Am I being irrational?

[cyanide12345678]

Hey Everyone!

I am a texas resident and I applied to all MD texas schools through TMDSAS on Aug 1st. Here are my stats.

3.95 cGPA at Rice University
3.93 sGPA
31R (11 8 12) (English = my 2nd language)
1900 Research Hours
200 hours non medical volunteering
1000 hours medical related work experience
TA for 3 semesters for Biology lab and private tutor for high school kiddies for a year and half.

Ok so the question, I was looking to apply to Amcas but then I was going through the MSAR schools and it seems every other school out there seems to fall short in comparison to Texas schools (Every Texas school is atleast 25K cheaper and they are all decent programs)...So, should I even bother to spend money on amcas? I just don't see why applying outside of texas is fruitful in my case. So, am I being irrational in not applying to more than 6 schools and being safe? I see people apply to around 10 - 15 schools, so if you were in my place would you apply to other schools? If yes, which ones would you consider (I've thought about George town, jefferson, rochester and the Suny schools)...But really is it worth spending the money and the time on filling up Amcas? I just want people's thoughts on this. Thank you all for your time

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[cyanide12345678]

Help anyone :S ?

 

[EmKitty]

Ask yourself how sure you are that you will gain acceptance to TX schools. Sure, your stats look great, and your experience is there, but sometimes this application process is just a toss-up. By not applying to AMCAS, you are deliberately saying that you are 100% positive that you will get into medical school in Texas or you will not go to medical school this upcoming year. I think the smart move here would be to apply to some safe schools through AMCAS, just to ensure that you will gain acceptance this cycle.

 

[cyanide12345678]

Ask yourself how sure you are that you will gain acceptance to TX schools. Sure, your stats look great, and your experience is there, but sometimes this application process is just a toss-up. By not applying to AMCAS, you are deliberately saying that you are 100% positive that you will get into medical school in Texas or you will not go to medical school this upcoming year. I think the smart move here would be to apply to some safe schools through AMCAS, just to ensure that you will gain acceptance this cycle.

Yes and I completely understand that. Maybe I'm delusional because I'm from Rice which is the best in Texas. But I talked to my premed advisor who has been doing this for the last 15 years and she said exactly this, " You have a 3.9 from Rice, Southwestern will try and take you". And shes isn't the sort of person who sugar coats things. Putting that statement into consideration, I am fairly confident that im more or less guarenteed an admission in atleast one school out of UT houston, UTMD, or UT san antonio. And Rice has a 95% acceptance rate into medical schools and I'm considered above average for Rice so I just don't see myself not getting admitted in the top 4 :S Am i just being too cocky :S ?

 

[point542]

you're obviously not in a bad position, but **** happens man. there's always a small percentage of people with your stats in TX who don't get in.

honestly I think you're good to go, just gauge your own comfort level.

 

[Chunkle]

you're obviously not in a bad position, but **** happens man. there's always a small percentage of people with your stats in TX who don't get in.

honestly I think you're good to go, just gauge your own comfort level.

I agree with him. Don't take even the slightest chance of not getting into a medical school. Apply through AMCAS to a few OOS schools, like 3-4 just to be sure you'll net an acceptance somewhere.

The reason why you're only applying instate should be because you have to stay in state due to the proximity to home or something..

 

[fneverforget]

I think you will be more than fine with just applying to Texas schools. Like you said you have a 3.9 at Rice which is an accomplishment. One thing that kind of concerns me is that with a 3.9 at Rice shouldn't you have done better on the MCAT? Usually kids who can get into Rice are already good test takers, and those that have a 3.9 must have learned the material really well to get that gpa, so my question is why the lowish mcat score?

I am in the same position as you. I don't go to Rice, but I go to a similar ranked school (Emory) and I am a Texas resident. I have a 3.8 at my school, but my AMCAS practice tests have only been around a 31-32 range. If I do score anything lower than a 33 I am retaking because it makes no sense to me to work my ass off for a 3.8 at a top 20 school and then to go an throw it away with an mcat score that is less than a 33. Your gpa will be taken into context with your mcat score, just like in high school your gpa/class rank were taken in context with your SAT/ACT scores.


Hopefully you get into UT-SW (their average gpa is a 3.8 and average mcat is a 33), but you should be more than fine for the other MD schools in Texas.


BTW can you ask your pre-med advisers if a 3.8 from Emory and a 31-32 mcat score will make UT-SW want that kid? Lol, my pre-med advisers at Emory are more familiar with medical schools in the Southeast and don't really know much about schools in Texas. lol.

 

[Kekeirda]

I think your probably good to go, worst case scenario you lose a year. But you will save money by not applying to AMCAS and interviewing out of state.

Applying OOS isn't likely to increase your probability of being accepted by all that much.

 

[cyanide12345678]

I think you will be more than fine with just applying to Texas schools. Like you said you have a 3.9 at Rice which is an accomplishment. One thing that kind of concerns me is that with a 3.9 at Rice shouldn't you have done better on the MCAT? Usually kids who can get into Rice are already good test takers, and those that have a 3.9 must have learned the material really well to get that gpa, so my question is why the lowish mcat score?

I am in the same position as you. I don't go to Rice, but I go to a similar ranked school (Emory) and I am a Texas resident. I have a 3.8 at my school, but my AMCAS practice tests have only been around a 31-32 range. If I do score anything lower than a 33 I am retaking because it makes no sense to me to work my ass off for a 3.8 at a top 20 school and then to go an throw it away with an mcat score that is less than a 33. Your gpa will be taken into context with your mcat score, just like in high school your gpa/class rank were taken in context with your SAT/ACT scores.


Hopefully you get into UT-SW (their average gpa is a 3.8 and average mcat is a 33), but you should be more than fine for the other MD schools in Texas.


BTW can you ask your pre-med advisers if a 3.8 from Emory and a 31-32 mcat score will make UT-SW want that kid? Lol, my pre-med advisers at Emory are more familiar with medical schools in the Southeast and don't really know much about schools in Texas. lol.

Well the low mcat because english is my 2nd language. Have a nice little 8 on the verbal. Didn't retake the exam because I was getting 9s on verbal in all my practice tests as well (Usually I got between 31 - 33 on my practice tests and I took like 10 of those before taking the mcat. My last practice test was 34 though). But, yea I got a 31 in the end. I was content with the score. I had studied for 4 months and had given it everything I had...But verbal is just really really really hard to improve!!! Rice average for mcat is 32. And if your not OOS then you have a very decent shot at SW as well. I would go ahead and say that with a 33 you'd have an 85% probability of getting in to SW if your IS (provided you have some decent ECs). Though, SW has a 35 median score mcat, but the lower 10th percentile score is 29 for those you got accepted. So, my mcat with a 31 still fits around 20th-25th percentile for those who got accepted. And if you think about it, thats my only weak point, which too falls somewhere within the numbers of the people they've been accepting. I was going through MDapplicant profiles and people with really average scores were getting prematched to UT San antonio (I'm talking like 3.6 with 28 or 29 ish)..And the more I read on UT SA the more I seem to love it. Its actually been bumped to my "oh wow I really like the place" list. Their 10th percentile mcat is 27, and 50th percentile is 31. So yea, if not SW then San antonio it is

 

[cyanide12345678]

I think your probably good to go, worst case scenario you lose a year. But you will save money by not applying to AMCAS and interviewing out of state.

Applying OOS isn't likely to increase your probability of being accepted by all that much.

Exactly!!! And its not just the Amcas fee we're talking here. Lets say if I ONLY got accepted to some OOS private school, heck I dont think I'd even want to spend 40K a year to study there when all texas schools are less than 15K. So, practically speaking if I had one admission to ONLY an OOS school, I don't even see myself going there cos of the 100K over 4 years lolz.

Anyway this is what I've decided (it has been a long night of reading forums). I'm going to go ahead and apply to reach schools like vandy, baylor, george town, rather than safety schools. Texas schools are safety enough (Like really Texas A and M...it will be amusing if I don't get accepted there) Vandy is some place I'd actually consider spending 40K for. So, if I'm going to spend money on Amcas, I'm going to apply to those "what if I applied" schools. Hey if my mcat score is within their accepted ranges then heck I might as well see what happens since everything else on my file is pretty good. But really as of now I see no point in applying safety for schools that are already more or less already safe in my opinion I appreciate everyone for their time and opinions I really do !!!

 

[cyanide12345678]

I think you will be more than fine with just applying to Texas schools. Like you said you have a 3.9 at Rice which is an accomplishment. One thing that kind of concerns me is that with a 3.9 at Rice shouldn't you have done better on the MCAT? Usually kids who can get into Rice are already good test takers, and those that have a 3.9 must have learned the material really well to get that gpa, so my question is why the lowish mcat score?

I am in the same position as you. I don't go to Rice, but I go to a similar ranked school (Emory) and I am a Texas resident. I have a 3.8 at my school, but my AMCAS practice tests have only been around a 31-32 range. If I do score anything lower than a 33 I am retaking because it makes no sense to me to work my ass off for a 3.8 at a top 20 school and then to go an throw it away with an mcat score that is less than a 33. Your gpa will be taken into context with your mcat score, just like in high school your gpa/class rank were taken in context with your SAT/ACT scores.


Hopefully you get into UT-SW (their average gpa is a 3.8 and average mcat is a 33), but you should be more than fine for the other MD schools in Texas.


BTW can you ask your pre-med advisers if a 3.8 from Emory and a 31-32 mcat score will make UT-SW want that kid? Lol, my pre-med advisers at Emory are more familiar with medical schools in the Southeast and don't really know much about schools in Texas. lol.

Nevermind my question, I somehow missed that you'd already written out that you were IS for texas. Get a 32 on the mcat and ur good to go. I know someone with a 32 on the mcat from U of H who got a scholarship at SW with a 3.9 gpa (the scholarship bit surprised me a bit) but the guy had 2.5 years of research I believe.

 

[fneverforget]

But, yea I got a 31 in the end. I was content with the score. I had studied for 4 months and had given it everything I had...But verbal is just really really really hard to improve!!! Rice average for mcat is 32.

lol, I know that 32 is average mcat for Rice, but what is the average gpa for pre-med students at Rice, a 3.5? 3.6? My point is that your gpa is wayyyy above average for Rice, and your mcat score should have been higher (because you have the academic ability). I know that at my school the average gpa is a 3.4. I am sure if you took the test again you would have done great.

Get a 32 on the mcat and ur good to go. I know someone with a 32 on the mcat from U of H who got a scholarship at SW with a 3.9 gpa (the scholarship bit surprised me a bit) but the guy had 2.5 years of research I believe.

I am sure you and I have very similar profiles in terms of ECs. As a result, let me know how the app process goes for you so I know what to expect next year (I am just a rising junior).

My ECs so far are.....
1 publication from UTMB-galveston (I wrote a review article that was published in an immunology journal)
1 year of research in Econ
1 year of research at the CDC (its right across the street from my school so I was able to do research there).
500 hours of working at a doc's office (I took blood pressure, medical history, helped out in filing, and medical billing).
200-300 shadowing hours
president of a club
member of a couple of clubs (honor societies, charity clubs, etc...)
played in a band for 1.5 semester
played a couple of intramural sports
helped out in a couple of health fairs for the homeless (2-3 over the course of 2 years)
50 hours of volunteer work at a soup kitchen

^^^^ I just hope all this is good enough for UT-SW or Baylor, I don't want to end up at Texas Tech or Texas A&M because Tech and A&M are in the middle of nowhere, lol......

 

[lkthlttr]

Hey Everyone!

I am a texas resident and I applied to all MD texas schools through TMDSAS on Aug 1st. Here are my stats.

3.95 cGPA at Rice University
3.93 sGPA
31R (11 8 12) (English = my 2nd language)
1900 Research Hours
200 hours non medical volunteering
1000 hours medical related work experience
TA for 3 semesters for Biology lab and private tutor for high school kiddies for a year and half.

Ok so the question, I was looking to apply to Amcas but then I was going through the MSAR schools and it seems every other school out there seems to fall short in comparison to Texas schools (Every Texas school is atleast 25K cheaper and they are all decent programs)...So, should I even bother to spend money on amcas? I just don't see why applying outside of texas is fruitful in my case. So, am I being irrational in not applying to more than 6 schools and being safe? I see people apply to around 10 - 15 schools, so if you were in my place would you apply to other schools? If yes, which ones would you consider (I've thought about George town, jefferson, rochester and the Suny schools)...But really is it worth spending the money and the time on filling up Amcas? I just want people's thoughts on this. Thank you all for your time

I honestly think that if you don't get into at least one Texas school as an in-stater with that application, then it'll be because interviewing skills hold you back, in which case applying out-of-state wouldn't have helped you anyways.

 

[cyanide12345678]

lol, I know that 32 is average mcat for Rice, but what is the average gpa for pre-med students at Rice, a 3.5? 3.6? My point is that your gpa is wayyyy above average for Rice, and your mcat score should have been higher (because you have the academic ability). I know that at my school the average gpa is a 3.4. I am sure if you took the test again you would have done great.

I am sure you and I have very similar profiles in terms of ECs. As a result, let me know how the app process goes for you so I know what to expect next year (I am just a rising junior).

My ECs so far are.....
1 publication from UTMB-galveston (I wrote a review article that was published in an immunology journal)
1 year of research in Econ
1 year of research at the CDC (its right across the street from my school so I was able to do research there).
500 hours of working at a doc's office (I took blood pressure, medical history, helped out in filing, and medical billing).
200-300 shadowing hours
president of a club
member of a couple of clubs (honor societies, charity clubs, etc...)
played in a band for 1.5 semester
played a couple of intramural sports
helped out in a couple of health fairs for the homeless (2-3 over the course of 2 years)
50 hours of volunteer work at a soup kitchen

^^^^ I just hope all this is good enough for UT-SW or Baylor, I don't want to end up at Texas Tech or Texas A&M because Tech and A&M are in the middle of nowhere, lol......

THOSE ARE AWESOME ECs!!And you have a year to keep adding things as well!! I have about a little more than 2 years of research but no publications. So thats definitely a plus for you. You have much more shadowing than me as well. lolz ur a much better candidate than me in my opinion. Most of my medical related experience comes from a job that I had in assisting disabled individuals with personal needs. So if I were an adcomm I'd pick you over me based on medically related ECs. But I guess I have some eccentric things that I've done like managing and starting a business. You just need a solid mcat! If you hit 34 you actually have a decent shot at top 20. But its always a hit or miss with those top schools lolz. God knows what they want! No offense to anyone but I was just looking at one person's MDapp who had a 41 and 4.0. The guy didn't even get an interview at harvard or UPenn! And then there were URMs with low 30s who had harvard interviews....*humph*

oh and worst come worst you'd be going to either UT houston, UT san antionio or UTMB. I don't think the day will come when you'll have to consider Texas tech or Texas A and M. Lolz atleast thats how I think it will go for me as well If I had to go to A and M I'd have to shoot myself lolz

 

[nysw]

I had this same dilemma. Although I'm not from the almighty Rice, my stats are on par with most of the TX schools. I figured that if TX schools with a heavy instate bias wouldn't take me, the chances of me getting into an out of state 'reach' or 'safety' are significantly lower. Good luck with this cycle! Just don't freak out - TX schools are good, and your stats will get your foot in the door. It's just a matter of nailing that interview, having a good PS & LORs, which are just as important as GPA & MCAT.

 

[BMEN]

Your chances at Texas Schools are very good with your GPA and MCAT score. You have a good chance to get invited to an interview at southwestern.

I have a couple of things to say

1). It might be worth applying to some schools on AMCAS. Some of the private schools would be willing to give you competitive scholarships if you are competitive. Always a nice since the public schools in TX are a little less generous with scholarships(not that they dont exist).

2). The lateish TMDAS is a concern and not a concern. Concern since it'll take a little while longer to get some interviews compared to others who might have submitted earlier. Not a concern, since many people who do apply lateish and interview latish do get prematched. So stick through it and dont get neurotic.

3). Dont knock a school until you visit or have an interview there. it could blow you away.

 

[fneverforget]

But I guess I have some eccentric things that I've done like managing and starting a business.

that is unique, not many pre-meds can do that!

 

[cyanide12345678]

3). Dont knock a school until you visit or have an interview there. it could blow you away.

Thank you for that. I know I need to learn to look past rankings. In the end its not the school you go to that matters, but how you perform at the school. Thank you for your response.