realistic chances at schools on my list?

[Yippiekayye]

Hey Guys,
I'm a junior so I'm going to be applying this summer. I've been looking at schools for quite some time now and have finally made a rough list of prospective schools to apply to, please let me know what you think and thanks for the advice!

First of all, here are my stats:
MCAT*: 33Q 11/11/11
cGPA: 3.96
sGPA:4.0
EC s: - ~150 hours volunteering at the university hospital (first 90 were in the Oncology department, last 60 have been in the OR)
- Shadowed a Neurosurgeon for one semester (watched surgeries and patient consultations in the clinic)
- Cancer research in the same lab for over a year and received an award to continue researching in the same lab over summer, but now with my own project
- Medical Mission trip over winter break
- Organic Chemistry TA for past 2 semesters

Now, here's the school list:
In state:
UF
UM
USF
FSU
UCF
FIU
FAU
Nova (DO)

Out of state/ Reach:
BU
NYU
Tufts
Cornell
Stanford
Drexel
Temple
Wake Forest
New York Medical College
Yeshiva
Emory
UT-Houston

I realize that this list is pretty top heavy and that some of these schools are pretty unrealistic (cough Stanford, Cornell), but I figured why not reach for the stars a little bit
Regardless, I'd appreciate any honest evaluation of my school choices and welcome any suggestions on schools to add/remove (as you can see, I have a bit of an East Coast bias).

* I did not perform as well on my MCAT as I had hoped I would, but since the score was so balanced and it was only ~2 pts below my AAMC avg, I am somewhat reluctant to retake. Would it substantially increase my chances if I retook and got 2+ pts higher? I have a relatively light load this summer (just research and possibly some TAing) so I would definitely not be opposed to studying for the MCAT again if scoring better would greatly increase my chances of getting in. I was also wondering how retaking the MCAT after I have sent out my primaries would affect my application.

Thank you all so much for your time!

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[TriagePreMed]

I would encourage you to apply to all those schools. Your chances are realistic for any of them. Leadership seems to be the only EC that's really missing.

 

[Alejandro]

Solid picks for schools. I'd apply to all of them-just remember to apply early.

 

[dentalhopeful10]

Impressive stats, really solid you should be proud. I think you have a good shot at all your schools, Keep up with your EC and see if there is anything else you could add. Maybe some non-clinical volunteering? Other than that everything is good and good luck with your interviews!

 

[Yippiekayye]

Thanks for the responses guys! I was wondering if anyone had any thoughts on my MCAT situation?

 

[StopPre77]

Statistically it is not wise to retake a 33. Also- a 33 is fine. Your list looks reasonable and well thought out.

 

[deleted346323]

I wouldn't retake the MCAT. You have a solid, balanced score. You should be very competitive at your state schools.

 

[flodhi1]

Definitely don't retake the MCAT. You have a pretty good chance at getting several interviews. Acceptances will most likely be based on your interviewing skills, personal statement and LORs.

 

[1TB4RKSB4CK]

Competitive for all schools. Are you an FL resident?
Don't apply to NSU. You look like the type that would not take an NSU acceptance so save it for real DO seekers.

 

[TriagePreMed]

Competitive for all schools. Are you an FL resident?
Don't apply to NSU. You look like the type that would not take an NSU acceptance so save it for real DO seekers.

I agree that applying Nova is not a necessity. If by November the OP hasn't received anything from any school, he can go ahead and apply. With his numbers, he doesn't need to worry about competition for DO.

 

[Yippiekayye]

Thanks for the responses! I think I'm going to take Triage's advice and not apply to Nova unless I don't hear back from any schools by late fall. I'm also considering applying to a few more (mostly reach) schools, so let me know what you guys think! Here are the changes I have made to my list so far:

Remove:
Nova
UT-Houston (didn't realize it wasn't OOS friendly, and don't want to do TMDSAS in addition to AMCAS)

Add:
Columbia
Northwestern
Mt. Sinai
Mayo
Dartmouth
Case Western
St. Louis U
Georgetown
George Washington
Tulane
Rosalind Franklin
Virginia Commonwealth

Once again, I'd appreciate any tips on schools to add/remove, whether my list is too top heavy, if I'm applying to too many schools, etc. Thank you!

 

[TriagePreMed]

You're in this zone where it's not numbers that will hold you back from a top-20 school, so it's not really bad to apply to some. The only critique I have is the potential time management problem when it comes to completing secondaries and traveling for interviews. I think 20 to 25 applications is manageable.

 

[MMPman]

I saw that you listed a medical mission trip as one of your ECs. Be careful with how you talk about it in your essays. Short term trips are not impressive to admission committees, so be careful not to play it up too much.

I would consider adding Duke to your list. They give plenty of interviews to people with lower stats than you. Also, would you really choose schools like Tufts, St. Louis, Drexel, Rosalind Franklin, etc... over your state schools? Their average debts are incredibly high, while you have a great chance of getting into much cheaper state schools. Just a thought that could save you time/money on applications/interviews to schools you would not attend over Florida schools.

Best of luck!

 

[MMPman]

Also consider Vanderbilt since it is a really good school close to your stats.

 

[ppfizenm]

You also may want to find another physician to shadow pref in GP. Shadowing a neurosurgeon is well and good but the majority of med school students won't go into this field and schools would probably like it if you had some other experience in different specialties.

 

[Yippiekayye]

Thank you all for the feedback, I really do appreciate it!
I really only talked about the mission trip in 2 sentences of my PS, mostly to mention the conditions and the dedication of the doctors who worked there, hopefully that will seem appropriate to the admissions committees. I didn't try and imply that I single handedly cured a whole village in the few weeks I was there if thats what you are worried about

I actually was very interested in Duke when I first started looking at schools, but according to the MSAR their Median MCAT is a 37, which is obviously much higher than my score.I think I'll just have to apply, cross my fingers and hope for the best! I somehow totally forgot about Vanderbilt, I really dont know how but I will definitely be applying there as well.

I was actually thinking the same thing about some of those schools you mentioned, there is no way I would choose them over any state school I get into. My rationale was that the more "realistic" schools I apply to, the better chance I have of getting AT LEAST one acceptance at the end of the cycle. Literally the last thing I want is to have to reapply because I didn't apply broadly enough or because my application had too many "reach" schools.

I'm actually trying to find a couple of primary care docs to shadow for a few weeks this summer, are there any particular specialities you recommend I shadow? Also does anyone know if shadowing a parent who is a physician counts? (don't worry it's not the neurosurgeon )