Hello everyone,
So before I proceed, I know that my stats are good and I am honestly NOT here for a pat on the back. Being an international student, I have limited choices because many schools will not even look at my application. The matriculation rate for us is ~13% as opposed to ~50% for domestic students, so I am a bit anxious. Therefore, I am looking for suggestions on which schools to apply to. Which schools tend to be friendly to international students?
GPA: 3.95+ cGPA, 3.95+ sGPA
MCAT: 12 PS, 11 VR, 14 BS (37 total)
Undergraduate Institution: Top 25 US school
Rising Senior (no plans to take a year off; applying this cycle)
Extracurriculars:
College Newspaper Editor: ~500 hours
International Medical Service Trips at Underserved locations: ~500 hours
Underserved Children's Center Volunteer: ~120 hours
Undergraduate Lab Researcher: ~300 hours (presented research poster)
Undergraduate TA: ~800 hours (6 different classes)
General Shadowing (neurologists, cardiologists, surgeons etc.): ~300 hours
Undergraduate Research Journal Editor: ~100 hours
Neurology-focused Shadowing Program: ~200 hours (presented clinical diagnosis/ research poster)
As you can see, I do put in a lot of hours into what I do. Outside of medicine, I love to teach and write. This is why I have spent so much time with our college newspaper and TA-ing so many classes. It's just what I love to do.
Awards
School-Wide Award Achievement Award: Competitive to get (getting $30,000 over 3 years)
Phi Beta Kappa Junior Inductee: One of a handful of junior inductees at my school
School-Wide Science Award/ Research grant award by HHMI: only 3 students got this ($5,000 stipend).
Dean's List: all 6 semesters so far
Sorry I am being vague about the awards, but I'd rather not say anything school-specific.
Letters of Recommendation
I genuinely believe LORs will be the best part of my application. I have FANTASTIC relationships with my professors. At least two of my four writers told me that my letter was one of the best they've ever written in their 30+ years in academia.
Weakness
I think my biggest weakness is lack of long-term research. I only have one summer worth of research, although it was full-time (thus, the ~300 hours in total). NO journal publication. Published and presented a poster at our school symposium. But now a days, it seems as if schools want years of research. I just don't have this.
I can't help this, but I'm an international student. This greatly limits my options.
Finances
Finances will not be an issue, thankfully. If I get accepted, I can fortunately afford to go. Foreign students don't get aid at most medical schools anyway.
What I need help with
-How many schools should I apply to? (my friend said internationals should apply to 20+?)
-Where should I apply? Any suggestions/ lists would be helpful.
-Will my lack of long-term research hurt a lot? I did not want to just do something in order to pad my resume, so I stuck to activities I enjoyed the most (TA-ing, writing/ editing, medical service etc.)
-How do I look for the schools I have mentioned?
Schools I have thought about
Michigan State (underserved focus; important for me)
Wayne State
U. Chicago
Northwestern
Case Western
Johns Hopkins
Columbia
NYU
Albert Einstein at Yeshiva
Thoughts? Any to add or take out? Thank you, in advance. Any help is appreciated! :)
So before I proceed, I know that my stats are good and I am honestly NOT here for a pat on the back. Being an international student, I have limited choices because many schools will not even look at my application. The matriculation rate for us is ~13% as opposed to ~50% for domestic students, so I am a bit anxious. Therefore, I am looking for suggestions on which schools to apply to. Which schools tend to be friendly to international students?
GPA: 3.95+ cGPA, 3.95+ sGPA
MCAT: 12 PS, 11 VR, 14 BS (37 total)
Undergraduate Institution: Top 25 US school
Rising Senior (no plans to take a year off; applying this cycle)
Extracurriculars:
College Newspaper Editor: ~500 hours
International Medical Service Trips at Underserved locations: ~500 hours
Underserved Children's Center Volunteer: ~120 hours
Undergraduate Lab Researcher: ~300 hours (presented research poster)
Undergraduate TA: ~800 hours (6 different classes)
General Shadowing (neurologists, cardiologists, surgeons etc.): ~300 hours
Undergraduate Research Journal Editor: ~100 hours
Neurology-focused Shadowing Program: ~200 hours (presented clinical diagnosis/ research poster)
As you can see, I do put in a lot of hours into what I do. Outside of medicine, I love to teach and write. This is why I have spent so much time with our college newspaper and TA-ing so many classes. It's just what I love to do.
Awards
School-Wide Award Achievement Award: Competitive to get (getting $30,000 over 3 years)
Phi Beta Kappa Junior Inductee: One of a handful of junior inductees at my school
School-Wide Science Award/ Research grant award by HHMI: only 3 students got this ($5,000 stipend).
Dean's List: all 6 semesters so far
Sorry I am being vague about the awards, but I'd rather not say anything school-specific.
Letters of Recommendation
I genuinely believe LORs will be the best part of my application. I have FANTASTIC relationships with my professors. At least two of my four writers told me that my letter was one of the best they've ever written in their 30+ years in academia.
Weakness
I think my biggest weakness is lack of long-term research. I only have one summer worth of research, although it was full-time (thus, the ~300 hours in total). NO journal publication. Published and presented a poster at our school symposium. But now a days, it seems as if schools want years of research. I just don't have this.
I can't help this, but I'm an international student. This greatly limits my options.
Finances
Finances will not be an issue, thankfully. If I get accepted, I can fortunately afford to go. Foreign students don't get aid at most medical schools anyway.
What I need help with
-How many schools should I apply to? (my friend said internationals should apply to 20+?)
-Where should I apply? Any suggestions/ lists would be helpful.
-Will my lack of long-term research hurt a lot? I did not want to just do something in order to pad my resume, so I stuck to activities I enjoyed the most (TA-ing, writing/ editing, medical service etc.)
-How do I look for the schools I have mentioned?
Schools I have thought about
Michigan State (underserved focus; important for me)
Wayne State
U. Chicago
Northwestern
Case Western
Johns Hopkins
Columbia
NYU
Albert Einstein at Yeshiva
Thoughts? Any to add or take out? Thank you, in advance. Any help is appreciated! :)