WAMC/School List Help: 3.79 GPA, 521, Mid EC's, ORM

[TwoThumbsDown]

I'd really like some input on finalizing my school list. My biggest worry is that my high MCAT score will overshadow the rest of my application, where the lower schools will yield protect me while the high schools don't care for my EC's. I think what I have here is a good start, but any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Personal Information:

• ORM Male
• Ohio Resident
• High SES
• 4 Strong letters of recommendation

Academic Information:

• Degree: Biochemistry
  • Graduated with department honors
• Public State School
• Cumulative GPA: 3.79
• Science GPA: 3.76
• MCAT: 521
  • 130, 129, 132, 120

Extracurricular Activities:

• Clinical Experience
  • 700 Hrs. Scribing in the emergency department
  • 60 Hrs. Shadowing cardiology
    • Taken from scribe job, but not double-dipped. I felt the two experiences were varied enough to justify this.
  • 30 Hrs. as a Standardized Patient
• Research Experience
  • ~800 Hrs. spend performing wet-lab research at a few different labs
    • My school was very involved in getting undergraduates into research labs, so my experiences are pretty varied
    • 1 Publication authorship, 2 poster presentations
• Volunteering
  • 140 Hrs. as a patient transporter at my local VA
  • 20 Hrs. delivering thanksgiving dinners to underserved communities in my hometown
    • My low volunteer hours are definitely the biggest weak point in my application
• Other
  • 600 Hours in an executive leadership position of a large student organization
    • Can't give too much more information than that for privacy

Current School List:

• Ohio State
• Cincinnati
• Case Western Reserve
• NEOMED
• Toledo
• Wright State
• Boston
• Creighton
• Eastern Virginia
• Einstein
• Emory
• Illinois
• Indiana
• Iowa
• Kaiser Permanente
• Miami
• Michigan
• Northwestern
• Oakland
• Penn State
• Pittsburgh
• Quinnipiac
• Rochester
• Southern California
• SUNY Downstate
• USF Morsani
• VCU
• Vermont
• Virginia
• Wake Forest
• WashU St Louis
• Wayne State
• Western Michigan
• Wisconsin
• WVU

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[ujsc]

Take the next month, volunteer in an ER, shelter or hospice for over 100 hrs and that should improve your nonclinical service component which is weak. Yield protection is bull. MCAT will help you get into better schools. Look like a good fit for OSU.

 

[Mr.Smile12]

It's too bad that Thanksgiving only comes around once a year. With what organization did you distribute the food? Food insecurity happens year-around, so if this is something you are interested in, you should have no trouble finding such an opportunity.

IMO: your 30 hours as a standardized patient really isn't "clinical experience". You're helping with teaching as someone acting as a patient (like a paid TA), rather than you observing or getting involved with a patient care team.