people who got into top 10 schools

[Farrah]

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for those people who got into top 10 schools what were your stats like? like what type of extracurriculars and research did u do? did u all have publications. did any of u get in w/o publications? i know its been asked b4 but i'd like to hear from people on sdn.

 

[Medikit]

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[velo]

ha, nice medikit. I'm not going to be "that guy" who posts his stats. if you want stats for people in top 10 schools you can always look at www.mdapplicants.com All the info you could ever want should be there.

 

[Farrah]

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Thank you. We are all refreshed and challenged by your unique point of view.

 

[adamj61]

now that site is a joke...and yes, another great chance to make everyone feel bad. you dont need a god damn paper...you don't even need a paper for grad school.

 

[velo]

now that site is a joke...and yes, another great chance to make everyone feel bad. you dont need a god damn paper...you don't even need a paper for grad school.

Oh i won't argue with you...but the OP asked for stats @ top ten schools and she can find them on that site.

 

[Farrah]

i don't trust md applicants especially with stuff like Fashion Institute of Technology and some soil expert from Uganda

 

[b&ierstiefel]

you certainly don't need publications to get into medical school. they help but aren't necessary by any means.

most successful candidates for MD programs have decent to good grades (cutoff numbers are points of contention from reading other posts) and the dreaded community service stuff that goes on your application. also, good letter of recommendations and a convincing personal statement.

 

[Medikit]

Thank you. We are all refreshed and challenged by your unique point of view.

What the hell, that cliche doesn't even apply 😕

 

[jpro]

i don't trust md applicants especially with stuff like Fashion Institute of Technology and some soil expert from Uganda

but you trust this sight

I would get the MSAR for the stats. I'm sure some people were published before getting into a top 10 school, but more than likely the majority have some quality that makes them stand out. That could be research, but no all the time.

 

[Farrah]

What the hell, that cliche doesn't even apply 😕

i think i just need to get back to studying........................i'm out of it today 😀

 

[b&ierstiefel]

studying ... no
beer ... yes
out to the bar! onward!

 

[davedavedave]

i think i just need to get back to studying........................i'm out of it today 😀

just wait till we're in med school...then life will be a breeeeeze 😀

 

[azzarah]

I currently attend a top-10 school. My cumulative GPA was 3.9, and I had a 35 on the MCAT. 4 publications and lots of community service and teaching experiences.
There are others at my school who had much lower GPAs and MCAT scores with no publications. I think most schools are looking for variety. If there is a school you really like, you should still apply and let them decide. If you don't apply to your dream schools, you will always wonder "what if" and you don't want that!

 

[azzarah]

BTW, I had almost NO clinical volunteer work, so don't feel like you have to do something just because that will look good on your application. Just pursue your own interests.

 

[davedavedave]

I currently attend a top-10 school. My cumulative GPA was 3.9, and I had a 35 on the MCAT. 4 publications and lots of community service and teaching experiences.
There are others at my school who had much lower GPAs and MCAT scores with no publications. I think most schools are looking for variety. If there is a school you really like, you should still apply and let them decide. If you don't apply to your dream schools, you will always wonder "what if" and you don't want that!

4 pub's?!!!....and i was happy with my one

 

[azzarah]

4 pub's?!!!....and i was happy with my one

There are plenty of people without any....I'd say 90% of our class, so don't worry!

 

[principessa]

Although mdapplicants has some sketchy profiles, you can still get some useful information from it. I had one publication when I applied. It was in September so I didn't even put it on my AMCAS. I don't think it affected my application that much because I was already getting interviews before the schools knew about it.

 

[Neuronix]

Huh? I don't know many students at top-10 USNews ranked research programs who were published before entering. I'm a MD/PhD and I did end up with a publicaion, but after it mattered for admissions. My roommate and many people I know in this program and others had no publications coming in.

As for stats and ECs, I'm not telling. I was a unique applicant with high stats, and that's what the top schools are really looking for. Alot of applicants have high numbers, and you need those to get the interview here. But, how many have some thing(s) in their application that really sets them apart? That's what you need for the acceptance.

 

[rewindthemovie]

How and when, during undergrad, would you get published? Could it happen my freshman year (second semester) ?

This really interests me, as writing is one of my "strong-suits," and I would love to be published.

 

[Farrah]

what about people who have avg. stats but have unique and or numerous extracurriculars and/or research?? i mean avg. as in ~3.5, 3.6 range, do they stand a chance at top ten schools? or is it high stats first and thennnn whatever else you have to offer?

 

[LionInTheDark]

It's possible to get into a top 10 with <3.50 cum GPA. Just make up for it in other ways and stand out somehow.

 

[bdt]

Sorry to continue the hijack, but

To rewindthemovie,

Getting published as an undergrad usually has little to do with writing. Getting published is a result of contributing significant amounts of research towards the paper. The authors on a paper are listed in this way... The first person is the one who did the most towards researching the paper and has done most of the writing(usually a grad student or post-doc). That's a big deal. The last person listed in the authors' list is usually the principle investigator who funded and oversaw the project (This won't be you for at least 15 years). Also a big deal. In between are other folks who contributed to the research, usually in decreasing order of "amounts of work. For instance, I was 3rd author on a paper. I didn't do much writing for the paper (just some figure legends and figures), but I did spend a year doing research for it. So getting published as an undergrad is great. Getting a first authorship (especially in basic research as compared to clinical) is huge. Kudo's to those who do it.

So getting published by the second semester of your freshman year? not likely. But research the profs and docs(if you're at school with medicine) and find one whose research you're interested in. Then read up on what they do. Contact them and see if they'll let you volunteer in the lab. You'll probably start by doing scut work (making solutions and such), but you'll move up. by the time you finish school, you'll have a good shot at publication (especially if you've got a PI who is cool and knows how good it can be for you) and at the very least a great letter of rec.

Warning though.... Don't do it just to do it. As people say all over this forum. Do it because you're interested in it and excited about it. Otherwise you're wasting your time. And by the way scientists have a huge disdain for pre-med students who are just looking to "score points." and can smell them a mile away. These people have dedicated their lives to research and their time is precious. They're not willing to give it up just to help you get into med school. Do it cause ya love it.

 

[rewindthemovie]

Sorry to continue the hijack, but

To rewindthemovie,

Getting published as an undergrad usually has little to do with writing. Getting published is a result of contributing significant amounts of research towards the paper. The authors on a paper are listed in this way... The first person is the one who did the most towards researching the paper and has done most of the writing(usually a grad student or post-doc). That's a big deal. The last person listed in the authors' list is usually the principle investigator who funded and oversaw the project (This won't be you for at least 15 years). Also a big deal. In between are other folks who contributed to the research, usually in decreasing order of "amounts of work. For instance, I was 3rd author on a paper. I didn't do much writing for the paper (just some figure legends and figures), but I did spend a year doing research for it. So getting published as an undergrad is great. Getting a first authorship (especially in basic research as compared to clinical) is huge. Kudo's to those who do it.

So getting published by the second semester of your freshman year? not likely. But research the profs and docs(if you're at school with medicine) and find one whose research you're interested in. Then read up on what they do. Contact them and see if they'll let you volunteer in the lab. You'll probably start by doing scut work (making solutions and such), but you'll move up. by the time you finish school, you'll have a good shot at publication (especially if you've got a PI who is cool and knows how good it can be for you) and at the very least a great letter of rec.

Warning though.... Don't do it just to do it. As people say all over this forum. Do it because you're interested in it and excited about it. Otherwise you're wasting your time. And by the way scientists have a huge disdain for pre-med students who are just looking to "score points." and can smell them a mile away. These people have dedicated their lives to research and their time is precious. They're not willing to give it up just to help you get into med school. Do it cause ya love it.

Thanks 😀

 

[Neuronix]

what about people who have avg. stats but have unique and or numerous extracurriculars and/or research?? i mean avg. as in ~3.5, 3.6 range, do they stand a chance at top ten schools? or is it high stats first and thennnn whatever else you have to offer?

You will have to really stand out on your primary to beat the numbers cut, and even then you won't beat the cut no matter what at some schools, but where that cut is depends on the school. I couldn't tell you what that cut is here for two reasons. First, I don't know what it is. Second, it's not some hard and fast GPA/MCAT rule. Your ugrad rep/major is taken into considertaion. Being URM or disavataged helps there also. There's some other factors I'm certainly forgetting about.

A 3.5 Harvard (insert hard major here) grad with a high MCAT is likely going to beat the cut. A 3.5 social science major from UDel probably isn't going to make it. I guess this suff can be common sense. If you're looking for ideas about chances for yourself, good luck. It's impossible for anyone to tell except an adcom who has your full application in front of you.

 

[calstudent]

I don't think it could be put better. But, my understanding is that a lot of schools still want you to go above and beyond in some other way, with some other extracurric. or research in another topic.
Also, getting published is highly, highly variable. You may come in at the wrong time in the lab when they have just published a lot and you are working on a project that requires a lot of work before results come out. Or, you may be really lucky. I think publishing is great, especially if you want to continue in MD research or MD/PhD, but doing something just for the paper is really gonna cause you a lot of unhapiness.

 

[SanDiegoSOD]

How and when, during undergrad, would you get published? Could it happen my freshman year (second semester) ?

This really interests me, as writing is one of my "strong-suits," and I would love to be published.

LOL... I dont think these people are talking about creative writing publications, but rather scientific research. I dont care if you're friggin shakespeare, describing your findings of chemical x's effect on gene expression in c. elegans, or any other scientific research, is not a great avenue to explore writing interests.

 

[Caesars0331]

My physics department was quick to offer me a research position during my freshman year. I spent one year ( half at my uni and the second half at Cornell) doing research in particle physics. I was the solo author of it and gave many kudos to my prof. that I worked under. The chances to do research are there, I guess I am fortunate that my intrests were in a field that needed/wanted undergrads to work for them.....btw I also was given a nice grant to conduct this research......

 

[azzarah]

Farrah, you won't know unless you apply...I think most med schools are looking for a well-rounded class. Performance in undergrad still matters, because med schools like to know that you can handle the amt of coursework they are going to throw at you, but getting straight A's isn't everything. Does that make any sense?

And to the person asking about creative writing...I say go for it! Write something and submit it for a literary journal or something and see what happens!

 

[pushkin]

How and when, during undergrad, would you get published? Could it happen my freshman year (second semester) ?

This really interests me, as writing is one of my "strong-suits," and I would love to be published.

Umm, then you might not want to go into scientific writing. Don't most journals seek out writing that's piss poor? At least I know some of the biophysical chemistry journals seem to make that a requirement.

 

[JohnHolmes]

Thank you. We are all refreshed and challenged by your unique point of view.

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