3.33 sGPA and 3.4 cGPA With Amazing Rest of Application

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Kiting

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My ideal goal is to attend a medical school in California (non-resident) but plan on applying to a lot of mid-tier schools as well as some of the larger top-tier academic centers. I'm taking the MCAT May 26th and aiming for a 34-36.

What does everyone think of my chances?

Grades

- I started my college career doing poorly with a 2.96 cGPA and getting a D in one of my bio classes.
- I transferred to a different private school half-way across the country and have since have an upward trend making Dean's list first honors each semester.
- I now attend a private university in California, I am not a resident though.
- I retook the bio class honors and received an A
- By submission of my application I will have between a 3.33-3.4 sGPA and 3.35-3.45 cGPA

Research

1) 1 Semester of organic synthesis research with the Chemistry department chair and presented work with a poster at our school-wide research conference
2) 4 semesters of biophysics research. Was awarded a SURE scholarship to continue research through the summer. Presented poster at American Physical Society national meeting as well as at our school-wide research conference
3) *** 3 semesters of research with the chief of _____ surgery (surgical specialty not mentioned for anonymous purposes) at a top 10 U.S. medical school located in CA. He served on the admissions committee for ~10+ years prior to my arrival. Presented study via oral presentation at a national society meeting and the manuscript is pending publication. Presenting another study at another national meeting during summer 2011 with manuscript to be submitted than as well. 2 other abstract are pending acceptance. I am first author on all abstracts and presentations.***

Extra Curricular's

1) Hospital Volunteering #1 - Emergency Room (2 years, 200 hours)
2) Hospital Volunteering #2 - Emergency Room(1.5 years, 175 hours)
3) Mission Trips (2 to Guatemala, 1 Costa Rica) - was a surgical assistant and scrubbed in on 50+ cases and assisted with stove installation
4) Job Shadow - Emergency Medicine, Cardiology, General surgery, Plastic Surgery (3 years, 150 hours)
5) Trauma Surgery Intern - worked with two trauma attending's and examined the patient-physcian relations as well as other "art of medicine topics" (0.5 years, 100 hours)
6) Nationally Registered EMT-B - increase range of activities for volunteering in emergency room
7) Kite boarding - something fun to do in the California sun (0.5 years, 8hrs/wk)
8) Fitness training - go to the gym and/or run almost everyday (1.5 years, 8hrs/wk)
9) Organic Chemistry tutor (0.5 years, 2-3hrs/wk)


For those of you that are curious here is my tentative school list:

University of California – Los Angeles
University of California – San Francisco
Mayo
University of Southern California
University of Minnesota – Twin Cities
Creighton University
University of Wisconsin
Michigan State University
Boston University
Albany Medical College
Ohio State University
University of North Carolina
University of Arizona
University of Colorado
University of Nevada
Oregon Health and Science
University of Utah
Loma Linda

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You can see the outcomes of past applicants with your cGPA and various MCAT scores here: https://www.aamc.org/download/157450/data/table24-mcatgpagridall2008-10.pdf.pdf

Your excellent ECs and upward grade trend (especially if the last three semesters were particularly strong) should help you beyond what the numbers project.

If staying in California is important to you, you might also look into applying to the two DO med schools there.
 
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Your list of schools is too hard to get into with you stats
 
Mind describing your research in more depth. Also would like to hear more about your trauma intern experience like how you got the position and what specifically you did.
 
3) *** 3 semesters of research with the chief of _____ surgery (surgical specialty not mentioned for animosity)

1. Getting into a CA program as OOS will be nearly impossible, save for Keck and LLU, with your stats. Pretty much everyone at the high-end UC's has great EC's, the stats that you lack and are IS. It is a buyers market for the MD programs in CA, sorry.

2. You must have really hated that surgical specialty ;)
 
With your GPA, I would suggest adding some private mid to low tier schools.
 
I won't really call it an amazing until you get that MCAT score in the bag, I have an extremely similar application and I plan on devoting my entire summer to getting a 35+ on the MCAT which I won't be taking until august, because let's be serious that is the KEY here. But to be fair the upward trend (which I share) is a very good thing to see as you've been told.

Hang in there and make it happen!
 
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