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- May 6, 2008
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Hi everyone--
I've posted here before but now that I have my MCAT I need to figure out where to apply.
-CA resident
-uGPA: 3.95
-gGPA: 3.97
-MCAT: 36R (10VR, 11BS, 15PS--very, very lopsided)
-finishing PhD in math
-150 hours of volunteering in an ER (I also volunteered about 200 hours in an ER in 2003)
-40 hours shadowing an orthopedic surgeon and a pediatric neurosurgeon
-2 papers published as an undergrad in neuroscience as 2nd author, none as a graduate (it is rare to publish as a grad student in math--unless you're doing applied math, which I'm not)
-organized seminars in my department
-I've been a TA for the last 4 years--leading discussion sections, holding office hours, grading tests, lecturing when the prof is gone, etc.
-going to teach a class in the summer
-have attended a few conferences across the country and have given talks at two of them
I've heard conflicting advice. If you do well then you shouldn't apply to too many safety schools because they'll assume you won't go there and trash your app. But I don't know how I fit in the scheme of things: some of my background is really strong (the PhD, GPA) but other parts are weak (like VR/BS on MCAT).
I don't really want to waste my money on schools that will reject me for being either too weak or too strong.
Schools I'll definitely apply to:
UCSF
UCSD
UCLA
UCI
UCD
USC
Indiana (I'm OOS but I have ties there and their website says they'll give more consideration to people with ties)
Reach schools:
Stanford
Harvard
U Mich
U Chicago
Safety:
Loyola
Rosalind Franklin
Do I need more safety schools? Are the reach schools a waste of money? Any input appreciated.
I've posted here before but now that I have my MCAT I need to figure out where to apply.
-CA resident
-uGPA: 3.95
-gGPA: 3.97
-MCAT: 36R (10VR, 11BS, 15PS--very, very lopsided)
-finishing PhD in math
-150 hours of volunteering in an ER (I also volunteered about 200 hours in an ER in 2003)
-40 hours shadowing an orthopedic surgeon and a pediatric neurosurgeon
-2 papers published as an undergrad in neuroscience as 2nd author, none as a graduate (it is rare to publish as a grad student in math--unless you're doing applied math, which I'm not)
-organized seminars in my department
-I've been a TA for the last 4 years--leading discussion sections, holding office hours, grading tests, lecturing when the prof is gone, etc.
-going to teach a class in the summer
-have attended a few conferences across the country and have given talks at two of them
I've heard conflicting advice. If you do well then you shouldn't apply to too many safety schools because they'll assume you won't go there and trash your app. But I don't know how I fit in the scheme of things: some of my background is really strong (the PhD, GPA) but other parts are weak (like VR/BS on MCAT).
I don't really want to waste my money on schools that will reject me for being either too weak or too strong.
Schools I'll definitely apply to:
UCSF
UCSD
UCLA
UCI
UCD
USC
Indiana (I'm OOS but I have ties there and their website says they'll give more consideration to people with ties)
Reach schools:
Stanford
Harvard
U Mich
U Chicago
Safety:
Loyola
Rosalind Franklin
Do I need more safety schools? Are the reach schools a waste of money? Any input appreciated.
