School List Advice Needed

[TheQuacken]

Hey there! I'm looking for help creating a school list. I graduated in 2020 after majoring in Psychology/Theology and Religious studies. I started some informal volunteer work as an EMT and realized I loved medicine. So I took my science courses at peak COVID times and I'm planning to apply this cycle. I used MSAR to roughly compare my stats and I used r/premed to screen out any schools I knew I wouldn't like right off the bat (I'm looking at you Loma Linda).

Application Info:

Academics:
cGPA: 3.9x
sGPA: 3.85
MCAT: Tested 4/29, practice MCATs show 510/11 range (I won't apply with a score before a 510). Feel like crap after testing, but I've heard that's normal.

Clinical:
~700 hours for a busy 911 service over four months (Paid)
~60 hours for a primarily IFT service over four months (Paid)
~50 hours volunteering in the ER (ongoing, started in January)
NOTE: All clinical hours were obtained this year, and I held the two paid positions around the same time (I'm not sure how much that changes things).

Shadowing:
I currently have 4 hours in person, and some hours online. But, the hospital near me finally opened for shadowing so I expect my in-person hours to be 20-30 by the time I apply. I'll do more online as well. I expect around 50 shadowing hours combined. I'm fully aware that this is a weak point in my application.

Non-Clinical (Paid):
I work as an Onsite Medical Representative at Amazon. It's more Warehouse Safety and work comp than it is clinical. I currently have 1800 hours in this role.

Non-Clinical (unpaid):
I volunteer at a food bank for two hours every week. This has been ongoing since January. I'll have 50 hours when I apply in July.
I'll also have 60 hours from a week long domestic service trip to Philadelphia in Spring 2017

Research:
I have 200-250 hours in a neuroscience lab. No publications as my advisor was retiring. I earned the "Undergraduate Psychology Researcher" of the year award from my university.
I presented research at a University fair.

Extracurriculars:
One year as a Treasurer for a campus mental health organization
Semester mentoring new Freshman
Semester spent leading discussion group
I'm about to launch a philosophy podcast I've been wanting to do for a long time!

Current School List (based on initial info from MSAR):
University of Kansas School of Medicine (This is my home state school. It also happens to be my dream school)
University of Missouri in Kansas City
Washington University School of Medicine
Albany Medical College
Carle Illinois College of Medicine
Creighton University School of Medicine
Drexel University College of Medicine
Frank H. Netter MD School of Medicine at Quinnipiac University
Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine
Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine
Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University
Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine
Medical College of Wisconsin
New York Medical College
Northeast Ohio Medical University
Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine
Saint Louis University School of Medicine
Sidney Kimmel Medical College at Thomas Jefferson University
Tulane University School of Medicine
University of Illinois College of Medicine
Wake Forest University School of Medicine
University of Missouri-Columbia School of Medicine

Note: I don't think I've included any DO schools on this list. I'm not opposed to DO, I just won't have any LORs from a DO and it's my understanding that a DO letter is essential to the DO application.

Basically, I'm applying to my state schools and as many private schools as I can. I'm having trouble finding which schools are OOS friendly.

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[chilly_md]

Come back when you have your official score back. UMKC does not accept undergrad students I believe, as it is purely a BS/MD program from what I last recall. For the majority of DO schools, a physician letter from an MD satisfies the requirement as well.

 

[Mr.Smile12]

WashU is only in play with a 520+ MCAT so be prepared to strike them from or include to your list.

Carle is great if you have a math-heavy engineering background.

Philosophy podcasts sound interesting. Check for schools with a chapter of the Arthur Gold Humanism organization/foundation which focuses on humanism in medicine, tapping into your past education and interest in philosophy.

 

[MedPath_]

WashU is only in play with a 520+ MCAT

Simply false information.

 

[Mr.Smile12]

Simply false information.

I'm glad if I'm wrong. Any suggestions for the OP on the list? What makes WUSTL in play regardless of MCAT?

 

[MedPath_]

I'm glad if I'm wrong. Any suggestions for the OP on the list? What makes WUSTL in play regardless of MCAT?

I am not suggesting that WUSM is in play ‘regardless’ of MCAT. MCAT definitely matters, but saying that it’s out of play without a *520+* is inaccurate. Nearly half the admitted students have a sub 520 score, all the way down to a 509.

I always give the same advice for school lists: Use MSAR and Wedgedawg’s WARS calculator/guide to select an appropriate distribution of schools that fit your preferences for location, mission, etc. It worked well for me. It’s hard to be more specific than that, because it really is a personal decision. It sounds like OP has a good understanding of how they should be applying. I would only add that they can use MSAR to see which public schools are OOS friendly, or they can refer to this doc that summarizes the information here: