How to approach upcoming months MD/DO

[gp2]

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Hi everyone, I have some questions how to best approach the months before applying in June. First off, I was recommended not to apply DO this past cycle-- I ended up feeling pressured to apply and was rejected from a DO school after an interview. I feel I need to work a lot on my interview skills, but my main application concerns are minimal shadowing hours and clinical experience. I'm currently employed as a caregiver and so I know that can contribute to my clinical experience adding hours and experience.

My other concern is shadowing--Can anyone speak to how important shadowing hours are? I am connected with one MD and am able to shadow once a week starting soon once I can schedule. However, I don't see how I can accumulate many hours before submitting in June. Due to applying to DO this past cycle, I spent all my shadowing time with DOs in order to gain that experience and I am feeling stuck how to divide this time between MD/DO now.

Can anyone give me feedback/reality check on my revised school list. Thanks!

This is updated from a past thread.
MCAT: 511 (128/128/128/127)
GPA: sGPA 3.75, cGPA 3.9
Shadowing: 15 hrs (MD only), 50 hrs (DO)
Research: 900+ hrs lab assistant
Clinical: 250+ hrs nursing home volunteer, 150+ hrs employed caregiver
Volunteer: 500+ hrs
Teaching experience: 1000+hrs middle school, high school, adults
URM Mexican non native spanish speaker
CA resident, attended UC

I was advised to apply to these schools:
The UC's
USC
California University
Kaiser
Arizona (Tucson and Phoenix)
Boston University
Tufts
Quinnipiac
New York Medical College
Einstein
Seton Hall
Drexel
Temple
Jefferson
Georgetown
George Washington
NOVA MD
Miami
Oakland Beaumont
Medical College Wisconsin
Loyola
Rosalind Franklin
St. Louis
Creighton

This was a revised list based on location mainly:
Kaiser
UCSD
UCRiverside
UCSF
UC Irvine
David Geffen UCLA
UCDavis
New Mexico
Arizona (Tucson and Phoenix)
Nevada
USC
University of Washington
Colorado
Oregon
Utah
California University
Touro
Western-Pomona and Oregon

Thank you for your help!

 

[907914]

Hi everyone, I have some questions how to best approach the months before applying in June. First off, I was recommended not to apply DO this past cycle-- I ended up feeling pressured to apply and was rejected from a DO school after an interview. I feel I need to work a lot on my interview skills, but my main application concerns are minimal shadowing hours and clinical experience. I'm currently employed as a caregiver and so I know that can contribute to my clinical experience adding hours and experience.

My other concern is shadowing--Can anyone speak to how important shadowing hours are? I am connected with one MD and am able to shadow once a week starting soon once I can schedule. However, I don't see how I can accumulate many hours before submitting in June. Due to applying to DO this past cycle, I spent all my shadowing time with DOs in order to gain that experience and I am feeling stuck how to divide this time between MD/DO now.

Can anyone give me feedback/reality check on my revised school list. Thanks!

This is updated from a past thread.
MCAT: 511 (128/128/128/127)
GPA: sGPA 3.75, cGPA 3.9
Shadowing: 15 hrs (MD only), 50 hrs (DO)
Research: 900+ hrs lab assistant
Clinical: 250+ hrs nursing home volunteer, 150+ hrs employed caregiver
Volunteer: 500+ hrs
Teaching experience: 1000+hrs middle school, high school, adults
URM Mexican non native spanish speaker
CA resident, attended UC

I was advised to apply to these schools:
The UC's
USC
California University
Kaiser
Arizona (Tucson and Phoenix)
Boston University
Tufts
Quinnipiac
New York Medical College
Einstein
Seton Hall
Drexel
Temple
Jefferson
Georgetown
George Washington
NOVA MD
Miami
Oakland Beaumont
Medical College Wisconsin
Loyola
Rosalind Franklin
St. Louis
Creighton

This was a revised list based on location mainly:
Kaiser
UCSD
UCRiverside
UCSF
UC Irvine
David Geffen UCLA
UCDavis
New Mexico
Arizona (Tucson and Phoenix)
Nevada
USC
University of Washington
Colorado
Oregon
Utah
California University
Touro
Western-Pomona and Oregon

Thank you for your help!

New Mexico, Colorado, Oregon, Utah And especially UW have a very very very low amount of OOS and I would highly recommend you not spend the $500 to apply there. Definitely apply to all of your state schools. I would remove George Washington, Jefferson, Drexel and Georgetown as all are very low yield. Also, Einstein and Boston University are pretty far reach.

 

[Faha]

Go with the original list i gave you. Schools such as U Washington, Oregon, Nevada, Utah accept few non residents with no connection to the state. You could add TCU-UNTHSC (new school). If you want to maximize your chances for a MD acceptance you need to apply more broadly geographically. You are fine for any DO schools. Add a few more such as AZCOM, ATSU-SOMA, TUNCOM. An early application in June is important.

 

[candbgirl]

You have enough shadowing. As long as you have a DO letter for schools that want one you’re fine. What did you do to accumulate the 500 volunteering hours?

 

[gp2]

Thank you all.

I hadn’t thought of how being oos would affect things so I understand the original school list better. I’ll consider focusing more on my state schools and keep in mind the ones that are more of a reach. I’ll also look into those DO.

As far as volunteering, I’ve been volunteering since undergrad years (2010) so I’ve been adding up since then but my more recent hours are about 200 or so in the last 1.5 years- this has been w lgbt organization and others.

 

[gp2]

I am hoping to get my school list down to around 15 schools. I am also interested in learning if any schools are friendy to URM and LGBT applicants (I am still unsure about some of the schools based on their location). I also removed some of the ones that were mentioned to be reaches as well as schools that were Jesuit. Are there any other schools that should be removed/added for any reason? Thank you so much for your help. Your advice has already saved me time and money. I am so grateful.

Kaiser
UC (6 schools)
USC
California University
Arizona (Tucson and Phoenix)
Tufts
Quinnipiac
New York Medical College
Seton Hall
Temple
NOVA MD
Oakland Beaumont
Rosalind Franklin