TX Schools?

[emm2020]

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Got advice!

 

[Mr.Smile12]

Hey guys, so I just received my MCAT score and need some help compiling a school list. Hoping I'm competitive for MD but totally open to applying DO as well. I'm kind of overwhelmed by this process so any help would be appreciated. Thanks so much in advance!

• Year in school: Senior Cell and Molecular Biology Major at a state school
• Country/state of residence: TX (ORM)
• Cumulative GPA: 3.93
• Science GPA: 3.84
• MCAT Scores: 512 (126/127/129/130)
• Research – include any abstracts/posters/publications and how you were credited (eg. First author, senior author, etc): 100 hours in an entomology lab the summer after high school graduation (informal internship). 2500+ hours in nutritional biochemistry lab with 3 oral presentations, 3 poster presentations, 2 third author publications and 1 first author publication (in preparation). I presented at my university's undergraduate research conference for 3 years and an international conference once. I also wrote and presented a thesis project over my undergrad research through my university's honors college. During my gap year I'll be working in clinical research as an NIH IRTA fellow (2000 hours expected).
• Volunteering (clinical) – include hours/sites: About 150 hours as a hospice volunteer visiting patients. ~50 hours volunteering at our local free clinic for patients without health insurance. 800 hours as a volunteer on a medical service trip helping to provide primary care to underserved areas (annually for 11 years - can I list hours gained before I started undergrad if it was ongoing?) Summer medical service trip to rural underserved area (international).
• Physician shadowing – include hours/specialties: ~30 hours shadowing a pediatrician (DO), ~30 hours shadowing orthopedic surgeon (MD), ~15 hours shadowing various specialties as part of a healthcare seminar course.
• Non-clinical volunteering: ~150 hours as a member of a campus service organization at various places like Ronald McDonald House, Women's Protective Services, Boys & Girls Club, etc. 20 hours as a university ambassador to help new international students acclimate.
• Extracurricular activities: Member of Mortar Board honor society, service organization, and campus pre-med society
• Employment history: Worked as a research assistant on campus for 3 years. Will work as an NIH IRTA fellow for 1 year starting this summer
• Immediate family members in medicine? (y/n): yes
• Specialty of interest: Open to anything
• Interest in rural health (y/n): I grew up in a rural area so I could see myself working in a rural area, but again my mind is open to anything

School list:

All TX schools (although not sure if Baylor is worth applying to with my MCAT)

Do I have a good shot at TX schools? And which out of state schools should I add to my list?

Have you networked with students and admissions staff at the Texas schools and have a thorough understanding about the matching process? As an NIH IRTA, you'll be a little far away from all the action, and I don't know if the OITE prehealth advisors can be as helpful with TMDSAS. Your metrics suggest you should get some attention, but I'd want to be sure I knew enough about the schools and how they differ to inform me of the match.

 

[emm2020]

Have you networked with students and admissions staff at the Texas schools and have a thorough understanding about the matching process? As an NIH IRTA, you'll be a little far away from all the action, and I don't know if the OITE prehealth advisors can be as helpful with TMDSAS. Your metrics suggest you should get some attention, but I'd want to be sure I knew enough about the schools and how they differ to inform me of the match.

Thanks for your reply! I'm pretty familiar with the match process and my PI seems like he'll be accommodating about letting me go for interviews. Which oos programs, if any, would you recommend I apply to?

 

[Mr.Smile12]

Thanks for your reply! I'm pretty familiar with the match process and my PI seems like he'll be accommodating about letting me go for interviews. Which oos programs, if any, would you recommend I apply to?

I'm the type of person who would say focus on your in-states as a Texas applicant because with those stats, few OOS schools will put in the effort knowing they aren't cost-competitive if you wound up with a match in-state. Do your MSAR homework and networking to figure out which schools are OOS friendly.

 

[Faha]

Apply to all your Texas schools and you should receive several interviews.