Should I apply?

[IRpremed]

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[Catalystik]

I have about 100 hours of volunteering at a nursing home
300-400 hours of being a youth counselor
ill have about 50 hours of volunteering at a pharmacy in a hospital
50-60 hours of tutoring, (no real way to prove this, but not paid)
20-30 hours of volunteering at random events (passing out food to poor, giving clothes ect)
I have about 50 hours of shadowing,
Both of my parents are physicians, so I know the lifestyle (idk if this helps)

Im planning on taking my MCAT on July 8th of this year.
I know i wont get my results back untill Aug. 10th.

I know that I can start on my application before having my MCAT score, but from my understanding, it does not make a difference because schools will simply set my application aside until August 10th, when they receive my MCAT score...

Comments:

List the tutoring, since teaching experience is desirable, and list one of your tutees as a contact person. The honor system is used here so don't worry about not having "proof".

The shadowing is on the light side, but having physician parents covers the gap (so I'm told by an adcomm), and you're assumed to have a good working understanding of life as a physician from dinner table conversation.

You have a decent amount of community service.

The nursing home experience combined with the pharmacy volunteering gives you a decent amount of clinical experience. I assume you occasionally interacted with patients at the window?

It would be important for you to submit your application and transcripts about 5 weeks before your MCAT score is expected to come back, as it will take about that long for your transcripts to be verified. That way, the day the MCAT score is out, your entire application will be available. To further moderate the negative effect of applying that late, you might consider starting to write out your Secondary essays (from prompts you'll find here on SDN), so that when you receive the formal Secondary invitation, you can send everything back within a day or two. By following this advice you could be complete everywhere by the end of August. You can submit to only one school initially if you are not confident of your score, then add more schools when the score is known, depending on how competitive you are. Newly added schools get the application within a day, and it costs the same.

 

[canjosh]

You're certainly competitive enough, given a halfway decent MCAT score. If you're ready emotionally, than you should do as Catalystik outlines regarding timing. If I were your age (and I wish I were--believe me!!)--I'd get accepted, defer, and travel all over the world for a year! But if you're ready to make the leap--you certainly seem to be prepared academically. Good luck!

 

[IRpremed]

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[canjosh]

What schools would I have the best shot at?
if i got, lets say a 30 mcat

Quite a few with your GPA. I don't see any mention of research, so the lack thereof is your most limiting factor when it comes to the most selective schools. If you can manage 32 or 33+ you'll open up more of the top-tier though.

Download the school selection spreadsheet, the methodology used in it is quite good.

 

[Catalystik]

I haven't seen a link that works to get to that spreadsheet for awhile.

If you get a 30 MCAT, here is a starting point for your research: Your LizzyM score would be 70.
MCAT score + (cGPA X 10) + 1 = Your Score.
School's score doesn't include the +1.

66/ MSU,
67/VirginiaCommonwealth, EVMS, Drexel, NYMC, Tulane, UIllinois, Rush, GWU, 68/Temple, Toledo, Buffalo, Loyola, Loma Linda,
69/MCW, UVermont, Jefferson, SUNY Upstate, UCentral Florida, Albany, Creighton, Wayne, Rosalind Franklin, Georgetown,
70/UWisconsin, PennState, Wake, UNCarolina, SUNY Upstate, SLU, UMinnesota, UIowa, UMiami,
71/UCincinnati, Boston

 

[J ROD]

Apply in early June and do as best as possible on the MCAT.