MD 3.92 uGPA, 3.90 Graduate GPA, 3.80 sGPA, MCAT 33 - Chances of Making it to NYC Schools?

[DavidUKR]

-cGPA - 3.91 (including both undergraduate and graduate).
-sGPA - 3.80
-MCAT - 33

Undergraduate Degree - Health and Nutrition Sciences
Graduate Degree - Nutrition - Clinical Nutrition Track

I am a Registered Dietitian who took part in a dietetic internship program, which included 420 clinical hours (acute care, long term care, dialysis, kidney transplant, trauma and burn). During those hours, I performed nutrition assessments, which required that I interview patients. I would chart the assessments and include my recommendations (ex: tube feeding recommendations). I would also counsel patients on various nutrition related topics, such as carbohydrate counting in Diabetes, lowering lipid levels in CVD, food-and-drug interactions (ex: vitamin K and coumadin), and overall health education that accommodated to their income status.

-Clinical volunteer activities:
200 hours hospital volunteering

-Physician shadowing (include specialties and total hours)
50 hours shadowing a gastroenterologist, 30 hours shadowing an OBGYN, 10 hours shadowing an endocrinologist

-Research
Graduate thesis on Nutrition Support and Swallowing Exercises in oral cancer patients
Co-author in study that looked to see whether exercise and nutrition counseling would improve fitness test pass rates in criminal justice majors

-Nonclinical volunteer activities
30 hours at a senior center.
30 hours at college's cafeteria.
10 hours of meal deliveries at Meals on Wheels.

-Employment
Teaching Assistant for undergraduate nutrition course (1 year)
Sports Nutrition Counseling for Undergraduate Athletes (1 year)
Undergraduate Nutrition Tutor (4 months)
Receptionist at Gastroenterology Clinic (3 months)
Sales Associate at supplement shop (1 year)
Data Entry Clerk at a small business (2 years)

White 23 yo male. Born in NYC, first generation (family came to America one year prior). Father was never around and mother had passed away a few years ago due to a medical condition, which has heavily influenced my passion in the medical field (which I will note in my PS).

Scholarships:
4 nutrition related scholarships, 1 health science scholarship.

Inducted into Alpha Eta Honor Society.

Here's my situation - I would like to stay in NYC. I understand this is unreasonable considering the competitive nature of the schools around here, but I've already spent the past 2 years away at graduate school, and do not want to leave again - mostly because I want to help take care of my grandmother, and would feel awful leaving for another 4 years. While I likely will apply more broadly, I'd like to know what my chances are in getting accepted into one of the NYC schools, and what I can do to improve my application and my chances.

Here is my NYC (well, the 5 boroughs) school list:
-Albert Einstein College of Medicine at Yeshiva University
-Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons
-Icahn School of Medicine Mount Sinai
-SUNY Downstate College of Medicine
-Weill Cornell Medical College
-New York University School of Medicine

Getting into any one of these schools would be a dream for me, honestly. Columbia, Cornell, and NYU are my top 3, but those are top 20 schools (with Columbia being top 10), so I understand that might be overshooting it. I would be extremely happy with Downstate as well (besides the fact that the tuition is notably lower, I have a few friends at the program now who have said great things about it).

Here are some other NY schools I've considered:
-New York Medical College (about an hour and 10 minute drive from my place in Brooklyn)
-Hofstra University North Shore - LIJ School of Medicine (About a 45 minute drive from Brooklyn, actually, that's more manageable than some of the Manhattan schools - However, with the Manhattan schools, I can feasibly take the train and use that as extra study time)
-Stony Brook University (about an hour and a half drive from Brooklyn - okay, that's really pushing it. I know that many people have commutes to work similar to that, but I don't think I can afford to sacrifice 3 hours a day on commuting when I should be studying)

Also, Rutgers School of Medicine (NJ) is about 50 minutes away from Brooklyn, though I'm not sure if it's worth banking on an out-of-state school.

I know there are D.O. school options as well, with two in particular:
Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine (Manhattan Campus)
New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine - About a 50 minute drive from Brooklyn. I'm sure they would be safe back-ups considering my stats, but it would be a shame to work so hard to achieve the stats I have only to ultimately make my chances of getting into a good residency more difficult. I know the response to this - having a more difficult time getting into a good residency is still a better deal than not being able to go to medical school and have a shot at a residency in the first place. I guess that's part of my conundrum (that, and my willingness to apply away). But that's my decision to ultimately make, I don't expect you guys to make it for me.

Here are the things I see as potential red flags in my application:
-I have dropped 3 classes within my 6 year undergraduate/graduate career. They were each during different semesters (one in freshmen year, one in sophomore year, and one during my first year of grad school). They were all prerequisites to medical school. I ended up retaking all of them and receiving As. The first two classes I dropped were due to issues with my mother's health, which required that I made myself more available to take her to appointments, as well as work to help support my family. The third drop was during my dietetic internship - one of my rotations, which lasted 3 weeks, was from 12-8 P.M. 4 days a week. Unfortunately, I had a class at 6:30 P.M. 2 days a week, and attendance was required (miss 5 days and you automatically get an unofficial withdrawal). I unfortunately was not made aware of my rotation schedule until it was too late; in general, rotations are from 8 - 4, but my preceptor had a different schedule at her work place. I spoke with my professor and he could not accommodate to my required absences, so I ended up dropping.
-I'm a Registered Dietitian. While I know this has given me a lot of experience, both clinically and non-clinically, and has helped me build a stronger foundation in the sciences, I also know that medical schools look down on applicants who already have a specialty. My interest in the medical field stemmed from my mother's condition, but I was certain that it was what I wanted once I experienced the clinical setting during my clinical rotations, so in that sense, it ended up being a gateway to help me realize my passion. But again, it's up to the admissions committees to see that as they will. One of my goals as a future doctor is to incorporate my knowledge as a Dietitian - I feel an adequate understanding of the nutrition sciences is important in the health care field.
-I'm a white male? I mean, my mother moved to America because of discrimination due to her religion (Jewish), economic stability was always hard to come by as a single mother of two. But again, I understand I wouldn't get any special treatment, but hopefully it won't make it more difficult for me either?
-My timeline in taking the required pre-requisites. Before I decided I wanted to go to medical school, I did not have to take the typical pre-med General and Organic Chemistry classes. Instead, I took a one semester version of each specifically for health science majors. I ended up finishing the actual pre-med courses (two semesters of inorganic, two semesters of organic) in graduate school, but again, I don't know if this will take away from my credibility as I've technically taken these courses multiple times, so I guess you could say I had an advantage or the students taking those courses the first time? Would admissions committees see it that way? Also, I took an advanced biochemistry course (graduate level) at the same time I was taking Organic Chemistry I. Again, I had already taken Organic Chemistry for Health majors prior, and being a grad student (particularly in Nutrition, where I've had multiple nutritional biochemistry courses already) allowed me to do so, and I did well. But again, I hope this doesn't seem sketchy?

Here are some additional courses I've taken beyond the required pre-requisites:
-Advanced Biological Chemistry (Graduate Level)
-Genetics (Graduate Level)
-Microbiology (Undergraduate, lecture only)
-Human Physiology (Undergraduate, lecture and lab)
-Introduction to Biostatistics (Undergraduate)
-Understanding Statistics Research (Graduate)
-Introduction to Psychology (Undergraduate)

So this thread has been way too long and cluttered, and I apologize. But I guess the take home questions are:
-What are my chances of getting into NYC schools?
-Which schools do I have the best chances?
-What can I do to improve my chances?
-Are there any schools that I missed that I should add (particularly those with a feasible commute from Brooklyn?)
-Are there any schools that I shouldn't even bother with?
-What is your opinion on my D.O. issue - worth it over going away for MD if I'm not really too keen on going away?

Thanks for any help, and if any part of that was confusing, or if any of you need any clarifications, please let me know!

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[gyngyn]

What is your undergraduate gpa (minus graduate school grades)? They will be evaluated separately.
There are only two MD schools on your list where you have a fair to good chance of an interview.
At a minimum you need to add the other NY schools.
No one can expect to get into a school within a particular commute!
If location is of prime importance, you must add any DO schools within your preferred geography.
Everybody likes white males.
Rutgers has a long history of not matriculating OOS candidates. Last year they went all the way up to one.

 

[DavidUKR]

What is your undergraduate gpa (minus graduate school grades)? They will be evaluated separately.
There are only two MD schools on your list where you have a fair to good chance of an interview.
At a minimum you need to add the other NY schools.
No one can expect to get into a school within a particular commute!
If location is of prime importance, you must add any DO schools within your preferred geography.
Everybody likes white males.
Rutgers has a long history of not matriculating OOS candidates. Last year they went all the way up to one.

My undergraduate GPA is 3.92.
I figured my MCAT falls just below the average range of many of the NYC schools.
I will definitely add the other NY schools with commutes that don't exceed one hour (essentially, I don't think I'll feasibly commute to Stony Brook, but I may apply to it anyway due to the fact that I am still debating the possibility of moving since, as you said,no one can expect the luxury of commuting from home).
I will add the DO schools as well.
And I've heard that Rutgers is heavily against OOS, I figure it'd be best to cut it from my list.

Thank you for your feedback and advice!

 

[Goro]

I suggest the following:

U Colorado
U AZ (both)
U VM
U Toledo
USF Morsani
Miami
St. Louis
Albany
Albert Einstein
Rochester
Rush
Rosy Franklin
BU
NYMC
VCU
EVMS
Wake Forest
Jefferson
Temple
Drexel
Creighton
George Washington
Emory
Duke
USC
Tulane
Loyola
Creighton
Any new MD school, except Central MI.
Any DO program. Start with Touro-NY and NYIT COM.
The four SUNYs

 

[DavidUKR]

I suggest the following:

Thank you for taking the time to compile this list - I understand that staying at home, even staying in-state, is a luxury I do not have control over, so this list will definitely be a valuable tool once I have a clear decision of whether I'd be able to attend an OOS school at this point in my life - my grandmother is the biggest factor - I suppose I may apply and if I only get accepted OOS, and my grandmother's health does not decline, then it would be a sound option for me.

 

[Vain Brother]

well you don't want to apply without knowing for sure you will end up going where you are accepted. ask any admissions committee member and they will tell you that turning down a medical school acceptance is pretty much kissing your future chances of applying goodbye

deciding to pursue medicine is signing up for a life of sacrifice. this means spending your youth in hospitals and libraries while your friends are out chasing girls, missing your kids' soccer games, and in your case maybe not being able to spend time with your grandmother. is this the life you want?

you stand a fair shot at an MD NYC acceptance, and probably a very good shot at one of the NY DO schools. can your grandmother move with you to medical school?

 

[DavidUKR]

well you don't want to apply without knowing for sure you will end up going where you are accepted. ask any admissions committee member and they will tell you that turning down a medical school acceptance is pretty much kissing your future chances of applying goodbye

deciding to pursue medicine is signing up for a life of sacrifice. this means spending your youth in hospitals and libraries while your friends are out chasing girls, missing your kids' soccer games, and in your case maybe not being able to spend time with your grandmother. is this the life you want?

you stand a fair shot at an MD NYC acceptance, and probably a very good shot at one of the NY DO schools. can your grandmother move with you to medical school?

Yeah, I might have been a tad rash with my last post. I suppose the anxiety of applying is getting to me! I will definitely apply to the MD and DO schools that are within commuting distance from my home as a minimum. In the meantime, I will take the remaining few weeks to thoroughly discuss this situation with my grandmother (and make clear the point that I may not get into a school around where we live - you know how grandmother's are, they'll always tell you that you can definitely do it and won't even want to consider the alternative haha) and come to an agreement on the best option moving forward. I'll decide whether to add any additional OOS options based on that. Thanks for the help and support, everyone.

 

[Lamel]

Add Hofstra. Your best bets are Downstate and Einstein, for which I think you have a great shot if you interview well; just make sure to express specific reasons for those schools whenever you get the chance (be it secondaries, interviews, etc.).

Rutgers has a long history of not matriculating OOS candidates. Last year they went all the way up to one.

After interviewing there I believe that MSAR stats may be misleading, as supposedly ~10% of the most recent class was OOS; the administrators said something about changing residency once you enter, I wish I listened to them more carefully. Either way, maybe OP can make a case for staying in the region and if he really does have geographical constraints then it could be a viable option.

 

[gyngyn]

After interviewing there I believe that MSAR stats may be misleading, as supposedly ~10% of the most recent class was OOS; the administrators said something about changing residency once you enter, I wish I listened to them more carefully. Either way, maybe OP can make a case for staying in the region and if he really does have geographical constraints then it could be a viable option.

I had heard they were opening up but the MSAR showed 40 OOS interviews and only 1 matriculant. It seems odd that they would correctly identify them as OOS for the interview and then change all but one of them to IS!

 

[Lamel]

I had heard they were opening up but the MSAR showed 40 OOS interviews and only 1 matriculant. It seems odd that they would correctly identify them as OOS for the interview and then change all but one of them to IS!

Yeah, I should have asked them to clarify but other things are running through the head during an interview day haha. Maybe this year someone from SDN who interviews can ask them about this specifically.

 

[DavidUKR]

Add Hofstra. Your best bets are Downstate and Einstein, for which I think you have a great shot if you interview well; just make sure to express specific reasons for those schools whenever you get the chance (be it secondaries, interviews, etc.).



After interviewing there I believe that MSAR stats may be misleading, as supposedly ~10% of the most recent class was OOS; the administrators said something about changing residency once you enter, I wish I listened to them more carefully. Either way, maybe OP can make a case for staying in the region and if he really does have geographical constraints then it could be a viable option.

Yeah, I'll definitely add Hofstra - it fits within my stats and is very close as well - the commute is significantly better than Einstein's, actually! Of course, classes only started in 2011. Do any of you feel this takes away from the school? I know it is fully accredited, so technically there should be no issues, but what are your opinions? Downstate would be a perfect, both distance-wise and financially. I've loved what I've seen and heard of the program as well.

And somebody actually messaged me earlier in regards to the OOS issue with Rutgers - they noted the same thing! Very strange indeed, but perhaps that would make it worth adding to my school list.

 

[Goro]

Medical students have to be somewhat selfish; you can't keep running home every time Gramma needs you. Make good choices.

Thank you for taking the time to compile this list - I understand that staying at home, even staying in-state, is a luxury I do not have control over, so this list will definitely be a valuable tool once I have a clear decision of whether I'd be able to attend an OOS school at this point in my life - my grandmother is the biggest factor - I suppose I may apply and if I only get accepted OOS, and my grandmother's health does not decline, then it would be a sound option for me.