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[tino33]

I just found this site which is a god send. I'm a CA resident applying this cycle to all the CA schools and some out of state ones. Can anyone help me get a sense of how competetive my application will be? I feel like I have a low GPA and it seems like CA schools are pretty tough to get into.

I also have no idea which OOS schools to apply to, do you know of any good schools that are friendly to OOS that my stats will be good enough for? I also emmigrated here in 2000 and had to learn English here, I don't know if that helps.

UC Biochem major
3.6 GPA
33 MCAT

2500 hours Community service
Local and International research
Coauthor of published paper
60 hours shadowing physicians
300 hours Clinical
3 years student government
2 years on Board of Director for nonprofit org

School List:
UCLA
UCI
UCD
UCSD
University of Southern California
Michigan State
??

Thank you in advance for your help.

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[Catalystik]

Are your MCAT subscores balanced, with none being exceedingly low (specifically VS)? If so, I won't promise you'll get into a California school, but you have a good shot at an acceptance somewhere, with supportive Letters of Recommendation, a compelling Personal Statement, and good interview skills (assuming you're a US resident or permanent resident).

Two other schools to add would be UIllinois and Rosalind Franklin (near Chicago), which are friendly to Californians.

Your extracurriculars are very, very nice. Well done. Do you have some physician shadowing; that is another EC that it's a good idea (if not essential) to have.

 

[Hifey]

I'm from Ca too and my experience, some Ca friendly schools whose stats would be good for you:

- Drexel
- U Miami
- Wake Forest

 

[candyqueen]

I am also a CA resident and applied this year with a similar GPA and slightly lower MCAT score. I was accepted to UC Davis, but that being said, CA schools are difficult to get into for even those with high numbers because there are so few seats and so many qualified applicants. I feel like the other parts of my application (ECs, letters of rec, research, etc) were extremely important in making me a good applicant.

Your application looks promising! I agree with Catalystik that physician shadowing is important- and you don't have to do a ton of hours either (like some on SDN claim). My physician shadowing hours totaled around 50 and I was able to speak about my experiences in both my PS and interviews.

Some OOS schools I would recommend are:
Albert Einstein
George Washington
Jefferson
Penn State
Temple
VCU/MCV

Just a thought, but I think Michigan State's tuition is pretty high for OOS...something like $60k/year? Just something to consider. You can also check out the MSAR to find out which schools accept a decent percentage of OOS students and have admission stats similar to yours.

Hope this helps!

 

[tino33]

I am also a CA resident and applied this year with a similar GPA and slightly lower MCAT score. I was accepted to UC Davis, but that being said, CA schools are difficult to get into for even those with high numbers because there are so few seats and so many qualified applicants. I feel like the other parts of my application (ECs, letters of rec, research, etc) were extremely important in making me a good applicant.

Your application looks promising! I agree with Catalystik that physician shadowing is important- and you don't have to do a ton of hours either (like some on SDN claim). My physician shadowing hours totaled around 50 and I was able to speak about my experiences in both my PS and interviews.

Some OOS schools I would recommend are:
Albert Einstein
George Washington
Jefferson
Penn State
Temple
VCU/MCV

Just a thought, but I think Michigan State's tuition is pretty high for OOS...something like $60k/year? Just something to consider. You can also check out the MSAR to find out which schools accept a decent percentage of OOS students and have admission stats similar to yours.

Hope this helps!

I actually shadowed 2 surgeons for a total of about 60 hours. They were an orthopedic surgeon and an ENT. Do you think if I raise my MCAT to a 36 it will improve my chances by a meaningful amount?

Thank you for your help

 

[tino33]

Are your MCAT subscores balanced, with none being exceedingly low (specifically VS)? If so, I won't promise you'll get into a California school, but you have a good shot at an acceptance somewhere, with supportive Letters of Recommendation, a compelling Personal Statement, and good interview skills (assuming you're a US resident or permanent resident).

Two other schools to add would be UIllinois and Rosalind Franklin (near Chicago), which are friendly to Californians.

Your extracurriculars are very, very nice. Well done. Do you have some physician shadowing; that is another EC that it's a good idea (if not essential) to have.

Yes my score breakdown is PS 10, VS 11, BS 12

I was looking at U Illinois, is it a decent school? and how important is the school name and reputaion?

Thank you for your help

 

[Catalystik]

I was looking at U Illinois, is it a decent school? and how important is the school name and reputaion?

Yes, it's a "decent school." There is frequent debate on SDN about name brand schools and quality of education. Here is a link to the most recent: http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=699906 .

As you'll see, I am not among those who are dismissive of all but the top twenty. Reputation is in the eye of the beholder, all too commonly influenced by the US News & World report rankings, rather than one's own opinion based on personal values.

UIllinois, like UMichigan, may have a prohibitive OOS tuition, but they are very generous in providing hefty tuition breaks to OOS underrepresented minority acceptees.

My personal recommendation is to attend the least expensive school that accepts you.

 

[Catalystik]

I actually shadowed 2 surgeons for a total of about 60 hours. They were an orthopedic surgeon and an ENT.

I'd suggest you try to spend a day shadowing a primary care doc, like Internal Med, Peds, or Family Med; adcomms will like to see that you've also seen medicine practiced from the trenches, so to speak.

 

[candyqueen]

I actually shadowed 2 surgeons for a total of about 60 hours. They were an orthopedic surgeon and an ENT. Do you think if I raise my MCAT to a 36 it will improve my chances by a meaningful amount?

Thank you for your help

I personally would not retake a balanced 33 MCAT unless my practice scores were all consistenly much higher than a 33. Even then, your chances of scoring a 33 or even slightly lower is pretty good. You might be comfortable with that risk/ confident that you could improve your score significanty, but I would keep a 33.

You could focus instead on making sure that your letters of rec are in order (get to know professors and physicians, make sure they can write about your character and potential success as a physician. You can also start thinking about your PS and which experiences have been influential in your decision to pursue medicine.