UCLA Senior - Applying next Spring! WAMC?!

[toddgurley]

Hi everyone! Just got my MCAT score back so need updated opinions and help trimming down school list! Thank you!

1. cGPA: 3.79 sGPA: 3.713 (1 science D thus low sGPA , 3 B, 29 A)
2. MCAT: 518 (CP is 129, CARS is 128, B/B is 130, PS is 131)
3. California Residence
4. Asian American ORM
5. UCLA - Senior, BS/MS in Vague Biological Science Major and a Minor in Science Topic
6. Clinical Experience:
Hospital Hours: 100
Clinic Internship/Employment: 600 hours serving military vets
Underserved Clinical Volunteer: 600 hours w/ Asians & Hispanics
7. Research - 4 posters, 1 abstract with 1 of the posters as first author, credited on a book written by clinical professor
8. NO SHADOWING!! Will get to it
9. Non-Clinical Volunteer: 200 hours socializing with military veterans and outreach, cleaning up the city
10. Leadership: Interval Vice President, Research Director, Members Director. Asisstant director in theater, actor for 2 other productions
11. Awards: Honors in the major department, Honors in the university, Dean's List, B.S./M.S. scholar, Volunteer of the Year award in my health org. (awarded by students though lol)

(fun fact hobby .. I'm building my own weather station that I'm still experimenting .. will probably put that somewhere)

School List: based on median cGPA/sGPA/MCAT of accepted applicants and somewhat OOS friendliness reported on MSAR - updated list since Post #8, 40 schools total

Within Reach:

1. Albany
2. A̶l̶b̶e̶r̶t̶ ̶E̶i̶n̶s̶t̶e̶i̶n̶ deleted
3. Boston U.
4. Drexel
5. Dartmouth
6. G̶e̶o̶r̶g̶e̶ ̶W̶a̶s̶h̶i̶n̶g̶t̶o̶n̶ deleted
7. Hofstra
8. Temple
9. NYMC
10. Oregon
11. Penn State
12. Thomas Jefferson
13. Tufts
14. S̶U̶N̶Y̶ ̶U̶p̶s̶t̶a̶t̶e̶ deleted
15. S̶U̶N̶Y̶ ̶D̶o̶w̶n̶s̶t̶a̶t̶e̶ deleted
16. USUHS
17. U̶.̶ ̶C̶o̶l̶o̶r̶a̶d̶o̶ deleted
18. U̶.̶ ̶M̶a̶r̶y̶l̶a̶n̶d̶ deleted
19. U̶n̶i̶v̶e̶r̶s̶i̶t̶y̶ ̶o̶f̶ ̶W̶a̶s̶h̶i̶n̶g̶t̶o̶n̶ deleted
20. Wright State
21. W̶e̶s̶t̶e̶r̶n̶ ̶(̶D̶.̶O̶.̶ ̶S̶c̶h̶o̶o̶l̶ ̶b̶e̶c̶a̶u̶s̶e̶ ̶I̶ ̶w̶a̶s̶ ̶r̶a̶i̶s̶e̶d̶ ̶i̶n̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶a̶r̶e̶a̶ ̶a̶n̶d̶ ̶f̶a̶m̶i̶l̶y̶ ̶n̶e̶a̶r̶b̶y̶)̶ deleted
22. Oakland Beaumont - added
23. Quinnipiac - added (I thought this was in Canada...sorry lol)
24. Emory - added (year round academic system?! )

Reach:

1. Case Western
2. Duke
3. Mt. Sinai
4. USC
5. UC Davis UCLA , UCI , UCSD, UCSF, UCR (from Inland Empire)
6. U. Pitt
7. S̶̶̶t̶o̶n̶y̶ ̶B̶r̶o̶o̶k̶s̶ deleted
   
8. U̶V̶A̶ deleted
9. Rochester (moved from Within Reach to Reach)
10. Ohio State added

You miss 100% of the shots you don't take:

1. Harvard
2. Columbia
3. Baylor
4. Johns Hopkins
5. M̶a̶y̶o̶ deleted
6. NYU
7. Northwestern
8. Cornell
9. U̶T̶ ̶M̶e̶d̶i̶c̶a̶l̶ ̶B̶r̶a̶n̶c̶h̶ ̶(̶C̶a̶u̶s̶e̶ ̶T̶e̶x̶a̶s̶)̶ deleted
10. Yale
11. Stanford added
12. U Penn added
13. U Chicago added

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[gyngyn]

Bring us your list.

 

[toddgurley]

Bring us your list.

I edited my original post to have the school list now, thank you!

 

[toddgurley]

bump - sorry! would love opinions.

 

[Shirafune]

My suggestions:

Drexel, Albany, Western, Oakland Beaumont, Quinnipiac, Tulane
Jefferson, Temple, Tufts, U Rochester, Hofstra, Keck, Emory, Miami Miller, Mayo-Minnesota, Mayo-Arizona, Saint Louis
UCD, UCLA, UCSF, UCSD, UCI, UCR

Then however many "top schools" you want to apply to: Sinai, NYU, Cornell, Harvard, Stanford, Duke, JHU, Northwestern, etc

Case and U Pitt are good choices if choose to emphasize research in your app. Dartmouth favors non-trads.

I wouldn't bother with other public schools (i.e. UW rarely takes students outside of WWAMI region). You don't need to apply to SUNY schools.

 

[toddgurley]

My suggestions:

Drexel, Albany, Western, Oakland Beaumont, Quinnipiac, Tulane
Jefferson, Temple, Tufts, U Rochester, Hofstra, Keck, Emory, Miami Miller, Mayo-Minnesota, Mayo-Arizona, Saint Louis
UCD, UCLA, UCSF, UCSD, UCI, UCR

Then however many "top schools" you want to apply to: Sinai, NYU, Cornell, Harvard, Stanford, Duke, JHU, Northwestern, etc

Case and U Pitt are good choices if choose to emphasize research in your app. Dartmouth favors non-trads.

I wouldn't bother with other public schools (i.e. UW rarely takes students outside of WWAMI region). You don't need to apply to SUNY schools.

Thank you!! I love some of the schools you've listed and updated my original post to reflect the new list. I'm sad...UW is in a good city imo!! UVA seems like it shouldn't be on the list either. What other schools are a waste of money to apply for?? I want to really get rid of the glaringly bad ones that will def. not accept me.

Also, should I be worried about my sGPA? Will adcom notice it's low just because of 1 D in freshman fall having a large weight.

 

[Shirafune]

Thank you!! I love some of the schools you've listed and updated my original post to reflect the new list. I'm sad...UW is in a good city imo!! UVA seems like it shouldn't be on the list either. What other schools are a waste of money to apply for?? I want to really get rid of the glaringly bad ones that will def. not accept me.

UC Davis looks for individuals that want to serve Northern California, more specifically the area around Sacramento. Your stats are far above UCD; if you don't have a connection to NorCal, then I might drop UCD from the list. Of course, if you have a STRONG desire to stay in California, by all means, apply to all the UCs.

I would choose 30 schools max for you:
Drexel, Albany, Western, Oakland Beaumont, Quinnipiac, NYMC (6)
Temple, Jefferson, Hofstra, Tufts, OHSU, Wright State (6)
UCD, UCLA, UCSF, UCI, UCR, UCSD (6)
Keck, Emory, Boston, Einstein, Mayo-AZ, Mayo-MN (6)
Any 6 top schools.

I might even suggest you apply to fewer schools from the top row and add more high metric schools.

 

[ScreenName23]

I know what you mean about wanting to apply to UW. I really want to myself. However, the only person I know who applied and was accepted or even interviewed out of state was a Rhodes Scholar lol... but you never know!

Also based on some advice I got...you may want to take out schools where your mcat is >90th percentile. Those schools could see you as low yield and it would potentially be wasted money... however, your just barely greater than 90th percentile at a few of yours (Albany, Drexel etc). I think its fine to keep some but maybe not too many like that.. from the advice people have given me...
I guess I'm saying the same things as @Shirafune about removing the schools from your 'within reach' list

 

[toddgurley]

I updated my school list based on your guys' suggestions! I got rid of a lot of public schools since they are not as friendly to OSS from California. I feel a little too bold with my top schools...but you only get one shot (hopefully, don't want to reapply..). Thank you everyone!! Unless there's anymore suggestions, I think this makes sense?

 

[UndesiredMemberName]

Not much i can contribute, but big shout out for working with our vets!

 

[toddgurley]

Not much i can contribute, but big shout out for working with our vets!

Thanks! I say to people that although I'm ORM, the vets I've worked with are underrepresented. I hope schools will see that it's misguided to assume just because I'm Asian that my future medical practice equates to me serving only my own community when I am more interested career wise with veterans.