MD Help with school list - nontrad career-changer

[MD89]

Edited

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[GrapesofRath]

A lack of research experience is going to be problematic at all these top 20 schools that are research powerhouses and where research is a very fundamental part of their existence/mission etc. Still, there are many other fine schools that can find you rather intruiging(although such high stats might make you low yield to some of the lower tiers). Perhaps throw in some top 20 reaches(who knows maybe youll be amongst the select few who can get in without research) but that shouldnt be the focus/priority.

Schools like Rush, Loyola, GW, G-town, EVMS and Penn State dont interview that many people with >95th percentile MCAT scores; they just get too many apps and the yield on those type of applicants just isnt good. Pitt, Pritzer, Mt Sinai, Cornell, NYU, Columbia, Yale, Baylor, Northwestern and Vanderbilt are exactly those top 20 research powerhouses I was alluding to where itll take a pretty big hook for someone to get admitted without any research experience.

So basically that leaves 7 of 24 schools on your list that I havent mentioned. Keep those. So here are some others I might give consideration to: Dartmouth, U of Iowa, Tufts, Boston U, Hofstra, Rochester, Keck, UVA, USF, U of Illinois, Stony Brook, SUNY Downstate, Tulane and Saint Louis amongst others. You're in kind of a unique situation where top 20s might not be the best use of an application for you but neither are lower tier low yield schools. Hence, what remains are OOS public schools and "medium" tier types; I think you have an app where those are the types of schools I would pay particular attention to.

 

[Goro]

You're golden; aim high!!!


I suggest:

1. My state school - mid-tier (unfortunately there's only one) **
2. Albert Einstein **
3. Jefferson
4. Pritzker **
5. University of Pittsburgh **
7. University of Pennsylvania
8. Emory
9. Mt. Sinai **
10. NYU
11. Cornell
12. Columbia
13. Ohio State
14. Eastern Virginia
16. Yale
17. Case Western **
18. Northwestern
19. Loyola Chicago OR Rush
21. University of Miami
22. University of Cincinnati
23. Baylor
24. Vanderbilt
Mayo
U VA
U MI
U VT
SUNY SB
Hofstra
Dartmouth
BU
Harvard

 

[MD89]

@GrapesofRath - I know, I'm in a really weird spot...and geography, cost, and **FIT** are way more important to me than name. I figured that the lower stat schools would be my "safeties" - it makes me a bit uncomfortable to drop them but I guess it makes sense.

I do have a non-science research experience in that I completed an independent study for credit through my undergrad (which was pretty unusual for my major) but I know that's definitely not the type of research the top schools are looking for so I wasn't going to list it as an EC.

It's kind of hard to figure out the OOS public schools that would be appropriate to apply to. According to MSAR, most seem to matriculate so few out-of-staters and those students that end up there likely have a connection to those states, no? Also, some schools seem just so prohibitively expensive for OOS - U of IL is $75k/year just for tuition and fees!

@Goro - seriously? My numbers are good but I feel like my ECs are just pretty ordinary, lol. I don't even think I could say the words Harvard and me in the same sentence. I do have something very special (not included above) that I'm hoping to get off the ground but it might not happen in a significant way before I submit my AMCAS - so I hesitate to include it as of yet as one of my ECs.

Either way, thank you both for the advice. As a combination of your feedback, how's this updated version? Still seems a bit like a reach but perhaps it's more realistic? My biggest worry is not getting in this cycle since as it is, I could have applied this past year but chose to wait for this upcoming cycle.

1. My state school
2. Albert Einstein
3. Jefferson
4. Pritzker
5. University of Pittsburgh
6. University of Pennsylvania
7. Emory
8. Mt. Sinai
9. Ohio State
10. Yale
11. Case Western
12. Loyola Chicago
13. University of Miami
14. University of Cincinnati
15. Tufts
16. Boston University
17. St. Louis
18. Tulane
19. Mayo
20. University of Michigan

Also, one last question - if, by chance, I end up lining up a position as a research assistant for next year by the time I apply, should that affect my list at all? I'm still trying to figure out what to do with myself next year. I'm potentially interested in research for the sake of research (and not for padding my application) but if it would make any difference to where I would apply, it would be good to know beforehand.

 

[GrapesofRath]

In many ways the lower tier schools are probably the "lowest yield" ones for you. Dont worry about dropping them.

You're list looks fine by and large. Only thing I'll say is I still count 8 schools on that list of 20 with a significant emphasis and focus in research. IF you want to include them I think it's a good idea to expand your list a little with a few more schools most likely to interview you, especially since you only have 1 state program which has relatively high median stats. I would definitely throw in Dartmouth to your list---perhaps replace it with Loyola. Throw in a couple more schools like that and I think you're set.

 

[MD89]

@GrapesofRath - I'd like to still include the research schools (out of curiosity, which are the 8 that you see? Im guessing #s 4, 5, 6, 8, 10, 11, 19 and 20?) so I've added Rochester and Hofstra....unfortunately Dartmouth isn't an option for me due to its location.


Updated list:
1. My state school
2. Albert Einstein
3. Jefferson
4. Pritzker
5. University of Pittsburgh
6. University of Pennsylvania
7. Emory
8. Mt. Sinai
9. Ohio State
10. Yale
11. Case Western
12. Loyola Chicago
13. University of Miami
14. University of Cincinnati
15. Tufts
16. Boston University
17. St. Louis
18. Tulane
19. Mayo
20. University of Michigan
21. Rochester
22. Hofstra

 

[GrapesofRath]

@GrapesofRath - I'd like to still include the research schools (out of curiosity, which are the 8 that you see? Im guessing #s 4, 5, 6, 8, 10, 11, 19 and 20?) so I've added Rochester and Hofstra....unfortunately Dartmouth isn't an option for me due to its location.

Yeah those are the ones. You should be fine with this list.

 

[MD89]

Great, thanks so much for your help! Now I can get started soon on prewriting my secondaries