Well here it goes...
- 3.46 cGPA and 3.42 sGPA, biochem major - graduate 2019 at T20 UG school; steady (no upward trend) due to two B-s (Orgo 2 and Biochem).
-participated in D-3 sport through Jr year (25+ hours per week). Cut from team last year. Coach is writing great recommendation about how I tried the hardest, total dedication, etc.
• Took MCAT twice, first time didn't buy tutoring package or work on practice questions enough, got 510.
• Second time bought Kaplan 30 day class, but focused on questions and got 521 (132,131,130,128).
- Maryland Resident
- White male, 22yo, only speak English (no second language)
- First time applicant
- ~80 hours of clinical shadowing (mostly ER, but also anesthesiologist, pathologist, oral surgeon, family practitioner).
- ~40 hours (over last 2 years) running coach for special needs kids; and in high school over 80 hours of swimming coach for special needs adults (Special Olympics). Moving back home so will be picking up the Special O service with hopefully more sports (so can do year round).
- ~70 hours (over last 2 years) tutoring community adults for GED exam.
- ~130 Clinical Research work signing up patients at ER (this was through coursework)
- ~750 Hours basic (non-human) microbiology research lab. Project didn't begin to succeed until very end. No publication. Handing research off to next undergrad. Unsure if I'll get credit (and certainly won't be in time).
- ~400 hours at NIH summer intern program (basic research involving question with human impact) -- poster at end
Other location "connections" (if I can figure out how to work into application)
Northern California (SF)- my brother lives there
NYC area- extended family there (spend Christmas on LI nearly every year of my life)
Cleveland (family members attended/attends Case undergrad... and I've visited)
For application/GAP year, I will work full time as a scribe in ER at a hospital. I'm in the process of getting approved to be Special Olympics assistant coach, but that won’t start until fall. I've also been approved beginning August to tutor for non-profit inner city tutoring program for 16-25 year old GED students. So neither of these volunteer opportunities will start until after I submit applications.
I will be applying in the 2019-2020 cycle.
I honestly don't have a good gauge of what schools I should be applying to. I've been using MSAR. It seems like MSAR and SDN generally would have me shoot for lower tier, but I keep hearing that lower tier will reject my high MCAT score. Others have advised top tier (stats ******), but is it realistic they'd look at me with this GPA? Any and all suggestions of what to add and what to delete are more than welcome. (@Goro I made an account and this post to get your opinion so please let me know what you think). I was hoping to get to 25-30 schools in the end.
Here's the list in no particular order:
- Maryland
- Einstein
- Case Western
- Emory
- Brown
- Cincinnati
- Miami Miller
- Rochester
- VCU
- Boston U
- Sidney Kimmel
- Tufts
- Wake Forrest
- Temple
- Drexel
- Georgetown
- George Washington
- Ohio State
- Eastern Virginia
- Loyola Stritch
- Rosalind Franklin
- Medical College of Wisconsin
- Western Michigan
- NY Medical College
- Tulane
- Quinnipiac
- Creighton
- Kaiser
- Penn State
- 3.46 cGPA and 3.42 sGPA, biochem major - graduate 2019 at T20 UG school; steady (no upward trend) due to two B-s (Orgo 2 and Biochem).
-participated in D-3 sport through Jr year (25+ hours per week). Cut from team last year. Coach is writing great recommendation about how I tried the hardest, total dedication, etc.
• Took MCAT twice, first time didn't buy tutoring package or work on practice questions enough, got 510.
• Second time bought Kaplan 30 day class, but focused on questions and got 521 (132,131,130,128).
- Maryland Resident
- White male, 22yo, only speak English (no second language)
- First time applicant
- ~80 hours of clinical shadowing (mostly ER, but also anesthesiologist, pathologist, oral surgeon, family practitioner).
- ~40 hours (over last 2 years) running coach for special needs kids; and in high school over 80 hours of swimming coach for special needs adults (Special Olympics). Moving back home so will be picking up the Special O service with hopefully more sports (so can do year round).
- ~70 hours (over last 2 years) tutoring community adults for GED exam.
- ~130 Clinical Research work signing up patients at ER (this was through coursework)
- ~750 Hours basic (non-human) microbiology research lab. Project didn't begin to succeed until very end. No publication. Handing research off to next undergrad. Unsure if I'll get credit (and certainly won't be in time).
- ~400 hours at NIH summer intern program (basic research involving question with human impact) -- poster at end
Other location "connections" (if I can figure out how to work into application)
Northern California (SF)- my brother lives there
NYC area- extended family there (spend Christmas on LI nearly every year of my life)
Cleveland (family members attended/attends Case undergrad... and I've visited)
For application/GAP year, I will work full time as a scribe in ER at a hospital. I'm in the process of getting approved to be Special Olympics assistant coach, but that won’t start until fall. I've also been approved beginning August to tutor for non-profit inner city tutoring program for 16-25 year old GED students. So neither of these volunteer opportunities will start until after I submit applications.
I will be applying in the 2019-2020 cycle.
I honestly don't have a good gauge of what schools I should be applying to. I've been using MSAR. It seems like MSAR and SDN generally would have me shoot for lower tier, but I keep hearing that lower tier will reject my high MCAT score. Others have advised top tier (stats ******), but is it realistic they'd look at me with this GPA? Any and all suggestions of what to add and what to delete are more than welcome. (@Goro I made an account and this post to get your opinion so please let me know what you think). I was hoping to get to 25-30 schools in the end.
Here's the list in no particular order:
- Maryland
- Einstein
- Case Western
- Emory
- Brown
- Cincinnati
- Miami Miller
- Rochester
- VCU
- Boston U
- Sidney Kimmel
- Tufts
- Wake Forrest
- Temple
- Drexel
- Georgetown
- George Washington
- Ohio State
- Eastern Virginia
- Loyola Stritch
- Rosalind Franklin
- Medical College of Wisconsin
- Western Michigan
- NY Medical College
- Tulane
- Quinnipiac
- Creighton
- Kaiser
- Penn State
