Advice on school selection

[Dave_D]

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Wow, you never see these threads on this forum. Nope not ever 😀 Ok, so you may have read how my last app cycle went(incredibly terrible) so now I'm back and have a list of schools I want to give a shot at. Anybody want to tell me if my list looks decent given my stats.(35year old nontrad. Overall undergrad gpa is 2.8. Science gpa is 3.4. However my postbacc gpa, ie all the requirements, is 3.9 and I have a MCAT of PS12 VR10 WSM BS11. Oh, and 150 hrs of volunteer work and if things go well hopefully a decent job in a hospital fairly soon.) Anyway here's the list

Old schools I'm reapplying to
Dartmouth Medical School
Drexel University College of Medicine
Tufts University School of Medicine
University of Massachusetts Medical School
The University of Vermont College of Medicine

And the new ones
Boston University School of Medicine
Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine
Einstein
George Washington University Sch of Med & Hlth Sci
Jefferson Medical Coll. of Thomas Jefferson Univ
Mayo Medical School
Meharry Medical College
Morehouse School of Medicine
Mount Sinai School of Medicine
New York Medical College
Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine
SUNY Upstate Medical University
Temple University School of Medicine
University of Connecticut School of Medicine
University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine
Wake Forest
Yale University School of Medicine

Oh and before anybody says anything don't suggest MCW, Albany, Hawaii, Brown or Harvard. So any opinions on the list given my stats?(Trying to have a few reach, some decent shots, and some safeties.)

 

[DrBowtie]

I would rethink Meherry and Morehouse unless you fit their demographics.
Add RFU and SLU.

 

[Dave_D]

I would rethink Meherry and Morehouse unless you fit their demographics.
Add RFU and SLU.

Well my demographic is old and crabby 🙂 Anyway will look at that. I'm still wondering if I should dump UCONN.(They take 25% out of staters which might not be so good.)

 

[mchee]

try oregon. i hear they take lots of non-trads and a lot of OOS.

 

[Hassler]

Oh and before anybody says anything don't suggest MCW, Albany, Hawaii, Brown or Harvard. So any opinions on the list given my stats?(Trying to have a few reach, some decent shots, and some safeties.)

What's wrong with MCW or Albany?
Add Eastern Virginia.

 

[silas2642]

Wow, you never see these threads on this forum. Nope not ever 😀 Ok, so you may have read how my last app cycle went(incredibly terrible) so now I'm back and have a list of schools I want to give a shot at. Anybody want to tell me if my list looks decent given my stats.(35year old nontrad. Overall undergrad gpa is 2.8. Science gpa is 3.4. However my postbacc gpa, ie all the requirements, is 3.9 and I have a MCAT of PS12 VR10 WSM BS11. Oh, and 150 hrs of volunteer work and if things go well hopefully a decent job in a hospital fairly soon.) Anyway here's the list

Old schools I'm reapplying to
Dartmouth Medical School
Drexel University College of Medicine
Tufts University School of Medicine
University of Massachusetts Medical School
The University of Vermont College of Medicine

And the new ones
Boston University School of Medicine
Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine
Einstein
George Washington University Sch of Med & Hlth Sci
Jefferson Medical Coll. of Thomas Jefferson Univ
Mayo Medical School
Meharry Medical College
Morehouse School of Medicine
Mount Sinai School of Medicine
New York Medical College
Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine
SUNY Upstate Medical University
Temple University School of Medicine
University of Connecticut School of Medicine
University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine
Wake Forest
Yale University School of Medicine

Oh and before anybody says anything don't suggest MCW, Albany, Hawaii, Brown or Harvard. So any opinions on the list given my stats?(Trying to have a few reach, some decent shots, and some safeties.)

I don't know if money is a factor for you, but considering you didn't get in this application cycle, I think you might want to add a few more lower tiers.

 

[Law2Doc]

I don't know if money is a factor for you, but considering you didn't get in this application cycle, I think you might want to add a few more lower tiers.

Agree. Maybe consider replacing Yale (a top 10), Mayo (very few slots, esp for folks outside of certain states) etc with a couple more schools further down on the rankings lists.

 

[Dave_D]

What's wrong with MCW or Albany?
Add Eastern Virginia.

Well the deal with MCW is that I asked what they thought of my app. Basic response was I did some fine post bacc work but they weren't sure if it offset my undergrad record and that I should do some grad work, like an MPH.(I am a bit put off by him saying I did some fine post bacc since it is almost impossible for me to have done better given that my worst grade was one B+.) Since if I start an MPH it won't be until the Winter 2007 semester that wouldn't show up so I see no reason for MCW to just reject me off hand.(Admittedly I don't like the idea of delaying for a year or 2 either which is basically what he's suggesting.)

As for Albany well that's a bit shorter of a story. In a nutshell given how fast they rejected me after I got my secondary in last time I have to think they effectively rejected me pre-secondary but wanted the $100 so sent me a secondary anyway.(Yes, I have no other proof besides the speed) So I fill it out, waste $100 and see nothing but a rejection very soon afterwards.(And I'm in no mood to waste another $100 on that school by reapplying.)
Thanks for the advice btw.

Well I'm hoping money won't be a factor so any suggestions? Admittedly my main way of selecting schools was talking to my premed advisor and asking which schools were familiar with my school students.(Since she thinks that if a school has a good impression of previous students of a given school when they came they might want to take more students from that same school.)

Agree. Maybe consider replacing Yale (a top 10), Mayo (very few slots, esp for folks outside of certain states) etc with a couple more schools further down on the rankings lists.

True, I had been thinking Yale was too much of a stretch and had been thinking of dumping them. And you're right about Mayo, given it's uniqueness it might not be the best option. Any suggestions though?

Oh one other school I'm not going for is Tulane.(Since I have no connections to NO and I figure that will weigh heavily against me given all that's happened to it. Not sure if my impression is correct though)

 

[Orthodoc40]

I'd add Rosalind Franklin, Eastern Virginia, SLU and reconsider Albany. Speed of rejection probably doesn't mean anything. And I'd add some DO schools because they don't discriminate based on your age nearly as much as the MD schools do. (Yes, I know many schools have their "token" 40 year olds... Gotta love the attitude of kids saying, "We even have someone in our class who is 40"!! - gee, I bet they really feel a part of things there!)

 

[ChocolateKiss]

I might delete Tuftsand BU as well. They get TONS of applicants because many use them as back-ups for the top tier schools or apply simply because of the Boston location. I think these two schools have some of the highest numbers of applicants in the country.

 

[Law2Doc]

I'd add Rosalind Franklin, Eastern Virginia, SLU and reconsider Albany. Speed of rejection probably doesn't mean anything. And I'd add some DO schools because they don't discriminate based on your age nearly as much as the MD schools do. (Yes, I know many schools have their "token" 40 year olds... Gotta love the attitude of kids saying, "We even have someone in our class who is 40"!! - gee, I bet they really feel a part of things there!)

Well, given that the number of 40+ year old applicants really isn't that huge, the fact that every MD school has one or two is not insignificant.

 

[Compozine]

You are shooting a little high. I am surprised that with your MCAT you did not get in this cycle. Perhaps the undergrad GPA did you in? Anyway, I agree with the poster who said you should replace some of those upper tiers with some easier school. Also, I would find out why you did not get accepted this time around.

 

[Orthodoc40]

Well, given that the number of 40+ year old applicants really isn't that huge, the fact that every MD school has one or two is not insignificant.

True enough!

It just bugs me when the students & admissions people say "We have a very diverse student body. We even have a 40 year old in our class!" Something seriously 1950's in that thinking...

 

[Dave_D]

I'd add Rosalind Franklin, Eastern Virginia, SLU and reconsider Albany. Speed of rejection probably doesn't mean anything. And I'd add some DO schools because they don't discriminate based on your age nearly as much as the MD schools do. (Yes, I know many schools have their "token" 40 year olds... Gotta love the attitude of kids saying, "We even have someone in our class who is 40"!! - gee, I bet they really feel a part of things there!)

I'd be a bit more willing to reconsider Albany if they didn't have one of the most expensive secondaries. Anyway I was considering DO schools but I don't have a LOR from a DO yet so I want to wait until I have that.(Since it's my understanding many schools require it and the others really really really want you to get one.) Yes I love that attitude too although my experience is they consider anybody over 30 old. 🙄

I might delete Tuftsand BU as well. They get TONS of applicants because many use them as back-ups for the top tier schools or apply simply because of the Boston location. I think these two schools have some of the highest numbers of applicants in the country.

Well maybe I'd delete Tufts but I've got an odd reason to apply to BU. Basically the doc treating my hepatitis(autoimmune from what he can figure out, my case is a bit of a weird one) is a professor at BU. Since I've got confidence in him going to BU would work well in my case.(Since I would have to go find another hepatologist.) Also the hospital is pretty nice.(Saw it as a patient, food is lousy though.)

You are shooting a little high. I am surprised that with your MCAT you did not get in this cycle. Perhaps the undergrad GPA did you in? Anyway, I agree with the poster who said you should replace some of those upper tiers with some easier school. Also, I would find out why you did not get accepted this time around.

Ok, I realize Compzine has been banned. However in case anyone is wondering yes I tried to get in touch with some of the schools. Of these only MCW told me anything specific to my app.(Which was basically do grad work.) Dartmouth gave me a generic spiel of what they look for in applicants but nothing specific to me. Tufts and UMass pretty much plead the 5th.(The usual no comment.) Actually the last 3 did tell me I should consult with my premed advisor. I consider this suggestion to be so blatantly obvious that I manage to consult with 2 advisors(one from BU, one from UMass Boston) about my failed application before I even talked to Dartmouth, UMass, or Tufts. What's really weird is both advisors were honestly surprised I didn't even get a single interview.(The only reason I have some idea what's wrong with my app is from talking to Rel and LizzyM.)

So any other suggested drops?(Since I'd rather not waste time on schools that wouldn't accept me anyway.)

 

[Booner]

try oregon. i hear they take lots of non-trads and a lot of OOS.

Well, you might have a shot at OHSU because of the non-trad, but this past year they began cutting way back on their OOS admissions because there were a lot of Oregonians complaining about their high OOS percentage. This past year they didn't take anyone OOS unless they were URM/underprivileged.

 

[Orthodoc40]

I'd be a bit more willing to reconsider Albany if they didn't have one of the most expensive secondaries. Anyway I was considering DO schools but I don't have a LOR from a DO yet so I want to wait until I have that.(Since it's my understanding many schools require it and the others really really really want you to get one.) Yes I love that attitude too although my experience is they consider anybody over 30 old. 🙄
So any other suggested drops?(Since I'd rather not waste time on schools that wouldn't accept me anyway.)

Dave_D - very few DO schools REQUIRE an LOR from a DO. They would like it, it would help a lot, but it is not required. An LOR from a physician, "preferably a DO", is usually how they word it... Still yah - I'd get one. But you could start the AACOMAS application and send it in once you have it, too....

I see what you mean about Albany. It's hard to know which schools won't accept you. Seems to me you're ready to go! Good luck!

 

[mchee]

Well, you might have a shot at OHSU because of the non-trad, but this past year they began cutting way back on their OOS admissions because there were a lot of Oregonians complaining about their high OOS percentage. This past year they didn't take anyone OOS unless they were URM/underprivileged.

not true at all. i know of a couple OOS who are not URM/underpriviledged and got in.

 

[Booner]

Okay mchee, you can tell my pre-med advisor here that's "not true at all." This year OHSU said they didn't need to accept anyone out of their "target region," meaning Oregon residents, OOS from states without med. schools, or OOS URM/disadvantaged.

 

[oldpro]

Why Not University Of MD?

😕

 

[Dave_D]

Dave_D - very few DO schools REQUIRE an LOR from a DO. They would like it, it would help a lot, but it is not required. An LOR from a physician, "preferably a DO", is usually how they word it... Still yah - I'd get one. But you could start the AACOMAS application and send it in once you have it, too....

I see what you mean about Albany. It's hard to know which schools won't accept you. Seems to me you're ready to go! Good luck!

Actually that's probably the best way to go about it. If I remember correctly many osteopathic schools have later deadlines anyway.(And if I can pull off a job in a hospital I should have some access to osteopaths so that's another open door for me.) Thanks for the good wishes, hopefully I have some decent luck for a change.(Since this past year has been a hyper massive string of bad luck for me and my family. 🙁 )

Why Not University Of MD?

Well for the most part I was trying to avoid state schools since it's my impression many tend to focus on local students. Obvious I applied to UMass since I'm from Massachusetts.(Not sure what the term for us happens to be, I guess Masshole works 🙂 ) I applied to UVM since they seemed very friendly to older students and take alot of out of staters. As I've written before I was thinking of dropping UConn.(And they've got a better acceptance rate than MD does. That and I'm not sure how familiar they are with UMass Boston so that's another minus.) Is MD another non-trad friendly?

 

[Wookey]

Wow, you never see these threads on this forum. Nope not ever 😀 Ok, so you may have read how my last app cycle went(incredibly terrible) so now I'm back and have a list of schools I want to give a shot at. Anybody want to tell me if my list looks decent given my stats.(35year old nontrad. Overall undergrad gpa is 2.8. Science gpa is 3.4. However my postbacc gpa, ie all the requirements, is 3.9 and I have a MCAT of PS12 VR10 WSM BS11. Oh, and 150 hrs of volunteer work and if things go well hopefully a decent job in a hospital fairly soon.) Anyway here's the list

Old schools I'm reapplying to
Dartmouth Medical School
Drexel University College of Medicine
Tufts University School of Medicine
University of Massachusetts Medical School
The University of Vermont College of Medicine

And the new ones
Boston University School of Medicine
Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine
Einstein
George Washington University Sch of Med & Hlth Sci
Jefferson Medical Coll. of Thomas Jefferson Univ
Mayo Medical School
Meharry Medical College
Morehouse School of Medicine
Mount Sinai School of Medicine
New York Medical College
Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine
SUNY Upstate Medical University
Temple University School of Medicine
University of Connecticut School of Medicine
University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine
Wake Forest
Yale University School of Medicine

Oh and before anybody says anything don't suggest MCW, Albany, Hawaii, Brown or Harvard. So any opinions on the list given my stats?(Trying to have a few reach, some decent shots, and some safeties.)

Try Duke and UCLA, they love non-trads. As a non-trad, I got interviewed at both and got rejected from other schools like Jefferson and Mt Sinai. I think these non-research schools are looking for the stereotypical premeds while the major research schools look to diversify their student body. You'll get good responses from these research schools if you can show that you can apply what you've learn from your other field of study which I assume you've already done in post-bacc research. As a non-trad, don't count yourself short by not applying to more top-tier schools!

 

[Orthodoc40]

Actually that's probably the best way to go about it. If I remember correctly many osteopathic schools have later deadlines anyway.(And if I can pull off a job in a hospital I should have some access to osteopaths so that's another open door for me.) Thanks for the good wishes, hopefully I have some decent luck for a change.(Since this past year has been a hyper massive string of bad luck for me and my family. 🙁 )

Well then you are due for lots of GOOD LUCK!!
Yah - you could start the on line AACOMAS application now (there are some differences to the AMCAS one). It can be submitted on June 1st, so people still apply as early as AMCAS, but the school deadlines are later, so you have more time to send in those LOR's.