3.76 cGPA, 3.70 sGPA, 32, pessimistic

[synthmonsterjax]

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[gyngyn]

Nobody can do 55 secondaries well. If you had to cut back to 30 which would you pick?

 

[synthmonsterjax]

Nobody can do 55 secondaries well. If you had to cut back to 30 which would you pick?

I wouldn't be confident about getting in applying to 30. I will cut down, but probably to 40. There's no guarantee that all these schools will give me secondaries. I will take out OOS schools that I have a lower % chance at. Otherwise, I am really ready to go anywhere... I might look into things like location and preclinical P/F, but all that seems like counting the chickens to me.

 

[gyngyn]

I wouldn't be confident about getting in applying to 30. I will cut down, but probably to 40. There's no guarantee that all these schools will give me secondaries. I will take out OOS schools that I have a lower % chance at. Otherwise, I am really ready to go anywhere... I might look into things like location and preclinical P/F, but all that seems like counting the chickens to me.

Almost all of them are going to rely on you to decide that you are a good fit for the school (and they will send you a secondary expecting you to tell them how!).

 

[Beth_W737]

RWJ mostly takes NJ students, all the NJ state schools do mostly in state, maybe 15-20% OOS. Cooper you might keep on the list but only 50 seats I. Believe. Consider adding DO as long as you'd go if you get in - looks bad to decline acceptance and reapply. Depends how much the initials matter to you. Good luck

 

[Beth_W737]

I'd take out U MD I believe they are pretty competitive but could be wrong.

 

[synthmonsterjax]

I'd take out U MD I believe they are pretty competitive but could be wrong.

Their website says it's 20% OOS. I guess all the public schools I'm applying to will have higher standards for OOS and are safe bets to take out... but in terms of my rationale I think I decided 20% was the lower limit. In that case though I should take out most of the OOS publics.

 

[Goro]

Goro suggests a list that does not include nearly every medical school in the country.

Your state school
All new MD schools
Any DO program
10. The Commonwealth Medical College

15. Medical College of Wisconsin
27. Eastern Virginia Medical School
28. Rush Medical College
29. Oakland University

31. Pennsylvania State
32. Drexel
34. Creighton
35. Virginia Commonwealth
36. New York Medical College
37. Wake Forest
38. Temple

43. Tufts
44. University of Miami
46. Jefferson
47. Georgetown
50. Loyola

53. Albany
55. Virginia Tech Carillon
SLU
Rosy Franklin


]

 

[synthmonsterjax]

Goro suggests a list that does not include nearly every medical school in the country.

Your state school
All new MD schools
Any DO program
10. The Commonwealth Medical College

15. Medical College of Wisconsin
27. Eastern Virginia Medical School
28. Rush Medical College
29. Oakland University

31. Pennsylvania State
32. Drexel
34. Creighton
35. Virginia Commonwealth
36. New York Medical College
37. Wake Forest
38. Temple

43. Tufts
44. University of Miami
46. Jefferson
47. Georgetown
50. Loyola

53. Albany
55. Virginia Tech Carillon
SLU
Rosy Franklin

Thanks for your input. I will definitely add SLU + RF. I will also add all of the new schools. It looks like you took out low chance OOS publics... unfortunately that list is so short it gets me pretty worried.

 

[chemguy79]

Without ties to OOS public schools, you have minimal chances for acceptance even with stronger stats. You may not feel comfortable with a shorter school list, but it's absolutely foolish to apply to that many OOS medical schools.

I am curious; Why not ECU? As an NC resident, I would like to think that you have a shot at an interview. You surely have a stronger chance there than you do at the University of South Carolina.

Any interest in DO programs?

 

[synthmonsterjax]

Without ties to OOS public schools, you have minimal chances for acceptance even with stronger stats. You may not feel comfortable with a shorter school list, but it's absolutely foolish to apply to that many OOS medical schools.

I am curious; Why not ECU? As an NC resident, I would like to think that you have a shot at an interview. You surely have a stronger chance there than you do at the University of South Carolina.

Any interest in DO programs?

Oh, sorry, ECU is near the top of my list. I forgot to include it for some reason. I see... I think I will have to cut it down then. I'm not sure about DO. I would have to shadow a DO physician sometime within the next month and apply separately? I will look into it.

 

[Goro]

With >20 MD and lots of DO programs, you do NOT have a short list. We're aiming for quality here, not quantity.

T

Thanks for your input. I will definitely add SLU + RF. I will also add all of the new schools. It looks like you took out low chance OOS publics... unfortunately that list is so short it gets me pretty worried.

 

[synthmonsterjax]

With >20 MD and lots of DO programs, you do NOT have a short list. We're aiming for quality here, not quantity.

T

With everyone's input, I've narrowed it down to 25. Seems more reasonable though kinda scary. On the off chance that I score 3-4 points higher on May 31, would that alter my school list significantly? Not sure if the rest of my app is Top 20/30, but I think even for the list I have it would improve my chances a fair amount.

 

[gyngyn]

With everyone's input, I've narrowed it down to 25. Seems more reasonable though kinda scary. On the off chance that I score 3-4 points higher on May 31, would that alter my school list significantly? Not sure if the rest of my app is Top 20/30, but I think even for the list I have it would improve my chances a fair amount.

Now you are getting it. Except that re-taking a 32 is fraught with hazard!

 

[synthmonsterjax]

Now you are getting it. Except that re-taking a 32 is fraught with hazard!

You're right -- I feel there's about a 20% chance I will take it (I think it will be a better investment for me to spend the next few weeks working on my PS since I'm bad at that). Just a theoretical question I guess.

 

[Goro]

This isn't the lottery here. With an MCAT retake, tyou are more likely to go down, stay the same, or only incrementally go up. Going from a 32 to a 34 isn't going to help you all that much when more and more schools (amongst MD schools) are averaging scores. You're already great for any DO program, including mine. In addition, as my sage colleague gyngyn points out, retaking a good MCAT shows poor judgement, if not hubris.

You're right -- I feel there's about a 20% chance I will take it (I think it will be a better investment for me to spend the next few weeks working on my PS since I'm bad at that). Just a theoretical question I guess.