MD Medical schools in California,what are my chances

[sbizzmed]

I am a post baccalaureate student at an ivy league school, and attended a top UC for undergrad. I went straight from undergrad to the postbacc, decided late in college that I couldnt see myself doing anything else. I'm looking for advice on how to strengthen my application and generally how it is looking as of now. My dream is to go back to california (literally any california medical school), but I realize that california schools are crazy difficult to get in. If anyone who has done the application process or knows it well in california could give me some advice as for my chances or how I can improve them, please let me know! Here is my Info..

I have a complete undergraduate GPA of 3.7
In the postbacc program I have a 3.99 GPA, my total science GPA is a 3.96 or so according to AMCAs (not counting the A+s)
I have not yet taken the MCAT, but just looking for some feed back as for where I am at right now ( I know everything is contingent on a good mcat) I know it is a big if, but I am interested in my shot IF I were to get the average MCAT accepted at the UC's-- best case scenario

As for EC's (the part I am most worried about)....
Research
I have been doing research with an internal medicine doctor and I have one abstract out with that doctor, which will likely turn into a paper, although it isn't in a science journal. By the time I apply, I will likely have multiple abstracts, perhaps multiple paper publications in the same area.
I plan to start doing research in an immunology lab as a research assistant.

shadowing
I have 200+ hours shadowing the physician that I am working on these papers for on multiple occasions in the clinic.


Volunteer work:
I have started working with children that have disabilities in school as an eye to eye mentor.
Throughout high school and into college I spent my summers/ time home volunteering with children and teens that have special needs.
I plan to spend next summer working at a free medical clinic

I am hoping to work as clinical research coordinator once I am done with classes, so for the year before I would like to matriculate.

Any feedback or advice would be great, and I am very interested in my shot at california schools, although I know its hard to predict.

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[gyngyn]

Overall chances of IS matriculation in CA are about 15%.
CA applicants are much more likely to matriculate OOS (26%) without regard to the quality of the application .

 

[sbizzmed]

Overall chances of IS matriculation in CA are about 15%.
CA applicants are much more likely to matriculate OOS (26%) without regard to the quality of the application .

Interesting, thanks! I just figure since it is so difficult to get into california schools, there is a certain standard for EC's/stats which make a candidate slightly more likely or slightly less. I am wondering about a ballpark for my relative chances, particularly in regards to my extracurriculars. I know it is unrealistic to expect that I will get in under any circumstances, but if there are large holes in my application I would like to work on them!

 

[Goro]

I am a post baccalaureate student at an ivy league school, and attended a top UC for undergrad. I went straight from undergrad to the postbacc, decided late in college that I couldnt see myself doing anything else. I'm looking for advice on how to strengthen my application and generally how it is looking as of now. My dream is to go back to california (literally any california medical school), but I realize that california schools are crazy difficult to get in. If anyone who has done the application process or knows it well in california could give me some advice as for my chances or how I can improve them, please let me know! Here is my Info..

I have a complete undergraduate GPA of 3.7
In the postbacc program I have a 3.99 GPA, my total science GPA is a 3.96 or so according to AMCAs (not counting the A+s)
I have not yet taken the MCAT, but just looking for some feed back as for where I am at right now ( I know everything is contingent on a good mcat)

As for EC's (the part I am most worried about)....
I have been doing research with an internal medicine doctor and I have one abstract out with that doctor, which will likely turn into a paper, although it isn't in a science journal. By the time I apply, I will likely have multiple abstracts, perhaps multiple paper publications in the same area. I have also shadowed the doctor that I am working on these papers for on multiple occasions in the clinic.

Throughout high school and into college I spent my summers/ time home volunteering with children and teens that have special needs.

In the post bacc, I have started working with children that have disabilities in school as an eye to eye mentor.

I am hoping to work as clinical research coordinator once I am done with classes, so for the year before I would like to matriculate.

Any feedback or advice would be great, and I am very interested in my shot at california schools, although I know its hard to predict.

Hard to advise without an MCAT score. The only CA school I've seen reward reinvention is UCSF. But those people had tons of ECs and research.

You're fine for Touro-CA or Western right now....MCAT pending, of course.

As the wise gyngyn has pointed out, UCLA alone pumps outs enough pre-meds to fill every CA medical school.

 

[sbizzmed]

Hard to advise without an MCAT score. The only CA school I've seen reward reinvention is UCSF. But those people had tons of ECs and research.

You're fine for Touro-CA or Western right now....MCAT pending, of course.

As the wise gyngyn has pointed out, UCLA alone pumps outs enough pre-meds to fill every CA medical school.

Thank you for the feedback! That is pretty insane to think about. So you're saying if theoretically I were to get a very high MCAT score (the avg for the Uc's), I would still need a lot more EC's to have a good shot at non DO med schools in California?

Also, sorry if this is a dumb question, but what exactly do you mean by "rewarding reinvention"? Basically that the other schools generally don't accept people that took their premed requirements in a postbacc?

 

[Goro]

Thank you for the feedback! That is pretty insane to think about. So you're saying if theoretically I were to get a very high MCAT score (the avg for the Uc's), I would still need a lot more EC's to have a good shot at non DO med schools in California?

Yes. You're competing against toms of talented people. My school, being west of the Missouri River, gets a fair number of UC grads because they're OK with getting a DO closer to home than going to, say, Wake or Drexel. These are really good students!

Also, sorry if this is a dumb question, but what exactly do you mean by "rewarding reinvention"? Basically that the other schools generally don't accept people that took their premed requirements in a postbacc?
I surmise you're a reinventor because you have decided later in your career to go into medicine, and hence have taken the post-bac to get the pre-reqs. A career-changer, in other words. No one reinvents with a 3.7 cGPA otherwise.

 

[sbizzmed]

Thank you for the feedback! That is pretty insane to think about. So you're saying if theoretically I were to get a very high MCAT score (the avg for the Uc's), I would still need a lot more EC's to have a good shot at non DO med schools in California?

Yes. You're competing against toms of talented people. My school, being west of the Missouri River, gets a fair number of UC grads because they're OK with getting a DO closer to home than going to, say, Wake or Drexel. These are really good students!

Also, sorry if this is a dumb question, but what exactly do you mean by "rewarding reinvention"? Basically that the other schools generally don't accept people that took their premed requirements in a postbacc?
I surmise you're a reinventor because you have decided later in your career to go into medicine, and hence have taken the post-bac to get the pre-reqs. A career-changer, in other words. No one reinvents with a 3.7 cGPA otherwise.

Great thank you again, this is really helpful! I am not completely opposed to DO schools, I am going to consider it, but I first plan to figure out my MD chances.
And I actually went straight from undergrad to a post baccalaureate program, so I didn't do a career change, although I am technically in a "career change post bacc". I actually just thought that a post bacc program would be more worthwhile as they are supposed to provide lots of opportunities and resources (whether I still believe that is true, I am not so sure). The other option would have been remaining at my university for an extra 2 years.. do you think that choice put me at a disadvantage?

It is really good to know these things, as I am just trying to gain a better understanding as to what my own strengths and weaknesses are as an applicant.
I am considering waiting a year to apply after my classes are done to strengthen my application and engaging in more extracurriculars.. I assume you think this would be worthwhile?

 

[ZenArcher35]

Look, the best thing you can do for yourself is just try to be the strongest applicant you can be. As you mentioned, CA schools are tough.
UCSF/Stanford/UCLA/UCSD? Gotta be top-tier material across the board.
UC Davis/Irvine? Do you have a connection to those areas/communities? If not, gotta be top-tier material across the board.
That leaves you with USC, Loma Linda (are you religious?), Northstate (just don't), and the DO's.

USC might bite depending on how well you do on your MCAT and because they seem to like Ivy names, but that's still a big if.

This is me speaking as someone who went through your situation (CA resident, LizzyM 79, interviewed at 5-6 of the top 10's depending on who you ask, and now attends one of them). Don't focus too much on CA - if you get in, that's amazing and you should pat yourself on the back, but if you don't, you'll just be burning yourself if you invested too many emotions into it (which I totally did).

 

[sbizzmed]

Look, the best thing you can do for yourself is just try to be the strongest applicant you can be. As you mentioned, CA schools are tough.
UCSF/Stanford/UCLA/UCSD? Gotta be top-tier material across the board.
UC Davis/Irvine? Do you have a connection to those areas/communities? If not, gotta be top-tier material across the board.
That leaves you with USC, Loma Linda (are you religious?), Northstate (just don't), and the DO's.

USC might bite depending on how well you do on your MCAT and because they seem to like Ivy names, but that's still a big if.

This is me speaking as someone who went through your situation (CA resident, LizzyM 79, interviewed at 5-6 of the top 10's depending on who you ask, and now attends one of them). Don't focus too much on CA - if you get in, that's amazing and you should pat yourself on the back, but if you don't, you'll just be burning yourself if you invested too many emotions into it (which I totally did).

Ah yeah, thank you for the input. As much as it sucks, it is really good to hear this stuff to put everything into perspective and remember how many amazing applicants get rejected in California. I'm sure it's best to start getting used to the idea now that I will most likely not end up in California, and just do my best/ hope for the best all around.
This may be a dumb question but I am kinda new to these sites and haven't even looked into non California schools too much, but are the unrealistic extra curricular expectations significantly lower/ more reasonable even at top tier schools outside of California?

 

[Neuro244]

If you didn't attend a UC for undergrad does that hinder/affect your chances of getting into a UC medical school in CA? I'm a CA resident but attended a Cal State and have always wondered about that. Thanks

 

[gyngyn]

If you didn't attend a UC for undergrad does that hinder/affect your chances of getting into a UC medical school in CA?

No.

 

[Starbuxian]

...--<snip>-- ...Northstate (just don't), and the DO's.

I apologize for hijacking the OP's thread, but why would you say "No" to Northstate? It's one of the schools I'm considering. Thanks!