MD & DO WAMC | 3.53 cGPA | 513 MCAT | CA resident

[yttocs]

- MCAT 2015 breakdown: phys: 129 (93%), verbal 127 (81%), bio 129 (93%), psych 128 (86%)
- ~ 150 hours hospital volunteering
- ~ 60 hours shadowing
- ~300 hours nursing home volunteer
- ~ 700 hours part-time work as an office manager during college
- ~ 200 hours of part-time work: retail, babysitting
- ~ 200 hours research at microscopy lab (unpaid)
- ~ 150 hours research at clinical research lab at UCSF (unpaid)
- 40 hours/week full time work as a data analyst in clinical research lab at UCSF since last october (paid)
- strong LOR from PI
- co-author on manuscript currently undergoing review for high impact journal

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[unnumzaan]

If those are your only ECs then you are not ready to apply yet.

 

[yttocs]

If those are your only ECs then you are not ready to apply yet.

Sorry, I have updated my post. I need help choosing which schools to apply to. I would like to try for MD schools but I am fine with DO too

 

[gyngyn]

Sorry, I have updated my post. I need help choosing which schools to apply to. I would like to try for MD schools but I am fine with DO too

You need at least twice as many OOS schools as IS.
Where's your list?

 

[unnumzaan]

You have an okay chance at low and mid-tier schools. Put together a list based on your preferences, the MSAR, and past SDN posts. Did you already submit with placeholder schools? If not, you need to hurry.

 

[yttocs]

SUNY Upstate
Stony Brook
Temple
Marshall-Edwards
UC Riverside
West Virginia
Quinnipiac-Netter
Rush
George Washington
Chicago Med Franklin
New York Medical
Wright State-Boonshoft
Virginia Commonwealth
USF-Morsani
Albany
Wake Forest
Eastern Virginia
Virginia Tech Carilion
Oakland Beaumont
Penn State
Tulane
Drexel
UC Davis
Georgetown
Buffalo
Vermont
Florida Atlantic-Schmidt
Tufts
Brown-Alpert
Jefferson-Kimmel
Loyola-Stritch
Dartmouth-Geisel
SUNY Downstate
Hofstra North Shore-LIJ
UC Irvine

 

[yttocs]

I have not yet submitted I am planning on submitting today after revising my PS a bit!

 

[gyngyn]

SUNY Upstate
Stony Brook
Temple
Marshall-Edwards
UC Riverside
West Virginia
Quinnipiac-Netter
Rush
George Washington
Chicago Med Franklin
New York Medical
Wright State-Boonshoft
Virginia Commonwealth
USF-Morsani
Albany
Wake Forest
Eastern Virginia
Virginia Tech Carilion
Oakland Beaumont
Penn State
Tulane
Drexel
UC Davis
Georgetown
Buffalo
Vermont
Florida Atlantic-Schmidt
Tufts
Brown-Alpert
Jefferson-Kimmel
Loyola-Stritch
Dartmouth-Geisel
SUNY Downstate
Hofstra North Shore-LIJ
UC Irvine

This number of secondaries is going to be really hard to do well.
If you haven't already applied, consider deleting:
Brown, GT, GW and Dartmouth, at least.

 

[yttocs]

Thanks! I'd like to get this list down to 28 schools

 

[gyngyn]

Thanks! I'd like to get this list down to 28 schools

Continue by deleting smaller and regionally focused schools like WV.

 

[yttocs]

Ok, are there any other schools I should consider or does my list already cover all the low tier schools? Also, I do not have any DO shadowing, do you think this will really hurt my chances at a DO school?

 

[gyngyn]

Ok, are there any other schools I should consider or does my list already cover all the low tier schools? Also, I do not have any DO shadowing, do you think this will really hurt my chances at a DO school?

MCW, U of IL loves OOS. You can't get any lower than Northstate.

 

[GrapesofRath]

Cut Marshall WVU Brown Marshall GW Wright State USF Georgetown buffalo Florida Atlantic Dartmouth and probably the New York State schools( although I know gyngyn says those schools show some preference to California schools)

 

[gyngyn]

Cut Marshall WVU Brown Marshall GW Wright State USF Georgetown buffalo Florida Atlantic Dartmouth and probably the New York State schools( although I know gyngyn says those schools show some preference to California schools)

My waitlist of CA kids is teeming with SUNY acceptances. This could be a bias toward high stats though, not just CA applicants. The others you are listed are only sprinkled in.

 

[yttocs]

Thanks for all the advice

 

[yttocs]

Continue by deleting smaller and regionally focused schools like WV.

Does the fact that I was born in new york - lived there 2 years, moved to west virginia - lived there 7 years, moved to florida - lived there 7 years, (now live in CA) give me any advantage in these states?

 

[unnumzaan]

You could probably try the Florida public schools that have decent OOS numbers like UCF and USF. I think the latter has massive tuition for OOS though.

 

[gyngyn]

Does the fact that I was born in new york - lived there 2 years, moved to west virginia - lived there 7 years, moved to florida - lived there 7 years, (now live in CA) give me any advantage in these states?

It's hard for me to say.
It may depend on how deeply they pre-screen (read) the secondaries. Your childhood addresses will not bubble to the top of a cursory review.

 

[Goro]

While I'd like to see more non-clinical service, I think you're competitive at:

Miami
St. Louis
Albany
Rochester
Rush
Rosy Franklin
NYMC
VCU
EVMS
Wake Forest
Jefferson
Temple
Drexel
Creighton
Tulane
Loyola
Any new MD school, except Hofstra and Central MI
UCD
UCI
I think the newer FL schools are worth a shot: FIU, UCF and FAU
Any DO program: start with Western and Touro-CA

- UC Berkeley graduate: double major in molecular biology & statistics
- MCAT 2015 breakdown: phys: 129 (93%), verbal 127 (81%), bio 129 (93%), psych 128 (86%)
- ~ 150 hours hospital volunteering
- ~ 60 hours shadowing
- ~300 hours nursing home volunteer
- ~ 700 hours part-time work as an office manager during college
- ~ 200 hours of part-time work: retail, babysitting
- ~ 200 hours research at microscopy lab (unpaid)
- ~ 150 hours research at clinical research lab at UCSF (unpaid)
- 40 hours/week full time work as a data analyst in clinical research lab at UCSF since last october (paid)
- strong LOR from PI
- co-author on manuscript currently undergoing review for Annals of Neurology

 

[yttocs]

While I'd like to see more non-clinical service, I think you're competitive at:

Nice to hear I even have a chance at an MD! I have been looking for clinical volunteer opportunities since I have more time now but maybe I will start looking into non-clinical

 

[yttocs]

I noticed that Virginia Tech, Penn State, George Washington, and Georgetown have lower stats. Is there any reason I should not apply to these schools?

While I'd like to see more non-clinical service, I think you're competitive at:

Miami
St. Louis
Albany
Rochester
Rush
Rosy Franklin
NYMC
VCU
EVMS
Wake Forest
Jefferson
Temple
Drexel
Creighton
Tulane
Loyola
Any new MD school, except Hofstra and Central MI
UCD
UCI
I think the newer FL schools are worth a shot: FIU, UCF and FAU
Any DO program: start with Western and Touro-CA

 

[Goro]

I can no longer recommend Penn State given how their parent body protected a child molester for decades.

Gtown, Va Tech and GWU are really low yield (~1% accept rate, which is less than Harvard's!), so I can't recommend them. Va Tech's class size is only 42, so that's a tiny pool one would be aiming to dive into.

I noticed that Virginia Tech, Penn State, George Washington, and Georgetown have lower stats. Is there any reason I should not apply to these schools?

 

[yttocs]

ah I see. good to know! thanks