Help with school list and general insight, cGPA 4.0, sGPA 3.9, Indiana resident

[ac_lover99]

• State/Country of Residence: IN
• Ties to other States/Regions: Yes, Ohio
• Year in School: Junior
• Graduate Degrees (if applicable): N/A
• Cumulative GPA: 4.0
• Science GPA: 3.9x
• MCAT Score(s): Taking in May, got a 512 on the NS1, goal as of now is 519
• Research Experience: 1200 hours relating to health disparities, EBP, minority health, rural health, etc. Mostly online work, like lit reviews, data coding, annotated bibs
• Publications/Abstracts/Posters (include how you were credited e.g. first author, second author, etc.): Co-author for chapter in a reference book
• Clinical Experience (paid or volunteer): 350 working as CNA, 170 working as a scribe, 255 volunteering
• Physician Shadowing: 115
• Non-Clinical Volunteering: 40 hours mentoring, 40 at local park (would have done more, but alas COVID).
• Other Extracurricular Activities: President of unique club, been working COVID vaccinations, involved with campus women center, do peer health outreach
• Other Employment History: waitress 2+
• Immediate family members in medicine? (Y/N): No
• Specialty of Interest (if applicable): ENT or hematology as of now, but open to anything
• Interest in Primary Care (Y/N): No
• Interest in Rural Health (Y/N): Yes or urban underserved.
• Medical School List:
  • Indiana
  • Cincy
  • Ohio State
  • UK
  • Louisville
  • Maybe U of Alabama Birmingham
  • Wright State
  • Tulane

Please help me come up with more schools! Any general insight on my app and chances of getting in somewhere/anywhere are greatly appreciated! I've also been considering ED for IU since they have such a huge IS bias and apparently pool heavily from ED. Should I apply ED to IU?

Thanks in advance for any insight or critiques! I know I am lacking in nonclinical volunteering but as I am applying this Spring, I don't think I can bump it up by then. I also know it may be hard to come up with a definitive list without MCAT, but I appreciate any help!

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[Banco]

You should definitely apply to state schools in Indiana and Ohio and other schools in the region. But without an MCAT we can't advise really.

Your application activities wise is good. You could probably improve non-clinical volunteering.

 

[ac_lover99]

You should definitely apply to state schools in Indiana and Ohio and other schools in the region. But without an MCAT we can't advise really.

Your application activities wise is good. You could probably improve non-clinical volunteering.

Yeah, I know coming up with a list w/o MCAT score is difficult, which is nerve-racking since I’m not testing until mid-May and still not sure where I’ll apply.

Do you think I could categorize my peer health advocating on campus as non-clinical volunteering? It would add 120 more hours to that category since I do it 6 hours per week. We make up health materials and games on different topics each week like vaping or safe sex and hand out info and condoms, chapstick, first aid kits, etc for free and we aren’t paid. It’s through the university’s health center though and I don’t know if it’s more of an extracurricular due to that.

 

[Banco]

Yeah, I know coming up with a list w/o MCAT score is difficult, which is nerve-racking since I’m not testing until mid-May and still not sure where I’ll apply.

Do you think I could categorize my peer health advocating on campus as non-clinical volunteering? It would add 120 more hours to that category since I do it 6 hours per week. We make up health materials and games on different topics each week like vaping or safe sex and hand out info and condoms, chapstick, first aid kits, etc for free and we aren’t paid. It’s through the university’s health center though and I don’t know if it’s more of an extracurricular due to that.

I suppose you could - hard for me to say since I don't know the activity personally, but it seems like a great use of time either way! And it's not just about the number of hours, if this activity is on your application, adcoms will see it, regardless of how you categorize it! I was just giving very rough feedback.


Overall your application is good to go - your MCAT is now your main priority. Get a good score and you will be fine.

 

[ac_lover99]

I suppose you could - hard for me to say since I don't know the activity personally, but it seems like a great use of time either way! And it's not just about the number of hours, if this activity is on your application, adcoms will see it, regardless of how you categorize it! I was just giving very rough feedback.


Overall your application is good to go - your MCAT is now your main priority. Get a good score and you will be fine.

Thank you so much for your insight! Definitely made me feel a lot better about my app. It's hard to know where I stand when I don't know anyone else applying (except all the amazing applicants I see online)! Now time to work on crushing the MCAT