Pls help me choose schools

[Sheepsheephero]

I know ppl might roast me about my stats being good but I have extreme anxiety due to no one believing in that I will get into med school besides like 3 friends (love them so much my support system) and I cry all the time about them lol.
I am so anxious I am not competitive enough just because I'm constantly told I wont get in and due to being ORM plus in CA. So I need help choosing schools I will realistically get in with my stats.
I would really love to work in underserved areas (want to get into ER med + surgery)
Thanks guys!

Current hours updated from 2/15/2021

1. cGPA and sGPA as calculated by AMCAS or AACOMAS
   • cGPA: 3.78 sGPA: 3.76
2. MCAT score(s) and breakdown
   • 512 (128/126/129/129)
3. State of residence or country of citizenship (if non-US)
   • CA
4. Ethnicity and/or race
   • ORM
5. Undergraduate institution or category
   • lower ranked UC
6. Clinical experience (volunteer and non-volunteer)
   • roughly 300 hours at local community hospital
7. Research experience and productivity
   • FT work for currently 2 yr and 8 months (not-wetlab Research)
   • 1 clinical research presentation (like my presentation was used to train my companies' researchers)
   • 2 poster presentations at national conventions
   • 1 pub (First author)
   • 3 academic coursework materials (made study guides/practice problems/tools for student in the upper div educational research - basically I was the unofficial TA for the class but as an undergraduate)
   • 374 hours biomedical neuroscience research assistant
   • 85 hours educational research assistant (upper division stem class educational research aka how to make stem students learn better in school)
   • 65 hours educational research assistant part 2 (upper division stem class educational research aka how to make stem students learn better in school but for different professor and different upper division class)
8. Shadowing experience and specialties represented
   • 270 hours with general surgery(plus some stray hours in every other surgical specialties)/head of critical care unit/ER
9. Non-clinical volunteering
   • 112 hours homeless outreach (food + medical service) + food pantry + make on the go care packages
   • 80 hours Christmas packages to underprivileged children in third world countries
   • 546 hours educational mission trips (taught English in Spanish speaking countries with church)
10. Other extracurricular activities (including athletics, military service, gap year activities, leadership, teaching, etc)
    • Leadership
      • roughly 400 hours as clinical volunteering program leader at the local community service I also volunteered at
      • 240 hours (Just to plan not do the actual volunteering) Church community service leader (I planned all the events above in non-clinical volunteering for my church as the community service leader)
    • Teaching
      • 76 hours private tutor for elementary and middle school kids
    • Gap year
      • FT work mentioned above + pub + presentations + training
11. Relevant honors or awards
    • Magna Cum Laude
    • Dean's List x8
    • Chancellor's List x2
    • Presidential volunteer award (but this was HS is it still relevant?)
    • Mayor City Award (same HS)
    • Patient Care Experience and Pre-Licensed Clinical Care Certificate
12. Anything else not listed you think might be important
    • graduated in 3 years
    • was an ultrasound probe scholar (I was the fake patient for medical students? is this relevant)
    • strong upward curve (3.62/3.71/3.81)
    • speak Korean (native) and Spanish (fluent aka can read talk write conversationally)
    • ties to UCLA UCR USC and California University Of Science & Medicine (i saw someone put this but not sure what ties are? assuming you know someone from the school like a professor or someone)
    • my letter of recs i think are amazing (again im freaking so insecure even tho the people who are glad to write them are like super excited but a big part of me is like what if they faking cause my fam tells me no one likes me actually to write good thing about me lol #insecureattachment)
    • 1st gen immigrant and also only one in fam in STEM

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[Faha]

I suggest these schools with your stats:
The UC's (except Riverside unless you are from that region)
USC Keck
Loma Linda
California University
Kaiser
Vermont
Quinnipiac
New York Medical College
Albany
Seton Hall
Drexel
Temple
Jefferson
Penn State
George Washington
Georgetown
Virginia Commonwealth
Eastern Virginia
Wake Forest
NOVA MD
Florida Atlantic
Florida International
Central Florida
Tulane
TCU-UNT
Creighton
St. Louis
Loyola
Rush
Medical College Wisconsin
Western Michigan
Oakland Beaumont
Wayne State

 

[candbgirl]

You have put together a nice application. But you just have to work on your confidence. Go to student health services and see if they have counseling services or social work services that you can tap into. You have to get yourself together before you start going on interviews. Good luck.

 

[Sheepsheephero]

Thank you TT^TT. Currently looking into a therapist cause that low self esteem is hitting an all time low rn

 

[Sheepsheephero]

I suggest these schools with your stats:
The UC's (except Riverside unless you are from that region)
USC Keck
Loma Linda
California University
Kaiser
Vermont
Quinnipiac
New York Medical College
Albany
Seton Hall
Drexel
Temple
Jefferson
Penn State
George Washington
Georgetown
Virginia Commonwealth
Eastern Virginia
Wake Forest
NOVA MD
Florida Atlantic
Florida International
Central Florida
Tulane
TCU-UNT
Creighton
St. Louis
Loyola
Rush
Medical College Wisconsin
Western Michigan
Oakland Beaumont
Wayne State

Would these be considered target schools or reach

 

[Faha]

Would these be considered target schools or reach

They are target schools, except for many of the UCs and USC Keck, which are reaches.

 

[Sheepsheephero]

Do you recommend retaking my MCAT for a higher score? If I want to stay more in CA

They are target schools, except for many of the UCs and USC Keck, which are reaches.

 

[Faha]

Do you recommend retaking my MCAT for a higher score? If I want to stay more in CA

You do not need to retake the MCAT. Increasing your score by 2 or 3 will not make a difference since schools expect that you will do slightly better on a retake. If you want to stay in CA then apply to the DO schools WESTERN and TUCOM-CA. The majority of CA med students attend school OOS.