what schools to apply to?

[minhaj]

Hey guys and gals, I was wondering if you guys could tell me what schools I would have a good shot of getting into. Here is a quick summary:

• GPA 3.8, Science GPA = 3.8
• Research ~3 years, a publication, a poster at a cancer retreat. Another publication coming out before november of this year.
• Shadowing experience
• Volunteer activities
  • Into the streets
  • crisis center- suicide help line
  • Project downtown - helping the homeless with food, clothes and other essential commodities.
  • Plan to volunteer at a hospital
• havent taken the mcat yet, aiming for mid 30's. we will see how that goes.
• oh i have 6 w's on the transcript only one of them is a science class though

heres a list of schools that I am applying to. let me know what you guys think.

• loyola university chicago
• university of al at birmingham
• University of south al
• northwestern university feinberg school of medicine
• rosalind franklin
• university of miami
• tufts
• pritzker

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[minhaj]

anyone?

 

[abcabc1]

W's can be damaging. You might want to ask an adviser, but 1 or 2 W's can be overlooked, but 6 is a lot. Why did that happen? That can be a major red flag.

 

[minhaj]

two of the six w's happened because i took up 18 hrs in a semester, and had undaignosed hypothyroidism, which made it impossible for me to go through with the semester. i had to cut down on the hours so i dropped the two non-science classes. Another one happened when my mom was diagnosed with cancer and i just couldnt concentrate on my classes and decided to trim down on the schedule by withdrawing from a non-science class. I withdrew from a science class because i was still adjusting my dosage to treat hypothyroidism, hadn't fully recovered. classes along with research and mcat was too much.
so i have two w's without solid reasons, is that going to hurt my chances to the extent that i dont get into med school?

 

[abcabc1]

I wouldn't say that your W's are fatal to your chances of getting into Medical School, but they certainly hurt.

Talk to an adviser. Be very aggressive and forthright about discussing and explaining the W's. They should be addressed in your PS. Maybe an addendum will help as well. They are definitely going to raise red flags and you'll have to address them.

It's difficult (if not impossible) for someone to give you good advice without your MCAT scores. Your grades are fine for the schools you mentioned and for most others. You'll want to apply to more schools than the number you listed, but it's hard to say which ones you should apply to without your MCAT scores in. Everyone shoots for mid 30's, while less than 10% score in that range so you should ask again once your scores arrive.

 

[bodonid]

I'm going to go against the grain and say that your W's will not affect your chances. If they aren't in science classes you don't need to worry that much, med schools won't doubt your intellectual abilities because you withdrew from history or something. Especially with a 3.8! If you do mention it in the PS, be very brief. With a 31+ I wouldn't be suprised if you got interviews from all of those schools. Add a reach or two, and give UAB a good look-over: it is a great school w/ even better tuition.

 

[flip26]

The fear of having "Ws" on a transcript is another SDN urban legend...

 

[minhaj]

Thanks a lot guys! you have no idea how much at ease your posts have put me. I was basically freaking out for the last two days about the w's. I did mention it briefly in the PS and will explain to interviewers if I am asked, which I am sure I will be. About UAB, that is my first preference, since I am from bham and its only $13000 a year!

 

[minhaj]

btw, when you say add a reach or two, do you mean add some top-tier schools? do you think I would stand a chance at yale, duke or johns hopkins?