Help finalize school list (Ohio applicant)

[drfb65]

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Hi, newbie just looking for some last-week advice on which schools to apply to. Some info on me:

MCAT: 512
Cumulative GPA: 3.84
Science GPA: 3.85

Intercollegiate athletics (varsity athlete): 3000
Clinical Volunteer: 60
Other volunteer: 200
Clinical research: 400
Other research: 500
Shadowing: 35
Tutoring: 200
Leadership: 340
Non-clinical paid work: 400

I'd like help picking 9-10 from the following list to apply to:
Temple
Dartmouth
U Maryland
Georgetown
George Washington
Saint Louis
Indiana
West Virginia
Eastern Virginia
W. Michigan
Wayne State
Tulane
Tufts
Rosalind Franklin
Loyola Chicago
Albany
Albert Einstein
New York Medical
Seton Hall
Stryker
Kentucky
Drexel

 

[Faha]

Your MCAT score is less than the 10th percentile for Vanderbilt and Cornell so they are reaches. Schools such as Georgetown, St. Louis, Tulane and Loyola are unlikely with your low clinical volunteering hours. Out of your list of another 10 schools you want to add consider these:
Temple
George Washington
West Virginia
Western Michigan
Rosalind Franklin
New York Medical College
Drexel
Wayne State
Indiana
Albany

 

[Goro]

Hi, newbie just looking for some last-week advice on which schools to apply to. Some info on me:
I'd like to keep my list around 20 for financial reasons. Here are my 11 "definites:"
Six in-state schools (Case Western, Ohio State, Cincinnati, Toledo, Wright State, NEOMed)
Vanderbilt
Pittsburgh
Penn State
Thomas Jefferson
Weill Cornell (my gap year adviser teaches here)

So, I'd like help picking 9-10 from the following list to apply to:
Temple
Dartmouth
U Maryland
Georgetown
George Washington
Saint Louis
Indiana
West Virginia
Eastern Virginia
W. Michigan
Wayne State
Tulane
Tufts
Rosalind Franklin
Loyola Chicago
Albany
Albert Einstein
New York Medical
Seton Hall
Stryker
Kentucky
Drexel

Sorry for the long post--my thoroughness has helped me up to this point! For what it's worth, my premed adviser said that my list was very "reasonable" and encouraged me to maybe drop some out-of-state public schools in favor of privates (and more "reaches"), but MSAR data makes me think some publics may be worth applying to.

Your advisor is a *****, like most of them.

You have to get in more more patient contact experience. This may sound a little harsh, but I would not call your sporting career an explanation for your lack of ECs. I would call it evidence that you chose to prioritize the short-term over the long-term, which is not a particularly appealing characteristic in a potential physician. You will simply get crowded out by applicants with stronger apps. My own student interviewers would eat you alive.

Here's a more realistic list, once you fix those deficits:
Hofstra
U Toledo
U VM
Pitt (maybe)
Miami
St. Louis
Albany
Albert Einstein
Rochester
Rosy Franklin
MCW
NYMC
VCU
EVMS
Wake Forest
Jefferson
Temple
Tufts
Drexel
Creighton
George Washington
Georgetown
Emory
Tulane
Dartmouth
Loyola
Netter
Oakland-B
Western MI
Seton Hall
Your state school(s).
Nova MD
Uniformed Services University/Hebert (just be aware of the military service commitment)
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. Start list with OHCOM, MUCOM and CCOM

 

[drfb65]

Your advisor is a *****, like most of them.

You have to get in more more patient contact experience. This may sound a little harsh, but I would not call your sporting career an explanation for your lack of ECs. I would call it evidence that you chose to prioritize the short-term over the long-term, which is not a particularly appealing characteristic in a potential physician. You will simply get crowded out by applicants with stronger apps.

Here's a more realistic list, once you fix those deficits:
Hofstra
U Toledo
U VM
Pitt (maybe)
Miami
St. Louis
Albany
Albert Einstein
Rochester
Rosy Franklin
MCW
NYMC
VCU
EVMS
Wake Forest
Jefferson
Temple
Tufts
Drexel
Creighton
George Washington
Georgetown
Emory
Tulane
Dartmouth
Loyola
Netter
Oakland-B
Western MI
Seton Hall
Your state school(s).
Nova MD
Uniformed Services University/Hebert (just be aware of the military service commitment)
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. Start list with OHCOM, MUCOM and CCOM

I understand my clinical volunteering (60) and shadowing (35) hours may be a bit low, but I also have 400 hours of clinical research at a hospital (with a strong recommendation from them). Is that not enough patient exposure? My gap year position is all clinical/direct patient work, but I understand that won't help unless I make it to interviews.

I'm a bit confused what you mean by a lack of ECs. I grouped some hours here, but I have two different tutoring experiences, executive positions in three different student groups, another non-clinical research position, a government internship (I was trying to decide between careers in policy and medicine), and a job on campus, in addition to my athletics and clinical research and volunteering experiences. I'm not trying to be abrasive, your post just kind of spooked me after assuming I had a pretty balanced application.

 

[Goro]

I understand my clinical volunteering (60) and shadowing (35) hours may be a bit low, but I also have 400 hours of clinical research at a hospital (with a strong recommendation from them). Is that not enough patient exposure? My gap year position is all clinical/direct patient work, but I understand that won't help unless I make it to interviews.

I'm a bit confused what you mean by a lack of ECs. I grouped some hours here, but I have two different tutoring experiences, executive positions in three different student groups, another non-clinical research position, a government internship (I was trying to decide between careers in policy and medicine), and a job on campus, in addition to my athletics and clinical research and volunteering experiences. I'm not trying to be abrasive, your post just kind of spooked me after assuming I had a pretty balanced application.

I take the virw that clinical research is dealing with research subjects, not patients.

Medicine is a service profession, so you should display your altruism by getting off campus and out of your comfort zone. Unless you've been tutoring disadvantaged kids!

What was the nature of your clinical research?

 

[drfb65]

I take the virw that clinical research is dealing with research subjects, not patients.

Medicine is a service profession, so you should display your altruism by getting off campus and out of your comfort zone. Unless you've been tutoring disadvantaged kids!

What was the nature of your clinical research?

My tutoring experience was working with city high school students. My clinical research was in orthopaedics, mostly knee and hip replacement patients. The range of studies was very wide, from using patient records to observing current surgeries. I was able to go into surgeries and contact patients during the experience.

 

[Goro]

My tutoring experience was working with Baltimore high school students. My clinical research was in orthopaedics, mostly knee and hip replacement patients. The range of studies was very wide, from using patient records to observing current surgeries. I was able to go into surgeries and contact patients during the experience.

On a side note, my non-clinical research has some relevance in that I observed recorded interviews between clinicians and patients regarding child care for disadvantaged mothers in Baltimore.

What I'm seeing is too much passive activity regarding patients.

The tutoring is great, though.

Get in some active patient contact starting now and apply by 7.1, and keep on that venue. You can list future hrs on your app.