42S MCAT, 3.65 GPA - Chance me please?

[Perspectives]

Hello SDN!

I made a throwaway for this Chances thread I'll be applying this upcoming cycle to medical school!

So here are the details:

Undergrad: H.Y.P.S.M.
sGPA: 3.65
cGPA: 3.65
MCAT: 42S (15 BS 13 V 14 PS)
EC's:
~100 clinical hours volunteering
200+ hours non-clinical volunteering (leadership role)
~60 hours shadowing various specialties
Leadership role in club sports activity
Tutor for introductory science course at undergrad
2 summers of research experience
Just starting in a new biology lab- no posters or publications for the application

Prospective Schools (as a Texas Resident):
UT-Southwestern
UT- Houston
UT- San Antonio
Baylor
Wash. U.
Columbia
Cornell
Mt. Sinai
N.Y.U.
Vanderbilt
Emory
Northwestern

Dream Schools (a guy can dream right?):
Harvard
Yale
Stanford
University of Pennsylvania
U Chicago

Let me know what you guys think! I really wish my GPA were just a bit higher, but what can you do

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[Etorphine]

I highly advise you to apply to every dream school you want. I just finished this cycle with VERY comparable stats, thinking I was wasting everyone's time by applying to such reach schools with my GPA. I poured my heart into my essays and interviews, and I think it worked. I will be attending a top-10 US MD in 5 months. Ensure you don't have regrets in a year, apply to every reach school you can.

 

[1TB4RKSB4CK]

I highly advise you to apply to every dream school you want. I just finished this cycle with VERY comparable stats, thinking I was wasting everyone's time by applying to such reach schools with my GPA. I poured my heart into my essays and interviews, and I think it worked. I will be attending a top-10 US MD in 5 months. Ensure you don't have regrets in a year, apply to every reach school you can.

I really like this and you should take this advice!

 

[drizzt3117]

M= Michigan?

Hello SDN!

I made a throwaway for this Chances thread I'll be applying this upcoming cycle to medical school!

So here are the details:

Undergrad: H.Y.P.S.M.
sGPA: 3.65
cGPA: 3.65
MCAT: 42S (15 BS 13 V 14 PS)
EC's:
~100 clinical hours volunteering
200+ hours non-clinical volunteering (leadership role)
~60 hours shadowing various specialties
Leadership role in club sports activity
Tutor for introductory science course at undergrad
2 summers of research experience
Just starting in a new biology lab- no posters or publications for the application

Prospective Schools (as a Texas Resident):
UT-Southwestern
UT- Houston
UT- San Antonio
Baylor
Wash. U.
Columbia
Cornell
Mt. Sinai
N.Y.U.
Vanderbilt
Emory
Northwestern

Dream Schools (a guy can dream right?):
Harvard
Yale
Stanford
University of Pennsylvania
U Chicago

Let me know what you guys think! I really wish my GPA were just a bit higher, but what can you do

 

[1TB4RKSB4CK]

M is MIT?

 

[Northwesterly]

M is MIT?

Is there anyone out there who sees HYPSZ and *doesn't* assume the poster went to school Z?

And yeah, OP, with a 42 there's no reason not to go big. Wash U, Vanderbilt, and the NY schools are just has selective as most of your "dream" spots anyway.

 

[Perspectives]

M is MIT, and I don't go there haha. thanks for the encouraging words guys, i just wasn't sure if my gpa would hold me back from the top schools given that it's not the typical 3.9-4.0 that you see on SDN.

 

[HoltMD]

Undergrad: H.Y.P.S.M.
sGPA: 3.65
cGPA: 3.65
MCAT: 42S (15 BS 13 V 14 PS)

I would highly encourage you to retake the MCAT before you consider applying.

 

[catzzz88]

I would highly encourage you to retake the MCAT before you consider applying.

+1

Not sure how you did so poorly on the VR and PS section. You must have been sick that day or something. Or maybe you fell asleep near the end of PS and then woke up halfway through VR? Its okay! BETTER LUCK NEXT TIME!!

 

[1TB4RKSB4CK]

Don't take these comments to heart. We are all jealously joking.
Seriously, take Etorphine's advice and apply to top schools and really focus on the PS and secondaries. Get some amazing LOR's from people that know you well. School's would not pass up a 42S MCAT since they have some correlation to the board exams unless you are a social outcast. I'm sure you are not seeing that you have a decent amount of EC's.

 

[Perspectives]

I really hope that my 42 will really help me out, because i'm really just a standard applicant in every other dimension.

 

[sliceofbread136]

I really hope that my 42 will really help me out, because i'm really just a standard applicant in every other dimension.

I don't think you have much to worry about. I don't think being a cookie cutter applicant is as bad as many seem to think (atleast I hope not as I am one )

 

[kautionwirez]

make sure to put all top 10 schools on your list

 

[MedOldAge]

I highly advise you to apply to every dream school you want. I just finished this cycle with VERY comparable stats, thinking I was wasting everyone's time by applying to such reach schools with my GPA. I poured my heart into my essays and interviews, and I think it worked. I will be attending a top-10 US MD in 5 months. Ensure you don't have regrets in a year, apply to every reach school you can.

I really like this and you should take this advice!

Is there anyone out there who sees HYPSZ and *doesn't* assume the poster went to school Z?

And yeah, OP, with a 42 there's no reason not to go big. Wash U, Vanderbilt, and the NY schools are just has selective as most of your "dream" spots anyway.

Don't take these comments to heart. We are all jealously joking.
Seriously, take Etorphine's advice and apply to top schools and really focus on the PS and secondaries. Get some amazing LOR's from people that know you well. School's would not pass up a 42S MCAT since they have some correlation to the board exams unless you are a social outcast. I'm sure you are not seeing that you have a decent amount of EC's.

I don't think you have much to worry about. I don't think being a cookie cutter applicant is as bad as many seem to think (atleast I hope not as I am one )

make sure to put all top 10 schools on your list

Folks, I am here to learn as I have a son who will be taking MCAT very soon.

If I say something that unintentional sounds stupid or offensive, please accept my apology in advance. I really like to get a better big picture since you folks have been there and done that.

It sounds like with 42 and your EC are at least somewhat on par, it is no reason not to apply to "top ten" schools. So, the key here is above 40 if your GPA and EC don't tank.

I saw a thread not long ago that some of the top schools, e.g. Stanford is very heavy leaning toward EC. I saw what they described and I said OMG. They want your EC walked on water.

I also saw another thread a gentleman applied a top Calif school. He has, I believe, 42S, 3.8 or something and couldn't get to secondary. I said

My son's EC is not impressive at all. I told him that the only option is to shoot your MCAT to the sky .

So, saying all that, I DO agree with all the opinion there. I just not sure what is the line drawn.

Congra on your impressive MCAT score, Perspectives

Please please advise, critical or not, I really appreciate it.

 

[MedOldAge]

I came from the MCAT discussion side of forum.

I just realized a minute ago that my post may consider hijacking the original post. If that is the case, I didn't mean it & please accept my apology.

If you folks feel comfortable. please comment. I really appreciate it.

Perspectives, I am sorry. I distract your post. Folks, it will not happen again.

 

[ChalaHeadChala]

Wow, another applicant who needs his ego stroked.

 

[Perspectives]

.

 

[boshtrich]

Folks, I am here to learn as I have a son who will be taking MCAT very soon.

If I say something that unintentional sounds stupid or offensive, please accept my apology in advance. I really like to get a better big picture since you folks have been there and done that.

It sounds like with 42 and your EC are at least somewhat on par, it is no reason not to apply to "top ten" schools. So, the key here is above 40 if your GPA and EC don't tank.

I saw a thread not long ago that some of the top schools, e.g. Stanford is very heavy leaning toward EC. I saw what they described and I said OMG. They want your EC walked on water.

I also saw another thread a gentleman applied a top Calif school. He has, I believe, 42S, 3.8 or something and couldn't get to secondary. I said

My son's EC is not impressive at all. I told him that the only option is to shoot your MCAT to the sky .

So, saying all that, I DO agree with all the opinion there. I just not sure what is the line drawn.

Congra on your impressive MCAT score, Perspectives

Please please advise, critical or not, I really appreciate it.

The weight of ECs depends a lot on the specific school you are looking at. For example, Mayo Clinic does a pre-LOR screen that is almost exclusively based on EC activities. A high MCAT/GPA combo is taken into account, but they seem to focus on exemplary ECs. On the contrary, a school like WashU almost exclusively looks at MCAT scores for determining who to interview. As for the CA schools, being OOS means you need both high stats and good ECs as they are highly competitive. It sounds like your son should aim for around a 35 MCAT. This would give him a shot at the top schools and provide a good chance at getting into middle tier schools, assuming interviews go well. Keep in mind that the real goal is to become an MD, not to go to JHU or Harvard and save the world. Plenty of outstanding physicians have gone to so called "average" schools.

 

[DrMediterranean]

I would apply DO just in case.