WAMC/Help with school list? (low uGPA, decent smp and mcat)

[chamchi]

Hello, I am applying this upcoming cycle. I am finishing up my SMP in a few weeks. I am ORM & Californian resident. I am crafting my school list and was looking for any feedback.

Stats:
uGPA: 3.3
SMP GPA: 3.96
MCAT: 519 (fairly even breakdown)

~250 non-clinical volunteering hours (the past 80 have been volunteering at a homeless shelter for the past year)
~320 clinical volunteering hours (the past 200 hours have been working with patients directly)
~1800 hours as a research assistant with 3 first author publications (one in a high impact journal) and two 2nd/3rd author publications all at a Longwood Medical area hospital (all within the past year).
A few leadership positions in a service-oriented organization during undergrad

I am planning on applying to a wide variety of MD schools and DO schools (at least 30). I know my undergrad GPA is poor, so I am happy to go anywhere that takes me.

My rough school list so far:
All of the University of California schools (current residency and I graduated from UCD)

Boston University (where I did my SMP)
Tufts university

Rosalind Franklin

Michigan State (grew up not too far away)
Wayne State (same as above)
Oakland University (Same as above)

George Washington University SOM (have family in DC)
Georgetown (same as above)
Howard University (same as above)

Touro Nevada/CA
Western (CA)
LECOM

Columbia
Vanderbilt

Extra information that may or may not be helpful:

• I did a lot better during my undergrad senior year as I was diagnosed with ADHD during late Junior year. I did not end up opting for prescription medications and just made some major lifestyle/study adjustments after educating myself. I think there is still room for improvement, but I am happy with my progress so far (is it risky to talk about adhd on my app?).
• My bathroom ceiling collapsed due to my landlord's negligence during my second semester at my SMP while I was living by myself. As a result, I had to stay at hotels and a friend's for a bit. It did end up slightly affecting my grades, but I am still proud of how I handled the situation and something I think is worth writing about somewhere on my app or in secondaries.
• I am a caretaker of a family member with severe down's syndrome and autism. I did not count this as clinical hours, as caring for family is something I would obviously do regardless of whether or not I am applying to medical school, but I do think that it is worth noting on my app somewhere.

I would very much appreciate any feedback and insights. Thank you for reading and for your time!

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[chilly_md]

Extra information that may or may not be helpful:

• I did a lot better during my undergrad senior year as I was diagnosed with ADHD during late Junior year. I did not end up opting for prescription medications and just made some major lifestyle/study adjustments after educating myself. I think there is still room for improvement, but I am happy with my progress so far (is it risky to talk about adhd on my app?).
• My bathroom ceiling collapsed due to my landlord's negligence during my second semester at my SMP while I was living by myself. As a result, I had to stay at hotels and a friend's for a bit. It did end up slightly affecting my grades, but I am still proud of how I handled the situation and something I think is worth writing about somewhere on my app or in secondaries.
• I am a caretaker of a family member with severe down's syndrome and autism. I did not count this as clinical hours, as caring for family is something I would obviously do regardless of whether or not I am applying to medical school, but I do think that it is worth noting on my app somewhere.

I would very much appreciate any feedback and insights. Thank you for reading and for your time!

1) No need to mention the ADHD, you can focus on making major study changes as it is clear that they worked your senior year and during the SMP.

2) It does not seem to be worth mentioning issues with where you were living considering you had a near 4.0 in the SMP. There is likely better material in your personal life for adversity/challenge essays (and it is usually better to have these in the real-world instead of academic).

3) Yes, this is something you can include. Using it as part of your personal statement would be appropriate.

Leave off Howard, they are a mission-heavy school and you do not fit that. If you can gain more clinical and non-clinical hours over the next 2 months, that would help. Michigan State takes few OOS students, only apply if you had lived there for most of your pre-college life and graduated high school from there.

I suggest:

All UCs (except UCR, they only take people from the IE)
CUSM
Boston
Tufts
Rosalind Franklin
Creighton
Loyola
Wayne State
Oakland
Western Michigan
Columbia
Vanderbilt
Vermont
Hofstra
Miami
TCU
Hackensack
Case
Cincinnati
Georgetown
George Washington
Tulane
Saint Louis
Pitt
Albany
NYMC
Drexel
Temple
Jefferson
Dartmouth
Belmont (when it opens)

For DO:
Touro Nevada/CA
Western (CA)
LECOM
PCOM
DMU
Marian
KCU
AZCOM (high tuition FYI)
NYITCOM
MSU

 

[Mr.Smile12]

Good job with your SMP. You need to find schools that are SMP/reinvention friendly. I'm sure there are a few more NYC schools you can add for that.

Is your high school diploma from Michigan or California?

Having family in DC isn't going to help you applying to GW and Georgetown, considering their large application pools. Do some networking there and see if you fit their mission or profile, especially with respect to global public health. If you have done any community service in DC, that would be a boost.

You could look at VCU since I think they are generous with OOS applications. They have a satellite campus in the DC area (Inova campus) where some students train for clinical years, and Richmond is a 1-hour trip away when I-95 has no cars (hahaha).

 

[chamchi]

1) No need to mention the ADHD, you can focus on making major study changes as it is clear that they worked your senior year and during the SMP.

2) It does not seem to be worth mentioning issues with where you were living considering you had a near 4.0 in the SMP. There is likely better material in your personal life for adversity/challenge essays (and it is usually better to have these in the real-world instead of academic).

3) Yes, this is something you can include. Using it as part of your personal statement would be appropriate.

Leave off Howard, they are a mission-heavy school and you do not fit that. If you can gain more clinical and non-clinical hours over the next 2 months, that would help. Michigan State takes few OOS students, only apply if you had lived there for most of your pre-college life and graduated high school from there.

I suggest:

All UCs (except UCR, they only take people from the IE)
CUSM
Boston
Tufts
Rosalind Franklin
Creighton
Loyola
Wayne State
Oakland
Western Michigan
Columbia
Vanderbilt
Vermont
Hofstra
Miami
TCU
Hackensack
Case
Cincinnati
Georgetown
George Washington
Tulane
Saint Louis
Pitt
Albany
NYMC
Drexel
Temple
Jefferson
Dartmouth
Belmont (when it opens)

For DO:
Touro Nevada/CA
Western (CA)
LECOM
PCOM
DMU
Marian
KCU
AZCOM (high tuition FYI)
NYITCOM
MSU

For points 1, 2, and 3, understood! Okay I will take off Howard and Michigan State (I graduated HS in California, not MI).
Thank you for your valuable insight! I will take a closer look at these schools and add many of them.

 

[chamchi]

Good job with your SMP. You need to find schools that are SMP/reinvention friendly. I'm sure there are a few more NYC schools you can add for that.

Is your high school diploma from Michigan or California?

Having family in DC isn't going to help you applying to GW and Georgetown, considering their large application pools. Do some networking there and see if you fit their mission or profile, especially with respect to global public health. If you have done any community service in DC, that would be a boost.

You could look at VCU since I think they are generous with OOS applications. They have a satellite campus in the DC area (Inova campus) where some students train for clinical years, and Richmond is a 1-hour trip away when I-95 has no cars (hahaha).

Thank you Mr. Smile12! I think you responded to a post I made a year ago about waiting to apply, and I am glad I waited as I feel a lot more prepared.

Yes, I have been looking into schools that are SMP friendly and ones that my program director recommended. I will look into more NYC schools.

My hs diploma is from California, and to be honest, I'd prefer to stay on the west coast, but I know beggars can't be choosers!

For DC, understood, and I will look into VCU.