Canadian undergrad applying to American schools. Please help!

[NeedACar]

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Hey guys, I've posted before, but I've updated my school list and also figured out an accurate number of EC hours. I really just want to make sure I'm not wasting my time applying to poor school choices 🙁


so I'll get right into it:

Biochem major going into my senior year

cGPA: 3.95
sGPA: 3.94

MCAT: 517 (130/129/129/129)

ECs:
- ~100 hours volunteer working one on one in physiotherapy sessions with children with mental and physical disabilities
- ~150 hours tutoring at-risk, low income high school students, also acted as a mentor
- ~35 hours urgent care volunteer; getting patients to their rooms, cleaning rooms between patients, providing blankets
- 2 years choir member
- 1 year soccer player on school's intramural team
- 1 year life drawing art classes

Research: ~400 hours, expecting 2 publications. Won't be ready for primaries, probably not til Decemberish unforunately 🙁

As a Canadian, there is a lot of red tape which makes it difficult to complete shadowing, so I'd like to openly state that I don't have any, and don't see it being possible to get any (though I HAVE inquired several times).


School list:

Albert Einstein
Boston U
Case Western
Central Michigan
Duke
Emory
Geisel (Dartmouth)
GWU
Howard
Icahn at Mount Sinai
Loma Linda
Northwestern
Oakland university beaumont
Perelman (Upenn)
Rosalind Franklin
Saint Louis
Sidney Kimmel
U Hawaii
U Kentucky
U NC
Uvirginia
Virginia Commonwealth
Wayne State


I want to make sure my school list is appropriate! Any thoughts of schools I'm missing, or ones that should come off is so appreciated!!!

 

[nonamesleft]

School list:

Albert Einstein
Boston U ->low yield
Case Western
Central Michigan
Duke
Emory
Geisel (Dartmouth)
GWU ->low yield
Howard unless you're URM
Icahn at Mount Sinai
Loma Linda unless you fit the mission
Northwestern
Oakland university beaumont
Perelman (Upenn)
Rosalind Franklin
Saint Louis
Sidney Kimmel
U Hawaii -> do you have ties?
U Kentucky -> do you have ties?
U NC not only are you OOS, but you're international
Uvirginia
Virginia Commonwealth
Wayne State

Add: Michigan State CHM (since you're applying to all the other michigan schools)
maybe Mayo or Vanderbilt?

 

[NeedACar]

School list:

Albert Einstein
Boston U ->low yield
Case Western
Central Michigan
Duke
Emory
Geisel (Dartmouth)
GWU ->low yield
Howard unless you're URM
Icahn at Mount Sinai
Loma Linda unless you fit the mission
Northwestern
Oakland university beaumont
Perelman (Upenn)
Rosalind Franklin
Saint Louis
Sidney Kimmel
U Hawaii -> do you have ties?
U Kentucky -> do you have ties?
U NC not only are you OOS, but you're international
Uvirginia
Virginia Commonwealth
Wayne State

Add: Michigan State CHM (since you're applying to all the other michigan schools)
maybe Mayo or Vanderbilt?

Thanks! U Kentucky takes a LOT of international, which is why I'm gonna keep it on my list. But you're right about UNC.

I just wasn't sure if I was good enough for Mayo/Vanderbilt. Do you think they'd be okay reaches?

 

[nonamesleft]

Thanks! U Kentucky takes a LOT of international, which is why I'm gonna keep it on my list. But you're right about UNC.

I just wasn't sure if I was good enough for Mayo/Vanderbilt. Do you think they'd be okay reaches?

Both Mayo and Vanderbilt pre-screen for secondary. Mayo has no actual secondary, they just ask you to pay the fee and Vanderbilt secondary = interview invite (from what I remember). I think the $70ish (?.. unless prices have gone up) you'd pay for the primary AMCAS is worth it if you have the money.

 

[futuremdforme]

My thought is that you'll have more success at higher tier schools because your stats are so high. Those schools are more likely to choose the best candidates and less likely to rely on state ties, etc. Wayne State is friendly but personally I would add anything Top 20 that takes internationals. I hope you plan to apply in Canada too!

 

[NeedACar]

My thought is that you'll have more success at higher tier schools because your stats are so high. Those schools are more likely to choose the best candidates and less likely to rely on state ties, etc. Wayne State is friendly but personally I would add anything Top 20 that takes internationals. I hope you plan to apply in Canada too!

Hey thanks for commenting!!

I'm wary of top 20 since my ECs are just average. But you're right in that some of these schools I'm exceeding 90th percentile MCAT/GPA.

I am planning on applying to Canada, but we don't find out til May 15th. I'm hoping to secure an acceptance to a US MD earlier in the year. If I get into a top US school, I'll go there, if not, I'll go to Canada!

 

[NeedACar]

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[futuremdforme]

Hey thanks for commenting!!

I'm wary of top 20 since my ECs are just average. But you're right in that some of these schools I'm exceeding 90th percentile MCAT/GPA.

I am planning on applying to Canada, but we don't find out til May 15th. I'm hoping to secure an acceptance to a US MD earlier in the year. If I get into a top US school, I'll go there, if not, I'll go to Canada!

Remember that you can put anticipated ECs so if you're still involved, those hours count! Try to bump those up if you can (like if you have a lot of time in the summer, that's a good time to get more hours in.)

 

[NeedACar]

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[gyngyn]

That's a pretty good list.
If you wanted to eliminate the lowest yield choices, I recommend: Penn (only 2 regular MD matriculants out of 300 international applicants; 3 were MD PhD), Duke (3/432), C MI (4/412) and Sinai (5/433 and the high-schoolers are starting to ripen).

 

[NeedACar]

That's a pretty good list.
high-schoolers are starting to ripen).

Sorry what did you mean by this?

Also, would you agree with removing Howard, and U NC?

this is like meeting a celebrity

 

[gyngyn]

Sorry what did you mean by this?

Also, would you agree with removing Howard, and U NC?

this is like meeting a celebrity

Sorry, I was referring to Flexmed. This will begin to explain many of the (5) international matriculants soon (if it doesn't already).
UNC and Howard were already eliminated, in my assessment...
I'm honored.

 

[NeedACar]

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