Help with school list

[DayOldBagels]

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Hi! I've been watching this forum for a long time but this is my first time posting. I could really use some help putting together a school list. I don't have a good understanding of how competitive (or not) of an applicant I am so I don't know where to start.

NY resident
Graduated 2015 with BS in Chemical Engineering, minor in Biochemical Engineering
Undergrad gpa: Cumulative 3.15 BCPM 2.89
My two first years were rough but mainly the lowest grades came from my upper level math classes one of which I repeated my senior year and got an A in.
I had mediocre grades in my orgo, physics and bio classes mainly because I was putting all my effort into my ChemE classes in which I had about a B average.
Strong upward trend starting my third year

Because of the co-op program at my school I had three 6 month full time work experiences during undergrad: the first at a manufacturing plant, the second at a university nanomedicine research lab which I continued part time after the 6 months until the start of my third co-op, third co-op was at a nanomedicine/biotech/pharmaceutical company and I also continued part time there until I started my post grad job.
From my time with the research lab I have 3 conference poster presentations and one third author publication.

My post grad job was also in nanomedicine/biotech but after my first year I felt like I needed to do something more so I started taking post-bacc classes focusing on upper level science courses. I took 4 classes during my second year of work and then left my job to focus more on the medical school path.
This past year I took 7 upper level science courses
Post bacc gpa: 3.86 (all science) 38 credits
Cumulative: 3.30 BCPM 3.18

MCAT: 519

EC's
100 hours shadowing two hospital internists
120 hours EMT
80 hours ER volunteer
60 hours tutoring for a program that helps college students from under-represented groups get into STEM

Additionally I designed a clinical research study (partnered with one of the DR's I shadowed) to determine how well hospitalized patients understand their health and treatment. I presented the study proposal as a poster at a conference on rural health/health literacy. The study will be undertaken over the next year.

Sorry this is so long, this stuff is hard to condense! Thanks for reading, any suggestions for schools are much appreciated!!

 

[Goro]

Get in some service to others less fortunate than yourself, and some more clinical experiences. Stop shadowing.

I suggest:
UCSF
Columbia
NYU
Case
BU
Hofstra
Dartmouth
Tufts
Drexel
Albany
Loyola
EVMS
Wake
U Miami
Your state schools
NYMC
Pitt
Mayo
Tulane
Any DO school. I can't recommend Touro-NY, Nova, Wm Carey, LUCOM, for different reasons. MSUCOM? Read up on Larry Nasser and you decide.

 

[DayOldBagels]

Get in some service to others less fortunate than yourself, and some more clinical experiences. Stop shadowing.

I suggest:
UCSF
Columbia
NYU
Case
BU
Hofstra
Dartmouth
Tufts
Drexel
Albany
Loyola
EVMS
Wake
U Miami
Your state schools
NYMC
Pitt
Mayo
Tulane
Any DO school. I can't recommend Touro-NY, Nova, Wm Carey, LUCOM, for different reasons. MSUCOM? Read up on Larry Nasser and you decide.

Thank you! I My tutoring position ended with the school year so I'll look for some more service oriented volunteer positions. In terms of more clinical experiences do you mean just another hospital volunteer position? I'm going to be conducting patient interviews for my clinical research study, does that count as clinical experience? Thank you again, very helpful!

 

[Goro]

Thank you! I My tutoring position ended with the school year so I'll look for some more service oriented volunteer positions. In terms of more clinical experiences do you mean just another hospital volunteer position? I'm going to be conducting patient interviews for my clinical research study, does that count as clinical experience? Thank you again, very helpful!

I don't consider being part of a research trial to be actual patient contact, because they're not patients, and you're certainly not doing anyting for them. They're research subjects.

Not all volunteering needs to be in a hospital. Think hospice, Planned Parenthood, nursing homes, rehab facilities, crisis hotlines, camps for sick children, or clinics.

Some types of volunteer activities are more appealing than others. Volunteering in a nice suburban hospital is all very well and good and all, but doesn't show that you're willing to dig in and get your hands dirty in the same way that working with the developmentally disabled (or homeless, the dying, or Alzheimers or mentally ill or elderly or ESL or domestic, rural impoverished) does. The uncomfortable situations are the ones that really demonstrate your altruism and get you 'brownie points'. Plus, they frankly teach you more -- they develop your compassion and humanity in ways comfortable situations can't.

 

[DayOldBagels]

I don't consider being part of a research trial to be actual patient contact, because they're not patients, and you're certainly not doing anyting for them. They're research subjects.

Not all volunteering needs to be in a hospital. Think hospice, Planned Parenthood, nursing homes, rehab facilities, crisis hotlines, camps for sick children, or clinics.

Some types of volunteer activities are more appealing than others. Volunteering in a nice suburban hospital is all very well and good and all, but doesn't show that you're willing to dig in and get your hands dirty in the same way that working with the developmentally disabled (or homeless, the dying, or Alzheimers or mentally ill or elderly or ESL or domestic, rural impoverished) does. The uncomfortable situations are the ones that really demonstrate your altruism and get you 'brownie points'. Plus, they frankly teach you more -- they develop your compassion and humanity in ways comfortable situations can't.

Got it, I guess I was being a little myopic about it. I'll definitely look for these types of opportunities! Thank you!