3.67 sGPA/ 3.65 cGPA, 33 MCAT. CA Resident. School List?

[doctorswag]

Hey guys!

I am getting ready to submit my application, but I need some help tailor fitting my school list. A huge thank you to everyone in advance!

Here are my specs:

At a glance:

Egyptian-American Male
Neuroscience major at a top California public school
Cumulative GPA: 3.65
Science GPA: 3.67
Junior Year (Last completed year) GPA: 3.85
MCAT: 33 (11/11/11)

Work Experience:

• (1.75 years) University student fundraiser/caller mentor: 9 hours/week cold-calling alumni, parents, students, and friends of the university to raise monetary funds for the school. Huge lesson in communication, persistence, and professionalism.
• (1+ years) University information technology and technical support center: student consultant, this often involves diagnosing, explaining, and resolving problems in computers/mobile devices in the same way that a doctor would in patients. (Reflects my technical background)

Research:
Not exactly that impressive.
1 year at a neurobiology lab independently preparing and analyzing resting fMRI data of sleep study patients for functional connectivity. I have some findings, but no publications yet! I am definitely working on it though; Ill be there ALL summer.

Volunteer:

• (1.5 years) Director of Education for a science educational organization run by undergraduates; Responsible for everything from the coordination and evaluation of every member's presentation, to the creation of entirely new scientific modules in line with California's current high school science standards. I am also managing the creation of an organization textbook for use by members as a reference for the content of their presentations.
• (1 Quarter) Member of a science outreach program developed to stimulate an interest in neuroscience for children and adolescents. Created a detailed lesson plan for a presentation and hands-on practicum for high-school students.
• (5 years) Church volunteer - coach/organizer/Sunday School teacher; youth leader of youth ministry

Clinical:

• Shadowing: A total of 95 hours shadowing various radiologists, nephrologists, and internists, some of whom are directors of their respective departments.
• Hospital volunteer at a large university hospital (not much; 20 hours total)

Application:
My PS has gone through quite a few drafts and it seems pretty strong from what I have heard. It describes a unique aspect of my life that few can claim and ties it up neatly in a metaphor.
My LORs are sort of a question mark. I know I have a strong one from my university's vice-chair of neuroscience. I will also be getting a fairly strong one from the director of a department in the humanities. Another will be from my priest which should be quite strong as well and describes all my responsibilities at my church. Another will be from a science professor whose class I scored and presented very well in.

School list: (this is where I need help!)

I am honestly open to any schools that of course are either in-state or friendly to California OOS-ers. As another bit of helpful criteria, I have family/friends in California, Chicago, Boston, and Florida. I am looking to apply to 30+ schools (?) organized in a fall-back, good fit, reach stratification. The list below is sort of a compilation of suggestions from friends, etc; its not an honest reflection of my own picks from MSAR:

In-State:
Loma Linda
UC Irvine
UC Davis
USC
Stanford (?)
UCLA - David Geffen
UCLA/Charles Drew
UCLA PRIME
UCSF
UCSD
UCR (?; very Riverside-oriented)

Out-of-state:
George Washington
Georgetown
Rosalind Franklin
Northwestern
Rush
UChicago (?)
Albany
Albert Einstein
NYU
Columbia
NY Medical College
SUNY Downstate
SUNY Upstate
Stony Brook
Rochester
Johns Hopkins (?)
Howard
Washington University St. Louis
University of Washington
Baylor
Temple
Michigan
University of Arizona

Please please feel free to make comments about what I have for a school list so far. Go ahead and suggest removing schools that aren't OOS-friendly or are severely out of my range! I would also GREATLY APPRECIATE suggestions on schools that should be added and the possible organization of schools into fall-back, good fit, and reach schools!

Any insight on anything here would be awesome!

Thanks again!

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[Goro]

You're fine anywhere. Invest in MSAR to get a list of OOS-friendly school's.
Aim high, too.
Good luck!

Delete U Az...not OOS friendly


Research:
Not exactly that impressive.
1 year at a neurobiology lab independently preparing and analyzing resting fMRI data of sleep study patients for functional connectivity. I have some findings, but no publications yet! I am definitely working on it though; Ill be there ALL summer.

Volunteer:

• (1.5 years) Director of Education for a science educational organization run by undergraduates; Responsible for everything from the coordination and evaluation of every member's presentation, to the creation of entirely new scientific modules in line with California's current high school science standards. I am also managing the creation of an organization textbook for use by members as a reference for the content of their presentations.
• (1 Quarter) Member of a science outreach program developed to stimulate an interest in neuroscience for children and adolescents. Created a detailed lesson plan for a presentation and hands-on practicum for high-school students.
• (5 years) Church volunteer - coach/organizer/Sunday School teacher; youth leader of youth ministry

Clinical:

• Shadowing: A total of 95 hours shadowing various radiologists, nephrologists, and internists, some of whom are directors of their respective departments.
• Hospital volunteer at a large university hospital (not much; 20 hours total)

Application:
My PS has gone through quite a few drafts and it seems pretty strong from what I have heard. It describes a unique aspect of my life that few can claim and ties it up neatly in a metaphor.
My LORs are sort of a question mark. I know I have a strong one from my university's vice-chair of neuroscience. I will also be getting a fairly strong one from the director of a department in the humanities. Another will be from my priest which should be quite strong as well and describes all my responsibilities at my church. Another will be from a science professor whose class I scored and presented very well in.

School list: (this is where I need help!)

I am honestly open to any schools that of course are either in-state or friendly to California OOS-ers. As another bit of helpful criteria, I have family/friends in California, Chicago, Boston, and Florida. I am looking to apply to 30+ schools (?) organized in a fall-back, good fit, reach stratification. The list below is sort of a compilation of suggestions from friends, etc; its not an honest reflection of my own picks from MSAR:

In-State:
Loma Linda
UC Irvine
UC Davis
USC
Stanford (?)
UCLA - David Geffen
UCLA/Charles Drew
UCLA PRIME
UCSF
UCSD
UCR (?; very Riverside-oriented)

Out-of-state:
George Washington
Georgetown
Rosalind Franklin
Northwestern
Rush
UChicago (?)
Albany
Albert Einstein
NYU
Columbia
NY Medical College
SUNY Downstate
SUNY Upstate
Stony Brook
Rochester
Johns Hopkins (?)
Howard
Washington University St. Louis
University of Washington
Baylor
Temple
Michigan
University of Arizona

Please please feel free to make comments about what I have for a school list so far. Go ahead and suggest removing schools that aren't OOS-friendly or are severely out of my range! I would also GREATLY APPRECIATE suggestions on schools that should be added and the possible organization of schools into fall-back, good fit, and reach schools!

Any insight on anything here would be awesome!

Thanks again![/QUOTE]

 

[doctorswag]

Thanks for the response! Glad you think my list is appropriate for my application. Just checked the MSAR for University of Arizona and I agree; it does sound like they are a little more focused on the applicants in state, so Ill consider removing them from my list.

I have some follow-up questions for everybody. Do you think 30 schools is too much or too little? Are there any schools that I should definitely consider ADDING given my application details?

 

[alpinism]

You're fine anywhere. Invest in MSAR to get a list of OOS-friendly school's.
Aim high, too.
Good luck!

Delete U Az...not OOS friendly


Research:
Not exactly that impressive.
1 year at a neurobiology lab independently preparing and analyzing resting fMRI data of sleep study patients for functional connectivity. I have some findings, but no publications yet! I am definitely working on it though; Ill be there ALL summer.

Volunteer:

• (1.5 years) Director of Education for a science educational organization run by undergraduates; Responsible for everything from the coordination and evaluation of every member's presentation, to the creation of entirely new scientific modules in line with California's current high school science standards. I am also managing the creation of an organization textbook for use by members as a reference for the content of their presentations.
• (1 Quarter) Member of a science outreach program developed to stimulate an interest in neuroscience for children and adolescents. Created a detailed lesson plan for a presentation and hands-on practicum for high-school students.
• (5 years) Church volunteer - coach/organizer/Sunday School teacher; youth leader of youth ministry

Clinical:

• Shadowing: A total of 95 hours shadowing various radiologists, nephrologists, and internists, some of whom are directors of their respective departments.
• Hospital volunteer at a large university hospital (not much; 20 hours total)

Application:
My PS has gone through quite a few drafts and it seems pretty strong from what I have heard. It describes a unique aspect of my life that few can claim and ties it up neatly in a metaphor.
My LORs are sort of a question mark. I know I have a strong one from my university's vice-chair of neuroscience. I will also be getting a fairly strong one from the director of a department in the humanities. Another will be from my priest which should be quite strong as well and describes all my responsibilities at my church. Another will be from a science professor whose class I scored and presented very well in.

School list: (this is where I need help!)

I am honestly open to any schools that of course are either in-state or friendly to California OOS-ers. As another bit of helpful criteria, I have family/friends in California, Chicago, Boston, and Florida. I am looking to apply to 30+ schools (?) organized in a fall-back, good fit, reach stratification. The list below is sort of a compilation of suggestions from friends, etc; its not an honest reflection of my own picks from MSAR:

In-State:
Loma Linda
UC Irvine
UC Davis
USC
Stanford (?)
UCLA - David Geffen
UCLA/Charles Drew
UCLA PRIME
UCSF
UCSD
UCR (?; very Riverside-oriented)

Out-of-state:
George Washington
Georgetown
Rosalind Franklin
Northwestern
Rush
UChicago (?)
Albany
Albert Einstein
NYU
Columbia
NY Medical College
SUNY Downstate
SUNY Upstate
Stony Brook
Rochester
Johns Hopkins (?)
Howard
Washington University St. Louis
University of Washington
Baylor
Temple
Michigan
University of Arizona

Please please feel free to make comments about what I have for a school list so far. Go ahead and suggest removing schools that aren't OOS-friendly or are severely out of my range! I would also GREATLY APPRECIATE suggestions on schools that should be added and the possible organization of schools into fall-back, good fit, and reach schools!

Any insight on anything here would be awesome!

Thanks again!

U Arizona recently changed its admissions policies to accept more OOS students (up to 50%).

 

[doctorswag]

Oh okay great! So thats what they meant. Thank you!

Any other comments about my application/school list?

 

[gyngyn]

Which under-represented community do you represent? Have you demonstrated a commitment to service in this community?

 

[doctorswag]

Which under-represented community do you represent? Have you demonstrated a commitment to service in this community?

I am part of the Coptic Egyptian community. My service in this community is revealed in a number of different components: as a youth servant of my Coptic Orthodox church (a huge facet of my culture) and as an active member of my university's Coptic Club which participates in community development by providing free weekly tutoring and meals for the homeless, among other services.

I guess I neglected to emphasize that on my post here, but my culture comprises a significant portion of my application as it will be mentioned in my activities section and my priest's letter of recommendation.

 

[Lya]

30 is not too many. A full list of all low- and mid-tier schools for NY residents, for example, is about 25~30 schools.

Since your MCAT score is very well balanced, I would agree that you can aim high and take those question marks out from your school list.

 

[doctorswag]

30 is not too many. A full list of all low- and mid-tier schools for NY residents, for example, is about 25~30 schools.

Since your MCAT score is very well balanced, I would agree that you can aim high and take those question marks out from your school list.

Thank you for your input, Lya! For the question-mark schools, I just thought that since my scores were at the bottom of their score range and my research isn't all that strong, that I would only include them if in the end I felt that my list was too bottom-heavy. What are your thoughts?

Also, can anyone recommend any good switch-ins for schools in Boston or Florida?

 

[gyngyn]

I am part of the Coptic Egyptian community. My service in this community is revealed in a number of different components: as a youth servant of my Coptic Orthodox church (a huge facet of my culture) and as an active member of my university's Coptic Club which participates in community development by providing free weekly tutoring and meals for the homeless, among other services.

I guess I neglected to emphasize that on my post here, but my culture comprises a significant portion of my application as it will be mentioned in my activities section and my priest's letter of recommendation.

That's excellent. Egyptians (even coptics) are not generally considered under-represented in medicine, however.

You are a good candidate for many fine schools. You may even get a couple of interviews in CA. Loma Linda is an especially good choice. Good luck.

 

[doctorswag]

That's excellent. Egyptians (even coptics) are not generally considered under-represented in medicine, however.

You are a good candidate for many fine schools. You may even get a couple of interviews in CA. Loma Linda is an especially good choice. Good luck.

Oh! Good to know! I guess I failed to research that designation in depth. How do you know which minorities are and are not under-represented in medicine?

Thanks gyngyn!

 

[gyngyn]

Oh! Good to know! I guess I failed to research that designation in depth. How do you know which minorities are and are not under-represented in medicine?

Thanks gyngyn!

The Supreme court originally identified groups that had: inalienable racial characteristics, a history of political impotence and a stigma of opprobrium as protected from discrimination in education. This translated into: subsaharan african americans, mexican americans, native americans and mainland puerto ricans. Now each school can identify communities they serve that have these characteristics and are also noted to have fewer physicians than the rest of society. Thus, a particular school may also recognize Guatemaltecos and Salvadorenos as UIM in addition to Mexican Americans and Puerto Riquenos.

Asians, though generally over-represented are not a homogeneous group. Hmong and Cambodians may be considered UIM with good reason.

 

[doctorswag]

The Supreme court originally identified groups that had: inalienable racial characteristics, a history of political impotence and a stigma of opprobrium as protected from discrimination in education. This translated into: subsaharan african americans, mexican americans, native americans and mainland puerto ricans. Now each school can identify communities they serve that have these characteristics and are also noted to have fewer physicians than the rest of society. Thus, a particular school may also recognize Guatemaltecos and Salvadorenos as UIM in addition to Mexican Americans and Puerto Riquenos.

Asians, though generally over-represented are not a homogeneous group. Hmong and Cambodians may be considered UIM with good reason.

Thanks for the clarification! I've edited my post above to be more accurate.

 

[gyngyn]

Thanks for the clarification! I've edited my post above to be more accurate.

This will also help you in the application process!

 

[doctorswag]

This will also help you in the application process!

Oh absolutely. Its good to know where I stand minority-wise especially come interview time. I would hate to drop the whole I'm URM card in an interview if its not true! Thanks again!

Just in general though, can anyone recommend any good additions or switch-ins between the schools on my list for schools in Boston or Florida?

 

[doctorswag]

I am considering making these 4 additions (in bold) to my school list. What are SDN's thoughts? Are they good additions? Am I chancing too much? What schools should I remove to keep myself in the range of 30-35 schools?

In-State:
Loma Linda
UC Irvine
UC Davis
USC
Stanford (?)
UCLA - David Geffen
UCLA/Charles Drew
UCLA PRIME
UCSF
UCSD
UCR (?; very Riverside-oriented)

Out-of-state:
George Washington
Georgetown
Rosalind Franklin
Northwestern
Rush
UChicago
Albany
Albert Einstein
NYU
Columbia
NY Medical College
SUNY Downstate
SUNY Upstate
Stony Brook
Rochester
Johns Hopkins
Howard
Washington University St. Louis
University of Washington
Baylor
Temple
Michigan
University of Arizona
Tufts
Boston University
Miami-Miller
Central Florida