MD 3.81/36 - Texas Resident - Looking for feedback on school list

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Nomad Sophist

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I am a chemical engineering major at a Texas university, and I was looking for some feedback on my school selection.

cGPA: 3.81
sGPA: 3.72
MCAT: 36 (12PS/12VR/12BS)


Research Experience
  • 6 semesters of research between 2 different labs
  • 1 peer-reviewed publication (first author), 3 posters
Clinical Experience
  • 40 hours shadowing 2 different specialists
  • 50 hours of clinical volunteering (over a couple of weeks during one summer)
Volunteer Experience
  • 30 hours of tutoring disadvantaged students at a local high school over two semesters
  • 40 hours volunteering at local UIL academic competitions
I have also won various academic awards and scholarships.

Assume all recommendations are solid but not spectacular.


School List

All Texas Schools (Baylor, UT Southwestern, A&M, Texas Tech, UT Houston, UTMB, UTSA, TCOM)


Reach Schools

  • Harvard
  • Johns Hopkins
  • University of California at San Francisco
  • Washington University in St. Louis
Questions

1. Am I applying to enough schools? I am a Texas resident and would prefer to attend one of them due to cost, but I was wondering if there were other schools I should consider.

2. Do I have a shot at top schools, or would it be largely unrealistic?

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I think that many top schools will reject you because, while your stats are their median, your EC's aren't strong enough. If I were you, I'd lower the aim slightly, NYU, Cornell, Sinai maybe.
 
Texas residents are usually good just applying to Texas schools. If money is a concern, I'm not sure it's even worth applying out of state because it really doesn't increase your chance of acceptance, and all of the OOS state schools will have a significantly higher cost of attendance. Although your application is solid, I don't think it's good enough to warrant scholarships from highly ranked OOS schools, which is the only way to make the costs even comparable.
 
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I am a chemical engineering major at a Texas university, and I was looking for some feedback on my school selection.

cGPA: 3.81
sGPA: 3.72
MCAT: 36 (12PS/12VR/12BS)


Research Experience
  • 6 semesters of research between 2 different labs
  • 1 peer-reviewed publication (first author), 3 posters
Clinical Experience
  • 40 hours shadowing 2 different specialists
  • 50 hours of clinical volunteering (over a couple of weeks during one summer)
Volunteer Experience
  • 30 hours of tutoring disadvantaged students at a local high school over two semesters
  • 40 hours volunteering at local UIL academic competitions
I have also won various academic awards and scholarships.

Assume all recommendations are solid but not spectacular.


School List

All Texas Schools (Baylor, UT Southwestern, A&M, Texas Tech, UT Houston, UTMB, UTSA, TCOM)


Reach Schools

  • Harvard
  • Johns Hopkins
  • University of California at San Francisco
  • Washington University in St. Louis
Questions

1. Am I applying to enough schools? I am a Texas resident and would prefer to attend one of them due to cost, but I was wondering if there were other schools I should consider.

2. Do I have a shot at top schools, or would it be largely unrealistic?
I am a chemical engineering major at a Texas university, and I was looking for some feedback on my school selection.

cGPA: 3.81
sGPA: 3.72
MCAT: 36 (12PS/12VR/12BS)


Research Experience
  • 6 semesters of research between 2 different labs
  • 1 peer-reviewed publication (first author), 3 posters
Clinical Experience
  • 40 hours shadowing 2 different specialists
  • 50 hours of clinical volunteering (over a couple of weeks during one summer)
Volunteer Experience
  • 30 hours of tutoring disadvantaged students at a local high school over two semesters
  • 40 hours volunteering at local UIL academic competitions
I have also won various academic awards and scholarships.

Assume all recommendations are solid but not spectacular.


School List

All Texas Schools (Baylor, UT Southwestern, A&M, Texas Tech, UT Houston, UTMB, UTSA, TCOM)


Reach Schools

  • Harvard
  • Johns Hopkins
  • University of California at San Francisco
  • Washington University in St. Louis
Questions

1. Am I applying to enough schools? I am a Texas resident and would prefer to attend one of them due to cost, but I was wondering if there were other schools I should consider.

2. Do I have a shot at top schools, or would it be largely unrealistic?
 
Apply, just apply. I am finishing M1 at Hopkins. I have loved every minute. Baltimore is a great city, beautiful places, great public transportation. Hopkins is in a very tough neighborhood and you have to be smart. We are well protected though. The school itself is progressive and supportive. They treat us very well and the guidance is strong. Very diverse community and it is seriously competitive. You can not second guess this process, your stats look good enough. The selection process is a mystery to most. Relax and get your application in. The worse that can happen is that you forget to pack something in August when you are on your way to one of the schools you applied to. So don't ask, just apply. Hopkins is a great school, I made a good choice for me. Good luck
 
Your numbers and research are stellar, but your ECs (unless you left something off) sound low-average. (Not enough to rule you out, but not enough to help you either.) Your OOS 'reach' schools are so tippy-top that their accepted students don't really have low spots; they're amazing across the board. If you wanted to wait a year to beef up your clinical and non-clinical volunteering, you might have a much better shot. But as it is, I think you're good for UTSW and/or Baylor, or 'worst case' one of the mid-tiers.
 
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