MD High Stats/Mediocre ECs + One potential red flag looking for any general advice on my app/school list

[Beluga72]

State/Country of Residence: Canada, but an American citizen so im OOS everywhere

Ties to other States/Regions: Born in Baltimore, raised in NYC and left for Canada before middle school.

Year in School: Graduated

Undergraduate Major(s)/Minor(s): Psychology

Cumulative GPA: 3.96

Science GPA: 3.92

MCAT Score(s): 521(130, 129, 130, 132)

Research/Lab Experience:

• 100 hours of doing basic lab work analyzing MRI scans
• 300 hours clinical research under a neurologist (projected over the year) (writing up literature reviews + research proposals along with some data analysis) + potentially some pubs?

Clinical Experience (paid or volunteer):

• 400 hours volunteering at local hospital
• 63 hours volunteering at local clinic

Physician Shadowing: 20 hours virtual shadowing multiple different specialties (Can get more done but not sure how helpful it would be)

Non-Clinical Volunteering:

• 100 hours volunteering as a neuroscience and basic psychology tutor for my university
• 225 hours as chat responder for an online emotional support line that offers service across the world

Employment History: 144 hours as a first and second year physics lab assistant

Hobbies: History enthusiast (avid reader of history and geopolitics since high school) + Weightlifting(not sure if its too generic to include), both would be well over 3k hours so I am not sure what to put for time spent

Immediate family members in medicine? (Y/N): N

Specialty of Interest (if applicable): Neuro/Psychiatry but very open to change

Red Flag:

• Completely screwed my first year due to a medical issue and had to repeat it when I transferred Unis. At the time I was advised to drop out and focus on my health, but I was scared of “wasting” a year and stayed (Something I very much regret). Long story short, I couldn’t finish my courses and ended up petitioning the Uni for extenuating circumstances which they accepted because I had two doctors write a letter on my behalf. One course ended up as a late withdrawal, one ended up being only credit given with no grade shown and 2 others ended up with an “estimated grade”. Differences are due to different department policy for each course.
• Because of this I lost my scholarship so I ended up transferring to a Uni near my home as I don't have a lot of money. My new university (understandably) didn’t accept estimated grades and credit only courses so I had to repeat first year.
• TLDR I had to repeat my first year of Uni due to medical issues and I'm not sure how adcoms will see this.

Any advice for me based on my application? I am applying next cycle and would appreciate any advice on how to improve until then. Also would welcome any suggestions or changes for my school list.

Albert Einstein College of Medicine
University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry
Weill Cornell Medicine
Tufts University School of Medicine
University of Vermont College of Medicine
George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences
Sidney Kimmel Medical College at Thomas Jefferson University
Boston University School of Medicine
Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell
Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania
Duke University School of Medicine
Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine Northwestern
New York Medical College
Albany Medical College
Vanderbilt University School of Medicine
Case Western
Ohio State
Cincinnati
U Michigan
Pittsburgh
Vanderbilt
Emory University School of Medicine
Miami
U Virginia
USC Keck
Kaiser
NYU
Columbia

Thank you so much!

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[Faha]

You could add these schools to your application:
Dartmouth
Western Michigan
Mayo (both schools)
USF Morsani

 

[Beluga72]

Thank you Faha! If you don't mind me asking, what areas of my application should I focus on improving over the year? At the moment I am trying to find new non-clinical volunteering and research opportunities, because I think those are the weakest areas of my application(minus my first year). What do you think?

Also, I am thinking about adding some more "safety" schools because I am a little paranoid by how hard I messed things in my first year. But I am not sure if it would be a waste of time or money if I just get yield protected out. Any advice on this regard?

 

[Faha]

50 hours of in person shadowing and more non clinical volunteering hours will help you chances. It is likely that you would be "yield protected" at lower tier MD schools.

 

[Goro]

Thank you Faha! If you don't mind me asking, what areas of my application should I focus on improving over the year? At the moment I am trying to find new non-clinical volunteering and research opportunities, because I think those are the weakest areas of my application(minus my first year). What do you think?

Also, I am thinking about adding some more "safety" schools because I am a little paranoid by how hard I messed things in my first year. But I am not sure if it would be a waste of time or money if I just get yield protected out. Any advice on this regard?

Don't forget the 16ish DO schools that take Canadians.

 

[Beluga72]

50 hours of in person shadowing and more non clinical volunteering hours will help you chances. It is likely that you would be "yield protected" at lower tier MD schools.

Unfortunately shadowing is illegal here in Canada for non-med students. Should I just increase my virtual shadowing hours instead or just not bother with that?

Don't forget the 16ish DO schools that take Canadians.

I am also an American citizen(just don't have in state status anywhere), would I still be able to apply to the others as well? If so, any school suggestions?

 

[Goro]

Unfortunately shadowing is illegal here in Canada for non-med students. Should I just increase my virtual shadowing hours instead or just not bother with that?



I am also an American citizen(just don't have in state status anywhere), would I still be able to apply to the others as well? If so, any school suggestions?

Then you don't need DO schools. Rock syats should aim high.

 

[Faha]

You can add virtual shadowing hours if that is your only option.