Looking for advice on whether MD is achievable or if I should be focusing more on DO. Very much would prefer MD. Hoping to apply this cycle for 2024 and will take any suggestions for med schools as I'm not the best at gauging out of state. My dream school is UMichigan where I am from and did my research. I am wondering if I should try to do more shadowing or volunteer work before applying as well. Thank you 🙂
---Background---
cGPA: 3.68 sGPA: 3.70 with a strong upwards trend 3.31 > 3.55 > 3.60 > 3.68 (almost all 4.0 end of junior through senior year)
MCAT: 514 (127/130/128/129)
Residency: Michigan
Race: White, Jewish
UGrad School: Good liberal arts school
---Clinical Work Experience---
Ophthalmic Technician/MA (job is cross-listed): 1500 hours full-time. Direct patient care working hands-on with doctors in a fast-paced vitreoretinal surgery clinic. Includes elements of patient education and triage work. Certified imager for clinical therapeutic studies. Current position
---Research Experience---
Research Assistant/Fellow: 600 hours part-time from 6/2021 - 12/2022. Bench work in a neuroendocrine lab at my dream school (UMich). I worked over summers only as I attended a different college that did not offer many research positions. My first summer I was a research assistant which lead to a middle author publication in an accredited neuroscience journal with my PI and senior honors thesis at my college. The second summer completed a neuroscience fellowship in the same lab resulting in a poster presentation and another middle-author publication.
---Non clinical Volunteering---
This is my weakest area by far
70 hours - Local Homeless Shelter 2020-2021
Medical mission trip to Haiti in 2017 with fantastic hands-on clinical volunteering, not sure if I can count this as it was before college.
---Leadership---
Cell and Molecular Biology Teaching Assistant 2021 - 2022
---Shadowing---
15 hours Anesthesiology in a local hospital
Many hours of Opthalmology at my full-time job
---Letters of Rec---
One from PI and neuro MD/PhD at dream school
One from MD at vitreoretinal surgery center
One from neuroscience professor at college I TA'd for
---Honors and Awards---
Phi Beta Kappa inductee
Cum Laude
Honors in biology (top 10% of major)
Honors senior thesis
Deans List 7x (trimester scheduling)
---Other Details---
Would be third generation for MD (grandfather and father). Father attended UMich (dream school) MD program and grandfather was Professor Emeritus of Neuroscience with accredited lab also at UMich. Did research in grandfather's former lab (retired long time ago no longer his). Hoping that legacy + other factors would help since this is my dream school but it is a T20 so not counting on it.
---Background---
cGPA: 3.68 sGPA: 3.70 with a strong upwards trend 3.31 > 3.55 > 3.60 > 3.68 (almost all 4.0 end of junior through senior year)
MCAT: 514 (127/130/128/129)
Residency: Michigan
Race: White, Jewish
UGrad School: Good liberal arts school
---Clinical Work Experience---
Ophthalmic Technician/MA (job is cross-listed): 1500 hours full-time. Direct patient care working hands-on with doctors in a fast-paced vitreoretinal surgery clinic. Includes elements of patient education and triage work. Certified imager for clinical therapeutic studies. Current position
---Research Experience---
Research Assistant/Fellow: 600 hours part-time from 6/2021 - 12/2022. Bench work in a neuroendocrine lab at my dream school (UMich). I worked over summers only as I attended a different college that did not offer many research positions. My first summer I was a research assistant which lead to a middle author publication in an accredited neuroscience journal with my PI and senior honors thesis at my college. The second summer completed a neuroscience fellowship in the same lab resulting in a poster presentation and another middle-author publication.
---Non clinical Volunteering---
This is my weakest area by far
70 hours - Local Homeless Shelter 2020-2021
Medical mission trip to Haiti in 2017 with fantastic hands-on clinical volunteering, not sure if I can count this as it was before college.
---Leadership---
Cell and Molecular Biology Teaching Assistant 2021 - 2022
---Shadowing---
15 hours Anesthesiology in a local hospital
Many hours of Opthalmology at my full-time job
---Letters of Rec---
One from PI and neuro MD/PhD at dream school
One from MD at vitreoretinal surgery center
One from neuroscience professor at college I TA'd for
---Honors and Awards---
Phi Beta Kappa inductee
Cum Laude
Honors in biology (top 10% of major)
Honors senior thesis
Deans List 7x (trimester scheduling)
---Other Details---
Would be third generation for MD (grandfather and father). Father attended UMich (dream school) MD program and grandfather was Professor Emeritus of Neuroscience with accredited lab also at UMich. Did research in grandfather's former lab (retired long time ago no longer his). Hoping that legacy + other factors would help since this is my dream school but it is a T20 so not counting on it.
