General Med School Advice Requested

[JTullFan]

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Hey everyone, I would really appreciate some feedback on the strength of my med school application.

I go to a US News top 20 school for my undergraduate studies
GPA: 3.87 (I think my sGPA is a little bit higher than that, actually)
MCAT: 41Q (PS:14 VR:13 BS:14)
Major: Neuroscience

Work/Volunteer Experiences:
-Worked full time for a summer in an OR at local hospital
-Spent a month shadowing HIV docs in Uganda
-Meaningful week-long service trip to rural Dominican Republic
-Board member in largest student run service org on campus
-Board member in another community service club
-On Ultimate Frisbee club team (made A team woo woo!)
-Neuroscience Research for ~14 months (possibility of getting published)
-Shadowing at campus' research hospital on a few occasions
-Dean's List
-Member of some random honors fraternity (I do community service for this org, but it seems pretty much like a resume booster, should I include it in my app?)

I think I'll have some solid LORs. I have my neuro advisor and my organic chem professor as well as a doctor friend who's a Harvard Med grad + 2 others.

I'm applying all over the place - I'm from Illinois, so I'll be applying to UChicago, Northwestern, Rush and Loyola. Probably going to send apps to WUSTL, Stanford, Harvard, UPenn, Vandy and Duke.

Could you all suggest some safety schools for me to apply to? Furthermore, do I have a legitimate shot at places like WUSTL and Harvard?

I'm really just looking for advice that I may not be able to get from my Pre-Med advisor. Thanks!

 

[canjosh]

Yeah, you've got legit shots at anywhere. You could apply to all the Texas schools. Just choose geographically for your mid-tiers.

 

[JTullFan]

daily bump for some more explicit responses. (not saying I don't appreciate the encouragement, though, canjosh!)

 

[Catalystik]

I have a concern that you've only listed one summer's worth of clinical experience (1.5 years being average). For shadowing, you have a month with foreign docs and a "few occasions" at a US hospital.

Further, you have only 14 months of research, yet your list is top heavy with research-giant institutions.

You have some leadership, some intense overseas service trips, and some unspecified community service on campus the intensity of which isn't stated, but which ideally was weekly.

I see no teaching.

Your numbers are great, but I'm not seeing the intensity of extracurriculars that the top schools seem to prefer. And you could be in real trouble if that's all the clinical experience and shadowing you planned to apply with. I recommend waiting a year to beef up your experiences, add an extra year of research and get the publication you plan. Do some weekly clinical volunteering, get in more shadowing, and do some weekly nonmedical, noncampus volunteer work if that is not being done. Or did you forget to mention something?

Might you get in someplace if you apply now? Possibly, but I fear it would not be a program as selective as you might aspire to.