Which schools to apply to?

[wonderfulland]

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Hi there!

It's my first time posting on this forum, so please correct me if I do something wrong.
I'm applying this cycle to Med School, and I'm having so much trouble deciding which schools I should try to apply for. 🙁

Here is some of my info:
Cumulative GPA: 3.9-ish so far (I'm currently an undergrad. junior)
Science GPA: 3.8-ish so far
MCAT: Will take in May. But I'm aiming for 35-38?
Major: Social science, but finish all pre-med courses
Volunteer: nursing home, city events, after-school tutoring program, volunteer fire department/ambulance (as EMT), international volunteering at orphanage for 6 weeks, international volunteering to teach English for refugees for 6 weeks
Internship: Summer medical intern in a hospital abroad for 6 weeks
Shadowing: Emergency Dept (6 mo), surgery and anesthesia (4 mo), pediatrics (3 mo), oncology (2 mo)
Jobs: teaching assistant for intro bio lab, teaching assistant for EMT-related courses (CPR instructor)
Research: clinical studies program in anesthesiology for 3.5 years, clinical research 1 year (this is part of the clinical studies program, but I was involved with a much more systematic research study with this one). 2 posters (one received Silver Medal..I don't know if that mattered), 2 Abstracts (successfully selected), 2 Abstracts submitted (waiting on response), 1 paper writing in progress
Other clinical-related experiences: on-campus EMT unit, some first-aid certifications
Other non-clinical-related experiences: member in Art Club, taking painting lessons, sorority


I have already selected my mid-range and safety schools. But I really want to give the top 20 US News-ranked schools a try!

Based on your experience, which one(s) in Top 20 do you think I have a chance in?
And am I missing some important elements/appear weak in some areas?
I'm super stressed about the MCAT now!! 🙁

Thank you so much, everyone!

Kendra

 

[Morsetlis]

...

 

[MaryLennox]

ten other people are probably beating me to it, but i'll throw it out there. you cant really aim for a 35-38 or everyone would have one. get the score first, and then see what happens.

for me personally it was easier to begin by ruling out schools. get a copy of the MSAR. cross out any school you wouldnt attend, for geographical or other reasons, or schools that you think you have no chance at. calculate LizzyM scores (MCAT + GPA*10) for yourself and each school and figure out what the difference is for any school you're interested in. (so for me a good school would be where I was +1 or +2, anything that was below a -1 was a reach and i only included a couple that i really loved.)

still, you cant do any of this til you get your real score. have you taken any practice MCATs yet? (the official ones, not that silly Kaplan stuff)

edit: i'm not even going to touch that top 20 stuff. someone else can 🙂

 

[TooMuchResearch]

Not moving to "What are my chances?" I'm sure one of the mods will move it, though.

Your app sounds solid. Rock the MCAT. Aim high and expect little to nothing and you'll do just fine.

 

[ksmi117]

Not moving to "What are my chances?" I'm sure one of the mods will move it, though.

 

[Rickybobby]

All of them. The best way to ensure success is to increase your failure rate.

 

[TooMuchResearch]

Brilliant. I could ksyu 😉

 

[Catalystik]

Based on your experience, which one(s) in Top 20 do you think I have a chance in?
And am I missing some important elements/appear weak in some areas?

If your MCAT score is in your projected range, you'd have a chance at any school you care to apply to (except those taking no OOS or serving special groups). Your application looks to be very solid and rich with details. The only thing I don't see that would give you a better chance at top schools, is a strong leadership experience.

 

[wonderfulland]

Hi there!

Thanks so much!!!

It's true that I lack strong leadership...but hopefully nothing else (anything else?) except for the MCAT score.

Thanks again!
K

 

[rockaction]

I love it how everyone who posts a WAMC pre-MCAT expects a 35+. Not everyone can be 95th+ percentile...

 

[Catalystik]

Thanks so much!!!

It's true that I lack strong leadership...but hopefully nothing else (anything else?) except for the MCAT score.

Nope, nothing else I can see.