3.9 GPA. Would I be wasting my time applying to these schools? I'm wondering if I would immediately be out of the running because of this, and I'm not sure if I should retake. Thanks in advance.
Honestly, is it worth applying to T10 schools with a 3.9 GPA but 515 MCAT as an ORM?
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Psyched*Out
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The 3.9 GPA is def not taking u out of the running lol that's close to the average for any of those schools. The MCAT will hurt as its below average at all of those schools I believe, but if you think your ECs are up to the mark, then I don't see why you shouldn't apply. A 515 won't immediately put you out of the running by any means.
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As Wayne Gretzky famously said, you miss 100% of the shots you don't take. So I would put a couple of the reach schools on your list.
That being said, I would have the adcom members provide feedback on your list to ensure it's not too top-heavy, and I think they would NOT recommend retaking a 515.
That being said, I would have the adcom members provide feedback on your list to ensure it's not too top-heavy, and I think they would NOT recommend retaking a 515.
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My question is why you want to apply to brand-name schools if you think the only reason why you have no shot is that you're an ORM with a 515 MCAT. What's driving this line of thinking? Is it ego-driven (you or family) to keep up with peers who got into an Ivy+ undergrad or grad school?
If the only reason you want to get an offer is the school name on the diploma, you're approaching a medical career with the wrong mindset. I know the prestige factor helps with the academic elements of your training (school + residency), so if you want to become a dean and make those connections, absolutely. Rack up the research or outstanding community impact that would make your file more attractive.
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If the only reason you want to get an offer is the school name on the diploma, you're approaching a medical career with the wrong mindset. I know the prestige factor helps with the academic elements of your training (school + residency), so if you want to become a dean and make those connections, absolutely. Rack up the research or outstanding community impact that would make your file more attractive.
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I primarily want to apply to these schools for the research opportunities. I've heard that research opportunities are abundance at higher-ranked schools, and research is something that I want to continue doing extensively throughout med school. Further, my goal is to match into a surgical subspecialty, and I know that residency match rates are much higher at these brand-name schools.My question is why you want to apply to brand-name schools if you think the only reason why you have no shot is that you're an ORM with a 515 MCAT. What's driving this line of thinking? Is it ego-driven (you or family) to keep up with peers who got into an Ivy+ undergrad or grad school?
If the only reason you want to get an offer is the school name on the diploma, you're approaching a medical career with the wrong mindset. I know the prestige factor helps with the academic elements of your training (school + residency), so if you want to become a dean and make those connections, absolutely. Rack up the research or outstanding community impact that would make your file more attractive.
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Yeah, I have 3-4 on my list at the moment. People I've talked to also said it wouldn't be wise to retake it, but I"m wondering if I'll regret it.
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Any MD school with in-house surgical specialties will have more than enough opportunity for a medical student.
That would be about the "top" 100 or so.
Even students at the "bottom" 50 routinely match into surgical subs.
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AJS59
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FWIW, I go to school not in the T10 and not only is research in abundance, we match very well on a yearly basis in surgery and various surgery subspecialties.
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Which of the 20 schools that make up the T10 are you interested in?
If you're talking about Harvard/ Stanford class schools, then no.
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Others have already noted that most MD programs that you could apply for will have research opportunities, but if you want significant exposure to research, you should choose from the curricula about how much "research" is encouraged in the form of independent theses. Sure, many brand schools involve some formal student research office, and you should look for them. But they exist at a lot of medical schools, and not just the brand-names.
Unless you have dedicated time in research like the MD/PhD's, Mayo, or CCLCM (off the top of my head), don't think you'll be involved with making your own new strain of gene-modified mouse to study disease. Be reasonable with how much research you want to do while keeping your head above water with your medical school obligations. (Really, ask the folks in the Physician Scientists forum and APSA.)
Others in the meded community can comment on the residency match rates correlating with brand-name schools, but your description I think oversimplifies (incorrectly) the true complexity of residency matching.
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Here's a list of schools that you'll be competitive for:
Hofstra
Baylor
BU
Pitt
Sinai
U MI
Brown
Kaiser (only 50 seats!)
Rochester
SUNY-SB
U AZ-P (favors westerners)
USC/Keck
Albert Einstein
Dartmouth
Emory
NYMC
Ohio State
U Cincy
U IA
U MA
UCSF
Creighton
Gtown
Hackensack Meridian
Jefferson
Miami
NYU-LI
SLU
Tufts
U CO
U VM
UCF
UCLA [likes disadvantaged]
Uniformed Services University/Hebert (just be aware of the military service commitment)
VCU
Western MI
Your state school(s)
Yes, it's a long list. Your job is to cull it down, based upon your needs/interests.
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I'm going against the grain here about retakes - it's worth it IF and only if you get a 520 or better on the retake. If you are very sure that you'll do much better it might be worth it. Like if your last three AAMC practice tests were in the 520s and you're on the fence. And you don't have test anxiety or anything.
I was thinking Harvard, Penn, and Columbia. I feel like I'll have to remove Penn because they're very stat-heavy.
Sounds good, thanks for the advice!
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All three of those schools would be donations
Does this mean I'll have to make a significant don'ation to get in haha
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It will have to be much larger than your application fee!
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