What schools does someone without research experience have no business applying to?

[banana_phone]

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Hello everybody

I'm finishing up my pre-reqs this semester and preparing to take the MCAT in April. I am starting to whittle down my very long list of schools. I'm a non-trad applicant without research experience, so think I should start by removing schools that have little to no chance of accepting an applicant without research. What would these schools be?

 

[WedgeDawg]

Generally, it will be the top 20 schools, but those are not out of reach of the rest of your app is stellar and you have something that really sets you apart. If you're just a decent applicant with no research experience, then there are better ways to spend your application money.

 

[banana_phone]

Generally, it will be the top 20 schools, but those are not out of reach of the rest of your app is stellar and you have something that really sets you apart. If you're just a decent applicant with no research experience, then there are better ways to spend your application money.

Do you mean the "top 20" schools, as in the US News rankings - for research? I am interested in some of the US News Top 20 for primary care..and there is some overlap.

 

[The Knife & Gun Club]

Virginia Tech....75% of the student body every year has what they describe as "exceptional research experience"

http://medicine.vtc.vt.edu/admissions/class_statistics/

Also you can check out how much research funding each med school has on MSAR, that can give you a feel for the territory (although its by no means a definitive)

 

[Lawpy]

Do you mean the "top 20" schools, as in the US News rankings - for research? I am interested in some of the US News Top 20 for primary care..and there is some overlap.

The primary care rankings are useless. Top 20 refers to the research rankings. Don't apply to them if you lack research (unless you have something spectacular about yourself that is tied to leadership/academia). You're fine for the rest of the schools.

For anyone else interested (especially the adcoms), I'm still of the opinion that most schools don't require research, because no one has given me a valid response besides referring to the exaggerated MSAR statistics.

 

[WedgeDawg]

Do you mean the "top 20" schools, as in the US News rankings - for research? I am interested in some of the US News Top 20 for primary care..and there is some overlap.

Top 20 research (+ or - some). Which schools in particular are you interested in?

MSAR also shows the number of matriculants at each school that have some form of research experience.

 

[banana_phone]

Top 20 research (+ or - some). Which schools in particular are you interested in?

MSAR also shows the number of matriculants at each school that have some form of research experience.

I am interested in NYU, Penn, U-Chicago, and Cornell, from that top 20 list. I am considering doing a summer research position at the ER where I volunteer, but that would begin around AMCAS submission time, so may be too little, too late.

For what it's worth, I have a 3.85 cGPA and 3.93 sGPA, with a 4.0 in my post-bacc. Should have 300+ clinical volunteering hours by application time, with 200+ non-clinical volunteering. Lots of paid work hours (non-clinical). I have some interesting experiences as a non-trad, but nothing that makes me spectacular in the form of leadership/academia. Should I not bother with the above-mentioned schools?

 

[WedgeDawg]

I am interested in NYU, Penn, U-Chicago, and Cornell, from that top 20 list. I am considering doing a summer research position at the ER where I volunteer, but that would begin around AMCAS submission time, so may be too little, too late.

For what it's worth, I have a 3.85 cGPA and 3.93 sGPA, with a 4.0 in my post-bacc. Should have 300+ clinical volunteering hours by application time, with 200+ non-clinical volunteering. Lots of paid work hours (non-clinical). I have some interesting experiences as a non-trad, but nothing that makes me spectacular in the form of leadership/academia. Should I not bother with the above-mentioned schools?

What is your MCAT

It's going to depend on what your MCAT score is.

 

[Lawpy]

I am interested in NYU, Penn, U-Chicago, and Cornell, from that top 20 list. I am considering doing a summer research position at the ER where I volunteer, but that would begin around AMCAS submission time, so may be too little, too late.

For what it's worth, I have a 3.85 cGPA and 3.93 sGPA, with a 4.0 in my post-bacc. Should have 300+ clinical volunteering hours by application time, with 200+ non-clinical volunteering. Lots of paid work hours (non-clinical). I have some interesting experiences as a non-trad, but nothing that makes me spectacular in the form of leadership/academia. Should I not bother with the above-mentioned schools?

Research around AMCAS submission time is insufficient for top tiers. However, if you acquire a 520+ on the MCAT, that can help you somewhat.

 

[banana_phone]

Thank you both for your insight! That's what I was afraid of, but there are many excellent medical schools that are not those heavy-hitter research schools. My plan is to spend Jan-April focused on MCAT prep and do everything in my power to knock it out of the park.

 

[Lawpy]

Thank you both for your insight! That's what I was afraid of, but there are many excellent medical schools that are not those heavy-hitter research schools. My plan is to spend Jan-April focused on MCAT prep and do everything in my power to knock it out of the park.

Yep. The MCAT is crucial here. Good luck and feel free to use the resources available in the MCAT Discussion Forums!

 

[Goro]

Here's my take on "top 20". But keep in mind that non-trads do get cut some slack.

Harvard
Wash U
Yale
Stanford
U Chicago
U Penn
U VA
U MI
UCSF
Baylor
JHU
Mayo
Case
Pitt
Northwestern
NYU
Vanderbilt
Columbia
Sinai
Cornell
Duke




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Do you mean the "top 20" schools, as in the US News rankings - for research? I am interested in some of the US News Top 20 for primary care..and there is some overlap.

 

[WedgeDawg]

Here's my take on "top 20". But keep in mind that non-trads do get cut some slack.

Harvard
Wash U
Yale
Stanford
U Chicago
U Penn
U VA
U MI
UCSF
Baylor
JHU
Mayo
Case
Pitt
Northwestern
NYU
Vanderbilt
Columbia
Sinai
Cornell
Duke

I would throw UCLA on there as well and possibly UCSD. UVA you can probably get away with applying to without significant research activity, particularly if you're in state. Mayo is interesting because their class size is so small that it's hard to pinpoint what they're looking for sometimes, and is more erratic than many of the other schools in their interview profiles.

 

[Goro]

Top 20 is more like top 25!

I would throw UCLA on there as well and possibly UCSD. UVA you can probably get away with applying to without significant research activity, particularly if you're in state. Mayo is interesting because their class size is so small that it's hard to pinpoint what they're looking for sometimes, and is more erratic than many of the other schools in their interview profiles.

 

[WedgeDawg]

Top 20 is more like top 25!

It's like the Big 10 more or less where there aren't actually 10 😛

 

[justheresoidontgetfined]

n=1, but I interviewed at NYU recently and am accepted OOS at UVA with no research experience. Good stats but nothing special, LizzyM ~ 74, September completion. I think no research has definitely hurt my cycle to some extent, but if you have an otherwise compelling application it doesn't necessarily render you DOA!

 

[RuggerMD]

Top 20 is more like top 25!

I'm a little surprised not to see U Wash on there. Has it fallen in the rankings recently? If the reason is there are only 20 schools that can be in the top 20, then ignore me 🙂

 

[Goro]

Oh, there are other schools that could just as easily be on the list, like UTx SW, U WA or U IA, but you gotta draw the line somewhere.

I'm a little surprised not to see U Wash on there. Has it fallen in the rankings recently? If the reason is there are only 20 schools that can be in the top 20, then ignore me 🙂

 

[WedgeDawg]

I'm a little surprised not to see U Wash on there. Has it fallen in the rankings recently? If the reason is there are only 20 schools that can be in the top 20, then ignore me 🙂

UW is an interesting case because they are a state school that takes students almost entirely from 5 states, all of whom have no other state schools, and they have a mission (implicit or explicit, I don't know) to send primary care physicians back to these areas. They are ranked highly because they are a strong school with strong residency programs and hospital departments and strong research in certain areas, but I would not include them in a list of schools where research is essentially "required". Is it helpful? Of course, but I don't know if I would call it necessary for UW.

That's not to say it's a bad school. It's a phenomenal school. It just has extremely strong regional preference and thus mission-related acceptance activity.