3.65, 38 MCAT, already submitted and want to add a few more schools

[FindMeOnTheLinks]

I submitted 6/16, all transcripts received 6/23, should be verified in the next week. My MCAT was 6/5 and I just got my score back today, and I applied to 20 schools without my score. I was wondering if I could have some suggestions on whether its worth it for me to apply to some top tier schools?

MN Resident

Stats:
3.65 c/sGPA
38 MCAT (12/11/15)

EC's:
Division 3 Varsity Football player, academic all conference

Clinical Volunteering: I only started volunteering at the local free clinic at the beginning of this summer, by interview time I will have ~75 hours and I will be continuing to volunteer there through the school year.

Non clinical Volunteering: 50 hours volunteer tutoring, a couple mission trips, and lots of random community service projects.

Research: 50 hours for a course project, and about 100 hours this summer so far. The project I'm currently working on will last through the school year and will probably result in a pub/presentation or two.

Shadowing: About 140 total hours with many different docs in various specialties.

Tutoring: Worked at Kumon learning center for about 9 months, about 300 total hours, worked with middle school and high school age kids. Also tutored Gen Bio this last semester for a total of about 50 hours.

TA: Was a TA for gen bio, 50 total hours

Work experience: 2 summers at a healthcare staffing (nursing) company, about 450 total hours. A couple random work-study jobs at my undergrad.

Excellent LOR's, pretty strong PS centered around football

I do have 2 IA's for having beer in the dorms

Here is the list of schools I already applied to:
U of MN Twin Cities
U of MN Duluth
George Washington
Georgetown
Quinnipiac
Albert Einstein
Creighton
FAU
USF
UCF
Miami
Dartmouth
Hofstra
Mayo
MCW
Oakland
Rush
Jefferson
U Iowa
VCU
Wake Forest

I was confident I would get a decent MCAT score so I didn't add any top tier schools, but since my score was strong I figured I could stand a decent chance at top tiers. Does anyone have input on this?

I was thinking of adding another 5 schools, but if I add 10 would it be worth it?
UChicago
Northwestern
Vanderbilt
Tufts
Columbia
USC
Cornell
Stanford?

any others?

Thanks

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[Lamel]

The main concern is your lack of clinical experience (or rather, how you've just begun), and lack of substantial research for the top tiers. The GPA is also on the low side for them. That being said, excellent MCAT, and if I were you I'd apply to however many top tiers you want. What you have to lose is money and time, but if you can write quality secondaries for all your schools you're fine.

I think you should also look into some private mid-tiers.

What you can do now is choose not to complete the secondary for schools whose stats are significantly lower than yours (unless you really want to go there).

 

[Goro]

Concur with Lamel. Great numbers for a student-athlete, but I think your low numbers of ECs are going to hurt. The two IAs are more problematic...they suggest someone who doesn't learn their lessons.

So, stick with your original list.

The main concern is your lack of clinical experience (or rather, how you've just begun), and lack of substantial research for the top tiers. The GPA is also on the low side for them. That being said, excellent MCAT, and if I were you I'd apply to however many top tiers you want. What you have to lose is money and time, but if you can write quality secondaries for all your schools you're fine.

I think you should also look into some private mid-tiers.

What you can do now is choose not to complete the secondary for schools whose stats are significantly lower than yours (unless you really want to go there).

 

[FindMeOnTheLinks]

Concur with Lamel. Great numbers for a student-athlete, but I think your low numbers of ECs are going to hurt. The two IAs are more problematic...they suggest someone who doesn't learn their lessons.

So, stick with your original list.

I appreciate your honest opinion, Goro. You don't think my packet would merit an application to vanderbilt, USC, pritzker, or the like, even if money were not an object?

 

[Person0715]

I appreciate your honest opinion, Goro. You don't think my packet would merit an application to vanderbilt, USC, pritzker, or the like, even if money were not an object?

If money is no object, just go for it. You have nothing to lose. It's better than having to wonder "what if."

 

[Goro]

The numbers are of caliber for those schools, well, the GPA, less so for Pritzker. I'm still concerned about the 2 IAs and the low volunteer hrs, especially clinical work that's coming so late in your academic career. I've seen people with higher GPAs and MCATs post here that they didn't get in because of similar low EC hrs, but once that was corrected, they got in. The low number of research hours at this point will probably hurt with the research powerhouses.

Based on your numbers, I'd recommend

Northwestern
Vanderbilt
Tufts
Columbia
Cornell
Pitt (maybe)
Emory

but I'm not sanguine about the chancves of your success this app cycle. A huge wild card is how much of a bye people might give you for your athletics.

Learned colleagues @Catalystic, @LizzyM and @gyngyn, what say you?

I appreciate your honest opinion, Goro. You don't think my packet would merit an application to vanderbilt, USC, pritzker, or the like, even if money were not an object?

 

[LizzyM]

I concur with @Lamel and @Goro; the biggest issue for me is the minimal (to date) volunteering and research. Some adcoms love athletes and some will not let them off the hook for volunteering and research -- it is luck of the draw whether your application lands in the hands of one or the other. You are likely to be successful with at least one of your 20... do you really want to feel obligated to attend 12 interviews (which you may get) before you get an offer and can safely decline further invitations?

 

[FindMeOnTheLinks]

I concur with @Lamel and @Goro; the biggest issue for me is the minimal (to date) volunteering and research. Some adcoms love athletes and some will not let them off the hook for volunteering and research -- it is luck of the draw whether your application lands in the hands of one or the other. You are likely to be successful with at least one of your 20... do you really want to feel obligated to attend 12 interviews (which you may get) before you get an offer and can safely decline further invitations?

Thank you for your advice, LizzyM.


Here is another angle I am considering: I am in a risk/reward situation, obviously. If I were to completely whiff this cycle, I would be a reapplicant at every school next cycle. In another year, my biggest dilemma will be solved, in that I will have much more clinical/research experience, and I would have a higher GPA. Would it be smart to leave off the higher tier schools so that I am not a reapplicant if I strike out this cycle? Or would it be a solid risk to add the higher tiers now, in order to at least have a shot, and hoping for 1 acceptance from any school on my list....

Also, if I were able to become published by interview time, would this have a large effect, or would it be minimal?

 

[LizzyM]

If you have to apply next year, the question will be "what has improved?"
Clearly the clinical and research experience will be a plus next time.
You might be better off not being a reapplicant at every school in the event that you have to reapply. However, if you get into the "least" school on your list in 2015 will you choose to attend or will you be tempted to decline the offer and reapply with the hope of getting into a top 20 school. If that is the case, withdraw all your applications today and reapply next year. Nothing is more exasperating that an applicant who decides they could do better next year than what they have in hand. Don't be that guy.

A publication needs to be on your application from the start. It is not likely to be noticed later.

 

[FindMeOnTheLinks]

If you have to apply next year, the question will be "what has improved?"
Clearly the clinical and research experience will be a plus next time.
You might be better off not being a reapplicant at every school in the event that you have to reapply. However, if you get into the "least" school on your list in 2015 will you choose to attend or will you be tempted to decline the offer and reapply with the hope of getting into a top 20 school. If that is the case, withdraw all your applications today and reapply next year. Nothing is more exasperating that an applicant who decides they could do better next year than what they have in hand. Don't be that guy.

A publication needs to be on your application from the start. It is not likely to be noticed later.

I will take any acceptance on my list and run with it. I carefully researched my list and only selected schools that I would attend. I feel that I will get at least one offer from my list, so I might as well take a shot at some of the big boys while I'm at it. Thank you, @LizzyM, @Goro, @Lamel and others, for your generous insight! You are invaluable on this forum.