How am I doing and how can I improve?

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whiterhino

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Was wanting to know how I stand so far if I'm wanting to go to an upper tier medical school such as UNC, Vandy, or Baylor. Just started sophomore year and am a kinesiology major. I'm hoping that major won't be frowned upon when applying. 4.0 gpa since starting college, but will be a slightly lower due to High School DE classes. 50 shadowing hours. Did an internship at a clinical trials company over the summer doing data entry and reporting adverse events that occurred in study patients. Starting hospital volunteering and volunteering in an underprivileged elementary school clinic taking temps and minor things like that. 30 hours so far of non clinical volunteering at a kids program. Hoping in the next few weeks to start doing research with a professor on the effects diet can have on colon cancer. Appreciate any advice on what I can do to improve.

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36,000 applicants the past few years have applied to MD schools with GPAs above 3.8. Less than 20% of them had 36+ MCATs which is what the median MCAT for those schools is. Overall only 1/3 or so had 33+ MCATs. So you can see what a major barrier you still have to go through. Just keep doing well and when it comes time to the MCAT focus everything you have to in order to maintain a competitive score. But above all else, it just shows how premature and shortsighted it can be to just go gunning for top 20 schools when you have so much time left in college and many more things to do and obstacles to clear(the MCAT being a huge one) to be competitive for a top school. Just keep getting good grades for now and building up your EC's. MCAT discussion can come later and then based off that discussion of schools, be it lower tier or top tier will come.
 
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I'm not expecting to only go for top 20's just wanting to know where I stand as of now. I realize a lot is still to come, mainly the MCAT, before I'll be thinking into where I'll apply
 
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