Can you (gently) pick apart my profile and give me some schools to consider?

[TexasHopeful]

GPA: 3.70, sGPA: 3.45 (ouch), B.S. Neurobiology
MCAT: 33R 11/11/11
Research: 2 summers of research internships, no publications sadly.
Medical experience and volunteering: My other two summers I interned at hospitals, shadowed doctors, etc. In addition to that, I would say total I have about 120 hours volunteered at hospitals here, and another 200 in hospitals in the middle east.
Activities: Generic pre-med clubs and things, roughly another 100 hours of volunteering, and worked my way through the last 3 years of uni (14-20 hr/wk).

Switched to studying spanish these last 3 semesters after having studied Latin since high school. Am now proficient in medical and professional spanish. Would schools in Texas take this into consideration? I have no regrets about this, it is already the single most useful skill I have picked up in college.

Had a ****ty second year (Bs and some Cs) which is reflected in my transcript but I brought it back up to mostly As afterward.

Applying to all Texas schools for certain (Texas resident), but I'm not sure where else to apply too. My dream school is UT Southwestern, having lived right next to it forever and done a summer internship there. I think with my cPA and MCAT I should be able to get into a school here but you never know... I've also reconsidered taking the MCAT to be more competitive at some of the Texas schools.

Advice and commentary is appreciated. Thanks guys!

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[2010houston]

You have a nicely balanced MCAT, and I do think that that the Spanish would be helpful. I don't think you'll have trouble getting into one of the TX schools, but do remember to apply early. TMDSAS opens a month ahead of AMCAS, and the application season for TX in general starts much earlier.

Look over the "How to enter my ECs" thread to get the most out of what you've done in the apps and enter them in the most favorable light

Good luck!

 

[Catalystik]

You recovered your GPA nicely, despite a bad year, and your MCAT score is fine, with balanced subscores. You should get into a Texas school.

With your LizzyM score being 71, you might consider these OOS schools:

69/MCW, UVermont, Jefferson, SUNY Upstate, UCentral Florida, Albany, Creighton, Wayne, Rosalind Franklin, Georgetown,
70/UWisconsin, Penn State, Wake, UNCarolina, SUNY Upstate, SLU, UMinnesota, UIowa, UMiami,
71/UCincinnati, Boston.

I think you'll be OK with clinical experience. Hopefully you have a decent number of shadowing hours of US physicians, of which one is in primary care.

UTSW seems to like a strong research experience, so I'm not sure your two summer's worth will appeal to them, but it might help that they know you.

Clubs don't help much, unless you take a leadership role. Any extra nonmedical volunteering you got involved with, though, will be viewed well. Be sure you list your work situations through college, no matter how mundane the jobs were.

What about leadership, teaching, artistic endeavors, athletics, and hobbies? You want your application to reflect a well-rounded person who would be interesting to interview.

 

[TexasHopeful]

Hmm, interesting. What's a LizzyM score?

Also, I don't have much in the way of conventional leadership positions. I worked my way through college and just never made time to work my way deeply into these things, which is one of my bigger regrets now. I do have a lot of teaching and lecturing experience though. One of jobs is at the princeton review as an mcat biology teacher. My other job is a private tutor for the intro biology sequence (also for SAT verbal section). The volunteer activity I'm most proud of is as a volunteer lecturer at PISD/DISD schools.

I have no hours shadowing US physicians, sadly. Just a large number volunteering or interning at a hospital. I did work alongside physicians during my internship here in Texas but I'd feel a bit guilty putting it as such when it's not official.

 

[Catalystik]

LizzyM Score is MCAT score + (cGPA X 10) + 1 = Your Score.
School's score doesn't include the +10

This is an objective way of dermining if a school is in your stat range. LizzyM is SDN's adcomm member who brought this method to our attention.

 

[mdbound1987]

Hmm, interesting. What's a LizzyM score?

Also, I don't have much in the way of conventional leadership positions. I worked my way through college and just never made time to work my way deeply into these things, which is one of my bigger regrets now. I do have a lot of teaching and lecturing experience though. One of jobs is at the princeton review as an mcat biology teacher. My other job is a private tutor for the intro biology sequence (also for SAT verbal section). The volunteer activity I'm most proud of is as a volunteer lecturer at PISD/DISD schools.

I have no hours shadowing US physicians, sadly. Just a large number volunteering or interning at a hospital. I did work alongside physicians during my internship here in Texas but I'd feel a bit guilty putting it as such when it's not official.

I don't know when you are applying, but if it is this upcoming cycle, you need to shadow at least a couple physicians. Chances are you won't get accepted anywhere without shadowing...maybe not even an interview. Adcoms want to know that you have some idea of what you are getting yourself into. With you, considering you've had hospital experience, you have an idea but they want to see that you shadowed physicians. Like you said, since you feel what you've done isn't shadowing, you definitely don't want to claim it is and then get to an interview and get grilled about it. Although you wouldn't be outright lying due to your experiences similar to shadowing, it would be somewhat deceptive and that will not look good to an interviewer. If you are applying this cycle, start shadowing now and continue throughout the summer while sending updates to your schools saying that you are still shadowing. Good luck.

 

[TexasHopeful]

I don't know when you are applying, but if it is this upcoming cycle, you need to shadow at least a couple physicians. Chances are you won't get accepted anywhere without shadowing...maybe not even an interview. Adcoms want to know that you have some idea of what you are getting yourself into. With you, considering you've had hospital experience, you have an idea but they want to see that you shadowed physicians. Like you said, since you feel what you've done isn't shadowing, you definitely don't want to claim it is and then get to an interview and get grilled about it. Although you wouldn't be outright lying due to your experiences similar to shadowing, it would be somewhat deceptive and that will not look good to an interviewer. If you are applying this cycle, start shadowing now and continue throughout the summer while sending updates to your schools saying that you are still shadowing. Good luck.

Oh wow... is this true? I've been with physicians while they've seen patients and I've also observed two surgeries (amputations). I may not be as intricately familiar with what it's like but I do believe I have a solid idea.

I wouldn't even know how to go about getting started finding physicians to shadow in my current city. I guess now's as good a time as any to start. I've been wanting to send my application in early in June though. I didn't think updating an application was possible after you submitted it.

 

[aggie08]

Oh wow... is this true? I've been with physicians while they've seen patients and I've also observed two surgeries (amputations). I may not be as intricately familiar with what it's like but I do believe I have a solid idea.

I wouldn't even know how to go about getting started finding physicians to shadow in my current city. I guess now's as good a time as any to start. I've been wanting to send my application in early in June though. I didn't think updating an application was possible after you submitted it.

It's not totally true. You have a lot of clinical experience and that could make up for the lack of shadowing. Your MCAT is great, your GPA is average....you'll get interviews. Apply early and broadly (all the TX schools) and you'll get in somewhere. UTSW likes high MCATs, so you might have a shot at an interview there.

 

[mdbound1987]

Maybe I should clarify my point better.I am not an adcom so I can't say whether or not they will classify it as shadowing. Since you said you didn't feel it was considered shadowing and you would feel bad classifying it as such, I assumed it wasn't shadowing. If what you've done is shadowing, then you are fine. If I was an adcom, I would classify your experiences as shadowing, but I'm not. It may be good to start shadowing one physician to be 100% sure, but if you feel comfortable without doing that then you are fine. I've always heard that clinical experiences and shadowing are separate, but maybe that is inaccurate. Hopefully someone else can chime in and answer that. Do as the person above said though...apply early and broadly. Good luck and sorry for the confusion.

 

[Catalystik]

My experience has been that most schools like to see shadowing on the application, but there are a few that don't regard it at all. My impression of Texas schools is that it is very important to them, though. Some experiences clearly include shadowing, like ER scribe and medical translator, and possible medical assistant in a physician office. Some people list the two experiences together, assuming it won't matter, especially when the shadowing and clinical experience is with the same doctor. But i've read of applicants being dinged for not having shadowed, when they did do it, but did not describe it well enough to catch the eye of someone reading through the application quickly.

So if a certain proportion of the activity you did was a passive observership (shadowing), consider teasing out those hours and listing them separately (if you don't recall the names of the docs, use the internship office as the contact). If you did not do that to any substantive degree, then I agree with mdbound, that you need to quickly get in some formal shadowing time. This need not be an extensive experience done on a regular basis. Some evenings and weekends should do it. Ask a doc you know (from the internship) if he/she can set up anything for you in the ER, with a hospitalist, or in a primary care office. Or ask your personal physician or those of your family members. Or ask the prehealth advising office if they have a list of docs who are willing to let you follow them. Or cold call docs from the phone book.

 

[TexasHopeful]

Oh wow. This is good to know, but also a little disheartening. I have to stay in Austin for the summer and none of the doctors I've worked with are here but I guess I'll go down to the HPO and ask them tomorrow. Thanks.

 

[2010houston]

Also, don't sell yourself short during your descriptions of your internship, your clinical experiences & your volunteering. It sounds like you've actually got a fair amount; don't be worried about something not being "official". If you were doing an internship at a university or hospital, that's certainly official enough! Write everything on TMDSAS so as to maximize interest in what you did and provide thorough descriptions so adcoms can understand what the experiences were. Don't be too modest

Good luck-