What medical schools to apply to?

[MEG@COOL]

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My GPA is around 3.8, and its looking like Ill get around 33-36 on the MCAT. Im an IL resident and would like to apply to about 10 schools. Aside from the IL schools what other schools should I apply to? I plan on picking up an MSAR (when are they released?), but Id like some ideas. I want to keep these schools fairly geographically close to Chicago.

 

[Law2Doc]

My GPA is around 3.8, and its looking like Ill get around 33-36 on the MCAT. Im an IL resident and would like to apply to about 10 schools. Aside from the IL schools what other schools should I apply to? I plan on picking up an MSAR (when are they released?), but Id like some ideas. I want to keep these schools fairly geographically close to Chicago.

Get the MCAT score first. Talk is cheap. 🙂

 

[MEG@COOL]

Get the MCAT score first. Talk is cheap. 🙂

These are based on practice scores. Im not sure why you say that.

 

[Law2Doc]

These are based on practice scores. Im not sure why you say that.

There is something about the stress of the real thing that makes some folks not do quite as well as some practice tests suggest. Also not all forms are the same level of difficulty and sometimes manage to touch on subjects not in your wheelhouse. Too many folks have posted on SDN predicting wrongly what their ultimate MCAT score is that I (and hopefully others) take such optimistic projections with a grain of salt. If you score as you suggest, then no schools would necessarilly be closed to you, but there will be time enough for advice once this important component is locked down. Good luck.

 

[StevenRF]

I was practicing around 39/40. Then I blew a passage on the verbal and miss bubbled the whole section which pissed my time and got me a 9 on it.

That's why he's saying that. **** happens.

 

[ahumdinger]

My GPA is around 3.8, and its looking like Ill get around 33-36 on the MCAT. Im an IL resident and would like to apply to about 10 schools. Aside from the IL schools what other schools should I apply to? I plan on picking up an MSAR (when are they released?), but Id like some ideas. I want to keep these schools fairly geographically close to Chicago.

as an illinois resident, with those [projected] stats, you are a shoo-in for UIC (unless you are an awful writer and all your recommenders hate you) So you have that as your safety. Other regional schools to consider:

Uchicago (but you'd better get a 36 MCAT)
Northwestern
Iowa
Ohio
Michigan
WashU
SLU


don't apply to Rush 'cause it'd be stupid to go there as an instater over UIC. they're like across the street from each other.

You have solid [projected] stats, but don't get too cocky. WRITE A STRONG PERSONAL STATEMENT!!! And if you don't have any particular dream schools and you are satisfied with going to UIC (a great school!) then save yourself some money and don't apply to too many. Good luck.

oh, and make sure you satisfy all of UIC's reqs, i hear they're kind of weird.

 

[skypilot]

I would apply to every school within a few hours drive of where you live. That will save a lot of time and hotel and airfare. Once you have your first acceptance, hopefully early in the season, you can turn down all the interviews with schools you aren't interested in, saving even more time and money. 🙂

 

[DarkFark]

Well, if you apply to all 7 IL schools, that leaves 3 to get to ten. It depends on the MCAT score, but if you do get mid 30's I would consider Case Western, Vanderbilt maybe Pitt (if you are willing to go that far). If you do really well,- WashU/Mayo/UMich might be within reach, depending on your ECs. Wayne State might be a good safety.

 

[snobored18]

The other posters are right you have no idea how well you are going to do on the real thing...that said about half the people I know did way better than their expectations (ie praying to hit 30 and got 34+) and half I know did worse (ie though they would get 34+ and got under 30) so until your score sheet is in hand there really is no way to predict how you will do...but that said you definitely can begin looking at schools. I'm from the midwest and I'd say apply to the chicago schools for sure (UIC, Pritzker, Northwestern, Loyola, Rush...I wouldn't waste my time with RFU-CMS if I were in your shoes though...don't count on getting into Pritzker or Northwestern though if you plan on staying in Chi-town, i've had a few friends with absolutely stellar apps only get into those schools off the waitlist). Expanding from Chicago, I'd say go ahead and apply to SIU as a safety and abuse the fact you are an Illinois resident (you are lucky you can go in-state for your back-ups...). I would definitely apply to Iowa...of the public big ten schools Michigan and Iowa take the highest amount of OOS students...its a great school and not a bad distance to Chi-town. Don't bother with Wisconsin unless you have an SO or something headed there, they take too few OOS to make it worth your while. I would also look at MCW as an option, especially if you are into peds, the ill mil is a hop skip and a jump from chicago. Other than that SLU and WashU would be my other two recomendations and maybe throw in the Mayo Clinic for good measure.

In short: Loyola, Pritzker, UIC, Northwestern, Rush, MCW, Iowa, SLU, WashU, Mayo Clinic...and if you are uneasy add RFU-CMS, SIU and maybe a low tier east coast school like Albany, NYMC or Drexel that accepts lots and lots of applicants each year...the key is to have an even number of reaches, schools you would be in the middle at, and schools that have stats far below yours...its a wild process so be prepared for surprises.

 

[Rafa]

My primary suggestion:

Don't apply to schools you wouldn't attend if you got accepted by them.

 

[ahumdinger]

as an illinois resident it's really a waste of money to apply to all 7 IL schools if you are not willing to go to all/any of them over UIC. For example, if you can get into UIC, you can get into Rosalind Franklin, but presumably you would not go to RF over UIC. I also think you are equally competitive at Loyola and Rush as you are at UIC, so pick just one of those if you have to. So in Illinois, I would apply to UIC, SIU, NU, Chicago, and possibly Loyola.

I second the suggestion of Case. And it wouldn't hurt to try vandy, since they screen pre-secondary, and you'll either get an interview/secondary or not, in which case you don't have to pay the secondary fee.

 

[Rafa]

And it wouldn't hurt to try vandy, since they screen pre-secondary, and you'll either get an interview/secondary or not, in which case you don't have to pay the secondary fee.

What are their screening cutoffs?

 

[Dr. Giggles]

Your score on the real MCAT, for whatever reason, can be substantially higher or lower than what you score on practice exams. I was scoring about in your range on practice exams but ended up in the high 30's, so anything can happen. The pressure of the actual exam can work both ways I think; the people who respond poorly to stress could improve the scaling for those who respond to it well.

However, you sound like your chances are excellent, probably better than 95% of applicants out there, but you shouldn't consider yourself a "shoo-in" anywhere. I bought into this mentality a year ago and thought I could get in anywhere with stellar numbers and mediocre ECs, clinical experience, late applications, and other things.

Again you sound like an outstanding applicant, but give every aspect of the process 100% until you have your first acceptance in your hand. Numbers are important, but if you think they alone can get you in, even to your state school, you could be in for a rude awakening.

You also might want to consider applying to Loyola, Southern Illinois, or Rosalind Franklin as backups. Medical College of Wisconsin and Wisconsin-Madison are also pretty close to Chicago. Just be sure to include a few backups in case things fall through at UIC; chances are, you'll come away impressed from at least one.

 

[MEG@COOL]

Your score on the real MCAT, for whatever reason, can be substantially higher or lower than what you score on practice exams. I was scoring about in your range on practice exams but ended up in the high 30's, so anything can happen. The pressure of the actual exam can work both ways I think; the people who respond poorly to stress could improve the scaling for those who respond to it well.

However, you sound like your chances are excellent, probably better than 95% of applicants out there, but you shouldn't consider yourself a "shoo-in" anywhere. I bought into this mentality a year ago and thought I could get in anywhere with stellar numbers and mediocre ECs, clinical experience, late applications, and other things.

Again you sound like an outstanding applicant, but give every aspect of the process 100% until you have your first acceptance in your hand. Numbers are important, but if you think they alone can get you in, even to your state school, you could be in for a rude awakening.

You also might want to consider applying to Loyola, Southern Illinois, or Rosalind Franklin as backups. Medical College of Wisconsin and Wisconsin-Madison are also pretty close to Chicago. Just be sure to include a few backups in case things fall through at UIC; chances are, you'll come away impressed from at least one.

YEah really I think that Id like going to UIC. Some of their students go to my gym and I have talked to them about stuff... Really I need to examine the curriculum of the schools that I could possibly attend. Im not concerned about going to a highly ranked school as much as a school with a curriculum that fits me and a suitable geographic location.

 

[sanford_w/o_son]

as an illinois resident it's really a waste of money to apply to all 7 IL schools if you are not willing to go to all/any of them over UIC. For example, if you can get into UIC, you can get into Rosalind Franklin, but presumably you would not go to RF over UIC. I also think you are equally competitive at Loyola and Rush as you are at UIC, so pick just one of those if you have to. So in Illinois, I would apply to UIC, SIU, NU, Chicago, and possibly Loyola.

I second the suggestion of Case. And it wouldn't hurt to try vandy, since they screen pre-secondary, and you'll either get an interview/secondary or not, in which case you don't have to pay the secondary fee.

while agree with the logic of applying to uic instead of x other chicago schools that you wouldn't otherwise attend, you should still have more than one safety. it's true uic accepts a ton of folks for its huges class, but you should still spread your risk over more than one safety school, as there may be something outside the numbers that they just don't like.

uchicago's average mcat is somewhere around 32 for matriculants, so you don't need a 36.

siu is a waste of money if you live in chicago now. they have an explicity bias in favor of those outside the city.

 

[skypilot]

as an illinois resident it's really a waste of money to apply to all 7 IL schools if you are not willing to go to all/any of them over UIC. For example, if you can get into UIC, you can get into Rosalind Franklin, but presumably you would not go to RF over UIC. I also think you are equally competitive at Loyola and Rush as you are at UIC, so pick just one of those if you have to. So in Illinois, I would apply to UIC, SIU, NU, Chicago, and possibly Loyola.

I second the suggestion of Case. And it wouldn't hurt to try vandy, since they screen pre-secondary, and you'll either get an interview/secondary or not, in which case you don't have to pay the secondary fee.

Except that having that first acceptance in your pocket in December is a huge psychological relief. I know several people who are sweating bullets right now because they still have only waitlist spots. Plus they wasted thousands of dollars traveling all over the country.

 

[Beau Geste]

I was practicing around 39/40. Then I blew a passage on the verbal and miss bubbled the whole section which pissed my time and got me a 9 on it.

That's why he's saying that. **** happens.

Law2Doc is a girl.

 

[Law2Doc]

Law2Doc is a girl.

That is news to me. 🙄

 

[Dave_D]

That is news to me. 🙄

Maybe he's thinking of QofQuimica who often gets that. Then again when I think of Q I think of this guy

 

[Anastasis]

Maybe he's thinking of QofQuimica who often gets that. Then again when I think of Q I think of this guy

 

[rainyday]

i just want to urge you to do a few things:

apply to more than one back-up. seriously. 3 is better.

apply to more than 10 schools...12, 13 is better.

apply to madison because they have a new med sci buiding that is gorgeous.

and i wanted to share: i am from chicago but am now a CA resident with mcat 34, gpa 3.7, sci gpa 3.95, and i am waitlisted at med coll of wi, but accepted to madison. my back-ups were RUSH and MCW, which now seems really dumb to me because i didn't get into MCW and i didn't get an interview at RUSH. i applied to 18 schools total and am only in to madison, am waitlisted at a bunch. hence my advice above.

hope that helps.

 

[Anastasis]

i just want to urge you to do a few things:

apply to more than one back-up. seriously. 3 is better.

apply to more than 10 schools...12, 13 is better.

apply to madison because they have a new med sci buiding that is gorgeous.

and i wanted to share: i am from chicago but am now a CA resident with mcat 34, gpa 3.7, sci gpa 3.95, and i am waitlisted at med coll of wi, but accepted to madison. my back-ups were RUSH and MCW, which now seems really dumb to me because i didn't get into MCW and i didn't get an interview at RUSH. i applied to 18 schools total and am only in to madison, am waitlisted at a bunch. hence my advice above.

hope that helps.

Were you responding to me or the OP? I got confused because you quoted me.

 

[brats800]

You also might want to consider applying to Loyola, Southern Illinois, or Rosalind Franklin as backups.

just thought i'd mention that Loyola should not be thought of as a 'backup' school, regardless of your stats. yes, i go there and am biased, but we do see lots of very solid applicants who get waitlisted or don't even get an interview. the medschool application process is a game of roulette and i wouldn't think of any school as a backup, but loyola definitely shouldn't be thought of as one. just my $0.02

 

[BozoSparky]

My GPA is around 3.8, and its looking like Ill get around 33-36 on the MCAT. Im an IL resident and would like to apply to about 10 schools. Aside from the IL schools what other schools should I apply to? I plan on picking up an MSAR (when are they released?), but Id like some ideas. I want to keep these schools fairly geographically close to Chicago.

I would apply to more schools. There are no guarantees in this deal.

 

[Dr. Giggles]

just thought i'd mention that Loyola should not be thought of as a 'backup' school, regardless of your stats. yes, i go there and am biased, but we do see lots of very solid applicants who get waitlisted or don't even get an interview. the medschool application process is a game of roulette and i wouldn't think of any school as a backup, but loyola definitely shouldn't be thought of as one. just my $0.02

Just to clarify that I didn't mean that a backup school was necessarily inferior to one's school of preference. In other words, I didn't mean to say Loyola should be considered a "safety" school where you have a very high chance of getting in. I just meant that those schools would be good second options in case the OP didn't get in to UIC. Second or third options can have just as good a reputation as one's first option, but may be less desirable because of cost, location, or some other factor.

 

[Dave_D]

I don't know what's more embarrassing though, the fact it took me 2 weeks to figure out that's I assumed a person using the name "Q" was a dude or that I'm a big enough Star Trek geek to subconciously make that assumption.(Sorry QofQuimica, that's why I refered to you as he once. I thought you were named after that character 🙂 )