School List: Critiques and Suggestions Welcome!

[huskydock]

THANKS IN ADVANCE FOR READING THIS LONG POST.

I've concocted a school list, and I'm hoping you wonderful people can offer some input to whether I've missed something/should leave a school out. Hopefully I can paint a thorough, yet concise, anonymous picture of me as an applicant if ya'll happen to offer some words about "fit" as well.

ORM, non-traditional
UC graduate, CA resident
AMCAS GPA: 3.40 cgpa, 3.38 sgpa
AACOMAS GPA: 3.48 cgpa, 3.48 sgpa
MCAT: 31 (10 ps/11 vr/10 bs)

- I've volunteered/been employed in various research positions at major UC medical schools for 3 years now, worked on actual projects rather than be a "tech"
- 300 hours of hospital volunteering, 200 hours of hospice volunteering, currently getting some experience at a homeless clinic downtown.
- ~100 hours of shadowing many many different specialties
- Worked primarily in the mental health/disability field as a behavior therapist and advocate
- Did some international medical mission work through a student org - nothing illegal or questionable, just doing intake and basic vital check-ups and helping out the local physicians
- Leadership: helped start and lead a student advocacy org for disabilities (one of my meaningful experiences, even got some local news attention because of it), held 2 other leadership positions in student orgs involving neuroscience, mentoring, and education
- Free science tutor for socioeconomically disadvantaged college students
- Lots of random ECs, like veteran outreach and being a MDA camp counselor

- 2 publications: 1 second author, 1 fourth author
- Working on another publication for 1st authorship
- Poster presentation at a somewhat-major medical conference

I care a ton about research, primary care, serving the underserved, mental health, and advocacy. Hopefully that paints a sufficient picture to get your guys' input about my fit in certain schools. (or maybe this is too vague and I'm like any other applicant)

Random factoids:
I qualify for FAP, and may be considered somewhat disadvantaged.
I speak some Spanish
My most significant work (IMO) has come with the homeless population.

MD schools (most of the UCs are my reach schools):
- UCSF (only because of their PRIME program, otherwise I know it's a long-shot)
- UCLA
- UCSD
- UCI
- UCD
- UCR
- Rosalind Franklin
- NYMC
- Hofstra
- Oakland U
- Ohio State
- Case Western
- Tulane
- Temple
- SUNY Downstate
- SUNY Stony brook
- Boston U
- Loma Linda (I do have religious ties)
- Rush
- Albany
- Loyola
- Drexel

DO Schools:
- ATSU-SOMA
- CCOM
- NYCOM
- PCOM
- LECOM-Erie
- Touro - CA
- Western U - Pomona
- KCUMB

Thanks so much for the read and replies!

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[alpinism]

Being brutally honest:
- UCSF/UCLA/UCSD/OSU/Case are all huge reaches with a sub 3.4 sGPA and a 31 as a ORM.

-UCI, UCD, and BU are also reaches.

-That leaves only MD 14 schools left that you have a decent shot at. Unfortunately, as a CA resident you're already at a disadvantage even if you had a higher GPA.

-I'd add more lower tier private and OOS friendly publics (UAZx2, Toledo, GWU, USF-select, UCF, Cincinnati, SLU, Creighton, etc...)

-Make sure you apply the 1st week of June and get secondaries submitted in July.

 

[Daodejing]

If you want to go the MD route, I would recommend adding way more mid and lower-tier schools - mostly lower-tier. Although your GPA is a tad low, you are by no means a bad applicant. It's just that the game has become extremely competitive and being from CA makes it just that more of an uphill climb. I would be realistic and remove a few of the upper mid-tier and top-tier schools you have.

RE: Schools like Ohio State, Tulane, and Temple are mid-tier. Schools like NYMC, Drexel, Albany, RF are lower-tier.

 

[huskydock]

Great input. I'll definitely add in more schools. It pains me to remove some UCs because I'm so intimately familiar with the schools, facilities, and faculty. But I suppose I have to be realistic =(.