MD Help with school list cGPA 3.87 sGPA 3.83 MCAT 516

[lexington251]

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[Faha]

You have many schools on your list that are very competitive. Add a few more schools such as St. Louis, Tulane, Cincinnati, Einstein.

 

[lexington251]

You have many schools on your list that are very competitive. Add a few more schools such as St. Louis, Tulane, Cincinnati, Einstein.

Thank you! I was a little worried it may be top heavy

 

[lexington251]

Any suggestions @Goro @LizzyM @gonnif @gyngyn ?

 

[Goro]

Your ECs are weak to cookie cutter at best. That will get you shut our at top schools. they like service to others, it seems.

Here's a more realistic list, if you can boost your EC hours. Nothing wrong with aiming high; the ones I have in bold are schools where your MCAT score is 2-3 points below their avg, and your GPA is ~ the same as the school avg. Thus, proceed with caution on these, but I feel you're in striking distance for some.


U VM
U Toledo (maybe)
Miami
Albany
Albert Einstein
Rochester
Rosy Franklin
NYMC
EVMS
Wake Forest
Jefferson
Temple
Drexel
Tulane
MCW
USF Morsani
UCF
Emory
BU
Mayo
Duke
Case
JHU
Pitt
Northwestern
NYU
Mt Sinai
Vanderbilt
Columbia
Oakland-B
Uniformed Services University/Hebert (just be aware of the military service commitment)

U KS

PLEASE DO NOT QUOTE!

 

[lexington251]

I agree community service/volunteer/health care experience is weakness

Your ECs are weak to cookie cutter at best. That will get you shut our at top schools. they like service to others, it seems.

I am planning on spending my summer in a program to work on this, but would that already be too late? and should I instead take a gap year to improve this?

 

[efle]

I actually think you look good to go. ~200 hours clinical service and nothing very significant nonclinical has been fine for myself and my friends that applied top-heavy. They'll like the research.

Edit: I'd swap off BU and either add or replace another handful of schools from outside the top 20 though. I think you'll get a bunch of great interviews but ORM 34.5 MCAT makes caution advisable!

 

[efle]

I just think he/she would be stronger with a more balanced research/healthcare - community service ratio

Indubitably! I did take the gap to go from OK to much better in a few areas

Guess it depends how OP views a gap and what getting in a year sooner is worth

 

[mwsapphire]

I respectfully disagree with Dr.Goro and Gonnif, I think your EC"s are fine and your list is good. Plenty of people with strong stats and cookie cutter EC's get into top 10 schools, you don't need to cure cancer to get into med school.
Ofc, my opinion is nowhere near as important as their's , but I'm gonna have to second Efle.

 

[efle]

Plenty of people with strong stats and cookie cutter EC's get into top 10 schools

Well, I think you need something special and shiny in your ECs once you have the stats in order, but his research fits the bill there. Eight posters and a second authorship is far from average

 

[lexington251]

It would be too little too late. I would consider a gap year and go in really strong next cycle

Could I apply next cycle (2018-2019) and spend the next year improving my hours? I agree they're a little on the short side, but I'm glad they've been at least meaningful, something I could definitely talk about if given an interview.

I actually think you look good to go. ~200 hours clinical service and nothing very significant nonclinical has been fine for myself and my friends that applied top-heavy. They'll like the research.

Edit: I'd swap off BU and either add or replace another handful of schools from outside the top 20 though. I think you'll get a bunch of great interviews but ORM 34.5 MCAT makes caution advisable!

I'm not completely opposed to taking a gap year, it's just a matter of stronger chance at all med schools (especially top tier) being worth a year.

If it matters, I can speak strongly about my EC's, especially music and my work with refugees (I have a very strong LOR from my piano instructor whom I've known for 3+ years)