Canadian applicant

[sunnyuphere]

Hey everyone,

I feel like I'm beating a dead horse, but I had questions about being a Canadian applicant to American schools. In Canada, it seems that GPA is more important than the MCAT whereas in the States, that's not necessarily true?

So if my GPA is around 3.9 and my MCAT score is 521 (2nd write, 1st write was a 2015 one of 31 ), what kind of schools are reasonable to apply to? My extracurriculars are average (some leadership, some research, only one summer grant) and I have no clinical shadowing.

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[gyngyn]

With the addition of some clinical experience you could be a candidate for any of the 62 schools that accept internationals. all you have to do is:
Buy MSAR.
Filter for the 62 schools.
Eliminate the ones that matriculated <3
Apply to as many of the rest as you prefer/can afford/can write secondaries for.

 

[sunnyuphere]

With the addition of some clinical experience you could be a candidate for any of the 62 schools that accept internationals. all you have to do is:
Buy MSAR.
Filter for the 62 schools.
Eliminate the ones that matriculated <3
Apply to as many of the rest as you prefer/can afford/can write secondaries for.

Thanks so much for the response! I guess to clarify, I'm heading into my final year next year, and clinical shadowing isn't an option (only available to current medical students, privacy concerns). I will likely only be applying to schools that suggest they offer financial aid to international students (Yale, Columbia, UChicago - are these schools too far a reach?).

My extracurriculars aren't really related to medicine either. They're more advocacy/ social justice related. Would that be considered a weakness?

 

[gyngyn]

Thanks so much for the response! I guess to clarify, I'm heading into my final year next year, and clinical shadowing isn't an option (only available to current medical students, privacy concerns). I will likely only be applying to schools that suggest they offer financial aid to international students (Yale, Columbia, UChicago - are these schools too far a reach?).

My extracurriculars aren't really related to medicine either. They're more advocacy/ social justice related. Would that be considered a weakness?

A commitment to vulnerable communities is never a weakness.
You do need to show us that you know what you are getting into, though. It doesn't necessarily have to be shadowing.
Funding could be an issue. Many schools require an escrow account equivalent to various years of COA. 409 internationals were accepted, only 300 matriculated. This could be, in part due to monetary concerns:
https://students-residents.aamc.org...ool/article/applying-international-applicant/

 

[sunnyuphere]

A commitment to vulnerable communities is never a weakness.
You do need to show us that you know what you are getting into, though. It doesn't necessarily have to be shadowing.
Funding could be an issue. Many schools require an escrow account equivalent to various years of COA. 409 internationals were accepted, only 300 matriculated. This could be, in part due to monetary concerns:
https://students-residents.aamc.org...ool/article/applying-international-applicant/

Thanks for the information, cost is definitely a huge factor to consider. It seems that financial aid is available at very competitive private schools, which may not be feasible in the first place. Definitely! I hope to apply for an MD-MPH, but I should think about whether or not one degree is more in line with what I hope to do.

 

[gyngyn]

Thanks for the information, cost is definitely a huge factor to consider. It seems that financial aid is available at very competitive private schools, which may not be feasible in the first place. Definitely! I hope to apply for an MD-MPH, but I should think about whether or not one degree is more in line with what I hope to do.

The MPH is not hard to get at most places.

 

[jebelali]

As a Canadian, definitely harder to get financial aid and always a question for "why US?" I made the mistake of applying too broadly and not filtering for schools that accepted <3 as per above and it cost me quite a bit. Definitely hard to get interviews at all top schools but that's part of the process. I'd add more mid-tier (BU, case western, Dartmouth) and a couple of state schools that are Canadian friendly (SUNY upstate, Wayne state). Oakland Beaumont is a good option as well although it is new.

As for escrow, not all schools need it for all 4 years (washu and Hopkins did I believe) but proof of funds for first year is required for visa.

Good luck and feel free to PM me if you have any more inquires. I am a Canadian with multiple USMD acceptances this cycle (no full-ride though )