MD 3.77 cGPA, 3.64 sGPA, 515 MCAT School List + Chances

[disSingh17]

I used WedgeDwag's Application Rating System to create a school list and I wanted your guy's opinion on it. I am going to be using the AMCAS's FEE program so I will only be applying to 15 schools. Thanks in advance for your help guys.

Race: Indian (South Asian)
College: Top 40 Liberal Arts School
Major: Public Health
State: Pennsylvania
cGPA: 3.77
sGPA: 3.64
MCAT: 515
PS- 130
CARS- 128
Bio/Biochem-129
Psych-128

EC:

• Secretary of my college's minority support group; I was a member for 3 years prior.
• Chair of the Student Government Budget committee. Also served as a member on the committee for 2 years prior and was a member of the student government my freshman year.
• Head of Operations and Equipment of college's EMS. Also was a member for 2 years prior.
• Member of a student cultural organization. 4 years ( Thinking about leaving this one out of my application.)
• Preceptorship for an advanced Public Health course. One Semester.

Research:

• Worked with a professor to conduct research on the epidemiology of pregnancy outcomes. Awaiting publication.

Shadowing:

• Shadowed a General Surgeon at a local hospital. 3o hrs.
• Shadowed a Neurologist this summer. 20 hrs.
• Have plans on shadowing an Interventional Radiologist this fall. Maybe another 10 hrs.

Internships:

• Public Health Intern at Philadelphia Public Health Department this summer.

LORs:
1: Committee Letter
2: Research Advisor/Professor
3. My supervisor at my internship.

School List:

Columbia - Super Reach
Pitt - Reach - State
NYU - Reach
Cornell - Reach
Emory - High Match
USC - High Match
Dartmouth - High Match
Rochester - Match
Boston University - Match
Jefferson - Match
Tufts - Match
GWU - Match
Temple - Match
Commonwealth - Safety
Penn State - Safety - State

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[GrapesofRath]

Any volunteering experience? Clinical exposure beyond shadowing and EMS work? Both of those are essential. If you don't have them that can cause problems for sure.

Your list isn't bad. Your chances will clearly be best at TCMC that interviews 40% of IS applicants. Definitely include Drexel as they interview about 25-30% of IS applicants just like Temple. I would definitely strongly consider adding WVU as well, particularly if you are from the central or western part of the state(in which case its a must add).

You probably want a couple more lower tiers. GWU gets 15K apps, Tufts gets a ton of apps as well and every other school on your list has a 35+ median MCAT average.

Some other schools that I would definitely give consideration to adding

Wake Forest
Tulane
Hofstra
Oakland
Quinnipac
Medical College Wisconsin
Saint Louis
Creighton

None of these are schools that get a crazy number of apps. I would strongly consider adding several. NYMC, Albany, Rush, Loyola, Rosalind, Eastern Virginia, VCU, Miami are all also worth consideration.

I wouldn't keep Dartmouth( don't think you fit what they are looking for). USC, Emory, Boston U and Rochester are all fine. Cornell, NYU, Columbia and Pitt are all obviously going to be long shots but its not crazy to throw an app at a few and see what happens; just make sure you cover your bases adding more lower tiers. If you want another reach maybe to replace one that might be slightly more feasible Case Western and Einstein might be worth a look.

 

[disSingh17]

Thanks for a very great reply. I took into consideration what you said and created a new list that is more focused on the lower tier schools. Also, other than volunteering as an EMS and shadowing the doctors I mentioned, I don't have any. Here is my new list:

Pitt - Reach - State
NYU - Reach
Cornell - Reach
Emory - High Match
Einstein - High Match
USC - High Match
Rochester - Match
Boston University - Match
Jefferson - Match
Wake Forest - Match
Miami - Match
Tulane - Match
Temple - Match
Commonwealth - Safety
Penn State - Safety - State

 

[GrapesofRath]

Thanks for a very great reply. I took into consideration what you said and created a new list that is more focused on the lower tier schools. Also, other than volunteering as an EMS and shadowing the doctors I mentioned, I don't have any. Here is my new list:

Pitt - Reach - State
NYU - Reach
Cornell - Reach
Emory - High Match
Einstein - High Match
USC - High Match
Rochester - Match
Boston University - Match
Jefferson - Match
Wake Forest - Match
Miami - Match
Tulane - Match
Temple - Match
Commonwealth - Safety
Penn State - Safety - State

Take out NYU and Cornell and replace with Drexel(which is a must add) and WVU. Any other volunteering experience in general non clinically related?

 

[disSingh17]

I don't really want to apply to Drexel, which I hear has a poor reputation and a terrible hospital system. As for WVU, I don't know if it makes sense to apply out of state public university, does it?

 

[GrapesofRath]

I don't really want to apply to Drexel, which I hear has a poor reputation and a terrible hospital system. As for WVU, I don't know if it makes sense to apply out of state public university, does it?

Actually do some of your own research on Drexel rather than what people tell you before making claims like that. Drexel interviews around 25-30% of IS applicants. All these OOS schools you want to apply to often don't interview more than 3-5% of applicants. If you want to maximize your odds of getting into medical school its in your best interest to apply to Drexel and spend time looking into it on your own.

What part of PA are you from? WVU shows regional bias to the states surrounding it and takes half its class OOS. As a whole the school interviews around 20% of OOS applicants and many of those don't fit what WVU is looking for. So yes, I would apply.

 

[disSingh17]

I am from Philadelphia, so I don't know if I'll get regional preference.

 

[GrapesofRath]

I am from Philadelphia, so I don't know if I'll get regional preference.

You might not get the same as other PA residents might but if you are only applying to 14 schools I would still consider adding it, especially over one of the 8/15 schools on your list you have with 35+ MCAT medians(particularly NYU or Cornell).

If your from Philly that gives even more of a reason to apply to Drexel and I might give consideration to Cooper Rowan as well.

 

[disSingh17]

Oh, I forgot to mention that I also had an on-campus work study job throughout my four years of college; I worked 14 hours a week, every week.