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35 MCAT, 3.57 cGPA/sGPA, significant IA, aiming too high?
- Thread starter Dirtybird
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Details, please. PM if you want to.
You have too many reaches on your list for a < avg GPA. the rising trend is not that impressive, alas. However, there are a good number of schools that you're stil competitive for. The big ? will be the IA.
You have too many reaches on your list for a < avg GPA. the rising trend is not that impressive, alas. However, there are a good number of schools that you're stil competitive for. The big ? will be the IA.
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I agree that your list is a bit top heavy, particularly given that you have an IA that resulted in a year-long suspension (our resident adcoms will be able to give you more advice pertaining to this) and your stats are decent but not spectacular.
Your reaches are Baylor, Case Western, Columbia, UCLA, UCSD, UCSF, Duke, Harvard, Hopkins, Mayo, Sinai, NYU, Northwestern, Stanford, Chicago, Michigan, Pitt, and Vanderbilt... that's 18/28! A full 2/3 of your list. You have some cool experiences, but I'm still wary about your IA and the impact it'll have on your applications to these schools.
Additionally, remove Maryland and UNC, as they have high in-state bias, so you're not going to get much traction there.
You're probably (assuming they're willing to overlook the IA) reasonably competitive for Einstein, BU, USC, UVA, Tufts, UCI, and Wake Forest. I would also recommend adding Hofstra, Rochester, VCU, Jefferson, UC Davis, and perhaps SLU.
Even if we ignore the IA, your stats are overall well below the typical stats for top tier med schools, even coming from a top 10 undergrad. If your undergrad has a med school attached to it, keep that one. Others from your reach list you should consider keeping are Case Western, Columbia, all the UCs, Duke, Sinai, NYU, Northwestern, Michigan, and Pitt (and possibly Mayo, though its small class size makes it impossible to tell with). I would say Harvard, Hopkins, Stanford, Chicago, and Vanderbilt are too far out of your stat range to give serious consideration to.
Your reaches are Baylor, Case Western, Columbia, UCLA, UCSD, UCSF, Duke, Harvard, Hopkins, Mayo, Sinai, NYU, Northwestern, Stanford, Chicago, Michigan, Pitt, and Vanderbilt... that's 18/28! A full 2/3 of your list. You have some cool experiences, but I'm still wary about your IA and the impact it'll have on your applications to these schools.
Additionally, remove Maryland and UNC, as they have high in-state bias, so you're not going to get much traction there.
You're probably (assuming they're willing to overlook the IA) reasonably competitive for Einstein, BU, USC, UVA, Tufts, UCI, and Wake Forest. I would also recommend adding Hofstra, Rochester, VCU, Jefferson, UC Davis, and perhaps SLU.
Even if we ignore the IA, your stats are overall well below the typical stats for top tier med schools, even coming from a top 10 undergrad. If your undergrad has a med school attached to it, keep that one. Others from your reach list you should consider keeping are Case Western, Columbia, all the UCs, Duke, Sinai, NYU, Northwestern, Michigan, and Pitt (and possibly Mayo, though its small class size makes it impossible to tell with). I would say Harvard, Hopkins, Stanford, Chicago, and Vanderbilt are too far out of your stat range to give serious consideration to.
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A year long IA suspension sounds way too significant to brush aside. Before we go make a list w/ stats, you have to decide whether it will even be possible to convince any med schools to take you with that on the record. Such large suspensions are not at all common, especially ones arising from an originally manageable (ie. not cheating/dishonesty) infraction.
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It sounds like it was alcohol-related instead of dishonesty-related. The alcohol ones are much more forgivable.
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It sounds like deliberate insubordination/disregard for school policy after the original citation, though. I feel like that could be problematic.
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You're best bet for input on the IA is to PM Goro and get his advice in private. All I can say is that in your situation it is probably in your interest to apply even more broadly than you would otherwise without the IA.
As others have said the list has some clear flaws in it. A sub 3.6 GPA applicant really shouldn't have a list where 85% of schools had 35+ MCAT medians and the vast majority of those have median GPA's near or above 3.8. The fact you are an ORM CA resident who's upward trend isn't that significant doesn't help your case either. Unless Goro or someone in the know who gives you specific insight that leads you to believe the IA isn't much of an issue you have to play things safer than you would otherwise. That means if you're going to apply to 30 schools, honestly I would think 20 or so lower tiers are in order. Then you can fill in the middle tiers. Then for your last few throw in some big names.
I will say all in all if the IA doesn't turn out to be a deal breaker if you apply broadly to lower tiers you should nab some II's. But you are going to want to change your perspective a little bit; even without the IA going that top heavy isn't a smart plan.
As others have said the list has some clear flaws in it. A sub 3.6 GPA applicant really shouldn't have a list where 85% of schools had 35+ MCAT medians and the vast majority of those have median GPA's near or above 3.8. The fact you are an ORM CA resident who's upward trend isn't that significant doesn't help your case either. Unless Goro or someone in the know who gives you specific insight that leads you to believe the IA isn't much of an issue you have to play things safer than you would otherwise. That means if you're going to apply to 30 schools, honestly I would think 20 or so lower tiers are in order. Then you can fill in the middle tiers. Then for your last few throw in some big names.
I will say all in all if the IA doesn't turn out to be a deal breaker if you apply broadly to lower tiers you should nab some II's. But you are going to want to change your perspective a little bit; even without the IA going that top heavy isn't a smart plan.
