School List: Please help!!!

[msj87]

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Hi,

I'm in desperate need of some help selecting which schools to apply to. I'm a recent Molecular/Cell Biology and Psychology double-major graduate of UC Berkeley, CA resident, with a 3.5 cGPA, 3.3 sGPA, and 35Q MCAT score. My extracurrics include:

-1 year biology research (will be 2 years by the time I enter medical school)
-1 publication and another being prepared
-poster presentation/conference
-1 year psychology research
-shadowing experience through UC Berkeley internship
-2 yrs volunteer experience in a homeless clinic, with 1 year of a leadership position in that clinic
-private tutoring

Right now, this is the list of schools I'm looking at:

-UCSD
-UC Davis
-UCLA
-Loma Linda
-UC Irvine
-USC
-New York Medical College
-Albert Einstein
-Mt. Sinai
-Case Western
-Drexel
-George Washington
-Rush
-University of Buffalo
-Wayne State
-Georgetown
-Boston University
-Washington University
-Jefferson Medical College
-Rosalind Franklin Medical College
-Temple
-University of Rochester
-University of Illinois at Chicago
-Tufts
-Emory
-UNC
-Columbia
-UCSF
-University of Michigan
-University of Pittsburgh

Right now, I'm not interested in looking into Carribean/DO schools, but I'd like to know if I have a shot at MD programs.

I REALLY need help narrowing down this list; I'm not sure which schools I should consider reasonable, a long shot, etc. I'd appreciate any help I could get! Thanks!

 

[honker]

Your GPA puts you in a tough spot with the more competitve schools. If you want to inject some reality into your list, I would consider dropping Michigan and UNC, since highly ranked OOS public schools will expect you to be better than their average acceptee. You don't really have the numbers for Wash U (they are obvious number ******). Columbia, Pitt, and Emory would be pie in the sky reaches for you. I think you are competitive for the rest of your list, except Rush, since they are bad about taking many OOS applicants.

 

[Rebs28]

I think that you absolutely have a chance at US MD schools. Your gpas are both low, but your MCAT score is great (assuming that it's balanced). Your score won't completely cancel out the gpa, but I believe that you'll have a decent chance at lower to middle tier schools, especially with your nice ecs.

As for figuring out which schools you should drop, which are out of your reach, etc., check out the school selection spreadsheet at the top of the thread list. After plugging in your stats (assuming 11, 12, 12) and scanning things, I'd say you could scratch off Sinai, Wash U, Columbia, U of MI, and U of Pittsburgh unless you're really attached to one of them. They're all marked as "long shot" in the spreadsheet.

Anyhow, check that out, and report back on how your MCAT is distributed.

Ed. I also second the advice above.

 

[msj87]

thanks so much for the info!! as for my MCAT, my scores were 11, 12, 12 (11 being the verbal), and I took the test once.

Any thoughts on my chances with CA schools?

I'm particularly interested in research schools; are there any more schools I should apply to that aren't on my list? Again, thanks so much for your time! I really appreciate the help!

 

[honker]

The problem is that the research oriented med schools tend to have the highest GPAs, as a general rule. Schools like Case, Einstein, and Rochester are schools with good research activity that are in your range.
As far as the Cali schools, I would say that the UCs are all a crapshoot for you, but you should apply to all of them regardless. You are an applicant whose research oriented ECs would suggest a fit at UCLA, UCSF, and UCSD, but your grades don't give you much of a chance. Your Grades are more competitive for Davis and Irvine, but your ECs are not fitting with their "typical student". I realize these are all gross generalizations, but it gives you a framework for assessing your chances. You have a chance at USC. Loma Linda favors applicants who are active Christians, especially Seventh Day Adventists. We won't even discuss Stanford.