3.9 cGPA, 4.0 sGPA, 41, very avg ECs - School list

[anavika]

Hi everyone! I'll be applying this cycle and I was hoping to get some help with making a school list. I think I'm okay in some areas but really lacking in others, so I'm having a bit of trouble. I really appreciate all your help!

Academics:

• Major - Genetics
• cGPA - 3.98
• sGPA - 4.00
• MCAT - 41 (14 PS/13 VR/14 BS)

ECs:

• Research (2.5 years, ~9 hrs/wk) - 2nd author poster presentation
• Volunteer EMT (2 years, 15 hrs/wk) - 1300 hours total
• Volunteer administrative assistant for clinical trial (8 weeks, 8hrs/wk) - put together patient charts, labeled specimens, sent letters to patients and physicians updating them with lab results
• Receptionist for outpatient psychological disorders clinic (2 years, 4 hrs/wk) - I talk to the patients (socializing more than anything else) and make sure their appointments are set. I'm a bit confused here--would this count as a clinical experience?
• Layout editor for undergraduate-run journal (1.5 years) - Publish two issues per semester, ~40hrs/ issue (graphic design has been a hobby since I was around 10, so this can be a lot of fun )
• Organic chemistry tutor (1.5 years, 4hrs/wk) - I work for an academic support program whose aim is to help URM interested in careers in the sciences and health professions. I have a class of about 10-15 students and I teach a weekly 2hr class where we go over the lectures and solve problems. It's about 4hrs/wk because I make lessons plans, grade quizzes, answer e-mails, etc. in addition to teaching the class.
• Organic chemistry TA (1 year, 4-6hrs/wk for office hours)
• Shadowing (~40 hours) - 2 primary physicians (1 DO, 1 MD), 1 cardiothoracic surgeon

My major weaknesses among others are my total lack of non-clinical volunteering and no involvement with under-served populations. At this point it can't really be helped, so I'm hoping for the best and trying to strengthen other areas (ex: shadowing). Pointing out schools with a humanistic focus so I can avoid them like the plague would be much appreciated .

School List
Albert Einstein
Columbia
Cornell
Dartmouth
Drexel
George Washington
Georgetown
Thomas Jefferson
Stanford
Tufts
USC
UCSF (I know, but the weather...)

Suggestions would be amazingly helpful, especially for low-mid tier schools. Thanks again!

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[gyngyn]

Both UCSF and USC have long histories of commitment to the disenfranchised.

 

[Doctor Strange]

I'm pretty sure you can apply wherever the hell you want.

 

[pyrrion89]

You have all the trappings of a top-10 med school candidate. At this stage you just need to find a narrative to frame all these accomplishments in a way that stands out beyond the cookie-cutter template. Basically find a theme that sets you apart from everyone else. Have an agenda and a plan for what you want out of your career. Write about that in your application. Good luck!

Cut out all the low tier schools, Jefferson, Drexel, GWU, Georgetown and swap in the mid-tiers as your safeties. I'd add more top schools, too. Especially WashU, UChicago, and Duke since they LOVE high stats like yours.

 

[Ace-Co-A]

Apply to all of the top 10-20 schools unless you really don't like one or two of them. Your stats are among the very best in the country.

Your research experiences aren't amazing, I guess, but it definitely won't keep you from being competitive at all of the best schools. As for the dedication-to-underprivileged-thing, you don't have to Mother Teresa to be an admirable candidate; your teaching experiences and work in clinical settings are commendable.

I think I'm okay in some areas but really lacking in others, so I'm having a bit of trouble.

You have a much stronger application than you seem to think. Heed the advice of faculty members who post on this site (e.g., gyngyn, Goro, Catalystik, LizzyM, and others). Their advice will help you form the "narrative to frame all these accomplishments in a way that stands out beyond the cookie-cutter template" that @pyrrion89 mentions.

Best of luck with your application cycle.

 

[Cmdr_Shepard]

Yes, narrative framing. Done correctly, you could enhance your app and explain away your weaknesses with one essay.

 

[Saxappeal1]

Mad respect for those MCAT scores. You don't seem to have a lot of consistent shadowing, but don't think I'm complaining about your clinical work, I mean look at your 1300 hours of EMT volunteering, that is, for lack of a better word, amazing. The shadowing though, from what I have heard, adcoms like to see a consistent shadowing in a field of interest, not just shadowing for the sake of shadowing. The non-clinical volunteering might be a thorn, but I don't think as much, unless you were applying to a place like FSU or USUHS. Everything else about your application is very impressive.

 

[histidine]

Your EMT shadowing will make up for any lack of non clinical shadowing. IMO, apply to your state schools and schools in the ~T30 range. I think Drexel, Jefferson, GW, Georgetown, and Tufts have a good chance of passing you over since they know you'll be getting acceptances at top schools and will probably turn down their offer anyways..

 

[Aerus]

The shadowing though, from what I have heard, adcoms like to see a consistent shadowing in a field of interest, not just shadowing for the sake of shadowing.

What? Shadowing isn't an activity done merely as a hobby because you love a specialty. It's to become aware of the day to day life of a physician at the work place.m "Consistent shadowing" is definitely not expected and 40 hours is plenty, although spread out through another specialty would have been nice.

 

[Saxappeal1]

I wasn't implying that shadowing was supposed to be like a hobby. This is just what I have heard from different medical people from different places, I'm sure there aren't many real guidelines to shadowing to prepare for medical school, some people may believe that spreading out to be more diverse is good, others may think it is good to hone in and focus on a passion.