School list help

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lem49

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Hey everyone,

I just wanted to run my school list by you guys and see what you all think.

Background:
I'm a junior at a public school in PA. Bioengineering major, will be applying this upcoming cycle.
Stats:
cGPA: 3.84, sGPA: 3.80, MCAT: 38 (13B,12P,13V)
ECs:
200 hours of hospital volunteering
30 shadowing hours
Research for 3 semesters (1 semester was full time) - no posters or papers, but have recently started an independent project
Resident Student Association - building representative 1 year (Freshman year)
Philanthropy Chairman for my fraternity (Eboard position) - 1 year (Sophomore year - raised over $15,000)
New Member Educator (Eboard) for my fraternity - 1 year (Junior year)
Medlife club treasurer - 1 semester (Junior year)
Work:
General Chemistry 1 & 2 TA - two years (sophomore and junior)
Honors Human Physiology TA - starting senior year
Applying for study abroad 8 week research internship in Singapore (for this Summer) - not definite yet
LOR:
Will get 5 letters, all good but probably nothing exceptional

I think my ECs are easily the weakest part of my application. I'm not sure how much they'll weaken it, but I don't feel very good about them.
I have family on the east coast and would preferably like to stay there - though I did put some other schools on my list.

Schools:
University of Pittsburgh
Penn State
Jefferson
Drexel
Temple
Penn
NYU
Cornell
Rochester
Icahn at Sinai
Columbia
Case Western
Boston University
Tufts
Albert Einstein
Emory
Vanderbilt

Please let me know what you guys think of the list (too top heavy, too big, etc).

Thanks a lot for your input!

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I suggest that you get off campus and out of your comfort zone to build up your service ECs.
I think my ECs are easily the weakest part of my application. I'm not sure how much they'll weaken it, but I don't feel very good about them.


I suggest:

University of Pittsburgh
Jefferson
Drexel
Temple
Penn
NYU
Cornell
Rochester
Icahn at Sinai
Columbia
Case Western
Boston University
Tufts
Albert Einstein
Emory
Vanderbilt
Duke
Dartmouth
Yale
Hofstra
Va Tech
Gtown
GWU
U Miami
Wake Forest
JHU
 
Thanks for responding. Just to clarify, would joining an organization such as Habitat for Humanity be the sort of service EC you're talking about? Also, my second question is the number of schools I should apply to. Your list contains 26, but I'm worried that I may be spreading myself too thin with that quantity. I want to make sure that I can answer each secondary thoroughly, and for that reason I'm trying to limit myself to 20 applications. In your opinion, how many "reach" schools would be a good number to apply to? I'm defining reach as schools like Penn, Pittsburgh, Vanderbilt, Columbia, Yale, Duke, ETC.
 
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You have a good list and your GPA and MCAT are competitive for half the schools your are applying to. Goro gave you some additional options that would be worth considering. It only helps your odds by applying to more schools.
 
Understood, I'll try to keep my options open in terms of schools then. I am taking up Goro's advice, and working to find a service organization that does work in underprivileged communities.
 
Add University of Michigan, like high GPAs/MCATs for OOS (50/50 IS to OOS), though average age is 24, taking a gap year won't be a bad recommendation, get those ECs up! Best wishes.
 
Gotcha, I'll tack it on. I've thought about a gap year, and my advisor is really pushing for it, but in the end I just don't want to take it for the sole reason of improving my ECs - provided I can still get in somewhere of course.
 
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