what is truly needed to get into a top 10 medical school?

Applying to Med School? Get In Or Your Money Back
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medicalfielder

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My current stats:

Freshman at UF
4.0 GPA
Trying to get into the honors program
Signing up for a 5000 dollar MCAT prep course (I have a lot of left over money in my college fund)
Volunteering at a hospital
Going abroad to Costa Rica to provide medical assistance
I also have a genuine interest in research in biology

Any tips on anything I can do to improve my chances at a t10? I'm in a few clubs for fun as well..
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medicalfielder said:
My current stats:

Freshman at UF
4.0 GPA
Trying to get into the honors program
Signing up for a 5000 dollar MCAT prep course (I have a lot of left over money in my college fund)
Volunteering at a hospital
Going abroad to Costa Rica to provide medical assistance
I also have a genuine interest in research in biology

Any tips on anything I can do to improve my chances at a t10? I'm in a few clubs for fun as well..
Click to expand...

What a complete waste of money.

By the way, this isn't going to guarantee you a spot in a top 10 school. At best it'll put you in the hunt - every applicant that gets accepted to a top 10 is going to have all of these things and more.
 
medicalfielder said:
My current stats:

Freshman at UF
4.0 GPA
Trying to get into the honors program
Signing up for a 5000 dollar MCAT prep course (I have a lot of left over money in my college fund)
Volunteering at a hospital
Going abroad to Costa Rica to provide medical assistance
I also have a genuine interest in research in biology

Any tips on anything I can do to improve my chances at a t10? I'm in a few clubs for fun as well..
Click to expand...

High MCAT, good gpa, impressive research experience, and of course some nice extracurriculars that will set yourself apart from the pack.

In reality it seems like if you somehow manage a 3.7/ 42 MCAT you're going to pretty much be golden somewhere... Like WashU

Also I'd like to point out that admissions don't value people that pay some company to let them go to costa rica to do medical care as much as you'd think. It is pretty obvious that the applicant just paid $2000 or however much it is for that experience.
 
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Damn son! 5k on a prep course....
 
Become a Navy SEAL or an astronaut. Win a Nobel prize. Get elected President. Set a world record at the olympics. See the common theme here? The only recipe for success is something so outlandish that it effectively leaves no set recipe.

That being said, for the normal human, MCAT + GPA + outstanding research experience (most top 10 are research schools) + dedication/understanding of medicine through clinical experiences + something that an admissions officer will see and think 'wow, I really want to meet this individual**'.

**Footnote: from a LizzyM post so that's her contribution, I'm just reiterating.
 
dietsexy5000 said:
become a navy seal or an astronaut. Win a nobel prize. Get elected president. Set a world record at the olympics. See the common theme here? The only recipe for success is something so outlandish that it effectively leaves no set recipe.

That being said, for the normal human, mcat + gpa + outstanding research experience (most top 10 are research schools) + dedication/understanding of medicine through clinical experiences + something that an admissions officer will see and think 'wow, i really want to meet this individual**'.

**footnote: From a LizzyM post so that's her contribution, i'm just reiterating.
Click to expand...

+1
 
Only sure way is by winning an olympic medal, only gold and nothing else. An acceptance is guaranteed along with $25,000 for books and such.

On serious note. With a 3.8 gpa/ 33 + mcat with good volunteering and some additional hobbies should give anyone a shot/seat at top 10 schools.
 
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NickNaylor said:
What a complete waste of money.
Click to expand...

Dude, use that money and go traveling or something. MCAT prep materials don't cost that much anyway.

Also, do you actually HAVE research? How can you say you are interested in biology research unless you have done some?
 
Don't forget, a sizable phallus (if you are a man).
If you are a woman, you must be of the callipygian sort and also must be the bearer of a bountiful bosom.
 
People I've known who have gotten into the top 10 have had something special about them in addition to amazing GPAs and MCAT.

1) Rhodes Scholar
2) URM with very high test scores, high grades, and amazing life story
3) Peace Corps
4) AmeriCorps

With the exception of #2, all were non-trads. This list is more top 5 med schools than top 10 but you get the idea. They could have gone straight to medical school but instead took off a year or two to do something they felt passionate about.

There are plenty that get in without taking a year or two off to distinguish themselves but distinguishing yourself from all the other 4.0 and 35+ MCATs is difficult in just 3 years of undergrad. Most people would rather go to a low tier school than sacrifice a few years to do something notable.
 
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Don't obssess too much with getting into a top 10 school. Even "mid-tier schools" are great, and anything in the top 20-30 will give you almost any research experience you want.
 
pasiley said:
There are plenty that get in without taking a year or two off to distinguish themselves but distinguishing yourself from all the other 4.0 and 35+ MCATs is difficult in just 3 years of undergrad. Most people would rather go to a low tier school than sacrifice a few years to do something notable.
Click to expand...

Yup, definitely agree with this. IMO you're at a great advantage as a non-trad assuming the rest of your app is strong.
 
Boo non-trads.. I did everything you did except I did it right the FIRST time around. :mad:


jk :D
 
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Renaissance Man said:
This. I would use the money to travel Europe.

But anyways, so far so good. Get a great MCAT score and with some luck you should have a great chance.
Click to expand...

For a guy who has "8 Financial Moves to make as a Pre-Med or Medical Student" in his signature you sure do give bad financial advice.

Don't use the money to travel. Bank that shiznit and save it to pay for your MCAT/Few prep books/Primary fees/Secondary fees/Interview flights/Interview hotels/Interview suits/etc. that you're gonna get hit in the face with in a couple years. 5K should be able to cover that pretty well.
 
Josh7 said:
I'm curious, what do you think the best leadership roles are for undergraduates?
Click to expand...

I'm not Cat, but I would label an experience where you demonstrated motivation to get things done, an ability to work effectively with others, an ability to face obstacles/difficulties and overcome, as well as being in charge of a relatively large group as a good leadership experience. There is no particular role or position that you should be aiming for. It's all about what you take away from the experience. It also depends on what you do in your role. As an example, I was the president of my chapter of a service fraternity and mentioned on my AMCAS that our membership size increased two-to-three-fold under my leadership. I also talked about it significantly in response to questions about stress, dealing with others, mediating conflict, etc. because it was a very demanding position to be in. You also don't have to be president of XYZ club to count it as leadership experience. I would consider things like being a RA, a TA, etc. as very good leadership experiences depending on how you talk about them.

In other words, the experience that you can talk meaningfully about is the "best" one.
 
NickNaylor said:
I'm not Cat, but I would label an experience where you demonstrated motivation to get things done, an ability to work effectively with others, an ability to face obstacles/difficulties and overcome, as well as being in charge of a relatively large group as a good leadership experience. There is no particular role or position that you should be aiming for. It's all about what you take away from the experience. It also depends on what you do in your role. As an example, I was the president of my chapter of a service fraternity and mentioned on my AMCAS that our membership size increased two-to-three-fold under my leadership. I also talked about it significantly in response to questions about stress, dealing with others, mediating conflict, etc. because it was a very demanding position to be in. You also don't have to be president of XYZ club to count it as leadership experience. I would consider things like being a RA, a TA, etc. as very good leadership experiences depending on how you talk about them.

In other words, the experience that you can talk meaningfully about is the "best" one.
Click to expand...

Interesting, i suppose teaching assistant is a good one but your service fraternity sounds even better. I definitely need to take some initiative to get more leadership activities.

Thanks for the reply.
 
Thank you for all the advice everyone. According to the consensus, 5000 for MCAT prep is too much... Can someone recommend a good prep course/plan that is perhaps cheaper? My school offers MCAT prep services and they are around 1,500-2,000.

Also, I'm interested in transferring. It's not to improve my chances at a top ten; it's for personal reasons. If I transfer up (I'm trying to get into UNC Chapel Hill) would this be looked down upon?
 
If you have the discipline to self study for the MCAT, I would highly recommend it. It is many times more efficient than taking class as you can focus on your weak spots and not waste time going over topics you already know. Its also much much cheaper. I bought TBR set for 330 and sold it for 270. I bought all the AAMC practice tests for 20ea (7 total) for a grand total of 200, and was still able to pull off a 34. However, if you know that you wont be able to focus alone, then the class would be the better option. Save the money for applications or buy yourself something cool.
 
medicalfielder said:
Thank you for all the advice everyone. According to the consensus, 5000 for MCAT prep is too much... Can someone recommend a good prep course/plan that is perhaps cheaper? My school offers MCAT prep services and they are around 1,500-2,000.

Also, I'm interested in transferring. It's not to improve my chances at a top ten; it's for personal reasons. If I transfer up (I'm trying to get into UNC Chapel Hill) would this be looked down upon?
Click to expand...

No transferring schools is not looked down upon at all as far as I can tell. People do it all the time in undergrad.
 
medicalfielder said:
My current stats:

Freshman at UF
4.0 GPA
Trying to get into the honors program
Signing up for a 5000 dollar MCAT prep course (I have a lot of left over money in my college fund)
Volunteering at a hospital
Going abroad to Costa Rica to provide medical assistance
I also have a genuine interest in research in biology

Any tips on anything I can do to improve my chances at a t10? I'm in a few clubs for fun as well..
Click to expand...

$5000???? :OOOO Mine was $1500 and I thought THAT was a lot...

Person I know who is currently practicing physician got into all top 10 15 yrs ago had this profile:

3.85 GPA from a well-known public university, 42 MCAT
pursued MBA
ESL, Former Refugee from a 3rd world country, non-URM/minority
Research (not sure if got published by application)
Martial Arts Expert
Camp Counselor
Kayaking Instructor
Work Experience in Business as an accountant
Outgoing personality

Actually this person got rejected from one school that was not a top ten and was really pissed off about it.
 
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