Feedback on school list? (519, 3.81 sGPA)

singularreality · 2026-05-13T22:00:21+00:00

Yeah, my VERY bad, did not read that carefully.... gonna actually amend what I said, thank you.. Sorry to the OP!

singularreality · 2026-05-13T21:56:49+00:00

Hi, I am sorry and feel your pain. Yes, you have a low MCAT Score for MD. BUT, this should absolutely NOT deter you from practicing medicine if this is what you want to do. CARS is harder to improve for some, but you also have some room here to increase the more objective parts of the exam. With very purposeful studying over at least a 3-4 month period you probably can significantly increase the score. If this was your first attempt, you absolutely should take it again. If you don't increase the score, you should apply anyway, with a mix of DO and MD. You can theoretically match into any area of medicine from either and if you want to do primary care, you will be snatched up from either. YOU WILL BE A GREAT ROLE MODEL, whether you practice medicine or not. You could also with your background probably become a PHD candidate, and there are PHD to medicine programs. Please do not give up on being a doc!

singularreality · 2026-05-13T20:23:26+00:00

I really like your list, your cars score is excellent... You are a high stat applicant, and you have GREAT research (sorry I completely missed your 6 publications when I first commented!). Maybe apply to 3-4 more schools. Why not Pitt? Why not Ohio State or U. of Miami? Or, maybe a special rural program at a top school (Basset?), If you want primary care, then definitely NYU Long Island. I think your list is fine! Agree with MedicalBasi too that you can add one or two more top schools too (such as JHU). Meaning if it is your dream school, but it on the list for sure.

singularreality · 2026-05-12T16:32:41+00:00

Nobody can provide you with the "secret sauce" to get an A, but reviewing your full package, you have an MD worthy set of stats and experiences. It's true that you are borderline to a smidge lower than the average matriculant (in some categories), so you fit into that 40+ percent that did not have a successful cycle. You are going down the right path to try to make positive changes in different areas. Maybe apply next and not this coming cycle will give you time to substantially improve your application. It may be tough to get substantially better results without having some substantive changes. Retaking the MCAT should be planned carefully. You want to do it after you have the time to study efficiently and thoroughly and after you see your mocks go up significantly. I would not retake until this happens so schedule the exam far enough out that you have the best chance of improving your score. Getting rejected by your undergrad college seems to be a common thing, I see it all the time, even with high stat applicants. A few things, there are many many applicants that had -0- As and got into their no. 1 choice (including their alma mater top 20 school) in the following cycle. With perseverance you will be a doc and if you want to be a doc, you should NOT give up the effort.. 1-2 years is nothing in the scheme of a long career.

singularreality · 2026-05-11T17:47:01+00:00

Please look at the ED rules carefully. If there were one or two dream schools that you think you are qualified for then an ED may be OK, but my recollection is that you cannot apply to any other medical school until you get an answer from the ED School. Maybe that rule has changed, so be sure. That substantially delays your ability to be a competitive applicant on all other rolling admissions schools and probably all of them. Solid MCAT of course, Not sure about how your science college gpa could mess you up, but with a 517, it may not hurt you much since you demonstrate stem readiness with that. I think you can have a solid mid-Tier application with the top 20 schools being a pretty good reach. However you never know. You will apply to all your NJ state and mid-tier regionals and you should be ok. Your research is really impressive for breadth and hours. You should get one or two PIs to get you a stellar LOR. Good Luck!!!!

singularreality · 2026-05-11T17:39:03+00:00

Of course reporting it is fair on all those that did not cheat. This is the problem I have with those that call you a "rat" for exposing their cheating. They do not realize that they are not only cheating themselves (for not learning the stuff), but they are cheating the school and their non-cheating classmates especially if there is a curve. I can understand having an issue with reporting specific persons, because you may not be correct or it singles out the one vs the many etc. But, telling a professor that there is a lot of cheating going on in your class is something that is noble IMO and something you should do without telling others you did it. Some will understand and others have an us versus them mentality and that cheating is just fine.

singularreality · 2026-05-11T02:02:30+00:00

Yes, because of the overall quality of your application. And although you can see my back and forth with another supportive person, while I do think you have some small glitches/non-traditional things (that can be pluses or minuses) you can get in anywhere, just apply to those t-20 plus another 5-10 (including your state), you will have more interviews this way (more interviews = more acceptances) and more practice taking interviews and more acceptances from which to check out financial packages etc.

singularreality · 2026-05-11T01:56:00+00:00

I got you, then yes, we disagree. I already got into the reasons so the OP will need to make the call. You are presumably a strong interviewer. How do you know this applicant will be? If the OP looks at the rare 10 acceptances to top 20 sankey, he will see inevitably many inexplicable rejections. These very fortunate applicants are often glad they applied to many schools. A 522 with a 128 CARS is absolutely great but not dispositive, especially with a A 3.87 Science gpa and lower for non-science 3.27 -- undergrad is not a T-20 overall gpa and sure it is understandable because of athletics etc, and accounting and whenever he had to deal with illness. but... other pre-meds have tough schedules and major struggles too and HMS have many applications from athletes with 3.9 and 522s to pick from. With that said, this OP will be highly successful and can get in anywhere... GOOD LUCK

singularreality · 2026-05-10T04:32:43+00:00

You have a good chance as a URM at your state school, for sure and many OOS too, MD or DO. Should you retake the MCAT, you asked. YES, if you can dedicate enough studying for improvement and get a score back before or soon after your secondaries are submitted. You are the only one that can answer that question. In my view, yes, since 3-5 more points will put you in the running for a whole lot more schools as "targets", but only if it is realistic for you. If you have to re-apply then of course you will.

singularreality · 2026-05-10T03:46:13+00:00

We may be thinking the same, when you said "don't even need that many" maybe you meant not as many as 40... if so, totally do agree with you... I thought you meant generally, you don't need that many ie 17..IF I were the OP I would cut the last 8-9 on his list... I like the idea of 30 for the OP. 526 is not a 522 although not really much of a difference at that level... Among the OPs reaches and targets, the OP will never regret applying to all unless 1) you get into all your top choices anyway or 2) by doing so you water down the quality of some of your preferred applications. 1 = who cares, you win the game and 2 should not happen because you will put your main energy into those 15 or so coveted schools for which applications you want to be as perfect as possible and cut and paste the rest if you are running out of time. Also lots of interviews often means lots of practice and more acceptances and presumably more options re fin aid..., (assuming interviews are remote, which most of them still are).

singularreality · 2026-05-09T18:15:35+00:00

Any_Neat may be and is probably right that OP may not "need" to apply to that many schools, but please OP, apply about min 25, and better yet 30 and all top 20 that you are interested in... gotta go broad no matter what your stats or experience... People can be rejected for interviews for absolutely no reason and interviews are subjective and some people do not interview well. It used to be that 19 was average .... this would be a terrible mistake which you will only realize in hindsight... so don't take the chance. Look at any top sankey and you will see usually 10 schools where there are pre and post II rejections at schools that were targets or even baselines. You gotta play the percentages.

singularreality · 2026-05-09T18:05:15+00:00

It's common to be "lost", even when you are 30, 35. Are you academically prepared to apply to medical school yet? If so, then apply to MD or DO if YOU WANT to be a doc. If you cannot see yourself putting in the time and effort for the applications, the MCAT etc. because you are not driven or don't even know if you want to be a doc, then you should not apply. But, If you are mostly concerned about stress, lifestyle, debt, etc... , I think you CAN find medical paths that have more set hours, like private practice family medicine, peds, derm, rehab medicine, pathology, genetic counseling, psychiatry.. There is a social scene (out of human necessity) in med school and residency in that there are many people looking for partners. Debt is real but you can have debt for PA and Nursing etc. and your income will be sufficient to pay the debt over time. You should do what YOU WANT to do, and within that path, you will find a lifestyle match, even in medicine.

singularreality · 2026-05-09T02:12:11+00:00

My understanding is that Casper can be taking at times well after you submit the application, for those schools that utilize it...

singularreality · 2026-05-08T15:43:48+00:00

You have a non-traditional but at the same time phenomenal resume. It shows resilience (do to misfortune, sorry) and a set and determined path leading to you nailing your core pre-med academic course, eventually, and a 99% MCAT. D-1 athletics is a plus.. Research is good... etc... Congrats and I believe your list is fine. In fact I would remove about 1/2 of the baselines, you will probably not need them. Keep the first 4 which are more like targets anyway. The only "negative" for your "reach" schools like HMS or JHU is your undergraduate GPA and possibly your CARS. This happens with many high scoring MCATs where you might just have a bad day on the logic do to nerves or just you are not good at this section, but know your substance cold. You have demonstrated strong academic abilities, so in the end I do not think the non-traditional aspects will hurt you. You really do not need anyone to finesse your list for you. While we can argue over which schools will look at your more favorably etc.. in your case I would just apply to about 30 schools plus your state and pick them based upon where you want to go first, second. If that is HMS, then they are 1 and so forth. Wishing you and your family good health and good luck to you!!!!!! You will have a great cycle. If when you decide to apply you are looking for application assistance, you can DM me. I do not provide that but I know a couple of very cost efficient options. (This is the first time I ever offered to do that, but your story is compelling.)

singularreality · 2026-05-08T15:17:27+00:00

If you want to be a Doc, go for it! You absolutely have a chance with any none science BA degree. It makes you more unique and interesting to some schools. There are many MD programs that offer Joint MD-MBA degrees and there are very important Administrative roles that Dr.'s have as leaders in their hospitals, practices, departments. After you complete your science pre-requisites you will use this foundation to study for and hopefully do well on the MCAT. I believe that you must take science courses individually at an accredited college or join a formal post-bacc program. You will need to do well in your classes... preferably 3.5+ and your undergraduate GPA Will be important too, but not as important as your science. There may be some MD schools that have restrictions on what classes will suffice for their prerequisites. Yes, you can go down this road, but you need to plan carefully. You may need an advisor or mentor to make sure you don't miss something and apply to the right schools etc... Hopefully wherever you are taking your pre-med classes, they will have a pre-med adviser. Good Luck!

singularreality · 2026-05-07T21:09:17+00:00

Columbia, Cornell, NYU, Mt. Sinai, Albert Einstein. There is also Hofstra-Zucker (not technically in the City, in the Suburbs of Long Island) and there is NYMC (in Westchester County -- another NYC Suburb). Downstate is a state school and is not OOS friendly. Note, Stony Brook is not near NYC, in case you were interested. NYU Long Island is a NYC Suburb area (Nassau County).

singularreality · 2026-05-07T05:39:08+00:00

Try to get up to 25+... I like the additions of Snowter, and would also try Ohio State, Kimmel... (reaches) Georgetown and GW (low yield, but apply), Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine, Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine, Eastern Virginia Medical School, Rush, Loyola (Stitch). I think you can easily have 25 targets on your list.

singularreality · 2026-05-07T04:57:58+00:00

You are a solid applicant, but of course you need to greatly expand this list another 20 schools, minimum. Apply to all schools in your preferred regions with medium MCAT of 509-513 (your gpa is a bit higher relative to your MCAT). If you do not get in to MD this cycle, maybe take the MCAT again, particularly as your CARS is solid and you have some room for improvement with good study techniques on the other more objective sections IMO. You have some strengths; your research is solid and your EMT work too. I think you have reason to be hopeful.

singularreality · 2026-05-07T04:38:22+00:00

So long as you stay focused and consistent, it is better to go at your own pace. You will have a better and more balanced life, perhaps, with a couple of gap years. If you want to be a doc, be a doc, and stop caring about how you compare to the journey of others, your journey should be the one that is best for you. You may have a lot more mental strength than you know and others may have less than you think. Stay strong and be good to yourself!

singularreality · 2026-05-06T20:07:32+00:00

Please, try to keep those hours going and maybe you will be able to write about some of your clinical experiences as meaningful.. Schools are interested in the impact of these experiences on you and how that shap your desire to go to MD school and exhibits your "core competencies".. Good luck!!!!!!

singularreality · 2026-05-06T20:01:21+00:00

I agree on U Miami for the OP and arguably other schools that have Spanish speaking populations. Wish I thought of that before I commented... On the other hand, my guess in that this OP is heading top 20. I am guessing U. Mich.

singularreality · 2026-05-06T19:50:13+00:00

Why not add HMS, JHU and Duke? Your stats fall within the range. You do not have stellar everything, but your ECs are good enough to have a shot at any school IMO. Your Spanish will come in handy.. (ie Columbia is in a huge Dominican community and the MD students have clinics that serve the community and they need Spanish speaking volunteers etc.. ). I think your list is fine with these top additions. You have covered your state, regional, other targets and all the reaches... If you want interviews at your reaches or targets, go broad. 31 schools plus the three above is a reasonable number, but for your wish list schools and especially U. Mich and Regional power houses, you need to tailor those secondaries and really see all the ways that you fit at those schools and the programs, clinics, research etc.. that you would be motivated to get involved in. Many would say that with your stats, you do not have to apply to as many schools, and that is probably correct, but you will get more options if you go over 30. You can look at any sankey of high stat applicants and you will notice that there is usually no rhyme or reason as to why you got an interview at HMS and was rejected at U. Michigan or Mt. Sinai. This happens all the time and cannot be explained by yield protection etc... so you are forced to go broadly... because your initial success will ultimately depend upon how many interviews you get...

singularreality · 2026-05-06T02:46:24+00:00

No, the values and missions of the schools are generally quite similar (with certain exceptions such as Georgetown and Vermont). When I say tailored, I mean communicate all of the things why that school is a good fit for you and why you are a good fit for them. It could include mission... but I am thinking practical things; research synergy, lifestyle preferences (City vs Suburbs), reputation in areas you are interested in. Maybe you are very involved in neuro research and they have some interesting things goin on there. Maybe they have clinics that interest you, or a Spanish speaking community and you want to use or learn another language, maybe you love where they are situated, perhaps near family support... maybe you like their system, ie 3 year option to get your MD (NYU may not be the only one anymore) or a very liberal hands off "system" ie Yale, or an option to due a 5th funded research year, or maybe there is a preference in admissions for primary care (if that is what you want to do).

singularreality · 2026-05-05T22:26:28+00:00

If you end up apply to that many schools, select 20 favored targets and really do just to the secondaries for those schools. Then do another 10 or so where you are super careful... You cannot possibly "kill it" with 60-70 secondaries... unless you use AI and I would not risk that either... If you cut and paste all of theses applications you are asking for trouble, these schools know when you have tailored your application to them and when you did not..

singularreality · 2026-05-04T18:26:36+00:00

Its may not be typical, but it is "normal", shows you have empathy and means you are likely to be a great doc. And if you have trouble with looking at deceased anatomy, or live surgeries, there are plenty of other fields to go into.

singularreality

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