Am I doing this right?

[wrldzinsane]

Hey guys,

I was wondering what are my chances at a cali medical school. GPA is low ish (3.76) and MCAT is alright (36). I go to a UC and am a third year.

EC
1) 3 years of research (1 poster, 1 abstract at major conference) (over 400 hours)
2) Over 200 hours of Shadowing (1 published case study and 1 abstract at a major conference)
3) IM sports
4) 2 years in Undergrad investing clubs
5) Started my own health education programs about anemia in which I make brochure and send them to india, I also go to villages every other other to give a talk on signs and such
6) Give talks/talk with families with newly diagnosed children with blood disorders on how to cope and get treatment (had one myself)
7) Founder of a club on campus that deals with clinical trial outreach in conjunction with the hospital.

And some other things here and there. Also my GPA wasn't great the first 4 quarters (3.6-3.7) but since then I've been getting A's and A-'s.

I was basically looking to get into a California school (UCSF, UCLA, USC), or any top 15 school. Although I do plan to apply to Harvard, my expectations aren't high. Please advise, and thanks in advance!

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[Doug Underhill]

Nationally speaking, your GPA is above the average of matriculants and your MCAT is very high. You have an 82.7% chance of acceptance to at least one medical school.

However, don't just apply to Cali schools and top 15s. You are a strong candidate for mid-tier MDs, but I could easily see you ending up with no acceptances if you just applied to the schools you mentioned.

How much of that is really volunteering? Don't do any more shadowing, 200 hours is more than enough.

 

[gyngyn]

You are a good candidate. Apply to all the non-mission CA schools and at least a handful of private schools with a history matriculating OOS applicants and you should be fine. I suggest: Case, Vandy, NYU, Pitt, Emory..

 

[Goro]

Your numbers are excellent. Work on the self-esteem!!!

 

[wrldzinsane]

Nationally speaking, your GPA is above the average of matriculants and your MCAT is very high. You have an 82.7% chance of acceptance to at least one medical school.

However, don't just apply to Cali schools and top 15s. You are a strong candidate for mid-tier MDs, but I could easily see you ending up with no acceptances if you just applied to the schools you mentioned.

How much of that is really volunteering? Don't do any more shadowing, 200 hours is more than enough.

5, 6, 7 is pretty much all voluntering, but I don't have a time tally really. 5 and 6 I've been doing since high school.

What should I do in everyones opinion to be competitive for the Cali schools I mentioned?

 

[wrldzinsane]

You are a good candidate. Apply to all the non-mission CA schools and at least a handful of private schools with a history matriculating OOS applicants and you should be fine. I suggest: Case, Vandy, NYU, Pitt, Emory..

But what do you think are my chances at the Cali schools I mentioned?

 

[tofuuu]

What should I do in everyones opinion to be competitive for the Cali schools I mentioned?

I don't know how helpful my advice will be since I've never been on adcom, but so far i've been accepted into every school I have interviewed at (including Cali schools). So I figured I gotta be doing something right. Here's my two cents:

I think that your stats will give you a good chance with the California schools, but there's no guarantee.
You should still apply to a hand full of "safety" schools just incase. It's better safe than sorry.

To answer your question, just continue doing the things you love. At a glance, your extracurriculars look fine. But remember that it's more about what you've gained from these experiences as oppose to the number of activities you can list on your application. Think about how each of these experiences has shaped who you are and your reasons for going into medicine. As long as your heart is in the right place and you can convey your reasons for going into medicine with passion and sincerity, I think you'll be fine. Goodluck!

 

[wrldzinsane]

I don't know how helpful my advice will be since I've never been on adcom, but so far i've been accepted into every school I have interviewed at (including Cali schools). So I figured I gotta be doing something right. Here's my two cents:

I think that your stats will give you a good chance with the California schools, but there's no guarantee.
You should still apply to a hand full of "safety" schools just incase. It's better safe than sorry.

To answer your question, just continue doing the things you love. At a glance, your extracurriculars look fine. But remember that it's more about what you've gained from these experiences as oppose to the number of activities you can list on your application. Think about how each of these experiences has shaped who you are and your reasons for going into medicine. As long as your heart is in the right place and you can convey your reasons for going into medicine with passion and sincerity, I think you'll be fine. Goodluck!

Thank you much for the input and congrats on your acceptances!! Good luck with medical school

 

[Afford]

Your stats are fine. You can get an interview at any California school even Stanford/UCSF. The only thing is that you have to show something diverse about you that speaks to the school's mission to help stick out from the many other qualified applicants with similar numbers. I would definitely spend a lot of time on those secondaries/primaries and highlight things that make you special to help people think that you will help increase the school's diversity.

 

[Lamel]

Your numbers are good enough to get interviews at Cali schools. Along with those, I would also add OOS private schools that have stats close to yours (mainly the top 25) and some OOS safeties as well. Just know that the Cali schools are super competitive, but you are also a very competitive applicant, so you definitely have a shot.

The only thing I can recommend for your application is some type of clinical experience other than shadowing; maybe add some hospital/hospice volunteering or something. Be sure to include any dedicated hobbies in your application.

 

[DaMedDude]

Are you an OOS applicant for cali schools? Many cali schools have a pretty low percentage of OOS matriculants (USF - 20%, UCSD - 28%, UCLA - 8%.... data from 2013 first year class). Keck is 26%. I wouldn't apply to UCLA but you could apply to the other ones. Just realize that they favor In-state and apply to many other schools. Listen to the advice given above. Don't just apply to top-tier medical schools and schools with low OOS acceptance rates. Your numbers are great though. Good luck.

 

[wrldzinsane]

Are you an OOS applicant for cali schools? Many cali schools have a pretty low percentage of OOS matriculants (USF - 20%, UCSD - 28%, UCLA - 8%.... data from 2013 first year class). Keck is 26%. I wouldn't apply to UCLA but you could apply to the other ones. Just realize that they favor In-state and apply to many other schools. Listen to the advice given above. Don't just apply to top-tier medical schools and schools with low OOS acceptance rates. Your numbers are great though. Good luck.

I am actually a California resident