3.94 GPA; 32 MCAT; Good ECs; Excellent LORs...Help?

[dancer150]

Hi everybody,

I was hoping to get some advice on my school list for the upcoming application cycle. Any constructive feedback and advice is welcome!

Background
-Rising senior at a top 10 liberal arts college known for no grade inflation
-Biology major
-PA Resident
-3.94 cGPA, 3.9 sGPA
-32 MCAT: 12 PS, 10 VR, 10 BS (My Bio was not nearly as high as it's usual but it is what is is)
-Above and beyond LORs from professors and global health mentor

Research Experience
-One year in Physical Chemistry Lab
-Two years+ in Developmental Biology Lab where I will write a thesis this year
-Two publications as a secondary author (and one pending review)

Clinical Experience
-Over 1000 hours worked at a Health Clinic for the poor in a third world country throughout the duration of my college years. Significant number of experiences
-Over 100 shadowing hours across various specialties: Emergency Medicine, Internal Medicine, Pulmonology, and Cardiology
-80+ Hours volunteering in a city hospital Maternity Ward & Gynecological Surgery departments

Leadership
-Significant Student Council position; worked closely with administration
-President/Board Member of a major college organization
-Upper Classmen Adviser position: an intensive, college-specific position where upper class students are mentors, counselors, and academic/personal advisers to a batch of 20 freshman and incoming students. Full year, high responsibility position
-Founded a charitable group on campus, raised thousands of dollars for many projects

Awards and Scholarships
-CRC Chemistry Press Achievement Award
-Two Howard Hughes Medical Institute Research Grants/Scholarships
-research fund/award given to one freshman of my undergrad institution

Other
-Teaching Assistant for Organic Synthesis, Biological Organic Chemistry, and Chemical Dynamics. Peer tutor in Biology, Chemistry, Spanish, and Mathematics
-Member of other service related clubs: Street Outreach, Health Advisory Committee and so forth

Current School List
This is top heavy, and I would feel more comfortable with an MCAT score being a couple points higher, but I would hate for a decent score to mean that I had no chance. But any advice on shortening the list is also very much welcome.

Mount Sinai
Harvard
Penn State
Vanderbilt
WashU
UCLA
Northwestern
University of Chicago (Pritzker)
Columbia
Yale
UPenn
Mayo
Rush
Duke
Emory
Boston University
Tufts
George Washington
Georgetown
University of Rochester
University of Pittsburgh
Temple
Thomas Jefferson
Albert Einstein
New York University
Stony Brook
New York Medical College
Stanford
University of Virginia
University of Michigan

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[kmp0410]

Your right, too top heavy.

Like it or not but that 32 is in the 10th percentile for a lot of those schools. Now everything else seems stellar, and that 10th percentile exists for people like you.

But I would round it out a lot more.

 

[dancer150]

Yeah, I was thinking about taking out some schools like Mayo, U Michigan, U Virginia, maybe Emory to at least get my total closer to 25. But then there's a question of adding other schools in their places to round out the list a bit more.

 

[rfvbnmju]

I'd throw in some "mid" and "low" tier schools such as these.

USC Kech
Loyola Chicago
Wake Forest
Creighton
Albany
NY Medical
Loma Linda
Med College of Wisconsin

Good luck

 

[October88]

Yeah, I was thinking about taking out some schools like Mayo, U Michigan, U Virginia, maybe Emory to at least get my total closer to 25. But then there's a question of adding other schools in their places to round out the list a bit more.

I would definitely throw in a few more of the mid to lower schools that are more close to your mcat.

And you need to do some research on all of the reach schools you are applying to...

For example you talk about throwing out Mayo which could be one of the top schools you have a decent chance at because they do consider a lot of things beyond test scores.

Whereas your keeping washu which is notorious for only wanting students with high stats.

 

[DrSolus]

I disagree. Your list is not top heavy at all. Looking at your ECs, it's clear that you've got great ambitions and you've got the brains/know-how to get there. Two Howard Hughes research grants?? Does anyone here even know what that is? That's ****ing amazing.

Alot of your accomplishments are pretty unique and will make you stand out. A 32 is high enough to put any doubts about your academic ability out of mind. (see this article about the validity/usefulness about the MCAT http://academicmedicineblog.org/2013/05/14/medical-school-admissions-and-the-mcat-a-modest-proposal/) Relevant quote: "The data from Dunleavy et al reveal that 90% of students who score a 30 will have Unimpeded Progress in medical school." This is why 30 is the magic number for a good enough MCAT score.

Have you considered MD/PhD? They would eat your app right up if you're interested in pursuing academic medicine.

PS. Your list is fine.

 

[dancer150]

I would definitely throw in a few more of the mid to lower schools that are more close to your mcat.

And you need to do some research on all of the reach schools you are applying to...

For example you talk about throwing out Mayo which could be one of the top schools you have a decent chance at because they do consider a lot of things beyond test scores.

Whereas your keeping washu which is notorious for only wanting students with high stats.

I do see where you're coming from, and I have heard that about WashU, but I've also heard the exact opposite from students who go there so it's hard to tell. I'll definitely consider keeping Mayo on there though, if you think they are more fair.

I disagree. Your list is not top heavy at all. Looking at your ECs, it's clear that you've got great ambitions and you've got the brains/know-how to get there. Two Howard Hughes research grants?? Does anyone here even know what that is? That's ****ing amazing.

....

Have you considered MD/PhD? They would eat your app right up if you're interested in pursuing academic medicine.

PS. Your list is fine.

Wow, thanks very much for the support. I really appreciate all that you're saying about the work that I've done. It was quite a lot to handle in three years of college, and I'm hoping that it was all worth it.