How selective are the following Medical schools?

[gigglemaster]

I've been looking into some schools

Obviously Location and What I've heard about the school culture are the biggest factors in my decision making

Vanderbilt - My Undergrad
Northwestern
UVA - Where my Father went to med School
Dartmouth
Wisconsin - Father's alma mater
USC {California}
Brown
Georgetown - Mother went to grad school here
Tulane
Arizona
UCLA
Hawaii
Maryland - Mother's alma mater

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[1289]

I've been looking into some schools

Obviously Location and What I've heard about the school culture are the biggest factors in my decision making

Vanderbilt - My Undergrad
Northwestern
UVA - Where my Father went to med School
Dartmouth
Wisconsin - Father's alma mater
USC {California}
Brown
Georgetown - Mother went to grad school here
Tulane
Arizona
UCLA
Hawaii
Maryland - Mother's alma mater

1) buy the MSAR.

2) wisconsin is very unfriendly to OOS, and family legacy for undergrad has no bearing whatsoever on med school. so I wouldn't apply here unless your IS. unless you have AMAZING stats/EC

 

[yellowfish]

I've been looking into some schools

Obviously Location and What I've heard about the school culture are the biggest factors in my decision making

Vanderbilt - My Undergrad
Northwestern
UVA - Where my Father went to med School
Dartmouth
Wisconsin - Father's alma mater
USC {California}
Brown
Georgetown - Mother went to grad school here
Tulane
Arizona
UCLA
Hawaii
Maryland - Mother's alma mater

Admissions statistics for these schools are easily google-able or if you have an MSAR, you can find them there very quickly as well.

 

[jesse120]

if you're not Hawaiian or have very strong ties there, you're not getting in.

 

[Nymphicus]

Of your list, Vanderbilt and UCLA are the most competitive.

The rest are pretty much top 50 still, so still pretty competitive.

Brown saves a lot of spots for its undergrad BS/MD's, so they also have a fairly low acceptance rate.

 

[mvenus929]

As mentioned, med schools, per the AAMC, cannot have a legacy preference. So the fact that your dad went to UVA means nothing to the admissions department. It'd help you in UVA undergrad, but not the med school. (Though if you get in and choose to attend, your dad can coat you at the white coat ceremony).

UVA is a top 25 school, and thus tends to accept high caliber students. They focus a lot on the complete application over pure stats, though.

 

[Knocked Up]

As mentioned, med schools, per the AAMC, cannot have a legacy preference. So the fact that your dad went to UVA means nothing to the admissions department. It'd help you in UVA undergrad, but not the med school. (Though if you get in and choose to attend, your dad can coat you at the white coat ceremony).

UVA is a top 25 school, and thus tends to accept high caliber students. They focus a lot on the complete application over pure stats, though.

Maybe after they screen heavily for 33+ and 3.7+ stats they do. I don't think there is an allopathic school in the top 25 who value a well rounded application over high stats. Stats most def first and the rest of the application second.

 

[Frazier]

Maybe after they screen heavily for 33+ and 3.7+ stats they do. I don't think there is an allopathic school in the top 25 who value a well rounded application over high stats. Stats most def first and the rest of the application second.

Agreed, except for U Washington.... don't they have like a 30 mcat average?

 

[Ismet]

Maybe after they screen heavily for 33+ and 3.7+ stats they do. I don't think there is an allopathic school in the top 25 who value a well rounded application over high stats. Stats most def first and the rest of the application second.

Think again. From what they told us at interviews, both Michigan and Pitt read through the applications before offering interviews.

 

[Ismet]

I've been looking into some schools

Obviously Location and What I've heard about the school culture are the biggest factors in my decision making

Vanderbilt - My Undergrad
Northwestern
UVA - Where my Father went to med School
Dartmouth
Wisconsin - Father's alma mater
USC {California}
Brown
Georgetown - Mother went to grad school here
Tulane
Arizona
UCLA
Hawaii
Maryland - Mother's alma mater

Like others said, buy the MSAR and compare your stats with each school's average stats. That's a general guideline for how competitive you are for admission there, but keep in mind each school's mission statement and how you and your experiences fit in with that.

 

[Aerus]

Think again. From what they told us at interviews, both Michigan and Pitt read through the applications before offering interviews.

After they screen out all the people with low stats, yeah.

 

[Ismet]

After they screen out all the people with low stats, yeah.

They might screen out people with sub 25 or something, but there are several students accepted to these schools with 28-30 MCAT. Often there's something in the person's story that explains less-than-stellar stats.

 

[Aerus]

They might screen out people with sub 25 or something, but there are several students accepted to these schools with 28-30 MCAT. Often there's something in the person's story that explains less-than-stellar stats.

You're definitely right about the person's story but stats is still the primary concern of any top 25 school. If you don't have the stats in the first place, a person' story wouldn't have much of an impact if it's never read by an actual person.

 

[Nymphicus]

They might screen out people with sub 25 or something, but there are several students accepted to these schools with 28-30 MCAT. Often there's something in the person's story that explains less-than-stellar stats.

But these people are the exceptions, not the norm.

 

[NotAsking4Much]

Maybe after they screen heavily for 33+ and 3.7+ stats they do. I don't think there is an allopathic school in the top 25 who value a well rounded application over high stats. Stats most def first and the rest of the application second.

Top 10 school here...
Not really. My GPA definitely was not 3.7+ (haha...) and when the admissions showed us the spectrum, there were people who were far from those credentials.

Stats matter, but once you get in the door, all is fair. And not even Harvard does not screen for a 37, 3.7+. Positive about this.

 

[theMan2012]

if you're not Hawaiian or have very strong ties there, you're not getting in.

Not true... though hard its doable.

 

[mvenus929]

Maybe after they screen heavily for 33+ and 3.7+ stats they do. I don't think there is an allopathic school in the top 25 who value a well rounded application over high stats. Stats most def first and the rest of the application second.

I'm not saying stats don't matter, just that aspects of the application can overcome lower stats. And yes, UVA does read the entire application before they decide whether or not to offer an interview.

 

[1289]

I think someone already mentioned this about Brown, but I saw on their website that for last year only 36 people in the incoming class applied "through the traditional amcas route" i.e. everyone else came through some special program they have. again Idk what your stats are, but idk if I'd waste the money applying here. if I remember correctly there's a long essay involved as well.

 

[Knocked Up]

I'm not saying stats don't matter, just that aspects of the application can overcome lower stats. And yes, UVA does read the entire application before they decide whether or not to offer an interview.

Think again. From what they told us at interviews, both Michigan and Pitt read through the applications before offering interviews.

Right, I completely agree that they read the whole application. They read the whole application because you have to read the application to get to the section where AAMC lists MCAT scores and GPA. Maybe they don't use a computer to screen, but even when an individual reads an application, psychologically the stats stick in the back of their mind and they assess the application with the notion of high stats or low stats.

Try it yourself:

A) 100 hours of volunteering, 3 years of research (with no mention of independent work...just doing a post doc's dirty work), study abroad in the Middle East, and went to Yale

B) started an organization that databases organ donations, raised $10,000 to fund medical missions to West Africa, 4 years of research (with 2nd author publication), National Awards galore (the BIG ones too), 4 years of hospice volunteering, and intramural baseball for 4 years (captain), went Ohio State University

Who do you like? B? Yeah me too....

Now put this in the back of your mind:

A) 3.68 (science and cumulative) FROM YALE and 37 MCAT

B) 3.94 from ohio state and an unbalanced 30 MCAT

Now who do you like? Fair or not, B is out of the race. A most likely made it past this review and on to the interview. How do I know this? Well, let's just say I'm drawing on experience here. Say whatever you like, but stats factor in the most whether it is right or wrong.

 

[minerva3121]

As mentioned, med schools, per the AAMC, cannot have a legacy preference. So the fact that your dad went to UVA means nothing to the admissions department. It'd help you in UVA undergrad, but not the med school. (Though if you get in and choose to attend, your dad can coat you at the white coat ceremony).

I've always wondered why some schools ask on the secondary application if any of your parents, siblings, etc. attended their institution since legacy is not supposed to be a factor.

 

[jesse120]

I've always wondered why some schools ask on the secondary application if any of your parents, siblings, etc. attended their institution since legacy is not supposed to be a factor.

From what I've read on these forums, legacy status can help get you an interview, but shouldn't factor into admissions.

 

[Ismet]

They read the whole application because you have to read the application to get to the section where AAMC lists MCAT scores and GPA.

Pretty sure MCAT and grades come before Work/Activities and Personal Statement. A couple of my interviewers had a print-out of my AMCAS and it's the same as what we see in the pdf.

Try it yourself:

A) 100 hours of volunteering, 3 years of research (with no mention of independent work...just doing a post doc's dirty work), study abroad in the Middle East, and went to Yale

B) started an organization that databases organ donations, raised $10,000 to fund medical missions to West Africa, 4 years of research (with 2nd author publication), National Awards galore (the BIG ones too), 4 years of hospice volunteering, and intramural baseball for 4 years (captain), went Ohio State University

Who do you like? B? Yeah me too....

Now put this in the back of your mind:

A) 3.68 (science and cumulative) FROM YALE and 37 MCAT

B) 3.94 from ohio state and an unbalanced 30 MCAT

Now who do you like? Fair or not, B is out of the race. A most likely made it past this review and on to the interview. How do I know this? Well, let's just say I'm drawing on experience here. Say whatever you like, but stats factor in the most whether it is right or wrong.

I'm sure there are some schools that primarily favor high stats, in which case an unbalanced 30 would not get very far (maybe a subscore was very low, below a cutoff). Other schools might take into account B's impressive ECs and GPA despite the MCAT score and give B more of a fair shot.

I'm not saying that stats don't matter, because they do. A person with a 30 is facing an uphill battle when applying to top schools, and if they get accepted, they are probably in the lowest 10th percentile in MCAT or GPA (like I am). I completely understand that, and this is from MY experience. I'm saying that you can't argue (since you're not an adcom at a top school) that none of the top 25 favor a complete application over high stats, because there are many, many examples that say otherwise at certain schools. Saying that the schools screen out people that aren't 33+/3.7+ is completely false, it's just contributing to the SDN neuroticism.

 

[Ismet]

I've always wondered why some schools ask on the secondary application if any of your parents, siblings, etc. attended their institution since legacy is not supposed to be a factor.

People with a legacy can usually land a courtesy interview, but the legacy doesn't (shouldn't) factor into an admission decision.

 

[MedicalName]

.

 

[nike292]

Think again. From what they told us at interviews, both Michigan and Pitt read through the applications before offering interviews.

A friend of mine submitted his application to Pittsburgh like 5 minutes before midnight on the prior to the secondary deadline. He woke up at 8 am next morning with an interview invite. Bull**** his application was read. It was probably his 4.0/40 that triggered some automated interview invite system.

 

[Knocked Up]

A friend of mine submitted his application to Pittsburgh like 5 minutes before midnight on the prior to the secondary deadline. He woke up at 8 am next morning with an interview invite. Bull**** his application was read. It was probably his 4.0/40 that triggered some automated interview invite system.

Yes, the same thing would have happened with UMich. Oh, and don't listen to UMich, they are a bunch of liars who want to seem like they are open about everything (yeah right...all they care about are numbers and where you went to undgrad if you are out of state). Don't let adcoms fool you, 90% of medical school admission decisions are made this way. They only make us wait months to make it SEEM like they are thoroughly reviewing the applications. It's all about separating a few piles of high MCATs and re-seperating them in order to achieve a "holistically" based class.

There is only 1 school out there that reads your ECs before they look at numbers (yes they set an imaginary screen but it's set to some ridiculous number like a 3.4 and 25 MCAT). They do judge the class holistically. They also happen to be my favorite medical school and future alma mater .

 

[music2doc]

I've been looking into some schools

Obviously Location and What I've heard about the school culture are the biggest factors in my decision making

Vanderbilt - My Undergrad
Northwestern
UVA - Where my Father went to med School
Dartmouth
Wisconsin - Father's alma mater
USC {California}
Brown
Georgetown - Mother went to grad school here
Tulane
Arizona
UCLA
Hawaii
Maryland - Mother's alma mater

All US MD-granting medical schools are highly competitive. Don't kid yourself. Apply broadly wherever your stats and mission/PS place you. Good luck.