MD Overwhelmed with school list

[jih]

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I have just recently finished my primary app to the point where it is submittable, so I am taking a break and looking at schools. Here is my info:

Undergrad: U Wisconsin, BME

GPA: 3.82
sGPA: 3.79
MCAT: 15PS, 11VR, 15BS, 41 overall

ECs:
-Clinical volunteering: 60 hr
-Non clinical volunteering: 350 hr
-Shadowing: 36 hr
-Research: 240 hr, one completed and one ongoing project, no pubs
-Teaching/tutoring at my high school (during college), voluntary: 90 hr
-Retail employment: 4300 hr

WI resident, ORM

After looking through MSAR, I wrote down a list of schools and started crossing out places I do not want to apply to - no OOS applicants, location, not meeting some specific prereq. I have ~90 schools left, and no idea how to begin to select from it. At this point, I would like to maximize my chances of acceptance, as I feel like I have a fairly strong application. Is there some sort of guide for this kind of thing besides MSAR? Like a list of schools to avoid with my stats/ECs/residency?

Here is a list that I know I want to apply to (at this point):

U WI
MCW
Loyola
Northwestern
Rosalind Franklin
Rush
U of C
UI-C
Case
OSU
U MN
Mayo
Baylor
U MI
Saint Louis
Wash U

I am looking to apply to some top schools as well, along with maybe 10 mid-tier schools for safety. This sounds like a lot but I literally have the whole summer free to write secondaries, so I have a lot of time.

 

[candbgirl]

Your stats are fine(amazing MCAT) but your shadowing and clinical volunteering are pretty low. Since you are free all summer you should add to those 2 areas. Your list looks good too. U of I has horrendous OOS tuition. You might want to check that out. Good luck!

 

[jih]

Your stats are fine(amazing MCAT) but your shadowing and clinical volunteering are pretty low. Since you are free all summer you should add to those 2 areas. Your list looks good too. U of I has horrendous OOS tuition. You might want to check that out. Good luck!

Yeah I am doing a lot of that right now. If I don't get in this cycle I'll have way more than enough clinical experience next year. I still think I have a good shot somewhere this year, though, as I have not had a problem with interviews in the past.

 

[jih]

Current list:

• U WI
• MCW
• Stanford
• Yale
• Loyola
• Northwestern
• Rosalind Franklin
• Rush
• Chicago
• Illinois
• Johns Hopkins
• Harvard
• U Michigan
• Mayo
• U MN
• Wash U
• Columbia
• Case
• Baylor

Still looking to add about 10 more, probably mid tiers. Currently what I'm considering:

• Alabama
• AZ (both)
• Loma Linda
• UCSF
• UCSD
• Quinnipiac
• Georgetown
• Emory
• Indiana
• Iowa
• Kansas
• Kentucky
• Boston U
• Michigan State
• SLU
• Creighton
• Nebraska
• Einstein
• Hofstra
• Sinai
• NYU
• Cornell
• Duke
• UNC
  
• Ohio State
• Cincinnati
• Oregon
• Pittsburgh
• Temple
• Brown
• Vanderbilt
• Vermont
• Virg Commonwealth
• Virg Tech

Anything I should prioritize or remove? Or possibly add? Again, I have a lot of time for secondaries, and well more than enough money for app fees.

 

[NotAnotherPreMed]

I think you should aim for the top schools with those stats: Pitt, Vandy, Duke, Cornell, Sinai, NYU perhaps add.
Maybe a couple of mid- tiers if you really want to have everything set: Einstein, Emory (mid-tier for you)
Also look at highly ranked state schools (2-3). With your application, especially if the ECs are substantiated upon, you will stand a good chance in those places too.

 

[Banco]

Your ECs are pretty cookie cutter, but with your awesome stats I think you have a shot at top tiers; be sure to mention any cool hobbies or activities you do for fun.

Your current list seems okay, but since it is rather top heavy balance it out with a few more mid-tiers: Rochester, Einstein, Ohio State, Miami, BU, Tufts.


I think it is fine for you to apply top heavy, but I think your ECs are lacking for schools like Harvard, Hopkins, and Stanford - So if you're aiming for top research schools I'd recommend adding some other reaches that are a tad less selective: NYU, Sinai, Pitt, Vanderbilt, Cornell, Emory, Duke. You may have a slightly better chance at these places.

 

[GrapesofRath]

Beef up the clinical exposure. Your biggest commitment is to retail, be prepared to talk about it and feature how it's shaped you and the experiences gained through it in parts of your application. Initial impression looking at this list(and let's see what Goro and others have to say) is it's probably a better idea to replace some of the Yale/Stanford/J-Hop/Harvard/WASHU/Chicago tier with schools such as Cornell/Pitt/Duke/NYU/Vandy/Mt Sinai and such. Out of those that you are still considering adding, many of them aren't great choices. Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan State, Alabama, Nebraska, UNC and Oregon aren't worth the application unless there is a very specific reason you want to attend one. Remove Brown and Georgetown as well.

 

[ThHardToast]

Beef up the clinical exposure. Your biggest commitment is to retail, be prepared to talk about it and feature how it's shaped you and the experiences gained through it in parts of your application. Initial impression looking at this list(and let's see what Goro and others have to say) is it's probably a better idea to replace some of the Yale/Stanford/J-Hop/Harvard/WASHU/Chicago tier with schools such as Cornell/Pitt/Duke/NYU/Vandy/Mt Sinai and such. Out of those that you are still considering adding, many of them aren't great choices. Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan State, Alabama, Nebraska, UNC and Oregon aren't worth the application unless there is a very specific reason you want to attend one. Remove Brown and Georgetown as well.

Definitely don't listen to this guy.

 

[GrapesofRath]

Definitely don't listen to this guy.

Trolls coming out hard tonight.

 

[ThHardToast]

Trolls coming out hard tonight.

Your tiers seem a little off. With those phenomenal stats, he should put in flyers to all of those schools.

 

[GrapesofRath]

Your tiers seem a little off. With those phenomenal stats, he should put in flyers to all of those schools.

Between Goro calling you out and coming on here spewing more nonsense it really hasn't been your day huh. Oh and your troll game.......ehhh lets not even talk about how weak its been.

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/threads/where-can-i-get-in.1143980/

 

[ThHardToast]

Between Goro calling you out and coming on here spewing more nonsense it really hasn't been your day huh. Oh and your troll game.......ehhh lets not even talk about how weak its been.

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/threads/where-can-i-get-in.1143980/

Goro has some excellent advice. His guide to admission is phenomenal. But I do disagree with him on the front that a low GPA will destroy your medical school candidacy, especially if you are able to compensate for it in other areas of your application. The overall trend of your grades is really important. For example, your cumulative GPA may be a 3.2, but if it was previously a 2.9 following undergrad, and you attained a 3.7 in a one-year SMP, that may compensate for your past. Especially with strong scores.

 

[Goro]

Your numbers are rock star. Nothing wrong with aiming high. The KEY thing is, as Toasty points out, that you need much more clinical volunteering.

I suggest the following:

• U WI
• MCW
• Stanford
• Yale
• Loyola
• Northwestern
• Rosalind Franklin
• Chicago
• Illinois (maybe)
• IU (maybe)
• Johns Hopkins
• Harvard
• U Michigan
• Mayo
• Wash U
• Columbia
• Case
• Baylor

AZ (both)
SUNY SB and DS

• UCSF OR UCSD
• UCLA
• Keck
• Emory
• Boston U
• U Rochester
• U Miami
• Einstein
• Hofstra
• Sinai
• NYU
• Cornell
• Duke
• Ohio State
• Cincinnati
• Pittsburgh
• Vanderbilt
• Vermont