two questions

[deleted9493]

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Do those who are accepted into top 10-20 schools almost always have research experience? I did research for one semester but was unable to continue...due to issues not in my control.
Also, coming from a no-name state university, what kind of MCAT score would be considered really competitive at top 10-20 schools? (assuming gpa and ec's are solid)...schools like hopkins, yale, and stanford
Thanks.

 

[tBw]

I have research. I also have good MCAT, GPA and ECs. I have been accepted by a top school, AND rejected by other schools. Unfortunately I'm not sure there really is a sound recipe people can give you about what will get you into a particular school. I especially don't think that there is an MCAT score which will make you "especially competitive". Even scoring in the 40s doesn't guarantee you consideration.

 

[relatively prime]

Originally posted by hudsontc
Do those who are accepted into top 10-20 schools almost always have research experience? I did research for one semester but was unable to continue...due to issues not in my control.
Also, coming from a no-name state university, what kind of MCAT score would be considered really competitive at top 10-20 schools? (assuming gpa and ec's are solid)...schools like hopkins, yale, and stanford
Thanks.

Well... I think you're questions are really just one.... "what does a state school student have to do to get into a top 20 school?"

Do top 20 schools only accept students with research experience? No. However, you have to keep in mind that the USNews rankings that most people go by are the RESEARCH rankings. So, obviously, the "top" schools are the schools strongest in research... and I suspect they want to keep it that way. A few schools even have research requirements (Yale's is the biggest... you actually have to write a paper... Duke has a small research requirement aswell [this is new]) So obviously, having research experience DOES help. And, if you want my opinion, if you're coming from a state school... you pretty much HAVE TO HAVE research experience. Coming from a state school you really have to have something extra.

About the MCAT, I'd say you have to get at least a 33 (at least a 10 in verbal) to be competitive at any top schools.

I PMed you with my profile.

 

[deleted9493]

Do you think one semester of biomedical research is enough to make a difference on an application? I didn't have the opportunity to publish....

 

[lola]

i'm not too sure that you HAVE to have research experience coming from a state school. i agree that you have to have something extra and research will help, but if everything else is GREAT i'd imagine you would still be in the running (high gpa, high mcat, great volunteer/clinical experiences). you could try e-mailing a couple of admissions offices to see how important research experience is. plus you've done it for 1 semester, so it's not like you don't have any research experience at all.

 

[tBw]

I don't think you *have* to have research any more than you *have* to have a 33 MCAT if you go to a state school (I mean look at some of the threads of peoples stats who get interviews) though both would help.

Most undergrads don't get something worth publishing. Yes, 1 semester of research will be something as many people don't have any. But you do need to be able to talk about it if it's going to be worth anything (because if you make a big deal of it on your application you can be sure they will ask you about it).

Stanford, one of the schools you mention does have some numerical cut-offs on GPA and MCAT, but most schools don't discuss this even if they do it.

 

[relatively prime]

Yeah yeah you don't *have* to have anything really... I mean you're going to hear lots of stories like "dude! I knew an asian guy with a 28MCAT who got into Harvard!" and "I knew a person from po-dunk univeristy with a 3.2 and NO ECs who got into WashU!" But these things are RARE!

I mean... theoretically you can get accepted without any ECs, a bad gpa and an average MCAT. But the truth of the matter is this... if you want to get into a top school from a no-name state school, you greatly increase your chances by having solid research and volunteer experiences... along with a 33+ MCAT and a 3.6+ gpa. You can not strive for these things and take a big risk... or you can play the odds and take this advice.

Depending on what you did, one semester of biochem research might be enough. However, I'd encourage you to try for a summer internship at a well-known institution... like Howard Hughs or NIH.

 

[Mutterkuchen]

Originally posted by relatively prime

. . . if you want to get into a top school from a no-name state school, you greatly increase your chances by having solid research and volunteer experiences... along with a 33+ MCAT and a 3.6+ gpa.

I can't say that I disagree with this, but I don't think that this is exclusive to state schools. You should strive for a 3.6+ and 33+ MCAT at private schools as well.

Whether you are going to an elite private school or podunk state university, you simply need to do interesting things along with normal premed types of ECs, ie volunteering.

My corhort of approximately 10 premeds at Podunk State University were very successful in the med schools admissions process. They get accepted by having a high GPA and MCAT, studing abroad, volunteering in interesting ways, etc. Only some of them had any research experience, and only one or two had significant research experience. They were accepted to Hopkins, Wash U, Yale, Vandy, U Chicago, Loyola, and others. The only one that didn't get in was a clown, and only applied to a couple of schools.

I don't that that you have to be much more extraordinary coming from a state school. If you don't want to do more research, don't. Do something else. But you only live once, so you might as well make it interesting!

 

[Rapid Decomposition]

I think it really only matters if you are interested in doing research. If you are only interested in being a clinician, I don't see why research is especially important. I've been accepted at five schools, including a top 5 school, and research was by far the weakest part of my application. I worked on one non-science, not-really-medical, basically survey project for a year and a half, and I've been working on another medically-related project for longer, but I've been doing grunt work - none of the actual research itself. I've never been the co-author of any papers either.

But in the end it didn't matter, because I have absolutely zero interest in ever doing research after I graduate. I'd be surprised if my research "experience" made any difference in my acceptances.