Help! Deciding Where to Apply!

[cardiothoracic5]

Hey..would love some feedback on my potential schools list!

cGPA: 3.875
sGPA: 3.95
MCAT: 33s
Major(s): BFA in Dance and BS Physiology
Minors(s): Chemistry and Math

ECs: tons of shadowing (cardiothoracic surgery [been with the surgeon going on 1.5 years], emergency room, internal medicine), volunteer in ED and hospice (also train new volunteers and lots of hands-on work with patients), on campus leadership, teacher at international tap dance festival, assistant for traveling dance convention, and much more dance related stuff. BUT, no research...yikes.


Just wondered what everyone's take was on this potential list:

University of Arizona
Loma Linda
University of Colorado
Georgetown
Northwestern
Iowa Carver
Boston University
Mayo
St. Louis University
Columbia
Cornell
University of North Carolina
Oklahoma (IN STATE)
Oregon
Creighton

Thanks, in advance, for the help.

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[bravofleet4]

what state do you live in?

 

[Morsetlis]

Apply more broadly.

 

[cardiothoracic5]

what state do you live in?

i am an undergrad. at University of Arizona in Tucson. I am just not an AZ resident, technically still an OK resident.

 

[cardiothoracic5]

Apply more broadly.

thanks, for the feedback morsetlis. any chance you could further explain what you mean? more broadly meaning more "safety" schools or more schools? i was aiming for 15, so i am trying to play musical list a little bit. do you have any suggestions for good schools that would add to applying more "broadly?"

 

[bravofleet4]

if your planning to apply this upcoming cycle, purchase MSAR at your school's bookstore this spring. It lists all the medical schools and their relevant stats. There's I would say over 30-35 schools that accept OOS in significant numbers. Also MCAT isn't listed and that will make or break you.

Applicants frequently make these mistakes

1) Apply too top-heavy meaning only top-tier schools
2) Apply too late meaning submit primary late in September rather than early June/July
3) Apply to too few schools (<10)
4) Combine top-tier with safety schools when they're not that competitive at top-tier but too good at safety schools that they'll assume you have offers elsewhere and won't even offer you an interview

 

[cardiothoracic5]

if your planning to apply this upcoming cycle, purchase MSAR at your school's bookstore this spring. It lists all the medical schools and their relevant stats. There's I would say over 30-35 schools that accept OOS in significant numbers. Also MCAT isn't listed and that will make or break you.

Applicants frequently make these mistakes

1) Apply too top-heavy meaning only top-tier schools
2) Apply too late meaning submit primary late in September rather than early June/July
3) Apply to too few schools (<10)
4) Combine top-tier with safety schools when they're not that competitive at top-tier but too good at safety schools that they'll assume you have offers elsewhere and won't even offer you an interview

thanks bravo.
actually pulled these schools from the msar. wasn't that spontaneous :0)
my mcat is 33S..which is above some, in range for some, a little low for some. tried to get a good range of schools.

thanks for the advice though. much appreciated. do you think i have a good enough variety of schools in terms of top tier, middle class, and safety?

 

[Morsetlis]

You're missing out on great private schools like SLU and NYMC.

Also consider a list of 5 DO schools as a safety (but you'd need a DO letter).

 

[bravofleet4]

there's lots of good schools on the east coast you haven't included. i would add more schools.

 

[yoz]

I would add a couple schools and I wouldn't add DO schools unless you want to do DO. Also I would take UNC off they dont take that many students oos, it might be a waste of money

 

[girlofgrace7]

I received some great rules of thumb this application cycle. I was originally told by pre-med advisers to apply to 15-20 schools, but when I talked to some of the medical residents, they told me that 15-20 schools was the rule 20 years ago. Now, they would recommend 25-40 schools (especially if you're from a state like California like I am.... very high proportion of pre-meds to in-state med schools). I applied with a 30R MCAT but a 3.96 GPA and research experience (on top of volunteering, etc.) to 27 medical schools. Out of those schools, I was offered 3 interviews (turned down one, admitted at one, and waiting on a decision at one). Make sure you send out your secondaries early in the season. It costs you interviews if you wait until Oct. and Nov. like I did.

 

[aztri]

Can anyone afford to apply to 25-40 schools? Seriously?

My best advice is to apply as early in the cycle as you can. Just send in your app with schools you know you want to apply to for sure. You can add schools after you submit and your app is verified. But just get the ball rolling. If you have a ton of free time on your hands you can look through this year's SDN thread to find out what the secondary app prompts were. Most schools don't change these much (if at all) from year to year. That way if you want to start working on the prompts, you will be able to submit your secondary within a day or two of receiving it.

Concerning UofA: As you are not a resident you don't have home field advantage in AZ. However, this year both Phoenix and Tucson started accepting OOS applicants (approximately 25% of the incoming class). This is good news for you! On the secondary I think you do have to discuss what your ties are to AZ and why you want to stay (i.e. AZ wants doctors trained in AZ to stay in AZ - so the adcoms want to be convinced that if accepted you would be likely to practice here as well). Also, UA is more concerned about clinical experiences it seems than research, so you should be fine there. Your stats are plenty fine for UA, but just remember you will be competing against other qualified OOS applicants for the 12 spots in Phx and the 30 spots in Tuc. Typically, UA gets less than 800 IS applicants each year. This year they received several thousand OOS applicants I think - of which they only interviewed between 150 and 200 per school (if you apply to both campuses, you interview at both independently and the campuses share the interview reports). Anyways, if you have any other UA questions, let me know. Otherwise, best of luck!

 

[Morsetlis]

It'd only cost you about $6000 to assure you at least $150k/year for the rest of your life (after residency).