School List Help Please :)

[MDSteel]

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Hey everyone, I know there are so many of these out already but I'd really appreciate the help. Currently a junior at a top public university in CA, 3.97 sGPA, 3.97 cGPA, 515 MCAT (129 C/P, 126 CARS, 131 B/BC, 129 P/S). Molecular Biology major, German minor.

Extracurriculars:
-Have 1.5 years of research experience on a cancer biology research project that should hopefully be published this summer with some form of authorship
-150+ hours of hospital volunteering at both front desk and ER
-Leader in my schools pre-med honor club, starting a committee dedicated to forming study groups and organizing and presenting professional events for members of club
-150+ hours of community service volunteering through two clubs on campus, one of which I will be serving as an officer for the next school year
-1.5 years of general and organic chemistry tutor for freshman students at the university dorms and at the university learning center
-Shadowed pediatrician, cardiologist, and radiation oncologist for a total of 60 hours

Here is my list of schools:

UCSF
Harvard
UCLA
JHU
Stanford
Northwestern
Duke
USC
UC Davis
UC Irvine
UC Riverside
UC San Diego
Loma Linda
Ohio State
University of Miami
University of Wisconsin
SUNY Downstate
New York Medical
Brown University
Boston University
University of Arizona
University of Central Florida
University of Utah
University of Colorado
George Washington University


Any input is useful (including schools to add/drop). Thanks!

 

[GrapesofRath]

Utah is looking for URMs and people with ties to the state for their OOS class. Easy one to drop
If you dont fit Loma Linda's mission(ie your life is devouted to Christ) another good one to drop.
2/3 of Brown's class is through special programs and their own UGs. You dont fit what they are looking for for the rest of their class spots. Id drop.
U of Colorado isnt going to be very high yield here. Neither will UCF
GW and NYMC arent going to be very high yield options here.
Stanford and Harvard probably wont be more than Hail Mary's as you might guess.

I see about 9 schools on your current list you can go in saying you have a reasonable shot at getting a II at(targets per se). Not bad but you can get that higher. Saint Louis, Medical College of Wisconsin and UIC would be the first schools Id look to add here. MSAR can find you more schools like that: those that get <10k apps per year that are OOS friendly are probably the schools most likely to interview you. Focus on ones with an MCAT median range roughly in the 33-34 range give or take for that as well.

As for reaches the best guideline I could give is look at schools that have big classes and have the lowest 10th percentile MCATs. Pitt is an example of a school that fits this perfectly to a tee. Stanford would be the exact opposite end of the spectrum. I like CWRU here also.

 

[MDSteel]

Thanks! Went back to MSAR today to update my list after your input. Let me know what you think.


UCSF
Harvard
UCLA
JHU
Stanford
Northwestern
Duke
University of Pittsburgh
Cornell University
USC
UC Davis
UC Irvine
UC San Diego
Ohio State
University of Miami
University of Wisconsin
SUNY Downstate
New York Medical
Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Boston University
Saint Louis University
Icahn School of Medicine
Mayo Medical School
University of Arizona
Medical College of Wisconsin

 

[GrapesofRath]

You still will want a couple more schools you can realistically say you reasonably have a shot at getting a II at. I see 10 on your new list

Jefferson and UIC would be the first schools I look at
1/3 of Oaklands class last year was from CA and they have a favorable app/mart riculant ratio
Western Michigan is also a good option here. Wayne State as well

 

[AnatomyGrey12]

You are too top heavy.

 

[MDSteel]

Any better?

UCSF
Harvard
UCLA
JHU
Stanford
Northwestern
University of Pittsburgh
Cornell University
USC
UC Davis
UC Irvine
UC San Diego
Ohio State
University of Miami
University of Wisconsin
SUNY Downstate
New York Medical
Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Boston University
Saint Louis University
Icahn School of Medicine
University of Arizona
Medical College of Wisconsin
University of Vermont
Thomas Jefferson University

 

[GrapesofRath]

Not much different from previous lists. At 12 target types now: youre pretty close but you can still fine tune a bit. Here would be how I approach it

1) Swap out one of these Hail Mary reaches like Stanford for UIC
2) Swap out either a top 20 reach or NYMC for Creighton Tulane Cincinnati or one of the Michigan schools I listed
3) Substitute one of these top 20 reaches for CWRU. Duke is probably a better option here than a Harvard or Stanford if you don't like Case at least.

You'll be good to go then

 

[gyngyn]

I usually recommend at least a dozen schools where you have a fair to good chance at an interview (for CA applicants). I only count 9 on your last list, but I may be getting jaded...

 

[MDSteel]

Thanks so much for the help @GrapesofRath and @gyngyn. I've heard CWRU screens for CARS score under 127 (equivalent of the 10 on old MCAT). Is that true?

 

[GrapesofRath]

Thanks so much for the help @GrapesofRath and @gyngyn. I've heard CWRU screens for CARS score under 127 (equivalent of the 10 on old MCAT). Is that true?

I don't know of any school that formally screens out a 126 subsection.

If your really that worried about the 126 and your MCAT score it's going to be a bigger issue at the boatload of top 20 reaches you have on your list than Case. That's where I'd look to cut

 

[MDSteel]

Feel a little better about this list, don't want to go above 25

UCSF
Duke
UCLA
Stanford
Northwestern
University of Pittsburgh
Cornell University
USC
UC Davis
UC Irvine
UC San Diego
Ohio State
University of Miami
University of Wisconsin
SUNY Downstate
Tulane
Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Boston University
Saint Louis University
Icahn School of Medicine
University of Arizona
Medical College of Wisconsin
University of Vermont
Thomas Jefferson University
University of Illinois
University of Cincinnati

 

[GrapesofRath]

I got 15 for total number of "targets" on the new list. You'll get enough IIs from that

 

[MDSteel]

Thanks so much for the input, very much appreciate it!

 

[gyngyn]

Thanks so much for the help @GrapesofRath and @gyngyn. I've heard CWRU screens for CARS score under 127 (equivalent of the 10 on old MCAT). Is that true?

I do not believe it. I'd have to review a lot of cases (pun!) to confirm it, though.

 

[GrapesofRath]

I do not believe it. I'd have to review a lot of cases (pun!) to confirm it, though.

I've absolutely seen and know people get IIs at case with 8s and 9s in verbal. Bigger obstacle is that 36 median and 32 10th percentile despite a gigantic class