3.88GPA 517MCAT Late Applicant Help me out!

[BadComplex]

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Hey guys, long time lurker first time poster.

I'm graduating in December from a research university in Texas with a BS in Biochemistry. I have a 3.88 cGPA and a 3.86 sGPA.
I just got my MCAT scores back yesterday and managed to get a 517 (130/127/132/128)... still riding that wave of relief.

I volunteered at an incredible animal lab that did medical device research for close to 2 years during my undergrad and wracked up over 1000 hours. During this time I got a lot of surgical experience performing necropsies, a lot of exposure to the process of medical device innovation, and couldn't have loved it more. I got two fantastic LoRs from the lab and four from STEM professors.

What my application is lacking however are any honors or community service. Most of my semesters were Dean's List but given my GPA I don't think it really adds anything to the application.

I also applied late. I only got my AMCAS/TMDSAS applications submitted on September 3rd.

I really have no idea what to expect in regards to getting responses back. I aimed high with my AMCAS knowing I'd probably (hopefully) have the TMDSAS schools to fall back on. The price difference between Texas schools and those OOS is so significant I figured it would really only be worth going out of state if I could make it into a really killer school in a big city.

I've already gotten secondary applications from all the schools on my AMCAS but it sounds like that's nothing special.

I applied to:
AMCAS: Stanford, Pritzker, Columbia, Johns Hopkins, NYU, and Baylor.

TMDSAS: UTSW, UTH, UTSA, UT Galveston, and Dell.

Am I being realistic with these AMCAS schools? Am I a shoo-in for the TMDSAS schools like I think I am? I've heard a lot of horror stories from late applicants...

 

[WedgeDawg]

The biggest problem with your application is lack of clinical or volunteer experience. Have you shadowed? Have you worked with patients directly? If not, how are you going to convince adcoms that you know what you're getting into and you know the environment you're going to be working in for the rest of your life?

 

[BadComplex]

The lab I volunteered in was actually in a large hospital. My dad is a CV surgeon at the hospital so I've spent a ton of time (informally granted) following him and other surgeons on rounds and observing surgeries.

I never thought to validate any of my clinical stuff unfortunately. I know both of my lab LoRs mention my clinical experience though but yeah, nothing on the app itself.

 

[WedgeDawg]

The lab I volunteered in was actually in a large hospital. My dad is a CV surgeon at the hospital so I've spent a ton of time (informally granted) following him and other surgeons on rounds and observing surgeries.

I never thought to validate any of my clinical stuff unfortunately. I know both of my lab LoRs mention my clinical experience though but yeah, nothing on the app itself.

Doesn't matter that the lab is in a hospital, you can't count it as patient contact hours if you didn't have patient contact. It counts as research experience. You can count those hours as shadowing hours if you can provide a contact for them other than your father (worst case, put him, but try to get like the department chair or someone else affiliated with his department so that it will look slightly less strange). You still have not worked with patients in a clinical setting though, which is what is troubling right now.

 

[EEtoPre-Med]

Obviously not shadowing is a problem but the OP is asking how big of a problem?

 

[WedgeDawg]

Obviously not shadowing is a problem but the OP is asking how big of a problem?

Not shadowing is a big problem. Fortunately, it looks like the OP has shadowed and just neglected to mention this. The bigger problem is actively working with patients in a clinical setting.

Can you get into medical school without shadowing (or clinical experience)? Yes.
Is it likely that you will get into medical school without shadowing (or clinical experience)? No.

 

[BadComplex]

Do the majority of med school applicants really have a significant amount of clinical hours? I've had friends from my school get into some of the AMCAS schools I have listed that had similar apps to mine (lots of medically-related lab hours, no clinical/shadowing hours). They also all applied very early in the cycle though...

Do you think it would effect my chance of landing interviews at the schools I have listed? I thought I was massively overqualified for most of the Texas schools I have listed; is my lack of stated clinical hours such a huge issue that it overshadows the other components of my app?

 

[WedgeDawg]

Do the majority of med school applicants really have a significant amount of clinical hours? I've had friends from my school get into some of the AMCAS schools I have listed that had similar apps to mine (lots of medically-related lab hours, no clinical/shadowing hours). They also all applied very early in the cycle though...

Do you think it would effect my chance of landing interviews at the schools I have listed? I thought I was massively overqualified for most of the Texas schools I have listed; is my lack of stated clinical hours such a huge issue that it overshadows the other components of my app?

I don't know how Texas schools look at it. If you look at MSAR, for nearly every school, something like 98% of students have some sort of clinical experience. Take that as you will.

 

[GrapesofRath]

No clinical exposure + a late app is definitely a problem(submitting your app Sept 3rd is rather late).

Given you've already submitted your primary you might as well go ahead with this cycle. But without any volunteering work or any clinical exposure combined with a late app, these top schools just aren't realistic. Focus on all your Texas schools. Do all you can to submit the best app possible there because if you get in this cycle it'll be through Texas schools. And work on building up your clinical exposure and volunteering over the next year because there is definitely a real chance given your lacking in those two areas and a late app you will strike out this year and have to re-apply next year and you do not want to have these same issues next cycle if it comes to it.