3.66 GPA, 30 MCAT: What are my chances?

[raccoon914]

My GPA:
Undergraduate: 3.66 (3.60 BCPM, 3.84 AO)
Graduate: 3.87 (AO) (no degree)

MCAT:
7/2010: 30N (VR 9, PS 10, BS 11)
5/2008: 24Q (VR 8, PS 7, BS 9) (Will this hurt me?)

My ECs:
1. Girl Scout camp leader (paid employment, 6 summers with some hours on volunteer basis during school year)
2. Part-time work: lifeguard (2 years, 480 hours), food service worker (1 semester, 240 hours)
3. Residence Life Academic Mission Group Program Director (paid employment, 1 year)
4. Environmental Studies field researcher (1 semester)
5. Non-medical community service: New York Cares volunteer organization (7 hours), Habitat for Humanity trip (70 hours), Expanding Your Horizons conference leader (20 hours), environmental service trip (70 hours)
6. Biochemistry lab researcher (1 semester)
7. University of Wisconsin Children’s Hospital Child Life volunteer (2 years, 250 hours)
8. Stem cell lab researcher (2 years)
9. Tutor at under-resourced middle school (1.5 years)
10. Secretary of Alpha Epsilon Delta (1 year, member 1 year prior)
11. Vice President of Beta Beta Beta (1 year, member 1 year prior)
12. Physician shadowing (20 hours)
13. Teach For America Middle School Science Teacher (1 year)
14. Mount Sinai Children’s Hospital Child Life volunteer (1 year, 120 hours)

My school list:
1. Mount Sinai
2. NYU
3. Albert Einstein
4. SUNY Downstate
5. NYMC
6. Hofstra
7. Stony Brook
8. SUNY Upstate
9. SUNY Buffalo
10. Albany
11. University of Rochester?
12. GWU
13. Georgetown
14. Temple
15. Drexel
16. Jefferson
17. University of Wisconsin
18. Medical College of Wisconsin
19. Rosalind Franklin
20. Rush?
21. Loyola?
22. Oregon Health & Science University?
23. Michigan State?
24. Pennsylvania State?
25. Boston University?
26. Tufts?
27. The Commonwealth Medical College?
28. University of Vermont?
29. Virginia Commonwealth University?
30. Saint Louis University?
31. Tulane?

I am applying this year and plan to submit my AMCAS application next week (I know I am on the late side, but I wanted to wait for my new MCAT scores, which I received today). I am currently a resident of New York (2 years), but grew up in Wisconsin and went to undergrad at the University of Wisconsin. I would prefer to stay in NYC, with my first-choice, dream schools being NYU and Mount Sinai.

I would like advice on school selection, and help on narrowing down my list. I am looking to apply to about 20 schools. What are my chances at acceptance this cycle? What can I do this year to improve my chances?

Thanks!

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[raccoon914]

Any advice on school selection/assessment of my chances/advice on ECs would be greatly, greatly appreciated.

 

[Catalystik]

You can extrapolate your chances of an acceptance from this AMCAS data:
http://www.aamc.org/data/facts/applicantmatriculant/table24-mcatgpagridall2007-09.pdf

The schools I feel most likely to offer you an interview are bolded below:

1. Mount Sinai
2. NYU
3. Albert Einstein
4. SUNY Downstate
5. NYMC
6. Hofstra
7. Stony Brook
8. SUNY Upstate
9. SUNY Buffalo
10. Albany
11. University of Rochester?
12. GWU
13. Georgetown
14. Temple
15. Drexel
16. Jefferson
17. University of Wisconsin
18. Medical College of Wisconsin
19. Rosalind Franklin
20. Rush?
21. Loyola?
22. Oregon Health & Science University?
23. Michigan State?
24. Pennsylvania State?
25. Boston University?
26. Tufts?
27. The Commonwealth Medical College?
28. University of Vermont?
29. Virginia Commonwealth University?
30. Saint Louis University?
31. Tulane?

UWisconsin is a reach, but I'd include it anyway.


As far as ECs, you could use more shadowing hours to show a greater breadth of experience with additional specialties. You could get that in this fall and mention it in update letters or at interviews. Other than that, I think your ECs are very good, with the TFA lifting you up above the common applicant and IMO improving your chances beyond those suggested by the grid linked above. I'd call the TFA employment, making the teaching component clear and naming Teach for America as the sponsoring agency, and I'd call the tutoring Teaching, making the community service component clear.

 

[raccoon914]

So far I have submitted secondaries or am working on secondaries for:

1. Mount Sinai
2. NYU
3. SUNY Downstate
4. NYMC
5. Hofstra
6. Stony Brook
7. SUNY Upstate
8. SUNY Buffalo
9. Albany
10. GWU
11. Drexel
12. University of Wisconsin
13. Medical College of Wisconsin
14. Rosalind Franklin

Should I add more schools now? Which ones would you recommend?

Any help and suggestions would be very greatly appreciated!

 

[MDMDJDJD]

Our stats are just about the same. I have a 30 MCAT and 3.69 GPA, not URM. So far, I have interviews at U of Wisconsin, Georgetown, GW, UC San Diego and UC Irvine. I disagree with the poster who bolded out schools you should apply to. Your stats are solid, depsite what people on SDN might have you think. Apply wherever you want! The most important thing when considering where to apply is whether or not you can provide a good reason as to why that school would be a good fit for you. Don't just pick schools where the avg MCAT and GPA make you look most competitive.

So far I have submitted secondaries or am working on secondaries for:

1. Mount Sinai
2. NYU
3. SUNY Downstate
4. NYMC
5. Hofstra
6. Stony Brook
7. SUNY Upstate
8. SUNY Buffalo
9. Albany
10. GWU
11. Drexel
12. University of Wisconsin
13. Medical College of Wisconsin
14. Rosalind Franklin

Should I add more schools now? Which ones would you recommend?

Any help and suggestions would be very greatly appreciated!

 

[sphun65]

Our stats are just about the same. I have a 30 MCAT and 3.69 GPA, not URM. So far, I have interviews at U of Wisconsin, Georgetown, GW, UC San Diego and UC Irvine. I disagree with the poster who bolded out schools you should apply to. Your stats are solid, depsite what people on SDN might have you think. Apply wherever you want! The most important thing when considering where to apply is whether or not you can provide a good reason as to why that school would be a good fit for you. Don't just pick schools where the avg MCAT and GPA make you look most competitive.

I disagree with this. Seeing that it is October, the OP should only apply to schools where they are competitive. As an example of what I mean, there are several schools with a lower 10% MCAT score of 31 or 32. Miracles are hard to come by, especially this late in the year. The OP would be much better served to spend extra time on current secondaries than worry about more dream schools. Quality over quantity.

 

[Stethes]

I disagree with this. Seeing that it is October, the OP should only apply to schools where they are competitive. As an example of what I mean, there are several schools with a lower 10% MCAT score of 31 or 32. Miracles are hard to come by, especially this late in the year. The OP would be much better served to spend extra time on current secondaries than worry about more dream schools. Quality over quantity.

I agree its important to have realistic expectations, but who are you to tell someone not to reach for dream schools?

 

[Catalystik]

This thread is from a year ago. Looks like the OP matriculated at GWU.