School List Help Please

[hiyaman]

Edited.

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[Catalystik]

Doesn't Utah require 500 hours of community service?

You might add MCW, which is also reputed to be Cali friendly like UIC is.

Since your hospital volunteering will not be of long duration by June (though not bad), I'd suggest you continue gaining clinical experience through the application year, sending in additional hours via update letters periodically through the cycle. Your shadowing plan sounds fine. For additional leadership, you might consider recruiting some friends to help tutor other kids from the same school as your tutee.

 

[wanderer]

Consider adding SLU. They have a ton of CA residents.

Also SUNY Downstate and Upstate might consider you as well, though I don't know if you're competitive there OOS.

 

[2050vlsb]

Doesn't Utah require 500 hours of community service?

You might add MCW, which is also reputed to be Cali friendly like UIC is.

Since your hospital volunteering will not be of long duration by June (though not bad), I'd suggest you continue gaining clinical experience through the application year, sending in additional hours via update letters periodically through the cycle. Your shadowing plan sounds fine. For additional leadership, you might consider recruiting some friends to help tutor other kids from the same school as your tutee.

I second adding MCW. I'm also a CA resident and have pretty similar stats/experience, and will most likely (barring any currently nonexistent CA love) be matriculating there in the fall.

You may also want to consider RFU/Chicago Medical School, .. I have a friend who goes there and they have a whole lot of Californians.

Also, this might not be the case, but as I'm sure you know Loma Linda has strong religious affiliations. I sent them my primary, but was slightly turned off by their secondary, the majority of which was focused more on religious issues than my exposure/interest to medicine. I mean, they're very clear about the affiliation, but after looking at the secondary, I figured it wasn't even worth my time to apply.

 

[hiyaman]

Doesn't Utah require 500 hours of community service?

You might add MCW, which is also reputed to be Cali friendly like UIC is.

Since your hospital volunteering will not be of long duration by June (though not bad), I'd suggest you continue gaining clinical experience through the application year, sending in additional hours via update letters periodically through the cycle. Your shadowing plan sounds fine. For additional leadership, you might consider recruiting some friends to help tutor other kids from the same school as your tutee.

I seemed to overlook the service requirement for Utah. I will replace Utah with MCW. Also when sending update letters, do I just say that I am continuing with my volunteer experiences tutoring/hospital? I'm planning on continuing to volunteer for all of next year.

Also would this be an example of applying broadly? 20 something schools to apply is already quite a lot but I always hear about people applying to 30 or more schools. But after sifting through the MSAR I made this list.
Thanks for the advice about leadership and schools.

Consider adding SLU. They have a ton of CA residents.

Also SUNY Downstate and Upstate might consider you as well, though I don't know if you're competitive there OOS.

I was looking at SLU, but I saw in the MSAR that I would be in the bottom 10th percentile of their cGPA/sGPA and at the median for their total mcat score. Maybe I should just apply and see what happens.

I don't know how competitive I am for SUNY downstate and upstate. It seems downstate gives more interviews to OOS people than upstate. But their median gpa and mcat is a little higher.

I second adding MCW. I'm also a CA resident and have pretty similar stats/experience, and will most likely (barring any currently nonexistent CA love) be matriculating there in the fall.

You may also want to consider RFU/Chicago Medical School, .. I have a friend who goes there and they have a whole lot of Californians.

Also, this might not be the case, but as I'm sure you know Loma Linda has strong religious affiliations. I sent them my primary, but was slightly turned off by their secondary, the majority of which was focused more on religious issues than my exposure/interest to medicine. I mean, they're very clear about the affiliation, but after looking at the secondary, I figured it wasn't even worth my time to apply.

I was a little iffy about loma linda, I didn't know how much religion was emphasized. Thanks for the heads up.

 

[Catalystik]

1) Also when sending update letters, do I just say that I am continuing with my volunteer experiences tutoring/hospital? I'm planning on continuing to volunteer for all of next year.

2) Also would this be an example of applying broadly? 20 something schools to apply is already quite a lot but I always hear about people applying to 30 or more schools. But after sifting through the MSAR I made this list.

1) In an update letter you would say, for example, since submitting my application on 6/1/11, I continued my hospital ER volunteer position and have worked an additional 32 hours. Say what you did do, not what you plan to do. If you have an unfortunate event that prevents further participation, you won't have any explaining to do, that way.

2) "Applying broadly" refers not only to the number of schools, but to how selective they are, so you'd want a few reaches, a lot in your target zone, and a few safer ones. With your lowish GPA and less-than-average clinical experience, I think that 20-25 schools is a good number to consider.

 

[hiyaman]

So then the list I have made would be a pretty good range of schools to apply to. I still have to do more research about each school and will accordingly adjust my list. Also I have no idea about the new medical schools that have opened whether they are OOS friendly or not. Should I apply to some of these schools as well?

I was thinking of putting off applying to medical schools for a year so I could get my volunteer experience to be a bit more, but I got a lot of encouragement from advisors and friends telling me I should apply.

Also my LORs should be good.

Also what would you say is my chance of getting into one of these schools with my EC's factored in? I think just looking at my stats (not considering my unbalanced mcat) with a 33 and a 3.5 i have like a 60% ish chance of acceptance? I took 60% since 3.5 is between 3.4 and 3.6.

https://www.aamc.org/download/157598/data/table25-a-mcatgpa-grid-asian-0810.pdf.pdf <-- using this ( I am asian )

In the grand scheme of things, I am willing to take an extra year off, get time to develop my EC's, gain experience working full time. But I feel like I should have a shot at these schools as I am now, maybe I'm thinking too optimistically?

But I don't want to retake my MCAT, I was thinking about this when I first scored it but decided against it. There's no guarantee that I'll do better and a bigger possibility of doing worse. Also 33 is around my average (34.5).

 

[Catalystik]

1) I have no idea about the new medical schools that have opened whether they are OOS friendly or not. Should I apply to some of these schools as well?

2) Also what would you say is my chance of getting into one of these schools with my EC's factored in? I think just looking at my stats (not considering my unbalanced mcat) with a 33 and a 3.5 i have like a 60% ish chance of acceptance? I took 60% since 3.5 is between 3.4 and 3.6.

https://www.aamc.org/download/157598/data/table25-a-mcatgpa-grid-asian-0810.pdf.pdf <-- using this ( I am asian )

1) Do research on them from their websites. I recall that some are definitely OOS friendly (which to me means >15% OOS matriculants).

2) With a 3.55/33, I extrapolated a 57% chance of success from the grid above. Hopefully your above average research will balance out the below average clinical experience.

I think you'd be OK to proceed with application also, but I suggest you live the application year as if you may need to reapply and continue to make improvements in your ECs which can also benefit you through the aforementioned update letters and also interview conversations.

 

[hiyaman]

1) Do research on them from their websites. I recall that some are definitely OOS friendly (which to me means >15% OOS matriculants).

2) With a 3.55/33, I extrapolated a 57% chance of success from the grid above. Hopefully your above average research will balance out the below average clinical experience.

I think you'd be OK to proceed with application also, but I suggest you live the application year as if you may need to reapply and continue to make improvements in your ECs which can also benefit you through the aforementioned update letters and also interview conversations.

Will do, Thank you for all your help you've given me.

 

[Catalystik]

We are happy to help.

 

[hiyaman]

Hi I was wondering how much my chances would improve if I delayed application for another year. This would give me an extra year of volunteer time at the hospital/tutoring and I could perhaps get into a leadership position for tutoring coordinating tutors to children/families. I would ideally also be working for an income as well. Although the job probably won't pay well. I guess the only thing would be my mcat expiring, but it should be okay if I took it sep 2010 and applied in 2012 for the 2013 fall class? Instead of applying in 2011 for the 2012 fall class?

Also I haven't considered DO schools since I want to go into surgery. <-- is this stupid?

 

[Catalystik]

1) Hi I was wondering how much my chances would improve if I delayed application for another year. This would give me an extra year of volunteer time at the hospital/tutoring and I could perhaps get into a leadership position for tutoring coordinating tutors to children/families. I would ideally also be working for an income as well. Although the job probably won't pay well.
2) I guess the only thing would be my mcat expiring, but it should be okay if I took it sep 2010 and applied in 2012 for the 2013 fall class? Instead of applying in 2011 for the 2012 fall class?

3) Also I haven't considered DO schools since I want to go into surgery. <-- is this stupid?

1) Your chances would be better with stronger ECs, but I doubt it is possible to quantitate the improved odds. IMO, the chances would be sufficiently improved to be worth the wait, not to mention impact stress-wise as well as financially.

2) Yes. I am unaware of any AMCAS school that expires a score in less than two years unless you apply after September (MSAR can tell you which these are). For DO schools, I assume it's the same but haven't looked into it personally. You can look each school up here: http://www.aacom.org/resources/bookstore/cib/Documents/2011cib/2011cib-whole.pdf

3) Yes. There are good threads that cover this in the PreMed Osteo Forum you can Search for.

 

[addo]

Fill out the TMDSAS to apply to texas schools, couldnt hurt and its cheap.