Suggestions for school list? (3.4, 516, URM)

[jules512]

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Hey everyone,

I wanted to start pre-writing some secondaries as I will have a busy summer so I've compiled a potential list of schools early. I would really appreciate it if you guys could give me feedback.
About me:
GPA: 3.4, but 3.7/3.8 the last 2 years - not great, but still an upward trend I guess
MCAT: 516 (balanced)
Undergrad: HYPSM
ECs: don't want to get too specific to preserve anonymity, but most revolved around outreach to inner-city youth, which is the population I'd like to keep working with as a doctor; also held a lot of student jobs
Research: both basic science and clinical, ~800 hrs total, however also currently employed in a clinical research position
Gap year (currently): working as a full-time clinical researcher since last May, lots of patient interaction experience
URM status: black female, also an immigrant
State: not CA/NY/TX/FL, will definitely be applying to my state school

Major reaches:
Harvard
Yale
NYU
Columbia
Weill Cornell
Duke
Mt. Sinai

Reaches:
BU
Tufts
Dartmouth
Jefferson
Temple
USC Keck
Mayo
Pittsburgh
Hofstra
Emory
Einstein
Illinois

Targets:
Morehouse
Georgetown
GW
UMiami
NYMC
Loyola
Ros Franklin
Tulane
Wake Forest
My state school

I know that pretty much anything is a reach with my GPA, but for the "targets", I tried to use MSAR to find schools where I'd at least be within the 10th percentile. Let me know if any of these schools are a total waste of money (the first 7 lol) or if there are other schools I should look into. Thanks so much!

 

[Walter Raleigh]

You're URM with a strong upward trend and good ECs. And from an Ivy League school. That gets you a good deal of slack, GPA-wise. Keep Harvard and Yale on your lists; you're quite a strong applicant.

 

[jules512]

Thank you for the input! Are there any target schools I should add?

 

[mydogmolly]

Do you have an aversion to the west coast? I only see USC on there

 

[Osminog]

You don't actually have any "reaches" or "major reaches." You're 2 SD's above the average MCAT for AA matriculants (not applicants, matriculants), and you're pretty much at the average AA matriculant GPA.* Also, you have solid ECs and an elite undergrad.

If you're at least half-decent at interviews, you're going to have a very good cycle.


* https://www.aamc.org/download/321498/data/factstablea18.pdf

 

[jules512]

Do you have an aversion to the west coast? I only see USC on there

Lol not an aversion but I would like to stay (somewhat) close to my family who are on the east coast. Plus, California schools are incredibly hard to get into as it is, so I felt like I'd have pretty much zero chance as an out of state applicant with a crappy GPA. However, do you think there any I should add where I'd have a shot?

 

[jules512]

You don't actually have any "reaches" or "major reaches." You're 2 SD's above the average MCAT for AA matriculants (not applicants, matriculants), and you're pretty much at the average AA matriculant GPA.* Also, you have solid ECs and an elite undergrad.

If you're at least half-decent at interviews, you're going to have a very good cycle.

Okay thank you. It just seems a bit unrealistic for me to be applying to schools where I'm below the 10th percentile for GPA and expect anything... But thanks for the vote of confidence haha... I will try to remember to update this if I have any luck in this cycle!

 

[Osminog]

Okay thank you. It just seems a bit unrealistic for me to be applying to schools where I'm below the 10th percentile for GPA and expect anything... But thanks for the vote of confidence haha... I will try to remember to update this if I have any luck in this cycle!

See:
ready2go2 profile - MDApplicants.com
Student911 profile - MDApplicants.com
raeofsunshine profile - MDApplicants.com
Karasu profile - MDApplicants.com

Not a huge data set, but you get the idea.

 

[mydogmolly]

Lol not an aversion but I would like to stay (somewhat) close to my family who are on the east coast. Plus, California schools are incredibly hard to get into as it is, so I felt like I'd have pretty much zero chance as an out of state applicant with a crappy GPA. However, do you think there any I should add where I'd have a shot?

Yea I think UCLA and UCSF are definitely worth applications, especially since you do have some good research experience and have interest in urban populations. I also think you'll be pleasantly surprised by your success.

 

[jules512]

Yea I think UCLA and UCSF are definitely worth applications, especially since you do have some good research experience and have interest in urban populations. I also think you'll be pleasantly surprised by your success.

I'll look into both, thank you! I guess if they're not interested at all they won't send a secondary haha