MD applicant chances of acceptance-

[meerkat1024]

Hello,

This is my first post on SDN, though I have been reading various threads on this site for over a year. Thought I would post my stats for a discussion on my personal chances of acceptance since everyone is different! Also, my school doesn't have a pre-med department or advisor, so I have essentially been figuring the whole process out myself, for better or worse. I am a first time applicant.

So, here are my stats:

School/Grades:

-Bachelor of Arts in Anthropological Linguistics and Russian, 2013 (non-traditional applicant, decided on med school late in my senior year of college)

-cGPA: 3.74 , sGPA: 3.77 , Post-Bac GPA: 4.0 (all science/math classes)

-MCAT: 29 Bio: 10, V/R: 11, Phys: 8

EC's:

-Volunteer w/ a Hospice organization for 1.5 years, ~150 hrs

- Swim Lesson instructor, 2 years, ~600 hrs

-Shadowing, multiple physicians ~100 hrs (this includes shadowing on two Native American Reservations, and in one community hospital)

-Member of campus church organization (we did a lot of service projects), 2 years, ~400 hrs

-Study Abroad in Russia for one month (over winter break)

-Several medical mission trips to Panama, ~400 hrs (I mainly helped with translating)

-Also speak Spanish, study it on my own and took some classes in college/high school

What I see as strengths:
-I believe I have a strong personal statement (but who knows!)
-11 in MCAT V/R section
-High GPA: if you discount my freshman year, i would have a 3.9 or so
-foreign languages
-lots of domestic & international volunteering, both medical and non

What I see as weaknesses:
-8 in MCAT phys section, and below average MCAT overall (I took the MCAT with only half of physics, o chem, and not all biology completed...but I know that is not an acceptable excuse for lower scores!)
-I have moved a lot and therefore don't have any long standing EC's (2 years is my max of commitment in any of them so far)
-I have two misdemeanor charges for underage alcohol...at 16 and 18 years old...though have had no trouble with the law since then (I'm now 24)...I partied in HS & freshman year of college (though no drugs) and this was the reason for lower grades freshman year...I thoroughly explained myself in my application about this.
-No research experience
-I am an OOS student-no state residency so no advantage at any state schools

Schools to which I applied:
-Albany Medical College
-Emory (reach school, I know)
-George Washington
-Morehouse
-Rush
-Tulane
-Uniformed Services University
-University of Kansas (state school but I am interested in their Rural program)
-University of Missouri (again state school, but have lived in MO for over a year now)
-University of North Carolina (state school, but I lived in NC for 17 years, graduated HS there, etc)
-Brown (reach school)
-University of Texas Medical Branch (yes OOS, but both my parents went to this MD school)
-UT San Antonio
-UT Houston (one payment for as many UT schools as you want on TMDSAS so why not)

-I also may apply to some DO schools..have that application ready but have not submitted because I would prefer allopathic, and all DO schools I am interested in want $1000 non-refundable to hold your place in the class...so if I was accepted there (I would be pretty competitive at most DO schools I believe), but got into allopathic later I would choose allopathic and don't want to waste that kind of money.

Other Info:

-AMCAS was verified last week (7/23) and I am working on secondaries now...have finished USUHS, George Washington, Rush, Kansas...working on Emory now.

-TMDSAS should be verified sometime this week

-comments on the misdemeanors, DO application, other schools I should apply to particularly appreciated


If you read this all, thank you for doing so! I know it was kind of long.

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[md-2020]

What state are you? Apparently not TX, MO, KS, or NC?
A 29 is borderline, so depending on residence your IS is likely to be your best shot. I wouldn't apply to the UT's, as they take 90%+ from TX. Alumni connections won't mean a whole lot for you b/c the few OOS they take will be like 3.8/36+ kids.

Brown is heavily incestous to Brown undergrads and interviews 3.5%, so cut that. Morehouse is HBCU so make sure you fit what they're looking for. USUHS requires 7 years of service so make sure your okay with that before applying (free tuition though....). I wouldn't spend time+money on Emory, IMHO.

You need to consider low tier privates and OOS friendl(ier) publics such as:
NYMC
Rosy Franklin
Loyola
WVU
Vermont
Philly triplets
DC schools
Quinnipiac
EVMS
VCU
TCMC
Keep Rush, Tulane, and Albany from your original list.

 

[Nietzschelover]

Here's one of my gripes about these pre-med WAMC responders (or anyone I guess), and certainly do not mean to single out the very fine md-2020.

OP explicitly wrote "-I am an OOS student-no state residency so no advantage at any state schools."

Then very first question of next post is "What state are you?"

Seems that if some are going to dedicate themselves to being the responders to the WAMCs they need to take great care to get it right, especially when they are attempting to be rapid and high volume responders.

 

[meerkat1024]

What state are you? Apparently not TX, MO, KS, or NC?
A 29 is borderline, so depending on residence your IS is likely to be your best shot. I wouldn't apply to the UT's, as they take 90%+ from TX. Alumni connections won't mean a whole lot for you b/c the few OOS they take will be like 3.8/36+ kids.

Brown is heavily incestous to Brown undergrads and interviews 3.5%, so cut that. Morehouse is HBCU so make sure you fit what they're looking for. USUHS requires 7 years of service so make sure your okay with that before applying (free tuition though....). I wouldn't spend time+money on Emory, IMHO.

You need to consider low tier privates and OOS friendl(ier) publics such as:
NYMC
Rosy Franklin
Loyola
WVU
Vermont
Philly triplets
DC schools
Quinnipiac
EVMS
VCU
TCMC
Keep Rush, Tulane, and Albany from your original list.

Thanks for the reply. I did not know that about Brown so thanks for that. Unfortunately I don't have IS anywhere, so that is part of my problem. Mostly trying to stick to private schools other than the ones I have legitimate connects to. You are also probably correct about Emory. I know that about USUHS, it is actually my first choice (or doing HPSP), but I am concerned that I won't be medically qualified (ADHD as a kid) but that is an issue for another thread.

Also thank you very much for the school suggestions, I know I should probably apply to 3-5 more schools to be safe.

 

[md-2020]

Here's one of my gripes about these pre-med WAMC responders (or anyone I guess), and certainly do not mean to single out the very fine md-2020.

OP explicitly wrote "-I am an OOS student-no state residency so no advantage at any state schools."

Then very first question of next post is "What state are you?"

Seems that if some are going to dedicate themselves to being the responders to the WAMCs they need to take great care to get it right, especially when they are attempting to be rapid and high volume responders.

My bad. Did totally miss that. Will be more careful going forward

Can someone enlighten me how a US citizen can have no IS options (or are all such cases internationals?)

 

[meerkat1024]

My bad. Did totally miss that.

Can someone enlighten me how a US citizen can have no IS options (or are all such cases internationals?)

Don't worry about missing that...I know my post was long...

As for (my) explanation if you really want it:

I am a US citizen, always have been.

I lived in NC until 17, then moved to TN..didn't really live there for long (less than 1 year), but parents still live there, sort of (Dad is military). Either way, I am "independent" from my parents so can't claim their IS as my own.

I went to undergrad OOS in Montana..continued to live in that state for a year after graduating and was granted "in-state" there after that year while completing only Gen Chem...you cannot become a resident of a state (at least in any state I have lived) if you are taking 6 or more college credits. Montana has no med school so no in state med school there. They have a program with Washington, but you have to have lived in MT for TWO years to be considered "in-state" for that program (bummer when I found this out). I then ended up moving to Missouri about a year ago because my boyfriend (now fiancee) got a good job here, and its not like living in MT was going to help me anyway (I would have started full time school again, so no two years for me). I have been going to school here full time since moving, so no in state here because of that. I could maybe try to petition for IS here since I didn't exactly move here specifically for school, but since I am not going to be married until next year I can't exactly pull the "resident by marriage" card either, so I have a feeling my attempt would be wasted time. It would seem like I would be petitioning for IS only to go to medical school...which would be completely true and I don't feel like trying to make up some lie about how I love Missouri and want to live here forever, because I don't.

So, there is my personal very complicated explaination.

The bottom line is, IS for educational purposes is actually very strict, very different from say tax or voting purposes.

 

[md-2020]

Don't worry about missing that...I know my post was long...

As for (my) explanation if you really want it:

I am a US citizen, always have been.

I lived in NC until 17, then moved to TN..didn't really live there for long (less than 1 year), but parents still live there, sort of (Dad is military). Either way, I am "independent" from my parents so can't claim their IS as my own.

I went to undergrad OOS in Montana..continued to live in that state for a year after graduating and was granted "in-state" there after that year while completing only Gen Chem...you cannot become a resident of a state (at least in any state I have lived) if you are taking 6 or more college credits. Montana has no med school so no in state med school there. They have a program with Washington, but you have to have lived in MT for TWO years to be considered "in-state" for that program (bummer when I found this out). I then ended up moving to Missouri about a year ago because my boyfriend (now fiancee) got a good job here, and its not like living in MT was going to help me anyway (I would have started full time school again, so no two years for me). I have been going to school here full time since moving, so no in state here because of that. I could maybe try to petition for IS here since I didn't exactly move here specifically for school, but since I am not going to be married until next year I can't exactly pull the "resident by marriage" card either, so I have a feeling my attempt would be wasted time. It would seem like I would be petitioning for IS only to go to medical school...which would be completely true and I don't feel like trying to make up some lie about how I love Missouri and want to live here forever, because I don't.

So, there is my personal very complicated explaination.

The bottom line is, IS for educational purposes is actually very strict, very different from say tax or voting purposes.

So is MO where you pay your taxes/drivers license/voting registration?

You don't have to claim you love the state, just that you fit the requirements to be a resident. IS status is definitely worth the effort/time, because those schools are always the best bet.

 

[Faha]

The 6 state schools you applied to accept very few OOS applicants with a MCAT of 29. Consider applying to these schools where you have a chance for an interview with your stats:
Quinnipiac
New York Medical College
Drexel
Temple
Jefferson
Oakland Beaumont
Western Michigan
Loyola
St. Louis
Creighton
California Northstate
You should also apply to 10 or more DO schools and you should be competitive for most DO schools.

 

[meerkat1024]

So is MO where you pay your taxes/drivers license/voting registration?

You don't have to claim you love the state, just that you fit the requirements to be a resident. IS status is definitely worth the effort/time, because those schools are always the best bet.

This is true. I guess I can email UofM and see.

 

[meerkat1024]

The 6 state schools you applied to accept very few OOS applicants with a MCAT of 29. Consider applying to these schools where you have a chance for an interview with your stats:
Quinnipiac
New York Medical College
Drexel
Temple
Jefferson
Oakland Beaumont
Western Michigan
Loyola
St. Louis
Creighton
California Northstate
You should also apply to 10 or more DO schools and you should be competitive for most DO schools.

Thanks for the info, Faha!

 

[Goro]

Here's a more realistic list:


Temple

Jefferson

Drexel

Quinnipiac

WVU

Rosy Franklin

MCW

SLU

Creighton

Loma Linda (but read their list of don'ts)

Albany

NYMC

VCU

U VM

EVMS

All new MD programs except Hofstra, Central MI, Va Tech, FIU, FAU and UCF

Rush

Any DO school. Beggars can't be choosy.

Every applicant thinks both that they have a great PS, and somehow that this makes up for poor stats.

You're aware of the service requirement for USUHS? If so, then it's OK.