508 MCAT 3.53 GPA: narrowing down list of schools

[eliadams]

Hello! I’m trying to narrow down/improve my list of medical schools for the 2020 cycle based on my stats (I’m a class of 2019 grad taking one gap year)

cGPA = 3.53 with upward trend (had an abusive roommate my first year and family troubles all 4 years, will explain in application)
sGPA = 3.36
MCAT = 508 composite: 126 Chem/Phys, 127 CARS and BB, 128 Psych
IL state resident, living in WI during my gap year, family ties in WA, born in CA
White/hispanic
B.S. double major in Neuroscience and Visual Culture Theory (self designed), Knox College

Clinical volunteering: Reality Illinois anti-tobacco movement educator (elementary/middle schoolers), 90+ hours volunteering in emergency medicine, 15+ hrs US military disaster response training simulation participant

Shadowing: 35+ hours health disparity training/shadowing/producing a research poster on nutrition in local schools via Health Equity and Advocacy Leaders module (with full scholarship) at Stritch, 20+ hrs shadowing in rural hospital via rural health expeirience, 90+ hrs clinical, surgical, & emergency medical skills + scored highest in the group in mock OSCE via U of I pre-med immersion

Research: senior research in neuroscience (on oxytocin and empathy), senior capstone essay in visual culture theory (on the intersection of bioethics and AIDS art), biological pathway infographic designer for St. Johns Labs since 2017

Non-clinical volunteering: worked at campus volunteer office for 2 years recruiting/supervising/reaching out to local organizations, orientation leader for 3 years, living-learning community mentor (I lived in freshmen dorms for 2 years helping adjust to college/tutoring), student visit ambassador

Extracurriculars: college radio staff member, theatre, “This is Public Health” book club, neuroscience club, student publication art editor, delegate at annual Northwestern University conference for human rights in 2017, student health advocacy group, medical supply recycling coordinator at my college, founded and run a charity arts collective on Etsy

Honors: dean’s list, Nu Rho Psi national honors society, a bunch of art awards, some writing awards, some scholarly awards, one peace and social justice scholarship for an anti-slur campaign I organized

Currently working as a medical scribe in downtown Milwaukee during my gap year

Bilingual with two first languages (English and French)

Schools: I’ve checked all of these to make sure I meet the course requirements. What’s most important to me in a medical school is having a sense of community, clinical > research-based curriculum, sustainability, and diversity

Keck
UCLA
UCSF
UCSD
CUSM
Kaiser Permanente
Loyola
Rush
U of I
SIU
Pritzker
Rosalind Franklin
UW
Oregon Health and Science
Tufts
Brown
Baylor
UT medical school at Galveston
UT Southwestern
McGovern
Long (UT San Antonio)
SLU
Washington U (in St. Louis)
NYU
Rochester
NY medical college
Icahn
Medical college of WI

Thanks very much for any help! I really appreciate it!

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[candbgirl]

I’ll start with your school list. You have many reaches and many OOS public schools. Did you use the MSAR to develop your list? Did you look to see how your stats compare to the 10-90th percentile in GPA and MCAT for each school? It’s fine to develop a list that you meet their course requirements but ...Your GPAS are below average for accepted students( 3.7 and 3.6). Your MCAT is average or maybe a bit below.
I’m totally confused by your ECs. Your only real clinical experience is the 90 hours of volunteering in the emergency room. Your scribing job will help but you can’t list it as completed. If you have started your job you could put the number of hours or you could just wait and do an update when you have a couple of months of work in. The other two items could probably be switched to nonclinical volunteering. And you need something in nonclinical. Everything you have listed under nonclinical is on campus. It’s obviously your comfort zone but you need to get out of your comfort zone and get off campus. Tobacco education might be a good start. By any chance were these kids low income? You should spend some time helping in a homeless shelter , soup kitchen , coaching a sports team for underprivileged kids. You know serving those less fortunate in your community.

I’m not going to get into your shadowing. It sounds like you were in a premed program at UofI so you probably okay there. You need around 50 hours of shadowing including many hours with a primary care doc. You might consider moving whatever that Loyola program was to another area. I’m not sure it’s purpose was shadowing at all.

Have you submitted your primary yet? Have you thought about DO schools? What a Hispanic group do you represent? You don’t mention fluency in Spanish. Are you applying UIM?

 

[gyngyn]

Which community?

 

[eliadams]

I’ll start with your school list. You have many reaches and many OOS public schools. Did you use the MSAR to develop your list? Did you look to see how your stats compare to the 10-90th percentile in GPA and MCAT for each school? It’s fine to develop a list that you meet their course requirements but ...Your GPAS are below average for accepted students( 3.7 and 3.6). Your MCAT is average or maybe a bit below.
I’m totally confused by your ECs. Your only real clinical experience is the 90 hours of volunteering in the emergency room. Your scribing job will help but you can’t list it as completed. If you have started your job you could put the number of hours or you could just wait and do an update when you have a couple of months of work in. The other two items could probably be switched to nonclinical volunteering. And you need something in nonclinical. Everything you have listed under nonclinical is on campus. It’s obviously your comfort zone but you need to get out of your comfort zone and get off campus. Tobacco education might be a good start. By any chance were these kids low income? You should spend some time helping in a homeless shelter , soup kitchen , coaching a sports team for underprivileged kids. You know serving those less fortunate in your community.

I’m not going to get into your shadowing. It sounds like you were in a premed program at UofI so you probably okay there. You need around 50 hours of shadowing including many hours with a primary care doc. You might consider moving whatever that Loyola program was to another area. I’m not sure it’s purpose was shadowing at all.

Have you submitted your primary yet? Have you thought about DO schools? What a Hispanic group do you represent? You don’t mention fluency in Spanish. Are you applying UIM?

Hi thank you for your comment!
I've looked at GPAs and MCATs for all of these schools but am unsure when I should cut them out of list vs. when I stand a chance with my GPA and MCAT. Do I want mine to match the school's averages exactly/differ by only one or two points (for example: look for schools with an averag MCAT no higher than 510? 512?)?
Thank you for all the feedback on my ECs, it's really helpful! I'll be scribing in a major hospital as well as a free clinic, and I will find some more volunteer opportunities in my city for sure, thank you so much!
I haven't submitted my primary yet, thought I should narrow down schools first and will submit in early July (very soon!)
I'm Spanish on my mom's side, she grew up in Spain and France but spoke mostly French to me as a baby because of backlash/prejudice she experienced speaking Spanish (she didn't speak English when she had me, I learned it from my dad/school). I am applying UIM based on finances, being hispanic, and being queer.

Thanks again!

 

[gyngyn]

European Americans are quite well represented in medicine.

 

[candbgirl]

Well for instance, You have Icahn and Keck on your list. Both of those schools have average GPAs of 3.8 and average MCATS of 317+. So you are well below their averages. I’m not sure if you are above the 10th or 25th percentile. The Texas schools are required by law to accept residents for 90 percent of each class. Those accepted from other states probably are superbly qualified.
As to being UIM I don’t think you are. Finances and sexual orientation don’t make you UIM. You might be disadvantaged and being queer will add diversity. Being Spanish (from Spain)adds nothing. It’s the same as being anything else from Europe.
So look at each school again . No sense in applying to schools you most likely have no chance at when there are lots that you do fit the bill. Good luck

 

[eliadams]

European Americans are quite well represented in medicine.

Yes absolutely!

 

[eliadams]

Well for instance, You have Icahn and Keck on your list. Both of those schools have average GPAs of 3.8 and average MCATS of 317+. So you are well below their averages. I’m not sure if you are above the or 10th or 25th percentile. The Texas schools are required by law to accept residents for 90 percent of each class. Those accepted from other states probably are superbly qualified.
As to being UIM I don’t think you are. Finances and sexual orientation don’t make you UIM. You might be disadvantaged and being queer will add diversity. Being Spanish (from Spain)adds nothing. It’s the same as being anything else from Europe.
So look at each school again . No sense in applying to schools you most likely have no chance at when there are lots that you do fit the bill. Good luck

Thanks so much!

 

[Faha]

I suggest these schools with your stats:
U Illinois
SIU
Loyola
Rush
Rosalind Franklin
Medical College Wisconsin
Creighton
TCU-UNT
Oakland Beaumont
NOVA MD
George Washington
Penn State
Drexel
Temple
Jefferson
Seton Hall
New York Medical College
Albany
Vermont
Quinnipiac
The majority of schools on your original list were unrealistic with your stats. The GPA-MCAT grid shows you have ~50% chance for a MD acceptance.
It would be a good strategy to apply to at least 6 DO schools and you are competitive for all DO schools.

 

[eliadams]

I suggest these schools with your stats:
U Illinois
SIU
Loyola
Rush
Rosalind Franklin
Medical College Wisconsin
Creighton
TCU-UNT
Oakland Beaumont
NOVA MD
George Washington
Penn State
Drexel
Temple
Jefferson
Seton Hall
New York Medical College
Albany
Vermont
Quinnipiac
The majority of schools on your original list were unrealistic with your stats. The GPA-MCAT grid shows you have ~50% chance for a MD acceptance.
It would be a good strategy to apply to at least 6 DO schools and you are competitive for all DO schools.

Thank you so so much for this, extremely helpful!

 

[Goro]

Hello! I’m trying to narrow down/improve my list of medical schools for the 2020 cycle based on my stats (I’m a class of 2019 grad taking one gap year)

cGPA = 3.53 with upward trend (had an abusive roommate my first year and family troubles all 4 years, will explain in application)
sGPA = 3.36
MCAT = 508 composite: 126 Chem/Phys, 127 CARS and BB, 128 Psych
IL state resident, living in WI during my gap year, family ties in WA, born in CA
White/hispanic
B.S. double major in Neuroscience and Visual Culture Theory (self designed), Knox College

Clinical volunteering: Reality Illinois anti-tobacco movement educator (elementary/middle schoolers), 90+ hours volunteering in emergency medicine, 15+ hrs US military disaster response training simulation participant

Shadowing: 35+ hours health disparity training/shadowing/producing a research poster on nutrition in local schools via Health Equity and Advocacy Leaders module (with full scholarship) at Stritch, 20+ hrs shadowing in rural hospital via rural health expeirience, 90+ hrs clinical, surgical, & emergency medical skills + scored highest in the group in mock OSCE via U of I pre-med immersion

Research: senior research in neuroscience (on oxytocin and empathy), senior capstone essay in visual culture theory (on the intersection of bioethics and AIDS art), biological pathway infographic designer for St. Johns Labs since 2017

Non-clinical volunteering: worked at campus volunteer office for 2 years recruiting/supervising/reaching out to local organizations, orientation leader for 3 years, living-learning community mentor (I lived in freshmen dorms for 2 years helping adjust to college/tutoring), student visit ambassador

Extracurriculars: college radio staff member, theatre, “This is Public Health” book club, neuroscience club, student publication art editor, delegate at annual Northwestern University conference for human rights in 2017, student health advocacy group, medical supply recycling coordinator at my college, founded and run a charity arts collective on Etsy

Honors: dean’s list, Nu Rho Psi national honors society, a bunch of art awards, some writing awards, some scholarly awards, one peace and social justice scholarship for an anti-slur campaign I organized

Currently working as a medical scribe in downtown Milwaukee during my gap year

Bilingual with two first languages (English and French)

Schools: I’ve checked all of these to make sure I meet the course requirements. What’s most important to me in a medical school is having a sense of community, clinical > research-based curriculum, sustainability, and diversity

Keck
UCLA
UCSF
UCSD
CUSM
Kaiser Permanente
Loyola
Rush
U of I
SIU
Pritzker
Rosalind Franklin
UW
Oregon Health and Science
Tufts
Brown
Baylor
UT medical school at Galveston
UT Southwestern
McGovern
Long (UT San Antonio)
SLU
Washington U (in St. Louis)
NYU
Rochester
NY medical college
Icahn
Medical college of WI

Thanks very much for any help! I really appreciate it!

Here is a more realistic list. Invest in MSAR Online and remove those schools where your sGPA is < their 10th %iles, UNLESS you have a sharp rising sGPA trend.
Otherwise, stick with U WI and U ILL (and SIU IF you're from southern ILL.

Rush
NYMC (maybe)
Creighton
Albany
Rosy Franklin
Drexel
Temple
Jefferson
MCW
SLU
WVU
Wayne State
Tulane
Loyola
Wake Forest
Loma Linda (only if you are SDA or a very devout Christian)
VCU
Netter
Seton Hall
EVMS
Oakland-B
Gtown
GWU
Uniformed Services University/Hebert (just be aware of the military service commitment)
Nova MD
TCU/UNT
Any DO program. I can't recommend Touro-NY, Nova, Wm Carey, LUCOM, for different reasons. MSUCOM? Read up on Larry Nasser and you decide. LMU has an accreditation warning, which concerns me.

 

[eliadams]

Here is a more realistic list. Invest in MSAR Online and remove those schools where your sGPA is < their 10th %iles, UNLESS you have a sharp rising sGPA trend.
Otherwise, stick with U WI and U ILL (and SIU IF you're from southern ILL.

Rush
NYMC (maybe)
Creighton
Albany
Rosy Franklin
Drexel
Temple
Jefferson
MCW
SLU
WVU
Wayne State
Tulane
Loyola
Wake Forest
Loma Linda (only if you are SDA or a very devout Christian)
VCU
Netter
Seton Hall
EVMS
Oakland-B
Gtown
GWU
Uniformed Services University/Hebert (just be aware of the military service commitment)
Nova MD
TCU/UNT
Any DO program. I can't recommend Touro-NY, Nova, Wm Carey, LUCOM, for different reasons. MSUCOM? Read up on Larry Nasser and you decide. LMU has an accreditation warning, which concerns me.

Thank you very much for this!

 

[eliadams]

I think my final list will be:
Loyola
Rush
U of I
SIU
Rosalind
UW
Oregon Health + Science
SLU
NYMC
Medical College WI
UT RGV
TC UNT

Reach schools:
Rochester
Icahn
Keck
UCSD
CUSM
Tufts
Baylor
Kaiser Permanente?
Mcgovern
Long
UT Galveston
UT San Antonio

If any of these (even the ones I know are reaches, because I still think I have to many of those) stand out as absolutely not worth trying pls let me know, I appreciate all the feedback!

 

[Goro]

I don't think that you're paying very careful attention to us. The following will be donations:

Oregon Health + Science
UT RGV
Rochester
Icahn
Keck
UCSD
Baylor
Kaiser Permanente
Mcgovern
Long
UT Galveston
UT San Antonio

 

[eliadams]

I don't think that you're paying very careful attention to us. The following will be donations:

Oregon Health + Science
UT RGV
Rochester
Icahn
Keck
UCSD
Baylor
Kaiser Permanente
Mcgovern
Long
UT Galveston
UT San Antonio

Understood thank you for the helpful response!