What does it take to get into a top 20 vs a mid tier school?

[phunky]

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I feel like most of the advice on here is based around getting into any medical school. I'm very interest in research, so my goal is to attend a research-oriented medical school (which pretty much means a top 20 school).

What's the difference between what it takes to get into a top school vs a mid tier school? Are higher stats the main determinant, or could lots of research experience make up the difference?

My GPA is not great (3.6ish), because I took 72 units of college classes in High School and got mostly Bs (my actual undergraduate GPA is 3.8, though). By the time I apply next year, I will have TONS of medical research experience. I'm working as a full time research assistant at a prestigious lab, where I'm pretty much guaranteed to have my name on some publications in high impact journals (on the level of NEJM). I should also have a first authorship or two sometime in the next couple years, but that might not happen until after I've submitted applications.

Could this amount of research experience catch an ADCOM's eye at a top school? Apart from killing the MCAT, what can someone do to stand out at a top school?

 

[darkjedi]

You hit the main points in that you need to dominate the MCAT (35+) and have substantial research experience.

You also need some substantive EC's and leadership experiences. Your EC's can be in just about anything and doesn't have to be medically related at all. Focus on what your hobbies and interests are, and brainstorm ways to leverage that into an EC, whether it's joining a student group, or starting your own.

 

[Alejandro]

Do more extracirriculars in medicine. Why? Because you're not applying to MSTP, which implies you're a doctor first, researcher second. If you want to do research so much, perhaps you should get a PhD.

But I'm guessing you want to do the clinical stuff. So SHOW IT. Nobody knows that you're committed to patients if you can't even commit to having some clinical experiences.

Funny how people emphasize the research part and then I ask them about the PhD route, and then they're abhor my suggestion. Yet they don't want to be around patients...😕

See where I'm getting at? And if you have been involved with such activities, apologies. Many people at higher tier schools have substantial involvement outside of the academic and research circles. Although research does help.

 

[phunky]

Do more extracirriculars in medicine. Why? Because you're not applying to MSTP, which implies you're a doctor first, researcher second. If you want to do research so much, perhaps you should get a PhD.

But I'm guessing you want to do the clinical stuff. So SHOW IT. Nobody knows that you're committed to patients if you can't even commit to having some clinical experiences.

Funny how people emphasize the research part and then I ask them about the PhD route, and then they're abhor my suggestion. Yet they don't want to be around patients...😕

See where I'm getting at? And if you have been involved with such activities, apologies. Many people at higher tier schools have substantial involvement outside of the academic and research circles. Although research does help.

Don't apologize, this is really great advice. I do have pretty extensive clinical experience caring for the homeless, and although I'm about to change cities, I plan to apply to volunteer with similar organizations that provide healthcare for the homeless. I really do love being around patients (clinical volunteering is consistently the best part of my week), and that's actually what steered me towards applying to this research group (which studies arthritis). One of the biggest problems I see among the older homeless is osteoarthritis, which we really can't do very much for. OA affects almost everyone at some point, but when you're carrying everything you own on your back and sleeping on the ground, it gets exacerbated and can even keep people on the street who would otherwise be willing to work.

 

[Alejandro]

👍

 

[earf]

I feel like people who get into top 20 schools have applications where every single part of it excels. They generally have a

1) a great GPA,
2) a killer MCAT,
3) letters of recommendations saying they're the among the top 5% best applicant/student/researchers (from doctors, professors, and PIs),
4) thorough and extensive activities (strong contributions to research and published, proven leadership, diverse shadowing experiences with doctors, pharmacists, dentists, garbage men (public health lol))
5) a personal statement that doesn't just not suck, but actually enjoyable and impressive to read (which shows critical thinking in a more verbal, charismatic way)
6) really awesome BS in their secondaries that show how enthusiastic they are for that school, even if they're not
7) submitted on first day or in first week
8) constant updates and interest shown through phone calls and emails
9) great at interviewing

The more you have of those 9 things, the more likely you are to get into a top 20 School. But since I didn't get accepted into a top 20 school, maybe I'm missing a piece that is important (and maybe one I'm lacking in my application).

 

[tantacles]

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