School List Help 3.20sGPA, 3.49cGPA, 511 Mcat

[Neoru Bo]

Hi everyone,
I was hoping to seek some advice on my school list. My overview:
Residence - IL (permanent address) but is residing/ has been working in MI over the past year
Demographics - EO1 status, ORM

GPA: 3.2 sGPA (no excuses, performed poorly soph yr with 2.76 sGPA, which is unfortunately the bulk of my science classes. Upward trend junior/senior year 3.6 sGPA),
3.49 cGPA
2015 Graduate, first time applicant

MCAT: 127 PS, 127 CARS, 128 BS, 129 PSYCH

EC's: Currently working as a scribe (1500+ hrs), no formal MD or DO shadowing, undergrad research + co-author publication (5000+ hrs), volunteer summer school teacher (200+ hrs), volunteer in assisted living (I categorized this as non-clinical, 400+ hrs), graphic designer (2000+ hrs)

LOR: 3 MD, 2 Science, 1 Research, 2 non-science

I'm currently applying to both MD and DO, though at the moment prefer MD given my limited experiences with DO. I would also prefer staying near the Midwest.

Current MD list:
Central Michigan, Michigan State, Western Michigan, Rosalind Franklin, University of Illinois, Quinnipiac, Cooper, Wright State, East Virginia, Marshall, Rush, Loyola, Wayne State, UMKC, Commonwealth, Virginia Commonwealth

Current DO list: CCOM, Touro (NY and CA), DMU, NYITCOM, LECOM, KCUMB, PCOM (I tried to pick DO schools that didn't require DO letters, though some recommended it)

Definitely hoping to trim down the list due to associated costs, but I'm just very unsure where my chances lie. Any suggestions on what schools to add/subtract from the list as well as general advice on applying is greatly appreciated! Thank you guys. Best of luck to all the applicants this year.

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[Faha]

Central Michigan, Michigan State, Wright State, Wayne State, UMKC are state public schools that accept very few OOS applicants with your stats so you can remove them. Consider adding these schools:
Medical College Wisconsin
Creighton
Tulane
NYMC
Oakland Beaumont
Penn State
Drexel
Temple
Jefferson
GW
Georgetown
Roseman (new school accepting applications sometime this year)
Your best chances will be the Illinois schools but your overall chance for a MD acceptance in only 50% so concentrate on your DO schools also. You could add MU-COM in Indiana.

 

[gyngyn]

Central Michigan, Michigan State, Wright State, Wayne State, UMKC are state public schools that accept very few OOS applicants with your stats so you can remove them. Consider adding these schools:
Medical College Wisconsin
Creighton
Tulane
NYMC
Oakland Beaumont
Penn State
Drexel
Temple
Jefferson
GW
Georgetown
Roseman (new school accepting applications sometime this year)
Your best chances will be the Illinois schools but your overall chance for a MD acceptance in only 50% so concentrate on your DO schools also. You could add MU-COM in Indiana.

Roseman was denied preliminary accreditation. It appears that the first class will be delayed at least a year.

 

[GrapesofRath]

Have you considered waiting a year to do some PB work to bring up your GPA and become a MI resident? MI is an excellent state for MD admission: the odds of this app generating traction at state schools is better in MI than IL for sure. Furthermore, there are schools like Wayne St(and maybe Michigan St) that if you do 20+ credits of PB work will use those 20+ credits to calculate your GPA entirely. You are the type of person who could really benefit from that. If MD is your end goal it might be a good idea to do all you can to maximize your odds for your first app and there are certainly measures you can take to do that.

 

[Neoru Bo]

Central Michigan, Michigan State, Wright State, Wayne State, UMKC are state public schools that accept very few OOS applicants with your stats so you can remove them. Consider adding these schools:
Medical College Wisconsin
Creighton
Tulane
NYMC
Oakland Beaumont
Penn State
Drexel
Temple
Jefferson
GW
Georgetown
Roseman (new school accepting applications sometime this year)
Your best chances will be the Illinois schools but your overall chance for a MD acceptance in only 50% so concentrate on your DO schools also. You could add MU-COM in Indiana.

Thank you for your suggestions! I'll definitely consider looking into more DO schools and possibly shadowing.

For the MD school list, especially the MI ones, does having gone to undergrad in MI factor in (so I've been in MI for 5+ years at this point). Though, I'll probably remove them from my list given I'm not a resident and my stats. Anyway, thanks again!

 

[Neoru Bo]

Have you considered waiting a year to do some PB work to bring up your GPA and become a MI resident? MI is an excellent state for MD admission: the odds of this app generating traction at state schools is better in MI than IL for sure. Furthermore, there are schools like Wayne St(and maybe Michigan St) that if you do 20+ credits of PB work will use those 20+ credits to calculate your GPA entirely. You are the type of person who could really benefit from that. If MD is your end goal it might be a good idea to do all you can to maximize your odds for your first app and there are certainly measures you can take to do that.

Thanks for the advice! I have considered doing a postbac, but deterred mostly due to costs. I may have to consider post grad work if this cycle doesn't work out, but that may be 2-3 years down the line when I've saved up. At that point, would you recommend postbac vs SMP?
Also, same question as above, does having gone to undergrad in MI (living in MI for 5+ years at this point) factor in to residency considerations?
Thanks for the helpful advice! Much appreciated.

 

[GrapesofRath]

Thanks for the advice! I have considered doing a postbac, but deterred mostly due to costs. I may have to consider post grad work if this cycle doesn't work out, but that may be 2-3 years down the line when I've saved up. At that point, would you recommend postbac vs SMP?
Also, same question as above, does having gone to undergrad in MI (living in MI for 5+ years at this point) factor in to residency considerations?
Thanks for the helpful advice! Much appreciated.

An SMP has the potential for a greater positive impact. Having said, that an informal PB is less rigorous and cheaper. In your state, it might be close to as effective with Wayne St and potentially Michigan St's policies on only using 20+ credits of PB work for GPA calculation.

How every school views someone who went to MI for UG will vary. Having said that I dont particularly recommend applying to MI schools outside of Oakland, W Michigan and if you went to a UG that has a host medical school(ie Central Michigan as an ex). Dont make yourself a reapplicant needlessly at schools like Wayne St Michigan St and Central Michigan that dont take many OOS applicants and where you would be a long shot at to get any interest OOS(unless you went to UG for any of these schools).

 

[Faha]

Roseman was denied preliminary accreditation. It appears that the first class will be delayed at least a year.

Thank you for that information!