MD CA Nontrad T20 ORM 519/3.8/s3.69 - Help me cut down my school list!

[PurpleAmoeba]

Hi there, applying this cycle and was hoping for feedback on my school list?

My deets:

• CA resident ORM, T20 undergrad, career changer
• MCAT: 519 balanced
• GPA/sGPA: 3.8/3.69
• Slight upward trend: had a couple B’s and one C in science classes; since switching to pre-med have gotten straight As
• Highlights: 1st author pub, president of multiple clubs, teaching experience with disadvantaged populations, non-cookie cutter ECs
• Research: consistent public health research over 4+ years. 1st author pub and poster presentation, likely will add a 3rd author pub by the time I apply
• Clinical: 140+ hrs clinical volunteering connecting patients to social services. Clinical interaction includes patient referrals from doctors and working with patients in inpatient ward
• Nonclinical/Teaching: Tutor children and adults from low-resource backgrounds on a weekly basis
• Leadership: president of 2 clubs and leadership board on 2 other clubs throughout college
• Letters (scale 1-10; 11 for “knock your socks off”):
  • 3 academic: 2 science profs (10/10, 9/10) and 1 social science prof (9.5/10)
  • 1 Research: prof I worked with for 3 years and published with (10/10)
  • 1 Work: current boss who is director of one of the medical divisions at one of my top choice schools (11/10)
  • Possible extra letter from clinical volunteering (9.5/10), nonclinical volunteering (11/10), or current research (11/10).
    • Suggestions for which one would be best?
• Shadowing: 1 surgeon, 2 primary care, 1 cardiologist, 1 neurologist. 50 hrs total

School selection priorities: professional opportunities, association with good MBA program, generous financial aid/merit scholarships, urban/suburban

I’d like to apply to no more than 25 schools if possible. I know my current list is very top-heavy :/

Draft School List (need to cut 3 schools):
Harvard
UCSF
Stanford
UPenn
Columbia
UChicago
JHU
UCLA
NYU
Yale
Duke
WUSTL
UMich
Cornell
Northwestern
Pitt
Mayo
Emory
UCSD
Case Western
UVA
UC Davis
Kaiser
USC Keck
UC Irvine
Einstein
SUNY Downstate
Tufts

Which schools should I keep/cut/replace? What are my chances with this current list?

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[Faha]

You should receive several interviews from your list. You could remove Harvard, UPenn, JHU, Cornell, Columbia, Northwestern, U Chicago. you could add any of Ohio State, Rochester, Tulane, Cincinnati.

 

[Goro]

Harvard
UCSF
Stanford
UPenn
Columbia
JHU
UCLA
NYU
Yale
Duke
WUSTL
UMich
Cornell
Pitt
Mayo
Emory
UCSD
Case Western
UVA
UC Davis
Kaiser
USC Keck
UC Irvine
Einstein
Tufts

[/QUOTE]
My list shown above. Strongly recommend that you get in more clinical volunteering.

List is a bit top heavy, suggest considering:
U Cincy
U VM
Jefferson
Hofstra
Western MI
Dartmouth
USF/Morsani

 

[PurpleAmoeba]

You should receive several interviews from your list. You could remove Harvard, UPenn, JHU, Cornell, Columbia, Northwestern, U Chicago. you could add any of Ohio State, Rochester, Tulane, Cincinnati.

Thank you for the feedback!

 

[PurpleAmoeba]

Hello!
I have very similar stats to you, 3.9 GPA 522 MCAT, and this is the school list I would recommend to you.
I may be reapplying next year and am speaking mainly from experience, not expertise.
Your list is extremely top heavy and you are risking reapplication like myself.

School List, you should seriously consider:
UCLA
USC-Keck
UCI
Stonybrook
SUNY- Downstate or Upstate
NYU-LI (if interested in primary care)
Drexel
Vermont
OUWB
Miami
Loma Linda (if religious)
Kaiser
Rochester
Thomas Jefferson
NYMC
University of Cincinnati
University of Iowa



I've bolded the schools you should remove from your list, these are schools I applied to and was swiftly rejected from. Wasted thousands of dollars, don't want to see you do the same.

Draft School List (need to cut 3 schools):
Harvard
UCSF
Stanford
UPenn
Columbia
UChicago
JHU
UCLA
NYU
Yale
Duke
WUSTL
UMich
Cornell
Northwestern
Pitt
Mayo
Emory
UCSD
Case Western
UVA
UC Davis
Kaiser
USC Keck
Einstein
SUNY Downstate
Tufts



Please PM me if you want to know any more information or want advice! I wish you the best of luck this cycle.

Thank you, that's exactly what I'm worried about. Will re-evaluate

 

[PurpleAmoeba]

Harvard
UCSF
Stanford
UPenn
Columbia
JHU
UCLA
NYU
Yale
Duke
WUSTL
UMich
Cornell
Pitt
Mayo
Emory
UCSD
Case Western
UVA
UC Davis
Kaiser
USC Keck
UC Irvine
Einstein
Tufts

My list shown above. Strongly recommend that you get in more clinical volunteering.

List is a bit top heavy, suggest considering:
U Cincy
U VM
Jefferson
Hofstra
Western MI
Dartmouth
USF/Morsani
[/QUOTE]
Thanks, will look into these schools!

 

[PurpleAmoeba]

Harvard
UCSF
Stanford
UPenn
Columbia
JHU
UCLA
NYU
Yale
Duke
WUSTL
UMich
Cornell
Pitt
Mayo
Emory
UCSD
Case Western
UVA
UC Davis
Kaiser
USC Keck
UC Irvine
Einstein
Tufts

My list shown above. Strongly recommend that you get in more clinical volunteering.

List is a bit top heavy, suggest considering:
U Cincy
U VM
Jefferson
Hofstra
Western MI
Dartmouth
USF/Morsani
[/QUOTE]

Btw, how many more clinical volunteering hours do you think I need? Is 140 considered low? I went pre-med only around a year and a half ago so I haven't had much time to get hours in.

 

[Goro]

My list shown above. Strongly recommend that you get in more clinical volunteering.


Btw, how many more clinical volunteering hours do you think I need? Is 140 considered low? I went pre-med only around a year and a half ago so I haven't had much time to get hours in.

When you want to aim high, you have to be high. 140 hrs is low...cookie cutter.

Strive for > 200. > 300 even better

 

[PurpleAmoeba]

When you want to aim high, you have to be high. 140 hrs is low...cookie cutter.

Strive for > 200. > 300 even better

Got it, that’s great to know. I’ll def work in more hours