What are my chances/career advice

[lostatsea13]

Hi friends

I posted a year ago but I have some updates since then. I also need some advice on my job situation.

Background info/stats: CA (nor cal) resident; not URM
graduated in 2013 from mid-tier UC with 3.55 cGPA/3.64 sGPA.
MCAT: 35 (9VR, 12PS, 14BS)

Research: 2 years in a lab at school
summer internship at big pharma company
working at a biotech startup for the last two years (promoted once, will be published soon)

Clinical: 80 hours at college's med center
hospice volunteering 2hrs/week since May 2015

Other: post-abortion hotline counselor 5hrs/week since Dec 2014

Shadowing: only one doc, but it's hard because of full-time job

Do I have a shot at any CA schools?
*Edit: I will def be applying everywhere. I'm just curious.

And which gaps in my app should I focus on fixing? I know I'm pretty weak in the clinical department, which is why I'm considering quitting my biotech job and working as a Clinical Research Coordinator. Would it be worth the job change or should I try to get clinical experience through more volunteer work?

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[Law2Doc]

Do you have a shot? Yes. Your stats are competitive. Should you still apply to a wider range of places beyond just Cali schools? Yes. There will always be 4.0/40 superstars out there as well as people with similar to slightly lower stats than you who come across better. So you need to hedge your bets with a broader range of places. Your numbers are such that you ought to get into "a" med school, but your GPA is not such that you necessarily get to dictate where.

 

[lostatsea13]

Thanks for the insight! I will of course be applying very broadly, it was more out of curiosity to see if I would be able to stay close to home.

 

[halcyonpage]

Don't quit! That biotech job sounds cool. What's CRC?

 

[lostatsea13]

What's CRC?

It stands for clinical research coordinator, and they're part of teams that run clinical trials.

and thanks for the biotech vote! i really like my job and i don't want to leave. i just want to make sure i'm making the most out of my gap years

 

[GrapesofRath]

Hi friends

I posted a year ago but I have some updates since then. I also need some advice on my job situation.

Background info/stats: CA (nor cal) resident; not URM
graduated in 2013 from mid-tier UC with 3.55 cGPA/3.64 sGPA.
MCAT: 35 (9VR, 12PS, 14BS)

Research: 2 years in a lab at school
summer internship at big pharma company
working at a biotech startup for the last two years (promoted once, will be published soon)

Clinical: 80 hours at college's med center
hospice volunteering 2hrs/week since May 2015

Other: post-abortion hotline counselor 5hrs/week since Dec 2014

Shadowing: only one doc, but it's hard because of full-time job

Do I have a shot at any CA schools?
*Edit: I will def be applying everywhere. I'm just curious.

And which gaps in my app should I focus on fixing? I know I'm pretty weak in the clinical department, which is why I'm considering quitting my biotech job and working as a Clinical Research Coordinator. Would it be worth the job change or should I try to get clinical experience through more volunteer work?

Clinical experience and volunteering both in a clinical and non clinical setting is what I would focus on. Volunteering in a hospice, areas with less privileged in lower SES environments, and in general work with the less fortunate can really boost applications and would help your cause. Clinical exposure; volunteering in hospitals is good. If you are thinking more of a potential job, a nursing assistant could potentially be a really good position for you.

In terms of specific schools, all the UC's except for perhaps UCSF and Riverside(if you aren't from the IE) could be in play. Same with USC. If you can improve in your ECs in areas I described above over the next 8 months a good list might be about 10-12 lower tier programs, the Cali schools, about a half dozen medium tier programs and a couple reaches. I think that would suffice if you can interview decently.

 

[halcyonpage]

If you are thinking more of a potential job, a nursing assistant could potentially be a really good position for you.

I am a CNA. It is not for everyone. Be warned.

 

[GrapesofRath]

I am a CNA. It is not for everyone. Be warned.

Emphasis on maybe. I know many people who are PCT/NA's. And yes it's not for everybody. But if you are willing to do it it is a tremendous experience and the type of thing that will get noticed amongst ADCOMs. That is a job that is truly about serving others.

 

[lostatsea13]

Clinical experience and volunteering both in a clinical and non clinical setting is what I would focus on. Volunteering in a hospice, areas with less privileged in lower SES environments, and in general work with the less fortunate can really boost applications and would help your cause.

to clarify, are you suggesting I take on more volunteering positions?

 

[Stagg737]

to clarify, are you suggesting I take on more volunteering positions?

Depending on how you classify some of the other experiences you've listed, volunteer work seems to be a weak point. It would depend on what schools you're applying to though, as some will weigh it significantly less than others.

 

[Goro]

Invest in MSAR Online and target those schools whose median GPAs are closest to your own. Your MCAT is stellar. I have a idea of what is competitive fort schools by MCAT, and your cGPA is ~0.3 points below the ones in bold, so proceed with caution with those. You're fine for ANY DO schools, so start your list with Western (both) Touro-CA, TUNCOM, PacNW, and the two AZ schools.

I suggest the following:

U Toledo (maybe)

Miami

St. Louis

Albany

Albert Einstein

Rochester

Rush

Rosy Franklin

NYMC

EVMS

Wake Forest

Jefferson

Temple

Drexel

Creighton

Tulane

USC/Keck

Dartmouth

Loyola

USF Morsani

Emory

BU

Duke

Case

Baylor

JHU

Pitt

Northwestern

NYU

Columbia

Any new MD school, especially Hofstra. Skip Central MI and the three new FL schools. I can't recommend CNU.

Your state school(s).

Hi friends

I posted a year ago but I have some updates since then. I also need some advice on my job situation.

Background info/stats: CA (nor cal) resident; not URM
graduated in 2013 from mid-tier UC with 3.55 cGPA/3.64 sGPA.
MCAT: 35 (9VR, 12PS, 14BS)

Research: 2 years in a lab at school
summer internship at big pharma company
working at a biotech startup for the last two years (promoted once, will be published soon)

Clinical: 80 hours at college's med center
hospice volunteering 2hrs/week since May 2015

Other: post-abortion hotline counselor 5hrs/week since Dec 2014

Shadowing: only one doc, but it's hard because of full-time job

Do I have a shot at any CA schools?
*Edit: I will def be applying everywhere. I'm just curious.

And which gaps in my app should I focus on fixing? I know I'm pretty weak in the clinical department, which is why I'm considering quitting my biotech job and working as a Clinical Research Coordinator. Would it be worth the job change or should I try to get clinical experience through more volunteer work?