Help ASAP with school list - applying this cycle! :)

[OoohShiny]

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Hey all! Please take a look at my list, and I would really appreciate any feedback! My primary app is already verified, and I want to finalize my list by tomorrow 🙂

CA resident, Asian
3.7 (3.8 science), 39, top undergrad.
Good ECs with lots of community service, but mediocre research. Good recs.

Looking for:

1. School that is forgiving of applicants with weaker research experience (I have a decent # of hours but they were weak in terms of what I did/my responsibilities - I really hope I don't get asked about my research too much in interviews, yikes!)
2. Good merit scholarships and/or financial aid
3. Want to match into a CA residency. << Probably my most important factor.
4. High acceptance rate from interviews (i.e. many people who interview will get accepted. I'd prefer the school to do most of the cutting in the interview invite stage)
5. Easy secondaries - I'm not the best writer plus I'm strapped for time!
6. NOT overwhelmingly primary-care focused. I want to specialize (looking into neuro & opth)
7. School that has good research opportunities (kinda conflicts with my first item, I know)
   - I'd prefer NOT to have school with an intense research project requirement/thesis though!
8. Urban environment, good weather (the less pronounced the seasons, the better )

Aaaaanndd here's my list! Let me know of any glaring "mistakes" and if I have enough safeties and targets. And help me cut! Down to 27 schools, and I think I'm too attached to each school at this point to cut any more myself 😕

PS I'm a bit paranoid with this whole process, and really really really want to definitely get in this cycle 😳

Harvard
Yale
WUSTL
UChicago
UMichigan
Cornell
Mount Sinai
Northwestern
Emory
Case western
UVA
Mayo
MC Wisconsin
Temple
Jefferson
Saint Louis University
Creighton
Hofstra
New York Medical


Already applied to the California schools:
Stanford
UC Davis
UC Irvine
UC Riverside
UC San Diego
UCLA (Drew & Geffen)
UCSF
USC - Keck

 

[OoohShiny]

Would appreciate any and all input 🙂

 

[NavyDoc23]

You don't need to have "outstanding" research to get into a research school. They just like you to have at least some research experience. Of course, publications and multiple years of research help you out, but I wouldn't sweat it if I were you. Your stats are fantastic and you say your ECs and letters are good. Unless you completely suck at interviewing, you will get in, and most likely in multiple places. If I were you, I would just cut some of your low-tiers, like NYMC and MCW. Also, you said you want to be in an urban area with good weather - why is Mayo on your list? It's MN! Winters technically start in October (it drops below freezing then) and last until March at the least. Heck, this last winter (I live in MN), it was snowing in late April and early May. Temps will get down into the -20 to -40 range (windchills) on some days. UChicago and Northwestern are also in a cold city - Chicago. By no means is it close to MN, but if you are looking to cut a few more, they might be it.

 

[SN12357]

Dude, every one of the schools on your possible list except for Emory and UVa have 'pronounced seasons'. ALL the midwest schools and the New England schools will shock you with their weather if you're truly weather-sensitive; the mid-atlantic schools aren't going to be much better. Still gets pretty cold and icy in NYC and Philly.

If weather is really a factor for you you need to retool and look at schools in the south and southwest, not the midwest and northeast.

FWIW neither Mayo nor NYMC have essays in their secondary. However as the poster above says, if you don't want to deal with weather, do NOT apply to Mayo.

 

[OoohShiny]

Thank you both for your input! And wow, I totally didn't mean to come off so weather sensitive 😛 To clarify, it's a nice bonus, but by far the least important factor on my list since I felt it was a fairly shallow factor (plus my ideal weather also excludes hot/humid and thus the south - leaving me with a very limited selection of the US!)

NavyDoc's description of Mayo sounds horrifying though, freezing winter from October to March?! 😱 Yes that will be cut now, thank you! And I am interested to live in Chicago - it sounds like a wonderful city - hopefully wonderful enough to balance the bad weather.