Non-Trad / GPA 3.8 / MCAT 39 / School List - chance me?

[PlumbLine]

Thanks for your help! Currently waiting for my AMCAS to be verified as I narrow down my list of schools.

- cGPA 3.77; sGPA 3.96 (Undergrad GPA was ~3.7, degree was in Accounting, from a small liberal arts school, and 2 year post-bacc at Harvard Extension School was ~3.95 making up most of my science classes)
- MCAT 39 (PS/VR/BS 14/11/14)
- Clinical volunteering: ~160 hours as a hospital patient escort volunteer for past 18 months, ongoing
- Physician shadowing: 5 hours Hospitalist, 8 hours ED, 8 hours Neo-natology
- Research: 40 hours volunteering for a clinical research project interviewing patients at a hospital, hopefully will be starting up with this again in the fall
- Nonclinical volunteering: 80 hours volunteering with a pediatric cancer foundation, including being a member and VP of their junior auxiliary board, ongoing
- Employment: 5 years working for an international financial services firm in a licensed, client facing role overseeing projects

Here's my list so far:
Medical College Wisconsin
Vanderbilt
Ohio State
Minnesota
Mayo
Michigan State**
Michigan
Johns Hopkins
Tufts**
Boston U
Harvard
Indiana
Rosalind Franklin**
University of Illinois
Rush
Loyola
Northwestern
Pritzker
Colorado
Stanford
Case Western

**Considering eliminating these. Any others that I should eliminate?

Also thinking of adding...
Yale
Georgetown
Dartmouth
Baylor
Wash U
Arizona


Would love to attend any of the above schools. Honestly just hoping for some good financial aid, if that's possible. Wondering, do I have too many reach schools? Not enough mid/low tiers? Thanks!

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[jeghaber]

I'm not sure if standards differ at all for non-trads, but your weak point this cycle might be in your ECs. This is especially true for the many research power houses to which you're applying and the meager research experience you have so far. I'm not sure if you've omitted other ECs for privacy, but if what you've included above comprise your listed, you might have a hard time being noticed.

Obviously though, you have fantastic numbers (kudos!), and that'll get some schools' attentions at many of the schools you have right now If you do have the resources and patience to complete more secondaries, however, I might consider adding a few more safeties (maybe swap out a few of the IS-heavy state schools like Michigan, Wisconsin or Minnesota for private institutions like Einstein or Wake Forest).

Good luck!!

 

[PlumbLine]

Awesome. Great advice. Yes, my research experience is definitely lacking. Hopefully I can make up for it with other parts of my application. Thanks for your help!

 

[darkjedi]

Awesome. Great advice. Yes, my research experience is definitely lacking. Hopefully I can make up for it with other parts of my application. Thanks for your help!

While your stats are more than excellent, many of the research-oriented top tiers will be out of reach for you without more significant research in your application. There are still people that do get into top tiers without significant research, but they usually have something like significant non-profit work and the sort as well.

While being a non-trad is definitely a bolster to your application, you still need to tick off those 'pre-med' cookie cutter boxes unfortunately. This includes things like peer leadership (slightly different than managerial leadership). Your shadowing experience is also very barebones, and adcoms may take note of that.

 

[smiley27]

Hey Plumbline,

Awesome job on the MCAT! If you want to add a school that you would have a great shot at IMO, you should look into Tulane. They love non-trads and high MCATs.

EDIT: Just read your post more thoroughly and noticed you're looking for financial aid -- someone from HES (also posts in the HES thread) got a scholarship from Tulane with a much lower gpa than yours and a 40. I think you should be aiming for the top but couldn't hurt to fish for some money if that's what you're looking for.

 

[PlumbLine]

While your stats are more than excellent, many of the research-oriented top tiers will be out of reach for you without more significant research in your application. There are still people that do get into top tiers without significant research, but they usually have something like significant non-profit work and the sort as well.

While being a non-trad is definitely a bolster to your application, you still need to tick off those 'pre-med' cookie cutter boxes unfortunately. This includes things like peer leadership (slightly different than managerial leadership). Your shadowing experience is also very barebones, and adcoms may take note of that.

Excellent points. Hopefully I'll be able to make up some of those areas. Thanks for your help!

Hey Plumbline,

Awesome job on the MCAT! If you want to add a school that you would have a great shot at IMO, you should look into Tulane. They love non-trads and high MCATs.

EDIT: Just read your post more thoroughly and noticed you're looking for financial aid -- someone from HES (also posts in the HES thread) got a scholarship from Tulane with a much lower gpa than yours and a 40. I think you should be aiming for the top but couldn't hurt to fish for some money if that's what you're looking for.

Thanks, smiley! I didn't know of that. I'm definitely going to check out Tulane, then! Man there are so many great schools. So difficult to narrow it down.