Need suggestions to finalize my school list

[Kouneko]

Hello again SDN.

This is my background post: Low GPA and High DAT with unique circumstances. Should I apply this year?

After reading through a lot of SDN threads and ADEA guides, I am finalizing my school list.

Stats:
Overall GPA 3.43, Science 3.27, BCP 3.16 with 3.95 last year of university
DAT 24 AA/25 TS

ECs:
400 hours of research with an undergraduate conference presentation under school of medicine
100 hours of shadowing
10 hours of volunteering (will raise it)
Currently working as a manager and a dental assistant at a dental clinic in a medically underserved community (Today is my first day)

3 Strong letters of recommendation from professors (2 science, 1 non-science), 1 Dentist letter

CA Resident, UCSD undergraduate, ORM, 19

Current school list:
UCLA
UCSF
UoP
USC
Western
Loma Linda
AZ DOH
NOVA
MWU-IL
MWU-AZ
Louisville
UNLV
UPenn
Temple
Roseman
Case Western
UNE
LECOM
Creighton
Touro
Colorado
Maryland
UD Mercy
NYU
Marquette

I want to keep the list within 25 schools!

Please give me suggestions to add/remove the OOS schools base on these priorities:
1) Take CC credits for prerequisites
2) OOS-friendly
3) More DAT-focus and less GPA-focus
4) Overall, higher chance for me to get in.

I care less about the location, and just slightly on the cost.

Thank you all!

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[Spliced]

i think you have a good mix, Loma linda is a religious uni, unless you have a letter you won't get in. cut the list down a bit i would say. I think others can give more guidance as im a canadian. If you want another safety school you can add indiana.

 

[WheatLom]

I'd say max like 18 schools no need for 25.

 

[Kouneko]

i think you have a good mix, Loma linda is a religious uni, unless you have a letter you won't get in. cut the list down a bit i would say. I think others can give more guidance as im a canadian. If you want another safety school you can add indiana.

I do have a religious letter just not from a Christian religion. I'm not too sure how I should cut down the list... I'll think about Indiana and wait for others' inputs!

I'd say max like 18 schools no need for 25.

The reason why I want to apply to many schools is that I have a lot of variables that I'm not sure how schools look at (late app, age, CC, inconsistency in grades, little volunteering hours). Want to apply to more schools as possible so that I can maximize my chances... I'm not sure how to trim down this list as well.

Thank you everyone for your inputs!

 

[periopocket]

Cut Loma Linda, Colorado, and Creighton; add Boston University, Tufts PENN


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[plusalpha]

Cut Loma Linda, Colorado, and Creighton; add Boston University, Tufts PENN


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Wouldn't OP's GPA be too low for Penn..? Just wondering.

 

[Kouneko]

Cut Loma Linda, Colorado, and Creighton; add Boston University, Tufts PENN


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I'm keeping Loma Linda because I can commute if I really get in there... I have Penn already on my list. Boston and Tufts don't take CC credits?

 

[periopocket]

I'm keeping Loma Linda because I can commute if I really get in there... I have Penn already on my list. Boston and Tufts don't take CC credits?

I'm pretty sure they would consider you, why not send them an email. Yea, keep Loma Linda then it makes sense. Why not add buffalo and Pitt.


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[dentalstar100]

Cut Loma Linda, Colorado, and Creighton; add Boston University, Tufts PENN


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Why cut out Creighton? Just wondering

 

[Daneosaurus]

I was also gonna suggest Pitt. I had similar GPA with MUCH lower DAT and I'm a D3 here at Pitt.


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[deleted738762]

I was also gonna suggest Pitt. I had similar GPA with MUCH lower DAT and I'm a D3 here at Pitt.


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They have a CC credits rule where no more than a third of CC credits will be counted.

 

[Daneosaurus]

They have a CC credits rule where no more than a third of CC credits will be counted.

They say that...but I got close to 50% of my UG credits from a CC.


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[CJoxi]

Just a heads up, if you have cc credits, you will run into issues with Temple, Tufts, and Pitt

Can someone confirm this? I'm applying to all 3 and i'm kind of worried now :/

 

[Toothout]

Can someone confirm this? I'm applying to all 3 and i'm kind of worried now :/

From Tufts website: "Community college coursework is not accepted for the prerequisite coursework"
From Boston website: "Up to 30 credits of community college work will be accepted, but community college coursework may not be applied to science prerequisites"
From Pitt website: "The admissions committee does not consider applicants who have been enrolled for more than one-third of coursework (both general and required courses) in community colleges or junior colleges"

 

[Kouneko]

Yeah Tufts and Boston for sure do not take CC credits... Temple, however, doesn't put that they'll reject CC credits this year, so I'll give them a try. Don't think I'll apply to Pitt then... I still need to trim down my list somehow.

 

[Kouneko]

Any last minute advice on the list? I'll just apply to all the schools to maximize my chances if I can't reduce it down somehow.

 

[deleted738762]

Any last minute advice on the list? I'll just apply to all the schools to maximize my chances if I can't reduce it down somehow.

whats the finalized list?

 

[Kouneko]

whats the finalized list?

The list I have up there+ Indiana.

UCLA
UCSF
UoP
USC
Western
Loma Linda
AZ DOH
NOVA
MWU-IL
MWU-AZ
Louisville
UNLV
UPenn
Temple
Roseman
Case Western
UNE
LECOM
Creighton
Touro
Colorado
Maryland
UD Mercy
NYU
Marquette
Indiana

 

[deleted738762]

I think they meet all your priorities. Are you sure you wanna waste that much money applying to these schools? Your stats aren't even bad. Great DAT and somewhat decent GPA. With some good EC's besides volunteering. You would waste a ton with not only submitting the application, but with sup fees(Each school's sup fee is basically the same price as applying to one school on ASDSAS), and potentially travel costs.

 

[Kouneko]

I think they meet all your priorities. Are you sure you wanna waste that much money applying to these schools? Your stats aren't even bad. Great DAT and somewhat decent GPA. With some good EC's besides volunteering. You would waste a ton with not only submitting the application, but with sup fees(Each school's sup fee is basically the same price as applying to one school on ASDSAS), and potentially travel costs.

My main concerns are my age, inconsistent grades (very very bad junior grades, D, Fs, Ws), below average GPAs, somewhat late app (transcripts may take awhile and official DAT will take a few more weeks), and low volunteering hours. Not sure how each school would a profile like that, that's why I want to apply to many schools to be on the safe side... Which schools would you cut out with this profile?

 

[plusalpha]

My main concerns are my age, inconsistent grades (very very bad junior grades, D, Fs, Ws), below average GPAs, somewhat late app (transcripts may take awhile and official DAT will take a few more weeks), and low volunteering hours. Not sure how each school would a profile like that, that's why I want to apply to many schools to be on the safe side... Which schools would you cut out with this profile?

Take out UPenn at least...

 

[Kouneko]

Take out UPenn at least...

I was under the impression that UPenn is one of those schools who would view a high DAT compensatory for a lower GPA... Should I still take it out?

 

[plusalpha]

I was under the impression that UPenn is one of those schools who would view a high DAT compensatory for a lower GPA... Should I still take it out?

I mean, the whole point of you asking this question was to get some suggestions on which schools to cut out, right? Why don't you add Columbia too, then?

 

[Kouneko]

I mean, the whole point of you asking this question was to get some suggestions on which schools to cut out, right? Why don't you add Columbia too, then?

Columbia has 3 science LoRs requirement which I don't have

 

[umbtoothfairy]

Take out NYU if you are worried about cost