so i am in a pickle...

What is your oGPA year by year?

 

I think you're a strong candidate at the AL schools. Apply broadly and mostly to schools with mid-range or low selectivity, and you'll be in good shape.

 

With two strong recent years of good GPA, and with your excellent MCAT score, you could be a viable candidate at schools outside your state. Your ECs as listed look good, but I don't see research (not essential, but helpful to gain wider consideration), or volunteerism (I'm under the impression that your clinical experience was required by your major). Other important elements are leadership and teamwork. If you are lacking in any of these important "unwritten" requirements, you might want to get that going ASAP, so you have something to mention in each category on your application.

As far as other schools to apply to, see the "med school selector" stickied at the top of this forum. Your LizzyM score is 69.5, so pick out a few schools that take out-of-staters above this number (your reach schools), a good number that are at that score (on-target schools), and a few below that (for safties).

I could suggest you start by considering Utah, Michigan State, Tulane, GWU, EVMS, U S Carolina, Drexel, U Toledo, etc, but you probably have regional preferences, and would not consider some due to cost or type of curriculum, so you need to do your own research, come up with a list, and then we'll critique it.

 

Teaching, mentoring, and tutoring require leadership., so you're fine there.

I'm glad to hear you've already planned for the volunteering.

Keeping in mind that very high-selectivity schools generally are research intense (many applying there have 2+ years, even publictions), you might want to rethink USC Keck (takes mostly in-state anyway), and Pritzker. Not sure about Chapel Hill, Wake Forest, Miami, and Tufts, but they might be more within your reach. You''ll need to do more reading, or the get the input of others

Rosalind Franklin, VCU, and UAB are on-target.

S Alabama, Toledo, Tulane, GWU, are good safties, being less selective. (It would be politically more correct here on SDN not to use the term "low-tier".)

 

I know Pritzker is big on research. Not that you can't get in without it, but it is somthing they like to see.

I think you are definetly competative for Rosalind Franklin and Toledo. Probably more so at Toledo since it doesn't get the application numbers Rosalind Franklin does.

Don't know much about the other schools, I mostly restricted my applying to the more northern states.

Good luck.

 

Congrats on working so much and still having decent GPA. Sorry about your friend.
I think you'll have a hard time getting in to Pritzker because of your GPA, but it's always OK to have 1 or 2 "reach" schools.
You could try St Louis University also. I heard that U of VT used to take 1/2 out of state folks in the past, due to not needing to fill up with their state residents, but I am not sure if that is still true. You can check.

Remember that not going back to drugs is the most important...not worth the personal costs. Also, it would create huge problems for you getting out of med school and residency and getting a license later. I hope you never had criminal convictions related to that? You know that most all states, probably all, ask you that question on a medical license application.