Seeking JOCHI, Madz, et al for a question

[Alastriss]

Ok this question has been beaten to death, but it is fairly unique in every situation. I do realize I did ask this question before but now my situation is a little different?

I just wanted to know from the experts:

My AMCAS GPA is 3.84, my BCMP gpa is 3.81, and my extracurrics are mainly volunteering in hospitals, research (not EXACTLY an EC: juss 1 abstract and 1 presentation), salsa, soccer, etc, along with a bunch of medically related and charity related clubs (committee member for some, general member for others, etc), international buddy, etc.

 

What kind of an MCAT score would you guys think I need (bare minimum) if i were to get my MCAT scores oct 7 ( i write sept 7) to have a 'reasonable' shot at Wayne state, SUNY, MSU, case western?

I don't think case western will be affected cuz its private and from what i've read, it may not be rolling. Most of these schools (excluding CW) have avrge admissions at around 31-32 for the 'CATs so do i need to be in that range, or above that to compensate for the late application in your opinion?

[Madz25]

Ok this question has been beaten to death, but it is fairly unique in every situation. I do realize I did ask this question before but now my situation is a little different?

I just wanted to know from the experts:

My AMCAS GPA is 3.84, my BCMP gpa is 3.81, and my extracurrics are mainly volunteering in hospitals, research (not EXACTLY an EC: juss 1 abstract and 1 presentation), salsa, soccer, etc, along with a bunch of medically related and charity related clubs (committee member for some, general member for others, etc), international buddy, etc.

 

What kind of an MCAT score would you guys think I need (bare minimum) if i were to get my MCAT scores oct 7 ( i write sept 7) to have a 'reasonable' shot at Wayne state, SUNY, MSU, case western?

I don't think case western will be affected cuz its private and from what i've read, it may not be rolling. Most of these schools (excluding CW) have avrge admissions at around 31-32 for the 'CATs so do i need to be in that range, or above that to compensate for the late application in your opinion?

 

Well, for SUNY, remember that it's a 'state' school so their standards for in-state applicants will be lower than out-of-state --- a lot of the lower MCAT scores *may* be contributed by in-state applicants to give that average. I'd say definitely get above the average for SUNY. My GPA was similar to yours (although it was switched, I had a higher science GPA than cumulative) and I think my file was completed sometime in sept/oct for SUNY, I had a 34R for my MCAT and I received an interview and was eventually accepted at SUNY Upstate.

 

For Wayne State, you can get by with a 30 I'd say. I know someone that had, at most, a 30 or 31 on the MCAT and submitted their secondary in January or something and managed to get an interview. It's always different for each applicant...but the idea I got about Wayne State was that if you didn't get in anywhere else, your best shot is Wayne State. Although I have no personal experience with this school.

 

I have no idea about MSU and case western. I didn't apply to them nor do I know anyone that has...

 

It's tough to say but, in my opinion, aim for AT LEAST 32 - the higher the better.

 

Hope this helps.

[Bear1056]

So I am a wayne grad and I would say that you should aim for an MCAT of 30 as well. People get into many schools with lower scores (I know people with 26-30 who got in somewhere) but with your stats posted, you should have no trouble anywhere with a 30.

 

As for Wayne, I would like to through the school a little love. For some reason on this message board, lots of people think it is a terrible place to go to and nothing more than a safety net. Wayne was my first choice program in the US for a bunch of reasons:

 

1) Detroit- say what you will about the city as a whole, but from a medicine training perspective, urban blight = better training. The Detroit core (that surrounds WSU) is sick. The clinical experiences there are unbelievable and this attracts great faculty. My scores on both Step I and and II smoked the US averages and not because of my study ethic, but because I had seen stuff that most students don't see.

 

2) Border city - I personally love living in Canada. WSU's proximity to Windsor let me live in Windsor and commute daily to school across the border. Best of both worlds.

 

3) Reputation- Don't be fooled by the "name recognition" thing. People in "the know" know WSU. I pulled in interviews at all the top programs - Mayo, Harvard, Michigan, etc, for residency and every program director mentioned how well they respect WSU grads. We have a reputation for being way above most clinically. Yes, even Canadian PDs know the school. On my orientation at Toronto (where I ultimately matched), my file reviewer made a point to mention that he knew my school very well.

 

Anyway, there are downsides: tuition, DMC/WSU political squabbling, but these did not diminish my experiences.

 

Good luck.

 

B

[Alastriss]

Thanks a lot Madz and B, your posts definetely shed some light on the matter! It is sad that Wayne state has been thrown in the low tier school pile here, but thanks for giving us first hand experiences.

I was always told that applying late (and oct 7 is very late) means that u would need like a 35+ mcat even for the middle tier schools. Thanks for the insight!