stats for UC's out of state

[Mistress S]

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I'm an OR resident and will be applying to med school this year. I am planning to apply to UCSF, UCLA, and USC in Cali. I know these schools are long shots since I am not a CA resident (I know USC is private, but they still take most of their class from in-state)but I was wondering what kind of stats you would need to be competitive at the UC's as a non-res. MY GPA is 3.75 from a state school, I will be taking the MCAT in April. If anyone has info about this, especially other out of staters who got accepted to UC's, I would appreciate it if you could share your stats or what kind of MCAT score you think I would need.

p.s. I know CA residents don't appreciate the added competition from out of state applicants, but if it helps the reason I would like to go there is I was born and raised in SoCal (until age 14) and still have a lot of family there. Plus I am sick of all the rain and gray skies in OR. 😉

 

[standoc]

Hey MIstress

Its incredibly hard to get in out-of-state. So I go to Stanford, but I am a Michigan resident. I have a 39S and 3.6 GPA, and I was rejected pre-secondary at UCSF, rejected post-secondary at UCLA, hold for interview at UCSD, and havne't even heard back from USC. I have gotten into michigan, and receieved interviews at Stanford, Duke, Columbia and Wash U, and yet none of the UCs and USC have even given me interviews....it definitly sucks. Almost none of my out of stater friends got secondaries at UCSF, and one each got interviews at UCSD and UCLA. Those two guys had higher GPAs but lower MCATs...I think my problem was my GPA was too low for California. MY activities/LORs are probably fine since I did well everywhere outside of CALI...so I suspect you need a higher GPA to get into California schools.

Standoc

 

[dr.jeddah]

hmm im out of state and my gpa is around a 3.5 and mcats low 30s and im waiting post interview at UCs 🙂)...oh and at ivy leaguers

 

[lola]

not to burst your bubble, but it is really hard to get into cali schools out of state. i have no idea what they are looking for, but i would really doubt it is just high stats. you should try to shoot for a 35+ on the mcat probably, but even a high mcat score & high gpa won't guarantee you an interview. there are so few spots, and so many qualified people applying for them, that i think you really need something special on your app (not just numbers). also there is probably a great deal of luck involved since they get apps from so many qualified people. by all means go ahead and apply to cali schools -- just try not to get your heart set on them.

 

[LoneCoyote]

I second Lola's advice... give it a shot but don't get your hopes up. I know the advisor here at U of Arizona announces at the first pre-med meeting that if you are not a California resident not to count on going to a CA medical school, and even if you are a Californian not to count on it. Many, many people from Arizona apply anyway to UCLA, UCSD and UCSF and a few get secondaries, fewer get interviews, and almost no one gets in out-of-state. The advisor told me she has never gotten anyone into UCSF as a traditional undergraduate applicant. Of those who I know who have tried for UC's most have a 3.8 GPA or above, and a 34 and above on the MCAT. People from here with those stats have much better luck with USC and Stanford.

Also, a friend of mine who goes to UCSF told me that most of the out-of-staters she knows were non-trad applicants and many had amazing records, 39+ MCAT, 4.0s, and/or some really amazing activites of experiences that they had done, ie written award winning novels, done healthcare work abroad, been professional athletes. Not to say that everyone has done that, but it is definitely a very competitive pool they are picking their 1% of out-of-staters from. But it's all a lottery of sorts so I say go for it if you won't regret spending the $ on applications if you don't get in. Good luck!

 

[indianboy]

Someone I know very well was accepted to UCSF/UCLA 2 weeks ago, out of state, mid-tier ugrad, 3.87/38, traditional, good EC's (nothing international, or wildly amazing). He was attacked by a dog when he was 8. This event, most likely, had no bearing on his application.

Hope that Helps.

P 'Bitter, party of one?' ShankOut

 

[Deuce 007 MD]

Originally posted by dr.jeddah
hmm im out of state and my gpa is around a 3.5 and mcats low 30s and im waiting post interview at UCs 🙂)...oh and at ivy leaguers

Dude don't tell me your ethnic background. I'm in state w/ 3.5 and 36N, and can't even get an interview. UCs sucks a$$.

 

[dr.jeddah]

im not a URM

 

[weirdo700]

It's hard to get into a UC period, in state or out of state. I know that the top UC's are very numbers oriented and will somtimes (but rarely) look at a special circumstance applicant with low numbers. I'm in state and I have not received any interviews at any of the UCs. I don't claim to be a good applicant...heck I don't even have an acceptance, but I have been invited at 14 other places (whats up with that). If you truly want to be at a UC I say as an out-of-stater with no significant disadvantages you should shoot for at least a well balanced 38 on the MCAT, have at least a 3.7 for both types of GPA, and convey a strong tie to the state and the particular institution. People talking about getting in with slightly above average numbers are telling you about a very small minority of applicants. Good luck, and I am sorry for sounding so pessimistic. I am just trying to be honest.

 

[Deuce 007 MD]

Originally posted by dr.jeddah
im not a URM

Okay, then did you win a pultzer, nobel, grammy, oscar, or joan rivers golden hanger? Are you related to Bush, Kennedy, or David Geffen? What is your secret? How can I be down?

 

[dr.jeddah]

hmm nope none of those. i'll tell u what, i'll give everyone the secrets once i hear back! 🙂

 

[Deuce 007 MD]

UCs don't suck a$$ anymore, because now I'll be going to Drew/UCLA. So an asian guy with a 3.5 gpa does have a chance.
But I still want to know your secret Dr. JEDDAH.