A whole bunch of questions!

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IronLion

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Whoa.

Come on, we need paragraphs. That's just painful.
 
sorry, I'm trying to fix it... I don't know what happened there
 
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My rough estimate is that your cGPA at the end of this year will be about a 3.1. If you get a 4.0 for every course for the next two years, you could get your GPA up to a 3.55, which is reasonable. I don't have confidence you can do this considering the gradual slope of your upward trend. So an (expensive) SMP might be in order if you can get a decent MCAT score. It would be far better for you to figure out how to get a high GPA NOW as it will be more time and money efficient if you don't have to repair a poor academic record. Stop being distracted. Your classes are the most important thing for you to excel in right now. You can get ECs later. There is no rule that you must apply after junior or senior year.

Of all applicants, 60% have a research experience. You aren't required to have one, but if your application isn't optimal, you might need to reconsider your position as it can be a redeeming feature.

The clinical experience you've gained with your mom is important, but not sufficient by itself. You will need additional clinical exposure, face-to-face with sick people, in a clinic or hospital. If you volunteer there, it will also be considered community service. If you could do this for 2-3 hours every other week for two years, it would be enough. The animal shelter work is another form of community service. It is also notable. Volunteering in a hospital as a secretary is community service, but it is not a clinical experience. Your frat council will be viewed as leadership. Your other clubs don't help you much. Your will also need to shadow, but this can be in brief blocks of time over the next two years, which is the minimum time before you'll be ready to apply.

You're correct that you shouldn't present your mom's situation as the sole reason you want to go into medicine (even if true). Present this as something that opened the door, but you need other supportive experiences as well which will come when you gain more patient contact time. Her story should be a part of your PS, but not overwhelm it.

If you got a C or lower in a prerequisite science course, consider retaking if you didn't do better in the second class of the series, or if you don't know the material well enough to do well on the MCAT. Don't take the MCAT until you are scoring in your target zone on multiple practice tests. With the best possible GPA as projected above, you should aim for a 32+.
 
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