MD Where should I apply to? c3.85 MCAT 36

[timeturner]

This is an edtted post, I am planning on submitting my app this Tuesday at 9:30 AM (basically when it opens), everything is all set but I am oscillating between feeling confident and then feeling like the schools listed are all reaches...now that I have a finalized list I am hoping I could get some help and reassurance with the list I chose. THANK YOU IN ADVANCE!!

Basic stats:
NYU Undergrad, Psych Major, Female
3.850 cGPA, 3.710 sGPA *straight A's by the end, with a few B's and B+'s and A- scattered throughout the first two years, but straight A's in 3rd and 4th year
MCAT 1 - 32 (9 PS, 11 VR, 12 BS)
MCAT 2 - 36 ( 14 PS, 10 VR, 12 BS)

3 Years of Research, no publications
2.5 Years of Prestigious Clinical Volunteering (well known program)
3 Years of part-time on-campus job (unrelated to science or medicine)
~1 Year of Volunteering as tutor for inner-city high school students at well known organization
~ 3 years of private tutoring on the side

Currently in gap year, working as medical assistant in a private practice in NYC.

Rec letters should break up as following:
Fairly ok ones from one psych professor and one science professor
Should be an outstanding one from PI, and a very good one from volunteering program
A great letter from a professor who is also MD

Will most likely get a great letter from the MD I am working with...planning on asking her tomorrow.
Will submit application this Tuesday

I also just want to say thank you to anyway who read all this and I appreciate all the advice!

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[C.glabrata123]

Unless you have TONS of money at your disposal, I highly recommend narrowing this list down (to 20 or less). You have very good stats and ECs. As a NYS resident, the SUNYs are good options financially and will be easier for you to get in to than other state schools. Perhaps you can even weed one or two SUNYs out based on where you do or do not want to live (urban, suburban, upstate, downstate, long island, etc). I can't help you narrow down your list too much. You have to choose these schools based on where you'd like to be, programs, etc. You seem to be thinking about applying everywhere. Here are some suggestions:
(Also, a letter from your boss would be nice.)

Reach

New York University School of Medicine

Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai

Stanford University School of Medicine

Columbia University (maybe)

Harvard Medical school (maybe)

Johns Hopkins School of Medicine

Northwestern University the Feinberg School of Medicine

Raymond and Ruth Perelman School of Medicine at University of Pennsylvania

University of Chicago Division of the Biological Sciences the Pritzker School of Medicine

University of Michigan Medical School

University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine

University of Virginia School of Medicine

Vanderbilt University School of Medicine

Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine (maybe)

Weill Cornell Medical College

Yale School of Medicine


Medium

Boston University School of Medicine (wild card. They reject many applicants early in the game with good and medium stats)

Emory University School of Medicine

Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth

Keck School of Medicine of the University of South California Unless you want to be in Cali...

St. Louis University of Medicine (maybe)

The Warren Alpert Medical School at Brown University

Tufts University School of Medicine


Easier for your stats/residency (there are no "safety" medical schools)

Drexel University College of Medicine
Hofstra North Shore – LIJ School of Medicine
New York Downstate Medical Center College of Medicine

State University of New York Up-State Medical University

Stony Brook University of Medicine

University at Buffalo State University of New York School of Medicine and Bio- medical Sciences

Jefferson Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University (maybe)

Medical College of Wisconsin

New York Medical College
Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine
University of Missouri – Columbia School of Medicine (maybe)




Pick a few Ivys, not all of them. Again, unless you have TONS of money.

 

[Goro]

Goro's suggested list. I'm worried that you'll get hurt at the schools that avg the MCATs, so I tried a mixup of choices. With some of ones on your list above you can do better.


New York University School of Medicine

Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai

Stanford University School of Medicine

Columbia University (maybe)

Northwestern University the Feinberg School of Medicine

Raymond and Ruth Perelman School of Medicine at University of Pennsylvania

University of Chicago Division of the Biological Sciences the Pritzker School of

Medicine

University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine

Vanderbilt University School of Medicine

Weill Cornell Medical College

Yale School of Medicine


New York Downstate Medical Center College of Medicine

Boston University School of Medicine

Emory University School of Medicine

Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth

Keck School of Medicine of the University of South California

State University of New York Up-State Medical University

Stony Brook University of Medicine

Tufts University School of Medicine

University at Buffalo State University of New York School of Medicine and Bio- medical Sciences

Hofstra North Shore – LIJ School of Medicine

Medical College of Wisconsin

New York Medical College

 

[timeturner]

Unless you have TONS of money at your disposal, I highly recommend narrowing this list down (to 20 or less). You have very good stats and ECs. As a NYS resident, the SUNYs are good options financially and will be easier for you to get in to than other state schools. Perhaps you can even weed one or two SUNYs out based on where you do or do not want to live (urban, suburban, upstate, downstate, long island, etc). I can't help you narrow down your list too much. You have to choose these schools based on where you'd like to be, programs, etc. You seem to be thinking about applying everywhere. Here are some suggestions:
(Also, a letter from your boss would be nice.)

Reach

New York University School of Medicine

Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai

Stanford University School of Medicine

Columbia University (maybe)

Harvard Medical school (maybe)

Johns Hopkins School of Medicine

Northwestern University the Feinberg School of Medicine

Raymond and Ruth Perelman School of Medicine at University of Pennsylvania

University of Chicago Division of the Biological Sciences the Pritzker School of Medicine

University of Michigan Medical School

University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine

University of Virginia School of Medicine

Vanderbilt University School of Medicine

Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine (maybe)

Weill Cornell Medical College

Yale School of Medicine


Medium

Boston University School of Medicine (wild card. They reject many applicants early in the game with good and medium stats)

Emory University School of Medicine

Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth

Keck School of Medicine of the University of South California Unless you want to be in Cali...

St. Louis University of Medicine (maybe)

The Warren Alpert Medical School at Brown University

Tufts University School of Medicine


Easier for your stats/residency (there are no "safety" medical schools)

Drexel University College of Medicine
Hofstra North Shore – LIJ School of Medicine
New York Downstate Medical Center College of Medicine

State University of New York Up-State Medical University

Stony Brook University of Medicine

University at Buffalo State University of New York School of Medicine and Bio- medical Sciences

Jefferson Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University (maybe)

Medical College of Wisconsin

New York Medical College
Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine
University of Missouri – Columbia School of Medicine (maybe)T




Pick a few Ivys, not all of them. Again, unless you have TONS of money.

Thank you so much, I agree I think the list right now is too broad and I want to get it down to about 25 because I probably won't have all the time to do the secondaries anyway. The ones you crossed out I'll most likely eliminate because I wasn't really sure about them anyway, as well as all the maybe's. It's just any time I asked people how many schools they applied to they tend to tell me around 40. I literally didn't even know where I was going to possibly find 40 schools I would want to go to and also have a decent chance at. Thank you again though, extremely helpful advice!

 

[timeturner]

Goro's suggested list. I'm worried that you'll get hurt at the schools that avg the MCATs, so I tried a mixup of choices. With some of ones on your list above you can do better.


New York University School of Medicine

Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai

Stanford University School of Medicine

Columbia University (maybe)

Northwestern University the Feinberg School of Medicine

Raymond and Ruth Perelman School of Medicine at University of Pennsylvania

University of Chicago Division of the Biological Sciences the Pritzker School of

Medicine

University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine

Vanderbilt University School of Medicine

Weill Cornell Medical College

Yale School of Medicine

New York Downstate Medical Center College of Medicine

Boston University School of Medicine

Emory University School of Medicine

Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth

Keck School of Medicine of the University of South California

State University of New York Up-State Medical University

Stony Brook University of Medicine

Tufts University School of Medicine

University at Buffalo State University of New York School of Medicine and Bio- medical Sciences

Hofstra North Shore – LIJ School of Medicine

Medical College of Wisconsin

New York Medical College

Wow I didn't even consider that. I guess that would make my score into a 34. For some reason I just assumed that they would take the 36, or the 37 if they superscore. I guess my happiness with my second score completely made me forget that some schools actually average them (I thought the whole point was to show that I could have done better...)
Thank you so much for your suggestions!

 

[timeturner]

Any other opinions maybe?

 

[C.glabrata123]

applying to 40 schools is not normal… I would say that a more reasonable number is around 20 (especially with your stats).

 

[timeturner]

BUMPING due to edits, did not want to start a new post

 

[Lamel]

Goro's list is pretty good. You should be aiming for mid tier and top tiers; the SUNY's can be your "safeties". Some schools will average your MCAT, but a 34 is still great, but just to be safe have a good amount of mid tiers. If you're aiming for 25 then like 10 reaches, 10 mid tiers, and 5 safeties is a good balance.

 

[timeturner]

Goro's list is pretty good. You should be aiming for mid tier and top tiers; the SUNY's can be your "safeties". Some schools will average your MCAT, but a 34 is still great, but just to be safe have a good amount of mid tiers. If you're aiming for 25 then like 10 reaches, 10 mid tiers, and 5 safeties is a good balance.

Thank you for your input! Tbh I am not sure what schools are mid-tier. I'm not really ill-informed, since I studied MRSA and looked at rankings (not that I think that determines anything really), it's just that right before submitting I am getting bouts of uncertainty and wanted some confirmation that my list is all right haha