Chances for OH resident?

[cwtreloar]

I'm currently in my third year at CWRU in Cleveland, OH (Ohio resident). My GPA is 3.43 and 3.29. Additionally, my semester-GPA has continually dropped since first semester. Each semester I drop an activity to study more; I DO study more and work harder, yet I always end up with a lower GPA. If it matters, I've never gotten a C. I haven't taken the MCATs yet, but I'm confident I can make low 30s. As far as my ECs are concerned, I volunteer in many different places throughout the semester (place varying by week). I volunteered at a children's hospital, basically just playing and interacting with ill children, ~36 total hours.

I have a full calendar year of research in developmental biology with (hopefully) a publication this June. I also received an HHMI fellowship for research over the summer.

A lot of time's been devoted to my fraternity, where I've held a slew of leadership positions including two on our executive board, and am currently our treasurer. (Do med schools care about leadership?)

This summer, I'm going to Russia (mid-June to mid-August) and volunteering as a camp counselor. (submitting primaries before I leave)

I know I'm not in a fantastic, or even remotely good place, but here's what I have planned:
volunteering 6hrs/wk in the ER (should put me at ~100 hours by the end of the semester)
shadowing a DO over spring break for the week (40hrs for the week)
Best case scenario I can end this semester with 3.53/3.40

I'm not looking at top schools or anything. Mainly low-tier, IS, and DO. But, if I had to pick my top school where I'd really like to go, it'd be University of Cincinnati.

Please give me any advice on how to improve my application.

Thanks!
-chad

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[Mobius1985]

You are lucky to have a lot of state schools of variable selectivity.

Your least selective state school, Wright, has a mean acceptee GPA of 3.7 and MCAT of 29. To compensate for a GPA of 3.53, you'd need to get an MCAT of 31.

Cincinnati also has a mean GPA of 3.7, but MCAT 33. To get in there aim for an MCAT score of 35. Toledo and NEO are in the middle of those two schools, stats-wise.

Your research looks very good. Leadership experience definitely counts, so you're good there. You don't specify the total clinical volunteer hours you expect to have, but it looks like you'll have over 150 hours. The shadowing is a good thing to have on your application. I have a concern about your current downward grade trend, but there's a semester yet to fix that.

Whether you're successful or not will depend on your MCAT score, considering your subpar GPA, as your extracurriculars look good. Hopefully you also have some sport or arts interest, hobbies, and some awards and honors to put on the application. If you have difficulty getting an MCAT score as I've outlined, you're an excellent candidate for admission to a DO medical school.

 

[cwtreloar]

As far as my grade trend is concerned, I'm trying to get a grade changed from last semester, so the trend may have ended last semester (with any luck).

I actually have a lot of interests/hobbies with some notable accomplishments in both musical performance and photography.