Help revise school list (higher than expected MCAT) - 521, cGPA 3.7, sGPA 3.8

[CheeseIsLife]

Hello!

So I was pleasantly surprised by my MCAT score this morning! It was much higher than I expected to get, and as a result I'm wondering if I should revise my school list. I was expecting to score around a 515, and my previous list reflected that. With this much better score, I'm wondering if I should add more reach schools to my applications. Here's my stat summary:

--White, older non-trad w/ previous career. SES disadvantaged (according to AAMC definition) and first-gen college grad
--cGPA: 3.7, sGPA: 3.8 (previous undergrad cGPA was 3.5, post-bacc GPA is 4.0)
--MCAT: 521
--500 hours clinical volunteering
--250 hours non-clinical volunteering
--30 hours shadowing (I know, low)
--250 hours research--nothing serious, just a couple semesters helping out in a lab at school. No pubs or posters
--Other assorted leadership and ECs

Here is my previous school list (excluding in-state public schools):
Rosalind Franklin
University of Chicago (reach)
University of Colorado
Creighton
Dartmouth
George Washington University
Thomas Jefferson University
Loyola
University of Minnesota
New York Medical College
Saint Louis University
Quinnipiac
Rush
Mayo (reach)
Tulane
Drexel
University of Vermont
Temple
Case Western
Icahn
Miami

After getting the 521, however, I'm thinking I should shoot for some higher schools...but I'm not sure how realistic some of them are. Should I apply to Harvard? Stanford? UPenn or Columbia? Which schools should I remove? (Definitely Rosalind Franklin and Loyola I'm thinking...)

Thanks in advance for your advice!!!

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[Faha]

Where is your state of residence ?

 

[CheeseIsLife]

Where is your state of residence ?

FL

 

[Faha]

Apply to all 8 of your Florida MD schools. Then add any OOS schools that appeal to you. Your limited research will hurt your chances at some top tier schools.

 

[thenucleusaccumbens]

In terms of top tier schools I'd keep Mayo (Mayo will look favorably at your upward trend and 4.0 post-bacc) and also add NYU and Yale for sure. Agree that Rosalind Franklin and Loyola will be low yield.

 

[Walter Raleigh]

Throw a few reaches on there - three or four. You've got stellar stats, a good GPA, and a strong upward trend. Harvard and Yale should be on your list, as well as a school like Columbia - why not, with your excellent MCAT and good GPA?

 

[DokterMom]

Where would you really like to go? I'd make a list of attributes your 'perfect world' school would have and start there. For example:

• Preferred climate and geography? Any you'd hate?
  
• Is prestige important to you personally?
• Large or small class size? Do you even care?
  
• Do you really want research? Or a future academic career? Or more clinical work?
• Do you expect you'll want a highly-competitive specialty? (in which case prestige matters to some extent, even if not to you personally)
• What about costs? Would you turn down a more prestigious school for a less expensive one?
• Pass/Fail, with or without ranking? Letter grades? Do you care?
• What type of curriculum? Lecture? (Required attendance?) PBL? TBL?
  
• What kind of testing schedule? Time off for STEP 1 prep?
  
• What about your fellow students. How many non-trads? Diversity?

Your 521 can open a lot of doors, so choose carefully and really be able to identify why you selected each school on your list. You will almost certainly be asked during your interviews or secondaries, so write down your reasons now while you're doing your research.

Your old school list has a lot of the "conventional OOS safeties" on it that you won't need. Your IS schools can be your safeties, so add the rest from the "upper mid tiers" and places you'd really like.

 

[Goro]

Hello!

So I was pleasantly surprised by my MCAT score this morning! It was much higher than I expected to get, and as a result I'm wondering if I should revise my school list. I was expecting to score around a 515, and my previous list reflected that. With this much better score, I'm wondering if I should add more reach schools to my applications. Here's my stat summary:

--White, older non-trad w/ previous career. SES disadvantaged (according to AAMC definition) and first-gen college grad
--cGPA: 3.7, sGPA: 3.8 (previous undergrad cGPA was 3.5, post-bacc GPA is 4.0)
--MCAT: 521
--500 hours clinical volunteering
--250 hours non-clinical volunteering
--30 hours shadowing (I know, low)
--250 hours research--nothing serious, just a couple semesters helping out in a lab at school. No pubs or posters
--Other assorted leadership and ECs

Here is my previous school list (excluding in-state public schools):
Rosalind Franklin
University of Chicago (reach)
University of Colorado
Creighton
Dartmouth
George Washington University
Thomas Jefferson University
Loyola
University of Minnesota
New York Medical College
Saint Louis University
Quinnipiac
Rush
Mayo (reach)
Tulane
Drexel
University of Vermont
Temple
Case Western
Icahn
Miami

After getting the 521, however, I'm thinking I should shoot for some higher schools...but I'm not sure how realistic some of them are. Should I apply to Harvard? Stanford? UPenn or Columbia? Which schools should I remove? (Definitely Rosalind Franklin and Loyola I'm thinking...)

Thanks in advance for your advice!!!

Aimer higher! I suggest:
ALL FL schools
NYU
Vanderbilt
WashU
Yale
JHU
Northwestern
U Chicago
U Penn
Columbia
Duke
Harvard
Sinai
Cornell
Stanford
U MI
U VA
BU
Case
Mayo
Pitt
Hofstra
Ohio State
U Cincy
USC/Keck
Albert Einstein
Dartmouth
Emory
Rochester
Jefferson
U IA
U VM
Western MI

 

[CheeseIsLife]

Thanks for the input, everyone. In terms of what I am looking for in a med school, I love big cities. I don't have any strong preference towards a specific specialty because I need to do more shadowing, but I am less likely to pursue a surgical specialty. I want to interact and work closely with (conscious) patients, and I would love to work with underserved and needy populations, here in the US and/or abroad. I haven't ruled out primary care or FM; I'm also curious about exploring PM&R (diverse patient population and career options), urology (equal opportunities for lots of clinical interaction and surgery), or EM/critical care.

I added schools, then culled some, then added even more new ones. I'm a little intimidated by putting so many schools on. I'm in the Fee Assistance Program, so about half of these primary applications will be free for me, and hopefully all of the secondary fees will be waived as well. My main concerns at this point are 1.) will I be able to complete all these secondaries in a reasonable amount of time? and 2.) Will I even have time to attend possibly 10+ interviews this Fall? I'll be in school full-time doing research and shadowing to boot... I guess I'll just have to buckle down and make it work!

Revised list:
Tier 1
WashU
Columbia
Chicago
Penn
JHU
Harvard (easy secondary)
UCSF (easy secondary, screens pre-secondary)

Tier 2
Baylor
Mayo (easy secondary) (MN + AZ)
Michigan
NYU
Mt. Sinai
Cornell
Northwestern
Einstein (easy secondary)
Emory
Vanderbilt (easy secondary)
Iowa
Cincinnati
Pitt
Case Western

Tier 3
Dartmouth
SUNY Downstate
Keck (easy secondary)
Rochester (easy secondary)
Vermont
BU
Tufts
Minnesota
Colorado
SLU (easy secondary)

+ all other FL schools

37 schools total...

 

[DokterMom]

That's way too many schools... FAP has a limit - don't recall exactly what it was, but if you qualify for FAP, you don't want to overspend needlessly.

Your qualifications look strong but (from what you wrote) not particularly unique. For Harvard / Hopkins / Penn / UCSF you probably need some 'sizzle' along with your steak. Do you have a compelling 'sound bite' in your application to make you stand out from the other 521-MCAT applicants? If you do, keep them, but if not and you're at too many schools already...

Any particular reason for Iowa, Cinci, SLU, Dartmouth, SUNY and Colorado? BU and Tufts are hideously expensive, so I'd drop them. Vermont is very friendly to low stats, which you don't have. Eh -- Honestly, I'd drop your whole Tier 3 list. Your state schools should have you covered on the 'safety' slots.

 

[CheeseIsLife]

So I get 16 free primary apps, then pay normal price ($39/school) for every school beyond that. However, I am eligible to have secondary fees waived for participating schools, which will save me thousands...

I do have an interesting story, and my activities and PS are very solid. I'm not a Navy SEAL, refugee, or Rhodes scholar, but I do have a very diverse background that should pique the interest of a few of the top schools on my list! I appreciate your advice though. I will definitely remove most of the Tier 3 from my list and a few of the others, which will save me a chunk of $$$ on the primaries. Honestly, my #1 out of all of these schools is probably Mayo... Hopefully I can get an interview and explain how much I want to go there!

Removed: Harvard, JHU, Dartmouth, SUNY Downstate, USC, Rochester, Vermont, BU, Tufts, Minnesota, SLU, FSU (I fit their mission but they might think I'm unlikely to choose them), UCF (don't like Orlando), FIU (not interested).

I liked the idea of Boston, but not over NYC or Chicago. Harvard and JHU seem a bit too elite for me, don't think I'm quite stellar enough for them. I liked the idea of Hanover or Burlington, but not over a big city. SUNY Downstate seemed like a good NYC option, but I already have 5 on the list.

I have many friends in Colorado and I've always wanted to move to the mountains, so definitely keeping them. Iowa and Cinci seem like fantastic schools in cities I would enjoy, so I'll probably keep them.

I'd love to hear any more thoughts on this as a final list! Thanks again.

WashU
Columbia
Chicago
Penn
UCSF
Baylor
Mayo MN
Mayo AZ
Michigan
NYU
Mt. Sinai
Cornell
Northwestern
Einstein
Emory
Vanderbilt
Iowa
Cincinnati
Pitt
Case Western
Colorado
Miami
UF
FAU
USF