Evaluate my school list?

[coolingglasses]

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With almost everything on my application ready to go (except for a hanging question about my study abroad credits), I've made a preliminary list of schools to apply to. I've heeded everyone's advice and look to apply widely.

Stats: 3.14 cGPA, 3.12 sGPA, 27O MCAT (10V/9B/8P). Missouri resident with Washington ties (my primary application will at least show I graduated from high school in Spokane)

Non-trad; ECs are in my MDapps page or in the thread below:

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=928023

And it is worth noting that I do -not- have a committee letter coming. I'm ineligible because I already graduated (at my school, committee letters are based on mock interviews which you're only eligible for if you're currently enrolled). My advisor says this happens often, so they write a letter stating that this is the only reason I'm not eligible (I'm not sure if they discuss anything else in that letter, I should check).

I do have two science LORs, a psych LOR, and another from a DO.

Here's the schools I have so far:

A.T. Still University, Kirksville
A.T. Still University, Arizona
Alabama
Midwestern-Arizona
Midwestern-Chicago
Campbell University
Des Moines University
Edward Via, Carolinas Campus
Lake Erie-Erie/Seton Hill
Lake Erie-Bradenton
Lincoln Memorial University-DeBusk
Marian University
NYIT
Nova Southeastern University
Oklahoma State
Pacific Northwest University of Health Sciences
Touro-NY
Touro-NV
Touro-CA
Pikeville
West Virginia
Western-Pomona
Western-Lebanon
William Carey

Looking to cut the list down but I'll happily add others at the same time if I have a real shot at them. I know there are some IS biases in my list, but I don't know how expansive they are. Anything over 80-90% IS I should probably avoid, but I'll gamble on anything lower than that. I really wanted to add KCUMB but there's a lingering fear that they'll screen me out before the secondary based on my GPA.

Thanks for the help SDN 👍

 

[user3]

Maybe add KCUMB and the PCOM's. Remove NYIT, Pikeville, and OSU. However I think KCUMB, VCOM and Campbell might screen you out for your GPA.

 

[coolingglasses]

I think I had left out PCOMs because they sounded pretty stringent on their committee letter policy (irreplaceable with other LORs). If someone chimes in saying otherwise I'd love to add them.

 

[user3]

all you need is a letter from the dean's office saying you graduated in good standing.

 

[coolingglasses]

all you need is a letter from the dean's office saying you graduated in good standing.

Perfect! On to the list those two go. Pulled Pikeville and NYIT... can't bring myself to remove PNWU. I've heard mixed things about OSU's bias, but I wouldn't be opposed to removing it. Unless you're saying my grades would get me screened out, in which case I probably would pull it.

 

[user3]

24 is a lot of schools to apply to, but hopefully you'll end up declining interviews. You should be fine.

 

[coolingglasses]

24 is a lot of schools to apply to, but hopefully you'll end up declining interviews. You should be fine.

Boy, let's hope eh? I figure to be sitting on piles of secondaries too. My pre-med advisor told me to keep it around 15...

 

[411309]

Our stats numbers wise arent far off from each other. But I recomend you take out WCU because they favor gulf states and heavily screen out applicants. Take out pikeville unelss you have ties to KY. Campbell has a 3.2 gpa policy according to SDN, so you may get screened out there and it may be a waste of money. Nova may be a stretch for you because they accept around 50% in state and the OOS spots are pretty competitive.

Just trying to help you narrow your list some because you DO NOT want to apply to 24 schools man...I ended up going with 15 and im over 2k of my savings gone T_T

 

[coolingglasses]

Our stats numbers wise arent far off from each other. But I recomend you take out WCU because they favor gulf states and heavily screen out applicants. Take out pikeville unelss you have ties to KY. Campbell has a 3.2 gpa policy according to SDN, so you may get screened out there and it may be a waste of money. Nova may be a stretch for you because they accept around 50% in state and the OOS spots are pretty competitive.

Just trying to help you narrow your list some because you DO NOT want to apply to 24 schools man...I ended up going with 15 and im over 2k of my savings gone T_T

Pulled Pikeville yesterday, just took out Campbell and WCU. I'm too invested in Nova's location and campus to cut them just yet... may be forced to pull them and KCUMB but we'll see. I'm still at 22-23 schools

I'm fortunate in the sense that my parents are willing to spend spend spend on my applications as long as I get in during this cycle

edit: and for better or worse I'll probably have another week to really fine-tune this list, since I'm probably going to have to dig up transcripts for my study abroad credits... don't know why I thought they were fine as they were in my transcript lol.

 

[411309]

if you lke nova and can afford to add it to your list then go for it, the regional bias there isnt near as great as certain other schools

 

[Dmr6186]

I heard KCUMB is really strict in terms of screening, and I think their minimum is like 3.2 GPA. Make sure you meet that or else you'll waste your money applying.

 

[coolingglasses]

I heard KCUMB is really strict in terms of screening, and I think their minimum is like 3.2 GPA. Make sure you meet that or else you'll waste your money applying.

*sigh* yeah, I heard that too and their admissions office already told me something to that effect. I just really like KC and I'm a MO resident so it's closeish to home. but you're right, I would be best off pulling them with the # of schools I have and my low GPA (3.1x)

 

[user3]

http://www.aacom.org/data/studenten...11-12_Total-Enroll-by-COM-Legal-Residence.pdf

 

[coolingglasses]

http://www.aacom.org/data/studenten...11-12_Total-Enroll-by-COM-Legal-Residence.pdf

Woof, it doesn't look good for me and PNWU. But I'm willing to risk it on the primary and my ties. If they just sent me a secondary I could really explain it.

Meanwhile KCUMB looks nice again based on this chart. OSU looks a lot worse, I might actually go ahead and pull them (only to be replaced by KCUMB... again).

Generally speaking it looks like only handfuls of MO residents got in outside the state... not sure what to make of that. Maybe I'll look at these charts again tomorrow when I'm not trying to read through a tiny netbook screen.

 

[Ask]

Well KCUMB and VCOM say they screen anything below 3.2, VCOM also tends to have a regional bias.
I would remove Western-Lebanon
Normally I would say PNWU should go, but out of curiosity what are your ties?
NYCOM tends to have mostly NY, but don't specifically admit they have a bias.

I think 20 schools who's minimum GPA requirements you meet should be good enough, I am personally applying to 18. Schools with regional bias that does not favor you + a low GPA, should be avoided.

 

[coolingglasses]

Well KCUMB and VCOM say they screen anything below 3.2, VCOM also tends to have a regional bias.
I would remove Western-Lebanon
Normally I would say PNWU should go, but out of curiosity what are your ties?
NYCOM tends to have mostly NY, but don't specifically admit they have a bias.

I think 20 schools who's minimum GPA requirements you meet should be good enough, I am personally applying to 18. Schools with regional bias that does not favor you + a low GPA, should be avoided.

Yeah I keep wavering between keeping and cutting KCUMB. VCOM I can cut if they're screening regionally and for GPA.

Does Western-Lebanon have a greater bias than their Pomona campus? I've only heard the bias for that one. Those are both highly desirable locations to me, though.

PNWU is in Yakima, east of the Cascades. I lived in Eastern Washington from 1996 to 2004, graduated from high school there, and still have immediate family in Spokane. I'd have no trouble expressing a desire to practice in the Inland Northwest.

I already pulled NYIT from my list though, so no worries there. I think I'm gonna pull Okie State though.

edit: currently at 21 schools with OSU and KCUMB also out. Like I said, still wavering on KCUMB and might pull VCOM-CC too.

 

[Ask]

Lebanon openly states a bias. Pomona does not although their class is mostly California.But yes Lebanon has a greater bias then Pomona.
Im not sure about Oklahoma, your in a state which borders it, so you never know.
Also I hope you get past the PNWU screening that can be a great thing to share at the interview.

 

[coolingglasses]

Lebanon openly states a bias. Pomona does not although their class is mostly California.But yes Lebanon has a greater bias then Pomona.
Im not sure about Oklahoma, your in a state which borders it, so you never know.
Also I hope you get past the PNWU screening that can be a great thing to share at the interview.

Ah, shoot. It'll be harder to sell NW ties to Lebanon than it will be to PNWU, even though I know that entire region well. I might throw OSU back in because you make a good point, I'm at least on their border/in their region.

While I don't want to piss away my family's hard earned cash on primaries, I know they don't want me shutting doors on myself... so that's kind of the bind I'm in. I know I also don't want to be buried in secondaries I can't finish. I hope PNWU opens a secondary for me, but all they'll see in my primary is that I graduated from high school out there.