School List -- 3.5/31

[slopes23]

With this next cycle approaching I am forming my application list and want to get some opinions on where to add and take away.

This will be my first time applying, and I took a gap year already.

I have been told that my LOR packet is as strong as possible by my pre-med committee, and I expect a very strong letter from the committee as well.

General Stats
MCAT: 29 (9,10,10), 31 (9, 11, 11)
cGPA: 3.53, sGPA: 3.51
URM
Colorado Resident

Physician Shadowing
170 hrs with 4 different doctors

Research
~1200 hrs over 2 years (2 full time summers, and part time during school year)
- Presented a poster at a National Conference
- Stellar LOR from PI (at least that is what I am told)

Volunteer
- 165hrs in ED and ICU - over 6 months and still actively involved (8hrs/week)
- 80 hrs in disaster relief volunteering in my local community after severe flooding this past fall
- 65 hrs in a charity drive I organized and have been running for 6 years for children in 3rd world country (started in high school)
- 10 hrs w/ Habitat for Humanity (will do more from here June 1, expect to get at least 40-50 hrs)

Leadership
- 75 hrs Biology peer adviser over 1 1/2 yrs
- 40 hrs as a Premed Mentor over 1 1/2 yrs
- 20 hrs co-founded & organized young professionals network at my local religious institution

Employment
- 800 hrs Physician Scribe in a Primary Care Inpatient Rehab Hospital for past 6 mo

Gap Year Info
I have been keeping busy working as a Physician Scribe and Volunteering at my local hospital. I also retook the MCAT for a 2nd time earlier this year and raised my score by 2 pts.

School List (In BETA), No particular order
- University of Colorado
- Vanderbilt
- Duke (super stretch I know)
- UCSD
- EMory
- BU
- Dartmouth
- Rochester?
- Yeshiva/Albert Einstein?
- Georgetown
- University of Miami
- Tufts
- Wake Forest
- Temple
- GW
- Jefferson Medical College
- University of Vermont
- SUNY - buffalo
- St. Louis University
- Drexel
- Mount Sinai

Please give me back honest and constructive feedback. I am not sure if I need more "low/mid teir" schools, but if I do, any specifics as to which? Using US News this seems like the most appropriate as majority of everything else was public.

Thanks for your time.

*Disclaimer: I did not proofread any of what I wrote; so any egregious spelling errors I apologize.

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[gyngyn]

Which community do you represent?

 

[slopes23]

Puerto Rican

 

[gyngyn]

Puerto Rican

Language skills? A validated commitment to this community?

 

[slopes23]

I am PR native, and went to high school there. It is also tied into

Language skills? A validated commitment to this community?

PR Native, fluent in Spanish, two of the doctors whom I shadowed practice in PR, I went to high school there, and my parents/extended family still live there.

 

[gyngyn]

I am PR native, and went to high school there. It is also tied into

PR Native, fluent in Spanish, two of the doctors whom I shadowed practice in PR, I went to high school there, and my parents still live there.

Then there are about 10 schools on your list where you have a fair to good chance of an interview. Any reason not to apply to UPR?

 

[slopes23]

Oh forgot to add to my volunteer, I did one of those medical mission abroad trips to Costa Rica & Nicaragua as my mother has family in Costa Rica and I had never met them before so it was a great opportunity to do both. Anyways, 60 hours of volunteer from that as well. I know it's nothing special.

 

[gyngyn]

Oh forgot to add to my volunteer, I did one of those medical mission abroad trips to Costa Rica & Nicaragua as my mother has family in Costa Rica and I had never met them before so it was a great opportunity to do both. Anyways, 60 hours of volunteer from that as well. I know it's nothing special.

Those add little to your ap, sadly.

 

[slopes23]

Then there are about 10 schools on your list where you have a fair to good chance of an interview. Any reason not to apply to UPR?

No particular reason other than I know of the relative quality of PR schools and I would prefer not to go there if possible, I'll likely add it as an added safety net though.
Which 10 schools would you be referring to. If easier, could you just quote my original post and star them.
Do you feel I need to add any other schools in particular, should I take off any schools in particular?

 

[solitarius]

I think you're good to go, but I think the T-20 schools are possibly beyond your reach. The bar for URMs in that group is stiff, yo.

 

[slopes23]

bump... @Goro What are your thoughts?

 

[Goro]

Goro's list

- University of Colorado
- BU
- Georgetown
- University of Miami
- Tufts
- Wake Forest
- Temple
- GW
- Jefferson Medical College
- St. Louis University
- Drexel
Jefferson
All new MD schools
ALL DO schools
MCW
Rosy Franklin
Loyola
Creighton
Rush
NYMC
Albany
Loma Linda
Tulane


MSAR Online is your friend.

 

[jlescher]

8-10 schools on there are in your wheel house. The rest are long shots, but you're URM so you'll probably get 1 or 2 II from those and you might get lucky. Seems pretty solid. With your volunteer work and clinical experience you might want to add Rush.