3.57 cGPA, 3.5 sGPA, 514 MCAT, TX Resident

[JGGoobers]

I am a 3rd time reapplicant to MD and first time applicant to DO schools, I've gone 2 past application attempts without interviews, applying with the same GPA and a balanced 32 (12V/10B/10CR). I'm coming into this application cycle with a number of improvements to my application and meaningful clinical and research experiences. I wanted to gauge my chances and I also need help creating my schools list. I've already submitted my TMDSAS earlier in the month, applying to all TX schools, MD and DO. I primarily require help with my OOS AMCAS school selections and DO school selections. Below is a summary of my credentials.

Ethnicity: Asian (I had previous applied as a permanent resident, however I am applying this year for the first time as a U.S. citizen)

Most Recent MCAT:
514 (128/127/130/129) in the 92nd percentile, this is a huge improvement over my previous MCAT (88th percentile) taken in 2012

Volunteering:
Cumulatively, 200 hours of volunteering in hospitals in both Houston and Austin with plenty of patient interaction.
Non-clinical volunteering exceeds 500 hours of outreach to international students and the homeless demographic in urban Austin and Houston settings; I've led small groups focused on city-wide community service and coached basketball at low-income schools in the Austin area.

Clinical Experience:
180 hours of shadowing in the OR in the Seton Network of hospitals
500 hours of working as a medical assistant for a pain management clinic prior to taking on a role as a research assistant
1600 hours (1 year) working as a scribe in the ER; I was received recognition for outstanding work at this position and was award "Scribe of the Quarter"; I have also taken on a leadership role training new scribes

Research Experience:
300 hours of research experience in undergrad focusing on the topic of learning and memory acquisition using Drosophila as a model species
600 hours of research in pediatric epilepsy at Dell's Children's Medical Center with a publication that was accepted earlier this year with the Pediatric Journal of Epilepsy

Other Experiences:
Voice Performance (4 years professional training, various performances; 1 award from competition)
A Cappella Group (2 years; 1 award from competition)

Letters of Recommendation:
2 professors (both of whom I had good relationships with during undergrad)
2 physicians (1 D.O. and another who is the medical director of my ER)
1 from my primary investigator from my time as a researcher at DCMC

Red Flags:
No behavioral flags and no academic probation.
3 C's and poor Sophomore performance (2 in O-Chem, 1 in Sociology)

My schools list for AMCAS is as follows:
1. University of Cincinnati COM
2. UC Irvine SOM
3. Brown University Warren Alpert SOM
4. Tufts University
5. UC Davis SOM
6. George Washington University SOM
7. West Virginia Robert C. Byrd SOM
8. Virginia Tech Carilion SOM
9. Penn State University COM
10. Loma Linda SOM
11. Wake Forest Baptist SOM
12. NYMC
13. Tulane University SOM
14. Temple University SOM

School's List for AACOMAS:
1. MSU COM
2. PCOM
3. DMU
4. OSU COM
5. LECOM

Any help with schools list and general advice is much appreciated!

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[Faha]

You should be fine for DO schools but MSUCOM accepts mainly Michigan residents. Add a few more DO schools such as UIWSOM (new school in Texas), AZCOM, ATSU-SOMA and RVU (Colorado and Utah).
For MD schools UC Davis and UC Irvine accept very few non residents so delete those. Most Texas applicants matriculate instate (1411) rather than out of state (225) so Texas is where your best chances are.

 

[JGGoobers]

Thanks for the advice! I'll take the UC schools off my list.

 

[GrapesofRath]

IF you couldn't get a single II at any Texas school with a 3.57/32 after two application cycles Im not sure if trying OOS MD schools from TX is going to do a whole lot for you.
While you'll often hear how TX schools love their GPAs, plenty from TX get in with a 3.57/32 every year.
I don't think the 3.57 is the reason behind not even one II. The new 514 doesn't really enhance your app from before
Did you call any of those previous schools you applied to for feedback?
Because if you applied with similar ECs previously there's a real chance something is off with your app and that issue isn't particularly identifiable on the surface here(I highly doubt it's the few C's).

 

[JGGoobers]

I did call the schools for feedback, and they confirmed what you were saying (except maybe McGovern in Houston) that my GPA and MCAT were by no means prohibitive, they wanted more experience out of me in terms of shadowing and volunteering; I've taken a gap year since the last time I applied and during my previous application, I didn't have the experience as a scribe and I didn't have the research experience or publication and the rest of my ECs stayed mostly the same. My previous MCAT (2012) was also no longer accepted at some schools, hence the retake. This cycle, I have the experience as a scribe, the research, publication, I'm now a citizen (permanent resident when I last replied), and new MCAT. I feel like I've addressed a good number of things that the schools stated were points of concern, that being the experience and volunteering.

 

[GrapesofRath]

If you were a green card holder when you applied being a PR vs Citizen likely didn't have much impact
How much did you specifically add since your last cycle in terms of what schools told you to add: ie shadowing and volunteering
A high proportion of the few who go OOS from TX are going to top 20 schools or those they have certain ties to(ie grew up in that state, went to UG there etc).

 

[JGGoobers]

Over 1600 hours of shadowing as a scribe in the ED, I continued to shadow in the OR as well (previously had about 80 hours, now 180), the 600 hours of research at DCMC is new as well, I previously only had the 300 hours. I've added on about another 300 hours or so of volunteering, working in homeless and international student outreach with my church in Houston and through the UH International Friendship Program.

 

[GrapesofRath]

Hopefully your state schools will acknowledge that as the improvement you want.
In terms of OOS list it's hard to have specific schools to recommend. As is often stated on here, many simply dont consider TX apps because they know they never actually will come.
I've seen some people from TX get IIs at lower tier OOS schools but it is all pure anecdotal and n=1 type stories. Youll find the same on mdapplicants. Hardly anything to form the basis of recommendation for applying.
If you really want OOS MD schools perhaps one option is to talk to a potential advisor to see if there are any OOS lower tiers people from your school have had success with in the past.