WAMC Confused High- stat Reapplicant 3.96/ 511--> 522

[E30123]

Hey everyone, just want to preface this long post and say I really appreciate anyone who answers the questions I posted or gives advice for a school list.

Just for a little bit of background I applied in the 2019 cycle and didn't get in I had a 3.95 from a great state school (OH) and 511 MCAT
EC
1600 hr research with a pretty big grant for undergrads and a couple of posters
50 shadowing hours (2 different doctors)
250 non clinical volunteering
150 clinical volunteering
TA experience and other leadership roles
Personal statement was pretty unique as I was born in the middle east and lived there as a child

School list last year
Ohio state
Cincinnati
Wright State (interview)
Wayne State
Toledo
Indiana
Penn State (interview)
Wake Forrest
Quinnipiac
EVMS
Iowa
George Washington

The main feedback I got was that my GPA and MCAT were not balanced so I took a year off and retook the MCAT+ added a decent amount to my application.

I am going to bold everything that I am changing in my application.
So this year I am applying with a 3.97 and a 522 MCAT (131,131,130,130)
EC
Research
Started a job as a clinical coordinator assistant so I consent patients for studies and also help with sample collection. I this will count as clinical experience as it is directly dealing with patients while asking them questionnaires and explaining the purpose of research to them. I have constant patient contact and work closely with the doctors running the trials. This is at a hospital so its a little more direct than at a phama company. I should have maybe 3000 hrs by the time of application since I am projecting.
Through this I have 1 accepted manuscript (2nd author) and have submitted 2 manuscripts that are currently under review (should I mention that I have submitted these or just wait and send early update letters?)
Also have one poster where the abstract will be published in a journal (does this count as a publication or an abstract?)

1600 hr cancer research lab and I won a pretty big fellowship for undergrads/ have 2 poster presentations

Shadowing
130 shadowing hours (3 different doctors and 100 hr at PCP, 30 radiologist, 5 GI) as part of my job I am in the endoscopy room all the time shadowing the doctor ( should I mention this since I wont be providing hours because I don't want to double dip?)

Volunteering
350 non clinical volunteering at RMHC and 200-250 at food shelter
350 clinical volunteering (hospice care)

TA for a gen chem lab where I was in charge of teaching/watching over 20 undergrad students 125 hrs
Mentor for students with disabilities 50 hrs
Fraternity exec position (leadership)

Awards
Summa cum laude and deans list every semester- probably won't mention this??
The research fellowship I discussed earlier.

I am worried about schools averaging my multiple MCATS (lands me around 516 which is low for the higher tier schools). I am also worried that if my publications don't get accepted I won't be as strong for the research heavy schools. I am unsure if I should add more mid/low tier schools or cut anything out.

Here is my school list:

In-State
OSU
Toledo
Wright State
Ciincy
case

Out of state
Cornell
Columbia
Albert Einstien
Temple
Hofstra
Brown
Vanderbilt
WashU
Northwestern
Upenn
NYU
Duke
Rochester
Mount Sinai
Baylor
JHU
Keck
Kaiser
BU
Emory
UCLA
U of Chicago
U of Miami
U of Michigan
U of Pitt
UVA

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[Mr.Smile12]

1) What are your results from your last cycle? Please incorporate into your school list (I just see interviews, not decisions). To your current list, you can probably a bit more choosy and should be able to add WashU. Mind all public schools and their OOS acceptance trends.
2) Great job on the MCAT retake. That definitely opens up the field for you, especially in-state. I'd still consider in-state DO schools (OUHCOM and NEOMED) to assure that you won't have to apply again.
3) Dean's lists are nice to mention but pretty unnecessary given your GPA. Latin honors are also nice to mention, but you better be SCL with a 3.9+ .

 

[E30123]

1) What are your results from your last cycle? Please incorporate into your school list (I just see interviews, not decisions). To your current list, you can probably a bit more choosy and should be able to add WashU. Mind all public schools and their OOS acceptance trends.
2) Great job on the MCAT retake. That definitely opens up the field for you, especially in-state. I'd still consider in-state DO schools (OUHCOM and NEOMED) to assure that you won't have to apply again.
3) Dean's lists are nice to mention but pretty unnecessary given your GPA. Latin honors are also nice to mention, but you better be SCL with a 3.9+ .

Thank you for the kind remarks.
I interviewed at Penn State and Wayne state where I was WL--R at both. I felt like both interviews went well but I will prepare more for the hopefully upcoming interviews.
Do you think I should mention SCL then or would you leave it out and just have them extrapolate from the GPA?
Also do you think it would be a waste of money to apply to DO schools if they may yield protect against me if I am on a budget?

 

[Mr.Smile12]

Thank you for the kind remarks.
I interviewed at Penn State and Wayne state where I was WL--R at both. I felt like both interviews went well but I will prepare more for the hopefully upcoming interviews.
Do you think I should mention SCL then or would you leave it out and just have them extrapolate from the GPA?
Also do you think it would be a waste of money to apply to DO schools if they may yield protect against me if I am on a budget?

My opinion is SCL is not going to "impress" people. PBK probably moves a few needles also, but it should be apparent.
I wouldn't apply to too many other than your in-states depending on how things go with the MD process. You could always send in your DO application a little later. But at the very least, you should get movement from your in-state MD schools. Hopefully you've made connections with students at all the schools high on your wish list.

 

[E30123]

My opinion is SCL is not going to "impress" people. PBK probably moves a few needles also, but it should be apparent.
I wouldn't apply to too many other than your in-states depending on how things go with the MD process. You could always send in your DO application a little later. But at the very least, you should get movement from your in-state MD schools. Hopefully you've made connections with students at all the schools high on your wish list.

I have a few connections at the top tier schools? What exactly is the point of this though? the only questions I ask them are if they like their classmates and about the enviroment

 

[Faha]

You could add these schools:
NEOMED
Jefferson
USF Morsani
Tulane

 

[LeaveNoTrace]

List looks pretty good. Apply to 6-10 top 20 schools, 8-12 midtiers, and your state schools. If you have no IIs by Thanksgiving, add DO schools...but you probably won't need them. No guarantees, of course, but you made a substantial improvement on your MCAT and fixed the lethal flaw of not having clinical OR nonclinical experience on your application.

 

[Mr.Smile12]

I have a few connections at the top tier schools? What exactly is the point of this though? the only questions I ask them are if they like their classmates and about the enviroment

Those are important questions. And they probably could give you insight on what questions they wished they had asked.

 

[E30123]

List looks pretty good. Apply to 6-10 top 20 schools, 8-12 midtiers, and your state schools. If you have no IIs by Thanksgiving, add DO schools...but you probably won't need them. No guarantees, of course, but you made a substantial improvement on your MCAT and fixed the lethal flaw of not having clinical OR nonclinical experience on your application.

I think the words "mid-tier" are a little bit subjective. If you don't mind could you list some of the schools that you consider mid-tier? Thank you!

 

[LeaveNoTrace]

Tufts, Keck, Hofstra, UMiami...basically anything that isn't top-20 and is ranked higher than 80 or so on USNWR, as a rough guide.

 

[E30123]

Tufts, Keck, Hofstra, UMiami...basically anything that isn't top-20 and is ranked higher than 80 or so on USNWR, as a rough guide.

Thank you!

 

[E30123]

You could add these schools:
NEOMED
Jefferson
USF Morsani
Tulane

Is there a particular reason you chose to include these schools and not other mid-tiers? Again, I really appreciate the advice.

 

[Faha]

Is there a particular reason you chose to include these schools and not other mid-tiers? Again, I really appreciate the advice.

NEOMED is one of your state public schools. Your list is very thorough so there are not too many more schools you could add.

 

[E30123]

NEOMED is one of your state public schools. Your list is very thorough so there are not too many more schools you could add.

Thank you!