Medical TX resident - what schools should I apply to?

[Goro]

I am an ORM TX resident re-applicant with a 515/3.8. I have around 150 hours of clinical volunteering, 180 hours of nonclinical, >1000 hours of research with some posters, and probably average leadership/work experience. I also recently started working as an optometric technician/scribe to broaden my clinical experience and have updated whichever schools accept them. I've applied to all TX MD schools plus a handful of OOS schools (a combined total of 16 schools) but can't help but feel that this number is too low for a re-applicant. I think part of the reason I didn't get an acceptance last cycle was because of applying to too few schools that I had a good chance at. Should I apply to more OOS schools and DO as well?

A 515 MCAT is not enough for OOS schools to accept you, because they know from historic norms that candidates like you are most likely to stay in TX with its nice tuition.

I don't think that you need DO, but try it if you don't get any love by T-giving.

You have 3x hrs of research compared to your other ECs, so don't do any more of that, and in the mean time try to bulk up the ECs. Do you have shadowing experience?

Rewrite all essays and have multiple eyeballs vet them.

No love at all from the TX schools last cycle? If you had IIs, then work on interview skills.

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[tantacles]

What happened last cycle? And what schools are on your list now? It’s hard to advise without knowing last year’s story.

when I say what happened, what I mean is did you get zero interviews? 5? 10? What were the results? How many schools did you apply to last time?

 

[TheBoneDoctah]

Even with those stats, I may throw in a few DO apps just so you don't go emptyhanded again. Will you need the DO schools? Who knows. But it's only a drop in the bucket for the apps in the long run and it's worth it to not have to wait ANOTHER year.

...at the VERY least...apply to TCOM.

 

[tantacles]

Last cycle I interviewed at Baylor, UTSA, and McGovern and yes I have around 60 hours of shadowing multiple physicians/specialties. Since I ended up on waitlists for all 3, I'm definitely putting in a lot more preparation for interviews this time around since that seems to be one area that I'm lacking in. I also re-wrote my essays and had multiple people give feedback (including the generous volunteer readers here on SDN) so I'm hoping that has been improved from last cycle. I'm currently applying to all TX schools (didn't do that last year which was dumb of me) and Wake Forest, Quinnipiac, Drexel, Wright State, TCU/UNT, and Carle Illinois. Last year I applied to a little under 30 schools and will probably go ahead and add some DO schools to my list this time. Thank y'all for the responses these are very helpful!

Are those the only schools you applied to last year? If you got interviews at those extremely strong schools, you should have a great chance of getting in as long as you apply broadly.