Will I be one of those "strong candidates" with no acceptances?

[Dr.PK]

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😕

 

[LabMonster]

Do what I'm doing - chill out. They will come - you have a great resume and you know it, so why be anxious?

If it was December, I would worry, but it's only the beginning of October. 😎 RELAX

 

[GoodEats]

I'd say just give it more time. I know I started freaking out a little when I hit a big lull between my first wave of invites (first week in Aug) and the second wave (first week in Oct). Relax a little, enjoy your time in Europe (I'm very jealous, by the way), and find a way to distract yourself for a little bit. Personally, I broke a major bone in my body requiring surgery. I'd recommend finding some good books or learning a language instead. Others may have suggestions to add a couple more schools...if you've got the cash, might be a good idea, but I can't imagine that travel for interviews would be cheap. Good luck and best of wishes...

Oh, and I was complete at Yale around 8/3 and just got an invite today, to give you an idea of that timeline at least. And I think my friend was complete in mid-July at Penn and just got an invite last week.

 

[Daichi Katase]

i am waiting tooooo.... A Yale interview would make my month : )

 

[Wahina]

I'd say just give it more time. I know I started freaking out a little when I hit a big lull between my first wave of invites (first week in Aug) and the second wave (first week in Oct).

I hit that same lull, and I agree. I didn't realize that it was kinda common, but it seems like a lot of people have it. I got one interview in August, and then 4 more in the beginning of October after worrying all month that I was the only one not getting more interviews.

 

[MoosePilot]

No, you'll be one of those "neurotic applicants" with fewer interviews than desired at an early stage in the process.

There's no telling, yet. Give it time. Some of the schools I've got the best shot at don't even start moving until later, so no interviews from them this early, no matter how much they like me. Same may be true for you.

 

[Wahina]

No, you'll be one of those "neurotic applicants" with fewer interviews than desired at an early stage in the process.

There's no telling, yet. Give it time. Some of the schools I've got the best shot at don't even start moving until later, so no interviews from them this early, no matter how much they like me. Same may be true for you.

That's true too, you need to look at each school individually. Are the schools you applied to already offering interviews to other people or have they just not started interviewing yet?

 

[airflare]

That's true too, you need to look at each school individually. Are the schools you applied to already offering interviews to other people or have they just not started interviewing yet?

I'm pretty sure Columbia, Cornell, and Yale have been interviewing. And according to one of the posters, Penn is at least starting to interview. When was the OP complete at those schools?

I also get the feeling that no one has heard from NYU.

 

[dmtang]

This is my first post or maybe my second post. I'm not sure -- I may have written a post a while ago. So...I realize it is still fairly early in this med school admissions game, but I am starting to become a bit worried about my number of interviews. I've applied to 8 schools (I know that is not a crazy amount like a lot of people, but in all honesty should be plenty). The schools are Jeff, Penn, Sinai, Einstein, NYU, Columbia, Cornell, and Yale. I know these schools are skewed toward the more competitive institutions, but I felt fairly confident (not cocky -- there is a difference) about my chances. I have been complete at most schools since the last week of August. I have received one interview invite from Cornell, but the silence from every other school is becoming unnerving.

Why, you may ask, is this bothering me? Well, let me give you my profile. I am a non-traditional applicant (I'm 26 now so I'm not that 'non-traditional'). I went to a respectable liberal arts college (not incredibly prestigious, but top 50 USNews -as if that means anything - but you know what I'm saying). I then took a year off and worked in a crappy job for a year before starting my post-bac. I completed it in one year with a 4.0 GPA. My BCPM GPA is 3.87, which I would think is fairly competitive. My MCAT is 10/13/13 S, which I would also think is fairly competitive. After my post-bac, I spent 1 1/2 years working in an Ivy league research lab where I contributed to 2 publications and traveled to a national research conference where I gave an oral presentation. I now live in Europe where I work as an associate scientist for a major pharmaceutical company. I have 2+ years volunteer work, shadowing, leadership roles, involvement in the community, etc.... I even sing in the resident chorus for a major international orchestra.

I really want to communicate strongly that I am not writing this to brag. I simply want to show that I think I am a strong candidate for med school. Please don't berate me as a egotistical and arrogant a$$hole, because I truly am not.

At any rate, why why why have I only gotten one interview??? I am so excited that I got an interview at Cornell...it is probably my top choice, but as everyone knows, an interview doesn't mean acceptance. Compared to Cornell, a lot of the other schools to which I have applied are less competitive. Why haven't I heard from Jeff or Sinai or Einstein? Am I overreacting? Should I just be more patient? Does anyone see any glaring weaknesses in my application?

Any help would be appreciated...

i think you're over reacting a lot. i don't want to be mean, but there are a lot of students that come to this board who have much lower stats, GPA, and MCAT than you, but aren't complaining.

i think those are the real students who really need to hear the encouragment and support.

but just to give you confidence, you have an above avg mcat. your gpa is very high. if you applied to more than 15 schools, you have more than a 96% chance of going to medical school.

compared to somenoe with a 3.5 and just say a 27, who applied to the same amount of schools, this applicant only has a 43% chance. so please, be patient.

 

[sbristow]

I'm pretty sure Columbia, Cornell, and Yale have been interviewing. And according to one of the posters, Penn is at least starting to interview. When was the OP complete at those schools?

I also get the feeling that no one has heard from NYU.

I've interviewed at NYU and Einstein - so they're both definitely interviewing. I'm also scheduled for Yale but haven't heard a peep from Cornell or Columbia. This whole process is a total crapshoot. My friend at Cornell Med says she and most students she knows there didn't interview until at least November, most in Dec and Feb. So no worries!! Good luck! ;-)

 

[Orth2006]

This is my first post or maybe my second post. I'm not sure -- I may have written a post a while ago. So...I realize it is still fairly early in this med school admissions game, but I am starting to become a bit worried about my number of interviews. I've applied to 8 schools (I know that is not a crazy amount like a lot of people, but in all honesty should be plenty). The schools are Jeff, Penn, Sinai, Einstein, NYU, Columbia, Cornell, and Yale. I know these schools are skewed toward the more competitive institutions, but I felt fairly confident (not cocky -- there is a difference) about my chances. I have been complete at most schools since the last week of August. I have received one interview invite from Cornell, but the silence from every other school is becoming unnerving.

Why, you may ask, is this bothering me? Well, let me give you my profile. I am a non-traditional applicant (I'm 26 now so I'm not that 'non-traditional'). I went to a respectable liberal arts college (not incredibly prestigious, but top 50 USNews -as if that means anything - but you know what I'm saying). I then took a year off and worked in a crappy job for a year before starting my post-bac. I completed it in one year with a 4.0 GPA. My BCPM GPA is 3.87, which I would think is fairly competitive. My MCAT is 10/13/13 S, which I would also think is fairly competitive. After my post-bac, I spent 1 1/2 years working in an Ivy league research lab where I contributed to 2 publications and traveled to a national research conference where I gave an oral presentation. I now live in Europe where I work as an associate scientist for a major pharmaceutical company. I have 2+ years volunteer work, shadowing, leadership roles, involvement in the community, etc.... I even sing in the resident chorus for a major international orchestra.

I really want to communicate strongly that I am not writing this to brag. I simply want to show that I think I am a strong candidate for med school. Please don't berate me as a egotistical and arrogant a$$hole, because I truly am not.

At any rate, why why why have I only gotten one interview??? I am so excited that I got an interview at Cornell...it is probably my top choice, but as everyone knows, an interview doesn't mean acceptance. Compared to Cornell, a lot of the other schools to which I have applied are less competitive. Why haven't I heard from Jeff or Sinai or Einstein? Am I overreacting? Should I just be more patient? Does anyone see any glaring weaknesses in my application?

Any help would be appreciated...

Unfortunately we are all in the same boat. However I would encourage you to be patient. I got a little restless myself last week and started calling some schools to find out what the F was going on - well after one school in New York practically told me "chill out" in an irritated way then I realised I was being impatient. You should also realise that most of the schools you applied to have a huge number of applicants each year (4000 - 8000) so its gonna take a while. Also just curious why you didnt apply to more schools? Having great stats is an excellent thing but no guarantees.

The theory that the more schools you apply to the great your chances of acceptance is still a much better bet than just having great stats. Unless you are saying you wont go to any other school except these particular ones then thats a different circumstance.

Anyway hang in there they will soon start rolling in

Good luck

 

[Casey James]

Am I overreacting?

Yes



-Casey

 

[Dr.PK]

😕

 

[LizzyM]

If you get an interview at one school (which you have) call the dean of admissions at the other schools and tell the dean that you'll be flying in from Europe on [date] and will be available that week (?) for interviews. Express your interest in [name] medical college and be specific about something about that school (other than its proximity to your wife ) that makes it attractive to you. Some schools will move you up if they know that you are interested in the school and have the opportunity, at a specific time, to interview with them.

You have a strong application. The problem is that every admissions committee member has a huge stack of applications to read. At some schools, the application is read by 3 people before an invitation to interview is made. I know of one school that receive 1,500 applications the first day! You might have been "complete" in August but someone may not have had the opportunity to read your application until today.

Good luck!

 

[ASDIC]

just dont screw up the interview...people with steller stats only get rejected because they dont fare well in the interview

 

[maxflash04]

I agree.

Good luck. I'm sure you'll do fine!

maxflash04

 

[Risa]

Hey Dr. PK,

It's so much easier to tell yourself not to stress than to ACTUALLY not stress... I feel your pain 🙂. Your stats are great; I'm sure you'll be a-ok.

I was complete around the same time as you, and I JUST heard from Einstein and Yale within the past few days. So, no news is definitely not bad news yet.

Good luck!

 

[uL007]

i think you're over reacting a lot. i don't want to be mean, but there are a lot of students that come to this board who have much lower stats, GPA, and MCAT than you, but aren't complaining.

i think those are the real students who really need to hear the encouragment and support.

but just to give you confidence, you have an above avg mcat. your gpa is very high. if you applied to more than 15 schools, you have more than a 96% chance of going to medical school.

I'm sorry but your comment just begged a response.

I think all students who come to this forum with their problems "really need to hear support and encouragement." Not just the students who are weak candidates. Secondly- his concern was not does he have a chance of getting into med school anywhere (this is an obvious yes). It was more, does he have a chance with his scores to get into the very competitive medical schools that he specifically applied to.

Sorry to get nit-picky - but EVERYONE worries and everyone gets nervous and everyone deserves to vent.

 

[Law2Doc]

Does anyone see any glaring weaknesses in my application?

As others have said, it is still early so no need to panick. Especially given that you have an interview at a very competitive place already. As for glaring weaknesses, from what you have said, you are in very good shape. But, to play devil's advocate, there are other parts of the application you didn't mention -- LORs, which certainly could affect things, and your essays. Assuming these are fine, then chill.

 

[Dr.PK]

😕

 

[LizzyM]

So, how exactly do you call the dean of admissions? Do you just call and ask to speak to her or him? Is this a good idea after already having sent an email describing my situation?

You could have called but you wrote. Same thing. If the date of your interview at Cornell is a few weeks from now, the other schools may be pulling your application out of a big stack and asking someone, "could you give me a decision on this one a.s.a.p. because this guy is going to be interviewing at Cornell on [date] and would like to piggy back on that interview?" This could mean that you'll hear from that school in 7-10 days (after one or two readers have had at your application) and if the school has any interview slots left in that time frame (although many are notorious for overbooking with the expectation that there will be "no shows".)

 

[ahd929]

i'm with you pk, i have gotten more than one interview, but they have all been at the state schools here in ohio (plus u of michigan), and none of my "reach" schools have gotten back to me, except for stanford (rejection). and i know that they have started interviews. i've basically spent the last month trying to figure out exactly what was wrong with my app - my gut tells me it's not enough ec's, volunteering, etc.

oh well. the only reason i'm not in exactly the same position as you is that i cast my net a little wider.

by the way, i'm not complaining, just sympathizing with pk here.

 

[ahd929]

following up on my last post, maybe it's not too late to expand your app to include some/more of your state schools?

 

[chaeymaey]

Dr. PK, I think your biggest problem in getting interviews will be that you live outside of the US. I'm assuming you're a US citizen, if so you may not have any problems on that front. But if you're not, you're limited in which schools are allowed to take you based on their policy. You're also not a resident of a particular state (again, I'm assuming) so you don't have the benefit on relying on your state school as a "safety."

 

[tigress]

Yeah, schools are weird, and the interview thread can just be annoying. I mean, why the heck have I interviewed at Einstein (and Jefferson tomorrow) but I haven't heard from Temple? I guess that's just how it goes. Yeah, I do wonder what the heck is going on with that, but I'm trying to forget about it 🙂

I'm in a similar situation in that I only applied to 9 schools because I have to stay with my husband, who's in med school. I was complete really early, and I'm lucky that I've gotten a number of interviews. But I'm just going to try to be patient and see if I ever hear from the other schools.

 

[efex101]

Not to be a pessimist or trying to rain on your parade but I think that you might have applied to too few schools. Schools gets THOUSANDS of applications with many applicants having stellar stats just like yours so they DO have a good number to choose from. It is never too late to add schools but if you are not applying to other schools based on your spouse work situation I understand...just do not "assume" that due to your stellar stats that you are a shoe-in because you just never know. This is why most applicants regardless of how competitive they are apply to at least 15 schools or more.

 

[Psycho Doctor]

Thanks again for all the replies...

I have sent emails to the other medical schools describing my travel situation and very politely asking if it would be possible to schedule an interview while I was in town (paraphrase obviously). I got a response back from one that simply read "We'll keep you in mind." What does that mean? Another wrote that if I would be called for an interview, they would schedule it for a time convenient to both me and X medical school. The other ones haven't replied.

So, how exactly do you call the dean of admissions? Do you just call and ask to speak to her or him? Is this a good idea after already having sent an email describing my situation?

no, don't call after already writing an e-mail. You're making the assumption that you WILL be interviewed. While your atats are really great, never come across as if you expect an interview. If you don't want to fly to the states more often, postpone your first interview until you hear from others. Anyway you waste plenty of money thru the app process, so expect it...and this enables you to see your wife/gf (sorry i forgot who it was) more often and i'd look at that as a real positive. Best of luck!

 

[MoosePilot]

Not to be a pessimist or trying to rain on your parade but I think that you might have applied to too few schools. Schools gets THOUSANDS of applications with many applicants having stellar stats just like yours so they DO have a good number to choose from. It is never too late to add schools but if you are not applying to other schools based on your spouse work situation I understand...just do not "assume" that due to your stellar stats that you are a shoe-in because you just never know. This is why most applicants regardless of how competitive they are apply to at least 15 schools or more.

It will actually soon be too late, because deadlines are coming up in the next month or so.

 

[LizzyM]

Part of the problem is that there are so many good applicants and applying to more schools is not the solution, particularly if the applicant doesn't really want to attend. In the Spring, you'll see twits writing to say, "I got into Asswipe Medical College but I dont' want to go there. Should I decline and reapply in the next cycle?"

If all 24,000 applicants limited themselves to 5-10 schools that they really want to attend and where they have a prayer of being admitted (gpa within 0.2 of the school's mean, MCAT within 3 points of the school's mean) then admissions committees would have a whole lot less work to do and this whole system would be quicker and more efficient.

I must be nuts.

 

[MoosePilot]

Part of the problem is that there are so many good applicants and applying to more schools is not the solution, particularly if the applicant doesn't really want to attend. In the Spring, you'll see twits writing to say, "I got into Asswipe Medical College but I dont' want to go there. Should I decline and reapply in the next cycle?"

If all 24,000 applicants limited themselves to 5-10 schools that they really want to attend and where they have a prayer of being admitted (gpa within 0.2 of the school's mean, MCAT within 3 points of the school's mean) then admissions committees would have a whole lot less work to do and this whole system would be quicker and more efficient.

I must be nuts.

GPA within .2 of a school's mean? I got an interview at a school where my GPA was a little over .5 from their mean. Why would applicants do something so obviously against their own self interest? I agree that applying to an *optimal* number of schools is better than applying to the maximum number possible, but everyone's optimal number is going to be different.

 

[Dr.PK]

😕

 

[Dr.PK]

LizzieM -- you're awesome and have the best posts!

I totally agree that people should apply to less schools than the 15-20 that seems to be the standard on this site (I'm sure this doesn't represent the mean of all applicants). Moreover, I tried not to apply to schools that I would really not want to go to, but it seems like everyone thinks I should have. To be honest, if I would have applied to more schools, they probably would have been similar schools in different locations, which would not have helped my chances. Anyway, I suppose the much overused addage that the person who graduates last in their class from the worst possible med school is still called "Dr." is true, but I really really do not want to be that person.

 

[themadchemist]

i think you're over reacting a lot. i don't want to be mean, but there are a lot of students that come to this board who have much lower stats, GPA, and MCAT than you, but aren't complaining.

i think those are the real students who really need to hear the encouragment and support.

but just to give you confidence, you have an above avg mcat. your gpa is very high. if you applied to more than 15 schools, you have more than a 96% chance of going to medical school.

compared to somenoe with a 3.5 and just say a 27, who applied to the same amount of schools, this applicant only has a 43% chance. so please, be patient.

those are some random-^&& percentages you're throwing out there.

 

[LizzyM]

GPA within .2 of a school's mean? I got an interview at a school where my GPA was a little over .5 from their mean. QUOTE]

Anything over the mean is fine -- but applying with a 3.15 26M to a school with a 3.6 33 average is lunacy.

Schools are inundated with thousands of applications in a relatively short time period. The people who read the applications are "volunteers" so to speak: faculty and sometimes students who do it as a "good citizenship" committee assignment (about as thankless as being on the IRB or the tenure and promotions committee). They get the applicaitons in batches and are given a week or two to read, comment and make a recommendation. The deadline for applications is October 15 but there will be applications still being read in January with invitations to interview in February! Be patient.

 

[MrTee]

I think he means his gpa was .5 below the mean. I interviewed and was subsequently accepted (non-URM) to a few schools where my gpa was .5-.6 below the means of the matriculants--so I recommend applying broadly and going for reach schools if only one part of your application is subpar. However, if there are multiple issues (like bad gpa, bad mcat, no research, no clinical exp), then forget it. There is a subjective element to this process which can sometimes work in your favor.

GPA within .2 of a school's mean? I got an interview at a school where my GPA was a little over .5 from their mean. QUOTE]

Anything over the mean is fine -- but applying with a 3.15 26M to a school with a 3.6 33 average is lunacy.

Schools are inundated with thousands of applications in a relatively short time period. The people who read the applications are "volunteers" so to speak: faculty and sometimes students who do it as a "good citizenship" committee assignment (about as thankless as being on the IRB or the tenure and promotions committee). They get the applicaitons in batches and are given a week or two to read, comment and make a recommendation. The deadline for applications is October 15 but there will be applications still being read in January with invitations to interview in February! Be patient.

 

[Hoya11]

Thanks again for all the replies...

I have sent emails to the other medical schools describing my travel situation and very politely asking if it would be possible to schedule an interview while I was in town (paraphrase obviously). I got a response back from one that simply read "We'll keep you in mind." What does that mean? Another wrote that if I would be called for an interview, they would schedule it for a time convenient to both me and X medical school. The other ones haven't replied.

So, how exactly do you call the dean of admissions? Do you just call and ask to speak to her or him? Is this a good idea after already having sent an email describing my situation?

Whats your undergrad GPA? Could that be the issue? All your other stats seem good, but you definitely did not apply to enough schools. Those are all very tough schools, even the 3 you are so surprised about.

Send the schools additional info, a new lor, a letter about why you want to go their and saying you have not committed anywhere else. SHow enthusiasm, good luck.

 

[Orth2006]

Anything over the mean is fine -- but applying with a 3.15 26M to a school with a 3.6 33 average is lunacy.

Exactly how is applying to a school with the stats you mentioned lunacy?
Even though it may be an extremely small chance of getting admitted in that particular school, it is still a chance all the same. People apply to more schools than they probably would want to because their chances of acceptance is much higher. If you took a poll and asked how many people would rather go to any med school than wait until(a year, two years or several) they get into their school/schools of choice you will most likely get over 90% saying they would go to any medical school. The point is very few people have the luxury to be picky and very few are actually picky.

 

[Dr.PK]

😕

 

[Dr.PK]

😕

 

[MoosePilot]

Well, after your last two responses, I hope your personality came out in your personal statement. I definitely want the adcoms to have that input to be sure you get what you deserve in the medical school admissions process.

 

[little_late_MD]

also, who performed the meta-experiment finding a statistically significant positive correlation between the number of medical schools applied to and the chances of admission? Where could I find this report? Also, at what point does the correlation diminish? Obviously, someone who applies to 4 is better off than one who applies to 1, but is someone who applies to 40 necessarily better off than someone who applies to 20? Also, aren't there more variables including the competitiveness of the schools, the competitiveness of the applicant, etc.... I would think that a 3.9/36 would have to apply to less schools than a 3.4/30 would have to in order to have exactly the same chances of admission. This idea that keeps on reappearing about more schools = higher chance of admission just doesn't seem very well thought out. Show me the numbers and I'll believe you.

I think the point is to apply to many different schools located along the med school continuum. That is, apply to a couple schools within a lower GPA/MCAT range, a couple within your range, and a couple within a higher average range. The law of probability states as you increase the number of tries across a variety of conditions, chances of success increase. Of course this probability will approach some limit, but that does not invalidate the theory.

 

[Dr.PK]

😕

 

[southpaux]

Unlike what some people on this site think, not every American medical school is a good medical school...some are sub-par...some educate their students better...some are more centered on improving the field of medicine rather than just pumping out doctors.

You are wrong if you think that not every med school is a good med school in the US. Do you think that all the doctors at Harvard went to Harvard Med or some other top tier university? I can tell you from first hand experience that it is not the case. The more I hear from you, the more I think that you believe that some of the schools you applied to are "beneath" you. I'm only guessing but that may translate into a weaker effort into a particular school's secondary and therefore no interview invite.

More than likely, if your stats (and other peoples) are way above a school's average and that you are likely to attend another place, it only makes sense that they would not interview you now. Instead, they would hold on to your file while you got interviews at those other "better" places. Then, you would either get into a "better" place, and deny an interview request from the "lower" school, or get rejected/waitlisted from the "better" and accept an interview request at a later date. Its a means of controlling the number of people they interview/accept. I would look at Georgetown as case in point. Many people consider it a "safety school." I'm sure they know this and will reject/hold people with really high stats that they know will get into other places. Same with BU, GW, etc.
I doubt the process is as random as some people suspect, adcoms have been doing this for years and I'm sure they know what they are doing.

 

[Dr.PK]

Wow

 

[Orth2006]

1) My undergrad GPA is lower than my post-bac, but it is well within the averages of these schools. 2) The three schools I am surprised about not hearing from -- especially Jefferson -- are not incredibly selective schools. I'm sorry, but I refuse to not be surprised that I haven't received an interview when my MCAT is 5.5 points higher than their average and my GPA is many 10ths of a point higher too + I'd be legacy 3) When I was deciding on the schools to which to apply I spoke to many of my profs who told me not to apply to certain schools because academically I would hate it. So, I suppose I am not one of those people who would go to any medical school.

Hey man Im not against you for applying to few schools - its your choice and preference. But again my point is that most people apply to more schools because they are not picky about schools or maybe I should say not very picky. There may or may not be any report to validate my claim but its simple mathematical probability like someone mentioned. Remeber

Probablity (P) = Schools you applied to (A)/ All schools (N)

P is directly proportional to A so if you increase A you increase the ratio A/N and therefore increase P.

Unlike what some people on this site think, not every American medical school is a good medical school...some are sub-par...some educate their students better...some are more centered on improving the field of medicine rather than just pumping out doctors. So, I really kind of resent the fact that everyone thinks I should have applied to medical schools that would not be a good fit for me.

As far as some med schools in the US being sub-par relative to others, the jury is still out on that one. Furthermore if you are basing your claim on US&worldnew report on med school rankings then my friend you are very naive and mis-informed.

 

[Law2Doc]

I am just dumbfounded because I really don't think I could improve upon my app that much. Obviously, people who would seem to be less competitive than me (I'm sorry if that sounds pompous or whatever) have been getting interviews according to MDapplicants so I'm just wondering wtf is going on.

The more you post, the more it is clear that you are majorly overestimating your own "value" in the applicant pool and underestimating the level of competition at so called "subpar" schools. I promise you that whereever you matriculate you will not be among the most well credentialed individuals attending -- from what you have said you are actually pretty average at best for the top end schools. Put your ego in check and pray that things work out.

 

[efex101]

The reasoning behind applying to various schools (15 or more) is due to the fact that each school is LOOKING for specific applicants to interview and later accept. Because pre-meds do not know what this factors are and each school is different hence the large net pre-meds cast. This is NOT saying that you should apply to schools that you would NOT go if this was the only one to accept you of course this is ludicrous. Often times there ARE a number of schools that appeal to folks for either location or whatever. Also, many folks are looking for scholarships (yes they are there and often give for academic merit) and applying to 30 schools is NOTHING if you get a full ride. Again, do what is best for your situation but remember there are thousands of applicants with stellar stats (4.0/high mcat/outstanding lor/research/pubs/volunteering) hence the apply broadly and to ALL levels of schools from top to low tier.

 

[yrodri15]

Oh darn, I just figured out the problem with your application, its that your personality is probably shining through. There is a subjective element to this application process, and there have been applicants with higher numbers then you (where was that girl with the 4.0 / 43 MCAT that didn't get accepted, or something along those lines - I forget her screen name).

Numerically, you are a strong applicant. Try to be patient and work on some humility.