MD CA Reapplicant Looking for Help on School List

[SecondTimesTheCharm]

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Hi all,

I’m reapplying this cycle as a CA resident and I’d like some help narrowing down and focusing on developing a school list. Here are my stats/info:


White Male, CA Resident.
Undergrad: Top 20 University
Graduated June '13.
Major: Biological Sciences

cGPA=3.91
sGPA=3.85

MCAT: 32 (12/9/11) Taken in 2011
38 (12/12/14) Taken in 2014


-Clinical volunteer activities
250 hours - Hospital Volunteer with Direct Patient Contact where I received feedback regarding their resident's bedside manner.
300 Hours - Emergency Department Volunteer

-Physician shadowing
Plastic Surgery - 10 hours completed.
Infectious Disease – 40 hours scheduled.

-Research
300 hours - Basic research in biochemistry, no publications/posters.
250 hours - Bioinformatics, completed one poster presentation and currently helping with the manuscript for publication (Unlikely to be accepted before primary submission)
2000+ hours – Full time volunteer research position working in translational research where I have my own projects + will be first author on papers.

-Nonclinical volunteer activities
3 years - Member of fraternity (Frequently involved in volunteer work)
1 year- Vice President of fraternity
1 year - Tutoring/Mentoring disadvantaged elementary/middle school children while providing health education.

-Employment
700 Hours - MCAT instructor
300 Hours - Biochemistry Tutor for students who are historically underrepresented in higher education (Program though my university)
50 Hours - Private tutor for MCAT/AP exams

Here is my current school list that is way too large and I’m hoping for feedback as to which schools I should remove/other ones I should include. I’m also worried that my list is far too top heavy for a reapplicant, but I’m not sure which target/”safety” schools I should add. Thanks!



Reaches

Columbia
Duke?
Harvard
Johns Hopkins
Stanford
UCSF
University of Chicago
University of Pennsylvania
Yale


“Target” Schools

Albert Einstein
Baylor
Case Western
Cornell
Dartmouth
Emory
Mayo
Mt. Sinai
NYU
Northwestern
Tufts
UC Davis
UC Irvine
UCLA
UCSD
University of Michigan
University of Pittsburgh
University of Rochester
University of Virginia
Vanderbilt
Washington University at St. Louis (WashU)
USC


“Safety” Schools
Drexel
Jefferson
Penn State
SUNY Downstate
Stony Brook

 

[gyngyn]

At which schools are you a re-applicant?

 

[Goro]

Skies the limit now. Aim high and be sure to demonstrate to the re-app schools how you've improved. Even with your nuimbers, I'd scratcht he SUNY schools and add perhaps the AZ schools, Miami or BU. Maybe U CO or U WA.

Hi all,

I’m reapplying this cycle as a CA resident and I’d like some help narrowing down and focusing on developing a school list. Here are my stats/info:




Reaches

Columbia
Duke?
Harvard
Johns Hopkins
Stanford
UCSF
University of Chicago
University of Pennsylvania
Yale


“Target” Schools

Albert Einstein
Baylor
Case Western
Cornell
Dartmouth
Emory
Mayo
Mt. Sinai
NYU
Northwestern
Tufts
UC Davis
UC Irvine
UCLA
UCSD
University of Michigan
University of Pittsburgh
University of Rochester
University of Virginia
Vanderbilt
Washington University at St. Louis (WashU)
USC


“Safety” Schools
Drexel
Jefferson
Penn State
SUNY Downstate
Stony Brook

 

[SecondTimesTheCharm]

At which schools are you a re-applicant?

I'm a reapplicant at the following schools:


Albert Einstein
Baylor
Case Western
Columbia
Cornell
Dartmouth
Drexel
Harvard
Jefferson
NYU
Northwestern
Penn State
Stanford
UC Davis
UC Irvine
UCLA
UCSD
UCSF
University of Michigan
University of Pittsburgh
University of Pennsylvania
USC

 

[gyngyn]

Several of these schools consider re-applicants differently. Even though you are re-applying with a higher MCAT you might want to consider this in your new list and add targets to which you have not previously applied. I see that you do have a few...

 

[SecondTimesTheCharm]

Skies the limit now. Aim high and be sure to demonstrate to the re-app schools how you've improved. Even with your nuimbers, I'd scratcht he SUNY schools and add perhaps the AZ schools, Miami or BU. Maybe U CO or U WA.

Thanks, I'll remove the SUNY schools. I'm going to add Miami, but I'm hesitant to apply to BU because they get so many apps + I don't think I'd be likely to get an interview there. I just looked on MSAR and the AZ schools only accept ~25 OOS applicants per year; is it still worth it to apply?

 

[gyngyn]

Thanks, I'll remove the SUNY schools. I'm going to add Miami, but I'm hesitant to apply to BU because they get so many apps + I don't think I'd be likely to get an interview there. I just looked on MSAR and the AZ schools only accept ~25 OOS applicants per year; is it still worth it to apply?

Keep Miami and the AZ schools.

 

[SecondTimesTheCharm]

Several of these schools consider re-applicants differently. Even though you are re-applying with a higher MCAT you might want to consider this in your new list and add targets to which you have not previously applied. I see that you do have a few...

Although I know you probably can't disclose which schools do this, do you have suggestions for schools I should add or remove for my targets? Here's a list of target schools I am not a re-applicant at:

Duke (Moved from reach to high target)
Emory
Mayo
Mt. Sinai (High target)
Tufts
University of Rochester
University of Virginia
Vanderbilt
Washington University at St. Louis (WashU)

Thanks!

 

[gyngyn]

Although I know you probably can't disclose which schools do this, do you have suggestions for schools I should add or remove for my targets? Here's a list of target schools I am not a re-applicant at:

Duke (Moved from reach to high target)
Emory
Mayo
Mt. Sinai (High target)
Tufts
University of Rochester
University of Virginia
Vanderbilt
Washington University at St. Louis (WashU)

Thanks!

You are free to keep as many of these new schools as you want to write secondaries for!

I'm more concerned that you have a large number of "re-applicant" schools where you effectively are getting half the bang for your effort.

 

[SecondTimesTheCharm]

I'm more concerned about the re-applicant schools. You are free to keep as many of these as you want to write secondaries for!

Without getting into specifics, can you provide more insight as to how re-applicants are viewed differently at some of these schools? I understand that being a reapplicant is an uphill battle, but at some of those schools is being a reapplicant tantamount to a guaranteed rejection (i.e. unlikely to accept reapplicants without tremendous change and improvement)?

Ideally, I'd like to stay in California/attend a UC (but so does everyone else). Are there any UC's you'd recommend I do not reapply to? Would you also recommend cutting out the elite schools I'm reapplying at (Harvard, Upenn, Stanford, UCSF, Columbia) all together? Thank you!

 

[gyngyn]

Without getting into specifics, can you provide more insight as to how re-applicants are viewed differently at some of these schools? I understand that being a reapplicant is an uphill battle, but at some of those schools is being a reapplicant tantamount to a guaranteed rejection (i.e. unlikely to accept reapplicants without tremendous change and improvement)?

Ideally, I'd like to stay in California/attend a UC (but so does everyone else). Are there any UC's you'd recommend I do not reapply to? Would you also recommend cutting out the elite schools I'm reapplying at (Harvard, Upenn, Stanford, UCSF, Columbia) all together? Thank you!

As you calculate the number of schools to which you are applying you should count the CA and Ivy schools as half a point each. It is not a guaranteed rejection but it's about half as powerful an ap as if you had applied with your current stats the first time.

 

[Goro]

Concur. Also, a huge unknown is which schools will outright take your most recent MCAT, vs those that will avg. As an example, mine would avg (not that we'd turn our noses down on you)!

Keep Miami and the AZ schools.

 

[SecondTimesTheCharm]

As you calculate the number of schools to which you are applying you should count the CA and Ivy schools as half a point each. It is not a guaranteed rejection but it's about half as powerful an ap as if you had applied with your current stats the first time.

Although that's not the news I wanted to hear, I'm thankful for your honesty so I can make my school list more realistic. I'm probably going to keep the UC's (like everyone else) and drop some of the Ivies like harvard/cornell. Thank you so much GynGyn!

 

[gyngyn]

Although that's not the news I wanted to hear, I'm thankful for your honesty so I can make my school list more realistic. I'm probably going to keep the UC's (like everyone else) and drop some of the Ivies like harvard/cornell. Thank you so much GynGyn!

Sounds good. If it helps, we all applied to all the CA schools. It's a compulsion.

 

[SecondTimesTheCharm]

Concur. Also, a huge unknown is which schools will outright take your most recent MCAT, vs those that will avg. As an example, mine would avg (not that we'd turn our noses down on you)!

Very true, unfortunately there isn't anything I can do about that. Luckily the average of my two scores is still acceptable at a wide range of medical schools. It seems very few schools explicitly state their policy on multiple MCAT scores (UCSF is the only school I could find that only looks at your most recent score. However based on GynGyn's advice I'd be surprised if I am fortune enough to get an interview as a reapplicant.)

 

[SecondTimesTheCharm]

Sounds good. If it helps, we all applied to all the CA schools. It's a compulsion.

Even though I'm not expecting to get interviews in CA as a reapplicant, I'd rather spend the money than play the "What if?" game for the rest of my life.

 

[gyngyn]

Even though I'm not expecting to get interviews in CA as a reapplicant, I'd rather spend the money than play the "What if?" game for the rest of my life.

Of course, sometimes it even works out...

 

[StBernardsRule]

Does anyone know how as a whole CA schools view re-applicants? Is it just a general rule of thumb that schools you are a re-applicant treat you differently or are the CA schools notorious for not liking re-applicants?

 

[gyngyn]

Does anyone know how as a whole CA schools view re-applicants? Is it just a general rule of thumb that schools you are a re-applicant treat you differently or are the CA schools notorious for not liking re-applicants?

It's not that anybody "dislikes" re-applicants. Being a re-applicant does change the pool from which you are coming, however. One isn't a re-applicant by accident. Something went wrong. Depending on what that something is, you may be a lower yield candidate, especially for a competitive school (i.e. CA schools).

 

[StBernardsRule]

It's not that anybody "dislikes" re-applicants. Being a re-applicant does change the pool from which you are coming, however. One isn't a re-applicant by accident. Something went wrong. Depending on what that something is, you may be a lower yield candidate, especially for a competitive school (i.e. CA schools).

Thank you.

 

[SecondTimesTheCharm]

Here's my current list, I'm at 35 right now and I'd still like to cut 5-10 more. Any suggestions? Schools which I'm a reapplicant at have a * next to the name.

Albert Einstein *
Baylor *
Columbia *
Cornell (Weill Cornell) *
Dartmouth (Geisel) *
Drexel *
Duke
Emory
Johns Hopkins
Mayo Medical School
Miami
Mt. Sinai (Icahn)
NYU *
Northwestern (Feinberg) *
Penn state *
St. Louis University
Stanford *
Thomas Jefferson (Jefferson Medical) *
Tufts
UC Davis *
UC Irvine *
UCLA *
UCSD *
UCSF *
University of Arizona - Phoenix
University of Chicago (Pritzker)
University of Michigan *
University of Pittsburgh *
University of Rochester
University of Virginia
Vanderbilt
Washington University at St. Louis (WashU)
University of Pennsylvania (Perelman) *
USC (Keck) *
Yale

 

[solitarius]

You should know how this game goes. Cut from the top, but keep the ones that love high MCAT scores (WashU, Pritzker, etc.).

 

[premed2000]

OP, just to give you my own experience as a reference (n=1). I am a re-applicant this past cycle. I applied in 2012 and in 2013. I am also from CA with a LizzyM of ~72-73.

In 2012, I applied to 27 schools and received 1II.

In 2013 (my second cycle), I applied to 34 schools. Of the 34 schools I applied to, 17 were new schools, and 17 were old schools I've applied to previously. And what was my result?


New Schools (1st time applicant): 11 interview invites out of 17. ==> 4 acceptances out of 8 interviews attended.
Old Schools (re-app): 1 interview invite out of 17. ==> 1 acceptance out of 1 interview attended (From a top 20 school).

So what does my experience convey? Being a re-applicant DOES seem to put you at a disadvantage. However, I did receive my only top-20 interview invite/acceptance from a school in which I am a re-app at.

I do think you can cut down a few schools that you are a re-app at from your current list of schools.