Extreme Help Needed!!!

[supermedicine89]

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Hi im going to be applying for medical school next cycle and i was wondering what schools i should apply to and more importantly what can i do in the mean time to improve my application?
I attended columbia university for college. And im a ny resident.
cGPA= 3.5o
sGPA=3.36
MCAT= 27 (10,9,8)

The rest of my application is fairly standard-nothing too special.

Research:
I did research over the summer at columbia (SURF program) (full time)
I have my name as one of the researchers on a poster board presentation that was displayed in a yearly cardiology science fair (my dads a cardiologist and he put my name on the poster so it would help my application- but i didnt do much work- not sure if this will help or i if i should even put it on my app)

Volunteer work:
I volunteered at columbia prebyesterian hospital in an ER room over a summer (150 hours)

shadowing/clinical
I shadowed a few doctors including a DO (150 hours)
I did a medical internship where i rotated between several doctors

Extracurriculars
I was the leader of a club in college
i taught a science class at a high school one year (got an award)
i was a instructor at a science program over a summer (got an award)
I did some tutoring for a youth program (got an award)
and some other stuff...

LOR
freshman orgo prof
virology prof
calculus prof
research mentor
doctor shadowed (1 DO and 1 MD0
science program head
Dean of high school i taught at
They are all really good and especially the 4 non-academic ones which are really personal are make me sound like a genius.

interview:
im amazing at interviews (suck at tests- but I am great at interviewing and talking)

So what do you guys think? Do i even have a shot at MD schools now? How about DO?
where should i apply?

oh and if i retake my mcat (i have a ton of time till i apply so i can) and get a 30 (11,10,9) would that change much?

Thanks in advance

 

[DoctorSynthesis]

Consider osteopathic schools. Specifically nyit and PCOM. If you get a 30 you should also consider touro. You could also consider "low tier" MD schools. Quinipiac for example.

 

[Goro]

The 27 is circling the drain for MD schools but fine for any DO school except AZCOM. A retake and getting >30 will help your chances immensely for the lower tier MD schools, and depending upon where you live, your state school. Ditto the newest MD schools.

Hi im going to be applying for medical school next cycle and i was wondering what schools i should apply to and more importantly what can i do in the mean time to improve my application?
I attended columbia university for college. And im a ny resident.
cGPA= 3.5o
sGPA=3.36
MCAT= 27 (10,9,8)

The rest of my application is fairly standard-nothing too special.

Research:
I did research over the summer at columbia (SURF program) (full time)
I have my name as one of the researchers on a poster board presentation that was displayed in a yearly cardiology science fair (my dads a cardiologist and he put my name on the poster so it would help my application- but i didnt do much work- not sure if this will help or i if i should even put it on my app)

Volunteer work:
I volunteered at columbia prebyesterian hospital in an ER room over a summer (150 hours)

shadowing/clinical
I shadowed a few doctors including a DO (150 hours)
I did a medical internship where i rotated between several doctors

Extracurriculars
I was the leader of a club in college
i taught a science class at a high school one year (got an award)
i was a instructor at a science program over a summer (got an award)
I did some tutoring for a youth program (got an award)
and some other stuff...

LOR
freshman orgo prof
virology prof
calculus prof
research mentor
doctor shadowed (1 DO and 1 MD0
science program head
Dean of high school i taught at
They are all really good and especially the 4 non-academic ones which are really personal are make me sound like a genius.

interview:
im amazing at interviews (suck at tests- but I am great at interviewing and talking)

So what do you guys think? Do i even have a shot at MD schools now? How about DO?
where should i apply?

oh and if i retake my mcat (i have a ton of time till i apply so i can) and get a 30 (11,10,9) would that change much?

Thanks in advance

 

[ThisCouldBeYou]

I have my name as one of the researchers on a poster board presentation that was displayed in a yearly cardiology science fair (my dads a cardiologist and he put my name on the poster so it would help my application- but i didnt do much work- not sure if this will help or i if i should even put it on my app)

I think this would not go over well at all. Since you "didn't do much work", it sounds like all the wrong reasons for your name to get on that poster.

Imagine someone asks you a question about it in an interview. What would you say then? "I didn't do much work" OR "My dad's a cardiologist and he put my name on the poster so it would help my application."

 

[supermedicine89]

The 27 is circling the drain for MD schools but fine for any DO school except AZCOM. A retake and getting >30 will help your chances immensely for the lower tier MD schools, and depending upon where you live, your state school. Ditto the newest MD schools.

So as of now you think i have a decent chance at getting into Touro, nycit, and Pcom?

and say I get a 30 on my retake mcat (11,10,9) you think i have a decent chance at getting into schools like SUNYs, new york medical college, albany, drexel, and Jefferson - i ask because my science gpa is only a 3.36 which seems low...

thx again!

 

[Goro]

Yes and yes. MSAR Online is a very wise investment.

So as of now you think i have a decent chance at getting into Touro, nycit, and Pcom?

and say I get a 30 on my retake mcat (11,10,9) you think i have a decent chance at getting into schools like SUNYs, new york medical college, albany, drexel, and Jefferson - i ask because my science gpa is only a 3.36 which seems low...

thx again!

 

[DoctorSynthesis]

The 27 is circling the drain for MD schools but fine for any DO school except AZCOM. A retake and getting >30 will help your chances immensely for the lower tier MD schools, and depending upon where you live, your state school. Ditto the newest MD schools.

Azcom? What about the touros and ccom goro? I never heard you say that before.

 

[Goro]

I think a 27 will for CCOM and the Touros. AZCOM is apparently not interviewing anyone < 29. I don't think that will bode well for them, considering they're now competing head-to-head with two in-state MD schools and one COM. Time will tell.

Azcom? What about the touros and ccom goro? I never heard you say that before.

 

[supermedicine89]

Yes and yes. MSAR Online is a very wise investment.

Thanks for the help!
Btw just out of pure curiosity. will i be favored over other applications when i apply since i went to columbia?
Like does the fact that went to columbia and got a 3.36 mean anything over a kid who also got a 3.36 but went to a suny state school for college?
i ask because i used to think it would, but after reading sdn im starting to think that where your gpa is from really dosent mater
what do you think?

 

[Goro]

It's not the advantage you think it is. Both of you would probably not make the cut, because there will be plenty of applicants with 3.6s from both schools.

Thanks for the help!
Btw just out of pure curiosity. will i be favored over other applications when i apply since i went to columbia?
Like does the fact that went to columbia and got a 3.36 mean anything over a kid who also got a 3.36 but went to a suny state school for college?
i ask because i used to think it would, but after reading sdn im starting to think that where your gpa is from really dosent mater
what do you think?

 

[ThisCouldBeYou]

Thanks for the help!
Btw just out of pure curiosity. will i be favored over other applications when i apply since i went to columbia?
Like does the fact that went to columbia and got a 3.36 mean anything over a kid who also got a 3.36 but went to a suny state school for college?
i ask because i used to think it would, but after reading sdn im starting to think that where your gpa is from really dosent mater
what do you think?

I'm curious what the answer would be. My guess is that most everyone here would say it doesn't make any difference, but sadly I think it does. My buddies who went to or go to a state school get some professors who will bend the rules incredibly. One is currently taking what was considered a writing course, but he found out there's no writing involved. (This will still fulfill his writing requirements!) Plus, the class was scheduled to meet 3x a week will now only meet 1x a week and they had a textbook assigned for this course and the prof said to not bother getting it. It's a joke. I never had a course like that!!!

 

[supermedicine89]

It's not the advantage you think it is. Both of you would probably not make the cut, because there will be plenty of applicants with 3.6s from both schools.

So then wouldn't i have been better off having just went to my Suny state school for college? it would have been muchh cheaper. and i took general chemistry in my Suny school during my senior year of high school and i had a much easier time in it and i got an A-, whereas in columbia i struggled to get a B+....
I mean if we dont get any extra boost for taking the harder classes with much smarter people and thus getting lower grades, wouldn't going to a state school be a better option?

 

[Goro]

That's up to you. Many colleges serve as feeder schools for med school. The Admissions Deans know who has a hard/rigorous program and which one shave grade inflation.

But's really you that determines your college experience, and what you got out of it. There is no guarantee that you would have been a B+/A student at the SUNYs. At Harvard and Dartmouth, you get a B just for showing up and breathing, I'm told. It used to be called "the gentleman's B".

So then wouldn't i have been better off having just went to my Suny state school for college? it would have been muchh cheaper. and i took general chemistry in my Suny school during my senior year of high school and i had a much easier time in it and i got an A-, whereas in columbia i struggled to get a B+....
I mean if we dont get any extra boost for taking the harder classes with much smarter people and thus getting lower grades, wouldn't going to a state school be a better option?

 

[supermedicine89]

That's up to you. Many colleges serve as feeder schools for med school. The Admissions Deans know who has a hard/rigorous program and which one shave grade inflation.

But's really you that determines your college experience, and what you got out of it. There is no guarantee that you would have been a B+/A student at the SUNYs. At Harvard and Dartmouth, you get a B just for showing up and breathing, I'm told. It used to be called "the gentleman's B".

I see your point. however i did take a general chemistry course at my SUNY and i got an A- in it. while at columbia i had to put in more work to get a B+.
and what do you mean by feeder schools? is columbia considered one?

 

[Aerus]

I see your point. however i did take a general chemistry course at my SUNY and i got an A- in it. while at columbia i had to put in more work to get a B+.
and what do you mean by feeder schools? is columbia considered one?

Your undergraduate institution is taken into account, but it does not make up a mediocre GPA and MCAT. If you had a 3.36 from Columbia and a 37 MCAT, then that's a different story. I'm sure you get some "boost", but it's not something you should rely on. There are stellar applicants everywhere, including Columbia.

 

[Goro]

Feeders are the UG schools that supply a good number of students to the medical school. And yes, Columbia UG would be the feeder for the med school (13% of the med school's matriculants are from the UG school; Brown has the highest number for any UG -> med school). Other feeders to, say, Columbia would be the SUNYs, NYU and other NYC schools.

I see your point. however i did take a general chemistry course at my SUNY and i got an A- in it. while at columbia i had to put in more work to get a B+.
and what do you mean by feeder schools? is columbia considered one?

 

[DoctorSynthesis]

I think a 27 will for CCOM and the Touros. AZCOM is apparently not interviewing anyone < 29. I don't think that will bode well for them, considering they're now competing head-to-head with two in-state MD schools and one COM. Time will tell.

Is that actually true though? Heard similar rumors about touros

 

[medguy24]

Is that actually true though? Heard similar rumors about touros

I heard similar rumors about touro-ny as well. So I second that.