3.96 GPA, 520 MCAT - School List

[akb5633]

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[precisiongraphic]

**A bit concerned about the majority of my clinical volunteering hours being paid...is this bad?** - not sure that's a problem. List clinical as clinical and non-paid volunteering as volunteering.

**Recommendations on how many different specialties/how many hours I should get for this?** - I don't think you need much more shadowing with your internship and CNA experience.

Also, I will be taking a gap year, and I am planning on working as an EMT and possibly MCAT tutoring on the side. - I think more people need to take gap years - but you're not one of them. Are you a senior now? If so then you will have a gap/application year so just get a bit more volunteering while you work as an EMT. If you're a junior, unless you want/need one for personal reasons I'd skip it.

 

[Goro]

I don't think you need a gap year, you're golden.

I suggest:

Harvard
Wash U
Yale
Stanford
U Chicago
U Penn
U VA
U MI
U Colorado
U VM
U WI
Ohio State
Jefferson
U IA
UCSF
UCLA,
U Cincy
Miami
Albert Einstein
Tulane
Loyola
Emory
BU
USC/Keck
JHU
Mayo (both)
Pitt
Northwestern
NYU
Vanderbilt
Columbia
Sinai
Cornell
Duke
Case
Hofstra

Even though we have quite awhile until the next application cycle opens up, I'd like to start making a list of schools to apply to now that I have my MCAT score back. I purchased MSAR, but I'd like some advice to lead me in the right direction.

GPA - 3.96
MCAT - 520 (130/129/130/131)
PA Resident
Race/Ethnicity - White
Undergrad - University of Pittsburgh (Neuroscience major, Chemistry minor)

Clinical Experience
-Volunteering: Baby Cuddler Program at NICU (~50 hrs...will continue doing this throughout senior year)
-Paid: CNA in nursing home (~500 hrs), Clinical Neurophysiology Internship in operating room (~500 hrs)
**A bit concerned about the majority of my clinical volunteering hours being paid...is this bad?**

Non-Clinical Volunteering/Community Service
-Project Sunshine (volunteering at Children's Hospital, Ronald McDonald House, etc. ~50 hrs)
-Pitt Make a Difference Day (annual event to help clean-up certain Pittsburgh neighborhoods, participated yearly)
-Relay for Life (participated annually. Was my team's captain in 2016)
**I think I'm lacking in helping the underserved**

Research Experience
-2.5 years (~500 hrs); neuroscience research
-Currently working on publication for one of our projects, hoping to be finished by November. My lab is also likely to publish paper about the second project we are working on before I graduate
-If I stay in the lab next semester, will most likely participate in our undergraduate research fair

Shadowing
-The neurologist I worked with over the summer for my internship said I could list him as a physician I shadowed, but other than that, I need to get on this.
**Recommendations on how many different specialties/how many hours I should get for this?**

Extracurriculars/Leadership
-Teaching Assistant for intro biology and human physiology, 3 semesters
-Swim Club Volunteering/Fundraising Chair 2015-2016 (not sure if I should move this to non-clinical volunteering). Swim Club member since freshman year.
-Pittsburgh Half Marathon Participant, 2016

Honors/Awards
-University Scholar (2015-2016. awarded to top 2% of students in their class based on GPA)
-Freshman Biology Award (given to 3 freshman who have excelled in the Biology 1+2 lectures and labs, based on recommendations from professors and TAs)

Also, I will be taking a gap year, and I am planning on working as an EMT and possibly MCAT tutoring on the side.

 

[WedgeDawg]

Any/all of the top 20 other than UCSD and UWash + 4-6 mid tiers (Rochester, Einstein, Emory, Miami, SLU, etc) + Jefferson and Hofstra + definitely apply to Pitt.

PA unfortunately doesn't have any state schools, but you're going to be fine regardless.

 

[akb5633]

I don't think you need a gap year, you're golden.

I suggest:

Harvard
Wash U
Yale
Stanford
U Chicago
U Penn
U VA
U MI
U Colorado
U VM
U WI
Ohio State
Jefferson
U IA
UCSF
UCLA,
U Cincy
Miami
Albert Einstein
Tulane
Loyola
Emory
BU
USC/Keck
JHU
Mayo (both)
Pitt
Northwestern
NYU
Vanderbilt
Columbia
Sinai
Cornell
Duke
Case
Hofstra

Any/all of the top 20 other than UCSD and UWash + 4-6 mid tiers (Rochester, Einstein, Emory, Miami, SLU, etc) + Jefferson and Hofstra + definitely apply to Pitt.

PA unfortunately doesn't have any state schools, but you're going to be fine regardless.

Thank you both!

 

[akb5633]

**A bit concerned about the majority of my clinical volunteering hours being paid...is this bad?** - not sure that's a problem. List clinical as clinical and non-paid volunteering as volunteering.

**Recommendations on how many different specialties/how many hours I should get for this?** - I don't think you need much more shadowing with your internship and CNA experience.

Also, I will be taking a gap year, and I am planning on working as an EMT and possibly MCAT tutoring on the side. - I think more people need to take gap years - but you're not one of them. Are you a senior now? If so then you will have a gap/application year so just get a bit more volunteering while you work as an EMT. If you're a junior, unless you want/need one for personal reasons I'd skip it.

Thanks for the advice! And I'm a senior, so the gap year is already decided. Mainly went with that route so I could wait until late August to take my MCAT and not be affected by applying late in the cycle.

 

[precisiongraphic]

Thanks for the advice! And I'm a senior, so the gap year is already decided. Mainly went with that route so I could wait until late August to take my MCAT and not be affected by applying late in the cycle.

Well, as the esteemed gentlemen above say, you're golden. In some ways, a gap year will make it easier for you to attend the 20+ interviews that I predict that you'll be offered.

 

[akb5633]

Bringing back this post with a rough list:

Harvard
Standford
Hopkins
UCSF
Penn
Columbia
Duke
U Chicago
U Michigan
UCLA
NYU
Vanderbilt
Pitt
Cornell
Sinai
Mayo
Emory
UVA
USC-Keck
Wake Forest
SUNY Downstate
Hofstra
U Colorado
U Miami
Thomas Jefferson

Total: 25

Let me know if this is too top-heavy, CA-heavy, or if there are any particularly OOS unfriendly schools. I'm willing to drop or swap, but definitely don't want my list to be more than 25 schools (hoping to narrow it down to about 20 or so).

Also, a few updates:

Unfortunately, the research project that was supposed to be submitted at the end of November is still in progress. The manuscript is mostly written, but we still have a bit more analysis to do. Thus, if it is submitted by the time I apply, I don't know if it will actually be published.

 

[bouch]

Have you looked at Tufts?

 

[akb5633]

Have you looked at Tufts?

I believe they are considered low-yield, so I left them off of my list.