chibichibi Posted July 16, 2007 Report Share Posted July 16, 2007 Hi everyone, I am a recent graduate with the following numbers GPA: 3.8 - 3.85 (I haven't calculated it using the American conversion yet) MCAT: 13PS/13V/14BS/ M The "M" for the writing section will keep me out of many Canadian schools, and I'm afraid my GPA does not meet the cut offs for some schools in my province. But as I would only consider retaking the MCAT as the very last resort, now I am thinking that I may actually have a better chance of getting into American medical schools than my own provincial medical schools! I've realized this only recently (!) and am now researching more about medical schools in the US. I was wondering if anybody could give me suggestions on which schools I should be applying to, because honestly I don't personally know anyone who's been through this process and I'm hopelessly clueless. Which schools do you think would be appropriately considered dream schools, realistic shots, and backups? Thanks a lot! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chibichibi Posted July 16, 2007 Author Report Share Posted July 16, 2007 Oh by the way, for ECs, I've done all the stuff that premeds do (research, volunteer, clubs, etc), but nothing extraordinary... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hippie Posted July 16, 2007 Report Share Posted July 16, 2007 your score is extremely competitive in the States.You can easily get an acceptance in one of the top 10 schools. Apply to few of those ( Harvard, yale, johns hopkins, case, Dartmouth and Mayo....) and then a few backup schools Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bones Posted July 16, 2007 Report Share Posted July 16, 2007 Don't count out Canadian schools... I too had an 'M' in my writing sample score and managed to snag interviews at U of Alberta, U of Calgary, and McMaster (considered in-province Alberta applicant). The remainder of my stats were not as impressive as yours, either. Good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bane Posted July 16, 2007 Report Share Posted July 16, 2007 Hi everyone, I am a recent graduate with the following numbers GPA: 3.8 - 3.85 (I haven't calculated it using the American conversion yet) MCAT: 13PS/13V/14BS/ M The "M" for the writing section will keep me out of many Canadian schools, and I'm afraid my GPA does not meet the cut offs for some schools in my province. But as I would only consider retaking the MCAT as the very last resort, now I am thinking that I may actually have a better chance of getting into American medical schools than my own provincial medical schools! I've realized this only recently (!) and am now researching more about medical schools in the US. I was wondering if anybody could give me suggestions on which schools I should be applying to, because honestly I don't personally know anyone who's been through this process and I'm hopelessly clueless. Which schools do you think would be appropriately considered dream schools, realistic shots, and backups? Thanks a lot! Your score is sick!! Take the WS score and throw it out the window. US schools dont care. Seriously. They'll see your great VR score (and insane overall score) and be really happy. Apply everywhere that takes Canadian citizens, but dont really waste money on lower end schools-- you dont need to worry. So big names like Harvard, Duke, Yale, Hopkins, Washington U in SL, etc. Apply to all those, since theres no denying that it really is nice to go to a school with a great rep if you can-- provided its not your only criteria...blah blah blah. If youre serious on applying and havent started, get on it!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chibichibi Posted July 18, 2007 Author Report Share Posted July 18, 2007 Thanks to everyone who contributed to the thread! Now, I've come across a website called MDapplicants.com and looking through the profiles to get an idea of what the applicant pool is like. And to my surprise, the whole admissions process seems to be so unpredictable, even for people from top Ivy schools with top scores plus amazing ECs. I mean there are people with the very top scores and backgrounds getting "rejected post-secondary" (i.e. no interview!) from several schools they applied to. I found that really scary and discouraging. I guess I just have to apply to as many schools as I can...I'm thinking around 15-20 schools. Oh how I wish Western and Queens didn't have hard cut-offs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bane Posted July 18, 2007 Report Share Posted July 18, 2007 Thanks to everyone who contributed to the thread!Now, I've come across a website called MDapplicants.com and looking through the profiles to get an idea of what the applicant pool is like. And to my surprise, the whole admissions process seems to be so unpredictable, even for people from top Ivy schools with top scores plus amazing ECs. I mean there are people with the very top scores and backgrounds getting "rejected post-secondary" (i.e. no interview!) from several schools they applied to. I found that really scary and discouraging. I guess I just have to apply to as many schools as I can...I'm thinking around 15-20 schools. Oh how I wish Western and Queens didn't have hard cut-offs Theres a lot of talk about why it can be so unpredictable on SDN (studentdoctor network forums)... One reason being that many schools won't bother interviewing you if they think you'll just accept an offer from a better school. So if you can get into Duke with a 4.0 >40MCAT, why would a no-name smaller school invest much into you? See what I'm saying? GLuck! Actually you dont need it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chibichibi Posted July 18, 2007 Author Report Share Posted July 18, 2007 Oh, one more n00bish question... What is sort of considered the limit for "early application"? June? July? August (I doubt)? I am now thinking that my best chance is probably at Washington University at St. Louis but that school has rolling admissions, which I understand means you have better chances if you apply early. Would it be better to write a quickly written personal statement now and submit it in July or apply in August with a personal statement that would_presumably_be superior? Thank you very much I appreciate your opinions a lot Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chibichibi Posted July 18, 2007 Author Report Share Posted July 18, 2007 Theres a lot of talk about why it can be so unpredictable on SDN (studentdoctor network forums)... One reason being that many schools won't bother interviewing you if they think you'll just accept an offer from a better school. So if you can get into Duke with a 4.0 >40MCAT, why would a no-name smaller school invest much into you? See what I'm saying? GLuck! Actually you dont need it. Umm I see what you mean...I have to say that from the perspective of the medical schools, that's the logical thing to do. The biggest lesson I learned in this process is that one should always first focus on getting into one's province/state's medical schools. I've been always so certain that I would surely go to U of T for medical school (don't ask me where I got that from) and sort of overlooked all the other Ontario schools, with the result that I'm only able to apply to U of T and MacMaster now . I suppose that's the right price to pay for such stupidity Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jochi1543 Posted July 18, 2007 Report Share Posted July 18, 2007 Oh, one more n00bish question...What is sort of considered the limit for "early application"? June? July? August (I doubt)? I am now thinking that my best chance is probably at Washington University at St. Louis but that school has rolling admissions, which I understand means you have better chances if you apply early. Would it be better to write a quickly written personal statement now and submit it in July or apply in August with a personal statement that would_presumably_be superior? Thank you very much I appreciate your opinions a lot Don't rush too much with your PS. Good stats or not, you CAN get rejected because of a horrible PS. Give yourself at least a few days. In the meantime, request your transcripts ASAP. As of right now, it's taking AMCAS approximately 3 weeks to receive transcripts from the date they were mailed from your university. Your application need not yet be submitted for them to receive your paperwork. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bane Posted July 18, 2007 Report Share Posted July 18, 2007 Don't rush too much with your PS. Good stats or not, you CAN get rejected because of a horrible PS. Give yourself at least a few days. In the meantime, request your transcripts ASAP. As of right now, it's taking AMCAS approximately 3 weeks to receive transcripts from the date they were mailed from your university. Your application need not yet be submitted for them to receive your paperwork. Agreed. That can be a bottleneck. Mine took me 10 days to get verified, and I was an idiot-- I went to school to get my transcript in just before finishing my PS. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
a41 Posted July 19, 2007 Report Share Posted July 19, 2007 Can I get in on this thread? I wrote the MCAT twice: (PS/VR/BS/WS) 12 9 11 O 12 12 10 N (just released today) I have no idea what happened on the WS, but apparently no one cares in the states? My overall gpa and science gpa is approximately 3.8. I'm an engineering graduate with good research experience (accepted paper, and 2 other medically related projects still in progress). I've done my share of volunteering, sports etc. Right now I'm looking at schols like MSU, Wayne State, Northwestern, Univeristy of Chicago and Case Western. I need to go through the school websites to see if non-science prof letters are required (which I probably will not be able to get). If engineering and medicine profs do not count as science, then I'm probably screwed for the science letters. I have family very close to the Detroit area, which makes Wayne State attractive, but I'm not sure if I can do better than that? :confused: :confused: I don't know what to think! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikkey Posted July 19, 2007 Report Share Posted July 19, 2007 Hey Check this document: it gives you all the needed info as to recommendation letters. It is everywhere these days, but not having to look for it is priceless. med_school_letter_types.pdf Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bane Posted July 19, 2007 Report Share Posted July 19, 2007 Hey Check this document: it gives you all the needed info as to recommendation letters. It is everywhere these days, but not having to look for it is priceless. Ya, really use this. I asked a few people on SDN about the importance of following these instructions/ guidelines, and they said its a pretty big deal. If you can get these letters, really do it. Otherwise, your app could be frowned on by AdComs, since you didn't follow instructions. Example of how they can be picky: SUNY schools wont replace a Science letter (MUST be from someone who taught you) with a research prof. It really can be a b*tch. GLuck with the letters. It might roll better than you think! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
osmosis Posted July 19, 2007 Report Share Posted July 19, 2007 i'm actually suprised with scores like that you wouldn't be admitted to Canadian schools, what province are you in? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
a41 Posted July 20, 2007 Report Share Posted July 20, 2007 i'm actually suprised with scores like that you wouldn't be admitted to Canadian schools, what province are you in? I think you are referring to the OP, but I'm from Ontario. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KennethToronto Posted July 20, 2007 Report Share Posted July 20, 2007 Hey Check this document: it gives you all the needed info as to recommendation letters. It is everywhere these days, but not having to look for it is priceless. Great resource, but I would double/triple check the LOR requirements on the specific school websites. For example: the list states that WashU accepts three letters. In reality, they require at least one letter from a science faculty. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chibichibi Posted July 20, 2007 Author Report Share Posted July 20, 2007 i'm actually suprised with scores like that you wouldn't be admitted to Canadian schools, what province are you in? Yeah I'm from Ontario too unfortunately Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
a41 Posted July 22, 2007 Report Share Posted July 22, 2007 I'd like to get some advice regarding my tentative list: Dartmouth Brown Cornell Northwestern Case Western Reserve Wayne State Michigan State Rosalind Franklin My GPA is about 3.8 I think, and I have a 34 MCAT. I feel like this list is a bit optimistic for me, and I might swap one of the schools for something less competitive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bane Posted July 22, 2007 Report Share Posted July 22, 2007 I'd like to get some advice regarding my tentative list: Dartmouth Brown Cornell Northwestern Case Western Reserve Wayne State Michigan State Rosalind Franklin My GPA is about 3.8 I think, and I have a 34 MCAT. I feel like this list is a bit optimistic for me, and I might swap one of the schools for something less competitive. If youre serious about going to the states, have more than 8 schools. BTW, do you have American permanent residence status? That would make you Out of state vs. International, which REALLY increases your chances. Just thought I'd mention it. If you have access to MSAR (library/borrow), you can look through it to see which schools have a large number of international students. Thats all I can really say at the moment... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jochi1543 Posted July 22, 2007 Report Share Posted July 22, 2007 Brown's pretty hard to get into. They don't have a lot of seats and something like 50% of them are already reserved for their SMP graduates. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sonyvaio2700 Posted July 22, 2007 Report Share Posted July 22, 2007 I had almost identical stats...check out my mdapps... I'd like to get some advice regarding my tentative list: Dartmouth Brown Cornell Northwestern Case Western Reserve Wayne State Michigan State Rosalind Franklin My GPA is about 3.8 I think, and I have a 34 MCAT. I feel like this list is a bit optimistic for me, and I might swap one of the schools for something less competitive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
a41 Posted July 22, 2007 Report Share Posted July 22, 2007 I have some decent research experience, including a publication if that helps. My other two projects are medically relevant (worked with MDs). sony, how do I find your mdapps? Edit: If you applied to a billion schools, then I think I found your profile. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
a41 Posted July 22, 2007 Report Share Posted July 22, 2007 I guess I should probably bump up the number of schools I'm applying to. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spriteguy Posted July 22, 2007 Report Share Posted July 22, 2007 Hey a41, I would apply to Wake Frost too. I applied to about 15 schools. Its $$$ but if you want to get in, there's no way around it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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