WAMC Non-trad CA Mexican-American (3.49 cGPA 508 MCAT)

[Nglde]

1. I have a 3.49 cGPA and 3.41 sGPA
2. MCAT of 508 (73%): CP - 127 (77%), CARS - 128 (90%), BB - 126 (64%), PS - 127 (65%)
3. California resident
4. Mexican - non-white
5. CSUF & UCLA (HS) -> UCM (Freshman) -> UC San Diego (undergrad) -> Rio Hondo College (DIY Post-bacc)
6. Clinical work as an EMT with 1,273 hours, will continue while applying. Volunteer at a homeless shelter, just under 200 hours, where I run all of the programs and collaborations with Los Angeles services and PIH Hospital. This includes finding new services for the participants, providing direct medical care (w/in EMT scope), and working with doctors to directly provide care. Volunteered with a group to give vaccines to at risk populations during COVID pandemic 10 hours over two days.
7. Shadowed head of Neurosurgery for 10 hours (M.D.) and have shadowed (and will continue) a D.O. Internal medicine doctor for 26 hours.
8. Non-clinically I volunteered at a YMCA Summer camp for children for two weeks and volunteered at an Alzheimer's research lab at UCSD.
9. Other extracurriculars (only adding things that will be on my work and activity as I have too many) include: Research (for 1 year, no publications), being part of the Hispanic Scholarship Fund (HSF) healthcare summit as a mentor to a group of peers (for 2 weeks), was the recorder (secretary) for my fraternity for an academic year (where I was on council and did far more than just secretary work), was the philanthropy chair for my fraternity where we raised funds for the Judy fund (an Alzheimer's fund for 1 academic year), got my phlebotomy certification (1 week), have played guitar since high school, tutored kids as a job for one summer (paid), was in the MADURA program at UCSD Mentorship for Advancing Diversity in Undergraduate Research on Aging (for 1 year), and volunteered and as a camp counselor for children for many weeks over summer since high school and worked as a lifeguard and chef all at a YMCA Summer camp.
10. I won a scholarship and HSF designation which selects 8% of applicants each year, got multiple instances of Deans Honors list at all of my institutions.
11. I did transfer from UC Merced to UCSD after my first academic semester, I (like many) had to go home from COVID and it did impact my grades, I also got married near the end of college which at first lowered my grades then boosted them. Overall I've had a very strong upward trend. Second Generation from an MUA am legacy for USC and Columbia.
12. My school lists includes all CA D.O. schools and M.D. schools except for Stanford. Considering Tulane, Albany, Howard University, Medical college of Wisconsin, Penn State, Rush, U of Washington, U of Illinois, Loyola Chicago stritch, University of Vermont, Brown (maybe far reach), Dartmouth, U of Pittsburgh, Drexel, and Quinnipiac.

Thank you so much for your time!

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[Mr.Smile12]

In general you have a solid application, and hopefully you'll be able to stay near the West Coast. I don't know if you have enough service orientation hours from homeless shelter volunteer and summer camp counselor/lifeguard for service-oriented schools like Rush Medical. Maybe I'm missing hours due to formatting.

I hate to break it to you but Stanford is too high a reach IMO. I'm not sure there is a solid mission fit based on the description. Beware of UIllinois' tuition charge for non-Illinois residents. Same goes for the other Ivys (Brown, Dartmouth). UWashington is generally in-state preferred plus WWAMI students.

 

[Faha]

I suggest these OOS MD schools with your stats:
Arizona (Tucson and Phoenix)
Creighton
TCU
Tulane
Belmont
NOVA MD
Miami
Wake Forest
Eastern Virginia
Virginia Commonwealth
George Washington
Drexel
Temple
Jefferson
Pittsburgh
Hackensack
Albany
Vermont
Quinnipiac
Dartmouth
Oakland Beaumont
Wayne State
Medical College Wisconsin
Rosalind Franklin
Loyola

 

[Nglde]

In general you have a solid application, and hopefully you'll be able to stay near the West Coast. I don't know if you have enough service orientation hours from homeless shelter volunteer and summer camp counselor/lifeguard for service-oriented schools like Rush Medical. Maybe I'm missing hours due to formatting.

I hate to break it to you but Stanford is too high a reach IMO. I'm not sure there is a solid mission fit based on the description. Beware of UIllinois' tuition charge for non-Illinois residents. Same goes for the other Ivys (Brown, Dartmouth). UWashington is generally in-state preferred plus WWAMI students.

Thank you, staying in the West is very much the goal! Yeah I'm upping my hours volunteering at the homeless shelter so hopefully that helps. Yes, Stanford was the one school I was not planning on applying to due to having lower stats. I will definitely keep those schools and tuition prices in mind, and am also considering HPSP. Thank you for your time!

 

[Nglde]

I suggest these OOS MD schools with your stats:
Arizona (Tucson and Phoenix)
Creighton
TCU
Tulane
Belmont
NOVA MD
Miami
Wake Forest
Eastern Virginia
Virginia Commonwealth
George Washington
Drexel
Temple
Jefferson
Pittsburgh
Hackensack
Albany
Vermont
Quinnipiac
Dartmouth
Oakland Beaumont
Wayne State
Medical College Wisconsin
Rosalind Franklin
Loyola

Sounds great I will add these, thank you for your time!

 

[jvquarterback]

Solid lists. I’d consider some Texas schools.

What’s your post bacc gpa? And do you think you could improve your MCAT is you retook in August with a couple months study? If so some of the top schools may be worth adding to your list.

 

[Nglde]

Solid lists. I’d consider some Texas schools.

What’s your post bacc gpa? And do you think you could improve your MCAT is you retook in August with a couple months study? If so some of the top schools may be worth adding to your list.

Hello, my post-bacc cGPA 4.0 and sGPA 4.0, I retook 2 gen chem courses with lab that I had C- and C on and pass for the lab at my undergrad. In addition to a business class, philosophy class, and developmental psychology class.

I may be able to do it with a few more months of studying my most recent full lengths were 509, 509, and 508 (two weeks ago). With more consistent study I may be able to bring them up. Though I'm not sure taking more time to increase my MCAT score would help as submitting later would mean less seats for the rolling admissions.