Medical How does my application look?

[GoSpursGo]

GPA: 3.22/3.16 upward trend.
Had a low GPA first 2 years because I struggled with mental health.
MCAT: 515
Undergrad: UC Berkeley
Other: Good LOR. California Resident.

Clinical EXP:

• 25 hours emergency room volunteer
• Currently shadowing orthopedic surgeon DO once a week

Research EXP:

• 2 yrs infectious disease research at UC Berkeley lab where I was contributing author in publication that is under review
  • presented poster of publication at conference
  • During my second year I designed my own independent research experiment
• 2 months research intern at neuroscience clinic
  • learned about cutting edge neurosurgery solutions.
  • contributing author in COVID-19 case report.

EC:

• Worked as a counselor/tutor/mentor for inner city youth one summer
• Toastmasters member
• Organized weekly beach cleanups to volunteer with family/friends
• *** I dont know if I should add this but during quarantine I made Biology Textbook homework solution videos for Numerade(online learning platform)

Hobbies: Trail running, kettlebell training, IM soccer, slack-lining, woodworking

Extra info: Born in Italy, moved to US for High School, speak 4 languages fluently.

MD
in-state

1. UCSF
2. UCLA
3. USC
4. UCR
5. UCD
6. UCI
7. UCSD
8. Albany
9. MCW
10. MSU
11. Drexel
12. NYMC
13. Tulane
14. Rosalind Franklin
15. Netter
16. Temple
17. EVMS
18. Virginia Tech Carlilon
19. Tufts
20. Rush

DO

1. Touro-Cali
2. Western-Cali
3. DMUCOM
4. Touro-Nevada
5. PCOM
6. Western-Oregon
7. KCU-COM
8. LECOM
9. KCOM
10. ACOM

How does this list look? I'm applying both DO(10) and MD(20). Chose MD schools with low gpa/high mcat on MSAR, and DO schools based on rotation availability.

Please let me know if I need more clinical exp, volunteering, or research EXP.

Thanks for your help <3

P.S.
In HS I did a 2 week medical outreach volunteering program in Tanzania which was an unbelievable experience but I keep reading everywhere I shouldn't put HS experience in med app.

Honestly, you're not close to being competitive stats-wise for the MD schools, and you probably don't have enough clinical experience for DO either.

I would strongly suggest a one year post-bacc to remediate your GPA and also spend that time increasing your clinical experience. If you insist on applying this year you need to add a lot of DO schools, you can't be picky about rotation availability, and you should still consider the post-bacc given that I think there's a strong chance you'll find yourself applying a second time.

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[GoSpursGo]

thank you for your honest reply. I am currently taking my 2nd postbac night school course with UCLAextension. I would take more but they're too expensive and barely increase my gpa. I was also planning on taking 1 more next quarter before applying this cycle in June. I know it's probably not enough to show a full on reinvention but I was hoping a strong MCAT could excuse a not so good GPA(esp for DO schools). What clinical experience do you suggest I pursue, since you said it's not enough for DO? Should I find an additional doctor to shadow once a week?

The point isn't to raise your GPA, it's to show that you're not the same person who originally got a 3.2. Continuing to get a 4.0 with the classes you take will help. It would be better if you could take more than one course at a time to prove that you can handle the academic rigors of med school, but you have a good start.

Can't really advise you on what specific clinical experiences to pursue since I don't know what is available to you. It really should be something where you're working/volunteering, not just more shadowing.

 

[Goro]

As of right now, you have not reinvented yourself GPA-wise. You'll need to continue aceing the post-bac or do an SMP.

Also, your ECs are lethally deficient. You need at least 150 hrs each of clinical exposure and nonclinical volunteering. Get 50 hrs of shadowing in, especially if you can shadow someone is longitudinal care.

Once you're done, come back and then we can give you a school list. FYI, ORHS would be a donation as they heavily prefer in-state applicants. Va Tech heavily favors people from the Western VA region. Rush is a VERY service loving school.

 

[Goro]

Hey Goro, thank you for your input.

I'm not applying to ORHS, and I didn't know Va Tech favored Western VA region thanks for the info.

The Ortho I'm shadowing is a very cool gig, I get a ton of patient interaction and since he's a DO he really emphasizes avoiding surgery when other options are possible(holistic longitudinal approach).

I just got a volunteering job at my local hospital as well, and hope to volunteer there every week as well.

So for now once a week I'm doing(excluding hobbies):

1. hospital volunteering(4+hrs/week)
2. beach cleanups(4-5 hours/week)
3. shadowing DO(4 hours/week)
4. toastmasters(1.5hours/week)

Ignoring my GPA... If I keep at it with these ECs for the next year and into the application process will my ECs still be lethally deficient?

ECs should be fine for the 22-23 cycle

 

[TheBoneDoctah]

Agree with the above responses regarding your ECs. They definitely need a huge bump in hours. What do you mean you applied to DO schools based on rotations? Also, your MD list needs to be revamped a bit. All the UCs are likely donations, including UCR unless you are from Riverside, CA, or the Inland Empire. I would remove those and replace them with mid-lower tier MD schools.

Do not worry about your overall GPA. The SMP/post-bac is basically your chance to "show what you've got" and that you can succeed in medical school. The only number you should be looking at is your year of classes which should be 3.8+.

 

[TheBoneDoctah]

Hey BoneDoctah thank you for your input. My friend that goes to LECOM said to choose DO schools based on whether or not they have a hospital nearby where 3rd/4th year med students can get clinical rotations spots close to the school.

Gotcha. That’s what I thought you meant but wasn’t sure.

That’s a good idea, although most schools do have “a” hospital nearby. I would rather see you apply to more established schools rather than just the nearby hospital requirement.