"must apply" schools for a 3.4/30

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ronaldo23

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i live in NYS go to a top 20 LAC also in NYS (don't know if that makes a diff), and if my subpar 3.4/30 (3.2 bcpm) was my stats what are some schools that are absolute musts on the list ...

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definitely your state schools, but then you probably knew that.

get an msar and check out privates that have lower stats. also, try to find some OOS schools that have lower stats and are OOS friendly like VCU and EVMS.
 
my list is

suny buffalo
suny stony brook
suny upstate
suny downstate
nymc
albany med college
vcu

but i have no idea what other schools i should apply too that have somewhat lower avereages.
 
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Your MCAT is above average for all DO schools I know of, GPA is probably right on average, for allopathic maybe GW and GT, although i hear these are really competitive now
 
Add Drexel, Temple, SLU, RFU, Cincinnati, Toledo, EVMS. I would also strongly consider applying to DO schools.
 
Add Drexel, Temple, SLU, RFU, Cincinnati, Toledo, EVMS. I would also strongly consider applying to DO schools.

unless you have some really stellar ECs, GW and GT arent really "must apply schools" in my opinion...they are considerably more statistically demanding than someone here is giving them credit for, In my opinion...I could be wrong though
 
definitely your state schools, but then you probably knew that.

get an msar and check out privates that have lower stats. also, try to find some OOS schools that have lower stats and are OOS friendly like VCU and EVMS.
I didn't think either of those schools were very OOS friendly. They were my first two rejections, pre-secondary. Then again, maybe they just didn't like me.
 
I hate to bump up an old thread, but I'm basically in the same situation except I have a 3.6/30 (3.4 BCPM) (assume "normal" ECs). I will be applying to all my (TX) state schools, but outside of that (and a couple of DO schools that I've already decided on), I don't really have anything concrete. I've been told to apply early and broadly, but so far I'm having some trouble w/ the "broadly" part. So please suggest some schools I should definitely be looking at with my 3.6/30. Thanks!

To ease this along, I'll list a couple of schools that I've read here, but I would like to see if there are any other schools I should definitely look at.
-Drexel
-Temple
-NYMC
-Albany
-SLU
-VCU
 
I hate to bump up an old thread, but I'm basically in the same situation except I have a 3.6/30 (3.4 BCPM) (assume "normal" ECs). I will be applying to all my (TX) state schools, but outside of that (and a couple of DO schools that I've already decided on), I don't really have anything concrete. I've been told to apply early and broadly, but so far I'm having some trouble w/ the "broadly" part. So please suggest some schools I should definitely be looking at with my 3.6/30. Thanks!

To ease this along, I'll list a couple of schools that I've read here, but I would like to see if there are any other schools I should definitely look at.
-Drexel
-Temple
-NYMC
-Albany
-SLU
-VCU

Creighton?
Tulane?
Definitely Eastern VA
Not often mentioned: Ohio State and Cincinnati
Univ. of Vermont
 
Will be applying to Cincinnati but not Ohio State. I didn't think much of UVM and EVMS, but I will look into that. Any suggestions for my MDapps, let me know.
 
i will be in a similar situation next cycle, i will have a 3.4/?? mcat with a 3.7 Bpcm and what i am going to do is look at the msar and find all schools that accepted a good amount of oos and with low stats and apply to all of those, id suggest you do the same.
 
Will be applying to Cincinnati but not Ohio State. I didn't think much of UVM and EVMS, but I will look into that. Any suggestions for my MDapps, let me know.

i think you have a few too many reaches on there. while i do think it's good to have a few "dream" schools, i'd focus the majority of your efforts on lower tiered schools with averages closer to your stats.

also, why not MSU?
 
Definitely apply to the 'mid-tier' privates:

SLU, WFU, Albany, NYMC, Drexel, Jefferson, RFU-CMS, Wayne State


And these publics:

VCU, EVMS, UVM, Penn State, Cinci, Michigan State
 
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Will be applying to Cincinnati but not Ohio State. I didn't think much of UVM and EVMS, but I will look into that. Any suggestions for my MDapps, let me know.

Any linkage possibilities through that Penn post bacc? Nice job on those grades at Penn...

You have most of the lower to mid tier target schools on your list, but the top end looks heavy. The only caveat I offer is that at some number of apps, how many is too many? I don't know the answer to that, but I have read lots of people describing a kind of burnout that comes after the 20th or so secondary...and you have 30 schools on that list, looking to add more...

I would try to avoid applying to more than say 2 or 3 schools in the top 20, while at the same time aiming for around 20 schools total. I would make sure that I apply to every single school that accepts a reasonable number of OOS applicants AND your GPA is at least close to the median. You should aim for a list of schools where say 2/3 of them are not ranked in USNews (or below #50 or whatever)...

I would put all of this on a spreadsheet and sort on median GPA...and I might even compute the LizzyM score for all of them and see how many you are at or above...

If you do that, let us know what kind of list you found...
 
i think you have a few too many reaches on there. while i do think it's good to have a few "dream" schools, i'd focus the majority of your efforts on lower tiered schools with averages closer to your stats.

also, why not MSU?
MSU? Do you mean Michigan State? I thought that was a DO school?

And thank y'all for the suggestions. But can I ask why some of you are suggesting Ohio State and Cinci (and some other schools)? Their stats seem a bit high (MCAT 32-33) or is there something I'm missing?
 
Creighton?
Tulane?
Definitely Eastern VA
Not often mentioned: Ohio State and Cincinnati
Univ. of Vermont

Thought Univ. of Vermont was pretty hard to get into, considering the high usnews ranking and all
 
Thought Univ. of Vermont was pretty hard to get into, considering the high usnews ranking and all

They are high in primary care, right? Not the SDN gold standard research...

They seem to look holistically at applicants, not big number ****** from what I have seen...but it is a state school, and thus an OOS applicant is fighting for a smaller number of seats...
 
MSU? Do you mean Michigan State? I thought that was a DO school?

And thank y'all for the suggestions. But can I ask why some of you are suggesting Ohio State and Cinci (and some other schools)? Their stats seem a bit high (MCAT 32-33) or is there something I'm missing?

Ohio State has a huge class (more seats to fill) and they take lots of OOS applicants.

It is hard to find these "national" schools with an average matriculant MCAT below 31-33. There are lots of state schools where that is true, but in states where no OOS applicants are taken (LSU, Mississippi, etc). It is slim pickins' for below median MCAT schools...so sometimes the best you can do is get as close as possible...
 
They are high in primary care, right? Not the SDN gold standard research...

They seem to look holistically at applicants, not big number ****** from what I have seen...but it is a state school, and thus an OOS applicant is fighting for a smaller number of seats...

University of Vermont actually has more OOS people than in state. (around sixty percent is out of state) Now of course there are a whole lot more people in the rest of the country when compared to Vermont so you are still competing with more applicants but they are a pretty out of state friendly state school. (as opposed to say something like New Mexico where you have to apply EDP if you even want to be considered from out of state)
 
They are high in primary care, right? Not the SDN gold standard research...

They seem to look holistically at applicants, not big number ****** from what I have seen...but it is a state school, and thus an OOS applicant is fighting for a smaller number of seats...

So I interviewed there this year w/ some guy who was supposedly directly plugged into the admissions commitee and we had a good chat about my interests and whether or not I think I can adjust to the Vermont since I came from California. And then he looked my my GPA and MCAT score and told me directly, "with that MCAT score, you are getting in for sure." And honestly, my GPA and MCAT wasn't THAT impressive. So i get the feeling that maybe lower GPA and MCAT is not an uncommon sight in Univ. of Vemront and maybe if you had lower stats you should apply here. But then again, maybe the interviewer just meant I'll be getting in somewhere for sure, not necessarily there.
 
MSU? Do you mean Michigan State? I thought that was a DO school?

And thank y'all for the suggestions. But can I ask why some of you are suggesting Ohio State and Cinci (and some other schools)? Their stats seem a bit high (MCAT 32-33) or is there something I'm missing?

MSU has MSU-CHM which is MD and MSUCOM which is DO. Only school to have both an allo and an osteo program.
 
You mean number 5 in primary care

Which means nothing on the pre-allo board. If you look at that list you'd think schools like Stanford, Columbia, Pritzker (ie some of the better schools in the country by most people's standards) are pretty average. You would also think that there are DO programs that are ranked better than places like Hopkins and Penn. While there are serious problems with any ranking system, including the research ranking, the research ranking at least focuses on something that objectively adds to school prestige -- the amount of research dollars the school generates constitutes a big chunk of that ranking. The primary care list is sort of the opposite. At it's heart, it focuses on the percentage of folks who go into primary care. So to some extent it is really a ranking of schools that don't do as well at sending folks into the specialties. So this ranking system simply has more problems than the already not too sound research ranking. Which is why folks on pre-allo tend to use the research ranking. But hey, if you really think MSUCOM and Harvard are equally ranked, who am I to judge.:rolleyes:
 
Which means nothing on the pre-allo board. If you look at that list you'd think schools like Stanford, Columbia, Pritzker (ie some of the better schools in the country by most people's standards) are pretty average. You would also think that there are DO programs that are ranked better than places like Hopkins and Penn. While there are serious problems with any ranking system, including the research ranking, the research ranking at least focuses on something that objectively adds to school prestige -- the amount of research dollars the school generates constitutes a big chunk of that ranking. The primary care list is sort of the opposite. At it's heart, it focuses on the percentage of folks who go into primary care. So to some extent it is really a ranking of schools that don't do as well at sending folks into the specialties. So this ranking system simply has more problems than the already not too sound research ranking. Which is why folks on pre-allo tend to use the research ranking. But hey, if you really think MSUCOM and Harvard are equally ranked, who am I to judge.:rolleyes:


I ain't saying they are EQUALLY judged, but it being ranked pretty high on that list, I figured it would have some effect.
 
I ain't saying they are EQUALLY judged, but it being ranked pretty high on that list, I figured it would have some effect.

I don't understand what you are saying. But generally when folks talk of rankings on pre-allo, they are talking about the research ranking. Best not to rely on any of these rankings but if you have to pick one, the research ranking is the more reasonable one, at least it is based on something objective (grant money). Being ranked "pretty high" on a ranking that is less credible (ie putting Harvard and a DO school tied for #7) is basically meaningless. Schools will emphasize their primary care rankings only if they have done poorly in the research rankings.
 
MSU has MSU-CHM which is MD and MSUCOM which is DO. Only school to have both an allo and an osteo program.
Oh cool. But I bet you'd still have to fill out 2 different apps huh?

Okay, so far y'all have suggested these schools:
-Drexel
-Temple
-NYMC
-Albany
-SLU
-VCU
-Creighton
-Tulane
-Eastern VA (this seems to be a favorite of some, why?)
-Ohio State
-Cincinnati
-Vermont
-Michigan State
-Jefferson
-Penn State
-Wayne State
-WFU (is this Wake Forest?)
-RFU

Looks like a good list. I'll start sorting thru them, but please throw out some more suggestions. This has really helped me and I'm sure it'll help other middle/borderliners as well.
 
I don't understand what you are saying.


dunno how else I can explain it. I know the research list is the one that most people look at. But since US news is a well published source and there is a primary care ranking on it, people will put that into consideration. From that you will get competition. From competition you will have higher stats to compete against. Well that's my logic anyways. You can't possibly say NO ONE looks at the primary rankings list at all.
 
Definitely apply to the 'mid-tier' privates:

SLU, WFU, Albany, NYMC, Drexel, Jefferson, RFU-CMS, Wayne State


And these publics:

VCU, EVMS, UVM, Penn State, Cinci, Michigan State

Wayne State University is not a private school. Its a public school. They tend to favor in-staters (80-85%). Get the MSAR and look into these schools.
 
dunno how else I can explain it. I know the research list is the one that most people look at. But since US news is a well published source and there is a primary care ranking on it, people will put that into consideration. From that you will get competition. From competition you will have higher stats to compete against. Well that's my logic anyways. You can't possibly say NO ONE looks at the primary rankings list at all.

I can say with a lot of confidence based on years of experience on here that primary care is not what people generally are referring to on this board. sure, people can consider whatever they want. But I don't think many people put much credibility in a list that doesn't have schools like Hopkins and Penn and Stanford closer to the top, and ranks a DO school in the top 10 instead. People simply won't compete along those parameters; this isn't a new ranking system and has largely had no impact -- you won't see the MSUCOM numbers shoot to the 3.8/35 range and won't see Hopkins numbers drop down to the 3.5/30 average range. Enough of the premeds out there know what's what. The lay public may be fooled however.
 
MSU? Do you mean Michigan State? I thought that was a DO school?

And thank y'all for the suggestions. But can I ask why some of you are suggesting Ohio State and Cinci (and some other schools)? Their stats seem a bit high (MCAT 32-33) or is there something I'm missing?

Michigan State is an allo school as well.
 
I can say with a lot of confidence based on years of experience on here that primary care is not what people generally are referring to on this board. sure, people can consider whatever they want. But I don't think many people put much credibility in a list that doesn't have schools like Hopkins and Penn and Stanford closer to the top, and ranks a DO school in the top 10 instead. People simply won't compete along those parameters; this isn't a new ranking system and has largely had no impact -- you won't see the MSUCOM numbers shoot to the 3.8/35 range and won't see Hopkins numbers drop down to the 3.5/30 average range. Enough of the premeds out there know what's what. The lay public may be fooled however.

Well you can say that but I just don't see how you are so certain that premeds won't be affected by this seeing as how most premeds came from the "lay public" that you refer to. And what about parental and peer pressures? Although not everyone is influenced by them I'm willing to bed a good amount of pre-meds do take those into consideration whether or not they do it consciously. Now I'm not saying the guys on the primary care list will beat out schools like Harvard or or Hopkins, but in relating to what is relevant to this thread, the guys higher on that list would likely to have a higher stat competition than the lower ones.
 
Well you can say that but I just don't see how you are so certain that premeds won't be affected by this seeing as how most premeds came from the "lay public" that you refer to. And what about parental and peer pressures? Although not everyone is influenced by them I'm willing to bed a good amount of pre-meds do take those into consideration whether or not they do it consciously. Now I'm not saying the guys on the primary care list will beat out schools like Harvard or or Hopkins, but in relating to what is relevant to this thread, the guys higher on that list would likely to have a higher stat competition than the lower ones.

Again, this primary care list has been around for many years and so far we haven't seen the changes in competitiveness you suggest. The schools low on the research rankings list and high on primary care list haven't shot up in competitiveness. Your comment might have been more convincing to me if this primary care list was a new thing. But it is old hat. And has had no visible impact, other than give schools with lower research rankings something positive to put in their brochures.
 
university of toledo and harvard
 
Again, this primary care list has been around for many years and so far we haven't seen the changes in competitiveness you suggest. The schools low on the research rankings list and high on primary care list haven't shot up in competitiveness. Your comment might have been more convincing to me if this primary care list was a new thing. But it is old hat. And has had no visible impact, other than give schools with lower research rankings something positive to put in their brochures.

I guess that's where we differ in opinion becuase logically one would agree that more publicity a school gets the more competitive it is likely to become, especially its the positive kind of publicity from US News. As for why we have not seen a shot up in competitiveness I cannot say because I have only cared for what the US News has been saying for the past two years as that's when I decided on doing medicine. I would say it would take more proof to say that this did not have an effect on the competitiveness in school that ranked higher on the primary care list because logic would suggest otherwise. Unfortunatlely I don't have the school data for pre-ranking to post-ranking to tell whether or not it has had a true impact on their level of competition in these schools. But unless you can provide numerical proof (which I am actually curious to see now that you brought up your point) instead of what seems to be personal hearsay, I am inclined to believe that the more logical conclusion is the more likely one.
 
I don't know about specific schools, but if I were you... I'd definitely apply to as many schools as my credit card could handle. Seriously. Don't skimp now. You can eat ramen for breakfast, lunch, and dinner for 4... 7... 9 years through med school and residency. However, if you don't get in anywhere because you didn't apply to enough schools, then you'll just be S.O.L. On top of that, you're gonna be in debt anyway. What's $1000 compared to the $120-$240k you're going to have to shell out for med school?

Anyway, I barely survived this application cycle, and I think it would've been better to apply to 30+ schools instead of "just" 22.

Oh yeah. Apply early. EARLY.
 
Wayne State University is not a private school. Its a public school. They tend to favor in-staters (80-85%). Get the MSAR and look into these schools.

It is also in Detroit, which is not a great place to be.
 
Definitely state schools and an early application will help your cause. Apply broadly as well.
 
Oh cool. But I bet you'd still have to fill out 2 different apps huh?

Okay, so far y'all have suggested these schools:
-Drexel
-Temple
-NYMC
-Albany
-SLU
-VCU
-Creighton
-Tulane
-Eastern VA (this seems to be a favorite of some, why?)
-Ohio State
-Cincinnati
-Vermont
-Michigan State
-Jefferson
-Penn State
-Wayne State
-WFU (is this Wake Forest?)
-RFU

Looks like a good list. I'll start sorting thru them, but please throw out some more suggestions. This has really helped me and I'm sure it'll help other middle/borderliners as well.

Yep, WFU is Wake Forest.

Ohio State is a bit out of reach for a 3.4/30, unless maybe you're from Ohio and/or are a URM.

EVMS is a highly underrated school, at least in my opinion. It's also a friendly, likeable place. They only have about 20 spots/year for out of state students though, so it can be tough. But they do screen pretty heavily pre-secondary, so I think it's worth a shot.

U Toledo and Tulane are good choices too, I think. And though somebody commented about GW having lots of applicants, I got in with my 3.4/30, so it's definitely possible. :thumbup:
 
I think flip26 said up above in post#14 that you should compute the LizzyM score. I definitely agree with this since LizzyM has an inside scoop on med school admissions.

Just so you know how to calculate it, here it is as follows:

Your LizzyM score: 10(GPA) + MCAT

The School's LizzyM score: 10(AVG. GPA) + AVG. MCAT - 1

The results should be interpreted as this: If your LizzyM score > school's Lizzy M score, you have about a 50/50 or better shot at getting an interview. If your LizzyM score < school's Lizzy M score it will be a bit tougher and the odds are a little against you. Hope this helps and allows you to make smarter choices on where to apply.
 
I think flip26 said up above in post#14 that you should compute the LizzyM score. I definitely agree with this since LizzyM has an inside scoop on med school admissions.

Well, there are folks also on adcoms on here who have indicated that her score is only good if your stats are consistent, but problematic if there is a big differential, because her score seems to suggest that there is a sliding scale where a low GPA can be balanced out by a high MCAT or vice versa. In fact this rarely works out because med schools expect you to be solid in both, not low GPA bailed out by extremely high MCAT or vice versa. In other words a 3.5/30 gives you a Lizzy score of 65, and a 2.8/37 gives you a Lizzy score of 65, but the latter GPA won't get you into an allo med school, MCAT notwithstanding. The former by contrast are competitive stats. In both cases the Lizzy score is the same. So it's not really a useful tool, because results in some cases are more meaningful than others. It is a huge mistake to try and boil down admissions into a simple formula, because honestly, this isn't an objective system, and the ultimate reasons folks do or don't get into med school as frequently are unrelated to numerical stats as related. It is a complicated set of variables, and the simpler the formula you try to create to calculate your chances, the more likely you will be wrong. So I would say avoid wasting time with this kind of stuff. Try to be as solid as you can be in every facet of your application. If your MCAT is low retake. If your GPA is low, take more classes. If your ECs are shallow, get more. And so on.
 
i think you have a few too many reaches on there. while i do think it's good to have a few "dream" schools, i'd focus the majority of your efforts on lower tiered schools with averages closer to your stats.

also, why not MSU?

Ah, I forgot to check off Michigan State... there wouldn't be any real good reason why I wouldn't apply to all of my state schools. Oops.

I tend to agree with the # of reach schools. I'm actually trying to pare down my list to about 25 or so, not add more... but if there are schools I'm forgetting about, I'll look into that.

By the way, don't EVMS, VCU and Wake Forest screen their applicants pre-secondary? It might be tricky because I might not meet the cutoffs if they do because of GPA.. any ideas what those cutoffs might be?
 
Ohio State is a bit out of reach for a 3.4/30, unless maybe you're from Ohio and/or are a URM.

Ohio State is out of reach even in-state with that GPA. Only 60% of their students are in-state which is really low for a state school.
 
Ah, I forgot to check off Michigan State... there wouldn't be any real good reason why I wouldn't apply to all of my state schools. Oops.

I tend to agree with the # of reach schools. I'm actually trying to pare down my list to about 25 or so, not add more... but if there are schools I'm forgetting about, I'll look into that.

By the way, don't EVMS, VCU and Wake Forest screen their applicants pre-secondary? It might be tricky because I might not meet the cutoffs if they do because of GPA.. any ideas what those cutoffs might be?

The cutoffs are not always straighforward. I some people with lower #s get interviews b/c of ECs, LORs, research, etc.

You have a good list started.
 
Would someone please give me some advice on the SUNY schools. I have the MSAR and have read around about them, but am still having trouble deciding which, if any, I should apply to.

All my info is on my MDapps...Thanks!
 
Well you can say that but I just don't see how you are so certain that premeds won't be affected by this seeing as how most premeds came from the "lay public" that you refer to. And what about parental and peer pressures? Although not everyone is influenced by them I'm willing to bed a good amount of pre-meds do take those into consideration whether or not they do it consciously. Now I'm not saying the guys on the primary care list will beat out schools like Harvard or or Hopkins, but in relating to what is relevant to this thread, the guys higher on that list would likely to have a higher stat competition than the lower ones.

Your logic is flawed.

If you have a faulty list, then it will not correlate with stats/prestige/etc. For example, if you have a list that ranks the schools by the amount of seats they have (ie most seats -> least seats) that list has nothing to do with the stats and if you are higher on this list, it does not mean your school will have higher stats/prestige/etc. If the USNews published a list of schools with the most seats and a school like Drexel is towards the top, that doesn't mean the mean stats of Drexel will go up (or down) at all.

You have to look what the list is actually ranking, not just that it is ranking something! The primary care list is based highly upon the % of students that go into primary care. While primary care is great and noble, it doesn't correlate highly with how competitive an applicant is for residency positions (more competitive students usually enter into specialty residencies, which are more competitive).
 
Your logic is flawed.

If you have a faulty list, then it will not correlate with stats/prestige/etc. For example, if you have a list that ranks the schools by the amount of seats they have (ie most seats -> least seats) that list has nothing to do with the stats and if you are higher on this list, it does not mean your school will have higher stats/prestige/etc. If the USNews published a list of schools with the most seats and a school like Drexel is towards the top, that doesn't mean the mean stats of Drexel will go up (or down) at all.

You have to look what the list is actually ranking, not just that it is ranking something! The primary care list is based highly upon the % of students that go into primary care. While primary care is great and noble, it doesn't correlate highly with how competitive an applicant is for residency positions (more competitive students usually enter into specialty residencies, which are more competitive).

Yes, and also if you look at the methodology behind the rankings, selectivity, MCAT and undergrad GPA are weighed significantly more in the research rankings than in the primary care rankings, also suggesting that the research rankings are a better indicator of the competitiveness of the school.
 
Tufts; it has been known to take some outliers.

Also, not to belabor the obvious, but when your stats are "marginal," your personal statement needs to be superb, unusual, and truly define who you are. The schools mentioned above may have slightly lower average stats, but they are also deluged with applicants and you need something special to make that first cut. I know too many average applicants who say their personal statement is "fine." "Fine" equals rejected when your numbers alone don't make an impression.
 
Here's my situation: 35 MCAT, 3.4 science and overall GPA from Princeton. I applied to 20 schools and wasn't interviewed. My school premed committee adviser is puzzled, and told me to get feedback from some of the schools. I spoke with the director of admissions at Georgetown, who told me I should do an SMP year and reapply. I just wanted to get a few other opinions, and as most admissions departments are telling me to call back in May or June, I thought this might be a good place get some advice.
 
Here's my situation: 35 MCAT, 3.4 science and overall GPA from Princeton. I applied to 20 schools and wasn't interviewed. My school premed committee adviser is puzzled, and told me to get feedback from some of the schools. I spoke with the director of admissions at Georgetown, who told me I should do an SMP year and reapply. I just wanted to get a few other opinions, and as most admissions departments are telling me to call back in May or June, I thought this might be a good place get some advice.

How are your ECs and LORs?
 
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