School List? 4.0 GPA, 510 MCAT, IL Resident

[Skydive Fox]

I'll try to keep this as brief as possible. I just need help refining my list of schools. Submitting application in 1-2 days.

GPA: 4.0
MCAT: 510 (130/126/126/128)
Degree: Major in Biomedical Sciences; Minor in Chemistry & Anatomy
Institution: Lowish Mid-tier state institution (4 year full tuition scholarship)
Official State of Residency: Illinois
Representation in Medicine: ORM

Personal Statement: Strong (personal history of trauma)
Shadowing: 80-100 hours (domestic and abroad)
Research: 1 semester biochemistry, 1 semester psychology (no posters, publications, or presentations)
Paid Work Experience: Private tutor 2 years, clerical assistant 1 year, lab assistant 1/2 year
Volunteer Experience: 150+ hours mentoring underpriveledged child with BBBS, 250+ hours miscellaneous volunteering at church, 650+ hours at a campus leadership/public speaking organization
Leadership Experience: Strong. Extensive experience with and current head honcho of our campus' most selective student run organization that's focused on leadership development and public speaking, a few other miscellaneous leadership positions as well.

Current List:
Albert Einstein
Case Western (dream)
Columbia (dream)
Dartmouth (reach)
Indiana University
Loyola
Mayo (dream)
Northwestern
Ohio State
Rosalind Franklin
SLU
University of Illinois
Vanderbilt (dream)
Vermont

Note: Omitted SIU & Rush because I don't fit their missions.

I need help refining a school list. I want to stay east of Missouri and North of Tennessee (Rust Belt to NE Coast). Should I add Baylor and JHU as reach/dreams? Should I remove some from this list? What else can I add?

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[Skydive Fox]

@Goro @gyngyn

Your wisdom would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Goro]

No patient contact volunteering? If not, you're DOA at any medical school. My student interviewers would eat you alive.

I'll try to keep this as brief as possible. I just need help refining my list of schools. Submitting application in 1-2 days.

GPA: 4.0
MCAT: 510 (130/126/126/128)
Degree: Major in Biomedical Sciences; Minor in Chemistry & Anatomy
Institution: Lowish Mid-tier state institution (4 year full tuition scholarship)
Official State of Residency: Illinois
Representation in Medicine: ORM

Personal Statement: Strong (personal history of trauma)
Shadowing: 80-100 hours (domestic and abroad)
Research: 1 semester biochemistry, 1 semester psychology (no posters, publications, or presentations)
Paid Work Experience: Private tutor 2 years, clerical assistant 1 year, lab assistant 1/2 year
Volunteer Experience: 150+ hours mentoring underpriveledged child with BBBS, 250+ hours miscellaneous volunteering at church, 650+ hours at a campus leadership/public speaking organization
Leadership Experience: Strong. Extensive experience with and current head honcho of our campus' most selective student run organization that's focused on leadership development and public speaking, a few other miscellaneous leadership positions as well.

Current List:
Albert Einstein
Case Western (dream)
Columbia (dream)
Dartmouth (reach)
Indiana University
Loyola
Mayo (dream)
Northwestern
Ohio State
Rosalind Franklin
SLU
University of Illinois
Vanderbilt (dream)
Vermont

Note: Omitted SIU & Rush because I don't fit their missions.

I need help refining a school list. I want to stay east of Missouri and North of Tennessee (Rust Belt to NE Coast). Should I add Baylor and JHU as reach/dreams? Should I remove some from this list? What else can I add?

 

[Skydive Fox]

No patient contact volunteering? If not, you're DOA at any medical school. My student interviewers would eat you alive.

My bad, forgot to list it here in my attempt to reduce wordiness on this post, haha. I have around 50 hr. I also grew up in a family and community of doctors, so I've hovered around many clinics and hospitals through the years and know what I'm getting myself into.

 

[Goro]

You're still going to need more clinical volunteering. 50 hours won't cut it, and definitely not having doctors in the family.

 

[Skydive Fox]

You're still going to need more clinical volunteering. 50 hours won't cut it, and definitely not having doctors in the family.

How many hours of clinical volunteering are ideal?

 

[Skydive Fox]

I don't entirely understand why someone would be "DOA" without clinical volunteering if they have a significant amount of shadowing and seem to understand what they're getting themselves into...

 

[Faha]

The only schools on your list that are realistic with your MCAT are:
Albert Einstein
Indiana University
Loyola
Rosalind Franklin
SLU
University of Illinois
Vermont
You need to apply to many more schools since your clinical exposure is a little light. Schools you could add include:
Medical College Wisconsin
Creighton
Tulane
Oakland Beaumont
Western Michigan
Quinnipiac
New York Medical
Albany
Penn State
Drexel
Temple
Jefferson
GW
Eastern Virginia
Virginia Commonwealth
Your perfect GPA should attract the attention of some schools.

 

[candbgirl]

Check the websites for Loyola, SLU and Creighton. They are Jesuit schools and have a specific mission of serving underprivileged etc.


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[Goro]

Here's the deal: You need to show AdComs that you know what you're getting into, and show off your altruistic, humanistic side. We need to know that you're going to like being around sick or injured people for the next 40 years.

Here's another way of looking at it: would you buy a new car without test driving it? Buy a new suit or dress without trying it on??

We're also not looking for merely for good medical students, we're looking for people who will make good doctors, and 4.0 GPA robots are a dime-a-dozen.

I've seen plenty of posts here from high GPA/high MCAT candidates who were rejected because they had little patient contact experience.

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.


Service need not be "unique". If you can alleviate suffering in your community through service to the poor, homeless, illiterate, fatherless, etc, you are meeting an otherwise unmet need and learning more about the lives of the people (or types of people) who will someday be your patients. Check out your local houses of worship for volunteer opportunities. The key thing is service to others less fortunate than you. And get off campus and out of your comfort zone!

Examples include: Habitat for Humanity, Ronald McDonald House, Humane Society, crisis hotlines, soup kitchen, food pantry, homeless or women’s shelter, after-school tutoring for students or coaching a sport in a poor school district, teaching ESL to adults at a community center, Big Brothers/Big Sisters, or Meals on Wheels.


What are you going to say when asked how you know you are suited for a life of caring for the sick and suffering? “That you just know”? Imagine how that will go over!

I don't entirely understand why someone would be "DOA" without clinical volunteering if they have a significant amount of shadowing and seem to understand what they're getting themselves into...

 

[Goro]

Best to get > 100 hrs of patient contact experience. That doesn't include shadowing.

 

[Goro]

Here are the schools I'd recommend:

Miami
St. Louis
Albany
Rochester
Rush (note: very service/experience oriented with a 150hr service requirement. Avg student has 800 hours of community service, and >1800 hours of health care exposure.)
Rosy Franklin
NYMC
MCW
VCU
EVMS
Wake Forest
Jefferson
Temple
Drexel
Creighton
Tulane
Loyola
Uniformed Services University/Hebert (just be aware of the military service commitment)
Any new MD school, except Hofstra and Central MI, FIU, FAU and UCF. I can't recommend CNU.
Any DO program. Start with CCOM and MUCOM
U ILL
SIU IF you're from southern IL.

 

[Skydive Fox]

Here's the deal: You need to show AdComs that you know what you're getting into, and show off your altruistic, humanistic side. We need to know that you're going to like being around sick or injured people for the next 40 years.

Here's another way of looking at it: would you buy a new car without test driving it? Buy a new suit or dress without trying it on??

We're also not looking for merely for good medical students, we're looking for people who will make good doctors, and 4.0 GPA robots are a dime-a-dozen.

I've seen plenty of posts here from high GPA/high MCAT candidates who were rejected because they had little patient contact experience.

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.


Service need not be "unique". If you can alleviate suffering in your community through service to the poor, homeless, illiterate, fatherless, etc, you are meeting an otherwise unmet need and learning more about the lives of the people (or types of people) who will someday be your patients. Check out your local houses of worship for volunteer opportunities. The key thing is service to others less fortunate than you. And get off campus and out of your comfort zone!

Examples include: Habitat for Humanity, Ronald McDonald House, Humane Society, crisis hotlines, soup kitchen, food pantry, homeless or women’s shelter, after-school tutoring for students or coaching a sport in a poor school district, teaching ESL to adults at a community center, Big Brothers/Big Sisters, or Meals on Wheels.


What are you going to say when asked how you know you are suited for a life of caring for the sick and suffering? “That you just know”? Imagine how that will go over!

I'm a Big with Big Brothers Big Sisters (included in my original post...) and mentor a fatherless, mentally unstable underprivepedged kid (and his siblings sometines) and venture into a ghetto in a city on the "Top 100 Most Dangerous Cities in America" every week to do this. I'm also volunteer at my church (in my OP as well) and am involved with a food pantry it operates in the same ghetto. I've been robbed in said area multiple times but it doesn't deter me. Also I think ive got a unique and broader take on humanity & altruism, as my family came as refugees. I'm active member of UNICEF. Also, my PS revolves around me dying after trauma and subsequent recovery. I think I understand why I'm pursuing this path beyond "I just know." Maybe my original post was too vague, but hopefully this clears things up a bit. I do not consider myself a 4.0 automaton, but that's just my opinion.

 

[Goro]

Your non-clinical Ecs are outstanding. Just get some more patient contact experience and you'll be good to go.

I'm a Big with Big Brothers Big Sisters (included in my original post...) and mentor a fatherless, mentally unstable underprivepedged kid (and his siblings sometines) and venture into a ghetto in a city on the "Top 100 Most Dangerous Cities in America" every week to do this. I'm also volunteer at my church (in my OP as well) and am involved with a food pantry it operates in the same ghetto. I've been robbed in said area multiple times but it doesn't deter me. Also I think ive got a unique and broader take on humanity & altruism, as my family came as refugees. I'm active member of UNICEF. Also, my PS revolves around me dying after trauma and subsequent recovery. I think I understand why I'm pursuing this path beyond "I just know." Maybe my original post was too vague, but hopefully this clears things up a bit. I do not consider myself a 4.0 automaton, but that's just my opinion.