School Selection Advice for Re-Applicant

[jkchang10]

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Hey everyone! I need some advice...

I just submitted my application for verification and now I'm trying to figure out what schools to apply to.

I applied this past cycle to 27 medical schools and only received one interview at the very last second to one of my state schools, Florida State where I was promptly waitlisted and had no luck (they had FOUR people move off the waitlist, lol)

I think my main problems were applying late in the cycle (sept verified, oct and nov secondaries in) and my MCAT. Here's my abbreviated app info:

cGPA: 3.72
scienceGPA: 3.5
I did have two withdraws (biochem and orgo 2) though I retook both and got B+'s. I did get a C+ my senior year in Eukaryotic Cell Structure, and a B- in Immunology. I did well in my other classes for the semester but earned a 3.58 and 3.53 GPA my two senior year semesters. So a tiny downward trend =(

My biggest problem with my app is that I got a 29O the first time i took the MCAT and then got a 28S the second.
Phy: 7(7)
Verbal: 12(11)
Bio: 10(10)

However, I retook the MCAT this past May 26th and here are my new scores:
Physical science: 10
Verbal: 11
Bio: 9
For a 30R

So my combined MCAT is a 32 but my latest was an increase from a 28 to a 30. The best part of that low MCAT - was averaging 34 on practices =[ - is that my physical science section improved from a 7 to a 10.

My extra currics are not bad, volunteering at the hospital, ER, specialty clinic, in the Medical Examiner's office (so shadowing too), as well as leadership positions on campus. OK letters of rec. I graduated cum laude with a bachelor's in Microbiology and cell science. I have a graduate certificate in medico-legal death investigation in which i got a 4.0 GPA and I worked for a biomedical company as a research intern the past year.

As for this year while I'm applying I will be doing an SMP at Tufts Med - Masters in Biomedical Science. I will also be volunteering at their Sharewood Clinic - an free access clinic where you can take histories of patients alongside a first year med student and present to a doctor.

These are the schools I applied to LAST CYCLE:
1. Albany
2. Albert Einstein
3. Boston U
4. Creighton
5. Dartmouth
6. Drexel
7. FIU
8. FAU
9. FSU
10. George Washington
11. Georgetown
12. Howard
13. Loma Linda
14. Loyola
15. Mayo
16. Med College of Wisconsin
17. Meharry
18. NYMC
19. Penn St
20. Rosalind Franklin
21. St. Louis
22. Stanford
23. UM
24. UAB
25. UCF
26. UF
27. USF
28. Wake Forest

Schools possibly to remove:
Meharry, Howard, Mayo

Schools to be added:
Tufts, Temple, Rush, Wayne State, the SUNYs

Are there any schools you recommend I take off? More importantly I'm trying to apply even more broadly so Are there any schools I should add?

I was looking towards applying for closer to 35 schools so does anyone have any other school suggestions, especially out of state schools since I'm applying to all the in state ones?

Oh and I'm not looking to go the DO route. Just a personal decision.

Thanks for the help I appreciate it and good luck to everyone applying this cycle!

 

[flatearth22]

Hey everyone! I need some advice...

I just submitted my application for verification and now I'm trying to figure out what schools to apply to.

I applied this past cycle to 27 medical schools and only received one interview at the very last second to one of my state schools, Florida State where I was promptly waitlisted and had no luck (they had FOUR people move off the waitlist, lol)

I think my main problems were applying late in the cycle (sept verified, oct and nov secondaries in) and my MCAT. Here's my abbreviated app info:

cGPA: 3.72
scienceGPA: 3.5
I did have two withdraws (biochem and orgo 2) though I retook both and got B+'s. I did get a C+ my senior year in Eukaryotic Cell Structure, and a B- in Immunology. I did well in my other classes for the semester but earned a 3.58 and 3.53 GPA my two senior year semesters. So a tiny downward trend =(

My biggest problem with my app is that I got a 29O the first time i took the MCAT and then got a 28S the second.
Phy: 7(7)
Verbal: 12(11)
Bio: 10(10)

However, I retook the MCAT this past May 26th and here are my new scores:
Physical science: 10
Verbal: 11
Bio: 9
For a 30R

So my combined MCAT is a 32 but my latest was an increase from a 28 to a 30. The best part of that low MCAT - was averaging 34 on practices =[ - is that my physical science section improved from a 7 to a 10.

My extra currics are not bad, volunteering at the hospital, ER, specialty clinic, in the Medical Examiner's office (so shadowing too), as well as leadership positions on campus. OK letters of rec. I graduated cum laude with a bachelor's in Microbiology and cell science. I have a graduate certificate in medico-legal death investigation in which i got a 4.0 GPA and I worked for a biomedical company as a research intern the past year.

As for this year while I'm applying I will be doing an SMP at Tufts Med - Masters in Biomedical Science. I will also be volunteering at their Sharewood Clinic - an free access clinic where you can take histories of patients alongside a first year med student and present to a doctor.

These are the schools I applied to LAST CYCLE:
1. Albany
2. Albert Einstein
3. Boston U
4. Creighton
5. Dartmouth
6. Drexel
7. FIU
8. FAU
9. FSU
10. George Washington
11. Georgetown
12. Howard
13. Loma Linda
14. Loyola
15. Mayo
16. Med College of Wisconsin
17. Meharry
18. NYMC
19. Penn St
20. Rosalind Franklin
21. St. Louis
22. Stanford
23. UM
24. UAB
25. UCF
26. UF
27. USF
28. Wake Forest

Schools possibly to remove:
Meharry, Howard, Mayo

Schools to be added:
Tufts, Temple, Rush, Wayne State, the SUNYs

Are there any schools you recommend I take off? More importantly I'm trying to apply even more broadly so Are there any schools I should add?

I was looking towards applying for closer to 35 schools so does anyone have any other school suggestions, especially out of state schools since I'm applying to all the in state ones?

Oh and I'm not looking to go the DO route. Just a personal decision.

Thanks for the help I appreciate it and good luck to everyone applying this cycle!

Nice job on your PS improvement. 👍

Maybe add EVMS and VCU. Or new schools like Hofstra, Commonwealth, and Oakland.

Also you know that Loma Linda is 7th Day Adventist right?....they have a pretty strict moral honor code, don't serve meat in cafeterias, etc. Might want to look into that if you haven't already.

 

[jkchang10]

OH and my timeline for application is hopefully going to be something like this:

AMCAS Transcripts received: June 9th
AMCAS Submitted: June 30th
AMCAS Schools Selected: July 7th?
AMCAS Verified: July 20th Possibly?
Secondaries: All done by mid august

 

[sector9]

Are you black? Don't reapply to the HBC's if you aren't.

Do you really think you need to spend all of the money on a SMP? That doesn't seem like the best decision in your circumstances. Your cGPA is good and your sGPA really isn't that far below the average.

I would apply early (as in NOW) and drop the SMP. Did you contact any schools to find out weaknesses in your application?

 

[jkchang10]

Nice job on your PS improvement. 👍

Maybe add EVMS and VCU. Or new schools like Hofstra, Commonwealth, and Oakland.

Also you know that Loma Linda is 7th Day Adventist right?....they have a pretty strict moral honor code, don't serve meat in cafeterias, etc. Might want to look into that if you haven't already.

Thanks! I'll look into EVMS, VCU, Hofstra, Commonwealth, and Oakland.

Yep I know Loma Linda is 7th Day Adventist and I'm okay with that

 

[jkchang10]

Are you black? Don't reapply to the HBC's if you aren't.

Do you really think you need to spend all of the money on a SMP? That doesn't seem like the best decision in your circumstances. Your cGPA is good and your sGPA really isn't that far below the average.

I would apply early (as in NOW) and drop the SMP. Did you contact any schools to find out weaknesses in your application?

No I'm asian. So I should strike off Meharry and Howard?

I've been told not to do the SMP, but it's almost like a backup. It'll be a good thing to talk about on my what am I doing now part of the app (taking med school courses). It'll also be something I can discuss in my interviews. And in the case that I don't get any interviews (Like this past cycle where I got one on the LAST day) I can hopefully at least get one to tufts based on my SMP (they interview close to 50 percent of the class).

I just feel like an SMP is the right thing for me at this point because of various reasons. not to mention my parents would rather me do an SMP over anything else and they don't mind paying the tuition and living.

I'm applying right now. Just submitted my app for verification and trying to figure out what other schools to apply to (designated all the florida schools as I'm a florida resident).

And finally, I did contact a couple places: Chicago Med (Rosalind Franklin), FIU, and FSU and will talk to UF on Friday.

FIU told me over the phone that aside from my MCAT which I improved, everything in my app was covered. Shadowing, volunteer experiences both in healthcare and outside of healthcare, multiple employments, leadership in student orgs, they said my GPA was competitive and they even said my explanations of my activities were good. They pretty much chalked it up to this past cycle being really competitive and me having a late application.

I also had someone on SDN read over my PS last cycle and she felt it was pretty weak. I've rewritten it and had many people say it's strong now.

Rosalind Franklin said:

In reviewing your application, I can state that from a numbers stand point you are considered competitive. The entering class of 2010’s average MCAT score was a 29; the average science GPA was a 3.53 and the average cumulative GPA was a 3.59. We do take into consideration graduate coursework; however the undergraduate coursework is more heavily weighted. Your MCAT is considered competitive for the school; however if you can raise this score, it would only help to make your application more competitive.

Experiences, both medically and non-medically related are considered when reviewing an applicant. The Chicago Medical School is interested in applicants who are well-rounded in experiences. A variety of experiences in the different areas of medicine helps to strengthen an applicant’s application. In looking at your application, you are doing well in these areas; however more medical and humanitarian experiences would help to strengthen your application.

It is also good practice to revisit the personal essay and asses if anything needs to changed or added. It may also be helpful to have someone you respect look over the essay and give you constructive criticism. Unfortunately, our office is unable to advise on personal statements as it may be considered a form of favoritism.

And FSU said:

I have reviewed your application for acceptance to the FSU College of Medicine and related materials, and I feel that yours is a case where there is essentially little to add to your application. This past admissions cycle we saw an extremely competitive applicant pool compared to previous years, and yours was just not quite as competitive. I would advise that over the next year, you continue to shadow physicians, however in fields you have yet to experience. Additionally, more extensive participation in activities that provide service to the underserved and disadvantaged, would strengthen your application.

So there ya go! thank you again for the advice, i really appreciate all the help. I'm gonna be pouring over the MSAR of course but any other school suggestions would be nice!

 

[jkchang10]

Possible schools to look into and add:
Tufts, Temple, Rush, Wayne State, the SUNYs, EVMS, VCU, Hofstra, Commonwealth, Oakland, Michigan State, Wayne State, UWisconsin, Ohio State

Possible schools to REMOVE:
Meharry and Howard

Possible schools to reconsider:
Stanford, Loma Linda, Georgetown, Wake Forest, and Michigan State

 

[sector9]

Possible schools to look into and add:
Tufts, Temple, Rush, Wayne State, the SUNYs, EVMS, VCU, Hofstra, Commonwealth, Oakland, Michigan State, Wayne State

Overall, I think your list is pretty realistic. I would take off Stanford, the HBC's we already discussed, and reconsider Michigan State's OOS tuition (one of the highest in the country)

Besides improving the MCAT, what have you done over the application cycle? Did you find more shadowing? Did you keep up volunteering?

 

[jkchang10]

Overall, I think your list is pretty realistic. I would take off Stanford, the HBC's we already discussed, and reconsider Michigan State's OOS tuition (one of the highest in the country)

Besides improving the MCAT, what have you done over the application cycle? Did you find more shadowing? Did you keep up volunteering?

I'm keeping stanford just as a ridiculous reach (also my sister graduated from stanford med last year haha so )

As for stuff i did over the application cycle this past year:

1) Volunteered at the Alachua County Medical Examiner's Office where I shadowed forensic pathologists and viewed dozens of autopsies of various deaths. SUPER COOL.

2) Completed a post baccalaureate graduate certificate course in Medico-Legal Death Investigation through the University of Florida's College of Pharmacy. Achieve a 4.0 GPA in graduate courses.

3) Worked full time as a research intern for a biomedical research company - in a biotechnology wing and then in a sports medicine research and development department where we were in the process of inventing a product made from human cartilage to increase the efficacy of microfracture knee surgeries. (I can go on and on here lol)

4) improved the MCAT

 

[sector9]

I'm keeping stanford just as a ridiculous reach (also my sister graduated from stanford med last year haha so )

As for stuff i did over the application cycle this past year:

1) Volunteered at the Alachua County Medical Examiner's Office where I shadowed forensic pathologists and viewed dozens of autopsies of various deaths. SUPER COOL.

2) Completed a post baccalaureate graduate certificate course in Medico-Legal Death Investigation through the University of Florida's College of Pharmacy. Achieve a 4.0 GPA in graduate courses.

3) Worked full time as a research intern for a biomedical research company - in a biotechnology wing and then in a sports medicine research and development department where we were in the process of inventing a product made from human cartilage to increase the efficacy of microfracture knee surgeries. (I can go on and on here lol)

4) improved the MCAT

It looks like you've improved your application in key ways and that you have a realistic school list. I like your chances this cycle. I wouldn't do the SMP, but I guess if your parents are paying for it...

Good luck👍

 

[jkchang10]

It looks like you've improved your application in key ways and that you have a realistic school list. I like your chances this cycle. I wouldn't do the SMP, but I guess if your parents are paying for it...

Good luck👍

Thanks! I just wanted to apply to more schools just for good measure. Anyone else with advice on schools?

 

[jkchang10]

So this is my tentatively final Med School application list:

28 total, 7 IS, 21 OOS:

IS:
1. UM
2. UF
3. USF
4. UCF
5. FAU
6. FIU
7. FSU

OOS:
8. Albany
9. Albert Einstein
10. Boston
11. Drexel
12. George Washington
13. Loyola
14. Medical College of Wisconsin
15. NYMC
16. Penn State
17. Rosalind Franklin
18. Tufts
19. SUNY Downstate
20. Michigan State
21. Wayne State
22. EVMS
23. Stony Brook
24. SUNY Upstate
25. Temple
26. SUNY Buffalo
27. VCU
28. Tulane

What do you guys think of this list? Are there any schools I should remove? Are there any I should add?

Thanks!!!

 

[denco88]

So this is my tentatively final Med School application list:

28 total, 7 IS, 21 OOS:

IS:
1. UM
2. UF
3. USF
4. UCF
5. FAU
6. FIU
7. FSU

OOS:
8. Albany
9. Albert Einstein
10. Boston
11. Drexel
12. George Washington
13. Loyola
14. Medical College of Wisconsin
15. NYMC
16. Penn State
17. Rosalind Franklin
18. Tufts
19. SUNY Downstate
20. Michigan State
21. Wayne State
22. EVMS
23. Stony Brook
24. SUNY Upstate
25. Temple
26. SUNY Buffalo
27. VCU
28. Tulane

What do you guys think of this list? Are there any schools I should remove? Are there any I should add?

Thanks!!!

I think that is a solid list. If I were you, I would really reconsider the SMP. I feel like it could do a lot more harm than good. Unless the Tufts program has an unreal linkage program.

 

[jkchang10]

I think that is a solid list. If I were you, I would really reconsider the SMP. I feel like it could do a lot more harm than good. Unless the Tufts program has an unreal linkage program.

Why do you say that? I think it will prepare me for the rigors of med school and it would make my first year of med school much more relaxed.

Not to mention it's kind of a back up since Tufts interviews close to 50 percent of the SMP students.

And finally, I spoke with an admissions office and they were impressed that was I doing an SMP this year and said Tufts was a prestigious program and it would definitely help... I guess it's just a good way to be spending this next year as it simply strengthens my app more.

 

[leggo]

Because if you do poorly, you have basically lost all chances at a US med school. SMP are really for students who have low GPAs and need to prove that they can handle medical school classes. The interviews are nice, but interviews do not equal guaranteed acceptance. Plus the debt you will be in as a result of the program. There is a reason, after all, why SMP are considered risky.

 

[jkchang10]

Because if you do poorly, you have basically lost all chances at a US med school. SMP are really for students who have low GPAs and need to prove that they can handle medical school classes. The interviews are nice, but interviews do not equal guaranteed acceptance. Plus the debt you will be in as a result of the program. There is a reason, after all, why SMP are considered risky.

Right I understand that risk, but I feel that I will not do poorly because I am ready to focus completely on owning this SMP. And simply put, if I do poorly then maybe medical school really isn't for me.

But I think that it is and I know I can respond to the challenge of an SMP and in the event that I don't get into a medical school this cycle (knock on wood ), performing well in this SMP would basically guarantee me entrance if I apply next cycle for a third time (since I went up against medical school students in a medical school class and did better than them).

And cost is not a factor in this decision. Thanks for the advice though I appreciate hearing all sides of the argument! 👍 🙂

 

[leggo]

sounds good. If you think you can do well, than def go for it.