School List Help (High Stats, CA resident)

[katty213]

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Despite all the coronavirus craziness, still trying to get my app together! Would love some input on my school list (schools to add or remove/if my list is too long). I don't have any crazy ECs, but I feel like I check most of the boxes. I'm white, CA resident, graduating from UCLA this spring.

• 3.94 cGPA, 3.9 sGPA
• MCAT: 524 (131/131/130/132)
• Clinical volunteering: 230 hours
  • 50 hours in a hospice
  • ~180 hours at the local VA hospital (on pause currently because COVID-19)
• Nonclinical volunteering: 140 hours completed, 290 hours projected
  • 40 hours as a Special Olympics coach (6 months)
  • 50 hours at a food bank in my hometown (1 summer)
  • 50 hours by the time I apply as a Crisis Text Line volunteer (project to get >200 hours by matriculation)
• Research: 3 years in a psych lab - no pubs, but presented 3 posters at local conferences, and authored another poster and 2 symposiums that were presented by my PI at a large national conference
• Shadowing: 45 hours (primary care)
• Other: ran a marathon, have a part-time job as a front desk receptionist for two years (promoted to supervisor after one year)
• Awards: won Best Abstract on one of my posters, will graduate summa cum laude
• I'm generally a pretty good writer and I think my LORs should be pretty solid (2 BCPM, 1 non-BCPM, 1 MD, 1 PI)

Here's the school list I built based on MSAR:

Stanford

UC San Diego

UC San Francisco

Southern Cal-Keck

Kaiser

UC Irvine

UC Davis

UCLA-Geffen

UC Riverside

Cal U Science and Medicine

Colorado

Yale

Georgetown

USF

U Iowa

Chicago-Pritzker

Northwestern-Feinberg

Harvard

Tufts

Johns Hopkins

Michigan

Western Michigan

WashU

Duke

North Carolina

New York University

Columbia

Hofstra

Icahn

Einstein

Ohio State

Case Western Reserve

Cincinnati

Oregon

Perelman

Vanderbilt

Virginia

Thanks!

 

[Faha]

You have a good list and should receive several interviews. You could remove Western Michigan (your stats are very high for that school).

 

[Mr.Smile12]

Narrow down based on community and student support, curriculum, and clinical opportunities, and cost of attendance. You pretty much have a ticket anywhere (private in particular) if you demonstrate your fit with that program. No guarantees for acceptances, of course, but who knows.

 

[A_Knowbody]

I’d consider removing Oregon for in-state bias. On MSAR, see the “Application Policies” section and see if you fit the strong preference list.