WAMC - NY / ORM / 3.83 cGPA 3.85 s GPA / 520 MCAT Help with School List

[updowndog]

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Hi everyone! I’m planning on applying this upcoming cycle (currently in gap year 1) and was hoping to get some help on my school list. I have around 50 schools and hope to narrow it down to 40-35. It’s pretty top-heavy, so any suggestions to remove reaches and replace them with better targets would be very appreciated!

1. NY and Asian male (first gen, FAP recipient), T20 undergrad

2. sGPA/cGPA/MCAT: 3.85/3.83/520 (retook from 512; 8 months apart)

3. Shadowing: 45 hours (35hr neurosurgery, 10hr internal med)

4. Clinical: 800 hours volunteer EMT (4 years), 1000 paid PCT in hospital (2 years)

5. Volunteering: 260 hours building/running local county fair, 40 hours crisis nursery

6. Leadership: 3 years in volunteer EMT group, VP for a year in different student group

7. Research: Worked in the basic science lab for about 3 years (600+ hours), no pubs and two departmental publications but strong LOR here

8. Teaching: TA for 2 classes

Taking 2 gap years: working as MCAT tutor with testing company and doing some volunteering at children's hospital, starting as clinical research assistant in the summer till matriculation

Thank you for reading!

MD:
Temple
Tufts
Loyola
Rush
Boston University
Drexel
Albany Medical College
George Washington
Penn State
University of Illinois
Kaiser
University at Buffalo
Tulane
Georgetown
UPitt
Chicago Medical School at Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science
VCU
University of Washington School of Medicine
New York Medical College
Upstate
Downstate
Dartmouth
Emory
UMiami
Mount Sinai
Albert Einstein
University of Rochester
Case Western
Brown
Hofstra
University of Minnesota Medical School - Twin Cities (have ties here)
Indiana University School of Medicine (have ties here)
UMass
University of Cincinnati
UMich
WashU
Stanford
Harvard
Duke
Columbia
UChicago
Cornell
Yale
Northwestern
Johns Hopkins
UPenn
Mayo Clinic
UVA
NYU Grossman
UCLA
University of Colorado
Stony Brook University

 

[Mr.Smile12]

Welcome to the forums.

Yes, the list is way too long. Keep in mind that many schools average all MCAT scores for screening purposes, though your 520 should be enough to keep your application in contention.

I am missing service orientation activities. I appreciate being involved in community events like your local county fair, but that doesn't fulfill service orientation for medical school admissions. We look for food distribution, shelter volunteering, job/tax preparation, legal support, transportation services, and housing rehabilitation. You must have 150 hours before submitting or else risk getting screened out at most schools. Your list includes some brand schools, so you should have 250 before submitting to keep up with comparable applicants being considered. You have 40 hours in a crisis nursery, so get more hours here if you cannot find anything else.

I don't get a sense of your purpose as a physician from this profile. (Basically, you like being an EMT.) This isn't enough to convince me to interview you. Need more details.

 

[updowndog]

Thank you for responding so quickly! I’ll be sure to get more service-oriented hours before submitting. As for why I want to pursue medicine, I discuss my experiences as a patient in my personal statement from when I was hospitalized as a child. I value patient advocacy and education, which was central to my role as a PCT working with pediatric patients. Additionally, I’ve had the opportunity to do very rewarding work with underserved communities as an EMT, making sure people have access to adequate healthcare resources (which is a core part of the study I'll be helping with as a clinical research assistant in my gap year). Please let me know if there is more information I can provide!

 

[Mr.Smile12]

A few comments on your list. It doesn't appear you looked at OOS stats or mission fit. I would like more explanation for the public schools where you claim ties (Indiana and Minnesota). Sure, you have family there, but why are you drawn to those midwestern states and their communities? For Mayo, what specific programs or opportunities make Mayo your top school (even if it isn't)?

Read

Seeking Leverage in “Strong Ties” | SDN

Access free resources, expert advice, and tools to advance your medical career.

www.studentdoctor.net

Again, I'm not sure you have enough service orientation for many programs that prefer more involvement with social justice advocacy. Do as much as you can to this point, especially activities that are not clinical-adjacent.

 

[Faha]

Loyola and Rush expect far more non clinical volunteering hours than you have. U Washington admits very few applicants who are not from states in the Northwest.

 

[Faha]

I suggest these schools from your list:
MD:
Temple
Tufts
Boston University
Drexel
Albany Medical College
George Washington
Penn State
Kaiser
University at Buffalo
Tulane
Georgetown
UPitt
Chicago Medical School at Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science
VCU
New York Medical College
Upstate
Downstate
Dartmouth
Emory
UMiami
Mount Sinai
Albert Einstein
University of Rochester
Case Western
Brown
Hofstra
University of Minnesota Medical School - Twin Cities (have ties here)
Indiana University School of Medicine (have ties here)
UMass
University of Cincinnati
UMich
WashU
Stanford
Harvard
Duke
Columbia
Cornell
Yale
Northwestern
Johns Hopkins
UPenn
Mayo Clinic
UVA
NYU Grossman
University of Colorado
Stony Brook University

 

[updowndog]

Thank you both so much for your help, it definitely makes this process feel much less overwhelming! I’ll continue narrowing down my list based on mission fit and the programs they offer.

Regarding OOS friendliness, I saw on MSAR that nearly 50% of matriculants were OOS in 2023 at U Washington, with some applicants coming from New York, so I assumed it might be OOS friendly. However, looking at it further, they do tend to admit applicants from surrounding states. Are there any other factors I should consider beyond the percentage/stats of in-state vs. OOS matriculants on MSAR for other schools?

Lastly, in terms of my stats, a 3.83 cGPA would be below the 10th percentile at schools like NYU and Johns Hopkins. Would it make sense to screen those out? I’ve heard the general rule is to aim for stats within the 25th to 75th percentile range, does that hold true in most cases?

Thank you again for your time!

 

[Faha]

Thank you both so much for your help, it definitely makes this process feel much less overwhelming! I’ll continue narrowing down my list based on mission fit and the programs they offer.

Regarding OOS friendliness, I saw on MSAR that nearly 50% of matriculants were OOS in 2023 at U Washington, with some applicants coming from New York, so I assumed it might be OOS friendly. However, looking at it further, they do tend to admit applicants from surrounding states. Are there any other factors I should consider beyond the percentage/stats of in-state vs. OOS matriculants on MSAR for other schools?

Lastly, in terms of my stats, a 3.83 cGPA would be below the 10th percentile at schools like NYU and Johns Hopkins. Would it make sense to screen those out? I’ve heard the general rule is to aim for stats within the 25th to 75th percentile range, does that hold true in most cases?

Thank you again for your time!

Thank you both so much for your help, it definitely makes this process feel much less overwhelming! I’ll continue narrowing down my list based on mission fit and the programs they offer.

Regarding OOS friendliness, I saw on MSAR that nearly 50% of matriculants were OOS in 2023 at U Washington, with some applicants coming from New York, so I assumed it might be OOS friendly. However, looking at it further, they do tend to admit applicants from surrounding states. Are there any other factors I should consider beyond the percentage/stats of in-state vs. OOS matriculants on MSAR for other schools?

Lastly, in terms of my stats, a 3.83 cGPA would be below the 10th percentile at schools like NYU and Johns Hopkins. Would it make sense to screen those out? I’ve heard the general rule is to aim for stats within the 25th to 75th percentile range, does that hold true in most cases?

Thank you again for your time!

Johns Hopkins and NYU-do you really want to pass on that free tuition ? Yes, U Washington admits 50% of their class from OOS-almost all from Idaho, Montana, Wyoming and Alaska where they have contracts with those states.

 

[updowndog]

That is fair! Was just wondering if those schools would be out of my reach given my stats?

 

[Faha]

That is fair! Was just wondering if those schools would be out of my reach given my stats?

You could receive an interview with your stats.