Too many reaches?

[IvyUndergrad]

Hey folks -

 

I'm finalizing my list of schools, and I was wondering if anyone could look over my list and let me know if I have too many reach schools and not enough lower tiers, or if any of these schools don't accept Canadian applicants. Thanks in advance!

 

Stats:

3.75 gpa from a stateside undergraduate school (no citizenship/permanent resident status though)

Wrote the MCAT on 5/20 and haven't received score yet - likely/hopefully 38+ though, felt good coming out of it and scored between 39 and 42 on last six AAMC practice tests

Somewhat weak clinical/research ECs, but varsity athlete and lots of leadership experience in non-science fields

 

And the schools:

Boston U

Creighton

Dartmouth

Duke

Emory

GW

Georgetown

Northwestern

Penn State

Rosalind Franklin

Saint Louis

Stanford

Tufts

Tulane

UChicago

UWisconson

Vanderbilt

Wash U at Saint Louis

Weill

Yale

 

Basically, any suggestions for additional lower-tier schools, or schools I don't have much of a chance at and should take off my list would be appreciated. I'm primarily looking for schools in high quality of life cities; I love my UG school, but it's in a piece of sh!t city and I'm looking for a place with a little more going for it outside of the campus for my next four years.

[Shady99]

Include the NYC schools: NYU, NYMC, AECOM

[med1988]

Hey folks -

 

I'm finalizing my list of schools, and I was wondering if anyone could look over my list and let me know if I have too many reach schools and not enough lower tiers, or if any of these schools don't accept Canadian applicants. Thanks in advance!

 

Stats:

3.75 gpa from a stateside undergraduate school (no citizenship/permanent resident status though)

Wrote the MCAT on 5/20 and haven't received score yet - likely/hopefully 38+ though, felt good coming out of it and scored between 39 and 42 on last six AAMC practice tests

Somewhat weak clinical/research ECs, but varsity athlete and lots of leadership experience in non-science fields

 

And the schools:

Boston U

Creighton

Dartmouth

Duke

Emory

GW

Georgetown

Northwestern

Penn State

Rosalind Franklin

Saint Louis

Stanford

Tufts

Tulane

UChicago

UWisconson

Vanderbilt

Wash U at Saint Louis

Weill

Yale

 

Basically, any suggestions for additional lower-tier schools, or schools I don't have much of a chance at and should take off my list would be appreciated. I'm primarily looking for schools in high quality of life cities; I love my UG school, but it's in a piece of sh!t city and I'm looking for a place with a little more going for it outside of the campus for my next four years.

 

Drop: Saint Louis (rediculous financial requirement), Stanford (really unlikely), Tufts (don't think they take Cands), Duke (really ridiculous secondary), Rosalind Franklin

 

Add: Columbia (they accept Canadians), Hopkins (I regretted not applying there), UCI (I know one Canadian who interviewed there, so it does happen!), UVA (very good school, and takes Canadians), Case Western, Aecom, VCU

[madskillz99]

Don't drop Duke...its an amazing school and worth putting in the extra effort into the secondary. It gives you a good opportunity to actually show who you truly are.

[IvyUndergrad]

Thanks a bunch for the replies - med1988, are you saying that I'd have a better shot at Hopkins than Stanford? If they're on a similar tier I'd way rather be in Cali than Baltimore, and I figured with my weak research I'd have basically no shot at Hopkins anyway...

 

Also, why drop RF? I have it on there as a lower-tier school that I'd have a pretty good shot at in a city I could very much see myself being happy in - anything I should know about it?

 

Thanks again!

[reflex]

Thanks a bunch for the replies - med1988, are you saying that I'd have a better shot at Hopkins than Stanford? If they're on a similar tier I'd way rather be in Cali than Baltimore, and I figured with my weak research I'd have basically no shot at Hopkins anyway...

 

Also, why drop RF? I have it on there as a lower-tier school that I'd have a pretty good shot at in a city I could very much see myself being happy in - anything I should know about it?

 

Thanks again!

 

RFU is not located in the city of Chicago, but say 30 minutes outside in the middle of nowhere lol

[med1988]

I don't know - if you don't have much research experience, then maybe not Hopkins either (but Stanford, as a Cali school, has not taken very many Canadians...though I do have a friend who got in a few years ago).

 

RFU is just not a great school - but if you really want a low tier, maybe include it. I'd also add UMaryland actually. I know it's a really tough balance to strike considering the number of secondaries and the money limiting factor when picking and choosing these schools on AMCAS.

[SolitaireAddikt]

Drop: Saint Louis (rediculous financial requirement), Stanford (really unlikely), Tufts (don't think they take Cands), Duke (really ridiculous secondary), Rosalind Franklin

 

Add: Columbia (they accept Canadians), Hopkins (I regretted not applying there), UCI (I know one Canadian who interviewed there, so it does happen!), UVA (very good school, and takes Canadians), Case Western, Aecom, VCU

 

Columbia treats Canadians and Americans the same. Hopkins only interviews Canadians when they have "exhausted their supply of qualified American applicants" (thats what they told a friend of mine in the interview invitation email they sent).

[lonelion87]

I'm at Dartmouth right now, and we have at least 3 Canadians (on average) per class year. Pretty decent proportion given our small class size! Good idea putting DMS on the list...

 

As far as adding some "lower tier" schools, you might consider adding Wayne State and/or SUNY-Upstate (Syracuse).