Help with making a school list

[Wobbler12345]

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I am a Washington State resident (white male) who is graduating from UW with a microbiology degree this spring. I need to get my school list mailed down because i'll be out of the country when secondary apps should be returned, so i'm trying to write the secondary essays over the next two months. In terms of numbers:

514 (129/126/129/130)
3.67 ( Freshman year was a 3.2, so I've been pulling high 3's and 4.0 the last three years)
250 hours of clinical volunteer (patient interaction)
400 hours of hospital volunteer (normal ER and oncology department stuff)
50 hours shadowing
2 years working in a small neuro-development lab so involved in stuff that mostly a grad student would handle
4 years working as a janitor
Leadership experience is being crew lead during the last two summers at the Port
Primary author on a paper that should be published by the time apps are reviewed
2 tertiary authorships on the way
Normal club and intramural involvement

I realize personality and how you present yourself in the essays have a huge impact, but I need advice and using numbers is the most efficient way to get large amounts of it. Any help would be appreciated. My advisor keeps saying to only apply to like 10 schools but that seems really low. Also, I am not sure if I should be applying to DO schools?

Thanks!

 

[GoSpursGo]

Moving to WAMC

 

[Faha]

I suggest these schools with your stats:
U Washington
Washington State
Kaiser
California University
Vermont
Tufts
Quinnipiac
New York Medical College
Hofstra
Einstein
Drexel
Temple
Jefferson
George Washington
Georgetown
NOVA MD
Miami
Oakland Beaumont
Western Michigan
Medical College Wisconsin
Rosalind Franklin
Loyola
St. Louis
Creighton

 

[Wobbler12345]

So that's 24 schools, should I be applying to that many? I feel like the 10 quoted by my schools' advisor is too few. Should I be applying to DO schools as well?

 

[Gilakend]

So that's 24 schools, should I be applying to that many? I feel like the 10 quoted by my schools' advisor is too few. Should I be applying to DO schools as well?

10 is too few with how competetive it is now, imo. Faha always has good lists and I think 24 is fair. If you submit your applications early for MD you could apply to your later in the cycle if you aren’t getting any love and still be good for DO.

That was my plan, partially because I was broke and couldn’t afford to apply to both at the same time.

 

[Wobbler12345]

That's what I thought, thanks for the help! Do I have a realistic shot at getting into UW Med? I am trying to gauge how anxious I should feel about that application.

 

[Gilakend]

That's what I thought, thanks for the help! Do I have a realistic shot at getting into UW Med? I am trying to gauge how anxious I should feel about that application.

You should invest in MSAR, I applied last cycle and not to UW Med so I'm not sure about their avg stats. But I'm sure you have a realistic shot given that Faha recommended it. From what I can remember, your stats are in their IQR which generally means you have a good shot.

Also, for future reference you should either @ the person or hit the reply button to quote their post (which also @'s them) so that they get a notification you responded as could not come back to check the thread to see your question.

 

[Woe_is_me23]

Hey, your stats seem fine for UW. They really focus on people’s EC’s, and as long as your volunteering and clinical experience is super solid you have a decent shot for your interview. (Which, looking at your post, they seem super solid to me)

You can also prewrite their secondary Qs, they have them on their website in advance. Make sure those are SUPER solid— they’re looking for good people here, not test taking robots, and your essays will do a lot of work to show that.