MD & DO Is my gpa/e.c.s good enough to get into an average MD school? what about medical school in CA?

[mrh125]

I may have asked this before but my gpa got bumped up to a 3.62 (that's my final gpa as i just graduated) and I heard 3.6+ was a sweet spot for admissions. i got my gpa up from a 3.598 something (my university doesn't round) in my last quarter and I'm wondering what sort of mcat score I need to be competitive at the average MD school? im shooting for a 30, is that enough? ideally i'd like a 34 and im studying 7-8 hours a day to try and make that happen. What about D.O schools?

As for my extracurriculars I have a lot of research in different fields (global health, plant biology, environment science, and evolution and ecology. no publications, but i got close), non-profit work (helping research innovative health solutions and food quality/processing techniques to be introduced in Rwanda, india, and indonesia), job experience, and going to have a couple hundred hours of ER/ICU clinical experience.

am i competitive? what mcat score should i pull to be competitive at the avg md school? ideally i'd like to get into uc davis, ucla, or UCSD or some other california med school (california's my home and i love it here) or at least a med school that is known and respected.

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[bear2roo]

GPA is not bad (mine is around the same) but being from CA sucks. 34 would be a lot better than 30 as well--30 probably won't net you an interview from the UCs. D.O. you are fine (I'll let Goro chime in on that) but a CA MD school is not a high chance unless you're a URM.

However, I think your ECs look pretty good (a pub would make it better!) so that may give you a boost. I think if u got a 32+ you have a shot at UCI or UC Davis. If luck on your side then maybe UCSD or UCLA (prob not but who knows). It's a major crapshoot and no one can really say

 

[Theralist]

If you could pull off a 34 there would be no reason at all to go D.O. I got a 33 (13PS, 9 VR, 11BS) and had a 3.68 when I applied and was just recently accepted at Iowa (my home state). Honestly, even if you could pull a 30 there wouldn't be any reason to apply D.O. because a 3.6 and a 30 MCAT are about the average stats for those who matriculate into allopathic medical school.

 

[gyngyn]

If you could pull off a 34 there would be no reason at all to go D.O. I got a 33 (13PS, 9 VR, 11BS) and had a 3.68 when I applied and was just recently accepted at Iowa (my home state). Honestly, even if you could pull a 30 there wouldn't be any reason to apply D.O. because a 3.6 and a 30 MCAT are about the average stats for those who matriculate into allopathic medical school.

But not in CA. While OP can still get in with a 30, he will have to apply strategically OOS.

 

[aspiring20]

i wouldn't count on CA schools too much. i have a 3.6/3.3 c/s GPA, 35 MCAT, and strong ECs, and i am banking on oos MDs, low-tier MDs, and DOs.

maybe i have confidence issues, but this process can be ruthlessly unpredictable. and CA residence is about the worst thing you can have on your application other than a felony conviction.

good luck to both of us.