Feeling anxious about my mediocre application, please help!

[tinypecans]

---

Members don't see this ad.

I am planning on applying this June and am becoming increasingly more anxious about my chances. I know my stats make me below average for almost every MD school and not super competitive for DO schools either, and my ECs are not fabulous enough to offset my deficiencies. I'm really panicking, I'm taking a gap year this year and am worried if I need to take another gap year or do a post-bac to boost my grades. Any advice is appreciated!!

GPA: 3.58 (U shaped trend, did great sophomore year and was killed by ochem junior year, trending up again)
sGPA: 3.5
Residence: WA
MCAT: 505, retaking on 1/20
Clinical experience: 5 years volunteering at a hospital (500 hrs and counting), 3 months at a community health center (50 hours and counting)
Research experience: 1 year in a biochem lab (presented at undergrad symposium and ACS conference), biology education research project, 1 year and counting (presented at undergrad symposium and will this year)
Non-clinical experience: 3 months in mental health clinic (40 hrs and counting), will be starting at food bank soon
Shadowing: 8 hours surgery, will be shadowing 40 hrs over spring break
Extracurriculars: 4 years on campus newspaper (Editor in Chief, Assistant Editor, Staff Writer), 2 years Undergrad research ambassador, VP of community service club, member of Vietnamese Student Association, 2 years Undergrad Teaching Assistant (5 different classes and counting)
Employment: 2 years pharmacy assistant

School List: UW, WSU, PNWU, Midwestern (AZ), AT Still, Western (Pomona), Western (Oregon), Touro, Albany, Drexel, U of A (Tucson), Touro NV, UCLA (reach)

I would love to apply to more MD schools, but I don't think I'm competitive for any. Any thoughts?

Thank you!!

 

[Faha]

You are competitive for all DO schools so add a few more such as ICOM (new school), ATSU-SOMA, BCOM. U of A and UCLA are unrealistic with your stats. You could try the newer MD schools such as NOVA MD, Oakland Beaumont, Quinnipiac. Kaiser, Roseman and Seton Hall may also open by 2019.

 

[treatem-and-streetem]

If you want to give a free donation to UCLA for other students you can apply there. AKA: Don't bother with UCLA.