MD School list advice: 3.97 cGPA, 4.0sGPA, 517, high clinical exposure + research

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arcadiashoes

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Hi everyone, I'm working on my school list and am having difficulty finalizing it.
About me:
State of Residence: CA (urban)
Demographics: Caucasian Male, 2016 grad
College: Top-20 research university
cGPA: 3.97
sGPA: 4.00
MCAT: 517 (131/128/129/129)
Major: Interdisciplinary preventive medicine major through med school
Minors: Health Communications and Biology

Paid Employment: After graduation founded a health-related startup, but it didn't succeed and I addressed why in app (540 hours). For past year work as medical assistant and scribe in a private practice and have extensive patient interaction (1800 hours).
Research: Since graduating, work as part of team that developed a novel community health training for minority youth in underserved community. Working under associate dean of med school and have presented in 3 conferences so far (700 hours). Past research includes two semester long research assistant positions while an undergrad (170 net), and a renewable energy research project from senior year of high school with a top 5 university prof that was published (1000 hours).
Extracurriculars: Founded university club and partnered with high schools to teach about e-cigs, marijuana, hookah, etc (350 hours). President of student religious group; planned many service projects, human rights events, interfaith functions (320 hours)
Shadowing: 6 week full-time hospital preceptorship and saw>10 specialties (260 hours) + a few surgeons and pulmonologists (40)
Clinical Volunteering: Large hospital volunteer in anesthesia dep (150 hours)
Nonclinical/medical volunteering: Youth mentor as part of large, international program while in college in a underserved community (600 hours)
LOR: expecting them to be strong. Have seen parts of 2.

I'm trying to select 25-30 schools, and my feel like my mcat isn't high enough for the top school (Columbia, Penn, Icahn, Weill Cornell, Vandy), but not sure because my gpa and activities are strong. Thanks!

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I suggest these schools with your stats:
The UC's
USC
Boston University
Hofstra
Einstein
NYU
Mount Sinai
Jefferson
Georgetown
Cincinnati
Miami
Rochester
Case Western
Pittsburgh
Washington University
Tulane
Duke
You can add any top 20 schools that appeal to you.
 
Thank you very much Faha! What do you think about these additions:
Reach:
Vanderbilt
U Penn
Columbia
Stanford
Weill Cornell

Target:
Ohio State
U South Florida
Emory
Geisel, Dartmouth
Brown
Mayo
Western Michigan University
SUNY Downstate
Tufts

Safer:
Saint Louis U
Temple
Wake Forest
Rush
NY Medical College
George Washington
Drexel
Penn State
Loyola
Rosalind Franklin
Loma Linda
You can add any of those that appeal to you.
 
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You, sir, are a rock star. Harvard and Yale should be on your list. Your GPA is knocking on perfection's door, your MCAT is good enough to be competitive for those schools, and your ECs are stellar. Most students at top-20 medical schools don't have first-author publications. Best of luck.
 
Thanks a lot! I saw on msar that my mcat my the 25th percentile for top schools and thought that wouldn't make me competitive.
 
Faha: "You can add any top 20 schools that appeal to you."

Faha's just given you the nod to shoot for schools like Harvard and Yale - and assured you that you'd be competitive for 'em.
 
Thanks for the reassurance! I'm surrounded by people at work who keep saying "apply broadly" so it's nice to get experienced and knowledgable feedback.
 
Hi everyone, I'm working on my school list and am having difficulty finalizing it.
About me:
State of Residence: CA (urban)
Demographics: Caucasian Male, 2016 grad
College: Top-20 research university
cGPA: 3.97
sGPA: 4.00
MCAT: 517 (131/128/129/129)
Major: Interdisciplinary preventive medicine major through med school
Minors: Health Communications and Biology

Paid Employment: After graduation founded a health-related startup, but it didn't succeed and I addressed why in app (540 hours). For past year work as medical assistant and scribe in a private practice and have extensive patient interaction (1800 hours).
Research: Since graduating, work as part of team that developed a novel community health training for minority youth in underserved community. Working under associate dean of med school and have presented in 3 conferences so far (700 hours). Past research includes two semester long research assistant positions while an undergrad (170 net), and a renewable energy research project from senior year of high school with a top 5 university prof that was published (1000 hours).
Extracurriculars: Founded university club and partnered with high schools to teach about e-cigs, marijuana, hookah, etc (350 hours). President of student religious group; planned many service projects, human rights events, interfaith functions (320 hours)
Shadowing: 6 week full-time hospital preceptorship and saw>10 specialties (260 hours) + a few surgeons and pulmonologists (40)
Clinical Volunteering: Large hospital volunteer in anesthesia dep (150 hours)
Nonclinical/medical volunteering: Youth mentor as part of large, international program while in college in a underserved community (600 hours)
LOR: expecting them to be strong. Have seen parts of 2.

I'm trying to select 25-30 schools, and my feel like my mcat isn't high enough for the top school (Columbia, Penn, Icahn, Weill Cornell, Vandy), but not sure because my gpa and activities are strong. Thanks!
Work on the self esteem, rock star.

I suggest:
NYU
Vanderbilt
WashU
Yale
JHU
Northwestern
U Chicago
U Penn
Columbia
Duke
Harvard
Sinai
Cornell
Stanford
U MI
U VA
BU
Case
Mayo
Pitt
ALL UCs, but UCR ONLY IF you're from the Inland Empire
Hofstra
Ohio State
U Cincy
USC/Keck
USF Morsani
Albert Einstein
Dartmouth
Emory
Rochester
Jefferson
Miami
U IA
U VM
Western MI
 
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