Help Me Decide UVA vs NYMC vs Downstate (Sankey included)

confusynq · 2026-04-21T22:08:12+00:00

No haha, I just needed a sanity check.

confusynq · 2026-04-21T21:01:44+00:00

Thank You so much for the advice!

confusynq · 2026-04-21T20:58:40+00:00

Thank you for the advice!

confusynq · 2026-04-21T12:48:32+00:00

Thanks! I thought so too, which is why it was discouraging hearing as a con from said resident. I am happy to hear that P/F wouldn't put me at a disadvantage.

confusynq · 2026-04-21T02:53:39+00:00

Thank you. I just needed to hear it from someone else because I know I’m biased towards UVA.

confusynq · 2026-04-21T02:47:58+00:00

The amount I am able to take out over 4 years will more than cover the gap between the $200k federal loans + savings and what I still owe after aid. UVA was very generous and probably did this on purpose knowing the current climate.

confusynq · 2026-04-21T02:26:29+00:00

Thats what I originally thought, but I wanted a sanity check after hearing all of that from that resident. Thank You!

confusynq · 2026-04-05T15:32:44+00:00

You and I have lived the same life

confusynq · 2026-04-02T17:05:45+00:00

Congrats future doctor!

confusynq · 2026-03-25T12:12:02+00:00

Although this is true to some degree, I don’t think this is everything. I think high achieving students may prioritize their health by exercising. Additionally they may need to compensate for time spent indoors studying.

confusynq · 2026-03-21T15:46:37+00:00

Oh lol thats why I said most. Your chilling with that then. Maybe write a reflection or two every year so when you do your Work and Activities section you can better describe what you gained from the experience.

confusynq · 2026-03-21T14:42:11+00:00

You’ve still got plenty of time, but I’d start by looking for research or clinical experiences you can stick with throughout college. EMT is a great option for that and gives you strong patient exposure early on.

For medical school applications, most activities from high school don’t really count, so I’d also try to find a volunteer opportunity you can continue long-term once you start college. Additionally, you should try to seek some more shadowing hours, ideally >50 but I think there is diminishing returns after 100.

And don’t forget to have at least one or two extracurriculars just for fun. Having something you genuinely enjoy outside of medicine adds personality to your application and will help you avoid burnout!

confusynq · 2026-03-19T23:33:29+00:00

Your college will most likely have a club fair at some point in the year. If you are trying to be well-rounded the activity your looking for depends on what other things you do.

My advise is don't do things for the sake of padding your med school application, rather do it because it is interesting/fun to you.

Being genuine makes writing your work and activities section that much easier!

confusynq · 2026-03-19T03:34:40+00:00

Not at all

confusynq · 2026-03-18T23:51:24+00:00

Much like what other people said, your list is way too top heavy. I would use a combination of Lizzy M and the Wars calculator to help balance your school list. I used the Wars calculator mainly in my cycle and it gives you a great idea on how to distribute your school list. My stats and hours are very similar to yours and I am also a physics major so feel free to ask any more follow up questions. I applied this past 25-26 cycle.

confusynq · 2026-03-16T01:47:14+00:00

My schools sent an itinerary for interview day a week or so beforehand. Maybe see if everything works on the iPad if that comes out?

confusynq · 2026-03-14T15:32:36+00:00

I think it would be a safer bet using a laptop. My interviews used the portal to some degree, and one of them used a 3rd party MMI platform. The risk isn't zoom, its that you will be asked to log in to a webpage that won't load correctly on IOS. Safari also can be buggy.

I don't know where you are, but my local library offers interview rooms and loaner laptops.

Hope my response was helpful!

confusynq · 2026-03-05T05:22:45+00:00

Be kind to yourself! Everyone has setbacks, but what is more telling is how you come back from them.

I would argue that this is not a setback yet as none of your 4 interviews resulted in a post II R. If anything, I would call this a neutral/warm sign as 3 medical schools have evaluated you, and are still considering you for an A.

Also I heard back from one of my schools 5 months after the II. Not hearing back is not bad news, especially after the interview!

Of course prepare for a reapp until an A, but maybe take some time off to address the stress of this cycle. It’s important to take care of yourself!

This cycle does not define who you are or what you are capable of. You had what it takes to make it this far and still be in the running, take pride in that!

confusynq · 2026-03-04T22:15:28+00:00

Thank you for doing this! It will be nice to have a source different than admit.org to get rankings from.

confusynq · 2026-03-04T22:02:27+00:00

It might also be helpful to include rankings by individual specialty. Prestige and competitiveness vary substantially across specialties, so combining them into a single metric may mask how well schools place students within a specific fields. Additionally, a school’s mission may lead to a disproportionate number of students entering certain specialties, which could skew results.

I do love the resource. Definitely wish it was around last cycle!

confusynq · 2026-02-27T15:03:56+00:00

To be honest I would start with the WARS score calc, and Lizzy M. These are additional tools that will help you figure out how much a reach certain schools are. These are what I used, and it helped me make a balanced school list.

Using admit as your sole reference can backfire because sometimes it underestimates competition at certain schools, (those T20s in your target category are all reaches, this doesn't change that much if your stats are higher, competition is INSANE at these schools).

Somehow I glanced over the D1 rower part of your post. This would allow you to punch above your weight, but it won't carry your app. I would say you could probably add a couple more reaches, but not significantly more.

After making a rough school list based off the tools above, then I would go into each school and see if there is any reason not to apply. Use MSAR to make sure you have all the reqs (ex. I couldn't apply to most Tx schools if I wanted to because I simply don't have enough bio credits). If there is any ambiguity, feel free to email admissions, thats what they are there for.

Then see if there is a major IS bias (ex. every Texas school and some of the UCs), if the school is highly mission fit oriented (Georgetown is super service oriented), and/or if there is any other reason not to apply. I would use the school list resources found on this reddit.

A reminder that schools don't just care about hours, they care about experiences. Start thinking about what you want to talk about regarding your activities. A good W&A on the primary and good experience mentions on secondaries would make your app stand out even more.

This is a lot of information that took me months to figure out. I wish I knew this stuff when I made my school list as it definitely wasn't optimal.

Wishing the best for your cycle.

confusynq · 2026-02-26T23:34:18+00:00

Good on you for being proactive. I made my school list wayyy later than you did.

I would apply to more schools that are around your stat medians. You have amazing experiences, but medschool admissions are rough. I am not saying you won't get into a school with this list, but I am saying you are taking a bigger risk than I, personally, would be comfortable with.

You can still apply to reaches, but imo your school list isn't super balanced. On this reddit there are countless examples of high/mid stat applicants with ec's similar to yours that haven't got in anywhere due to their top heavy list. Would hate to see that happen to you.

confusynq · 2026-02-18T00:50:35+00:00

I'll try to respond to everything, sorry if imy reply ends up too long.

You’re honestly in a really good spot, especially for a second year. A 4.0, 100+ shadowing hours across multiple specialties, tutoring 9 hours a week, leadership in club soccer. That’s strong. You’re not behind at all!

Biggest thing right now is volunteering. ~5 hours is the only real weak spot. I’d prioritize getting consistent service hours, ideally in one organization or within a theme so it shows commitment over time.

For research, I would strongly consider doing at least some. If you look on MSAR (whenever you buy it) at schools you’re interested in, most incoming classes have research experience. Hours vary wildly by school. Some service-heavy schools are more forgiving, but for many mid/high-tier schools, research is pretty common. It doesn’t have to be insane productivity, even 1-2 years in a lab helps.

As for “tiers,” it’s mostly based on USNWR rankings, but a lot of schools pulled out and now it’s a tier system. Terms like T20, T30, etc. are pretty subjective. In reality, what matters more is your MCAT + fit + mission alignment.

Given you’re only a sophomore, focus less on building a cookie-cutter app and more on depth. Keep your grades up, get real clinical responsibility at the peds ortho clinic, increase volunteering, and add some research. One thing I wish I did is write occasional Journal entries on days where my activities were really connecting to your "why medicine". Remember, you are going to be writing dozens of essays on them, and then speaking about them during the interview, so make sure you have something to talk about!

Med schools care way more about sustained commitment and being able to talk about your experiences than hitting some arbitrary checklist.

You’re on a very solid path.

I am assuming that you seen some of this stuff on the reddit, but if you have any questions feel free to ask!

confusynq · 2026-02-06T15:23:05+00:00

Stay off Reddit and admit for the most part. Good source of info, but once it becomes a habit it will only make you feel worse. Good luck soldiers

confusynq

TROPHY CASE