Dartmouth -- how competitive?

[QuikClot]

I decided not to pursue my secondary with Dartmouth, but I'm now re-evaluating my strategy. All 11 secondaries I've done have been with pretty elite institutions:

OHSU (mid?)
Stanford
UCSF (mid?)
Mayo
Hopkins
Case Western (interview)
Columbia
Harvard
Northwestern
University of Colorado (out of state)
Washington U (St. Louis)

. . . so I'd like to add Dartmouth if it will bring me down to earth a little bit, but not if it's just as hard to get into as Mayo or Hopkins. Your thoughts?

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[NapeSpikes]

UCSF as "mid"? Not by a long shot.

Dartmouth is lower ranked than Hopkins or Mayo, and their stats are lower, but it's no safety. Actually, all those schools you listed are toughies, taking into account OOS status for CO and OR. Are you sure you only want to apply to those?

 

[QuikClot]

UCSF as "mid"? haha

Dartmouth is lower ranked than Hopkins or Mayo, and their average stats are lower, but it's no safety. Actually, all those schools you listed are toughies, taking into account OOS status. Are you sure you want only want to apply to those?

Not so sure anymore, as I've said, but that's who I've got secondaries from. A little late to add primaries, isn't it? Or not?

I also have unreturned secondaries from Jefferson, Cornell, Duke, and U of W, but that doesn't help, obviously.

 

[Overeducated]

you must have kick arse stats

 

[QuikClot]

you must have kick arse stats

Could be better. GPA 3.55 general, 3.6 science, 39S. Good MCAT, medium grades. Now what's bothering me is; do I need a safety school, and is it too late to get one?

What do you think? Does Dartmouth add anything? Is it too late for primaries (as I think it is)?

 

[CerealBox]

add dartmouth. if you just want to apply once, add all other schools you haven't missed the deadline for.

 

[QuikClot]

Actually, all those schools you listed are toughies, taking into account OOS status for CO and OR.

I'm in-state for Oregon, and it's my first choice. Still, you hate to stake a year of your life on the kind of day one interview panel is having.

If I knew they'd have me up on the Hill (which I live at the base of, 5 minute walk to campus, no kidding) I'd tear up my other applications without a second thought.

 

[sanford_w/o_son]

If I knew they'd have me up on the Hill (which I live at the base of, 5 minute walk to campus, no kidding) I'd tear up my other applications without a second thought.

nice (nudge, nudge, wink, wink) to the adcom! but which side of the hill are you on, and is that five minutes uphill or downhill?

seriously though, you have a great mcat and good gpa, but that list of schools still seems pretty top heavy. of course, if i had your mcat i might feel a little let down to not be at a top tier, so maybe you shouldn't apply to places you wouldn't accept.

can you do anything to show ohsu just how serious you are and still be tactful (besides early decision--oops!)? is it verboten to give the school a letter of intent post-secondary but pre-interview?

it may not be an answer, but at least i asked what may be a helpful question. academia, here i come . . .

 

[QuikClot]

nice (nudge, nudge, wink, wink) to the adcom!

but which side of the hill are you on, and is that five minutes uphill or downhill?

I'm at the bottom of the hill, next to the YMCA. Up the street and through the trees, and I'm standing in front of the Casey Eye Institute on the OHSU campus. Sigh. It's . . . so nice there . . .

 

[lyn2006]

I decided not to pursue my secondary with Dartmouth, but I'm now re-evaluating my strategy. All 11 secondaries I've done have been with pretty elite institutions:

OHSU (mid?)
Stanford
UCSF (mid?)
Mayo
Hopkins
Case Western (interview)
Columbia
Harvard
Northwestern
University of Colorado (out of state)
Washington U (St. Louis)

. . . so I'd like to add Dartmouth if it will bring me down to earth a little bit, but not if it's just as hard to get into as Mayo or Hopkins. Your thoughts?

I know someone on the dartmouth adcom, and they really like to see people take time off between undergrad and med school. so if you've been working (or whatever) for a year or 2, with your stats you might be competitive (you didn't say anything about EC's though, so I don't really know...)

 

[Messerschmitts]

Just wanted to throw in my exasperation on OP listing UCSF as "mid" level school. Um...no. UCSF is one of the most prestigious and competitive medical schools in the country, ranked #5 in research, #8 in primary care by US News last time I checked. It's got a bone-chilling out-of-state acceptance rate of only 2.4%, although the in-state acceptance rate is not much higher either (6.9%).

 

[doctoresse]

Hello there,

I think that you are looking for a safety school but I definitely wouldn't consider Dartmouth as a safety school. The school is part of the Ivy league and is fairly competitive, certainly not like Harvard or Hopkins but not far behind. But you have good stats, why not apply? All you'll lose is the application fee. But you never know you may also be interviewed and accepted, this process is a roll of dice, take a chance but act fast.

 

[QuikClot]

Just wanted to throw in my exasperation on OP listing UCSF as "mid" level school. Um...no. UCSF is one of the most prestigious and competitive medical schools in the country, ranked #5 in research, #8 in primary care by US News last time I checked. It's got a bone-chilling out-of-state acceptance rate of only 2.4%, although the in-state acceptance rate is not much higher either (6.9%).

If you read a little more closely, you might notice that the post read: "UCSF (mid?)" Note the question mark. It means I don't know. It should be obvious by now that I am not the best-informed pre-med on SDN.

Please do not waste your exasperation on my freely acknowledged ignorance.

 

[dbhvt]

I'd apply to Dartmouth just to up your overall odds. From your numbers alone, I wouldn't be surprised to see you get in to any of the schools you've applied to so far... but... medical school classes are small, there are plenty of people with stats in the range for a given school who don't get accepted, and you applied to some TOUGH schools. I don't see a single school on your list that is less than ultra-competitive (unless you're from Oregon). Even if it were as hard to get into as Hopkins or Mayo (which it isn't), applying to Dartmouth is another roll of the dice. It makes me cry when people with good stats don't get in their first time because they only applied to tough schools. And I hate crying. It messes up my mascara.

 

[QuikClot]

I'd apply to Dartmouth just to up your overall odds. From your numbers alone, I wouldn't be surprised to see you get in to any of the schools you've applied to so far... but... medical school classes are small, there are plenty of people with stats in the range for a given school who don't get accepted, and you applied to some TOUGH schools. I don't see a single school on your list that is less than ultra-competitive (unless you're from Oregon). Even if it were as hard to get into as Hopkins or Mayo (which it isn't), applying to Dartmouth is another roll of the dice. It makes me cry when people with good stats don't get in their first time because they only applied to tough schools. And I hate crying. It messes up my mascara.

Thanks. That's the kind of advice I was hoping to get (not the filling out another secondary and paying the money part, the understanding the question and responding to it part.)