MD Chances Please! Thank you!

[RJ McReady]

-Applying MD for entering class 2020
-Currently a junior at top 20 school in Midwest
-CA resident, ORM
-MCAT 516 (131/130/129/126)
-CGPA 3.92
-SGPA 3.95
-Research: 400 Hours, 2 publications (3rd author on both, clinical research not bench/basic science)
-Clinical volunteering: 200 hours at Children’s hospital
-Non-clinical volunteering-300 hours
-Medically related work experience: 650 hours as surgical support tech at outpatient surgery center
-physician shadowing: approx 100 hours to date, plan on another 20-40 hrs before app

Planning to apply to approx. 35 schools.
Tentative list below. Please help me narrow down. Thank you!!

Reach Schools: Columbia, Yale, NYU, Cornell, Penn, Dartmouth, Stanford, U Chicago, Northwestern, Duke, Wash U

ii. Mid-Range: UCSF, UCLA, UC Irvine, USC Keck, UCSD, Emory, Pitt, Case Western, Boston U, Tufts, Vanderbilt, Mt. Sinai, Michigan

iii. Others: UC Davis, Georgetown, GWU, Rush, MCW, Miami, RFU/Chicago Med, Jefferson, Temple, Drexel, Tulane, St. Louis University, Loyola Chicago, Penn State, New York Medical College, Rochester, Einstein, Creighton, Univ. of Vermont, Ohio State, Wayne State

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[jarednogeek]

I give you a 90-95% chance of acceptance.

 

[RJ McReady]

Thank you!
Any advice from anyone on paring down the school list? Any input is appreciated.

 

[RJ McReady]

Posted this a while ago...
Anyone at all have suggestions or comments on my school list? Any input appreciated!
@Goro, @gonnif...?

 

[lalalallala]

Reach - with very good essays that make you stand out and reasons why you are a great fit for their school it is definitely possibly for you to get interviews at some of these but because of your ORM status and the fact that many of these school's love of 520+ MCATs by ORM/traditional applicants they are going to be tough - I would not apply to all of them but would apply to the ones where you are a great fit for their mission/interests: Columbia, Yale, NYU, Cornell, Penn (very academic), Stanford (very research heavy), U Chicago, Northwestern, Duke (very academic), Wash U (love high MCATs), Vanderbilt, Mt. Sinai (care a lot about service), Michigan

Idk much about UC schools, but you should definitely be applying to all of them and likely Kaiser too - UCSF (not a mid-range school), UCLA, UC Irvine, USC Keck, UCSD, UC Davis

You're qualified for but that does not mean you will receive an II - pick the ones you like the most: Dartmouth, Emory, Pitt, Case Western, Boston U, Tufts, Georgetown, GWU, Rush, MCW, Miami, RFU/Chicago Med, Jefferson, Temple, Drexel, Tulane, St. Louis University, Loyola Chicago, Penn State, New York Medical College, Rochester, Einstein, Creighton, Univ. of Vermont, Ohio State, Wayne State

I think a lot of how competitive you are will come down to your essays. I am also ORM and do not have any particularly difficult life circumstances, but I spent a lot of time crafting my essays and making sure that I presented my application as a nice package of my experiences, internships, and personality traits and how that results in me being a good candidate. Try to find something about yourself that gives you a bit of uniqueness. There are things about you that are unique and could make for great essays - you just have to dive deep to find them.

Applications are hard because even schools that you have the scores/experiences for may not pick you simply because of yield or not standing out enough. Think to yourself what kind of career you want - do you want a big research school?

I would add UVA and Hofstra probably.

 

[RJ McReady]

Reach - with very good essays that make you stand out and reasons why you are a great fit for their school it is definitely possibly for you to get interviews at some of these but because of your ORM status and the fact that many of these school's love of 520+ MCATs by ORM/traditional applicants they are going to be tough - I would not apply to all of them but would apply to the ones where you are a great fit for their mission/interests: Columbia, Yale, NYU, Cornell, Penn (very academic), Stanford (very research heavy), U Chicago, Northwestern, Duke (very academic), Wash U (love high MCATs), Vanderbilt, Mt. Sinai (care a lot about service), Michigan

Idk much about UC schools, but you should definitely be applying to all of them and likely Kaiser too - UCSF (not a mid-range school), UCLA, UC Irvine, USC Keck, UCSD, UC Davis

You're qualified for but that does not mean you will receive an II - pick the ones you like the most: Dartmouth, Emory, Pitt, Case Western, Boston U, Tufts, Georgetown, GWU, Rush, MCW, Miami, RFU/Chicago Med, Jefferson, Temple, Drexel, Tulane, St. Louis University, Loyola Chicago, Penn State, New York Medical College, Rochester, Einstein, Creighton, Univ. of Vermont, Ohio State, Wayne State

I think a lot of how competitive you are will come down to your essays. I am also ORM and do not have any particularly difficult life circumstances, but I spent a lot of time crafting my essays and making sure that I presented my application as a nice package of my experiences, internships, and personality traits and how that results in me being a good candidate. Try to find something about yourself that gives you a bit of uniqueness. There are things about you that are unique and could make for great essays - you just have to dive deep to find them.

Applications are hard because even schools that you have the scores/experiences for may not pick you simply because of yield or not standing out enough. Think to yourself what kind of career you want - do you want a big research school?

I would add UVA and Hofstra probably.

Thank you so much for the thoughtful reply. Much appreciated!
Will definitely add Hofstra. But I thought U VA took mostly IS folks?

 

[lalalallala]

Thank you so much for the thoughtful reply. Much appreciated!
Will definitely add Hofstra. But I thought U VA took mostly IS folks?

Uva is about 50/50 is/oos. That’s good for a state school

 

[Walter Raleigh]

@Goro: seems like OP has a decent list; any comments on it?