Need Help with School List

[pattycake2904]

Hey everyone, just curious if I could get some of y'alls feedback on my school list and whether or not I have much of a chance getting into those places. Just got my MCAT score back today, which was a 509. Not really what I was hoping for but it is what it is.

Overall GPA: 3.94, sGPA: 3.97

EC's:

-Clinical:

ER Scribe: 250 hours completed thus far, 800 more to be completed

Phlebotomist: 120 hours as part of an externship training

-Shadowing: currently have roughly 50 to 55 hours across four physicians with 25 more coming by end of August

-Volunteering:

Soup Kitchen: Around 50 hours

Nursing Home Aid: Around 25 hours

-Other

Farmer on a large, commercial grain farm: 2100 hours over the past four years

I acknowledge my activities are quite light. I've been told by numerous advisors at my university that I shouldn't bother applying this cycle but I just figured what the heck, why not give it a shot.

School List:

-Central Michigan (in-state)

-Michigan State University (MD) (in-state)

-Wayne State (in-state)

-Oakland Beaumont (in-state)

-University of Michigan (huge reach) (in-state)

-Indiana

-University of Illinois

-Loyola

-Temple

-Ohio State

-Cincinnati

-Louisville

-University of Minnesota

-University of Wisconsin

-Wake Forest

-West Virginia

Some of these schools are pretty big reaches but I was just curious what you guys thought about the list. Whether there's schools you think I should get rid of or schools you think I should add (trying to stay around the midwest but open to other places!). Thanks everyone!

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[chilly_md]

Your chances would be best at CMU and Michigan State. Most of the public OOS schools you listed (Louisville, Minnesota etc) do not usually take applicants without significant ties and/or with stats that you have.

I would recommend waiting a cycle to save yourself time and money. You would have a much better chance with a 1000+ of completed scribe hours (projected does not count for much) and another 150+ at the soup kitchen or similar place where you can help those less fortunate.

 

[Faha]

Remove West Virginia, U Wisconsin, Minnesota, Louisville admit few non residents with a MCAT of 509 and no connection to the state.
The GPA-MCAT grid shows you have ~80% chance for a MD acceptance so you are fine to apply this month.
I suggest these schools with your stats:
Central Michigan
Michigan State
Wayne State
Oakland Beaumont
Toledo
Medical College Wisconsin
Drexel
Temple
Jefferson
Penn State
Vermont
Quinnipiac
Albany
New York Medical College
Hackensack
George Washington
Virginia Commonwealth
Eastern Virginia
Wake Forest
NOVA MD
TCU-UNT

 

[Mr.Smile12]

Tell me more about your experience with the commercial grain farming, whether this is a new experience or something you did in some form growing up.

 

[pattycake2904]

Tell me more about your experience with the commercial grain farming, whether this is a new experience or something you did in some form growing up.

I started working there consistently I would say the summer of my junior year of high school. Since I started, I have continued to work there in the summers full-time. I also came back to the farm during college on the weekends to help out with Fall harvest each of the three years I have been away. My roles on the farm mostly included operating tractors during spring tillage and harvest time as well as operating other heavy machinery such a semi-trucks and skid steers. I also did a lot of maintenance on these machines and helped with other miscellaneous tasks.

 

[pattycake2904]

Your chances would be best at CMU and Michigan State. Most of the public OOS schools you listed (Louisville, Minnesota etc) do not usually take applicants without significant ties and/or with stats that you have.

I would recommend waiting a cycle to save yourself time and money. You would have a much better chance with a 1000+ of completed scribe hours (projected does not count for much) and another 150+ at the soup kitchen or similar place where you can help those less fortunate.

I really appreciate the reply and the advice! I had a few questions I was hoping to run by you about this. 1.) Do you think I would be okay to apply this cycle still but just keep my list pretty conservative? and 2.) Do you think it would worthwhile to retake the MCAT given my score? Thanks!

 

[chilly_md]

I really appreciate the reply and the advice! I had a few questions I was hoping to run by you about this. 1.) Do you think I would be okay to apply this cycle still but just keep my list pretty conservative? and 2.) Do you think it would worthwhile to retake the MCAT given my score? Thanks!

1) Are you ready to submit, with your personal statement and activities all written out already? From what you shared, even if you have that and a conservative list, I don't think you will have much success if you will only have 6 activities on AMCAS (one being shadowing).

2) No, your MCAT score is fine.