before working as medical scribe
Chemistry award from my CC

App focuses on underserved populations

Any help is appreciated!

Click to expand...

Were any of these on the previous list you were given?
I don’t do lists but for sure cut UChicago and Northwestern. Your MCAT isn’t competitive for those two schools at least.
Unless you have hundreds, if not thousands of service hours to the unserved/underserved in your community, drop Rush. Also check their MCAT requirements.

Are you aware that AMCAS recommends that schools average multiple MCAT scores? Some do, some don’t and there really isn’t anyway to be sure.