Comments appreciated (3.50 GPA, 3.37 BCPM, 37M)

[Kasmania]

Ok, guess I'll make a thread in here, join the huge crowd. Any comments would be very much appreciated. MDapp link to the left, but I'll repost it here for convenience. GA resident.

GPA: 3.50
BCPM: 3.37 (hurt by a C+ in Inorganic chem, and B-'s in second semester orgo and bio)
MCAT: 37M (11V 14P 12B)
The M kind of hurts, but I figure a decent PS will take care of it

Member of ChEmory for 3 years: officer position 2 years
Member of Colleges Against Cancer for 3 years
Played in the baroque orchestra for 3 years
Volunteered in the oncology ward (bone marrow transplant) at Emory University Hospital, began this year in January, still going
Organized and attended school trip to 2008 ACS Spring Convention in New Orleans (chemistry convention)

Applying to:
Albert Einstein of Yeshiva University
Boston University
Columbia University
Drexel University
Duke University
Emory University
George Washington University
Georgetown University
Jefferson Medical College
Medical College of Georgia
Mount Sinai School of Medicine
New York University
Pennsylvania State University
Tufts University
UMDNJ - New Jersey
UMDNJ - Robert Wood Johnson
University of Pennsylvania
Wake Forest University

So...what are my chances? Should I apply for some more "safety" schools?

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[Phoenix.]

Actually I think you're fine, especially given that you're probably a shoe-in for MCG. But personally, I'm always of the opinion that if you've got the money, it's safer to apply to more schools and end up declining interviews than applying to less and ending up without an acceptance (or only waitlists). Your science gpa is a little on the low side for a lot of the schools on your list, but who knows? Perhaps they'll overlook it since the rest of your application is great.

But keep in mind that even with safeties and state schools, you just never know. I was in a class with a guy who had really solid stats (a 32 and 3.7 gpa) for his state school, who got interviews at Northwestern and Tufts but rejected without an interview from his state school, University of Illinois. He ended up sitting on waitlists, and I'm not sure if he got in this year or not. Pretty scary.

That being said, my gut says you probably don't need to add any schools. But if it were me, I probably would. Check out:

Temple
SUNY Downstate
NYMC
Pitt
Loyola
Tulane
UVM
Vandy
Baylor

Some of them aren't exactly safeties (Vandy, Baylor, etc.), but I still think applying to more schools increases your odds. And for SUNYs, I've heard you can get instate tuition after a year. Good luck!

 

[Dulcina]

i agree with the "if you can afford to add more schools, do" philosophy. even tho this is really expensive, its nothing compared to tuition, and nothing compared to the grief of reapplying.

I saw my school choices as a balance between "safeties" and "the best chance at getting into reaches".

I added enough safeties to feel reasonably comfortable that I would get in somewhere--i THINK you're ok on this, looks like you haev enough mid-tier schools. I then started adding as many reaches as I could afford. They way I saw it, if you apply to 10 reaches, you could get into 0, if you apply to the 11th, you could get into that last one! Sooooo yeah, rambling, but I'd add a few more reaches =)