Medical Can you help with building my school list?

[Goro]

Hello! Thanks for taking the time to read this and providing any input if you choose to do so!

I'm a 24 year old, ORM, IL resident with a Master's degree from an SMP that failed for me. Since then, I've retaken the MCAT to help improve my chances. I currently have a uGPA of 3.29, sGPA of 2.99, and graduate GPA of 3.44 (lots of 89.6%'s from my SMP that they counted as standard B's which really messed it up.) My MCAT is a 509.

I know that extracurriculars matter and I've been working as a Patient Care Technician in a large hospital since September 2019 which really gives me an advantage with direct patient contact and clinical hours. I also have other various long-term volunteering such as the crisis hotline and hospice volunteering as well as some other short-term things helping the underserved (Meals on Wheels, churches, homeless shelters, etc.) I've done a bunch of shadowing in various fields, too.

At this point, I'm finding it pretty difficult to make a school list since I don't really know where I lie. I have no problem with going DO, as well. I'm just wondering as to which schools would even look at my application.

As of right now, I pretty much have schools that are in and around my home state (IL):

MD:
RFU/CMS (where my SMP is from)
Southern IL
Rush
UIC
Loyola

DO:
Midwestern (IL and AZ)
DMU
Marian
Nova
LECOM

I would love some help on building this list to provide me the most successful cycle I could possibly have. Thank you in advance!!

With a less than stellar SMP GPA, and a 509 MCAT, I can't recommend MD other than U ILL. Add SIU only if you are from southern ILL. It might help you if you can get some LOR writers from the SMP, maybe even the program director, to explain the grading and how you were hindered by their archaic grading system.

Otherwise, to your DO list, add: KCOM, KCU, CUSOM, VCOM, PCOM, NYITCOM, both AR schools, TUNCOM. I can't recommend Nova!

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[Mr.Smile12]

I'll agree that DO is your best shot. You can try for in-state MD (Illinois); connect with the admissions staff there to get an idea of how receptive they would be given your SMP GPA. Otherwise, I agree a lot of DO schools would likely be more interested.