Applying to the US.. need some advice

[deathvvv]

GPA: 3.54

 

MCAT: 28 R (10 P 8V 10

 

ECs: 2 years of volunteering at hospital, 1 years of research exp, peer tutoring for half year, volunteer at student union for half year, organized and ran bridge tournament for community bridge club for a year

 

I guess my main question is that whether I should apply now. I am scheduled to rewrite the MCAT in july but if competitive I will reschedule my MCAT to august so I have more time to study for it (I am applying to Canadian schools as well).

 

As for my choice of american schools, I am aiming for low-mid tier "Canadian friendly schools" like NYCM Finch, Wayne State, Michighan State, SUNY, VSU etc.

 

Any advice is appreciated

[KennethToronto]

I won't tell anyone *not* to apply to the US, especially if money is not an issue.

 

However, if a US student asked what their chances are for admission with a 3.54/28R, the advice would be that they are borderline and should apply very broadly.

 

An international student applying with a 3.54/28R will have a very difficult uphill battle.

[deathvvv]

thanks for the response... does anyone else have advice for me?

[mikkey]

Hey,

I applied with a 32 and 3.50, applied to more than 30 schools and got only 3 interviews. I also had more ECs and leadership positions, as well as extensive research and some clinical experience (2 years). I am currently on 2 waitlists and was rejected at my third interviewed school after 7 months on the waitlist.

My advice would be to retake the MCAT and raise your GPA before you even consider applying as the application cycle suddenly got much more competitive last year. This has to do with the increased number of offered MCAT tests offered and the fact that the American economy is in the dumps right now. We are internationals, or at best OOS, so we really don't stand much of a chance.

I will be reapplying with more clinical experience and volunteering, more research in a different field, shadowing and a stronger GPA (3.65 after winter grades). I am also considering redoing the MCAT.

Don't be fooled by the whole "we love Canadians". They really don't need us to fill their classes. I asked why I was rejected and all they could tell me was that I was average with a 32 and a 3.60 GPA (after fall grades).

I really don't want to discourage you, but I want you to be prepared and not to have to reapply like me. It gets much harder when you have to reapply.

I wish you good luck and if you have any other questions please fell free to PM me.

[schnauzr]

Yeah, the median MCAT's are ridiculous.

Before I took the MCAT, everyone told me 30 is good enough for most schools, but now it seems like it'll be below average.

[Madz25]

I would suggest applying with a better MCAT score...less than 30 will make it really tough for you even if you apply early. Your GPA is on the lower side but that can be countered somewhat by a better MCAT score.

[deathvvv]

hey guys.. thanks for the helpful responses... i think i will write the MCAT in july after all

 

So do you guys think I have a shot in the schools i mentioned earlier if I get 30+ on the MCAT and apply in this cycle?

[Alastriss]

Ive been meaning to ask this:

 

Are we looked upon more favorably than other internationals in the international pool because we did our undergrads/research at canadian universities? Do US schools get a lot of apps from abroad?

[SpanishFly]

Ive been meaning to ask this:

 

Are we looked upon more favorably than other internationals in the international pool because we did our undergrads/research at canadian universities? Do US schools get a lot of apps from abroad?

 

from what I've read on the schools websites, a lot of them will say "require at least 2 years of study in the U.S. for foreign students, unless you obtained your degree at an accredited U.S. or Canadian institution" which to me meant that Canadians are looked upon more favourably than other internationals, but if you see the link I posted in another thread, that may not be the case. Personally, I'm going to email the schools I'm interested in and find out what the deal is because I'm not wasting my application money on a school that has no intention of letting me in because I'm Canadian.

[DoNair]

Hey,

I applied with a 32 and 3.50, applied to more than 30 schools and got only 3 interviews. I also had more ECs and leadership positions, as well as extensive research and some clinical experience (2 years). I am currently on 2 waitlists and was rejected at my third interviewed school after 7 months on the waitlist.

My advice would be to retake the MCAT and raise your GPA before you even consider applying as the application cycle suddenly got much more competitive last year. This has to do with the increased number of offered MCAT tests offered and the fact that the American economy is in the dumps right now. We are internationals, or at best OOS, so we really don't stand much of a chance.

I will be reapplying with more clinical experience and volunteering, more research in a different field, shadowing and a stronger GPA (3.65 after winter grades). I am also considering redoing the MCAT.

Don't be fooled by the whole "we love Canadians". They really don't need us to fill their classes. I asked why I was rejected and all they could tell me was that I was average with a 32 and a 3.60 GPA (after fall grades).

I really don't want to discourage you, but I want you to be prepared and not to have to reapply like me. It gets much harder when you have to reapply.

I wish you good luck and if you have any other questions please fell free to PM me.

 

I was basically in the same boat as mikkey (as far as stats and application go) 2 years ago. I got 3 interviews after submitting about 30 secondaries. I was accepted off the waitlist last minute. It wasn't my scores that were limiting me, it was my Canadian citizenship. How do I know? Because MANY of my classmates were admitted with similar GPA/MCAT, some with LOWER scores.

 

My advice to the original poster: rewrite your MCAT in July. (Try to get 30+) While studying for it, work on your AMCAS application and submit it BEFORE then end of July. Make sure to apply broadly, like to 30+ schools. (APPLY TO SLU!) It seems like a lot and like it will be expensive. It is, but it is the only way for an intl student. Submit every secondary application as soon as you get it. Then sit back and pray. A lot of it has to do with luck. If things don't work out, it doesn't mean you are a bad applicant or that you will never be a doctor.

 

Good luck!

[Gavanshir]

I was basically in the same boat as mikkey (as far as stats and application go) 2 years ago. I got 3 interviews after submitting about 30 secondaries. I was accepted off the waitlist last minute. It wasn't my scores that were limiting me, it was my Canadian citizenship. How do I know? Because MANY of my classmates were admitted with similar GPA/MCAT, some with LOWER scores.

 

My advice to the original poster: rewrite your MCAT in July. (Try to get 30+) While studying for it, work on your AMCAS application and submit it BEFORE then end of July. Make sure to apply broadly, like to 30+ schools. (APPLY TO SLU!) It seems like a lot and like it will be expensive. It is, but it is the only way for an intl student. Submit every secondary application as soon as you get it. Then sit back and pray. A lot of it has to do with luck. If things don't work out, it doesn't mean you are a bad applicant or that you will never be a doctor.

 

Good luck!

 

Hi DoNair, why do you recommend SLU?

[DoNair]

I recommend SLU because I go there. I am 1 of 4 Canadians in my class (of 175.)

 

I recommended to another friend back in Canada to apply to SLU and he got in.

 

It is bloody expensive but you'll be in an LCME accredited medical school. Other than money, there is no downside.

[deathvvv]

Hey

 

Thanks for the response... so should I apply to SLU (assuming i get 30+ on the MCAT) even though my GPA is below the average? Also, should I apply to more school (I only applied to 15 so far, most with low entrance avgs), since applying to more schools with high entrace avg is just a waste of money?

[Alastriss]

Hey

 

Thanks for the response... so should I apply to SLU (assuming i get 30+ on the MCAT) even though my GPA is below the average? Also, should I apply to more school (I only applied to 15 so far, most with low entrance avgs), since applying to more schools with high entrace avg is just a waste of money?

 

If you are limiting the number of schools you are applying to, then you should have more low stat schools, private schools are a plus as they don't discriminate.

[Sheena815]

Wayne State is a "Canadian friendly" school, meaning that I think they consider you as the same as an out-of state American resident or something like that? (I don't know the details, I was told by a doctor in Windsor once, but it was a year or so ago).

 

But, I believe this is only the case if you are from a certain part of southern ontario (at least according the doc in Windsor). Definitely Windsor, but I don't know what other area it encompasses. If you're from the windsor/ swomen area it would be worth looking into.

[a41]

There are Canadians, myself included, that are accepted to Wayne who are not from the SWOMEN area.

 

Wayne and SLU are both favour the MCAT. I think they both liked my 34.

[a41]

Other than money, there is no downside.

 

But it's....St. Louis! (not that I should talk in Detroit!)

[jigga5]

I recommend SLU because I go there. I am 1 of 4 Canadians in my class (of 175.)

 

I recommended to another friend back in Canada to apply to SLU and he got in.

 

It is bloody expensive but you'll be in an LCME accredited medical school. Other than money, there is no downside.

 

hey man what is tuition there? after all costs including housing and food what are you paying/year? How are you financing your education down south?

[DoNair]

Hey

 

Thanks for the response... so should I apply to SLU (assuming i get 30+ on the MCAT) even though my GPA is below the average? Also, should I apply to more school (I only applied to 15 so far, most with low entrance avgs), since applying to more schools with high entrace avg is just a waste of money?

 

Apply to more schools and make sure that they are mid to lower end schools. Forget about places like Harvard, Yale and Cornell. Include places like Rosalind Franklin, SLU, Wayne State, etc. Use the MSAR as your guide.

 

Try and apply to at least 20-25 schools minimum. It is a lot of schools but you'll see how quickly schools drop out of the picture. Include as many as possible on the primary app and see who gives you a secondary.

[DoNair]

But it's....St. Louis! (not that I should talk in Detroit!)

 

Yes it is St. Louis. But it could be worse. It could be Poland, Hungary, or... South Dakota!!!

[DoNair]

hey man what is tuition there? after all costs including housing and food what are you paying/year? How are you financing your education down south?

 

Tuition for next year is about $43k. (It goes up a bit each year.) Then there is about $2000 in fees. Living expenses in St. Louis are very low for a major US city. My rent is less than $500 to share a 3-level townhouse that is a 10 minute drive from school. It is a safe area too. My total monthly living costs come to around $850 US per month. (That includes rent, utilities, cell phone, internet, car, food.)

 

Although as an international student, I had to pay everything up front BEFORE starting school. In August 2006 I paid $189+ US to cover my tuition and fees for all four years. My parents helped me get that money. As for living expenses, I applied for provincial and Canada student loans. They will give a maximum of $95,000 CDN for the entire degree. You can only get them after being accepted to school, so they don't help with the upfront tuition costs.

[Alastriss]

I really want to expand my list. Anyone have any schools they got a good vibe but were under-rated or were not done justice by the USNews? I'm not going by the ranking but by program director ratings which I think if anything are a better indication. Also, cheapER tuition is a plus.

[THX]

Tuition for next year is about $43k. (It goes up a bit each year.) Then there is about $2000 in fees. Living expenses in St. Louis are very low for a major US city. My rent is less than $500 to share a 3-level townhouse that is a 10 minute drive from school. It is a safe area too. My total monthly living costs come to around $850 US per month. (That includes rent, utilities, cell phone, internet, car, food.)

 

Although as an international student, I had to pay everything up front BEFORE starting school. In August 2006 I paid $189+ US to cover my tuition and fees for all four years. My parents helped me get that money. As for living expenses, I applied for provincial and Canada student loans. They will give a maximum of $95,000 CDN for the entire degree. You can only get them after being accepted to school, so they don't help with the upfront tuition costs.

Ah! I didn't realize they wanted it all up front! That's awfully hard to do.

[Tan008]

NYMC also wants everything up front. In their email they said they want around $200,000 in escrow.

[Alastriss]

are there any other schools like that?