MD Canadian, 4.0 GPA, 520 MCAT

[salamander343]

cGPA / sGPA: 4.0
MCAT: 520 (132 C/P, 127 CARS, 131 B/B, 130 P/S)
Country of Citizenship: Canada
Ethnicity/Race: Indian

Clinical Experience:
- Speaking 1 on 1 with patients and making sure they are comfortable with/aware of the services available to them (~200 hours over 2.5 years)
- OR Recovery/Family Room Liaison (~50 hours over 4 months)

Research Experience/Productivity:
- 500 hours over 2 years in a laboratory that analyzes working memory in rodents
- oral presentation at a conference

Shadowing Experience:
- Nephrologist shadowing (~40 hours)
- Veterinarian shadowing (~40 hours)

Non-Clinical Volunteering:
- Peer mentorship (2 years)
- Retirement home (40 hours in high school, starting another soon)
- Salvation Army (~15 hours, just started)

Also some other positions (Canadian Cancer Society, etc.) that I will be with over the summer but I plan on submitting June 1st so those will not be relevant for this application.

Other Extracurricular Activities:
- Organ donation awareness (~50 registered donors through my campaign)
- Working at a veterinary clinic (~150 hours over 4 months)
- Private tutoring (~100 hours over 2 years)
- Psychology TA (1 semester)
- Captain of Science Olympiad Team (high school)
- Coordinator of a sports club (~30 members)
- International traveling (Europe, Asia)
- Regional Science, Technology and Engineering Fair Judge Team Leader
- 4th Year Rep for Student Council of an Honor Society

Honors/Awards:
- Entrance Scholarship ($16,000)
- Highest undergraduate average at the university in 1st year
- Biology & Physics awards for highest grade in the class
- other scholarships

POTENTIAL LIST OF SCHOOLS:

Spoiler

John Hopkins
Harvard
Washington U
Perelman - UPenn
Vanderbilt
Stanford
Yale
Baylor
Northwestern
Mount Sinai
U Pitts
Weill Cornell
Mayo
Columbia
Albert Einstein
St Louis
U of Virginia
Duke
U of Wisconsin
Penn State
Emory
Case Western
Stony Brook
Wayne State
Boston U
George Washington
Thomas Jefferson
Dartmouth
State U of New York
Virginia Commonwealth
Central Michigan
New York Med College
U of Kentucky
Chicago - Rosalind
Georgetown
USC - Greenville
Michigan State
Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine

What are my chances of getting in somewhere this cycle?
Which schools should I remove/add?

Thanks.

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[NeedACar]

Remove central michigan, I got screened out with a 3.95/517


I don't think USC actually takes many internationals.

 

[gyngyn]

Check the MSAR (Acceptance Data). There are schools on your list that matriculate very few internationals (e.g. Baylor and USC-Greenville matriculated none). This tends to happen when they keep this option open for internal candidates.

 

[nonamesleft]

cGPA / sGPA: 4.0
MCAT: 520 (132 C/P, 127 CARS, 131 B/B, 130 P/S)
POTENTIAL LIST OF SCHOOLS:

John Hopkins
Harvard
Washington U
Perelman - UPenn
Vanderbilt
Stanford
Yale
Baylor
Northwestern
Mount Sinai
U Pitts
Weill Cornell
Mayo
Columbia
Albert Einstein
St Louis <- I'm assuming this is WashU, not SLU?
U of Virginia
Duke
U of Wisconsin <-not sure about this one
Emory
Case Western
Stony Brook
Thomas Jefferson
Dartmouth

Your stats/ECs aren't really good matches for these:
State U of New York - Which one(s)? I'm assuming this is upstate, since Stony Brook is already listed
Chicago - Rosalind
Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine
Virginia Commonwealth
Wayne State
Michigan State CHM

low yield:
Georgetown
George Washington
Penn State
New York Med College
Boston U

Central Michigan
U of Kentucky <-I think they only take internationals with connection to the state?
USC - Greenville <-Is this South Carolina? Are you sure they took internationals?

Are you applying anywhere in Canada? It seems that your stats and ECs should net you plenty of Canadian interviews (even for out-of-province)

 

[salamander343]

John Hopkins
Are you applying anywhere in Canada? It seems that your stats and ECs should net you plenty of Canadian interviews (even for out-of-province)

I am applying wherever I am eligible in Canada but there are very few medical schools in the country so I would like to raise my chances of being accepted somewhere this cycle by applying in the US. I'm just not sure if I'm a competitive applicant in the US due to my status as a Canadian.

Thank you (and gyngyn and NeedACar) so much for the advice with the schools!

 

[mw18]

I seem to remember GPA being different in Canada. Maybe I'm making this up. Is that a 4.0 out of 4.0? All your grades are As?

 

[pms_testosterone]

@mw18 Yes, all A's. OMSAS - Undergraduate Grading System Conversion Table - Ontario Universities' Application Centre

OP should definitely apply to Canadian schools and save some $$.

 

[salamander343]

I seem to remember GPA being different in Canada. Maybe I'm making this up. Is that a 4.0 out of 4.0? All your grades are As?

You are correct about the GPA conversion being different in Canada. The maximum GPA, however, is still 4.0. All of my grades convert to a 4.0 GPA according to the scales used by OMSAS, which is the application service in Ontario, and AMCAS (need 87% or higher for a 4.0 as a Canadian).

@mw18 Yes, all A's. OMSAS - Undergraduate Grading System Conversion Table - Ontario Universities' Application Centre

OP should definitely apply to Canadian schools and save some $$.

I will absolutely be applying to Canadian schools! I would just like to apply in the US as well to make it more likely for me to get accepted somewhere. I personally know several people who have excellent stats and extracurriculars but only received 2 interviews in Canada this cycle.

 

[JibsGuy52]

As a Canadian I can speak to the competitiveness of matriculation. OP is making a good decision applying to USMDs.

Also, you will probably receive interviews but I could guarantee you would get an acceptance to any USDO school that accepts Canadians.