Need Advice! plz help

[Berkely10]

Hi, I will be sending in my AMCAS soon and need advice on what schools to apply to and what my chances are.

GPA = 3.68
MCAT = P 12 V 14 B 14 W P
I have fairly strong E.C.'s

As I am ignorant of how to go about things I picked schools in California (where I live now) and many of the top/Big name schools.




Harvard
Hopkins
Penn
UCSF
DUKE
Stanford
UCLA
Yale
Columbia
UCSD
Pitt
Vanderbilt
Cornell
Northwestern
Mayo
Mount Sinai
Dartmouth
Brown
Wakeforrest
UCD
UCI
Tufts
Keck school of medicine usc
University of Chicago pritzker
Boston University

I know the list is very very high on wishful thinking. Can anyone advise some safety schools or which schools I should take out as I wont have a shot at them?

Thanks!

p.s. other advice is also welcome.

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[Berkely10]

Bump

 

[Catalystik]

It would help to know your BCPM GPA and something about your ECs. Do you have two-plus years of research? Do you have a strong humanitarian or leadership focus? Is there a part of the country you prefer not to live? Did you review each school on your list with the MSAR to be sure your ECs fit their mission?

Brown prefers regional OOSers, so I'd remove it.

 

[Berkely10]

Thanks for the reply!

Umm my BCMP gpa is also a 3.67 unfortunately.

I have 3+ years of research with 1 first author paper soon to be published, 2 papers (1 1st author) under provisional acceptance) and I am submitting another paper soon where I am somewhere in the middle. I have also presented at numerous conferences including 2 national conferences (where I received prestigious scholarships to attend and present my work) and 1 International conference in Barcelona Spain. I have also presented at a few school and local conferences.

Unfortunately, I have very little clinical experience. I have volunteered at homeless shelters for 3 years and am just starting to volunteer at a hospital -which I plan on continuing for the next year.

I also play sports (captain one year), and have various other research awards/scholarships.

I do not really care where I live, I feel that I will be able to make the best out of any place I go.

Thanks! please let me know if you need any more information

 

[Berkely10]

Also, I know that my schools are likely out of my league, can someone advise me on some more reasonable schools. My low gpa and little clinical experience will definitely hurt, I want to avoid being outright denied by every school as I do not want to take another year off no matter what.

 

[Catalystik]

By not having a decent amount of clinical experience and shadowing, you are hamstringing your appliction for MD-only programs. Your MCAT is great, your research is great. Even your nonmedical community service is great and you have some leadership. Have you considered applying to MD/PhD programs? They have lesser expectations about clinically-related activities. It's not that you can get by with none, but they don't expect as much. And I hear that WashU isn't as fussy for MD-only if you have great research.

 

[CarlATHF]

Private schools in Philadelphia, Chicago, Boston, and NYC are your best bet, in addition to your state schools. Look in your local library or online for MSAR listings of med schools. Are you MD only or MD/PhD?

In my personal opinion, your lack of clinical experience is going to hurt you a lot. There are plenty of 35+ MCAT people, and you need to show that you haven't spent all day just sitting in the library or in the lab. If your research involved lots of patient contact, then that's different, but the way you make it sound, no shadowing + little hospital volunteering = problem.

EDIT: What Catalystik said. Damn you and your quick typing.

 

[Berkely10]

You do not think it will help that I am spending this next year performing clinical work? I know that it is a huge weakness.

 

[Berkely10]

Sorry,

In response to your questions, I am not very interested in pursuing an MD/PhD.

As I already have almost 2 months of clinical experience in (no shadowing as the hospitals around here do not allow shadowing) I thought that it may help if I stress that I love everything so far and that I plan on continuing my clinical volunteering until I leave for medical school next hear (hopefully).

 

[Berkely10]

Can anyone else suggest some more lower ranked schools I should apply to?

 

[Catalystik]

I don't have any insights into which med schools are more likely to regard your application, despite the weak clinical experience, due to the high MCAT score, but since you are strong in community service, perhaps Loyola, Creighton, Georgetown, and St Louis University would consider you. Rosalind Franklin is another possibilty.

Regardless of where you apply, continuing to gain clinical experience through the application year is critical for you, as is the submission of periodic update letters detailing added hours and shadowing, as well as other news about pertinent activities.

 

[Berkely10]

Thank you Cat for all the great advice! One last question, how do I go about sending periodic updates? Do I just email the admissions committee? It sounds like a great plan especially since I hope to achieve so much in the coming months. Maybe an update every 2 months?

Thanks

 

[Catalystik]

Updates could be via snail mail or email. Some schools state a preference and a few say they'll shred any supplemental materials submitted.

In your case an update every two months is a good idea, starting two months after you send in the Secondary.