MD Need Help With School List: 3.83 cGPA, 3.83 sGPA, 516 MCAT

[ef2497ef]

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I just got my MCAT score back, and I'm gonna be applying next cycle. I would love any advice on my school list! Thanks so much in advance!

cGPA: 3.83 sGPA: 3.83

MCAT: 516 (130/126/129/131)

Majors: Psychology and Spanish

State of residence: IL

Ethnicity: ORM (SES disadvantaged)

Undergrad: T20 undergrad that is a feeder for a lot of the schools I'm applying to (idk if that helps)

Clinical experience: ~100 hours as a scribe for a rheumatology practice. Will (hopefully) be working as a scribe/medical assistant during my gap year in either a derm practice or clinic for patients on medicaid (most likely the latter)

Research experience: Have worked in a breast cancer lab for 2 years, including spending a whole summer there to work on my own project. Will most likely have a poster by the end of the year, and a possible (we'll see lol) pub.

Clinical Volunteering: ~100 hours at a hospital near my university

Non-clinical volunteering: ~200 hours as a tutor for low-income, at-risk students

Shadowing: 125 hours in 7 specialties

Other extracurriculars: 3.5 years as a tutor for at-risk students of various ages, 3 years in a club that raises money for a partner in Uganda, co-runs health-based projects with them, and runs events that advocate for global health equity, 3 years as a tour guide, and 2 years in a pre-health honor society. I have various leadership positions in all of them. Also 2 years as a Biology TA

Awards: Finalist for Dean James E. McLeod Freshman Writing Prize (2016)

Schools to which you are applying:

• WashU
• NYU
• Penn
• Northwestern
• UChicago
• Harvard
• Columbia
• Mount Sinai
• Case Western
• University of Michigan
• Baylor
• Mayo Clinic
• USC
• Boston University
• Emory
• Albert Einstein
• Dartmouth
• Brown
• University of Rochester
• Tufts
• Georgetown
• University of Illinois- Chicago
• Wake Forest
• Rush

Any help would be really appreciated!

 

[Faha]

You have many reaches. I suggest adding a few more schools such as
Medical College Wisconsin
Loyola
Rosalind Franklin
St, Louis
Tulane
Western Michigan
Jefferson

 

[ef2497ef]

You have many reaches. I suggest adding a few more schools such as
Medical College Wisconsin
Loyola
Rosalind Franklin
St, Louis
Tulane
Western Michigan
Jefferson

Thanks for the advice! I had already added Tulane to my list, I just forgot to include it in my post. I'll definitely take a look at the other schools you suggested too!

 

[ef2497ef]

@Goro @LizzyM any advice you might be able to provide?

 

[Goro]

I just got my MCAT score back, and I'm gonna be applying next cycle. I would love any advice on my school list! Thanks so much in advance!

cGPA: 3.83 sGPA: 3.83

MCAT: 516 (130/126/129/131)

Majors: Psychology and Spanish

State of residence: IL

Ethnicity: ORM (SES disadvantaged)

Undergrad: T20 undergrad that is a feeder for a lot of the schools I'm applying to (idk if that helps)

Clinical experience: ~100 hours as a scribe for a rheumatology practice. Will (hopefully) be working as a scribe/medical assistant during my gap year in either a derm practice or clinic for patients on medicaid (most likely the latter)

Research experience: Have worked in a breast cancer lab for 2 years, including spending a whole summer there to work on my own project. Will most likely have a poster by the end of the year, and a possible (we'll see lol) pub.

Clinical Volunteering: ~100 hours at a hospital near my university

Non-clinical volunteering: ~200 hours as a tutor for low-income, at-risk students

Shadowing: 125 hours in 7 specialties

Other extracurriculars: 3.5 years as a tutor for at-risk students of various ages, 3 years in a club that raises money for a partner in Uganda, co-runs health-based projects with them, and runs events that advocate for global health equity, 3 years as a tour guide, and 2 years in a pre-health honor society. I have various leadership positions in all of them. Also 2 years as a Biology TA

Awards: Finalist for Dean James E. McLeod Freshman Writing Prize (2016)

Schools to which you are applying:

• WashU
• NYU
• Penn
• Northwestern
• UChicago
• Harvard
• Columbia
• Mount Sinai
• Case Western
• University of Michigan
• Baylor
• Mayo Clinic
• USC
• Boston University
• Emory
• Albert Einstein
• Dartmouth
• Brown
• University of Rochester
• Tufts
• Georgetown
• University of Illinois- Chicago
• Wake Forest
• Rush

Any help would be really appreciated!

I suggest:
Columbia
Duke
Harvard
Sinai
Cornell
Stanford
U MI
U VA
BU
Case
Mayo
Pitt
UCSF
Hofstra
Ohio State
U Cincy
USC/Keck
USF Morsani
Albert Einstein
Dartmouth
Emory
Rochester
Jefferson
Miami
U IA
U VM
Western MI
Your state schools

 

[ef2497ef]

I suggest:
Columbia
Duke
Harvard
Sinai
Cornell
Stanford
U MI
U VA
BU
Case
Mayo
Pitt
UCSF
Hofstra
Ohio State
U Cincy
USC/Keck
USF Morsani
Albert Einstein
Dartmouth
Emory
Rochester
Jefferson
Miami
U IA
U VM
Western MI
Your state schools

Thank you so much for the list! How do you feel about my chances overall and strength as an applicant? I was originally looking at top tier schools like UChicago or WashU before I got my MCAT score back (RIP at CARS), but I would really love to go to any school like Case or Emory/around that tier of school!

 

[Goro]

Thank you so much for the list! How do you feel about my chances overall and strength as an applicant? I was originally looking at top tier schools like UChicago or WashU before I got my MCAT score back (RIP at CARS), but I would really love to go to any school like Case or Emory/around that tier of school!

My list has all Case/Keck class schools, for which I see you as very competitive for.

 

[ef2497ef]

My list has all Case/Keck class schools, for which I see you as very competitive for.

Amazing, thank you so much again! You all are really such an incredible help.

I just have one more question (if you don't know that's totally fine). In reading the reviews on here for Stanford, I saw that students' overall ratings for their interviews were poor relative to almost every other school I was looking at. Specifically, people said that there interviewers were rude or something of the sort that left a bad taste in their mouth. Have you heard similar things? That was the main reason that I had left Stanford off of my original list.

 

[Goro]

Amazing, thank you so much again! You all are really such an incredible help.

I just have one more question (if you don't know that's totally fine). In reading the reviews on here for Stanford, I saw that students' overall ratings for their interviews were poor relative to almost every other school I was looking at. Specifically, people said that there interviewers were rude or something of the sort that left a bad taste in their mouth. Have you heard similar things? That was the main reason that I had left Stanford off of my original list.

It's not something I pay attention to.

SDNers are always advised to report rude or unprofessional interviewers to the Admissions Dean. It's the only way we can clean up the process. Also keep in mind that it's a two way street. there are a lot of thin-skinned people out there. How thin? Light passes right them!

 

[ef2497ef]

It's not something I pay attention to.

SDNers are always advised to report rude or unprofessional interviewers to the Admissions Dean. It's the only way we can clean up the process. Also keep in mind that it's a two way street. there are a lot of thin-skinned people out there. How thin? Light passes right them!

That totally makes sense. I think I'll definitely still apply because everyone has a different perspective so I might as well see for myself if I'm lucky enough to get an interview!

I also have a question about UChicago. I really do think that based on fit and location it is my ideal school, and I have been able to have conversations with 2 people on the admissions committee there and remain in contact with them, and they told me that they really like students from my school because we do well there. Based on the data of the students that my school has sent there over the past 5 years, my stats are well within the middle 50th percentile. I also had a conversation with my PI the other day about my school list (which was incredibly helpful combined with your advice!), and he said that he thinks I have a good chance of getting in. Obviously with acceptance rates so low, nobody ever knows, but I was just curious on your take of my chance of getting in there given all of this information. Thank you so much!

 

[Goro]

That totally makes sense. I think I'll definitely still apply because everyone has a different perspective so I might as well see for myself if I'm lucky enough to get an interview!

I also have a question about UChicago. I really do think that based on fit and location it is my ideal school, and I have been able to have conversations with 2 people on the admissions committee there and remain in contact with them, and they told me that they really like students from my school because we do well there. Based on the data of the students that my school has sent there over the past 5 years, my stats are well within the middle 50th percentile. I also had a conversation with my PI the other day about my school list (which was incredibly helpful combined with your advice!), and he said that he thinks I have a good chance of getting in. Obviously with acceptance rates so low, nobody ever knows, but I was just curious on your take of my chance of getting in there given all of this information. Thank you so much!

I think U Chicago is a tad beyond reach. The higher up the pole one wants to climb, the more slippery it gets.