Looking for school list help

[deleted674723]

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I just found a thread about a guy with a 36 MCAT and a 3.86 not getting in anywhere so I want to make sure I haven't completely miscalculated my competitiveness. My stats:

3.87 GPA
MCAT comes back on the 21st, but my preliminary is 90-100% so I'm expecting a 33 at the bare minimum.
I have very minimal research experience but will be working in a lab all next year during my senior year.
I have tons of leadership positions in student organizations (including president of the PreMed Association) and am extremely active in mentoring and teaching on campus.
I have only ~40 hours of shadowing but also 75 hours volunteering at a local cancer institute.
I have other volunteer work with underprivileged communities.
Top 20 undergrad
Florida resident
ORM

SCHOOLS:

BU
Miami
Wake Forest
University of South Florida
University of Florida
University of Colorado
Emory
Georgetown
Case Western Reserve
Duke
Mayo
Northwestern
NYU
Oregon
USC
UCSD
Tufts
Tulane
UNC
UVA
Temple
Jefferson
George Washington
Mt. Sinai

and some other big reach schools.

Is this a realistic list? Is there anything I should add? Thanks so much!

 

[NewHorizons]

I don't have as much experience with school lists per say, but someone struggling to get in with a 3.87 and 36 MCAT is ... relatively rare. There must have been other problems (interviews, poor written application, etc)

I'll let someone else come to be more explicit on the school lists, but I personally think you are a decently strong candidate and have a fair shot.

Good luck and keep fighting for that dream.

 

[deleted674723]

I don't have as much experience with school lists per say, but someone struggling to get in with a 3.87 and 36 MCAT is ... relatively rare. There must have been other problems (interviews, poor written application, etc)

I'll let someone else come to be more explicit on the school lists, but I personally think you are a decently strong candidate and have a fair shot.

Good luck and keep fighting for that dream.

Thanks for the encouragement, bud!

 

[NewHorizons]

-

 

[deleted674723]

Yes. It is a little late... My MCAT scores don't come back until July 21st so I figured since my scores are late anyway I can still edit my schools a bit. I have applied to all of those schools listed already, but am still waiting to be verified and get my scores back. I know I'm at a disadvantage but I don't want to take a gap year if I don't have to.

 

[NewHorizons]

Yes. It is a little late... My MCAT scores don't come back until July 21st so I figured since my scores are late anyway I can still edit my schools a bit. I have applied to all of those schools listed already, but am still waiting to be verified and get my scores back. I know I'm at a disadvantage but I don't want to take a gap year if I don't have to.

So you already submitted the primaries? Got secondaries? You know good and well that you can prep as much as possible with the time you have left.

Yeah it's on the late side, but it's better than nothing and it's not like your chances are as remote as the Bermuda triangle.

Take care,

 

[GrapesofRath]

People with 36/3.86's don't get in due to a total lack of clinical exposure, no volunteering, only applying to 7 schools(and them being a bunch of top 20's at that) or having horrendous interview skills. That's the type of thing that keeps them out.

You on the other hand with a solid list will be completely fine for getting II's. Under the assumption let's assume 34 MCAT. I can't really recommend the research heavy top 20 schools regardless without research experience; I doubt starting once you are a senior will make much difference. If you are gunning for the top schools and have an interest in research you will be in much better shape for those schools if you wait a year.

With that said here is what I would consider personally

ALL Florida Schools
Boston U
Wake Forest
Emory
USC
Rochester
Einstein
Tulane
Jefferson
UVA(if the MCAT ends up on the higher end of the scale)
U of Arizona
U of Toledo
Hofstra
Oakland
Quinnipac
Western Michigan
Saint Louis
Creighton

You can try your hand at a few of those research oriented schools if you like to see what happens. Case Western, Mt Sinai, Vanderbilt would be some to really look into in this case. Again, I wouldn't really count on much here without research experience though.

 

[deleted674723]

People with 36/3.86's don't get in due to a total lack of clinical exposure, no volunteering, only applying to 7 schools(and them being a bunch of top 20's at that) or having horrendous interview skills. That's the type of thing that keeps them out.

You on the other hand with a solid list will be completely fine for getting II's. Under the assumption let's assume 34 MCAT. I can't really recommend the research heavy top 20 schools regardless without research experience; I doubt starting once you are a senior will make much difference. If you are gunning for the top schools and have an interest in research you will be in much better shape for those schools if you wait a year.

With that said here is what I would consider personally

ALL Florida Schools
Boston U
Wake Forest
Emory
USC
Rochester
Einstein
Tulane
Jefferson
UVA(if the MCAT ends up on the higher end of the scale)
U of Arizona
U of Toledo
Hofstra
Oakland
Quinnipac
Western Michigan
Saint Louis
Creighton

You can try your hand at a few of those research oriented schools if you like to see what happens. Case Western, Mt Sinai, Vanderbilt would be some to really look into in this case. Again, I wouldn't really count on much here without research experience though.

Thanks for the tips! I was torn for a while about waiting a year to be more competitive at those schools but I decided the name recognition isn't worth putting off my dreams so I would be more than thrilled with any mid tier school. You've given me some real confidence in my app so thank you! My only concern now is timing. I don't get my mcat back until the 21st like I said and I didn't submit my primary until July 1st. Is my application going to be detrimentally late?

 

[GrapesofRath]

Thanks for the tips! I was torn for a while about waiting a year to be more competitive at those schools but I decided the name recognition isn't worth putting off my dreams so I would be more than thrilled with any mid tier school. You've given me some real confidence in my app so thank you! My only concern now is timing. I don't get my mcat back until the 21st like I said and I didn't submit my primary until July 1st. Is my application going to be detrimentally late?

No

 

[deleted674723]

Awesome.