How High Can I Reach?

[ticktock5051]

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Hey all,

I was wondering if I could get some input from those who have some experience/knowledge of applying to med school. I'm preparing to apply to schools this summer and I can't seem to narrow down my list. There are at least 25 schools that I'd feel comfortable going to, but I don't know if my chances of being accepted are good. I don't want to waste my time with pointless secondaries to super-stretch schools or state schools that won't take a non-resident. So some feedback would be much appreciated. FYI: I'm an Illinois resident

Below I've put some info about me and tentative list of schools to which I'm considering applying. I'd also be open to suggestions about other schools to check out.

About Me:
Graduated college 2014 w/ Psych BA, Bio BS. Phi Beta Kappa, Magna Cum Laude
cGPA=3.85, sGPA=3.7
2014 MCAT score=37 (PS=13, BS=12, V=12)
Certified EMT since 2010 w/ approx 250 hours of ER and ambulance clinical time
Currently working fulltime at an Organ Procurement Organization as a Tissue Recovery Technician (recovering skin, bones, tendons from deceased donors)

Tentative list of schools:
UCSF
University of Washington, Seattle
Oregon Health & Science University
Harvard
Johns Hopkins
Emory
Mt. Sinai
Columbia
Wake Forest
Vanderbilt
Iowa
U Penn
NYU
Drexel
Thomas Jefferson
Georgetown
George Washington
U Colorado
Albany
University Illinois Chicago
Rochester

Thanks so much ya'll!

 

[threesparrows]

If you have the funds, I don't think applying to 25 schools is unreasonable. Your stats are certainly in range for any of these schools. Of course your ECs and how you tell your story through the written materials are also very important to your success.

U of Washington very heavily favors in-state/tri-state applications bc of their mission. Check MSAR and their website.

Have you done basic science or clinical research?

You may wish to post in the pre allo What Are My Chances ... unless there is something you haven't mentioned, taking 2 years off to do clinical work is not really non traditional these days.

 

[QofQuimica]

Your stats are stellar, but your list has no clear strategy, is very top-heavy, and includes some very poor choices given your state of residency.

1) First things first; you need to get a copy of the MSAR. It gives all the info you need to select a proper school list. If you had used it to research the schools you listed, for example, you would know that you basically have no chance at U Wash coming from IL, and you would know that U Colorado charges an obscene amount to OOS students ($60,000/year in tuition *alone*). Don't waste your time or money applying to public schools that don't take OOS residents, and unless money is no object to you, don't apply to public schools in states that demand an extremity or two in payment from OOS residents.

2) No matter how good your stats are, there are no guarantees in this process. Your best odds of acceptance are at your state schools, and your state schools are usually among the cheapest options for most applicants. So at a minimum, you should apply to *all* the IL state schools. Some private schools also give preference to state or regional residents (U Miami here in FL is one example of this), so you should look at the residency preferences of all the private schools in IL as well. I would also suggest applying to some schools in other Midwestern states that take residents of IL. MO, OH and MI are good states to consider.

 

[Goro]

You're a rock star. Sky's the limit for yuo!

My suggestions:

Tentative list of schools:
UCSF
Harvard
Yale
Duke
Johns Hopkins
Stanford
UCLA
Emory
Mt. Sinai
Columbia
USC
U Miami
U WI
U
Dartmouth
Hofstra
SUNY Stony Brook
Vanderbilt
Cornell
Pitt
Iowa
U Penn
NYU
Drexel
BU
IU
U Mi
Northwestern
University Illinois Chicago
Rochester
Loyola

 

[Law2Doc]

You are probably better off dividing you list into thirds-- long shots, middle of the road, and then places your stats ought to put you in good stead. Make the list work out to something more along the lines of 1:2:1. I suspect from your list that yours is a bit top heavy, and that you should replace a couple of the longer shots with middle of the road places. I'm not saying you won't get into a top school with a 3.8/37. I'm just saying most of the applicants you will be competing with for a couple of those schools will have a 3.8/37, but will also have some phenomenal ECs. So go heavy on the middle group.