Critique my school list:)

[PremedGirlCO]

This is kind of a "first draft" of my school list. I would love some input! Let me know if you think I'm reaching way too far, or if I may have left off some good schools for me

My stats:

cGPA 3.3
sGPA 3.8
(I have a previous BA with a low gpa, and am now finishing a BS with a ~3.9GPA, which is why my GPAs are so strange
-Have not taken the MCAT yet.

The schools that are listed first have lower cGPAs (ie my cGPA is within their accepted range). After the first 14 schools, the cGPA range for accepted applicants is higher than my cGPA. <--What is your opinion about applying to schools where your GPA is not in the range of accepted applicants? Hopeless?
-All of the data that I am talking about is from the 2010-2011 MSAR.

1. Georgetown
2. University of Illinois
3. Tulane
4. Uniformed Services University...Bethesda, MD
5. Michigan State
6. Albany
7. University of Toledo
8. University of Cincinnati
9. Commonwealth..Scranton, PA
10. Drexel
11. Warren Alpert..of Brown
12. University of South Carolina
13. Eastern Virginia
14. Virginia Commonwealth
_______________________

These schools have a cGPA range starting at 3.4

15. UCLA (Thought I would put it on there because they have a relatively low GPA, and my parents graduated from here)
16. CU Denver (This is my state school)
17. George Washington
18. University of Hawaii (They have some sort of deal with some western states, including CO, where we get in-state consideration..I think!)
19. Loyola University in Maywood Illinois
20. Rush
21. University of Louisville KY (They are not very oos-friendly, but I thought I would put in on the list because my dad lives here).
22. Boston University
23. Tufts
24. University of Missouri, Kansas City (This one is a little confusing. The only data in the MSAR is for their BA/MD program)
25. New York Medical
26. Wake Forest
27. Case Western Reserve in Cleveland
28. Oregon Health and Science..
29. Jefferson in PA
30. Pensilvania State
31. Temple
32. San Juan Bautista (This is one of the Puerto Rico schools...saw it in the MSAR, but I know absolutely nothing about it!)
33. University of Vermont

Thanks for looking at this ridiculously long list!

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[235788]

This is kind of a "first draft" of my school list. I would love some input! Let me know if you think I'm reaching way too far, or if I may have left off some good schools for me

My stats:

cGPA 3.3
sGPA 3.8
(I have a previous BA with a low gpa, and am now finishing a BS with a ~3.9GPA, which is why my GPAs are so strange
-Have not taken the MCAT yet.

The schools that are listed first have lower cGPAs (ie my cGPA is within their accepted range). After the first 14 schools, the cGPA range for accepted applicants is higher than my cGPA. <--What is your opinion about applying to schools where your GPA is not in the range of accepted applicants? Hopeless?
-All of the data that I am talking about is from the 2010-2011 MSAR.

1. Georgetown
2. University of Illinois
3. Tulane
4. Uniformed Services University...Bethesda, MD
5. Michigan State
6. Albany
7. University of Toledo
8. University of Cincinnati
9. Commonwealth..Scranton, PA
10. Drexel
11. Warren Alpert..of Brown
12. University of South Carolina
13. Eastern Virginia
14. Virginia Commonwealth
_______________________

These schools have a cGPA range starting at 3.4

15. UCLA (Thought I would put it on there because they have a relatively low GPA, and my parents graduated from here)
16. CU Denver (This is my state school)
17. George Washington
18. University of Hawaii (They have some sort of deal with some western states, including CO, where we get in-state consideration..I think!)
19. Loyola University in Maywood Illinois
20. Rush
21. University of Louisville KY (They are not very oos-friendly, but I thought I would put in on the list because my dad lives here).
22. Boston University
23. Tufts
24. University of Missouri, Kansas City (This one is a little confusing. The only data in the MSAR is for their BA/MD program)
25. New York Medical
26. Wake Forest
27. Case Western Reserve in Cleveland
28. Oregon Health and Science..
29. Jefferson in PA
30. Pensilvania State
31. Temple
32. San Juan Bautista (This is one of the Puerto Rico schools...saw it in the MSAR, but I know absolutely nothing about it!)
33. University of Vermont

Thanks for looking at this ridiculously long list!

Wait until you take the MCAT. Your score will dictate everything-- get a 26 and it wont matter. I'd strongly suggest throwing some DO schools into the mix, Colorado isn't the best state for someone with subpar stats.

Your 3.3 will probably get you screened out at a bunch of schools, so apply to tons and just pray.

 

[JRWPREMED]

Wow. I thought most schools had a 3.0 auto-screen.... I didn't realize they went as high or higher than 3.3. Is there a thread or some sort of insider info on the auto-screen GPA at MD schools? Would be helpful when I apply so I'm not wasting money on a definite rejection.

OP: It would be best for you to get your MCAT scores and bump this thread with an update. It would make the chancing easier instead of relying on GPA alone. Anything that is posted now will be irrelevant if you score higher or lower than the average on the MCAT.

 

[235788]

Wow. I thought most schools had a 3.0 auto-screen.... I didn't realize they went as high or higher than 3.3. Is there a thread or some sort of insider info on the auto-screen GPA at MD schools? Would be helpful when I apply so I'm not wasting money on a definite rejection.

OP: It would be best for you to get your MCAT scores and bump this thread with an update. It would make the chancing easier instead of relying on GPA alone. Anything that is posted now will be irrelevant if you score higher or lower than the average on the MCAT.

It may not be a computer program per-se, but rather a physical being placing your application in the big pile for "later reconsideration." Especially at out of state schools.

Your instate schools may show you some love though.

 

[aSagacious]

Moving to the 'what are my chances?' forum.

 

[ppfizenm]

Wow. I thought most schools had a 3.0 auto-screen.... I didn't realize they went as high or higher than 3.3. Is there a thread or some sort of insider info on the auto-screen GPA at MD schools? Would be helpful when I apply so I'm not wasting money on a definite rejection.

OP: It would be best for you to get your MCAT scores and bump this thread with an update. It would make the chancing easier instead of relying on GPA alone. Anything that is posted now will be irrelevant if you score higher or lower than the average on the MCAT.

It goes higher than 3.3

 

[MedOldAge]

This is kind of a "first draft" of my school list. I would love some input! Let me know if you think I'm reaching way too far, or if I may have left off some good schools for me

My stats:

cGPA 3.3
sGPA 3.8
(I have a previous BA with a low gpa, and am now finishing a BS with a ~3.9GPA, which is why my GPAs are so strange
-Have not taken the MCAT yet.

The schools that are listed first have lower cGPAs (ie my cGPA is within their accepted range). After the first 14 schools, the cGPA range for accepted applicants is higher than my cGPA. <--What is your opinion about applying to schools where your GPA is not in the range of accepted applicants? Hopeless?
-All of the data that I am talking about is from the 2010-2011 MSAR.

1. Georgetown
2. University of Illinois
3. Tulane
4. Uniformed Services University...Bethesda, MD
5. Michigan State
6. Albany
7. University of Toledo
8. University of Cincinnati
9. Commonwealth..Scranton, PA
10. Drexel
11. Warren Alpert..of Brown
12. University of South Carolina
13. Eastern Virginia
14. Virginia Commonwealth
_______________________

These schools have a cGPA range starting at 3.4

15. UCLA (Thought I would put it on there because they have a relatively low GPA, and my parents graduated from here)
16. CU Denver (This is my state school)
17. George Washington
18. University of Hawaii (They have some sort of deal with some western states, including CO, where we get in-state consideration..I think!)
19. Loyola University in Maywood Illinois
20. Rush
21. University of Louisville KY (They are not very oos-friendly, but I thought I would put in on the list because my dad lives here).
22. Boston University
23. Tufts
24. University of Missouri, Kansas City (This one is a little confusing. The only data in the MSAR is for their BA/MD program)
25. New York Medical
26. Wake Forest
27. Case Western Reserve in Cleveland
28. Oregon Health and Science..
29. Jefferson in PA
30. Pensilvania State
31. Temple
32. San Juan Bautista (This is one of the Puerto Rico schools...saw it in the MSAR, but I know absolutely nothing about it!)
33. University of Vermont

Thanks for looking at this ridiculously long list!

I am very new in this searching for school thing and am learning.

How & where do you obtain the cGPA range for the school as you mentioned for 15-33?

I don't recall the MSAR mentioned about it. If it is, I probably overlooked.So, is it hiding in their school website somewhere?

Thanks,

 

[ppfizenm]

I am very new in this searching for school thing and am learning.

How & where do you obtain the cGPA range for the school as you mentioned for 15-33?

I don't recall the MSAR mentioned about it. If it is, I probably overlooked.So, is it hiding in their school website somewhere?

Thanks,

not to hijack someone else's thread but the ranges are recited in the 2011-2012 MSAR and probably in the online version of the 2012-2013 MSAR. The ranges are indicated by a shaded bar which stretches over a range of both GPAs and MCAT scores for each section.

 

[MedOldAge]

My humble apology to all of you.

Thank you very much!

 

[MT Headed]

I'd skip Boston University (they reject 100% of applicants) and Brown (their OOS numbers are deceiving and they accept mostly from their undergrad).

I see you included Illinois, Loyola, and Rush. Any reason you're skipping RFU-Chicago?

 

[PremedGirlCO]

I'd skip Boston University (they reject 100% of applicants) and Brown (their OOS numbers are deceiving and they accept mostly from their undergrad).

I see you included Illinois, Loyola, and Rush. Any reason you're skipping RFU-Chicago?

Hm, can I ask why you say that about Boston U? The MSAR says they accepted 81% oos. And what do you mean about Brown's oos numbers being deceiving? MSAR says they accepted 89% oos. Thanks for the info!
Also, you are right, I meant to put Rosalind Franklin on the second half of the list!

 

[MT Headed]

Hm, can I ask why you say that about Boston U? The MSAR says they accepted 81% oos. And what do you mean about Brown's oos numbers being deceiving? MSAR says they accepted 89% oos. Thanks for the info!
Also, you are right, I meant to put Rosalind Franklin on the second half of the list!

For Boston, it's a combination of their enormous applicant / interview ratio and their ruthlessness at rejecting candidates quickly. They are usually an applicant's first rejection. I admit this upset me at first, but now that I've been through a cycle I respect them a lot more for knowing what they want and not dragging the process out any longer than necessary.

For Brown, you'll have to do a little digging... find out how many Brown acceptees are from their own BS program and then evaluate for yourself how many actual slots are available to the general public like you. Students usually don't gain residency in their new state just by going to school there, so even a high OOS ratio could indicate that a lot of Brown undergrads were OOS to begin with.

Your school list is remarkably similar to mine. Check out my MDApps and feel free to ask here or via PM about any differences. I had a strict set of criteria for my choices.

Good luck this season. Remember to apply early!

 

[boshtrich]

I am a current Colorado applicant and can tell you that CU-Denver will be very dependent on your clinical experience and "life experiences" as this is what they seem to value the most (according to many people, including ad comm members, they want 500+ hours of clinical experience). They give interviews to most IS students so your GPA shouldn't matter as much. They are also moving to a MMI format, so be ready for that. As people above have said, there is no real way to have a grasp of your chances without an MCAT, but I would say that you need at least a score in the low to mid thirties to compensate for the low cGPA. I assume you have an upward trend in GPA based on your good sGPA so be sure to emphasize that. If I were you, I'd save my money applying to Boston University, Georgetown (their secondary is about $150), UCLA and Tufts because they can be very competitive despite lower stats, as they tend to be "safety schools" for the top applicants. If you have a stellar MCAT (36+) I would add Pitt and maybe WashU as they tend to value MCAT above all else. Also look into Saint Louis University and Creighton as they are an OOS friendly private schools that place less value on stats and more on EC activites/serving the underprivileged due to their Jesuit background (I see you have Loyola and Georgetown, so may as well add the other Jesuit schools if you are a good fit). Also look into VCU, Arizona, University of Nebraska and Oakland as they seem to be pretty OOS friendly. Overall, a good MCAT would help cancel the low cGPA and then it would come down to interviews to seal the deal. Good luck!

 

[Alejandro]

Wait until you have your mcat figured out. A couple reasons: 1) You don't know if you'll be satisfied with your score-maybe a retake is possible? (I hope not, but you never know. I did retake myself.) 2) You're evaluated on both stats, so it's hard to predict whhich schools will fit until you get your scores back.

 

[Mazdave]

This is kind of a "first draft" of my school list. I would love some input! Let me know if you think I'm reaching way too far, or if I may have left off some good schools for me

My stats:

cGPA 3.3
sGPA 3.8
(I have a previous BA with a low gpa, and am now finishing a BS with a ~3.9GPA, which is why my GPAs are so strange
-Have not taken the MCAT yet.

The schools that are listed first have lower cGPAs (ie my cGPA is within their accepted range). After the first 14 schools, the cGPA range for accepted applicants is higher than my cGPA. <--What is your opinion about applying to schools where your GPA is not in the range of accepted applicants? Hopeless?
-All of the data that I am talking about is from the 2010-2011 MSAR.

1. Georgetown
2. University of Illinois
3. Tulane
4. Uniformed Services University...Bethesda, MD
5. Michigan State
6. Albany
7. University of Toledo
8. University of Cincinnati
9. Commonwealth..Scranton, PA
10. Drexel
11. Warren Alpert..of Brown
12. University of South Carolina
13. Eastern Virginia
14. Virginia Commonwealth
_______________________

These schools have a cGPA range starting at 3.4

15. UCLA (Thought I would put it on there because they have a relatively low GPA, and my parents graduated from here)
16. CU Denver (This is my state school)
17. George Washington
18. University of Hawaii (They have some sort of deal with some western states, including CO, where we get in-state consideration..I think!)
19. Loyola University in Maywood Illinois
20. Rush
21. University of Louisville KY (They are not very oos-friendly, but I thought I would put in on the list because my dad lives here).
22. Boston University
23. Tufts
24. University of Missouri, Kansas City (This one is a little confusing. The only data in the MSAR is for their BA/MD program)
25. New York Medical
26. Wake Forest
27. Case Western Reserve in Cleveland
28. Oregon Health and Science..
29. Jefferson in PA
30. Pensilvania State
31. Temple
32. San Juan Bautista (This is one of the Puerto Rico schools...saw it in the MSAR, but I know absolutely nothing about it!)
33. University of Vermont

Thanks for looking at this ridiculously long list!

I would seriously consider removing the bolded schools. Remove USUHS unless you really want to go into military medicine. Georgetown, GW and BU all receive a ridiculous number of applications every year -- look at their websites and unless there's something about your application that makes you a good fit for their missions I would take them off. As noted, most of Brown's spots go to their BS/MD applicants. UMKC is dual degree only. Illinois, OHSU and South Carolina are not OOS friendly at all. Commonwealth and EVMS mainly want to provide doctors for very specific regions of their state and look for applicants who are likely to practice there. Remove SJB unless you're fluent in Spanish.

 

[MT Headed]

Is it really that easy to read a website and figure out if you are the right fit for one of those mediocre stat 10,000 applicant 500 interview 400 acceptance schools?

My application was custom molded to be the perfect fit for several schools according to their websites, and I got either no interview or no acceptance from all of them. I also shotgunned my application to a wide variety of the "we reject almost everybody" schools and got lucky. The odds are low at any one school, but if you fling your app at enough of them the odds are one or two ought to stick, even if their mission (according to their website) is "we aim to create physicians" like they all say. Allocate $1,000 to $2,000 for these secondary fees and you might get similar results.

 

[Mazdave]

Is it really that easy to read a website and figure out if you are the right fit for one of those mediocre stat 10,000 applicant 500 interview 400 acceptance schools?

My application was custom molded to be the perfect fit for several schools according to their websites, and I got either no interview or no acceptance from all of them. I also shotgunned my application to a wide variety of the "we reject almost everybody" schools and got lucky. The odds are low at any one school, but if you fling your app at enough of them the odds are one or two ought to stick, even if their mission (according to their website) is "we aim to create physicians" like they all say. Allocate $1,000 to $2,000 for these secondary fees and you might get similar results.

No, it's not. However, particularly with GW and Georgetown, I think that you should make sure that you can put together a good "why our school?" essay before spending the $$ on them. I actually got an interview at Georgetown, but that was pure dumb luck. The OP should evaluate if she has significant community service experience and a desire to liberally discuss cura personalis before dropping $130 on them.

I probably would have applied to these two schools anyway based on proximity to home, and I'm definitely not telling anyone to not apply to them, but I think that a lot of people who apply to them do so just based on stats without looking at their actual chances for an interview, and these people would be better off saving their money.