Applying to Stanford Med - chances?

[jongwong]

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[Textuality]

Stanford has a small class size and a heavy emphasis on research, so it's really difficult to get in. I had a 3.88 GPA and a 3.83 science GPA, double majored, a balanced 34 MCAT, worked as a clinical research coordinator in an ICU for a year, had publications, and I didn't get an interview, lol. So make of that what you will. Maybe if you get a 40, you can feel like you'll be "guaranteed" an interview (though there's no such thing as that really).

To be fair, I also have no ties to Stanford, or any real lab/bench research (most of it was psych research), or any ties to CA. But yeah, from what I hear, they're very interested in training academic-physicians and are heavily research focused.

As for the other top schools, it's really hard to say with no MCAT and no idea of your EC's. If you really really want to just get into a top-tier, and assuming you have all the right numbers and solid EC's etc, just apply to all of them and hope you get lucky, because it can be kind of random and you never know which school will like what they see. For example: For my top tier reach schools, I applied to Harvard, Hopkins, Penn, Columbia, Stanford, and Yale. The two that decided to interview me were Hopkins and Penn (ranked 2nd and 3rd in the country at the time). Why they decided to interview me and the others didn't? I couldn't really tell you :/

 

[Asp]

You pretty much have no chance, sorry to say. You might have a shot at WUSTL if your MCAT is over 40.

 

[Law2Doc]

You pretty much have no chance, sorry to say. You might have a shot at WUSTL if your MCAT is over 40.

Gotta agree. First, until you have an MCAT score we have to assume you will tank it. It is folly to assume a good score because most people don't get one. Once you have a good score, you can reask the question.

Second, the chances of getting into a single med school that is not a state school in a favorable state is pretty nominal. Stanford will reject quite a few folks with far better stats than you (no matter what they ultimately are). They are concerned not just with numbers but with "good fit" for the school. Never put all your eggs in one basket. Until you have an acceptance it is foolish to focus in on one.

As for applying to exclusively top schools, more than a few top scoring applicants get burned each year for not applying more broadly. Wait until your MCAT score to even see if these schools are realistic. If they are, it largely is going to come down to an interview, at which time you'd better come off less arrogant than your post suggests ("I haven't even taken the MCAT yet but I belong in a top-tier school"). Good luck with that.

 

[IMReady]

I only discovered SDN half way through the application cycle - and I'm happy it wasn't any earlier b/c some people can be downright pessimistic. For the most part, it’s pre-meds, who haven’t been accepted to med school, telling other pre-meds how to get into med school.

UBC is an amazing school and, having gone to a Canadian undergrad, I know how intense it is. If you want to go to Stanford, apply there. There’s no “MCAT cut off.” Yes they like research – but it’s about creating a unique student body that will be able to contribute to the field of medicine in a meaningful way.

Of course you’ll apply to other med schools – but why not reach? I did (big time) and I’ll be there in August.

 

[littlealex]

Any time you're applying specifically wanting to goto one school, your chances are pretty terrible.
Apply, hope for the best, and keep an open mind. You're just looking for someone to say "Oh your chances are really good! Don't worry!" but the truth is that no one can tell you that.
We don't know your MCAT yet, all we know is that you have a solid GPA and internship experience. That really isn't a lot. You're doing well so far, but some wet lab experience and a few publications would go a long way to help you get into Stanford. A 35+ MCAT would help too. A significant history of clinical volunteer work and other altruistic activities would help too. We know nothing of your application.

 

[HanginInThere]

...For the most part, it’s pre-meds, who haven’t been accepted to med school, telling other pre-meds how to get into med school.

So far on this thread, there have been five six responses - three four from premeds who have gotten into med school, and two from current med students.

If you want to go to Stanford, apply there. There’s no “MCAT cut off.” Yes they like research – but it’s about creating a unique student body that will be able to contribute to the field of medicine in a meaningful way

That's fine advice, but it doesn't invalidate what L2D says. Don't put all your eggs in one basket, and don't apply just to top schools.

The application process isn't random [I hate the "it's a crapshoot" mentality], but it includes so many unknowns and is so complex in terms of all the aspects of your application, what schools are looking for, who else is applying with you, that you really shouldn't make assumptions about what success you're going to have even when you submit your application. Trying to predict whether one particular school is going to want you at this point is pretty much useless.

 

[Lokhtar]

The 10th percentile GPA at Stanford is about 3.5 and MCAT is about 30. So a few people get in with stats much inferior to yours. You should definitely apply, but the reality is that while they accept people with lower stats than you, they also reject people with higher stats than you. So your chance of getting into one specific school (any school, let alone Stanford) is pretty low.

 

[Zanzobar]

I'm not exactly certain, but are you a foreign applicant? Because if so, it's probably more difficult to get into any given school than it would have been if you were a US student. I think US allopathic schools tend to accept very few foreign applicants, and they generally all have strong stats.

If your heart is really set on going to a top research program, I would follow Textuality's suggestion and apply to all of them. The admissions process is kinda random so you never know what school will think you're a good fit.