I think it would be foolhardy to try and predict what you will need to be "competitive" anywhere, let alone in TX, from current statistics. In less than 4 years, anesthesiology has gone from very non-competitive to one of the mmost competitive specialties to enter...according to what I have read, anesthesiology has been cyclical in demand/competition for some time: very popular/competitive in the late70s/80; very easy thru the 90s - hitting a nadir in '96 where the match filled under 50% of available slots vs the 2002 match where anesthsiology only had 49 slots of over 1100 available left open. I posed a similar question to some of the senior residents/chief residents I worked with on clerkships -- their response: "it was so different when I sought an anesthesia slot - you merely stated you wanted one as a US med school grad and it was yours".
Long & short of it...do not stop asking questions of this nature, but do closely follow the trends. As there is a significant & apparently worsening shortage of practicing anesthesiologists (&CRNAs as I understand it), the demand, and therefore the competition, is not likely to wane in the immediately proximate years.
In my experience and from the reading I have done, anesthesiology programs do not heavily focus on your pre-clinical grades. Mine are not stellar and I have landed interviews at some very competitive places. Anesth program do seem to place a great deal of emphasis on LoRs, clerkship grades (esp surg, IM, ICU & any anesth clerkships) and board scores -- chiefly step 1...several program require step 2 scores for them to even rank you on their match bid-list.
In closing, if I may be so forward, I ish to offer you piece of advice about how you approach your 3rd & 4th years. Yes, you might be 100% convinced that anesthesiology is the home for you. However, until you have gotten out there and worn the many hats you will learn to wear in your last two years, please approach your clerkships with a stern determination and an open mind. I was 120% convinced that I would pursue a subspecialty pediatrics discipline, namely peds ICU or peds cardiology. And, I had 10+ years with direct, hands-on experience in caring for critically ill children as a respiratory therapist to back up my claim. However, I promised myself that I would attack each clerkship as though it was what I wanted to do with my career on the outside chance that I might find something else I loved more than the 2 fields I mentioned above. I am damned glad that I did as I am now interviewing to become an anesthesiologist and could not be happier!
So, focus your efforts on doing your best in all that you do. Do not ignore the immense value of extracurricular activities - any GPA is more impressive if achieved while maintaining some modicum of life & professional involvement beyond the classroom. Attack your clerkships as though you are the resident that month. But, most critically...enjoy your education! Very few people are entrusted with level of repsonsibility.
This is a priviledge that you have earned...it is not a right and your are being entrusted to care for the most precious thing that any has -- the health & welfare of someone's loved one. Take it seriously, but love every minute of it.
