3.86cGPA 3.83sGPA, and 37 MCAT. Help with realistic list of schools.

[1234123]

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Hey everyone,

I'm a rising senior so I'm beginning the application process. I just wanted some help with some last minute pruning of my school list. Any comments/criticisms are welcome!

Stats:
Arizona Resident
at top 20 research university
Non-URM
MCAT: 12/13/12

cGPA: 3.86
sGPA:3.83

I had a pretty poor freshman year, getting a 3.46 and 3.47 my first two semesters. This included a few B's in Gen Chem and Chem Lab and some higher level math classes, but I pulled it my GPA up with 4.0's every semester thereafter.

EC's:
Coordinator of a peer mentoring/tutoring program for inner-city highschool students ~150 hours.
Volunteered at local hospital ~ 175 hours
Shadowed in an Emergency Medicine Dept. ~ 60 hours
Shadowed Neurosurgeon ~ 20 hours
Introductory Biology course TA ~3 semesters.
Genetics research for the past 3 years. A few poster presentations at Undergrad research symposiums at my school. No publications
Leadership positions in clubs like student-run radio and club tennis.

OK so here's my list:
Penn
Northwestern
Wash U
Columbia
Yale
Baylor
Vanderbilt
Cornell
Stanford
Michigan
OSU
Case Western
Loyola University Chicago
Rush
Drexel
SLU
Arizona

Is this list too top heavy? If so, which schools should I remove and what are some more mid-tier/safety schools that I should add?

Thank You

 

[1289]

dude. you are almost in the 99th percentile with your mcat. and the fact that you've gotten 4.0s every semester since freshman year essentially negates that bad year. I know you're not trying to be a tool, but get real. you are FINEEEEEEEEEEE. and will get in somewhere.

edit: just saw Loyola is on there. I'm not sure if you have enough community service for their liking. worth a shot, but if you're looking to possibly remove a school here or there to save money I would get rid of that one. I'd add Penn State, NYU, Albert Einstein possibly?

 

[DoctorSeussMD]

Add a couple more safety schools. But honestly, you're looking good right now, yo. As long as you don't start doing bizarre stuff during your interviews (e.g., eating feces), you're a shoe-in, it seems.

 

[1234123]

Hmm, I'll look into switching Loyola out for a safety or two then. Thanks for the help!

 

[BigBlueBear]

You can just say U of A is your school XD. That's the only top 20 research university in AZ 😛

I think your list looks good though. Good mix of reaches and fluffs.

 

[darkjedi]

Definitely add a couple more medium tier schools just in case. You can probably swap out Drexel for Jefferson/Temple as well.

 

[mcm628]

Hey everyone,

I'm a rising senior so I'm beginning the application process. I just wanted some help with some last minute pruning of my school list. Any comments/criticisms are welcome!

Stats:
Arizona Resident
at top 20 research university
Non-URM
MCAT: 12/13/12

cGPA: 3.86
sGPA:3.83

I had a pretty poor freshman year, getting a 3.46 and 3.47 my first two semesters. This included a few B's in Gen Chem and Chem Lab and some higher level math classes, but I pulled it my GPA up with 4.0's every semester thereafter.

EC's:
Coordinator of a peer mentoring/tutoring program for inner-city highschool students ~150 hours.
Volunteered at local hospital ~ 175 hours
Shadowed in an Emergency Medicine Dept. ~ 60 hours
Shadowed Neurosurgeon ~ 20 hours
Introductory Biology course TA ~3 semesters.
Genetics research for the past 3 years. A few poster presentations at Undergrad research symposiums at my school. No publications
Leadership positions in clubs like student-run radio and club tennis.

OK so here's my list:
Penn
Northwestern
Wash U
Columbia
Yale
Baylor
Vanderbilt
Cornell
Stanford
Michigan
OSU
Case Western
Loyola University Chicago
Rush
Drexel
SLU
Arizona

Is this list too top heavy? If so, which schools should I remove and what are some more mid-tier/safety schools that I should add?

Thank You

Hey OP, congrats on the solid work you have put in thus far to becoming a physician! I hope you are able to have some choices in med schools by the time you are done with the interview process. I was interested in your post because I am currently spending my M1 summer working a BNI for an NIH summer research fellowship and one kid I am working with has a sort of ominous story that I want to pass on to you.

Kid was basically a rockstar stat wise. Mid/high 30's MCAT, near 4.0 at ASU for a quad major. He has incredibly stellar EC's and basically all the bells as whistles of a strong app. He is currently at SGU...because he only applied to the "top 8" schools with his only safely being U of A (which I can tell you at times has no rhyme or reason in the adcom process). Please Please Please do yourself a favor an apply to 15 ish schools and have 3-6 safeties in that group. And when you interview, don't act like they are your safeties haha. I can almost say for certain you will get in somewhere that makes you happy, but just make sure you first get in (being a doctor is the goal, don't forget that, and realistically you can get into any specialty from any med school, just do well there, kill step 1, do some research, and impress the doctors during your 3rd year clerkships).

Sorry to write such a long response, but I just don't want what happened to this kid to happen to anyone in the same shoes. Good luck!!

 

[1234123]

You can just say U of A is your school XD. That's the only top 20 research university in AZ 😛

I think your list looks good though. Good mix of reaches and fluffs.

Haha well although I am technically an Arizona resident, I don't attend school in Arizona. I'm at a private school in the midwest.

Hey OP, congrats on the solid work you have put in thus far to becoming a physician! I hope you are able to have some choices in med schools by the time you are done with the interview process. I was interested in your post because I am currently spending my M1 summer working a BNI for an NIH summer research fellowship and one kid I am working with has a sort of ominous story that I want to pass on to you.

Kid was basically a rockstar stat wise. Mid/high 30's MCAT, near 4.0 at ASU for a quad major. He has incredibly stellar EC's and basically all the bells as whistles of a strong app. He is currently at SGU...because he only applied to the "top 8" schools with his only safely being U of A (which I can tell you at times has no rhyme or reason in the adcom process). Please Please Please do yourself a favor an apply to 15 ish schools and have 3-6 safeties in that group. And when you interview, don't act like they are your safeties haha. I can almost say for certain you will get in somewhere that makes you happy, but just make sure you first get in (being a doctor is the goal, don't forget that, and realistically you can get into any specialty from any med school, just do well there, kill step 1, do some research, and impress the doctors during your 3rd year clerkships).

Sorry to write such a long response, but I just don't want what happened to this kid to happen to anyone in the same shoes. Good luck!!

Wow, ominous story indeed. I can definitely see the problems with that application strategy. I'm definitely not going to take any acceptances for granted though. "Safety school" really is an incomplete way to describe a school because in the end, all medical schools produce doctors. Thanks for the words of wisdom!

 

[Cinclus]

Add a few more safety schools of your choosing, as this process is very unpredictable. All of those schools seem realistic based on your stats, though. Nice numbers, and good luck!

 

[Verum]

Hey OP, congrats on the solid work you have put in thus far to becoming a physician! I hope you are able to have some choices in med schools by the time you are done with the interview process. I was interested in your post because I am currently spending my M1 summer working a BNI for an NIH summer research fellowship and one kid I am working with has a sort of ominous story that I want to pass on to you.

Kid was basically a rockstar stat wise. Mid/high 30's MCAT, near 4.0 at ASU for a quad major. He has incredibly stellar EC's and basically all the bells as whistles of a strong app. He is currently at SGU...because he only applied to the "top 8" schools with his only safely being U of A (which I can tell you at times has no rhyme or reason in the adcom process). Please Please Please do yourself a favor an apply to 15 ish schools and have 3-6 safeties in that group. And when you interview, don't act like they are your safeties haha. I can almost say for certain you will get in somewhere that makes you happy, but just make sure you first get in (being a doctor is the goal, don't forget that, and realistically you can get into any specialty from any med school, just do well there, kill step 1, do some research, and impress the doctors during your 3rd year clerkships).

Sorry to write such a long response, but I just don't want what happened to this kid to happen to anyone in the same shoes. Good luck!!

WOW, i would have waited a year and applied again than go carribean.

 

[mcm628]

WOW, i would have waited a year and applied again than go carribean.

Couldn't agree more! I think he had misinformed, pushy parents. I am also assuming he may have peed on the interviewers desk 😀