3.70/36, top ECs – school list

[The Real SVB]

**PLEASE DO NOT QUOTE**

Hey everyone!
SDN has been very dear to me for the past two years as I've read a lot of good advice but never posted. I'm submitting my primary next week and would like some extra feedback on my school list! I believe I have a stacked app with a slight weakness on the GPA end. I'm on FAP and do not want to do more than 20 schools.

[deleted]

Current list:
Crapshoots (10): Chicago, Columbia, Cornell, Duke, Harvard, Hopkins, Penn, Stanford, UCSF, Yale
Realistic (5): NYU, Northwestern, UMD, UVA, UCLA
Low-yield (3): BU, Georgetown, Stony Brook (I have reasons for choosing them, though)

I've been told I'll be fine with this top-heavy list, but I know my GPA is not great for some of these places and I'm not sure how much my ECs will help out there!

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[unnumzaan]

I think you'll be fine, but it's hard for us on SDN to judge an app's strength if it is primarily derived from the ECs. As you say, your numbers are slightly below average to mediocre at 14 of your 20 schools. I would feel better having more mid-tier schools in there that aren't recognized as low-yield.

 

[The Real SVB]

I think you'll be fine, but it's hard for us on SDN to judge an app's strength if it is primarily derived from the ECs. As you say, your numbers are slightly below average to mediocre at 14 of your 20 schools. I would feel better having more mid-tier schools in there that aren't recognized as low-yield.

Fair, okay...could I tag some adcoms then?
@gyngyn @Catalystik @Goro @mimelim @Tired @Winged Scapula

 

[Karabo]

Consider removing UNC (15% OOS matriculants in 2014) and the SUNYs (13% OOS matriculants for Downstate and 6% OOS matriculants for upstate). I'm not sure the OOS acceptances for these schools, but based on the matriculants, it probably still isn't high. You should replace these with privates or OOS friendly publics like Rochester, Wake Forest, Loyola, Penn State, Temple, etc (and U Mich and U Pitt if you want more reaches)

 

[Cyberdyne 101]

I think you should add Dartmouth to your list. Also, why not Brown and Sinai?

 

[The Real SVB]

I think you should add Dartmouth to your list. Also, why not Brown and Sinai?

Boonie life is no go. Brown's location sucks and I have personal issues against Sinai haha

 

[Cyberdyne 101]

Boonie life is no go. Brown's location sucks and I have personal issues against Sinai haha

Vanderbilt?! Emory?! What about Miami?!

 

[Lamel]

Pitt, Case, Rochester.

Out of the SUNYs I'd stick to Stony brook. Maybe downstate.

 

[Goro]

You're a rock star; aim high

I suggest, in no particular order:
Harvard, Hopkins, Penn, Stanford, UCSF, UCSD
Chicago, Columbia, Cornell, Duke, Yale, Emory
NYU, Northwestern, UCLA, UCI
BU,SUNY SB, SUNY DS, Vanderbilt, Mt Sinai
Pitt, Northwestern, Tulane, U Miami, Einstein, Hofstra, Va Tech, U WV, U VM, U AZ, U CO, U IL, Loyola, EVMS, Jefferson, USC

 

[Medical Bear]

I'd add some lower tier schools just to be completely safe. Great stats and good luck man!

 

[The Real SVB]

bump

 

[Cyberdyne 101]

You can conceivably add the NJ schools as safeties, although I'm not sure how they view OOS applicants.

 

[gyngyn]

You can conceivably add the NJ schools as safeties, although I'm not sure how they view OOS applicants.

Through a glass darkly.

 

[Cyberdyne 101]

Through a glass darkly.

Didn't know. Thanks for pointing that out!

 

[The Real SVB]

Through a glass darkly.

Yeah, I've heard that so left all the NJ schools out. Do you have any other suggestions/comments?

 

[gyngyn]

Yeah, I've heard that so left all the NJ schools out. Do you have any other suggestions/comments?

I agree with your assessment of the low yields on your list.

 

[The Real SVB]

I agree with your assessment of the low yields on your list.

How does the rest of the list look then? Does the 3.69 actually hold me back much?

 

[gyngyn]

How does the rest of the list look then? Does the 3.69 actually hold me back much?

good. not much.

 

[WedgeDawg]

Great ECs, "meh" stats (for top tiers).

Crapshoots (5): Harvard, Hopkins, Penn, Stanford, UCSF
Reaches (5): Chicago, Columbia, Cornell, Duke, Yale
Realistic (5): NYU, Northwestern, UMD, UVA, UCLA
Low-yield (3): BU, Georgetown, Stony Brook

1. I think your distinction between Crapshoots and Reaches is arbitrary (read: based entirely on US news...) - all of them are similarly competitive. I would also include NYU and Northwestern in this group too, and perhaps UCLA. This leaves you with 13 reach schools, which isn't necessarily bad, but just be aware that NYU is not "easier" to get into than, say, Duke, Yale, or Cornell.

2. I would drop UMD since you're not a Maryland resident - they aren't too OOS friendly, even if you're from DC.

3. Honestly, I would drop UCSF and UCLA as well. You have great ECs, but your stats are still not fantastic, so you do need to devote more spots to targets unless you want to risk having to apply again.

4. You need to add targets to your list until you hit 20 schools. Consider Wake Forest, Einstein, Rochester (though if you're not willing to do Dartmouth, then maybe not, as they're similarly located...), Hofstra, USC-Keck.

 

[The Real SVB]

Got some grade changes! (Long story) cGPA now 3.72
Does this actually change anything?

 

[Banco]

Stats: 3.72 cGPA, 3.71 sGPA, 36 MCAT from Penn (the private one, not Penn State). DC resident so no state schools
ECs (**most meaningful):

1. Gap year job at HYS law school – 1.5 years
2. Public policy fellowship – 2 years
3. Community policy advocacy – 2.5 years**
4. Gov't agency internship – 1 summer
5. College council representative – 2 years
6. Academic peer-reviewed journal editor – 2.5 years**
7. Emergency medicine research – 2.5 years
8. Senior thesis on contract law & labor policy – 1.5 years
9. Misc research – 1 summer + semester
   
10. Publications – 1 JAMA, 1 Annals EM, 1 gov't report, 1 JACC abstract
11. Science education organization co-founder – 3 years**
12. Clinical volunteering – 250 hours
13. Shadowing – 80 hours
14. Biochemistry tutor – 2 years
    
15. Hobbies – 1 competitive sport, 1 leisure

LORs: thesis advisor, EC supervisor, job supervisor, biochem TF, seminar prof. 2 are rockstar/big name, others expected to be standard.

I think this is a good enough list for you. Though all that policy and law stuff, you may want to make clear what your goals are in terms of medicine. It may actually work to your advantage at top schools to say you want to go into policy and stuff, so you have options on how you should tell your story.

 

[AlphaBeta<3]

Idk how I found this thread, but now I wonder what hours Stats were for everyone to tell him to aim high