MD 510 MCAT, 3.8GPA + MBA

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bicman

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Canadian applicant with 510 MCAT (129, 126, 128, 127), 3.8GPA from a top 5 Canadian university
Enrolled in an MBA program
>100 hours volunteering in a hospital
3 years as a club president, 1 year as vice-president
2 summers as a lab tech in a Canadian federal government lab
1 summer as a research assistant at my university
3.5 years as a supervisor at a coffee shop
Where should I apply and what are my chances? Any tips/tricks greatly appreciated!

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Buy the MSAR.
Filter for the fifty odd schools that accept internationals.
Eliminate the ones that matriculate less than 4 (they are probably inside candidates).
Eliminate mission-based schools.
Apply to the remaining schools where the median MCAT is 31 or less (if that is your only MCAT).
 
Buy the MSAR.
Filter for the fifty odd schools that accept internationals.
Eliminate the ones that matriculate less than 4 (they are probably inside candidates).
Eliminate mission-based schools.
Apply to the remaining schools where the median MCAT is 31 or less (if that is your only MCAT).

Sweet thanks a lot for your advice - what do you mean by "mission-based schools"? Are those ones that have a certain percent for in-state applicants? Or do you mean religious schools?
Thanks :)
 
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Sweet thanks a lot for your advice - what do you mean by "mission-based schools"? Are those ones that have a certain percent for in-state applicants? Or do you mean religious schools?
Thanks :)
Loma Linda and the HBCU's are examples.
 
Hey, I'm also a Canadian and I applied this cycle and netted 3 interviews on October 15th, I'll leave you some advice here, but feel free to PM me :)

So one thing to know is that the average international matriculant has a 514 MCAT and an above average GPA.
We are held to much higher standards than our American counterparts (generally speaking). Your MCAT will likely be a disadvantage here due to the 126 in CARS.

I can already tell you that from my own experience, you are on the low-end of clinical experience. For reference, most applicants have shadowing (which I know is practically impossible to do in Canada) on top of clinical experience. Your lack of non-clinical volunteering will also hurt you.
I had about the same amount of clinical hours and another 130 or so non-clinical and I got called out for it in two interviews. Consider using this year to collect another 100 hours of clinical and another 100+ non clinical to round out your app.

Right now you've got a really heavy research focus, which is fine, but you need to show that you understand what you're getting into in a service-oriented profession.

I'm not saying this to discourage you, but it is TOUGH for us Canadian applicants - practically as tough as Canada.

I would also suggest your throw out some DO apps if you aren't interested in re-writing your MCAT, because I do think that imbalance will hurt you as an international applicant.


Also, if you take a look at my signature, you'll see EIGHT rejections already (and it's only mid-cycle). Schools either love or hate us. Take gyngyn's advice and also run your list by me if you'd like. There are some schools that are just NOT worth applying to even if they "totally take internationals"
 
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