WAMC

[PencilWise]

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Resolved

 

[Faha]

I suggest these schools with your stats:
All 4 SUNYs
Hofstra
Einstein
Mount Sinai
NYU
Columbia
Cornell
Rochester
Yale
Dartmouth
Brown
Harvard
Boston University
UPenn
Johns Hopkins
Emory
Vanderbilt
Washington University (in St. Louis)
Northwestern
U Chicago
U Michigan
Case Western
Cincinnati
UCSF
Stanford
Mayo

 

[Faha]

Thank you for these suggestions but aren’t some of these schools a bit too too heavy (never even considered NYU, Cornell, Harvard, etc). I am not sure if I have the ECs to stand out well for these schools which is the issue I’ve been having. Wondering if it’s a good idea to apply to more low/mid-tiers instead (NYMC, Tulane, Creighton, etc.) or if I would be at risk of yield protection?

Your ECs are fine for these schools and your GPA and MCAT are very high. Lower tier schools will likely :"yield protect" with your stats. You could try NYMC since it is local for you.

 

[wysdoc]

Alright thanks. Should I also apply to some DO schools just in case since they are very close to me (NYIT, Touro, etc) or not recommended because of yield protection? Also would not having a committee letter hurt me at some of these schools? (My undergrad has a pre-health office but due to the extremely large amount of premeds the letter requirements are very stringent and would require me to delay by app cycle by another year which Id like to avoid). Thanks

I don't think you need to add DO schools to your list

Regarding the committee letter, this sometimes happens that they don't make time for everyone. You can send your individual recommendation letters instead. If asked about it later, "why didn't you have a committee letter?" answer honestly that they were not able to take you in to their system in time for this year's application cycle.

 

[wysdoc]

Ok thank you! Also in regards to shadowing I’m confused as to what I should do? Should I find separate strictly shadowing experiences or can I extract hours for shadowing from my clinical experiences already? Or is it not necessary to do so and adcoms will assume I obviously shadowed in my clinical experiences?

Make sure to designate some of your hours distinctly in a shadowing category on your activity list

 

[Mr.Smile12]

Also in terms of rec letters would it be okay for me to send a letter from my post doc instead of PI or just not have a research letter at all? I left the lab on pretty bad terms with my PI and she refuses to write me a strong LOR so was wondering if I can just ask my post doc as I worked much closely with him and list him as contact instead of PI?

It would look weird or be a red flag to my research faculty. For LinkedIn, it would be ok, but a LOR no.

 

[Mr.Smile12]

Alright so I should just not use a research LOR and use only my prof/physician LORs instead since I am not dead set on research heavy schools anyway? I wanted to focus more so on my clinical experiences on my apps and research is not gonna be a most meaningful activity. As for the contact should I still list post doc or would PI be fine to put down since I have read there is a low chance adcoms contact the contacts listed anyway? Thanks.

That should be okay.

 

[chilly_md]

With letters, less is usually better. Use the 2 chem ones, get a non-science one from a class you took and use your best physician one that you worked under (seems like the surgeon or rehab home one).

If you like, you could add these additional schools:

Iowa
Saint Louis
UVA
Keck
Ohio State

 

[chilly_md]

Awesome thanks! In terms of a non science one can I obtain it from a professor who is not necessarily a phd since most of my non-science classes were taught my adjunct lecturers? Or would I absolutely need it from someone with a PhD or similar credentials?

That would be fine

 

[LeaveNoTrace]

Not interested in T50s or research heavy schools as I feel my ECs are too cookie-cutter to be competitive there.

You're basically at pack fodder level at top-20 schools and a strong applicant everywhere else. This first time around you don't need DO schools on your list. It's only the exceptional applicants - even by top-20 standards - that have things like military service, started nonprofits, Peace Corps, or professional athletics on their application. At least half of your app should consist of top-50 schools, and a third should be top 20s.

Shoot higher; your application is a strong one.