School List/WAMC (523/4.0) ORM solid research

[awesomeike]

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Very interested in neurology/neurosurgery and want to go into academic medicine. No idea how to proceed forward though. I am a trad applicant who will be applying next cycle.

1. 4.0 GPA
2. 523 (132/130/131/130)
3. TX resident
4. ORM
5. T50 State School
6. ~800 hours clinical experience as a PCT in a local hospital. Great patient stories and will get a solid LOR from supervisor.
7. 1.5 years and ~900 hours in basic sciences/pre-clinical lab at medical school. 6 poster presentations ranging from local to national conferences (all first author if that matters) and one primary research article about to be sent off for review (1st author, really hope it's published in time for primaries. Probably mid journal based off lab history)
8. ~40 hours shadowing between Peds, GI, and neurosurgery. Looking to shadow a few more areas before applying.
9. ~200 hours non-clinical volunteering currently, trying to get more involved this semester since I know this is a weak point. All hours so far are over two years with the same organization.
10. Unsure of what qualifies, but I precept some as a PCT and help teach new undergrads and rotating grad students for lab. Also was a summer camp counselor, but that feels like a stretch.
Don't really have anything crazy to report. My hobbies are mainly weightlifting, hiking, and music. Pretty into jazz/classical and attend many concerts and have been in a few different ensembles for both on a few different instruments.

Any advice on school list is welcome. I will put my very rough list below for reference. Thanks!

Hopkins, UPenn, Duke, Mayo, Yale, WashU, UMich, Vanderbilt, Baylor, Brown, Einstein, Case Western, Emory, UTSW, Pitt, Cornell, Pritzker, Dartmouth, UVA, USF, Northwestern, UTSA, UTMB, Texas Tech, McGovern, Dell, and TAMU

 

[Mr.Smile12]

Welcome to the forums.

Numbers without descriptions or context are meaningless. 200 hours doing what?

Furthermore, as a Texas applicant, is there a compelling reason why you want to go out of state? Usually successful ones are "superstars," and I'm not sure you have met that threshold. Your metrics should be fine, but the most important metric is your debt, so what have you done that thinks you warrant a significant scholarship or attendance at a tuition-free school?

 

[awesomeike]

Thank you for the response! My 200 hours of non-clinical volunteering is currently helping with guest services at a rural hospital. I know it's not clinical work, but it still feels close to health to me and I want to expand my horizons a bit. I've been getting involved in a local special needs program as well (doing it because I enjoy it, not for the hours). My overall story is I'm very passionate about neurological care and want to bring attention for AD and Parkinsons to communities that don't have that kind of care. I have a rural background myself and have seen far too many people be underserved in a field I really care about. Debt is certainly my biggest concern, but I also do want to be at a school in which I will be able to make the contacts I need for neurosurgery if that is what I choose. Some amazing schools in Texas can do this well, but I wanted to apply broadly to get more chances. I've heard Texas applicants are frowned upon outside of the state, but will this give me a huge disadvantage at the other schools on my list? While I know I'm not the best research applicant by a mile, I hoped a first author publication and some presentations at national conferences would help me a bit. I don't expect to get any love from T10 schools, but do you think my application is too weak to apply to so many of the T20?

Thanks again for the feedback, I really appreciate you taking your time to give some advice.

 

[Mr.Smile12]

What were the services you offered? No, it's not clinical work, but the people you served were patients and caregivers, yes?

What responsibilities will you have with the special needs program?

I'm sure you will go ahead and apply out. I would urge you to network with students at the schools, especially if there are Texas residents going out-of-state. How similar are your interests with them? Texas applicants aren't frowned upon, but most don't like to overspend on their medical education (it's a lot less in Texas as an in-state resident). Be selective when you pick OOS schools, especially the brand-name schools. Will you really take advantage of all they offer?