What do you people think of my potential school list?!?

[ahowardmd]

Hey Fellow Pre-meds,

I am working on my list of potential medical schools, can you guys give me any input? My GPA should be 3.8 and hopefully my MCATs will be around 30; lots of extracurriculars too. My first 6 schools on this list are schools that I think I would have a decent chance at, and the others are more or less "giving it a chance" schools:

1. USUHS (Uniformed Services Univ.)
2. UCF
3. USF
4. UF
5. FIU
6. FSU
7. IU-Indianapolis
8. UCLA
9. NYU
10. SUNY Downstate Medical Center
11. Penn State
12. U Penn
13. Univ. Illinois
14. LSU
15. Ohio State

Thanks for reading my post, what do you think? I have to polish this list up within the next week or so, so any input is appreciated.

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[DrMattOglesby]

UCF and FIU are still very small class sizes. I think next year they will be able to have a class of 80 (this year they were limited to 40). So those are kinda difficult to get into based on that fact alone.

I actually threw in Penn State as a "what the hell, might as well give it a shot" school on my AMCAS once I got my new MCAT scores back. Its amazing what we think we are competitive for vs. what schools think of us! So apply to places you'd love to attend and see what happens! Also, search for the "school_selector" spreadsheet in the WAMC sub-forum.

 

[metallica81788]

Unless you are a LA resident or are going for Md/Phd, I would take LSU off of your list since they take almost zero out of staters.

 

[genswim24]

You probably need to balance out your list a little. Right now you have too many places that you are well below the mean. If you want to keep the high end schools on your list that's fine, but you need more places where your stats are closer to the mean. I would consider schools like EVMS, Tulane, Drexel, Temple, NYMC, Albany, GW, G-town, and Creighton.

I would honestly remove Indiana because most of their OOS applicants have ridiculously high stats. I would say the same thing for UCLA too.

If you are a FL resident that is good news though for your application. They have a good amount of state schools and your stats are close to their averages.

Good luck

 

[genswim24]

Unless you are a LA resident or are going for Md/Phd, I would take LSU off of your list since they take almost zero out of staters.

And I second that

 

[Mobius1985]

You might add in Rosalind Franklin, Loyola, and Rush if you're willing to go to Illinois from a warm place.

Have you seen the School Selection sticky at the top of the 'What are my chances?' forum?

 

[ZeusonRoids]

Hey Fellow Pre-meds,

I am working on my list of potential medical schools, can you guys give me any input? My GPA should be 3.8 and hopefully my MCATs will be around 30; lots of extracurriculars too. My first 6 schools on this list are schools that I think I would have a decent chance at, and the others are more or less "giving it a chance" schools:

1. USUHS (Uniformed Services Univ.)
2. UCF
3. USF
4. UF
5. FIU
6. FSU
7. IU-Indianapolis
8. UCLA
9. NYU
10. SUNY Downstate Medical Center
11. Penn State
12. U Penn
13. Univ. Illinois
14. LSU
15. Ohio State

Thanks for reading my post, what do you think? I have to polish this list up within the next week or so, so any input is appreciated.

Never guess what your MCAT score will be. Lots of people have been shocked when they found out their scores because they were either a lot higher or lower than expected.

That being said, IF you get a 30 I say don't even bother with 8,9,12,15 unless you are okay with having probably less than a 3% chance of having an interview or have ties to that state, are a URM or have something extraordinary about your application

I say for sure throw out UCLA, I think it would be a waste of cash money

Good luck taming the cat.

 

[ahowardmd]

Thanks for the input guys! That excel spreadsheet is really going to help. Much appreciated. Now that I have that spreadsheet, I'm going to have to reanalyze my list...

 

[redsquareblack]

Never guess what your MCAT score will be. Lots of people have been shocked when they found out their scores because they were either a lot higher or lower than expected.

This I agree with whole-heartedly.

That being said, IF you get a 30 I say don't even bother with 8,9,12,15 unless you are okay with having probably less than a 3% chance of having an interview or have ties to that state, are a URM or have something extraordinary about your application

I would not remove all 4 of those. Rather, I would pick one or two of those schools, the ones you really would love to go to, and use those as your reach schools. Because, hey, you never know.

P.S. - I haven't had a chance to get cozy with an MSAR lately. Can anyone tell me whether the reported numbers for each school include standard deviation?

 

[ahowardmd]

Thanks again for the advice guys! Here's my updated list:

1. USUHS (Uniformed Services Univ.)
2. UCF
3. USF
4. UF
5. FIU
6. FSU
7. IU-Indianapolis
8. Temple
9. Loyola
10. SUNY Downstate Medical Center
11. Penn State
12. NYMC
13. Drexel
14. Rush
15. Ohio State

So that is that. Now I'll do my best to tame the cat.

 

[Bacchus]

I'm going to move this thread to the What Are My Chances subforum so that users specifically wanting to answer these types of questions will be able to.

 

[JJMrK]

Thanks again for the advice guys! Here's my updated list:

1. USUHS (Uniformed Services Univ.)
2. UCF
3. USF
4. UF
5. FIU
6. FSU
7. IU-Indianapolis
8. Temple
9. Loyola
10. SUNY Downstate Medical Center
11. Penn State
12. NYMC
13. Drexel
14. Rush
15. Ohio State

So that is that. Now I'll do my best to tame the cat.

I would remove 7 and replace it with Jefferson, Rosalind Franklin, Medical College of Wisconsin, Tulane, maybe Boston.

 

[ahowardmd]

I know that IU has really high standards; I guess the only reason that I keep it on my list is because I am from Indiana, so I figure that even though I'm OOS, they might consider me. I at least have to give it a shot!

 

[JJMrK]

I know that IU has really high standards; I guess the only reason that I keep it on my list is because I am from Indiana, so I figure that even though I'm OOS, they might consider me. I at least have to give it a shot!

I see. In that case, consider making your list 16 schools, and adding either RF or Jeff.

 

[ahowardmd]

Update: I just added #16 to my list of possible schools. I've been doing some research, and SGU in the Caribbean looks like a really great medical school. The place is beautiful, and their graduates can practice in all 50 states. I've always wanted to study abroad.

Does anybody have experience or know anybody who has had experience with applying to Caribbean medical schools? I have heard that they're easier to get into compared to our schools, though I can't see why: tropical paradise.

Any input on my new Caribbean ideas?!?

Thanks guys! (and gals)

 

[sarahl86]

Update: I just added #16 to my list of possible schools. I've been doing some research, and SGU in the Caribbean looks like a really great medical school. The place is beautiful, and their graduates can practice in all 50 states. I've always wanted to study abroad.

Does anybody have experience or know anybody who has had experience with applying to Caribbean medical schools? I have heard that they're easier to get into compared to our schools, though I can't see why: tropical paradise.

Any input on my new Caribbean ideas?!?

Thanks guys! (and gals)

I think you should consider some Osteopathic schools, especially before you would Caribbean schools. The likelihood of you matching to a very good residency is not very good at all. There is a pretty big stigma attached to Carib. medical schools and their reputations aren't very good despite what their websites would have you believe with "100% pass rates" and "great match lists" when it is more likely that students had to repeat the Boards, several courses, or apply for residency multiple times.

You're much better off going to a great DO school like PCOM - and you're a fit numbers-wise as well. Just a thought.

 

[maymee3]

I agree about the Carrib. schools. I say if you want to study abroad don't look at Carrib schools just yet. I think that may be reasonable if you have to apply again. My friend was thinking of doing the same thing, and after talking to ppl who went to those schools and some residency programs, the advice he got was pretty much "use it as a last resort if you don't get in the 1st time around".

You still have a chance to do some work abroad at MD/DO Schools. Many schools offer summer programs after 1st year where you spend 1-3 months in another country. If you go somewhere in Latin America you could enjoy a more tropical location and pick up some medical skills and language skills while you're there. Some schools offer 3rd and 4th year rotations in different states/countries/etc. My school list looked pretty similar, and I know for a fact that Indiana pretty much lets you do rotations anywhere (as long as you ok it beforehand and the host school is ok with it). They also have great international programs in Kenya and a couple places in Latin America.

Another word of advice for IU- I am having trouble remember exactly what was on the aplication, but they only send out secondaries to those who are invited to interview. I would make sure the know your exact ties to Indy, like how long you lived there, what you like about the school and state, if you still have family there, would you consider doing a residency there, etc. They are really big on promoting health in IN, so they like to know that you would consider living there after school. I would maybe send a letter to the adcom after you send in your primary. They won't mind the extra mail- they will most likely see it as an added bonus to your app. Good luck!

One more thing- for those "reach" schools like the Cali, NY, and OH ones-

I had a few reach schools on mine and actually ended up getting an interview at one. I wouldn't spend a fortune on them, but maybe pick a few and expand your list so that you have 15 "good match" schools and then your reach schools. It never hurts to dream and if you write well or have some unique fators on your app you could be surprised by the results...

 

[maymee3]

...

 

[longhorn09]

If I were you, I would add a couple more top schools, just in case if you did way better in MCAT than you expected.

 

[maymee3]

Good point- what's another $30 when you will probably spend thousands on interviews...

 

[ahowardmd]

...

 

[ahowardmd]

This is an official BUMP.

I finally got my MCAT scores back the other day, so I thought I'd revive this thread. 34Q. Do ya'll think this goes well with my school list? I really don't care about top schools, I'd be very happy with a state school, but I feel like I am so late in this application cycle that I'm scared it won't happen for me. Any input?

 

[Stratego]

Nice job on the MCAT. Having a well above average score will definitely improve the chances of your "late" application. Even UPenn is now within your reach.

 

[Mobius1985]

That's a very nice score for someone who thought they'd just barely break into the 30s. Congrats.

 

[ahowardmd]

Thanks for the 'congrats', it's much appreciated. Ah, the joy of answering total BS prompts for secondaries has become my free time. I wish I could just write: "you know, I don't care about diversity. I just want the best people in my med school class or in my operating room, whether black, white or purple. I'm tired of this PC BS, save the diversity talk for meetings of the ACLU!" Alas, I doubt this would bode well for me. So instead I'll write things like "I love diversity because everybody brings their own unique background and experiences to the table, which helps to facilitate the best possible patient care...and then we all poop rainbows and cuddle with puppies...and free healthcare for everyone...oh god just please accept me!!!"

 

[ahowardmd]

Reading through this old thread, I wish I could go back and tell 'past' me to chill the hell out.

Just to update the kind posters who gave me advice (it seems so long ago): Out of these 15 schools, I received secondaries from all of them, sent back roughly 7, and so far I have had 4 interview invites (from USUHS, IU, UF, and FSU). 1 acceptance so far, at USUHS.

USUHS was my top choice, so I guess dreams do come true!

Thanks for all the advice (from the not-so-distant past)!

 

[Catalystik]

Congratulations on your acceptance.