<p>I really don't know how to phrase this, but I am sincerely asking for suggestion. </p>
<p>DS just graduated from a top college with a 3.87 GPA(both science and overall about the same) and a MCAT of 38. He is taking a year off doing a summer intern overseas and one-year research at NIH after that (NIH experience won't help much since the application has already started). He has done research for two summers plus his last three semesters in a lab, but no publication. He also spent a summer in Africa.</p>
<p>He is about to apply to MD/PHD programs, as well as a few MD programs. He has a preliminary list of schools he would like to apply. Since many schools offer MD/PHD are top ranked, they are very competitive no matter what score and GPA look like. His preliminary list is overloaded with highly ranked schools at this moment. His advisor has suggested him to add a few safety schools on his list so he will be accepted somewhere in this cycle. </p>
<p>Unfortunately, the med school in our state is also a highly ranked one and even the in-state won't be a safety for him. Many public med schools in other states only take a few out-of-state applicants. </p>
<p>Can you experts or experienced suggest a few schools that will give him a decent chance, both MD/PHD or MD only? Many thanks.</p>
<p>I don’t think there are any safety MD med schools in the US. </p>
<p>Yes, there are med schools that would like to have students with your son’s stats, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that they would accept HIM…because they may think that he’s going to end up going elsewhere…so why bother accepting him. </p>
<p>So…just have a strategy like others here recommend…</p>
<p>1) apply to every med school in your state…every one.</p>
<p>2) Apply to a variety of privates – from top to middle to bottom (considering your son’s stats)</p>
<p>3) Apply to some publics that are known to accept a decent number of OOS students.</p>
<p>I’m sure I’m forgetting some other important points…</p>
<p>I am going to address the MD/PhD applications only, as I applied this past year and will be matriculating to one this fall.</p>
<p>Although some will disagree with me, I feel that applying MD/PhD is less risky than if you were applying to MD-only, but only if you have the high stats that these programs rely upon. With such a high GPA and MCAT, your son should have no problem finding a place in a top 20 MSTP. As long as he can talk about his research intelligently, and interviews well (I met a few applicants who just plain weird), he should be good to go. However, I do recommend applying to a few “lower” tier MSTPs such as University of Alabama, University of Colorado, UIowa, and Albert Einstein. All are MSTP (the MD/PhD receives NIH funding, which makes it more prestigious as these schools must meet certain government criteria), and all have strong research and place their graduates in top tier residencies. </p>
<p>I honestly think he should have no trouble at all MD/PhD and unless your son is unsure of MD/PhD, I would recommend going MD/PhD only.</p>
<p>Agreed 100%. While MSTP programs require higher stats, if you do have those higher stats, your admissions process will be more predictable than if you apply to MD-only programs.</p>
<p>My daughter got into multiple top twenties and a top ten medical school but did not get an interview invitation from Jefferson, a school ranked significantly lower than her other choices and considering her application could have been viewed as a “safety”. Eventually she pulled her app when she got her first acceptance from a school higher on her wish list. Who knows if they would have gotten to her later in the game but if this were a straight up process you would have thought she would have been invited to interview early on. To the uninitiated (me) it seemed just plain weird at the time. </p>
<p>No harm, no foul - DD was delighted with her outcome though the seemingly no rhyme or reason aspect to interview offers made me very interested in the process. In retrospect the lack of interest from Jeff as compared to the schools that interviewed/accepted her confirmed that her med school advisor knew her stuff. In an angst-ridden moment when DD doubted some of her application choices as impossible reaches the advisor said that there would be highly ranked/good fit schools that would show love for my daughter’s particular academic passions and how she wanted to apply them to her medical career…possibly more than the lower ranked. My D was out of the country as she applied and her advisor continued to be helpful. </p>
<p>There is a ton of good advice here. Once you read a few threads you will see that there are a number of regular posters that have become students of this process…I mean to the point that they could charge for their services if they wanted. Use the search feature and read through older threads. Mom2collegekids point #2 was critical for my daughter though I think that many on the med school threads would say #1 is as important if not more so. Also, let me state for the record that even though I used ranking when discussing the quirkiness of the application process and the idea of a “safety” I do know that it isn’t everything when applying to medical school. Fit and financial feasibility are equally if not more important.</p>
<p>Thanks, everyone. Maybe I should have used another word other than “safety” - It is really meant to be “decent chance”.</p>
<p>Right now, Albert Einstein is on his list. He is pretty much set on MD/PHD program, he is going to check off the MD box on these schools’ application forms.</p>
<p>Our state has only one med school and it is ranked on top 10 almost every year. He went to an out-of-state college for his undergraduate.</p>
<p>Hopefully, he will be able to be himself in his interviews (if any) and his essays.</p>
<p>The advice here is good. Three more pieces of advice (or perhaps 2.5).</p>
<p>(1) Bear in mind that medical schools are EXTREMELY yield conscious. Applying to a school where your stats are too high is just as problematic as applying to a school where your stats are too low.</p>
<p>(2) Pay close attention to admissions percentages in addition to MCAT score and GPA. These are also important indicators of how selective a medical school is.</p>
<p>(3) Related to this, you will find that most of the really low percentage schools (not all) are in large cities. If your son is a little more geographically flexible, then he will have a much better chance at getting into medical school.</p>
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<p>I think 12 to 15 schools, with a good spread and sensible picks, should be fine.</p>
<p>any suggestions on MD only schools for similar stats? i am going to apply to all the texas schools and many of the top schools. Should I be applying to some lower ranked out of state schools?</p>
<p>If you have >3.8 and ~38, pay attention to…
<a href=“1”>quote</a> Bear in mind that medical schools are EXTREMELY yield conscious. Applying to a school where your stats are too high is just as problematic as applying to a school where your stats are too low.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>A good friend of mine (who just finished med school) had close to the OP’s (and presumably your) stats. He applied very smartly and broadly and picked up an impressive collection of interviews and acceptances. The only schools he never heard from? Or was never interviewed by? The ones that would be considered the lowest ranked ones.</p>
<p>One of my friends was also perplexed by his interview offers (in that he wasn’t invited to interview at places he thought were sure bets), and his justification for it came from a remark from an admissions officer who mentioned his interviews at other top schools. He asked her how she knew about those interviews, and she said they have access to a list of where else candidates have interviewed. He figured such a list might be used for screening too (as in, “if he interviewed at ten top twenty schools, why would he actually come to ours? Better not waste the energy (and the yield numbers) interviewing him.”). He was telling me about this because I, too, was perplexed by my interview offers.</p>
<p>Keep in mind, we’re only 3 people. No idea if this experience is true for other applicants too.</p>
<p>Take home point: there’s no such thing as a sure thing. There’s a lot more to it than numbers and even your application. Seems like it’s a political thing, a yield thing, a who knows what thing.</p>
<p>In the end, I think your best bet is to apply broadly and only apply to schools that you would be happy to attend. And once you start really researching schools, I think you’ll find that most schools are way more similar to each other than they are different (which made it easier for me, I think).</p>
<p>“DS just graduated from a top college with a 3.87 GPA(both science and overall about the same) and a MCAT of 38.”</p>
<p>-With these stats he can apply anywhere and have a decent chance at acceptance. Unless, he has no EC’s and complete anti-social hermit, which will reflect in interview, I can see him to be very successful Med. School applicant, one at the top. D. had very good outcome with lower MCAT, although her GPA was almost perfect, very impressive list of EC’s, various honors/awrds, and previous experience interviwing at Med. Schools. She has applied to only 8 Med. Schools.</p>