Check out my list of schools...

[closertofine]

I am ashamed to admit it, but I still haven't submitted AMCAS...I guess I'm WAY behind and messing up my chances to get in...but I will get it in within the next week (I've been sick, which is mainly why I haven't been able to do it).

So I know these posts probably get annoying, but if anyone is interested or would like to give input, I have tried to pick out about 13 or so schools...my main criteria are early clinical experience, less lecture time and more small-group or problem-based learning, and some emphasis on the humanities (oh, also, warm-ish weather if possible...I feel like I'm dying when I get cold!). These may not be good criteria, but here you go anyway....

1) Emory
2) Baylor (I hadn't heard much about this school, but I looked it up in the MSAR and it looked really cool)
3) Duke
4) University of Miami
5) Univ of Hawaii (only maybe, wouldn't it be really cool to go to school there? but I doubt I will apply, I guess more just as a joke...?! though...I don't know!)
6) UNC-Chapel Hill
7) Wake Forest

And the "dream" schools:
8) UCSF
9) Harvard
10) Yale
11) Wash U
12) Cornell-- only maybe

And finally, MCG (medical coll. of georgia), just because it's instate for me and a "safety" school.

So what do you think? Too many way-too-competitive schools? I do have good stats, but not a huge amount of clinical experience...and this is kind of just a first-draft list...

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[....]

If your GPA is as good as your mcat i would think you would surely get into a top school. you had a 38-39 or some shlt.

Maybe Ill see you at Miami next year!

 

[surge]

I applied to only 14 schools originally, ended up sending 12 secondaries back and only accepting 6 interviews. I wish I didn't apply to so many schools to begin with.

I was a very strong candidate, but there were definitely people with better numbers than me.
If I remember correctly, I think karen44 has good numbers. I would advise you to drop UofHawaii (they has accreditation problems recently) and perhaps add more "dream" schools. Don't sell yourself short.

Good luck.

 

[closertofine]

Yes, I know I most likely have too many too-competitive schools... I will probably replace some of them with less competitive ones... but I know almost "for sure" (which I know you can't know for sure, but I have a good idea) that I will get into MCG and Emory at least, and the others are just such neat-sounding schools that I couldn't help but list them.

I've heard the average number people apply to is 10 to 15...so I thought I was being "average"...I know I'm going to have to spend some money on this, but I didn't want to go overboard, especially if I won't have the time or energy to fill out all the secondaries...30 seems like way too many, at least for me!

And yes, my GPA is a 4.0, not that I really should say that here probably...so I'm not so worried about my stats keeping me out, just experience or maybe any particular personal qualities a school is looking for...

Thanks for the input! Oh, by the way, I am really interested in alternative medicine and even have been considering applying to D.O. schools, even though I don't know much about them at all... but I wonder if people with my stats usually don't apply there? Not that that is a good reason not to apply...but I was just wondering...I may still look into that if there is time.

 

[closertofine]

Oh, also, do you think that applying relatively late (as I said, I do plan to get it done by next week) is going to keep me out of a lot of places? I wonder if I should add some less competitive schools just because of that...though, yes, my MCAT was a 39R...so I just don't know...

 

[pafbdoc]

With those stats, DO schools might reject you just because they know you won't go to their schools

Quite possibly the dumbest thing I've read on here in awhile. My college roommate had a 36 and 3.5 gpa and is at a D.O. school right now. To each his/her own.

 

[Jonkst]

You should look into Northwestern too, they're huge on the PBL stuff, and the campus is gorgeous... But then, I'm a little biased since its my undergrad school

 

[surge]

I maintain that with a 4.0 and a 39 you should be applying to more competitive schools, that is given that you would like to attend them.

 

[MeowMix]

Sure, Hawaii has had some problems - but so has Colorado!

A friend of mine applied to a PhD program at Hawaii just for kicks, and ended up having a great time while doing top-quality research. I remember their grad catalog arriving at the house - it had a surfer on the cover - so different to the molecular structures on the other schools' dry and boring catalogs.

Also, I was told this week that Hawaii provides a great opportunity to work with a multicultural population, if you are interested in that.

 

[PMED99]

Ya, take off MCG and emory from you list...Ya thats it...

No, joking with you. I am applying to Georgia schools. Awesome stats. Maybe you and I can go to MCG together next year.

Congrats on your scores.

Oh, ya. Apply to less schools. With your stats you dont need that many.

 

[Cantal]

Originally posted by pafbdoc
Quite possibly the dumbest thing I've read on here in awhile. My college roommate had a 36 and 3.5 gpa and is at a D.O. school right now. To each his/her own.

Someone I know actually mentioned this to me earlier today. Talking about lower tier MD schools, he thinks some schools ranked #70 or lower might be less willing to accept a guy who is 4.0/40MCAT just because they're almost sure that he won't attend their school anyway. I'm curious if people with ridiculously high stats do get accepted to some of those schools, because to a lot of people school rank means nothing and the atmosphere/student life is much more important.

-Cantal