List of schools: 33MCAT/sGPA:3.3/cGPA:3.5

[claralax]

Hi all! Thanks in advance for your help! It's much appreciated.

Here is a bit about me:
graduated in spring 2010 from Cal
3.5 cGPA
3.3 sGPA
33 MCAT (BS-11, PS-12, VR-10 (I'm ESL though, came to the States when 16yrs old)

24/F/W (CA resident)

- have a lots of leadership and teaching experience (3 organizations with which I stuck throughout 2-3 yrs of college)
- 2 summers of volunteering (with the same organization)
- some hospital volunteering (couple months)
- will have ~ 30hsr of physician shadowing bf applying this cycle
- did research for a semester as undergrad, as a result got a job with the PI for 2yrs (almost done with my first year as RA)

I'm in the process of compiling a list of schools to apply to. My list might be a bit too long...I was thinking applying to ~ 20schools...can you help me narrow it down/or replace some schools with others. I will go anywhere pretty much.

I am planning on applying to all med schools in CA (USC, Loma Linda (not sure yet), Stanford, UCD, UCI, UCLA, UCSD, UCSF)
and then I was thinking:

Georgetown University
George Washington
University of Kentucky
LSU, New Orleans
Tulane
University of Maryland
Tufts*
University of Minnesota
Saint Louis University
Creighton University
State University of New York --Buffalo, Downstate
University at Buffalo School of Med
Duke*
Penn State University
Temple University
University of Vermont
West Virginia
Eastern Virginia Medical School
Medical College of Wisconsin


*I'm not too hopeful about these two schools, but they are my long long long shots (on top of some of the California schools)


Thanks again!

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[Catalystik]

Is a couple of months of clinical experience where you worked directly with sick people all you will list, or do the summers of volunteering or research also include patient contact time? The planned shadowing is on the light side: could you add another 20 hours before submission?

 

[claralax]

Yea that's pretty much it; I am still volunteering at the moment....and I can definitely add more shadowing. My research is heath related (breast cancer), but not involving patient interaction, only their cells....

I decided rather later in college (after I experimented with bunch of other career opportunities (public health, teaching, public policy, research) and after I took an anatomy class with lab that I really wanted to pursue medicine seriously, although I have played with that idea for years (I didn't realize how much work must go into preparation to put together a good application - no excuses though, should have done my research as a freshman)
As a result, most of my volunteering is related to healthcare (being a TA for a public health care for 4 semesters where I lead my own discussion sections; volunteering in NOLA and organizing a summer-volunteering trip for 50 students there; teaching a class about Katrina; philanthropy chair at my sorority; but not much direct experience/interaction with patients (there's plenty of doctors in my family back in my home country, so I grew up in that hospital/doctor environment; I mean I know that doesn't mean much here, but it's not like I woke up one day and said to myself I will be a doctor!)

Let me know what you think, and what else I could do to increase my chances.

 

[Catalystik]

not much direct experience/interaction with patients (there's plenty of doctors in my family back in my home country, so I grew up in that hospital/doctor environment; I mean I know that doesn't mean much here, but it's not like I woke up one day and said to myself I will be a doctor!)

Let me know what you think, and what else I could do to increase my chances.

Try to work that into your PS if possible.

In an ideal world having just a few months of clinical experience would convince adcomms that you know what you're getting yourself into. Practically speaking, many adcomms will be leery of what appears to be a last minute decision about medicine as a career.

To appeal to the greatest number of med schools, you would wait a year, get in the needed experience, and then apply. I understand being in a hurry and wanting to get on with your life. Your ECs are good enough otherwise that I won't discourage you from applying this season.

However, I would suggest you continue to build your patient hours and let each school that permits it know about augmentations of patient experience (and other pertinent ongoing ECs) via periodic update letters or during inteview conversations, hoping they will be swayed positively to consider you. If you end up reapplying, you'd be in a much better position a year from now.

 

[Bru]

State University of New York --Buffalo, Downstate
University at Buffalo School of Med

SUNY-Buffalo is the only med school in Buffalo. Might want to add SUNY-Upstate as well (maybe stonybrook?).

 

[nicolemeooow]

from my personal experience, Case and Pitt are also Cali-friendly

 

[Catalystik]

And so are UIllinois and Rosalind Franklin.