Unusual background. Help me find safety!

[sammyseal]

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Hi all, I'm new here and hope you ca be as helpful with me as you are with everyone else.

I'm completing my undergrad at McGill University in Canada. I'm a US citizen but as I grew up in France I never had a state of residence. Which means no safety state schools I'm afraid.

Stats:
39T
Running Overall GPA: 3.911
Running BCPM GPA: 3.928
Running all other: 3.88

I have a fair share of extracurriculars but nothing exceptional:
Campus first aid: ~250 hours
Hospital Volunteering: ~70 hours by the time I graduate but only 20 now
Research: 2 month job, good letter but no publication.
Physician shadowing: about 40 hours

I have a list of schools right now but I'm trying to knock off a couple reach and throw in a few safeties! I'm in france for the summer and can't get an MSAR in time for the AMCAS deadlines so I'm counting on you guys!

Current list:

UW
UCSF
UCI
Stanford
Upitt
Upenn
Harvard
Johns Hopkins
University of Chicago
Vanderbilt
Tufts
Columbia
Emory
Yale
Duke
UNC
Brown
University of Michigan
Washington University
Cornell
Oregon health

Any you would knock off or add?

 

[sammyseal]

help?

 

[Teuflein]

University of Washington: less than 5% oos (Washinton, Wyoming, Alaska, Montana, Idaho)

Oregon: gives preference to OR, WY, MT, MD/PhD, and MD/MPH

 

[Catalystik]

Since you list only two months of research, I'm wondering why you have so many of the top research schools on your list? The highly selective US schools on your list aim to train future leaders in medicine. Ask yourself if there is anything about your application that will suggest to adcomms that you have that potential. You don't even mention leadership, teaching, or nonmedical community service.

And Brown seems to prefer regional applicants.

For "safeties, consider some of these ( )=% OOS accepted:

71/UCentral Florida (24%), USCal (28%), Boston (77%), Tufts (73%), SLU (70%), Einstein (52%), Rochester (52%),
70/Colorado (25%), UConn (17%), Georgetown (98%), Miami (26%), Iowa (35%), Maryland (23%), UMinn (21%), Stony Brook (15%), Wake (59%), Cincinnati (34%), Penn State (51%)

 

[rbnsafsadgf]

Oregon: gives preference to OR, WY, MT, MD/PhD, and MD/MPH

True, but not quite the full picture for OHSU.

"Non-resident applicants with superior achievements in academics and other related experiences. For the 2010 cycle, superior academics is defined as a cumulative Total GPA, as reported by AMCAS, of 3.65 or higher and a cumulative score of 32 or higher on the most-recent eligible MCAT."

--http://www.ohsu.edu/xd/education/schools/school-of-medicine/academic-programs/md-program/admissions/academic-and-selection-factors.cfm

 

[longhorn09]

Your stats is great, but your list is definitely too top-heavy.
Also, you can forget about uw if you are not a resident of WWAMI.

 

[sammyseal]

Thanks for the help guys! I'll definitely add some of those to the list!

Do you guys really think 3 years of research and publications are necessary for the top schools?

 

[Catalystik]

Thanks for the help guys! I'll definitely add some of those to the list!

Do you guys really think 3 years of research and publications are necessary for the top schools?

I'd have suggested that two years of substantive research might be ehough, but in some (rare?)instances, superb achievements in leadership and community service might give an indication to their adcomms that you have the potential they are seeking.

 

[sammyseal]

Perhaps something I'm unclear on (and something I should definitely know prior to applying):

the way I understood it, there were basically research schools and primary care schools. Is that to say that the doctors from the primary care schools predominantly become generalists and don't specialize or is that an oversimplification? Do doctors from the research schools with an MD become researchers?

I definitely want to specialize but I'm not sure I'm interested in research per se. Provided I even had a shot at getting in, would it be a huge mistake to even go to these schools?

 

[Catalystik]

the way I understood it, there were basically research schools and primary care schools. Is that to say that the doctors from the primary care schools predominantly become generalists and don't specialize or is that an oversimplification? Do doctors from the research schools with an MD become researchers?

That is an oversimplification. You have the potential to be any kind of doc you want, regardless of where you attend school.

You probably don't want to attend a school or a residency program that expects you to engage in research during their curriculum when you have little experience.

 

[sammyseal]

Not that I'm trying to minimize your advice or cast a doubt, but is this everyone else's experience too?

I have to admit I felt a lot more confident about my aptitudes and experience as a person before I discovered this forum. And though in the long run that's probably for the best, it's certainly not pleasant now!

Is it impossible to get into a "research school", which is basically a top school without a huge research background or leadership?

I had no particular hate for research, I just thought my time was best spent discovering other things and trying to maximize experiences rather than do research again and again during the summer. However I am entirely enthusiastic of having a year of research within my curriculum! I don't know if that's a tough sell to an adcomm but it's true nevertheless!

I should mention I have a few other extracurriculars that I hadn't mentionned previously:

leadership: I'm the representative for the senior year in my program between students and student council
Non-med volunteering/teaching: I lead hour long seminars in montreal highschools on the basics of money and banking.
Teaching: I am officially a kaplan MCAT teacher even though I haven't taught a course yet. I passed the training and then realized I wouldn't be around for the summer.

Am I a bit of a better candidate than I was 5 minutes ago?

 

[Catalystik]

1) Is it impossible to get into a "research school", which is basically a top school without a huge research background or leadership?

2) I am entirely enthusiastic of having a year of research within my curriculum! I don't know if that's a tough sell to an adcomm but it's true nevertheless!

3) I should mention I have a few other extracurriculars that I hadn't mentionned previously:

leadership: I'm the representative for the senior year in my program between students and student council
Non-med volunteering/teaching: I lead hour long seminars in montreal highschools on the basics of money and banking.
Teaching: I am officially a kaplan MCAT teacher even though I haven't taught a course yet. I passed the training and then realized I wouldn't be around for the summer.

Am I a bit of a better candidate than I was 5 minutes ago?

1) Nothing is impossible if you have enough of a "hook." A Nobel prize or Olympic Gold are commonly cited on SDN as being examples of good attention catchers.

2) If you say you want to work with rural populations, but have no rural experience, do you think an adcomm will admit you to a RuralMed Program? No, adcomms are more likely to judge you based on background and experience, not on what you say you think you'd like. The same goes for research. However, I doubt that all of the top twenty require you to engage in research during med school.

3) I'm glad you have something to list for leadership. There is a huge difference in being elected/appointed to a position where you sit at meetings and vote once in awhile, vs take initiative, propose and carry through new programs, run committees, etc. Be sure your narrative about the activity reflects your contribution.

Running seminars for HS students is a very good EC, especially as it combines community service and teaching, and particularly if the activity has some longevity. Did you initiate the program, recruit others to participate, etc (leadership-y stuff)?

Training as an MCAT teacher and not using the training doesn't have any value for your application.

Overall, the additional information makes you a better candidate. Some Hobbies would be a good addition when the time comes, as well.

 

[sammyseal]

1) Nothing is impossible if you have enough of a "hook." A Nobel prize or Olympic Gold are commonly cited on SDN as being examples of good attention catchers.



Overall, the additional information makes you a better candidate. Some Hobbies would be a good addition when the time comes, as well.

Did I not mention the several Pullitzers lying under my high school soccer trophies? 😉

Thanks for the help.

Since I've got you and you seem to have excellent advice; one more question: I listed music in my application. It's basically half of my life and also plays an important part in my personal statement. I have had several bands, solo shows, and a dozen recordings of varying quality.
Though it's an integral part of my life and has been since I've been tiny, I don't have much to show for it. It's always been a very personal pleasure and pursuit and there's no real way (besides pulling out a guitar--which I'm totally on board with if the interviewers ask-- ) to show how dedicated I've been to it!

Any idea in which light I should cast the experience?

 

[Catalystik]

List your music under Artistic Endeavors. Talk about it as you have above with more detail. Let your dedication to your art shine through your words, as adcomms love to see that you're passionate about something. Consider doing a You-Tube video that you can link to in your application.

If you can't locate those Pulitzers, winning Canadian Idol might do the trick.

 

[sammyseal]

Youtube videos made! (search sam neher if ever you're curious!)

You've been a huge help and I thank you very much. Here is an updated school list. I didn't take out any of the reach schools (except UW) but added in a couple safeties; more adequate?

Boston University School of Medicine

Columbia University College of P & S
Duke University School of Medicine
Emory University School of Medicine
Georgetown University School of Medicine
Harvard Medical School
Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
Northwestern Feinberg School of Medicine
Oregon Health and Science University
Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine
Stanford University School of Medicine
Temple University School of Medicine
Tufts University School of Medicine
University of California San Francisco
University of Chicago - Pritzker
University of Connecticut School of Medicine
University of Maryland School of Medicine
University of Michigan Medical School
University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine
University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine
University of Virginia School of Medicine
Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University
Washington University School of Medicine
Yale University School of Medicine

 

[Rzarecta]

Sorry to say, but that list is still comically top-heavy. Your stats are fantastic, but top schools do want more than that. There are enough applicants with high stats so that Harvard/Wash U/Penn/JHU could be taking only 4.0/38+ students. The biggest difference in those matriculants versus the typical ones are their ECs, which are quite substantial. If money is no object then go ahead and apply. But you need to seriously add 5-10 more safety programs.

 

[pelliper]

Sorry to say, but that list is still comically top-heavy. Your stats are fantastic, but top schools do want more than that. There are enough applicants with high stats so that Harvard/Wash U/Penn/JHU could be taking only 4.0/38+ students. The biggest difference in those matriculants versus the typical ones are their ECs, which are quite substantial. If money is no object then go ahead and apply. But you need to seriously add 5-10 more safety programs.

I'd actually recommend AGAINST putting more "safety" programs and just adding more schools in the middle range. I found during my application cycle that I actually did worse at my private safety schools (did well at in-state publics, but he is from Canada) than Top20 schools, and I suspect this was at least partly because with my stats they knew I was using them as safety schools. You should add schools like Mount Sinai, Case Western, Emory, NYU, Ohio State, URochester, Dartmouth, Einstein, USC Keck, etc.

 

[sammyseal]

Hey guys, if you don't mind taking the time, would you mind telling me which of my schools are reach, which are midrange and which are safety? I'd do it myself by just looking at average GPA and MCAT scores, but that seems to be much less than the whole picture.

I don't mind applying many places and having most of them reject me, but I want to be sure I do get in somewhere!

I'm fairly limited in number of schools I can add because of several factors: My university credited me with a bunch of credit for my french baccalaureate, which means I'm limited to schools that accept AP credit with required courses (most of them), but also I haven't taken a year's english and went for an economics minor (no writing intensive) and 2 writing intensive poli-sci courses, but which do not please schools that ask for english specifically!