Nice to meet you! Can I ask what schools you particularly like?
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Absolutely. These are hard times for many people.
I would like to have some research experience, both because I think first hand experience will help me understand and interpret research later, which seems important, and to figure out whether I want to conduct research as part of my career.
But I wouldn’t say it’s more important to me than other things. I feel like my volunteer roles are a relative strength for me, and I want to continue volunteering and hopefully working in clinical roles.
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Taking a two semester statistics sequence in college is what teaches you to interpret research results. Which is one reason why it’s hard for HS kids to make a meaningful contribution to a research team- they just haven’t been exposed to the tools required to have impact!
You sound like a terrific person. Continuing to help actual human beings is wonderful-- keep it up and thank you!
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The advice offered by other people helped a lot UPitt is one of the best options in terms of fit for me. I really like the feel of schools like Pitt or BU: urban feel however Im fine with campuses like Penn state and Vandy. I also think size of school i like is around medium to large (Pitt or BU sized around). I haven’t visited many schools (Pitt, BU, BC, Northeastern, Penn state) so not much for reference. Anywhere ranging from BC to Penn state is fine for size not a big factor for me. Some on my list are safety: Pitt, Penn state match: bu maybe, pitt fits here too I guess reach: vandy, bu goes here too, WashU, U of Southern California maybe (i have to look into it), Emory maybe
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Since you’ve both mentioned research, here’s a resource for you.
This site hosts a database of over 600 summer research programs & scholarships for college students.
Bookmark it now to use later.
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Thanks
Does DC still give $10k/yr to residents to use at a public university outside DC? If so, that’s $40k that can be ‘saved’ for medical school. Lots of good public schools have been listed above.
I think Pitt is definitely worth an application. If your SAT follows your PSAT you’ll be competitive for merit and named scholarships like the Chancellor’s.
Pitt has a guaranteed med school acceptance option. It’s very competitive but an outstanding opportunity. A classmate of my s20 chose that opportunity over other schools including an Ivy. He was a 4.0/1600 student.
MUSC wouldn’t be a bad choice but the med school is in Charleston. I love Charleston.
Take a look at Emory. Great location and the CDC is essentially on-campus.
Yes, right now DCTAG still exists and I am eligible. But it was targeted during the last Trump administration, and seems unlikely to survive this administration. So, if it still exists next year when I’m making my decision, it will be a factor, but not a major one.
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That’s mad unlucky bro that split too 
and all the index scores are rising too I think I have a shot since mine is 223 but Pennsylvania usually has a high index average so idk. I hope tho:crossed_fingers:
Look at Saint Joseph’s University. For females, look at the McNulty Scholarship Program.
I want to bump this up to get more feedback on my updated list.
Besides the updated list there are three things that have changed since I wrote the post above.
I got my SAT back. I got M780 E750 for a total of 1530
I finished junior year with straight A’s, so I now have a 3.97 GPA.
A doctor who is a friend of my family has set up some opportunities to shadow in other settings. Previously, I’d only shadowed at the clinic where I work, but now my shadowing will be more varied.
Here is my list, I took the rankings that @AustenNut made and then added some where I am guessing,
If the school has a BS/MD option, I will apply to that, but I consider all of those reaches. I think all the schools that have BS/MD options will consider you for regular admissions if you don’t get in for the BS/MD, so these rankings are for regular admissions
Schools (note: I plan to apply to any BS/MD programs at these schools. I consider all of those reaches)
-
Assured
VCU -
Extremely Likely:
Drexel
Temple
Rowan
USC (South Carolina) -
Likely:
Pittsburgh
Buffalo
Syracuse
TCNJ -
Toss-up:
UMD
GWU
Rochester -
Lower Probability:
Case Western -
Low Probability:
Georgetown
Penn
BS/MD programs at any school on the list that offers it
Also, any feedback on how long the list should be?
Any feedback on things I should add, or things to switch out? I feel like I need more leadership.
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Leadership doesn’t have to mean something like an officer position in a club. Any time you are taking initiative or solving interpersonal problems, at home or work or school or in an EC, you’re demonstrating leadership. Looking over your EC list, you seem to have lots of experiences where you’ve likely learned and demonstrated leadership (sports, musicals, volunteering, restaurant job); you may be able to highlight these experiences in your essays and EC descriptions.
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