Texas 2015 application cycle

[EParker37]

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Hey all, starting to freak out because I went ahead and decided to apply this cycle, just gauging to see if I should be doing anything in addition.

Stats:
26(27 in may) texas resident.
3.638 cGPA, 3.678 sGPA
3.52 for UG with upward trend from freshman-senior
4.0 informal post-bacc pre-reqs at a CC and upper-div biochem at my alma mater

MCAT:
Average of 510-520 on MCAT diagnostics, of the ones available so far (taking april 17th). Balanced across all sections with a slightly higher score on the CARS section.

Volunteering:
-Was an explorer with the local fire dept. in HS. Chief explorer for a year. ~200hours

-Volunteer Firefighter/EMT throughout my undergraduate and paramedic education. ~5+ hours per week for 5 years.

• Was a member of the recruitment panel and also a fire academy instructor for new members.

-About 100 hours of unpaid tutoring for undergraduate science students.

Work Experience:
-911 paramedic and critical care flight medic for 2 years. 40+ hrs/wk for two years.

• Was an FTO for evaluating and training new hire paramedics and for paramedic students who rotated through my box.

-Paramedic at a level 1 pediatric trauma center 2013 - present. 36+ hours per week for over two years now.

• Preceptor for new hires and volunteers who rotate through our department.
• Operate throughout the facility and have interaction with all specialites. Work as part of the code team, IV access team, trauma tech in the ED, teach CPR to families before discharge, monitor patients during procedures, and other tasks as necessary.
• Helped to craft the ebola response and transport policy for the hospital including setting up training exercises and getting staff up to speed on current isolation recommendations and our hospitals specific policy regarding potential cases. We were the CDC designated facility for patients under the age of 14, had interaction with local, state and federal public health officials and worked with these teams to create our policy.

Research:
-6 months working as a research coordinator for the urology department at the hospital. Recruited study participants and gathered clinical data throughout the process including scrubbing in for OR procedures as necessary to assist with gathering clinical data. ~100 hours

Other:
I have strong LOR's from post-bacc professors who can attest to my academic ability and passion for science/medicine.

Just wondering if I should be doing anything else besides working, finishing classes and studying for the MCAT.

 

[Faha]

If you can improve your MCAT score to the equivalent of 30 or higher you would have a high chance for acceptance to a Texas MD school. Even with your current MCAT you chances are greater than 50%. Apply to several DO schools, including UNTHSC/TCOM.

 

[EParker37]

If you can improve your MCAT score to the equivalent of 30 or higher you would have a high chance for acceptance to a Texas MD school. Even with your current MCAT you chances are greater than 50%. Apply to several DO schools, including UNTHSC/TCOM.

To clarify I haven't taken the MCAT yet, am planning to test on april 17th, my diagnostic scores have been within the 510-520 range, not sure what the equivalent is, but it is over a 30.

 

[EParker37]

Anyone else have any suggestions? If i should bother applying to any OOS schools or just stick with the IS options?

 

[MSUspartansx4]

Average cGPA/MCAT for matriculated students are:

1) Baylor - 73.4 (3.84, 35)
2) UT Southwestern - 72.4 (3.85, 33.9)
3) UT Houston - 69.3 (3.76, 31.7)
4) UT San Antonio - 69.1 (3.73, 31.8)
5) UTMB - 67.7 (3.87, 29)
6) TTU Lubbock - 67.5 (3.65, 31)
7) Texas A&M - 66.7 (3.66, 30.1)
8) TTU El Paso - 64.8 (3.6, 28.8)
9) TCOM - 64 (3.60, 28)

Your GPA looks close enough to be competitive. To put yourself at the 5th/9 highest stat school in TX, UTMB, (by LizzyM score) you would need the equivalent of a 31-32 MCAT to put you at a 67.7 LizzyM score. Anything close to that and I think you'll have a successful application cycle, assuming the rest of your application is good and you apply early.

Your volunteering/health care work experience looks good, but do you have any shadowing? I've heard that even though working in a healthcare setting is a huge advantage, it still may be seen as distinct from shadowing a physician. I've seen many friends and other TX applicants (who had plenty of scribe or other healthcare related work experience, but very little to no shadowing since they considered their work sufficient) with 0 acceptances - so I would work on that or check with schools regarding shadowing hours. I'm currently applying to TX schools this cycle and at nearly every interview I was asked about shadowing experiences and what I learned from them.

Good luck!

 

[EParker37]

Average cGPA/MCAT for matriculated students are:

1) Baylor - 73.4 (3.84, 35)
2) UT Southwestern - 72.4 (3.85, 33.9)
3) UT Houston - 69.3 (3.76, 31.7)
4) UT San Antonio - 69.1 (3.73, 31.8)
5) UTMB - 67.7 (3.87, 29)
6) TTU Lubbock - 67.5 (3.65, 31)
7) Texas A&M - 66.7 (3.66, 30.1)
8) TTU El Paso - 64.8 (3.6, 28.8)
9) TCOM - 64 (3.60, 28)

Your GPA looks close enough to be competitive. To put yourself at the 5th/9 highest stat school in TX, UTMB, (by LizzyM score) you would need the equivalent of a 31-32 MCAT to put you at a 67.7 LizzyM score. Anything close to that and I think you'll have a successful application cycle, assuming the rest of your application is good and you apply early.

Your volunteering/health care work experience looks good, but do you have any shadowing? I've heard that even though working in a healthcare setting is a huge advantage, it still may be seen as distinct from shadowing a physician. I've seen many friends and other TX applicants (who had plenty of scribe or other healthcare related work experience, but very little to no shadowing since they considered their work sufficient) with 0 acceptances - so I would work on that or check with schools regarding shadowing hours. I'm currently applying to TX schools this cycle and at nearly every interview I was asked about shadowing experiences and what I learned from them.

Good luck!

I haven't done any shadowing directly, but I have heard that since my experience is in direct patient care, and involved doing everything from making an assessment to treating a a pt, and having been exposed to all of the specialties at the hospital, and working with urology, that shadowing would be seen as just me ticking off a check box on my application, rather than doing it for the exposure to medicine. But it certainly wouldn't hurt to ask my PCP if he wouldn't mind me tagging along for a few days. Appreciate the heads up.

Yeah. the MCAT is definitely my main stressor at this point haha. Plus trying to decide what to write for my PS etc. This is easily one of the most stressful things I have done in my life, years of school all boil down to one test, and one application.

 

[texan2414]

Average cGPA/MCAT for matriculated students are:

1) Baylor - 73.4 (3.84, 35)
2) UT Southwestern - 72.4 (3.85, 33.9)
3) UT Houston - 69.3 (3.76, 31.7)
4) UT San Antonio - 69.1 (3.73, 31.8)
5) UTMB - 67.7 (3.87, 29)
6) TTU Lubbock - 67.5 (3.65, 31)
7) Texas A&M - 66.7 (3.66, 30.1)
8) TTU El Paso - 64.8 (3.6, 28.8)
9) TCOM - 64 (3.60, 28)

Your GPA looks close enough to be competitive. To put yourself at the 5th/9 highest stat school in TX, UTMB, (by LizzyM score) you would need the equivalent of a 31-32 MCAT to put you at a 67.7 LizzyM score. Anything close to that and I think you'll have a successful application cycle, assuming the rest of your application is good and you apply early.

Your volunteering/health care work experience looks good, but do you have any shadowing? I've heard that even though working in a healthcare setting is a huge advantage, it still may be seen as distinct from shadowing a physician. I've seen many friends and other TX applicants (who had plenty of scribe or other healthcare related work experience, but very little to no shadowing since they considered their work sufficient) with 0 acceptances - so I would work on that or check with schools regarding shadowing hours. I'm currently applying to TX schools this cycle and at nearly every interview I was asked about shadowing experiences and what I learned from them.

Good luck!

I'm wondering how you got your data points. Some of the numbers you posted for the MCAT are quite different from posted numbers on the MSAR. I know MSAR gives median and not the mean, but still....

 

[MSUspartansx4]

I'm wondering how you got your data points. Some of the numbers you posted for the MCAT are quite different from posted numbers on the MSAR. I know MSAR gives median and not the mean, but still....

MSAR posts only accepted data, but not stats for those who actually matriculate (so if every school accepts the 4.0 GPA/45 MCAT applicant, then their MSAR stats will go up, yet only 1 school can actually count that applicant's stats for their true average GPA/MCAT). The numbers I used were the average stats for those who matriculated at each school, which can be found on all the school's websites here, and were also confirmed at their interview days (though I only interviewed at 6/9 of them)

https://www.bcm.edu/education/schools/medical-school/admissions/faq
http://www.utsouthwestern.edu/education/medical-school/admissions/our-students.html
https://www.uth.edu/fact-book/education/school-of-dentistry-medical-school-applicant-scores.htm
http://som.uthscsa.edu/admissions/
https://www.utmbhealth.com/doc/Page.asp?PageID=DOC000445
http://www.ttuhsc.edu/som/admissions/faq.aspx#grades
http://medicine.tamhsc.edu/admissions/
http://elpaso.ttuhsc.edu/fostersom/admissions/plfsom_stats_ey_2009.aspx
http://web.unthsc.edu/info/200679/admissions_and_outreach/1547/entering_class_statistics

 

[Afford]

I'm wondering how you got your data points. Some of the numbers you posted for the MCAT are quite different from posted numbers on the MSAR. I know MSAR gives median and not the mean, but still....

I think he got them from interview day or the school's website. MSAR only shows the accepted median, so someone with a 40 mcat will bring up the median for all the Texas schools that the person was accepted to, but that person will only matriculate into one school. Those numbers look right from what I remember from what interview days.

 

[MSUspartansx4]

I think he got them from interview day or the school's website. MSAR only shows the accepted median, so someone with a 40 mcat will bring up the median for all the Texas schools that the person was accepted to, but that person will only matriculate into one school. Those numbers look right from what I remember from what interview days.

Exactly, we responded at about the same time lol. MSAR isn't far off for most TX school's stats other than TTEP's GPA and wayyy off on UTMB's avg MCAT (MSAR shows a 32, real avg is 29). I guess they accept some really high MCAT applicants that decide not to matriculate, or accept a lot of applicants in general with decently high MCAT's that don't attend. Who knows.

 

[EParker37]

I suppose it's going to boil down to my MCAT scores, luckily my UG education included a lot of sociology and some psych. The huge unknowns of this new exam are definitely stress-inducing, but I'm trying to take a one day at a time approach to this.