MD cGPA: 3.56, sGPA: 3.51, MCAT: 513 (127,128,128,130), MI, Traditional

[RenegadeOkapi]

First time poster on SDN, so please let me know if I committed some sort of Terms and Rules faux pas. I am a rising senior at University of Michigan with a Biochemistry major and a Physics minor.

cGPA and sGPA:
3.56 and 3.51, respectively, as calculated by AMCAS.
My major concern is that my GPA has a downward trend: 3.925 first year GPA to a 3.1 third year GPA.

MCAT score
Total: 513
127 in CARS (ran out of time, oops)
128 in Psychology and Sociology
128 in Physical Sciences
130 in Biological Sciences

State of Residence
Michigan; Naturalized U.S. Citizen
Ethnicity
South Asian - Indian
Clinical Experience
Only about 40 hours or so, unfortunately. I'm currently training this summer for EMT certification.
Research Experience
Have been working in a biochemical research lab for 2+ years, but no publications yet. I will be completing an honors thesis by graduation.
Shadowing Experience
Around 90+ hours shadowing general surgery, radiology.
Other Extra-Curricular Activities
Developing online learning materials for organic chemistry students (paid)
Volunteering at a local K-12 tutoring/mentoring organization (3+ years)
Volunteering for campus organization that focuses on fundraising money for need-based scholarships.
Volunteered in Detroit at a few organizations, Fight for Air Climb, tutoring at local schools, etc.
Authored some Wolfram Demonstrations in Mathematica (basically applications for illustrating scientific concepts)
Independently tutored student in ACT; Student achieved a Science score of 36, and had a 2-3 point increase in Reading and Writing.
Honors/Awards
Freshman Prize for 4.0 GPA (then the B's started rolling in for the harder courses )
I don't know if scholarships count, because those were based on high school accomplishments, but 80% of tuition was covered by merit scholarships.


I was thinking of applying to MD schools in-state (MI), but also looking at private institutions out of state that have high acceptance rates (looking at the number of students accepted from U-M too). Mainly considering low to mid-tier schools, as I know my GPA and amount of clinical experience is not too great.

Any thoughts or advice is much appreciated!

Thank you.

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[oak'n'oats]

You look like a fine candidate and Michigan is a great state to be from. The MCAT is solid and absolutely should not be retaken. GPA is slightly below average but definitely workable (unfortunately that downward trend might hurt, to what degree nobody knows). All the ECs look good but I would try and ramp up those clinical hours before applying because 40 looks a tad too low. This can be quickly done through volunteering and then amplified with your EMT training. Don't "think" of applying to MD schools in state you must apply to all MD schools in-state because those will be where your chances are best. Get the MSAR or scour this website to find some good mid-low tier med schools and come back with a list.

 

[Faha]

Definitely apply to Wayne State, Michigan State, Central Michigan, Western Michigan, Oakland Beaumont. For OOS schools consider:
Quinnipiac
Hofstra
New York Medical
Albany
Vermont
Drexel
Temple
Jefferson
Penn State
GW
Georgetown
Loyola
Rosalind Franklin
St.Louis
Tulane
Creighton