Your chances are outstanding. Aim high. Your state school(s) should be on your list for the lower tuition, and I'd suggest those medium and high tier schools that really impress you.
1) I was thinking about applying around 16 schools. What should the breakdown be like? MSAR doesn't come out till April, so I wanted some general advices before looking over that.
You definitely need to shadow because you need to see what a doctor's typical day is like. Try a mix of both Primary Care and some specialties. Besides, you're going to need a doctor's LOR, right?
2) Any final bits I should brush up before applying? I don't have "shadowing", which could be problematic, but my advisor keeps insisting that since my volunteering was hands-on, I don't need one. Is this true?[/QUOTE]