Reapplicant, 3.31S, 3.35C, 29 MCAT, Help with school list

[UbiquitousMicrobes]

Stats: 3.35c/3.31s, 3.56s/3.65c (last 73 credits), 29 MCAT (11BS, 10VR, 8PS)
State: VA
Demographics: 1st generation (my mother started nursing school, but did not finish), White
Extracurriculars: Extensive research experience, roughly 2,300 hours in the lab, since freshman year, but no publications (3 different labs; fellowship; paid research assistant position; fungal, bacterial, and mammalian cell culture; mouse models of inflammatory diseases, including surgical experience with the mice; organic extraction, derivitization, and GC/MS analysis; DNA and protein manipulation). I volunteered at a nursing home in high school and plan on volunteering at a local free clinic during the upcoming year. I also have volunteering through my fraternity, but not much.
Letters: Letters from former professor and current PI are probably exceptional, letter from M.D. unsure. During the last cycle I used a letter from a DPM I have known for some time and shadowed for a week. Unfortunately, she was convicted of medicare fraud. That is why I am going with the M.D..

I applied at the beginning of August during the last cycle, which I think greatly hurt my chances. This current cycle I will be applying within the first week of the application being open. Also, I plan on continuing to pursue my research interests in medical school and in my future career endeavors. I am trying to determine schools that are in my range and have an emphasis on research in the curriculum.

I am considering the following schools:
-Wake Forest
-VCU
-UVA
-VT Carilion
-UMD
-Tulane
-Tufts
-Toledo
-EVMS
-Drexel
-Georgetown
-Ohio State
-Jefferson
-Boston
-Temple
-GWU
-Penn State
-St. Louis
-Case Western

Thanks in advance for your help

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[Goro]

MSAR ONline is your friend.
Aim for all low-tier MD schools (except Tulane). Definitely go for EVMS, VCU, VaTech and VCOM.
All new MD schools
All DO schools

Stats: 3.35c/3.31s, 3.56s/3.65c (last 73 credits), 29 MCAT (11BS, 10VR, 8PS)
State: VA
Demographics: 1st generation (my mother started nursing school, but did not finish), White
Extracurriculars: Extensive research experience, roughly 2,300 hours in the lab, since freshman year, but no publications (3 different labs; fellowship; paid research assistant position; fungal, bacterial, and mammalian cell culture; mouse models of inflammatory diseases, including surgical experience with the mice; organic extraction, derivitization, and GC/MS analysis; DNA and protein manipulation). I volunteered at a nursing home in high school and plan on volunteering at a local free clinic during the upcoming year. I also have volunteering through my fraternity, but not much.
Letters: Letters from former professor and current PI are probably exceptional, letter from M.D. unsure. During the last cycle I used a letter from a DPM I have known for some time and shadowed for a week. Unfortunately, she was convicted of medicare fraud. That is why I am going with the M.D..

I applied at the beginning of August during the last cycle, which I think greatly hurt my chances. I will be applying within the first week of the application being open for the current cycle.

Thanks in advance for your help

 

[UbiquitousMicrobes]

I have been using MSAR online, but it seems that most schools with lower admissions stats accept very few out of state students. From what I have heard Va Tech Carilion is being highly selective.

 

[Beth_W737]

Apply to DO as well as MD, take out BU, Georgetown, GW. Add Cooper and other new MD schools

 

[UbiquitousMicrobes]

Apply to DO as well as MD, take out BU, Georgetown, GW. Add Cooper and other new MD schools

Would applying to DO programs be absolutely necessary? While my GPA is on the lower side I have received mostly A's and A-'s in upper level biology courses over my last 4 semesters. Also, I intend to pursue a career in academic medicine so a strong research program is something I am looking for in the schools I apply to. Georgetown and GW are on the list because of their proximity to home.

 

[solitarius]

Both your grades and MCAT are on the lower end for MD.

 

[UbiquitousMicrobes]

Both your grades and MCAT are on the lower end for MD.

How much do you think my last 73 credits (the majority of which are upper level microbiology and immunology courses) will factor into my chances? The same question goes for my research involvement. Also, I looked up the stats for the 2013 MCAT scoring and my BS is 88th percentile and VR is 83rd percentile. Will individual sections be considered or is more weight given to the cumulative score?

 

[solitarius]

Although it's true that numbers aren't everything, it's also true that they are an important starting point. An applicant with 3.3 GPA / 29 MCAT has a much less than 50% chance of getting accepted to an MD school.

 

[UbiquitousMicrobes]

MSAR ONline is your friend.
Aim for all low-tier MD schools (except Tulane). Definitely go for EVMS, VCU, VaTech and VCOM.
All new MD schools
All DO schools

Why do you say except Tulane?

 

[WillburCobb]

Why do you say except Tulane?

Tulane likes high MCAT scores. Their mean is ~34. Also, I could be wrong so don't take this as gospel, but I recall reading somewhere that they screen around a 29-30 for MCAT scores.

 

[Goro]

Concur with Wlber...Tulane's floor for MCAT is 31, hence my suggestion.

Tulane likes high MCAT scores. Their mean is ~34. Also, I could be wrong so don't take this as gospel, but I recall reading somewhere that they screen around a 29-30 for MCAT scores.

 

[UbiquitousMicrobes]

Concur with Wlber...Tulane's floor for MCAT is 31, hence my suggestion.

Thank you both.

 

[UbiquitousMicrobes]

Would a third author publication in a top journal such as Nature, Science, or PNAS help my application much? Also, the subject of the paper is in line with my aspirations of going into infectious diseases as the lab primarily worked in the mechanisms of inflammatory responses following an infectious insult in both in vivo and in vitro models?

 

[gyngyn]

Would a third author publication in a top journal such as Nature, Science, or PNAS help my application much? Also, the subject of the paper is in line with my aspirations of going into infectious diseases as the lab primarily worked in the mechanisms of inflammatory responses following an infectious insult in both in vivo and in vitro models?

Have you applied this cycle?

 

[UbiquitousMicrobes]

Yes, I applied this cycle.

 

[gyngyn]

Yes, I applied this cycle.

Any interviews?
The schools that value research the most also have the highest stat applicants to choose from.
The screeners have already made most of their decisions and many (if not most) of the interview slots have gone out.

 

[UbiquitousMicrobes]

No interviews so far. I did screen through at several schools. I have been rejected from one and no response from the rest.
I'm starting to think more about applying to master's programs to bring up my GPA.

 

[gyngyn]

No interviews so far. I did screen through at several schools. I have been rejected from one and no response from the rest.
I'm starting to think more about applying to master's programs to bring up my GPA.

Master's grades have no effect on your gpa.