Help With School List - MCAT: 521, GPA: 3.82, Minor IA

[Go4Doc]

Hi All,

I'll be applying to MSTP programs this coming cycle. I'd like to know what you think about my current list and if you have any suggestions. I realize it is a bit top heavy but I've heard that when it comes to MSTPs, there aren't really any "safeties". Also I'm hoping that my numbers make me competitive for even some of those top 20 schools.

Also worth noting is I have an IA from Fall 2014 on my record. As far as these go it's relatively minor as it has to do with excessive collaboration on part of a single homework assignment. Only real consequence was a zero on the assignment and a note on my record. It's not on my transcript but if a school looks they'll find it. I think I've written a pretty solid explanation of what happened, taken ownership of my actions, and showed that I've grown so hopefully the impact of this incident is minimized. I do know however, that something like this can diminish enthusiasm for an applicant so I'd appreciate all perspectives on how realistic my list is and what sort of impact that IA might have.

Thanks in advance for your help!

Applicant Profile

Numbers:
MCAT: 521 (CP: 128, CARS: 130, BS: 131, PS: 132)
cGPA - 3.82 (technically 3.817),
sGPA of 3.75
Trend: upward, three of last four semesters were 4.0

Education:
Major - B.S. in Neuroscience
Minors - Psychology, Pharmacology
School: Top 30 Public School

Residence:
Currently Missouri although I am considering switching to California as that is where I live now. Any thoughts one way or the other?

Clinical:
1.) 2 school years as volunteer EMT at my university. (~240 hours)

Research:
1.) 2 years (part-time) +1 summer in Parkinson's Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) monkey lab at undergrad institution. Productivity: Presented poster at international conference (SFN) and several undergrad symposiums. Authored senior honors thesis based on my work in this lab. Could get a second author paper or at least mid-author paper out of it. (~1500 Hours)
2.) 4 months Mayo Clinic (summer undergraduate research fellowship). Studied adult neurogenesis in the hippocampus. Productivity: Should get an authorship on an optogenetics paper out of this. (~400 Hours)
3.) 12-13 months in a DBS clinical lab at Stanford SOM at time of application (I will be there for two years total). Productivity: May be a first author by time of application or at least sometime in the application cycle.(~2000 Hours)

Shadowing:
1.) 75 Hours ( Neurology)

Non-Clinical Volunteering:
1.) 150 Hours - Fundraising for assorted charities through my fraternity.

Leadership:
TA for Physiology class (50-60 hours, 1 semester)
Paid Instructor for MCAT & GRE classes (600 hours)
Officer positions in ECs (see below)

Extra Curriculars from my undergrad career:
1.) Health and Biological Research (HBR) News - Treasurer
2.) Fraternity - Academics Committee Chairman & Committee Member
3.) Pharmacology Club - Member
4.) University Emergency Medical Services - Emergency Medical Technician (EMT)
6.) University Medical Reserve Corps - EMT
7.) Campus Acapella Group - Member

Honors:
1.) Summa cum laude from University Honors Program
2.) Graduated with distinction
3.) Phi Beta Kappa
4.) Bentson Scholar (largest private scholarship at undergrad institution)
5.) Undergraduate Research Travel Award - Scholarship awarded to support travel expenses to present research at conferences
6.) Undergraduate Research Opportunities (UROP) Award - Grant that pays you for undergraduate research
7.) Eagle Scout

School List

1. Harvard
2. Stanford
3. Hopkins
4. UPenn
   
5. UCSF
6. WashU
   
7. Columbia
8. NYU
9. University of Chicago
10. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
11. Vanderbilt
12. University of Pittsburgh
13. Northwestern
14. Baylor
15. Emory
16. Mayo
17. Case Western & Lerner
18. Rochester
19. OHSU
20. University of Colorado - Denver
21. Einstein

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[Lucca]

Stats are fine. Residency doesnt matter for MD/PhD admission so it wont make a difference either way. In any case, for MD only a Cali residency will nothing for you either.

Stats check out. Maybe narrow down this list for schools that have strong programs in the research you are interested in (live recordings, DBS, neuroscience it seems from your record? Ask your PI about schools / colleagues in the field and where they are). After that, if you find any schools in addition to those you already have that are strong in the kind of research you want to do, add those as well.

 

[Go4Doc]

Stats are fine. Residency doesnt matter for MD/PhD admission so it wont make a difference either way. In any case, for MD only a Cali residency will nothing for you either.

Stats check out. Maybe narrow down this list for schools that have strong programs in the research you are interested in (live recordings, DBS, neuroscience it seems from your record? Ask your PI about schools / colleagues in the field and where they are). After that, if you find any schools in addition to those you already have that are strong in the kind of research you want to do, add those as well.

Hey thanks for the reply! Any thoughts on the impact the IA might have? I'll be four years removed from the incident by the time I matriculate and I've done everything possible to show that it's extremely out of character. It's really just a blip on the radar but I know adcoms can take that kind of thing extra seriously.

 

[Lucca]

Hey thanks for the reply! Any thoughts on the impact the IA might have? I'll be four years removed from the incident by the time I matriculate and I've done everything possible to show that it's extremely out of character. It's really just a blip on the radar but I know adcoms can take that kind of thing extra seriously.

Doesnt seem like a big deal to me, but idk how adcoms would handle it. Fencer could probably give you a better answer.

 

[Go4Doc]

And actually I made lists of labs I was interested at the top 40 schools. These schools had the most labs that interested me.

 

[ValentinNarcisse]

No such thing as minor IA. You may get no interviews. I would apply to every program in the country.


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