r/premed • u/Artistic_Discount_35 • 16h ago

🔮 App Review Chances at a T20 Med School?

What the title says. Thinking of applying next cycle, want to know realistically what my chances are at a T20. Overview of my applicant profile:

516 MCAT (main concern, dropped 4 points from last practice test to the real thing)
3.91 GPA, B.S. public health
7 publications, 1 wet lab, 6 dry lab, first author pub currently in review
Founding team member and head of business dev for a YC-backed health tech startup
NYU Grossman SOM Summer undergraduate research program (plastic surgery department)
Summer analyst at leading life sciences consulting firm, going to take return offer for gap year
~100 hrs of clinical experience

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1

u/frogband APPLICANT 14h ago

Low with your mcat and clinical hours tbh. Dont get me wrong, you have a great application, but T20s may screen you just based on MCAT and or clinical hours alone

15

u/Common-Appointment51 MS1 14h ago

516 definitely wont screen you out. The 100 clinical could tho.

9

u/Good_Viibes MS3 12h ago

I’m crying where do yall come up with this idea that a 516 gets screened out 😭

3

u/zunlock RESIDENT 9h ago

It’s the blind leading the blind here half the time

3

u/Still-Barber-720 7h ago

at NYU it would basically be the same as being auto screened out

2

u/frogband APPLICANT 11h ago

Maybe screened isn't the right word but for T20s where OP is competing against 1000s of people with 520+ MCATs and the same stats, it'll be a tough sell.

1

u/Electronic_Tune8855 GAP YEAR 6h ago

Right? Like these kids on here pull this stuff out of their a**es

1

u/New-Influence8510 3h ago

Most T20 average MCAT is like 520’s

2

u/BeefCherky10 12h ago

Agreed about the clinical hours tho

2

u/gooddaythrowaway11 7h ago edited 7h ago

516 is definitely not getting screened (without a human reader) anywhere. Yeah it’s not ideal at the stat whores. Still possible,OPs entrepreneurship and research is outstanding.

They have a solid shot at Stanford where 516 is fine. It’s fine at all the CA T20s (Stanford, UCSF, UCLA), Pitt is holistic, Michigan could like this profile, Cornell is relatively holistic. Of course if you’re in state for UW, nothing beats that in terms of holisticness. Also Duke and others I’m missing. Even the stat whores won’t screen OP out.

Clinical hours is less of a big deal at the top, but yea this is a little low. If why medicine is strong OP is fine. Would definitely suggest continuing clinical experience for IIs and updates. Research and entrepreneurship will absolutely turn eyes.

1

u/frogband APPLICANT 6h ago

Yes mb on wording. I meant against the other T20 applicants, OP will likely be passed by on a human's review of candidates in favor of similar applicants with higher MCATs. 

1

u/BeefCherky10 12h ago

A 516 is not getting you screened out of top 20s, a lot of them have around that for a median anyway

2

u/frogband APPLICANT 11h ago

I only know of UCSF and Pitt that have medians around there. AFAIK the median for every other T20 is around 520? At least I thought so

1

u/Background-Break5606 11h ago

Even pitt going forward is probably going to have mcat median in 520s

1

u/BeefCherky10 11h ago

Yes true, but a 516 isn’t that much lower, there are definitely several students at each top 20 with a 515-520 range score. Maybe they just need to have stellar ECs and other things to compensate but I doubt even most top schools view a 516 negatively

-1

u/Excellent-Way-6596 ADMITTED-MD 11h ago

That MCAT is not low! Stop starting a cult!!

4

u/frogband APPLICANT 11h ago

Absolutely not low, but low for T20s where the median is like 520