MD MCAT: 521, GPA: 3.82 - MSTP Chances?

[Go4Doc]

Hi All,

I'll be applying to MSTP programs this coming cycle. I'd like to know what you think about my current list and if you have any suggestions. I realize it is a bit top heavy but I've heard that when it comes to MSTPs, there aren't really any "safeties". Also I'm hoping that my numbers make me competitive for even some of those top 20 schools.

Thanks in advance for your help!

Applicant Profile

Numbers:
MCAT: 521 (CP: 128, CARS: 130, BS: 131, PS: 132)
cGPA - 3.82 (technically 3.817),
sGPA of 3.75
Trend: upward, three of last four semesters were 4.0

Education:
Major - B.S. in Neuroscience
Minors - Psychology, Pharmacology
School: Top 30 Public School

Residence:
Currently Missouri although I am considering switching to California as that is where I live now. Any thoughts one way or the other?

Clinical:
1.) 2 school years as volunteer EMT at my university. (~240 hours)

Research:
1.) 2 years (part-time) +1 summer in Parkinson's Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) monkey lab at undergrad institution. Productivity: Presented poster at international conference (SFN) and several undergrad symposiums. Authored senior honors thesis based on my work in this lab. Could get a second author paper or at least mid-author paper out of it. (~1500 Hours)
2.) 4 months Mayo Clinic (summer undergraduate research fellowship). Studied adult neurogenesis in the hippocampus. Productivity: Should get an authorship on an optogenetics paper out of this. (~400 Hours)
3.) 12-13 months in a DBS clinical lab at Stanford SOM at time of application (I will be there for two years total). Productivity: May be a first author by time of application or at least sometime in the application cycle.(~2000 Hours)

Shadowing:
1.) 75 Hours ( Neurology)

Non-Clinical Volunteering:
1.) 150 Hours - Fundraising for assorted charities through my fraternity.

Leadership:
TA for Physiology class (50-60 hours, 1 semester)
Paid Instructor for MCAT & GRE classes (600 hours)
Officer positions in ECs (see below)

Extra Curriculars from my undergrad career:
1.) Health and Biological Research (HBR) News - Treasurer
2.) Alpha Epsilon Pi Fraternity - Academics Committee Chairman & Committee Member
3.) Pharmacology Club - Member
4.) University Emergency Medical Services - Emergency Medical Technician (EMT)
6.) University Medical Reserve Corps - EMT
7.) Campus Acapella Group - Member

Honors:
1.) Summa cum laude from University Honors Program
2.) Graduated with distinction
3.) Phi Beta Kappa
4.) Bentson Scholar (largest private scholarship at undergrad institution)
5.) Eagle Scout

School List

1. Harvard
2. Stanford
3. Hopkins
4. UCSF
5. WashU
   
6. Columbia
7. NYU
8. University of Chicago
9. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
10. Vanderbilt
11. University of Pittsburgh
12. Northwestern
13. Baylor
14. Emory
15. Mayo
16. Case Western & Lerner
17. Rochester
18. OHSU
19. University of Colorado - Denver
20. Einstein

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[efle]

EMT campus volunteer + shadowed one specialty is a little light on clinical experience, you might want to try and beef up a little more there if possible so you can have a well supported answer for "why medicine" .

What are your LoR sources? Feel confident they'll rave about you?

List looks solid to me given stats and extensive research, getting those pubs out before/early during cycle will help a lot too. I'd say consider including Perelman/Penn (they love those 38+ MCATs)

 

[Go4Doc]

Hi @efle, thanks for the reply!

Well arguably I have as much as 500 hours of clinical experience out of Stanford as my lab works with patients with Parkinson's Disease. My PI is also their neurologist so we fuse their clinical visits with their research visits. I know LizzyM has the rule of if you can smell the patients it counts as clinical experience but they were technically research subjects when I did the majority of my interactions with them so I'd rather undersell than oversell. It's definitely something I can talk up in an interview because it really has reaffirmed my desire to work with patients as a doctor. We have plenty of downtime on research days and I usually see these patients every 3 months so I've really gotten to know them and learn their perspectives when it comes to living with Parkinson's. I also adjust their stimulation levels and administer clinical rating scales like the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale and the Columbia Suicide Severity Rating Scale.

As for letters of rec yeah I'm pretty confident. I have the following letters:
1.) My PI from my undergrad who was the Chair of Neurology there.
2.) My PI at Stanford.
3.) My PI from Mayo.
4.) Physiology Professor I have a great relationship with. I was a student, a TA, and she was the primary reader for my honors thesis.
5.) Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior Professor/ Assoc. Dean of Research at my undergrad. We have a good relationship. I was a student and he was a faculty reader for my honors thesis.
6.) Haven't asked yet but I will probably ask the director of the EMT program I worked for.

Considering the above do you think it's important I still try and get more clinical experience? I'm a little worried I might not be able to add much to it since I'm still working for both Stanford (full-time) and Kaplan (part-time).

 

[efle]

I think that is probably sufficient then! They're unlikely to find issue with clinical research experiences being the big motivator for you, since you are looking at a primarily research oriented medical career.

Letters look solid as well, though be advised some places are going to make you pick only 3-4 to submit to them.

With those stats, ECs and a strong neuro narrative it's hard to find anything else to be concerned about at all.