MD Need help with school list for 2013 cycle

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Hi everyone,

Stats and experiences are as follows:
cGPA: 3.88
sGPA: 3.95
MCAT: 33N (retaking in a month), oops forgot to mention.. verbal: 8
Major: Business (top 3 program)

Research: Somewhat late into the research game. as a rising senior, did a summer research fellowship program last year (acceptance rate of 3%, surprised I got in), continued doing research senior year in the same lab, will join a research group at Columbia U for my gap year. no pubs, although one is expected in early 2013.

Community Service: Spent the last two years volunteering at the hospital. Spent the last year tutoring reading and math to dialysis patients. Also tutored underprivileged k12 kids in the area through a non-profit. Currently training/raising a dog to become a service dog for blind persons through an organization.

Campus involvement and leadership: Board member for an entrepreneurship organization for two years. Played on the club volleyball team for one year. Climbing club.

Work experience: Interned at large biotech company based out of California. Rock climbing instructor. TA for a business class. Web developer for over two years.

Shadowing: Cardiologist, pediatric surgeon, neurologist, radiologist, and endocrinologist (~40 hours)

Awards: Phi Beta Kappa, several various school honors and awards, 40k merit scholarship.

Letters and personal statement: I think I have a good story for my PS. Should have glowing letters of recommendation.

And now.. the school list (seems a bit top heavy to me), although I expect to score a higher MCAT this second time through. Either way, please criticize and provide feedback. Thank you SDN!

Michigan
UChicago
Columbia
Michigan State
Cornell
NYU
Mt Sinai
Northwestern
Harvard (should i even bother?)
Stanford (should i even bother?)
Boston University
Rochester

Originally Posted by feathr

Hi everyone,

Stats and experiences are as follows:
cGPA: 3.88
sGPA: 3.95
MCAT: 33N (retaking in a month), oops forgot to mention.. verbal: 8
Major: Business (top 3 program)

Research: Somewhat late into the research game. as a rising senior, did a summer research fellowship program last year (acceptance rate of 3%, surprised I got in), continued doing research senior year in the same lab, will join a research group at Columbia U for my gap year. no pubs, although one is expected in early 2013.

Community Service: Spent the last two years volunteering at the hospital. Spent the last year tutoring reading and math to dialysis patients. Also tutored underprivileged k12 kids in the area through a non-profit. Currently training/raising a dog to become a service dog for blind persons through an organization.

Campus involvement and leadership: Board member for an entrepreneurship organization for two years. Played on the club volleyball team for one year. Climbing club.

Work experience: Interned at large biotech company based out of California. Rock climbing instructor. TA for a business class. Web developer for over two years.

Shadowing: Cardiologist, pediatric surgeon, neurologist, radiologist, and endocrinologist (~40 hours)

Awards: Phi Beta Kappa, several various school honors and awards, 40k merit scholarship.

Letters and personal statement: I think I have a good story for my PS. Should have glowing letters of recommendation.

And now.. the school list (seems a bit top heavy to me), although I expect to score a higher MCAT this second time through. Either way, please criticize and provide feedback. Thank you SDN!

Michigan
UChicago
Columbia
Michigan State
Cornell
NYU
Mt Sinai
Northwestern
Harvard (should i even bother?)
Stanford (should i even bother?)
Boston University
Rochester

I'd have suggested schools like this:

UMichigan, UPitt, Northwestern U, UVirginia, Dartmouth, UCLA
Sinai, Duke, Case, Baylor, Mayo, SLU, NYU, Brown,
Emory, UCentral Florida, Ohio State, Iowa, BU, UMinn,
Rochester, MCW, Miami, Einstein, SUNY Downstate, UMaryland, Georgetown, UConn, Loyola, Stony Brook,

You can add back in the others if your second score is higher, as you expect.

I'm guessing schools like Michigan, Duke, Northwestern, Sinai, Mayo are reach schools given my currents stats? Not sure if it matters a whole lot, but Michigan is my state of residence. Which schools out of that list would you say are matches?

Also, I won't be getting my MCAT score until mid to late July. Would submitting primaries and then secondaries (in august or so if I'm lucky) be too late for schools such as Columbia, Cornell, and the others?

Download this (data based on matriculant averages) so you can enter your own stats, and you can check your Lizzy M score against that of each school of interest:

Free, Legitimate Med School Matriculant Data
https://spreadsheets.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AmKVGWwobG5GdEx2MjlBTDE0bXFXNGFZczZqYTZKb 2c&hl=en_US#gid=0
(SDN collaboration from 6/2011).

Yeah, your current list is too top heavy unless your MCAT score jumps a few points with a better verbal.