looking for med schools to apply to for entry in 2004

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AegisZero

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Hi all. Thanks for any help you can provide in advance!

The pre-application cycle for my school has begun (I am a junior right now). I am trying to assemble a list of schools to apply to.

To begin, I was wondering what the average number of schools a student who would apply to mainly top 20 schools applies to. I know since the acceptances are so low, it is best ot hedge your bet by applying to many schools. But I also here that schools dont like it when you "go overboard" and apply to 25 schools. So what is a good target number for me?

Also what sorts of schools should I be thinking about applying to. I am interested in a career in academia as an MD, and I hope to be a surgical oncologist (or some other form of cancer research).

I am an Indian male at Duke University majoring in biology, and minoring in philosophy and political science. I have a 3.81 GPA and will probably have about 230 credit hours upon graduation. I scored a 38T on my MCAT and am involved in student government and TAing organic chemistry (for 2 years) with research experience.

What makes me the most afraid about the admissions process is that I really havent done something incredibly unique, which is why I fear an array of rejection letters upon application. Any help in helping me choose some schools to apply to would be great!

Thanks again!!

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230 credit hours?!?! Is Dook on a quarter system? If not, how long have you been in college, 10 years? :rolleyes:
 
Took 17 APs Tests, doesnt count towards GPA though.
 
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Apply to any school you want to be at, you have a great shot anywhere. I'd say no more than 12 schools is necessary. Plus you have a year to do something "really unique," I'd suggest something abroad or some interesting research or volunteering that you're really passionate about. Maybe look for a summer research spot at a school you're interested in, that would give you a great opportunity to see it as well as show your interest in it. Most likely you're gonna see an array of interview letters, not rejection letters.
 
yeah, you should apply to 10-15 schools tops if these stats are legit. make sure you get some clinical exposure between now and next june, concentrate on writing (see that boy wonder, not "righting")a good P.S. and secondary essays and apply to a healthy mix of top 25 and mid of the pack schools, you'll surely get a lot of interviews with those numbers
 
Thats a bunch for your responses, they have been really helpful. Im just curious about what a PS is (haven't encountered that jargon yet).

Thanks!

PS. Who said "righting" I dont see that anywhere in the thread?
 
Originally posted by AegisZero
Thats a bunch for your responses, they have been really helpful. Im just curious about what a PS is (haven't encountered that jargon yet).

Thanks!

Personal Statement
 
they are referring to personal statement. you get something like 1500 words to talk about yourself on your AMCAS application. there's a lot of interesting stuff you can do with it, I'd suggest looking up some websites about how to write the personal statement, or ask your pre-health advisor for some advice on where to start. basically you want to say something interesting about yourself that makes admit committees want to meet you. and proofread it about 100 times for stupid mistakes. I think it's kind of a the fun section on the AMCAS app, you can talk about whatever you want, it's completely within your control.
 
Look for MD/PhD programs, you'll definitely get into one of them and that can help your pursuit of academia....

a few questions out of curiousity..........are you in houston now, since you put that are your location.........

and how many credits are you taking per semester?....and how many credits did you enter with in hs.............

also, if you used some for your basic sciences, be careful of schools that want a grade for them and wont accept AP, there are a few top 20 schools that want a grade..........

nero
 
Originally posted by Street Philosopher
omfg

Yeah. I took 8 and that was way too many. Especially considering I don't get credit for anything except getting a language requirement exemption (which is huge, actually).

Isn't it true that at Duke, you only get actual credit for a max of 2 APs and that the rest don't count as actual credit hours? (basically cuts the number of classes you have to take from 34 to 32?)
 
For graduation yes only 2 will count, but on your transcript it lists all of them. So if you took APs they will add to your "cumulative credits/credit hours" which is what med schools are looking at I assume.
 
Originally posted by AegisZero
For graduation yes only 2 will count, but on your transcript it lists all of them. So if you took APs they will add to your "cumulative credits/credit hours" which is what med schools are looking at I assume.

Hmmm...here, our transcripts list them all, even if they don't count. But if you're not accelerated, they don't count as "active" credits. From what I heard, if they are not active, then they aren't really counted on AMCAS.
 
are you sure?...a friend of mine at duke said only the clases you skip count toward your credits, but all show up..................i'm not sure, but just be careful, cause when you do your amcas,you dont want to have to go through all the work of the ap classes if they dont count

nero
 
So on your own applications for med school, where they ask for coursework, did you enter your AP courses even if they did not count towards graduation directly?

On our transcripts they show AP Credits as one category and list all the classes there. They also give two values for the number of courses taken: "Credits towards GPA" and "Total Cumulative Credits". The latter includes transfer and AP credits.
 
Originally posted by AegisZero
So on your own applications for med school, where they ask for coursework, did you enter your AP courses even if they did not count towards graduation directly?

On our transcripts they show AP Credits as one category and list all the classes there. They also give two values for the number of courses taken: "Credits towards GPA" and "Total Cumulative Credits". The latter includes transfer and AP credits.

I'm pretty sure you only put classes that are "active" or whatever the term is at your school. I think if it counts toward your GPA, you should put it on AMCAS. As for transfer credits, you have to send in transcripts from all colleges you have attended, so that should probably be accounted for. I think if APs don't count towards graduation, they don't go on AMCAS.
 
So when you submit your transcript to AMCAS, they will basically edit out that information even though it is on the school's transcript. In other words, to med schools even see your school's actual transcript directly?

If not, thats quite the bummer. I am definitely biased, but I think its unfair as many schools get to count APs toward GPA. The very least AMCAS could do is recognize that you did do some college work in HS, even if it didnt count towards GPA.

Also, that creates a unique problem for me. I AP'ed out of Introductory Chemistry, Physics, and Calculus. If the transcript does not acknowledge that I took these APs, then it will appear that I did not fulfill my premed requirements. What do ya'll make of this situation?
 
Waitaminute... If the AP classes don't count towards your GPA, then they don't show up on AMCAS? My AP classes don't get counted toward my GPA, but they DO get counted in my credits. There's a difference, but they still showed up on my AMCAS. Did I miss something?

The med schools will only see your official school transcript if/after you've been accepted. I'm sure of that much.
 
Aegis- on the AMCAS application there is a spot for entering in your coursework (including AP). you would enter that information in here. if it's listed on your official transcript, then it would be confirmed when AMCAS receives your transcript. if you didn't receive credit hours for the AP credit, then I'm not sure what happens on your AMCAS...has anyone tried that?

The thing that I really wanted to say was that you should be VERY careful about using AP credit to take care of your pre-med reqs. Many schools won't like it, specifically if they don't show up on your transcript (the best way to answer that question is to request an official copy of your transcript...you might have to pay a few bucks, but it'll be worth it to know what you're applying with). I used AP credit to place out of Biology and now I'm taking Biochem and some other bio class next semester (both with lab) to fill that requirement since some of the schools don't accept AP credit alone. That would probably be worse if you try to apply without having those scores show up as credits on your transcript. Have you taken higher levels (with lab, preferably) in physics, chem or math? if not, i would try.

Your pre-med advisor should have a book that lists which schools do not accept/discourage using AP credit for your pre-med reqs. At this point, s/he would probably be able to help you most since they are familiar with Duke's AP system regarding transcripts, as well as with what each school thinks.

Lastly....to all of you people who are applying in the future, talk to pre-med advisors/admissions office people as soon as possible...i had to drop a french major down to a minor because of the whole situation with the needing bio with lab...don't make the same mistake! it's best to just let them know where you're coming from ASAP. besides, if you're getting a committee letter, it ensures that they REALLY know you and, thus, can write a more accurate and better letter (assuming, of course, that you're normal ;) ). good luck, Aegis!
 
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