Got retake MCAT score back. Help with adding more schools?

[Garferies]

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[ridethecliche]

I think this certainly helps your case. I would add the UC's. You don't seem to have research, but that's not a bad thing.

Are any locations out of bounds for you?

Temple, jefferson, rush, quinnipiac, hofstra, and rosalind franklin seem like solid adds, but it's getting late so you need to jump on those secondaries asap.

 

[gyngyn]

UCI and UCD. Get the MSAR stat! You should have around a dozen OOS schools with median stats near yours.

 

[Garferies]

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[ridethecliche]

Good luck!
With the 2 @gyngyn suggested and the rest I added, you're up to 15 schools. Sounds like a reasonable number.

UVM might be a good add as well, as would Albany.

Research powerhouses might be a waste, but the ones I suggested are right about at your average MCAT per MSAR.

(So that's 17)

 

[Garferies]

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[ridethecliche]

USC's average MCAT is a 35, which puts you in the bottom % of would be matriculants, but if you have the money, time, and will, why not throw it on there? Their secondary prompts are pretty bizarre though.

I applied there with a 34 and 3.5, so I'm a bit out of range as well. We'll see what happens.

 

[Osteoth]

What is your sGPA and how many schools are you trying to apply to? I personally like the idea of 25% reach, 50% match, 25% safety when deciding where to apply.

 

[Garferies]

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[Goro]

Add Tulane if you like hot and muggy but with great food, and Loma Linda, but first read their list of don'ts. If you want to stay in CA, Western and TUCOM-CA might be worth considering.

 

[Garferies]

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[ridethecliche]

@Garferies , I recommended mostly schools where you're around the average, so they're pretty matchy. If you have a few 'reach' schools you want to throw in there, go for it. Maybe UCSF, UCSD, UCLA? But I'm not sure how these would go due to your lack of research.

What is your sGPA and how many schools are you trying to apply to? I personally like the idea of 25% reach, 50% match, 25% safety when deciding where to apply.

I don't think there's any such thing as a 'safety' anymore. I guess it depends on stats though, I personally ended up applying to about 40% match and 60% reach. It was a lot of schools though, so the numbers worked out. I hope they will anyway.

 

[Abstractions]

@Garferies , I recommended mostly schools where you're around the average, so they're pretty matchy. If you have a few 'reach' schools you want to throw in there, go for it. Maybe UCSF, UCSD, UCLA? But I'm not sure how these would go due to your lack of research.



I don't think there's any such thing as a 'safety' anymore. I guess it depends on stats though, I personally ended up applying to about 40% match and 60% reach. It was a lot of schools though, so the numbers worked out. I hope they will anyway.

Wouldn't recommend SD/SF/LA given the lack of research + the fact that they may average MCAT scores (I'm not positive about their individual policies), which would equate to a MCAT of 28.5. Even if they don't average, 31 is near the 10% for these 3 schools (I believe UCLA's MSAR stats includes students in the UCLA/Drew Program, so Geffen's 10% is higher than it appears to be).

 

[Garferies]

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[ridethecliche]

Send in those primaries and start pre-writing those secondaries asap!

 

[Flashfan]

Agree with Goro about the two DO schools, especially if staying in California is important to you.