MD School List, Please Help - 34 MCAT, 3.8 GPA

[determinedtobedr]

Hello everyone,

I am applying this cycle to MD schools and am really struggling with which ones to apply to. I want to make sure that I apply to schools in which I have a good chance of acceptance. Thank you for your time in reading this!

I graduated with Bio and Psych majors. My overall GPA is ~ 3.8. I took the MCAT twice and scored ~ 94th percentile the second time around.

I am a non-traditional student and my interest in medicine began early in life due to some familial losses.

Work: I have experience working hands-on in a clinical setting for over a year. I also have a long work history with experience in various other types of positions.

Research: A couple semesters in college working on clinical research.

Shadowing: >70 hours with various different physicians.

Volunteering: >400 hours, clinical and non-clinical.

Extracurricular: Member of sorority. Member of honor society.

Awards: Recipient of scholarship.

I am really struggling with where to apply and am wondering if I am competitive for some top schools. So many schools seem fantastic and I would be ecstatic to get in! I am still in the process of researching schools. So far I have:

University of Colorado – Anschutz
U Washington
Oregon Health & Sciences
Mayo
Harvard
Tufts
Georgetown
Duke
Stanford
Johns Hopkins (a reach, but why not!)
Case Western
U Pitt

Some of these are not definites yet. I am planning to apply to 15-20 schools, maybe more. Any advice on this list as well as additional schools that I am competitive for would be greatly appreciated. Thank you all very much for your time and help!

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[DarthKat]

UWashington takes very little OOS outside of the WWAMI region.
Oregon is also very IS heavy

Your list also seems extremely top heavy. I would suggest purchasing the MSAR and looking at OOS private schools in your MCAT and GPA range. Some schools average MCAT scores (Jefferson, SUNY Upstate), so I would avoid them as well.

 

[Catalystik]

Hello everyone,

I am applying this cycle to MD schools and am really struggling with which ones to apply to. I want to make sure that I apply to schools in which I have a good chance of acceptance. Thank you for your time in reading this!

I graduated with Bio and Psych majors. My overall GPA is ~ 3.8. I took the MCAT twice and scored ~ 94th percentile the second time around.

I am a non-traditional student and my interest in medicine began early in life due to some familial losses.

Work: I have experience working hands-on in a clinical setting for over a year. I also have a long work history with experience in various other types of positions.

Research: A couple semesters in college working on clinical research.

Shadowing: >70 hours with various different physicians.

Volunteering : >400 hours, clinical and non-clinical.

Extracurricular: Member of sorority. Member of honor society.

Awards: Recipient of scholarship.

I am really struggling with where to apply and am wondering if I am competitive for some top schools. So many schools seem fantastic and I would be ecstatic to get in! I am still in the process of researching schools. So far I have:

University of Colorado – Anschutz
U Washington
Oregon Health & Sciences
Mayo
Harvard
Tufts
Georgetown
Duke
Stanford
Johns Hopkins (a reach, but why not!)
Case Western
U Pitt

Some of these are not definites yet. I am planning to apply to 15-20 schools, maybe more. Any advice on this list as well as additional schools that I am competitive for would be greatly appreciated. Thank you all very much for your time and help!

You are not from a WWAMI state, nor are you applying MD/PhD, so take UWashington off your list.

Add a solid number of schools where your averaged MCAT is in their range.

You have too many dream schools. Prune the list to include only those that state they evaluate based on most recent scores. Even so, adcomm perception of old scores at "top schools" will work against you.

Try to highlight leadership components of your experiences where pertinent.

 

[22031 Alum]

I like that you specified that Hopkins is a reach, but not Harvard, Mayo, Duke, Stanford...

Nice improvement on the MCAT. Out of curiosity, do you have an exact number on that science GPA? With a strong personal statement and good letters, I think you're in good shape to get in somewhere if you apply smart. While you've got a good shot at your state school with your stats, but you have to acknowledge that nothing is guaranteed.

As it stands your list is your state school + reaches + privates that get a ton of applications. You need a few more private schools where your stats are above the median. Consider Creighton, SLU, Loma Linda (only if okay with super-Christian aspect), Rush, maybe Tulane? You could also add a couple of neighboring states' schools, but as OOS keep in mind that it's more like adding another reach than a match or safety.

 

[Irish Luck]

you basically have the same stats that i did (34 MCAT, 3.77 gpa, non-trad, similiar experience). From my experience this application cycle, your list is very top heavy. I didn't get interviews from any of the top-20's despite applying to a number of them. Try and have the majority of your schools match your stats, a handful under and a handful over.

Check out my mdapps profile for an idea of how things went this cycle.

 

[determinedtobedr]

Thank you all very much for taking the time to help me out. Just to clarify a few things:

I am aware that Wash and Oregon are very IS heavy. They are on my list because I have close family in both states and if there is even a small chance of admission to either, I don't want to miss it.

I have purchased access to the MSAR and have been using it in my search thus far but am having trouble with where to start as there is such an overwhelming number of good schools out there.

I was unaware that schools would average my old score with the new; I was under the impression that most schools would just consider my recent score. I was told by my advisor that this large jump would actually help me in the end. Does anyone know if this is actually the case?

Yes, it is true that my list is very top heavy at the moment. The reason behind that is I am a bit lost in my search as of now and the easiest place for me to start was to pick schools that, of course, any applicant would love to attend. I specifically stated that Hopkins was a reach as my stats are much farther below their average than the others.

I believe my science GPA is 3.7 something but I will need to check on that. I do have some pretty great letters of rec at this point. Two from professors who knew me very well, one from the faculty member whom I worked for all throughout college, three from docs that I have worked for. I will also have a committee letter from my undergrad university.

Thanks again for the feedback everyone! I will use all this advice and continue my search

 

[Goro]

Reaches don't need to donations in the form of your app fees...that's "why not".

I suggest:
University of Colorado – Anschutz
Mayo
Tufts
Georgetown
Duke
Case Western
U Pitt
U AZ
Northwestern OR Vandy
Cornell OR Columbia
Hofstra and any other new MD school (except Central MI)
MCW
SLU
The Philly Triplets
USC
Duke
Tulane
Loyola
U Miami
Emory
BU
Tufts
Rush
Creighton
U VM
U Rochester

 

[determinedtobedr]

Goro, haha touché. I suppose I did not think about it from that angle and you are right. Thank you very much for this list. I will do my research on each one of these schools.

 

[Catalystik]

I was under the impression that most schools would just consider my recent score. I was told by my advisor that this large jump would actually help me in the end. Does anyone know if this is actually the case?

Of course it will help you to have gotten a higher score, even at schools that average. And there are still schools out there that don't average. It's up to you to seek these out. I'm surprised no one has started an organized thread to use the SDN hivemind to gather a definitive list of schools with their individual policies and to document the source of info. (HINT, HINT)

You might read and extract some of the needed data from this thread: http://forums.studentdoctor.net/threads/how-did-multiple-mcats-affect-you.1121776/#post-16212351

 

[determinedtobedr]

Reaches don't need to donations in the form of your app fees...that's "why not".

I suggest:
University of Colorado – Anschutz
Mayo
Tufts
Georgetown
Duke
Case Western
U Pitt
U AZ
Northwestern OR Vandy
Cornell OR Columbia
Hofstra and any other new MD school (except Central MI)
MCW
SLU
The Philly Triplets
USC
Duke
Tulane
Loyola
U Miami
Emory
BU
Tufts
Rush
Creighton
U VM
U Rochester

Goro, haha touché. I suppose I did not think about it from that angle and you are right. Thank you very much for this list. I will do my research on each one of these schools.
As far as U of AZ goes, I see that there are two: one in Phoenix and one in Tuscon. To which school were you referring?

 

[determinedtobedr]

Of course it will help you to have gotten a higher score, even at schools that average. And there are still schools out there that don't average. It's up to you to seek these out. I'm surprised no one has started an organized thread to use the SDN hivemind to gather a definitive list of schools with their individual policies and to document the source of info. (HINT, HINT)

You might read and extract some of the needed data from this thread: http://forums.studentdoctor.net/threads/how-did-multiple-mcats-affect-you.1121776/#post-16212351

I did find some helpful info from that thread, thank you. I also found a couple additional relevant threads. Looks like the majority of schools either take your most recent or highest score. I was only able to find one in which the scores were averaged (Jefferson, I believe), which is great news for me!

 

[determinedtobedr]

Hi there @Catalystik,

I am sorry to bother you, as I am sure you are super busy! I am hoping that you may be willing to help me with something:

I truly appreciate the help that you gave me on my school list back in April. At the time, I was very new to sdn and did not think twice about posting so many personal/identifying details. I also did not realize that there is no delete function!

I am hoping that perhaps you would not mind helping me edit this post for privacy reasons. Where you quoted my original post, it is visible in its entirety. I am not sure if this is possible, but if so, would you mind please deleting the quote?

Thank you so much for your time and help!
Take care

 

[Catalystik]

Hi there @Catalystik,

I am sorry to bother you, as I am sure you are super busy! I am hoping that you may be willing to help me with something:

I truly appreciate the help that you gave me on my school list back in April. At the time, I was very new to sdn and did not think twice about posting so many personal/identifying details. I also did not realize that there is no delete function!

I am hoping that perhaps you would not mind helping me edit this post for privacy reasons. Where you quoted my original post, it is visible in its entirety. I am not sure if this is possible, but if so, would you mind please deleting the quote?

Thank you so much for your time and help!
Take care

I have no objection to moderating the quote, but would prefer not to remove it totally, as many others read these threads for advice and I don't want to lose the context that makes the responses a "teaching moment". How about if you edit it to make it less identifiable (perhaps using spans for the stats and vaguer personal detail). Tag me when you're done and I'll replace the quote with your new version.

 

[Catalystik]

And how is the cycle going for you, in general terms? (I will refrain from quoting your answer.)

 

[determinedtobedr]

@Catalystik, thanks so much for being willing to help me out! I completely understand why leaving the information up could be useful to others. I have modified my post and pasted it below (as well as above):


Hello everyone,

I am applying this cycle to MD schools and am really struggling with which ones to apply to. I want to make sure that I apply to schools in which I have a good chance of acceptance. Thank you for your time in reading this!

I graduated with Bio and Psych majors. My overall GPA is ~ 3.8. I took the MCAT twice and scored ~ 94th percentile the second time around.

I am a non-traditional student and my interest in medicine began early in life due to some familial losses.

Work: I have experience working hands-on in a clinical setting for over a year. I also have a long work history with experience in various other types of positions.

Research: A couple semesters in college working on clinical research.

Shadowing: >70 hours with various different physicians.

Volunteering : >400 hours, clinical and non-clinical.

Extracurricular: Member of sorority. Member of honor society.

Awards: Recipient of scholarship.

I am really struggling with where to apply and am wondering if I am competitive for some top schools. So many schools seem fantastic and I would be ecstatic to get in! I am still in the process of researching schools. So far I have:

University of Colorado – Anschutz
U Washington
Oregon Health & Sciences
Mayo
Harvard
Tufts
Georgetown
Duke
Stanford
Johns Hopkins (a reach, but why not!)
Case Western
U Pitt

Some of these are not definites yet. I am planning to apply to 15-20 schools, maybe more. Any advice on this list as well as additional schools that I am competitive for would be greatly appreciated. Thank you all very much for your time and help!

 

[determinedtobedr]

@Catalystik, the cycle so far seems to be going pretty well for me, thanks for asking! I did use the advice that was given to me and applied to a broad range of schools. I have 3 II's so far (2 to top 25 schools, 1 to my state school). No waitlists yet. 1 rejection from an OOS public school. Although, as others have stated, the waiting is nerve-racking, I am trying to remain patient and hopeful!

 

[Catalystik]

Your edited version is now in place.

Thanks for the update. It's always good to know when our peeps are doing well. Come back again at other times to keep us in the loop, if you can, including tips and cautionary notes you may collect, as that type of feedback helps us to help others in the future. Best Wishes.

 

[determinedtobedr]

Your edited version is now in place.

Thanks for the update. It's always good to know when our peeps are doing well. Come back again at other times to keep us in the loop, if you can, including tips and cautionary notes you may collect, as that type of feedback helps us to help others in the future. Best Wishes.

Of course! I will check in (either on this thread or others) with updates and/or tips that I gather along the way. Thanks again!