How competitive am I for SURPs/SURFs/REUs?

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DOoMD

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I’m a freshman applying to SURFs this summer and I have no idea where I stand in terms of competitiveness.
  • I have a 4.0 but some mid-high 80s (Canadian, transcript says numerical % and letter grade “A” for all courses).
  • I have one year’s experience as a volunteer research assistant doing dry lab work with a children’s hospital.
  • This semester I am a research assistant in industry.
I am applying to like 12 American programs and I’m trying to apply broadly (large state schools and some lower ranked public schools). WAMC? Do SURFs usually only accept upper years?

A weak point of my app is that my LORs are not from profs because I have not made those connections yet.
  • One LOR is from a PhD who supervises my STEM volunteering
  • another LOR is a similar relationship (not PhD though)
  • an MSc who founded a research association I am an exec of
  • and my strongest LOR is my research supervisor from the children’s hospital.
I’m an American citizen so I still qualify as domestic :) I also posted this on Reddit I hope that's not a problem, let me know if it is an issue!

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I’m a freshman applying to SURFs this summer and I have no idea where I stand in terms of competitiveness.
  • I have a 4.0 but some mid-high 80s (Canadian, transcript says numerical % and letter grade “A” for all courses).
  • I have one year’s experience as a volunteer research assistant doing dry lab work with a children’s hospital.
  • This semester I am a research assistant in industry.
I am applying to like 12 American programs and I’m trying to apply broadly (large state schools and some lower ranked public schools). WAMC? Do SURFs usually only accept upper years?

A weak point of my app is that my LORs are not from profs because I have not made those connections yet.
  • One LOR is from a PhD who supervises my STEM volunteering
  • another LOR is a similar relationship (not PhD though)
  • an MSc who founded a research association I am an exec of
  • and my strongest LOR is my research supervisor from the children’s hospital.
I’m an American citizen so I still qualify as domestic :) I also posted this on Reddit I hope that's not a problem, let me know if it is an issue!
If you go to a Canadian undergrad school as an American citizen, when you apply are you considered standard or international student?
 
If you go to a Canadian undergrad school as an American citizen, when you apply are you considered standard or international student?
If you're an American, why would you be considered international, just because you happen to attend school in Canada? If you're a New Yorker who attends school in Texas, does that make you a Texan? Or, even better, if you attend an American UG on a student visa (not a Green Card), does that make you American when you apply to med school? Same thing! :)
 
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If you're an American, why would you be considered international, just because you happen to attend school in Canada? If you're a New Yorker who attends school in Texas, does that make you a Texan? Or, even better, if you attend an American UG on a student visa (not a Green Card), does that make you American when you apply to med school? Same thing! :)
I know legally you're not international, but I wonder whether your application would receive the same consideration as american school apps if you go to a non-american school. Don't really know much about the details of this.
 
I know legally you're not international, but I wonder whether your application would receive the same consideration as american school apps if you go to a non-american school. Don't really know much about the details of this.
Oh! Well, I'm not an adcom, but an American is an American.

While adcoms certainly value some UGs more than others (HYPSM), an American going to school in Canada is an American, not international, which is what you originally asked. As for consideration, I'm sure a school like McGill would receive full consideration, and some Canadian no-name school they never heard of would receive the same consideration as an American school they never heard of.

After all, it's not like Canada is North Korea or something. It's an English speaking border country with a highly respected educational system. The applicant is an American, with a MCAT score, ECs, LORs, everything someone coming from an American school would have. Why would you even think they wouldn't receive the same consideration?

Foreign students coming from schools outside North America have issues. Canadians coming from Canadian schools face issues only to the extent that admissions, and financial aid, is biased towards citizens. Americans going to school in Canada are fine. AMCAS verifies their transcripts the same as yours or mine. They are Americans applying to American medical schools, just like anyone else.
 
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I know legally you're not international, but I wonder whether your application would receive the same consideration as american school apps if you go to a non-american school. Don't really know much about the details of this.
Oh! Well, I'm not an adcom, but an American is an American.

While adcoms certainly value some UGs more than others (HYPSM), an American going to school in Canada is an American, not international, which is what you originally asked. As for consideration, I'm sure a school like McGill would receive full consideration, and some Canadian no-name school they never heard of would receive the same consideration as an American school they never heard of.

After all, it's not like Canada is North Korea or something. It's an English speaking border country with a highly respected educational system. The applicant is an American, with a MCAT score, ECs, LORs, everything someone coming from an American school would have. Why would you even think they wouldn't receive the same consideration?

Foreign students coming from schools outside North America have issues. Canadians coming from Canadian schools face issues only to the extent that admissions, and financial aid, is biased towards citizens. Americans going to school in Canada are fine. AMCAS verifies their transcripts the same as yours or mine. They are Americans applying to American medical schools, just like anyone else.
Thank you for your replies! I don't know if my app will be reviewed differently because I'm American attending a Canadian school. I don't want to dox myself but I go to a top 3 Canadian school that's T30 internationally. Do you think this will affect my prospects?
 
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Thank you for your replies! I don't know if my app will be reviewed differently because I'm American attending a Canadian school. I don't want to dox myself but I go to a top 3 Canadian school that's T30 internationally. Do you think this will affect my prospects?
Not at all. You're an American, attending a T30 school for crying out loud. Canadian transcripts are verified by AMCAS just like any American one. No difference at all. None.
 
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