517 MCAT 3.9 cGPA 3.8 sGPA

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floured

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Hi everyone! I am thinking of applying sometime next year, MD or maybe MD/PHD. I'm just starting to look at schools and I'm not sure how high to reach.

Thanks in advance for any help or input. If anyone has any questions just ask!

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You are pretty set. I would continue to boost the volunteering; look at some non clinical opportunities as well. Work with the less fortunate, lower SES groups, disabled, in different environments etc is what will really benefit you.

MD/PhD programs are brutally competitive. The median MD/PhD matriculant(note this is a general MD/PhD matriculant not one at a top school) had a 3.8/35. You have a 3.9/36 which is outstanding but there are simply no guarantees with MD/PhD programs. That said, you certainly can be competitive.

Invest in MSAR, then come back with a more specific list. My general guideline to get you started would be yes apply to all Michigan schools(that provides several lower tier "backup" type options), perhaps 6-8 medium tier type schools(think those with 3.7-3.8/34-35 medians like say as one example Rochester---try avoiding schools with significant IS bias like UNC) and then your choice of about a half dozen or so(depends on how many secondaries you're willing to fill out) of the top 20 reach schools of your choice.

The physician scientist forum on here will provide you better input for MD/PhD programs than I can. I would imagine if you are serious about them a good balance of your state programs, some medium tiers and some of the big names is probably a good idea there as well with perhaps it being a better idea to be a bit more conservative for MD/PhD school lists than MD school lists.
 
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Agree with grapes except 517 is a 35 not a 36 but it probably doesn't matter.

Yeah my mistake.
For future reference if anybody is wondering just cross match these two links

https://www.aamc.org/students/download/434504/data/percentilenewmcat.pdf
https://www.aamc.org/students/download/430684/data/finalpercentileranksfortheoldmcatexam.pdf

36: 96.1-97th percentile
35: 94.1-96th percentile
34: 91.1-94th percentile

518: 96.1-97th percentile
517: 95.1-96th percentile
516: 93.1-95th percentile
 
You're a rock star; aim high.

Got a list???


Hi everyone! I am thinking of applying sometime next year, MD or maybe MD/PHD. I'm just starting to look at schools and I'm not sure how high to reach. I will apply to most if not all MI schools and am also interested in west coast/UC schools.

3.9 cGPA 3.8 sGPA and a 517 MCAT. BS computer engineering. I am a MI resident and not a minority.

EC:
Volunteer as a first responder through the Red Cross, licensed as an EMT.
Active member in engineering honors society.
1 year of clinical volunteering at university hospital.

Research:
5 years research experience, hopefully a first author paper in review by the end of this year.
Presented a poster of my research at a national conference.

Thanks in advance for any help or input. If anyone has any questions just ask!
 
Thanks a lot for all of the advice! I definitely need to work on the volunteering/shadowing, I have been dedicating all of my time to research lately. I had no idea MD/PhD programs were so competitive, I would have expected the applicant pool to be smaller because of how long and difficult MD/PhD is. I just got MSAR and am just getting familiar with all of the schools. Here is my list so far, I'm not really sure how to decide on OOS schools besides of research and location appeal :). Any recommendations for other schools?


You are pretty set. I would continue to boost the volunteering; look at some non clinical opportunities as well. Work with the less fortunate, lower SES groups, disabled, in different environments etc is what will really benefit you.

MD/PhD programs are brutally competitive. The median MD/PhD matriculant(note this is a general MD/PhD matriculant not one at a top school) had a 3.8/35. You have a 3.9/36 which is outstanding but there are simply no guarantees with MD/PhD programs. That said, you certainly can be competitive.

Invest in MSAR, then come back with a more specific list. My general guideline to get you started would be yes apply to all Michigan schools(that provides several lower tier "backup" type options), perhaps 6-8 medium tier type schools(think those with 3.7-3.8/34-35 medians like say as one example Rochester---try avoiding schools with significant IS bias like UNC) and then your choice of about a half dozen or so(depends on how many secondaries you're willing to fill out) of the top 20 reach schools of your choice.

The physician scientist forum on here will provide you better input for MD/PhD programs than I can. I would imagine if you are serious about them a good balance of your state programs, some medium tiers and some of the big names is probably a good idea there as well with perhaps it being a better idea to be a bit more conservative for MD/PhD school lists than MD school lists.
You're a rock star; aim high.

Got a list???
 
Last edited:
Thanks a lot for all of the advice! I definitely need to work on the volunteering/shadowing, I have been dedicating all of my time to research lately. I had no idea MD/PhD programs were so competitive, I would have expected the applicant pool to be smaller because of how long and difficult MD/PhD is. I just got MSAR and am just getting familiar with all of the schools. Here is my list so far, I'm not really sure how to decide on OOS schools besides of research and location appeal :). Any recommendations for other schools?

Instate:
Oakland Beaumont
Wayne State SOM
Michigan State
UofM

Out:
Northwestern
Chicago
NYU
Columbia
Cornell
UCSD
UCSF
UCLA
USC
Stanford
Duke
Vanderbilt

I don't know enough about MD/PhD admission to advise specifically by school(the physician scientist forum will help you with that) but it does look rather top heavy. Your stats are around what an MD/PhD matriculant has which is good but that's a general MD/PhD matriculant, not one at these top tier schools.

If that is an MD only list, likewise, the OOS is probably a bit on the high side. There might be better uses of an app than the UC's. If we are talking MD only maybe substitute U Chicago,UCLA, Stanford and UCSD with some medium tier types. Schools like Emory, Hofstra, Einstein, Rochester, Case Western come to mind. Most importantly, I would apply to ALL Michigan schools. That includes Western Michigan and more importantly Central Michigan which along with Wayne State grants far and away the greatest proportion of II's to Michigan residents out of all those schools. You're just shooting yourself in the foot not maximizing all your state school resources.

I think all in all you'll be fine.
 
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