39 MCAT, 3.91 BPCM GPA, 3.94 cGPA, CA resident

[bestdecision]

So I know I have pretty good stats. I am not here to brag and I am grateful for these stats. I can't believe I was able to achieve it but I guess hard work and luck paid off. I wasn't expecting that 39 (12, 13, 14) in my MCAT...and I definitely wasn't one of those people who were born to be in an Ivy. I didn't go to Africa to cure AIDS or something like that...and I couldn't really afford to do a lot of Ivy-level ECs because I was working during my undergrad. Anyway, I'm not sure if my school list is too top heavy. (I feel like it is!) I am tempted to add lower tier schools but money is a bit tight and I'm not sure if it's worth it. Let me know if my head is in the clouds or not. I especially want to hear from people who got accepted to top tier schools... are my ECs not as stellar as they should be or is it on par with yours? Is it pure luck and interview skills after this point?

ECs
- 800 hrs clinical volunteer, 460 hrs leadership position (I was Assoc. Director) in said clinical program
- 3 years worth of research, won two school research awards, about to be published in undergrad journal of my school, and second author publication in a low impact journal
- Board member of a medical outreach club
- Board member of our undergrad research journal publication
- won a scholarship from school ($10,000 award)
- worked as a resident advisor for 2 years
- graduated magna cum laude

I already took a gap year so I want to ensure that I will get in somewhere (hopefully a top school (!) or a mid-tier school with a good financial package/scholarship offer). Again, I know my numbers are great but numbers aren't everything. I get scared when I hear about peeps who just get ignored despite being competitive, due to the volume of people who apply to top schools.

Anyway, here's my school list!

UCLA Geffen
UCLA Drew
UCI
UCR
UCSD
UC Davis
USC Keck
Stanford
UCSF
Loma Linda
Harvard
Mayo
Washington
Univ. of Pitt
Johns Hopkins
Perelman
Columbia
Michigan-Ann Arbor
Duke
Yale
Wash U St. Louis
Vanderbilt
Pritzker

Thank you!

Edit: will add Baylor and Cornell (not a back-up! I know it's a top school)
2nd Edit: added Northwestern, Emory, and Mt. Sinai (all good schools still (esp. Northwestern), but more schools means better odds!)

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[gyngyn]

You won't be ignored.

 

[bestdecision]

You won't be ignored.

Thank you for your input! So, do you think adding more low to mid tier safety schools is unnecessary? If not, are there any schools you would suggest I should add?

Thank you so much!

 

[gyngyn]

Thank you for your input! So, do you think adding more low to mid tier safety schools is unnecessary? If not, are there any schools you would suggest I should add?

Thank you so much!

You can stop.

 

[dfogt]

2nd author? haha you're boned! better luck next year champ

 

[bestdecision]

2nd author? haha you're boned! better luck next year champ

boned? that sounds like a bad thing...

 

[darkjedi]

your list is fine

my question is, at what school does a 3.91 only grant you with magna??

 

[BPM]

your list is fine

my question is, at what school does a 3.91 only grant you with magna??

A 3.91 at my school will only grant you magna. I go to a UC if that helps.

 

[jeghaber]

your list is fine

my question is, at what school does a 3.91 only grant you with magna??

Some schools only offer magnas.

 

[Goro]

I think maybe you need to work on the self-esteem. You're golden,and nothin wrong with aiming high. Maybe add Baylor, Northwestern or U TXSW?

So I know I have pretty good stats. I am not here to brag and I am grateful for these stats. I can't believe I was able to achieve it but I guess hard work and luck paid off. I wasn't expecting that 39 (12, 13, 14) in my MCAT...and I definitely wasn't one of those people who were born to be in an Ivy. I didn't go to Africa to cure AIDS or something like that...and I couldn't really afford to do a lot of Ivy-level ECs because I was working during my undergrad. Anyway, I'm not sure if my school list is too top heavy. (I feel like it is!) I am tempted to add lower tier schools but money is a bit tight and I'm not sure if it's worth it. Let me know if my head is in the clouds or not. I especially want to hear from people who got accepted to top tier schools... are my ECs not as stellar as they should be or is it on par with yours? Is it pure luck and interview skills after this point?

ECs
- 800 hrs clinical volunteer, 460 hrs leadership position (I was Assoc. Director) in said clinical program
- 3 years worth of research, won two school research awards, about to be published in undergrad journal of my school, and second author publication in a low impact journal
- Board member of a medical outreach club
- Board member of our undergrad research journal publication
- won a scholarship from school ($10,000 award)
- worked as a resident advisor for 2 years
- graduated magna cum laude

I already took a gap year so I want to ensure that I will get in somewhere (hopefully a top school (!) or a mid-tier school with a good financial package/scholarship offer). Again, I know my numbers are great but numbers aren't everything. I get scared when I hear about peeps who just get ignored despite being competitive, due to the volume of people who apply to top schools.

Anyway, here's my school list!

UCLA Geffen
UCLA Drew
UCI
UCR
UCSD
UC Davis
USC Keck
Stanford
UCSF
Loma Linda
Harvard
Mayo
Washington
Univ. of Pitt
Johns Hopkins
Perelman
Columbia
Michigan-Ann Arbor
Duke
Yale
Wash U St. Louis
Vanderbilt
Pritzker

Thank you!

 

[Lambda Phage]

your list is fine

my question is, at what school does a 3.91 only grant you with magna??

Mine. 3.96+ is summa

 

[bestdecision]

your list is fine

my question is, at what school does a 3.91 only grant you with magna??

Yes, I go to a UC. I'm actually a 0.0-something point away from being summa and was a bit bummed about it at first... but now, I couldn't care less!

 

[bestdecision]

I think maybe you need to work on the self-esteem. You're golden,and nothin wrong with aiming high. Maybe add Baylor, Northwestern or U TXSW?

I guess I do! I did get a few PMs encouraging me to apply to more mid-tier schools so it depends on the person I guess. It's just that my "back-ups" are mostly CA schools and CA schools are so competitive! That's why I'm wondering if I should add more OOS back-up schools... Anyway, I'm thinking of adding maybe Baylor... are they OOS-friendly?

 

[weswelker]

you should apply to some lower schools dude your mcat is too low

 

[Radon XP]

I guess I do! I did get a few PMs encouraging me to apply to more mid-tier schools so it depends on the person I guess. It's just that my "back-ups" are mostly CA schools and CA schools are so competitive! That's why I'm wondering if I should add more OOS back-up schools... Anyway, I'm thinking of adding maybe Baylor... are they OOS-friendly?

Baylor is the most OOS friendly school in Texas, for sure.

 

[bestdecision]

you should apply to some lower schools dude your mcat is too low

I know right?! Should have gotten that 40.. ah, well..

 

[bestdecision]

Baylor is the most OOS friendly school in Texas, for sure.

Thanks..will definitely apply to Baylor.. and maybe Cornell. Well, Cornell is OBVIOUSLY NOT a backup.. I just realized I didn't have it and should add it even if it's a top school, just to maximize my odds.

 

[inimitablegeek]

Make sure you are comfortable with Loma Linda's "no drugs/alcohol" policies and can produce a LOR from a clergyman.

For some people, not being able to drink after exams (Step 1) is a deal-breaker, so if it is for you, replace LLUSM with a safety.

 

[bestdecision]

Make sure you are comfortable with Loma Linda's "no drugs/alcohol" policies and can produce a LOR from a clergyman.

For some people, not being able to drink after exams (Step 1) is a deal-breaker, so if it is for you, replace LLUSM with a safety.

Yeah... I didn't really do my research on that one.. and I haven't gotten my MCAT score when I added this. So yes, I will be withdrawing my app from LLUSM.

 

[cerno]

Wow, magna is only 3.7 at my school.

 

[Jennyfishy]

Wow, magna is only 3.7 at my school.

sameish, also from a uc. cutoff varies per major, but 3.87 and higher is considered summa

 

[Jamie561]

OP, look at MDApps #23005

 

[jeghaber]

OP, look at MDApps #23005

#23005's UMichigan timeline :
SR: 6/20/2011 || II: 6/20/2011 || SS: 6/23/2011 || IA: 8/19/2011 || letter sent || letter 2 sent || A: 10/15/2011 ||

 

[Amba]

#23005's UMichigan timeline :
SR: 6/20/2011 || II: 6/20/2011 || SS: 6/23/2011 || IA: 8/19/2011 || letter sent || letter 2 sent || A: 10/15/2011 ||

Wasn't that back when UMich had auto invites for people with >3.8 and >36?

 

[rodmichael82]

Wasn't that back when UMich had auto invites for people with >3.8 and >36?

Yes that's correct. It's literally automatic lol sent out from their system.

 

[jeghaber]

Yes that's correct. It's literally automatic lol sent out from their system.

I guess AMCAS used to transmit primaries ~week earlier?

 

[darkjedi]

jeez, when I graduated 3.6+ was summa and 3.4+ was magna

 

[bestdecision]

OP, look at MDApps #23005

Maybe he had amazing ECs? Don't want to be overconfident... it's nice to dream though!