Help with school list? Lowish GPA, high MCAT

[PierceTheHeavens]

Hello all, I am applying this cycle for Md Phd programs this cycle and would greatly appreciate some comments on my school list.

School: top small liberal arts
GPA: 3.5 - significant upwards trend (3.1, 3.1, 3.7, 3.9) and I got an A in a post-bac bio class
MCAT: 524 (132/130/132/130)
Research: In undergrad I spent a summer in a fly lab and also attended a marine biology summer REU. After graduating, I spent two full years in that same fly lab doing work on stem cells. 2nd author on publication within next few months, and aiming for a 1st author pub within the next year (the story is almost there...). I've written a few FIJI plugins to semi-automate analyzing my data that other members of our lab occasionally use. 5 poster presentations total, two of which were at national meetings.
Shadowing: 50 hours in HVICU and 40 hours with private practice heme/onc
Volunteering: 80 hours in rehabilitation center, 20 hours in emergency department
Other leadership-y: TA'd 1 intermediate class and 2 intro level classes, leading study group sessions. Dean's tutor. Currently writing a particle tracking plugin in FIJI for physics professor's new class lab.

PA resident
Interested in cell/developmental biology. At the moment I really like questions about stem cell and niches.

My list:

University of Pennsylvania
U Chicago
U Washington
Yale
Washington st luis
Columbia
NYU
Cornell
Mt Sinai
Harvard
Northwestern
U Mich
Vanderbilt
Case Western
Jefferson
U Pitt
Rutgers/Princeton
Boston University
Drexel
Penn State
UConn
UMass
University of Colorado
Einstein

A few questions:
1. With secondaries coming up, how much would schools care that I can code, and have put this skill to use? Should I put greater emphasis on this to perhaps set me apart from other candidates?
2. My list is pretty large and top-heavy right now. Do you have any suggestions for which I should cut/add to balance it more? The recommended number, according to other posts is ~15-20, but my GPA makes me nervous, as I am over a standard deviation below the average for most schools. Is the high MCAT enough to make up for this?
3. Related to #2, to shave my list down more are there meaningful measurable differences between the 'quality' of Md/Phd programs at top med schools? Is there a way to find a relatively unbiased list of pros and cons for each school?

I would be grateful for any help, and thank you for reading.

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[Fencer]

I think that you will be fine applying to these 24 schools (all but a couple MSTPs) given your stats. If by mid-to late September, you haven't received at least 5 interviews, you should add more schools. I am happy to give you more specific advise, PM me.

You should consider attending the NIH GP Fair, see my prior post.

 

[s_med]

A few questions:
1. With secondaries coming up, how much would schools care that I can code, and have put this skill to use? Should I put greater emphasis on this to perhaps set me apart from other candidates?
2. My list is pretty large and top-heavy right now. Do you have any suggestions for which I should cut/add to balance it more? The recommended number, according to other posts is ~15-20, but my GPA makes me nervous, as I am over a standard deviation below the average for most schools. Is the high MCAT enough to make up for this?
3. Related to #2, to shave my list down more are there meaningful measurable differences between the 'quality' of Md/Phd programs at top med schools? Is there a way to find a relatively unbiased list of pros and cons for each school?

Regarding coding: Most of my undergraduate research involved coding, and I was a course instructor for the introductory programming class at my undergrad institution. Nobody seemed to care at interviews except for a small handful of faculty that used computational tools heavily, and even in those cases, it was seen as a basic competency required for the lab that could be learned within the first few weeks/months. In other words, it was roughly equivalent to being proficient in a bench technique, even if the intellectual demands are much greater. You can still highlight it in your application but don't expect it to move mountains.

I agree with @Fencer that your list looks appropriate given your stats. Your stellar MCAT will help but you will likely have to explain your freshman/sophomore year GPAs. Whether you choose to do that in primary, secondary, and/or interview is up to you. Between the positive defenses of (1) upward trend in undergrad, (2) high performance in MPH studies, and (3) high performance in post-bac science courses, (1) is the best option, followed by (3) and then (2). A 3.1 GPA is a B-average and if you earned that two years in a row you may need to provide a good reason (negative defense).

The "quality" of MD/PhD programs as purported by USNews et al depends primarily on the extent of funding at that institution allocated to research. More money means more faculty and more grants, which further implicates more voluminous research productivity and broader access to resources for students. The programs you've listed certainly fall into tiers based on this singular criterion but it does not suggest that the quality of the experience is better at any one place over another. When you visit the different institutions you will get a feel for each one, and subsequently construct your own mental list of criteria with which you can assess quality more appropriately.

Keep in mind that if you apply to 24 schools you should expect to get at least a dozen (if not more) secondaries. If you're not prepared to deal with them in a timely fashion it will be a royal pain.

All the best-

 

[omnompanda77]

Hello Fencer and s_med,

Thank you so much for your time responding to my questions. Your advice is well heeded. I regret not putting in more of an effort my first two years in college, and I spent a few years afterwards kicking myself for my laziness/naivete. But lessons were clearly learned and I hope adcoms will be able to see that. I will apply with my list as-is and will be sure to add more schools if needed.

Edit: turns out I have two sdn accounts for some reason. I am the OP