MD Verifying final(?) school list

[Andante12]

Hello everyone! I was wondering if someone could give me some pointers about the schools I'm looking to apply to (whether they seem reasonable/outlandish, if I have too few/too many, suggestions for other schools, if my chances overall aren't very good[I sure hope not, haha, but if I must reapply, so be it]), so I'll appreciate any helpful, honest comments:

1. cGPA ~3.74; sGPA ~3.73 (I used a purported "AMCAS GPA Calculator" to find these, as my application wasn't verified yet)
2. Practice exam 517, 128/129/131/129 (will not receive actual MCAT scores until July 19)
3. Pennsylvania
4. White, but also an LGBT applicant (this is not apparent on my primary, nor will I necessarily mention it in a secondary(ies), but I would like to be at a school with a welcoming environment)
5. Majored in Biology and Philosophy, Minor in Spanish Language
6. Volunteer at clinic for uninsured patients as Spanish interpreter/office worker (4 yrs, ~250 hrs)
7. Zilch research in undergrad, only participated in one summer program during high school
8. 16 hrs with an OB/GYN; 2 hrs with a Pediatrician as of primary app (I am shadowing her more over the summer)
9. Mentored for an after-school program for elementary kids (45 hrs over 3 semesters); volunteered as teaching assistant during study abroad in Spain in ESL/art classes for 5-8-year-olds (12 hrs); various other, one-time experiences (not indicated in primary)
10. Member of school's concert band and orchestra (300 hrs); peer physics tutoring (150 hrs); held position on student board for the clinic I volunteer at (1yr, ~40 hrs); staff member of catering company (600 hrs); will spend gap year with a volunteer service corps as a medical assistant at a clinic (will likely elaborate on this in sencondaries)
11. Member of Biology, Pre-Health, Foreign Language, Philosophy honor societies; received full-tuition merit-based scholarship at my undergrad institution; participated in 4-yr honors program

IS:
Drexel COM
Lewis Katz SOM (Temple)
Penn State University COM
Sidney Kimmel (Jefferson)
The Commonwealth Medical College

OOS:
Albany Medical College
Geisel SOM (Dartmouth)
Hofstra SOM
Loyola SOM
University of Cinncinnati COM
Warren Alpert (Brown)

If you'd like, I can share more about my reasoning for the schools I picked (e.g., a lot of them seemed to emphasize community service, which was an important indicator for me that I might enjoy being there/will have higher chances that the adcom will consider me).
Edit: Though I haven't applied through AACOMAS, I'd be open to considering DO schools as well if highly suggested, although I'm not sure it isn't too late to begin that application.

Thanks again!

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[To be MD]

Hello everyone! I was wondering if someone could give me some pointers about the schools I'm looking to apply to (whether they seem reasonable/outlandish, if I have too few/too many, suggestions for other schools, if my chances overall aren't very good[I sure hope not, haha, but if I must reapply, so be it]), so I'll appreciate any helpful, honest comments:

1. cGPA ~3.74; sGPA ~3.73 (I used a purported "AMCAS GPA Calculator" to find these, as my application wasn't verified yet)
2. Practice exam 517, 128/129/131/129 (will not receive actual MCAT scores until July 19)
3. Pennsylvania
4. White, but also an LGBT applicant (this is not apparent on my primary, nor will I necessarily mention it in a secondary(ies), but I would like to be at a school with a welcoming environment)
5. Majored in Biology and Philosophy, Minor in Spanish Language
6. Volunteer at clinic for uninsured patients as Spanish interpreter/office worker (4 yrs, ~250 hrs)
7. Zilch research in undergrad, only participated in one summer program during high school
8. 16 hrs with an OB/GYN; 2 hrs with a Pediatrician as of primary app (I am shadowing her more over the summer)
9. Mentored for an after-school program for elementary kids (45 hrs over 3 semesters); volunteered as teaching assistant during study abroad in Spain in ESL/art classes for 5-8-year-olds (12 hrs); various other, one-time experiences (not indicated in primary)
10. Member of school's concert band and orchestra (300 hrs); peer physics tutoring (150 hrs); held position on student board for the clinic I volunteer at (1yr, ~40 hrs); staff member of catering company (600 hrs); will spend gap year with a volunteer service corps as a medical assistant at a clinic (will likely elaborate on this in sencondaries)
11. Member of Biology, Pre-Health, Foreign Language, Philosophy honor societies; received full-tuition merit-based scholarship at my undergrad institution; participated in 4-yr honors program

IS:
Drexel COM
Lewis Katz SOM (Temple)
Penn State University COM
Sidney Kimmel (Jefferson)
The Commonwealth Medical College

OOS:
Albany Medical College
Geisel SOM (Dartmouth)
Hofstra SOM
Loyola SOM
University of Cinncinnati COM
Warren Alpert (Brown)

If you'd like, I can share more about my reasoning for the schools I picked (e.g., a lot of them seemed to emphasize community service, which was an important indicator for me that I might enjoy being there/will have higher chances that the adcom will consider me).
Edit: Though I haven't applied through AACOMAS, I'd be open to considering DO schools as well if highly suggested, although I'm not sure it isn't too late to begin that application.

Thanks again!

I recommend adding that you're LGBT on secondaries. Helps satisfy diversity requirements & makes your 'fit' to these schools easier to explain.

 

[Faha]

You have a good list and should receive several interviews, especially from the PA schools.

 

[Andante12]

Thank you both for the advice and encouragement!

As for the LGBT diversity portion, would it suffice to describe how I can more easily understand/sympathize with/advocate for these individuals and the stigma faced by them etc? The thing about this aspect of me though is that up till now it's been more of a neutral part of my life, at least compared to other things that I'd like to discuss in the diversity essays (e.g. my involvement with music and the different languages/cultures I've learned about and gained appreciation for), but I realize the importance it can carry due to disparities in the health care LGBT and other minorities experience. Could I talk about more than one topic in a single essay as long as I try to string them together thematically? I'm thinking that would strain the character count though...

 

[Soccerboy12]

Another LGBT applicant here and I'm pretty much in the exact same position as you. My stats are around the same as you, I'm a PA resident, and I'm applying to most of the schools you are. I wasn't sure whether to mention it in any of my secondaries since it's not a major part of my application either, but after going back and forth on it I decided to mention it. In terms of what to say, you can say that you understand the challenges they face and maybe mention how it has shaped you as a person. Also, it's okay to write about more than one topic in an essay. You're right, it's hard to do with some of them due to the limited word count, but you could tie it in with your work with different minorities, such as the Spanish community.

Also, maybe consider adding PCOM and LECOM to your list. It's not too late for DO schools and the application shouldn't take you too long as you can use the same information from your AMCAS application.

We should talk more throughout the cycle since, like I said, it's pretty crazy how similar our situations are.

 

[Andante12]

Another LGBT applicant here and I'm pretty much in the exact same position as you. My stats are around the same as you, I'm a PA resident, and I'm applying to most of the schools you are. I wasn't sure whether to mention it in any of my secondaries since it's not a major part of my application either, but after going back and forth on it I decided to mention it. In terms of what to say, you can say that you understand the challenges they face and maybe mention how it has shaped you as a person. Also, it's okay to write about more than one topic in an essay. You're right, it's hard to do with some of them due to the limited word count, but you could tie it in with your work with different minorities, such as the Spanish community.

Also, maybe consider adding PCOM and LECOM to your list. It's not too late for DO schools and the application shouldn't take you too long as you can use the same information from your AMCAS application.

We should talk more throughout the cycle since, like I said, it's pretty crazy how similar our situations are.

Thanks for the feedback! I'm trying to PM you somehow, but I'm not sure how to do so...