School List Help 510/3.9 (Unbalanced MCAT)

[tea_coffee]

I got my MCAT score back yesterday and feel super disappointed with my CARS. I’m a reapplicant, immigrant, and ESL. I appreciate any input! Thanks so much for your help and time.

1. cGPA and sGPA as calculated by AMCAS
   1. cGPA 3.91, sGPA 3.90
2. MCAT score(s) and breakdown
   1. July 2020: 506 (128/124/127/127)
   2. May 2022: 510(130/122/129/129)
3. State of residence or country of citizenship (if non-US)
   1. CA
4. Ethnicity and/or race
   1. ORM but UCSF considers me as a URM (Vietnamese)
5. Undergraduate institution or category
   1. Northeastern – major: Biochemistry
6. Graduate student at Stanford: Current GPA: 3.7
7. Clinical experience (volunteer and non-volunteer)
   1. Research assistant at COVID testing lab – 480 hours
   2. Volunteer at a local hospital – 200 hours
   3. Medical scribe - 1500 hours
8. Research experience and productivity
   1. Biochemistry research in undergrad (~350 hours) No pubs
   2. Research assistance in grad school (300 hours) 1 pub, currently involve in 3 different studies
   3. Lab manager - 1800 hours (I’m doing my master’s degree while working full-time)
9. Shadowing experience and specialties represented
   1. Shadow EMT, nurses, and physicians at a local ER – 100 hours
10. Other extracurricular activities (including athletics, military service, gap year activities, leadership, teaching, etc)
    1. Teach students from underserved communities (200 hours)
    2. Lab technician at MIT (1100 hours)

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[Faha]

I suggest these schools with your stats:
The UCs (except Riverside unless you are from that region)
USC Keck
Kaiser
California University
TCU-UNT
Creighton
St. Louis
Loyola
Rush
Medical College Wisconsin
Oakland Beaumont
Wayne State
NOVA MD
Wake Forest
Virginia Commonwealth
Eastern Virginia
George Washington
Georgetown
Drexel
Temple
Jefferson
Penn State
Hackensack
New York Medical College
Albany
Vermont
Quinnipiac
Tufts

 

[tea_coffee]

Hi @Faha, thank you so much for the list. Do you think I should apply for DO schools? If yes, which schools?

 

[Faha]

Hi @Faha, thank you so much for the list. Do you think I should apply for DO schools? If yes, which schools?

Yes, apply to DO schools and I suggest these:
WESTERN
TUCOM-CA
TUNCOM
KCU-COM
ATSU-KCOM
DMU-DOM
MU-COM
CUSOM
NYITCOM
Touro-NY
PCOM
LECOM

 

[tea_coffee]

@Faha, Should I apply this cycle or retake the MCAT and apply next year since my CARS is too low?

 

[tea_coffee]

@chilly_md, I'd like to hear your opinions too. Thank you so much!

 

[Faha]

@Faha, Should I apply this cycle or retake the MCAT and apply next year since my CARS is too low?

You are fine to apply this cycle. English is not your native language so you will be given more leeway on CARS.

 

[tea_coffee]

You are fine to apply this cycle. English is not your native language so you will be given more leeway on CARS.

Thank you so much!

 

[chilly_md]

I agree with Faha, MCAT is fine. I don’t think Keck, UCLA, UCSD or Kaiser are worth the app though as they are very competitive. Rush and Loyola expect more non-clinical volunteering than you have.