Need help finalizing school list. GPA 3.73 MCAT 520

[Ex3]

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Hi guys, I plan to apply to 25-30 schools this cycle. I already have a list made but I still feel like it is too top-heavy. Hope that I can get some help modifying this list! Here is some information about my app:

Background: Born and raised in Vietnam. Then came to Seattle after finishing high school. I graduated with a BA in biochemistry at UW.

State of residence: Washington (I am a permanent resident though not a citizen).

Stats: GPA: 3.73, MCAT: 520 (130/130/130/130).

Research: About 1500 hours at UW (3 pubs: one 1st author, one 2nd author, one co-author). Also, 2 years working full time at a clinical lab, doing R&D.

Clinical volunteer: 170 hours over 3 months at a hospital in Vietnam, 180 hours over 9 months at Swedish Hospital in Seattle.

Shadowing: 70 hours total (shadowing in Oncology, GI, Peds, Anesthesiology, Plastic) and currently working with many family doctors as a medical scribe (5 months, 800 hours) at a community clinic.

Non-medical activities: chem tutor at UW, president of a student organization.

School list:
Hopkins
Stanford
Penn
Cornell
Mayo
NYU
UW
Duke
WashU
Pitts
Chicago
Michigan
Vanderbilt
Mt. Sinai
Northwestern
Case Western
UVA
Wisconsin
USC Keck
BU
Brown
Hofstra
Rochester
U of Iowa
Dartmouth
Miami
SUNY
Stony Brook
Tufts
NYULISOM
SLU
Dexter

This list is currently at 32 schools and I am trying to trim it down to <30. I am thinking maybe dropping Penn, Cornell, and WashU but any input is greatly appreciated.

 

[Goro]

Of your list, I suggest:



Hopkins
Stanford
Penn
Cornell
Mayo
NYU
UW
Duke
WashU
Pitts
Chicago
Michigan
Vanderbilt
Mt. Sinai
Northwestern
Case Western
UVA
USC Keck
BU
Hofstra
Rochester
U of Iowa
Dartmouth
Miami
Tufts
NYULISOM
SLU

ADD; WSU
Emory
U VM

This list is currently at 33 schools and I am trying to trim it down to <30. I am thinking maybe dropping Penn, Cornell, and WashU but any input is greatly appreciated.
[/QUOTE]

 

[Ex3]

Of your list, I suggest:



Hopkins
Stanford
Penn
Cornell
Mayo
NYU
UW
Duke
WashU
Pitts
Chicago
Michigan
Vanderbilt
Mt. Sinai
Northwestern
Case Western
UVA
USC Keck
BU
Hofstra
Rochester
U of Iowa
Dartmouth
Miami
Tufts
NYULISOM
SLU

ADD; WSU
Emory
U VM

This list is currently at 33 schools and I am trying to trim it down to <30. I am thinking maybe dropping Penn, Cornell, and WashU but any input is greatly appreciated.

[/QUOTE]

Thanks @Goro for the suggestion!!! Do you think this is a little bit top-heavy considering my GPA is not very competitive.

 

[Walter Raleigh]

I personally don't. Having been born and raised in Vietnam might add a little bit of cultural diversity; that aside, a 3.73 is not going to keep you out of anywhere, not even Harvard.

 

[Ex3]

I personally don't. Having been born and raised in Vietnam might add a little bit of cultural diversity; that aside, a 3.73 is not going to keep you out of anywhere, not even Harvard.

Thanks for the encouragement. I am going to roll with this list.

 

[Walter Raleigh]

Goro's busted out the rockstar list. @LizzyM, @gonnif, @gyngyn: any thoughts?

 

[gyngyn]

Goro's busted out the rockstar list. @LizzyM, @gonnif, @gyngyn: any thoughts?

Keep WashU.

 

[LizzyM]

Keep WashU.

I concur. WashU has been known to pay good money for excellent MCATs (in other words, excellent merit scholarships for high GPA). The only reason to scratch anything from your list would be if you wouldn't want to live in a given school's location (too densely populated, too cold, too hot, too rural, too conservative, etc).

 

[Ex3]

The main reason I scratch WashU was that my stat was not competitive enough for the school but I have not decided to keep it. Thank you all for the insight!!

 

[907914]

The main reason I scratch WashU was that my stat was not competitive enough for the school but I have not decided to keep it. Thank you all for the insight!!

I have very similar stats to you and am also a Washington state resident. Here is my list:

Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine
Duke University School of Medicine
Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth
Harvard Medical School
Mayo Clinic Alix School of Medicine
Northwestern University The Feinberg School of Medicine
Ohio State University College of Medicine
Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania
Stanford University School of Medicine
University of California, Los Angeles David Geffen School of Medicine
University of Chicago Division of the Biological Sciences The Pritzker School of Medicine
University of Cincinnati College of Medicine
University of Michigan Medical School
University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine
University of Virginia School of Medicine
University of Washington School of
Washington State University Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine
Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine
Western Michigan University Homer Stryker M.D. School of Medicine
Vanderbilt University School of Medicine

If you are looking to pare your list down even further...although my list has no NYC schools on it.

 

[Ex3]

I have very similar stats to you and am also a Washington state resident. Here is my list:

Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine
Duke University School of Medicine
Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth
Harvard Medical School
Mayo Clinic Alix School of Medicine
Northwestern University The Feinberg School of Medicine
Ohio State University College of Medicine
Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania
Stanford University School of Medicine
University of California, Los Angeles David Geffen School of Medicine
University of Chicago Division of the Biological Sciences The Pritzker School of Medicine
University of Cincinnati College of Medicine
University of Michigan Medical School
University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine
University of Virginia School of Medicine
University of Washington School of
Washington State University Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine
Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine
Western Michigan University Homer Stryker M.D. School of Medicine
Vanderbilt University School of Medicine

If you are looking to pare your list down even further...although my list has no NYC schools on it.

Thanks for sharing! We do have pretty similar stats. I am going to use your list to further narrow mine down to about 25. Otherwise, I think it is going to be too expensive and time-consuming to finish 30 secondaries.

I also want to apply to UCLA but was advised against applying there because they have some regional preference. What do you think about that?

 

[907914]

they have some regional preference. What do you think about that?

They do have regional preference, but they (along with UCSF and Stanford) are unfortunately the only three schools out west that have a decent OOS rate( >25% of each class). Plus, UCLA gives out the DaviD Geiffen scholarship to about a third of their class for Merit based full ride (And >520 is def merit based).

So, I would suggest adding UCLA, UCSF, and Stanford if you want the highest chance of staying out west (because, at least from a hiker's perspective, the rest of the country is kinda topographically lame).

Edit: But if they ask "Why our school," responding "The cash and the mountains" is probably not the best route.

 

[Ex3]

They do have regional preference, but they (along with UCSF and Stanford) are unfortunately the only three schools out west that have a decent OOS rate( >25% of each class). Plus, UCLA gives out the DaviD Geiffen scholarship to about a third of their class for Merit based full ride (And >520 is def merit based).

So, I would suggest adding UCLA, UCSF, and Stanford if you want the highest chance of staying out west (because, at least from a hiker's perspective, the rest of the country is kinda topographically lame).

Edit: But if they ask "Why our school," responding "The cash and the mountains" is probably not the best route.

I am going to add USCF instead since my MCAT is already "expired" for UCLA (taken April 2017). It going to be definitely closer to home and more fun hiking.

 

[907914]

I am going to add USCF instead since my MCAT is already "expired" for UCLA (taken April 2017). It going to be definitely closer to home and more fun hiking.

UCLA expires at 2 years?!

 

[907914]

UCLA expires at 2 years?!

Wow, yeah...MSAR says oldest considered is June 2017...Damn.

 

[Ex3]

UCLA expires at 2 years?!

Unfortunately, yes. Oldest MCAT accepted June 2017 as posted on MSAR.

 

[Ex3]

Wow, yeah...MSAR says oldest considered is June 2017...Damn.

Anw, I am glad to receive your input. Hopefully, we both get accepted to UW, assuming that you want to stay in WA just like me.

 

[907914]

Anw, I am glad to receive your input. Hopefully, we both get accepted to UW, assuming that you want to stay in WA just like me.

Definitely. I just had a student panel with Spokane Campus students (at EWU) and rumor has it that UW actually does have a hint of yield protection even for in state applicants....But here's hoping! I want the Seattle campus for research or the Spokane Campus for COL and family. Who knows!

But beyond that, my preference is basically:

Knight-Hennessy scholarship at Stanford (low chance) > Any school that gives me a full ride or brings 4 year COA <150K > UW.

That schools list I have was designed mostly with FA in mind along with competitivity.

 

[Ex3]

Definitely. I just had a student panel with Spokane Campus students (at EWU) and rumor has it that UW actually does have a hint of yield protection even for in state applicants....But here's hoping! I want the Seattle campus for research or the Spokane Campus for COL and family. Who knows!

But beyond that, my preference is basically:

Knight-Hennessy scholarship at Stanford (low chance) > Any school that gives me a full ride or brings 4 year COA <150K > UW.

That schools list I have was designed mostly with FA in mind along with competitivity.

Then, maybe you should consider NYU or NYULISOM if you are interested in primary care.

 

[907914]

Then, maybe you should consider NYU or NYULISOM if you are interested in primary care.

Thinking about adding lol Have a child, so NYC may not be the best. But this is your thread!

 

[Ex3]

Thinking about adding lol Have a child, so NYC may not be the best. But this is your thread!

I see. Best of luck to us all!