<p>As you are aware, my D is applying this cycle. She took a gap year doing some volunteering but concentrate on the med schools applications. For all intensive purpose, with 3.5 gpa and 33 MCAT and UChicago Bio major, she should have a fair chance at the lower ranked med school. She applied 30+ schools including some DO schools. For now, she had completed all the II's with only one school did not ask for a II.</p>
<p>But without a bird in the hand, we need a backup plan.Should she apply for a Health Related Master program for the next year just for backup? If so what program would help her best? She is in Seattle now, would UWash have that program? And of course, she could be a Wash resident next cycle which will give her an edge for UWSOM..</p>
<p>II = interview invite. It is still early in the whole process, although it doesn’t seem so when you’ve already been waiting for a couple months. Your D’s numbers seem on target for success this cycle and hopefully invites will start showing up. Is she working on adding EC type stuff during this gap year? It often seems that those experiences are very important after the numbers have been met. </p>
<p>When I punch her stats into the the lizzym spread sheet, with WA as state of residence. UWSOM came out as “Go For It” and with a green notation says “Mostly from your state”. Other choice of chances are :High chance, long shot and hopeful.</p>
<p>Do you think she wants to do a masters to help beef up her med school application for the 2016 cycle or does she want a masters that will be useful for starting her medical career? (i.e. a research area she will continue, a particular specialty she wants to pursue or a career path she has in mind (health administration or medical education)). Getting an MPH is probably a plus for admissions but most people I know who got an MPH between undergrad and med school forgot most of the material by the time they were in residency/fellowship and wanted to use the MPH skills. The letters always look nice after your name, and on your CV, but the programs I work for generally don’t give any “credit” for pre-medical masters (MPH or a MS in lab science) in residency selection process, etc - it looks like time filler or “post-bacc resume buffing” on the CV and most students don’t do anything with it. The exception would be those students who take a “research year” in the midst of medical school and do something substantive. If your daughter has clear career goals in mind (administration or education) a masters of education in health/adult learning or an MBA or masters in health care administration would be more interesting and skills degrade less during her MD years. </p>
<p>On the other hand, her stats look pretty good to me. I don’t know current U of C GPA/grade inflation stats but that would have been a strong one back in the 90s when I sat on the med school admissions committee - once applicants got interviewed and discussed holistically, we did take into consideration what GPA meant at various schools.
I would expect with 29 secondaries, she’ll get in somewhere this year. Do you know what quartile the U of C pre-med office ranked her in their recommendation? In the dark ages of my undergrad - they showed us the cover sheet with the rank box checked. Maybe that’s not OK anymore. Would parents freak if their kid wasn’t top quartile? I think I was second or third quartile myself I got in everywhere i applied anyhow :)</p>
<p>I am using the same copy of lizzym as yours. Perhaps it is out dated, but I cannot imagine UWSOM could raise its position to the top 25 in just few years.</p>
<p>Thank you so much for the response and assurance. Yes, I believe she will be some places and we did apply very conservatively with only a few “shooting the star” type of schools such as Columbia…I have no idea what quartile she is at, but I believe she won’t be in the top 25%. Those kids with PBK and student Marshall designations should be in the the top 25% and she is not one of them. Basically she is a “Middle of the Road” Student at U of C.</p>
<p>On the other hand, we are playing what if situation and your inputs really helped our thoughts on the next move, especially from a med school admission committee member. Thank you so much.</p>
<p>@artloverplus I am not sure that is exactly true about Texas. They have about 10% seats for non-residents.</p>
<p>I would suggest applying to UT Houston. They like to accept students from top colleges.</p>
<p>One other thing about Texas app is that the GPA translation is interesting since all A-s become As but by the same token all B+s are also Bs. So you should check out how her transcript fares by using that formula. UT Houston also spaces their invitations and does not give all their admissions by October interviews like Southwestern.</p>
<p>She applied mostly private schools all over the map. We don’t know how the marriage will work out location wise. But the new H’s job is flexible. </p>
<p>It will not help admission. But D. said that Masters in Anatomy students were great to have in her Medical school class. They really knew Anatomy and were very helpful to others.</p>
I think I was second or third quartile myself 
I got in everywhere i applied anyhow :)</p>
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