How can I improve my application?

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mobious_one

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I've wanted to pursue medicine for the longest time, but I've had a really difficult time academically in undergrad (Public Health major). I just got into grad school for a one-year research-intensive program and hoping to get a GPA > 3.8. I'm still trying to decide on how I can improve my application (i.e., retaking classes, gaining shadowing experience, finding a job related to research/healthcare). How can I improve my application and increase my chances of getting to an MD school? I've heard of many schools that consider "reinvention", and I think my GPA is the worst part of my application profile right now. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

Asian male
CA resident
cGPA: 3.11, sGPA: 2.56 (planning on retaking Biochem + Physics I & II which I all received a C-)
MCAT: not taken yet but will take next year
Clinical experience: ~176 hours homeless clinic, ~100 hours medical interpreter, ~168 hours medical mission for refugees
Shadowing: none but will start to shadow a physician next month
Nonclinical volunteering: ~320 hours church ministry
Research: ~ 144 hours research assistant
Leadership: middle school tutor (paid) (1 year), VP of pre-med club (1 year), course facilitator for public health class (1 semester), undergraduate student instructor for Organic Chemistry II lab (1 semester), treasurer of pre-med club (1 year)
LOR: one from research mentor, grad school professor/research mentor
Publications/Presentations: in process of submitting manuscript for publication; will be presenting my research at a research conference; strong possibility of another publication after my grad school program

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I think the MD is out of the question already since you're an ORM from CA.

You should do as well as you can on the MCAT, get your 3.8+ and apply DO
 
A Masters won’t help you for MD school. DO schools do consider your graduate grades when doing GPAs. MD is out of the question with a 2.56 sGPA. You’d have to figure out someway to get that up to a 3.2+ To even be considered. Which is highly unlikely. You might want to research DO schools if you want to be a doctor and even then there are no guarantees. Don’t take the MCAT until you figure out why your sGPA is so low. It seems that your fund of knowledge in the sciences is pretty low so you have work to do there. Also don’t take it until you are consistently scoring at or above your target goal in FL practice tests.
 
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