Canadian Re-Applicant, 36R + 3.76

[runawayclock]

I applied too late and not broadly enough, so I ended up getting Waitlisted at Columbia with nothing from anywhere else. Sob. So i've been determined to apply JUNE 1st this cycle to a bigger list of schools. I was wondering if anyone could give me feedback on these schools, and whether I should add more mid/low tier...

stats:
sGPA: 3.8
cGPA: 3.76
MCAT: 36R (12 even)
extra curriculars:
research: 1.5 years research; honors thesis; presented at 2 conferences; 1 poster; semester long biometrics research project with university museum

clinical:
1 year clinical experience with mental health patients; 3 months mentorship with retired neurosurgeon and academic physician; will be shadowing a physician for a month in the summer; starting volunteer position in fall in a clinical research lab; 6 months from highschool to summer before Uni as a medical assistant in an animal shelter (but not sure if this counts as clinical? i was thinking of going into vet medicine before this)

misc. volunteer work:
3 years volunteering with big brother/big sister; 1 year as undergrad research ambassador; over-seas volunteer work this june/july; helped run a day care program for a local church for 6 months; other smaller volunteer projects around uni/community

art:
violin (weekly lessons); illustrator (exhibited across Canada, NYC); part time job as a commercial photographer

i'm kind of lacking on the clinical as compared to other areas of my app, because i've been so focused on research in my last two years of school (i thought i would get my M.Sc first) ... i'm hoping to strengthen that this summer + coming fall

As for LORs, the interviewer at Columbia refused to believe that I had not gotten any other interviews, kept bringing up that my stats and LORs were really good so I don't think I need to improve much there (also, i don't want to go back to undergrad at this point unless it's for one or two courses to fill some school's requirements). I'll just be asking for more letters from the smaller upper level courses I've taken and my honors program director, because I only applied with 3 letters last year.

anyway!
because my fiance is in new york, and doing the long distance thing sucks (we're 10 hrs away from each other right now), i've decided to apply mostly northeast. Because we're putting off getting married until I can figure out where I'll be for the next 4 years, I don't have permanent residency in US yet. Argh.

i've just listed as safety/match/reach according to the princeton review site (which seems a bit odd, as it lists Mt Sinai and Tufts as safety LOL.. i wish). I know there are no such things as "safety" med schools. It's just easier than saying schools that have average entrance stats lower than mine. Also, to note, i did not apply to any of the safeties/matches listed here in the previous cycle.

"safety":

• Albert Einstein
• NYMC
• George Washington
• Temple
• Tufts - on their website it says they have limited space for international applicants (inc. canadians) and they will only take people based on "EXCEPTIONAL CIRCUMSTANCES." Getting married to an American is pretty exceptional circumstances, no? Or should I not apply at all?
• Thomas Jefferson

match:

• NYU
• Boston
• Mt. Sinai
• University of Pittsburgh

reach:

• Cornell
• Columbia
• U Penn
• Harvard (i can still dream, right? hahah)
• Wash U (didn't even think of applying last time, but RIGHT before the app deadline they sent me a nice big package telling me to apply. THANKS CANADA POST)

If anyone can suggest schools to add to the list or ones above that I shouldn't even bother with because they rarely take international students, that'd be great.


PS - When is it kosher to start a new app when you are on a waitlist? Submit June 1st with just one or two schools, and wait until July to add more? Columbia is still my dream school, so I'm having a hard time giving up hope. Also, I DEFINITELY want to re-apply to Columbia... would it hurt my chances of getting off the waitlist if i add the school before their academic year starts?

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[Colonol Forbin]

apply to jefferson....I too am canadian, and my amcas was only complete like nov. 15th

anyways i got interview plus acceptance at jeff from the last interview round this year....it's not a top 20 school, but still great and somewhere im sure you have a good chance at as your stats are better then me...im around mid 3.6 and 33

ahh...didnt see you already had jeff in your list

 

[runawayclock]

Would you mind if I asked where else you applied and were able to get an interview? Our stats seem pretty similar, and it'd be helpful to know what schools at least /interview/ Canadians!

 

[madskillz99]

I will also be a Canadian re-applicant in June...I also applied broadly and rather late and ended up WL at Duke and Vandy..still waiting on those..sigh

..about your schools list, does University of Pittsburgh and UPenn accept Canadians? I was under the impression they didn't. I would get a copy of the MSAR or check out premed101 (canadian forum) to determine schools that are Canadian-friendly. Hope that helps!

 

[runawayclock]

I will also be a Canadian re-applicant in June...I also applied broadly and rather late and ended up WL at Duke and Vandy..still waiting on those..sigh

..about your schools list, does University of Pittsburgh and UPenn accept Canadians? I was under the impression they didn't. I would get a copy of the MSAR or check out premed101 (canadian forum) to determine schools that are Canadian-friendly. Hope that helps!

I was kind of confused about UPenn because they don't say they don't accept, but they also say "those who receive degrees from foreign institutions are required to have completed one year of course work in the sciences at a college or university in the United States before an application for admission to the first year of medical school will be considered." I don't know if "foreign" necessarily includes accredited Canadian universities, so I was going to call in and ask.

THanks for the heads up on Pittsburgh! Missed this part: non-U.S. citizens must hold a permanent resident visa (not conditional) or refugee/asylee status and have completed at least one full year of undergraduate education

Should just get married BEFORE medschool. Haha.

 

[bannie22]

penn accepts.

but they didnt bother with me.

too bad uoft aint that top liberal arts college that they seem to have a slight preference to.