School List of 53! Help!

[aaronrodgers]

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My MSAR list has over 50ish schools. I just can't decide what to get rid of. Could you guys help me

3.8 cGPA / 3.7 sGPA / 519 MCAT / UC Berkeley / CA resident / ORM / 4 posters / 1100 clinical hours / 150 non-clinical / 40 shadowing

soft preferences: Pass/No Pass preclinical, attendance not mandatory, no internal class ranking

School List...

Baylor
Boston
Case
Columbia
Drexel
Duke
Emory
Quinnipiac
Dartmouth
Harvard
Hofstra
Icahn
JHU
Keck
Temple
Mayo
Michigan State
NYMC
NYU
Northwestern
William Beaumont
Oregon
Penn State
UPenn
Stanford
Brown
USUHS
All UCs
UChicago
Michigan
UVA
UWashington
St. Louis
Cornell
Western Michigan
Wright State
Yale
UTMB

 

[coffeeandcodeine]

So your school list looks a lot like mine when I started out. I see a lot of state schools that favor in-state applicants, and a lot of schools where your stats (MCAT in particular) are above the 90th percentile. Your chances at those types of schools are pretty low, I'd consider removing most of them. You do have some solid mid and upper tier schools where your stats are in range for acceptance -- I'd keep most of those. If you want to narrow it down further, you could do so by location -- do you really want to live in the midwest, or Texas, for example? If not, remove those schools.

Below, I've annotated your list with some suggestions. Hope this helps, and good luck! 🙂

Baylor -- do you want to go to Texas? If not, consider removing
Boston -- Low yield, only keep if you want to go to Boston
Case -- Keep
Columbia -- Keep
Drexel -- You're slightly above their stats range, but keep if you like the location or school for some reason
Duke -- Keep
Emory -- Keep
Quinnipiac -- you're a little out of their stats range, consider removing.
Dartmouth -- low yield due to high number of apps, but could keep if you really like the school
Harvard -- Keep
Hofstra -- Keep, good fit for your stats
Icahn -- Keep
JHU -- Keep
Keck -- Keep
Temple -- Stats are a little out of range, consider removing
Mayo -- Consider keeping
Michigan State -- They're probably not looking for OOS students in your stat range.
NYMC -- Consider removing due to in-state preference and stat range
NYU -- keep
Northwestern -- keep
William Beaumont -- new school, will probably reject you based on yield protection
Oregon -- Keep if you really want to go to Oregon, otherwise remove because your chances as an OOS applicant are okay but not super high
Penn State -- most likely not looking for OOS students in your stat range
UPenn -- keep
Stanford -- keep
Brown -- low yield, they give strong preference to their own undergrads
USUHS -- do you have genuine interest in the military? if not, remove
All UCs -- definitely keep, except maybe Riverside if you're not from that area
UChicago -- keep
Michigan -- keep
UVA -- keep
UWashington -- they don't take OOS applicants who don't fit a diversity mission
St. Louis -- is this WashU or SLU?
Cornell -- keep
Western Michigan -- in-state bias, and I'm guessing you don't want to go here anyway
Wright State -- do you want to be in Ohio? If not, delete. You're outside of their stat range anyway.
Yale -- keep
UTMB -- very, very few OOS matriculants. Consider removing

 

[lexington251]

1 superbowl championship, will have 2 by next winter

wut

 

[aaronrodgers]

So your school list looks a lot like mine when I started out. I see a lot of state schools that favor in-state applicants, and a lot of schools where your stats (MCAT in particular) are above the 90th percentile. Your chances at those types of schools are pretty low, I'd consider removing most of them. You do have some solid mid and upper tier schools where your stats are in range for acceptance -- I'd keep most of those. If you want to narrow it down further, you could do so by location -- do you really want to live in the midwest, or Texas, for example? If not, remove those schools.

Below, I've annotated your list with some suggestions. Hope this helps, and good luck! 🙂

Baylor -- do you want to go to Texas? If not, consider removing
Boston -- Low yield, only keep if you want to go to Boston
Case -- Keep
Columbia -- Keep
Drexel -- You're slightly above their stats range, but keep if you like the location or school for some reason
Duke -- Keep
Emory -- Keep
Quinnipiac -- you're a little out of their stats range, consider removing.
Dartmouth -- low yield due to high number of apps, but could keep if you really like the school
Harvard -- Keep
Hofstra -- Keep, good fit for your stats
Icahn -- Keep
JHU -- Keep
Keck -- Keep
Temple -- Stats are a little out of range, consider removing
Mayo -- Consider keeping
Michigan State -- They're probably not looking for OOS students in your stat range.
NYMC -- Consider removing due to in-state preference and stat range
NYU -- keep
Northwestern -- keep
William Beaumont -- new school, will probably reject you based on yield protection
Oregon -- Keep if you really want to go to Oregon, otherwise remove because your chances as an OOS applicant are okay but not super high
Penn State -- most likely not looking for OOS students in your stat range
UPenn -- keep
Stanford -- keep
Brown -- low yield, they give strong preference to their own undergrads
USUHS -- do you have genuine interest in the military? if not, remove
All UCs -- definitely keep, except maybe Riverside if you're not from that area
UChicago -- keep
Michigan -- keep
UVA -- keep
UWashington -- they don't take OOS applicants who don't fit a diversity mission
St. Louis -- is this WashU or SLU?
Cornell -- keep
Western Michigan -- in-state bias, and I'm guessing you don't want to go here anyway
Wright State -- do you want to be in Ohio? If not, delete. You're outside of their stat range anyway.
Yale -- keep
UTMB -- very, very few OOS matriculants. Consider removing

This is awesome help! Just for the sake of peer-review, can anyone else confirm what coffeeandcodeine has wondefully advised me on? 🙂

From your suggestion, my list would wean dowm to 34ish ! Any schools that arent on the list that I could be good for? Thank you!

wut

Next year is the year!

 

[ScreenName23]

This is awesome help! Just for the sake of peer-review, can anyone else confirm what coffeeandcodeine has wondefully advised me on

As someone applying this cycle with similar stats to yours, I've gotten loads of advice on schools from SDN ppl including from @coffeeandcodeine her advice lines up with what others have said to me and she clearly has a solid perspective given how this cycle went for her. Just to add your requested peer review.

Edit for clarification ( @aaronrodgers ) : I'm applying this upcoming cycle so the same cycle as you. Just a disclaimer that I technically don't know how this works out yet, but the above advice is consistent with all of the other advice I've gotten.
Best of luck!

 

[aaronrodgers]

As someone applying this cycle with similar stats to yours, I've gotten loads of advice on schools from SDN ppl including from @coffeeandcodeine her advice lines up with what other have said to me and she clearly has a solid perspective given how this cycle went for her. Just to add your requested peer review.

Best of luck!

That's awesome !! 🙂 Hope your cycle is going well! I'm already working on my school list off of her advice - my biggest variable to consider right now is actually their letter of rec. requirements, it varies from school to school so much..

 

[aaronrodgers]

Hello! It's over 2 months later and I made my final school list...but the price tag is $1564.00. I want to make sure from you guys if there are really any schools I can take off still from this "final" list I have on the AMCAS 2018 app...same stats/extracurricular still applies (3.8 c, 3.7 sci, 519 mcat, UC Berkeley):

1. Baylor
2. Columbia P&S
3. UCLA
4. UCSD
5. UCSF
6. UCD
7. UCI
8. UCR
9. Duke
10. Emory
11. Dartmouth
12. Harvard
13. Hofstra
14. Icahn
15. Johns Hopkins
16. USC
17. Mayo
18. Mayo - AZ
19. NYU
20. Northwestern
21. Oregon
22. UPenn
23. Quinnipiac
24. Stanford
25. Uniformed Services Uni.
26. UChicago
27. UMichigan
28. UPitt
29. URochester
30. UVA
31. UWashington
32. Washington U. St.L
33. Cornell
34. Wright State
35. Yale
36. Texas Schools through TMDSAS

 

[freak7]

Hello! It's over 2 months later and I made my final school list...but the price tag is $1564.00. I want to make sure from you guys if there are really any schools I can take off still from this "final" list I have on the AMCAS 2018 app...same stats/extracurricular still applies (3.80 c, 3.72 sci, 518 mcat, UC, still asian):

1. Baylor
2. Columbia P&S
3. UCLA
4. UCSD
5. UCSF
6. UCD
7. UCI
8. UCR
9. Duke
10. Emory
11. Dartmouth
12. Harvard
13. Hofstra
14. Icahn
15. Johns Hopkins
16. USC
17. Mayo
18. Mayo - AZ
19. NYU
20. Northwestern
21. Oregon
22. UPenn
23. Quinnipiac
24. Stanford
25. Uniformed Services Uni.
26. UChicago
27. UMichigan
28. UPitt
29. URochester
30. UVA
31. UWashington
32. Washington U. St.L
33. Cornell
34. Wright State
35. Yale
36. Texas Schools through TMDSAS

Are you a WWAMI resident? If not take of UWash

I also believe you're mission-based for OHSU based off of their "superior achievements" clause so you're fine there.

Are you ok with the military service commitment that comes with USUHS? If not, remove it.


... And where's the Vince Lombardi COM?

 

[Faha]

If you are not a Texas resident you can remove the Texas schools as they strongly prefer Texas residents.

 

[DokterMom]

If you are not a Texas resident you can remove the Texas schools as they strongly prefer Texas residents.

All true. But - For their OOS, they like high MCATs. And OP is interested in Aerospace. Plus LOW cost of attendance. So many reasons to keep them --

 

[Goro]

I suggest the following. You'll have to do the research on your likes and dislikes

Boston
Case
Columbia
Drexel
Duke
Emory
Dartmouth
Harvard
Hofstra
Icahn
JHU
Keck
Mayo
NYU
Northwestern
UPenn
Stanford
USUHS (are you aware of their service commitment???)
All UCs
UChicago
Michigan
UVA
Cornell
Yale

 

[zukunft195]

I had my AMCAS verified recently, and my total sci gpa is 3.72 but (im happy to find out) that my sci gpa breakdown from freshman to senior is 2.9, 3.9, 3.9, 4.0. Will they basically see me as a 3.9 sci gpa applicant as oppose to a 3.7? (I hope so?!) I feel that this make my chances at top tiers a lot more in range.

They'll see a 3.7 sGPA applicant with an upward trend -- worse than a 3.9 sGPA applicant, but better than a 3.7 sGPA applicant with no trend or a downward trend.

 

[Tchotchke]

Keep Drexel--they like CA residents and you can rotate in Cali during 3rd year

 

[aaronrodgers]

Hi all! I'm following an SDN tradition of updating the WAMC thread so that future readers can get closure if they ever happen upon this thread.

I whittled down 53 schools to 38. Ultimately received 7 interviews, attended 6, accepted to 4, waitlisted at 2.

1. Baylor - Secondary then Rejected
2. Columbia - Secondary then Rejected
3. University of California, Los Angeles - Secondary then Rejected
4. University of California, San Diego - Secondary, then Interview, then Waitlist
5. University of California, San Francisco - Secondary then Rejected
6. University of California, Davis - Secondary, then Interview, then Acceptance
7. University of California, Irvine - Secondary then Rejected
8. University of California, Riverside - Secondary, then Interview, then Acceptance
9. Duke - Secondary then Rejected
10. Emory - Secondary then Rejected
11. Dartmouth - Secondary then Rejected
12. Harvard - Secondary then Rejected
13. Hofstra - Secondary then Rejected
14. Icahn - Secondary then Rejected
15. Johns Hopkins - Secondary then Rejected
16. University of Southern California - Secondary, then Interview, then Waitlist
17. Mayo - MN - Secondary then Rejected
18. New York University - Secondary then Rejected
19. Northwestern - Secondary then Rejected
20. Oregon Health and Science University - Secondary, then Interview, then Acceptance
21. University of Pennsylvania - Secondary then Rejected
22. Stanford - Secondary then Rejected
23. Uniformed Services University - Secondary, then Interview, then Acceptance
24. University of Chicago - Secondary then Rejected
25. University of Michigan - Secondary then Rejected
26. University of Colorado - Secondary then Rejected
27. University of Rochester - Secondary then Rejected
28. University of Virginia - Secondary then Rejected
29. University of Washington - Rejected
30. University of Maryland - Secondary, then Interview, but politely declined to attend the interview
31. Cornell - Secondary then Rejected
32. Wright State - Secondary then Rejected
33. Yale - Secondary then Rejected
34. UTMB - Secondary then Rejected
35. McGovern - Secondary then Rejected
36. Tufts - Secondary then Rejected
37. Boston University - Secondary then Rejected
38. University of Florida - Secondary then Rejected

 

[Faha]

I believe one lesson to be learned from an application from a high stats applicant such as OP is to always apply to your instate schools. 30 OOS schools applied to and only 3 interviews from those schools with a MCAT of 519 and a GPA of 3.8 !

 

[aaronrodgers]

I believe one lesson to be learned from an application from a high stats applicant such as OP is to always apply to your instate schools. 30 OOS schools applied to and only 3 interviews from those schools with a MCAT of 519 and a GPA of 3.8 !

That's very true! It is getting more and more competitive every passing year.

I think that while my stats were adequate for any school, my research was not enough to really pull in more of the top 20s. I had no LOR from a PI and I did not indicate research as one of my three meaningful experiences. Instead, my application package leaned extremely towards a service-based career. I think the schools that gave me interview invitations speak for themselves.

 

[freak7]

Grats on the USUHS and OHSU acceptances. That’s some good stuff.

I’m assuming UWSOM prescreened you out due to residency?

 

[aaronrodgers]

UW actually sent me a pre-secondary questionnaire after going through my application but ultimately I didn’t get a secondary