512/3.73 cGPA Cali Applicant - WAMC/Is there hope?

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AvocadoFan

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Hello All! Please give me a dose of much-needed reality. Here are my stats/background:

Undergrad: UC, graduated in 2021 (in my second gap year now)
cGPA 3.73, sGPA 3.63 (strong upward trend)
MCAT: 512 (C/P score is 124 sadly, other sections are more balanced)
Residence: California (RIP)
Race: Middle Eastern
Clinical: Medical Assistant (500+): significant patient interaction in underserved clinic
Clinical Research Coordinator (1500): significant patient interaction and responsibility in clinical trials
Hospital volunteer (180): working with geriatric patients
Research: Clinical Research Coordinator: I'm not sure if the hours for this position fall under research or clinical experience
Wet lab (700): no posters or pubs
Non-clinical Volunteering: Nutritional Access Coordinator (360): serving low income communities with free food during pandemic
Tutor/Mentor (100): 100 hours as tutor for in under-resourced high school
Kitchen Lead (110): cooked meals for homeless community during pandemic
Tutor (50): science lessons for middle school students
COVID-19 volunteer (100): making PPE, babysitting children of healthcare workers, stocking warehouses for PPE
Shadowing: 180 hours abroad (Rheumatology)
20 hours (Primary Care)
Hobbies: writing, hiking, archery
LORs: Most are probably be generic, got my LORS from professors during the pandemic so mostly interacted with them through Zoom. I do 2 strong LORs from my job/volunteer coordinator
Narrative/PS: fairly comprehensive narrative focusing on clinical research experience.

Current MD school list (no particular order):
  1. Tulane
  2. Albany
  3. U of Kentucky
  4. U of Illinois
  5. EVMS
  6. Loyola Stritch
  7. Rush
  8. Anne Burnett
  9. Meharry
  10. Jacobs
  11. Florida International
  12. NOVA
  13. Geisinger Commonwealth
  14. Arizona - Tucson
  15. U of Toledo
  16. Oakland University
  17. Penn State
  18. Wake Forest
  19. George Washington
  20. U of Vermont
  21. Drexel
  22. Indiana
  23. Virginia Tech
  24. Temple
  25. Rosalind Franklin
  26. SUNY Upstate
  27. NYMC
  28. CUSM
  29. California Northstate
  30. Charles Drew
  31. Kaiser Permanente
  32. USC
  33. UCLA
  34. Loma Linda
  35. UCD
  36. UCI
  37. UCSF
  38. UCSD
  39. UCR
  40. Rutgers, Robert Wood Johnson
  41. Hackensack Meridian
  42. Cooper Rowan
  43. Rutgers NJ
  44. SUNY Downstate
I would love to stay in California or at least be on the East or West Coast, but I'm not sure how likely that would be given my stats. I would just be happy to get into any medical school at this point. How does my school list look? Would you recommend any additions or schools I should remove?

Thanks so much everyone!

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Several of your schools take few students from out of state or out of the region (Kentucky, Toledo, Rutgers, FIU etc). California Northstate has accreditation concerns, so not apply there. Schools like USC, UCLA and Kaiser have far higher median stats.

Shadowing outside the US unfortunately is of little value and shouldn’t be included in your app. You could try to do some shadowing in May at the clinic you work at.

CRC can go under clinical experience or you can breakdown the hours and use both clinical and research for the activity.

I suggest:

CUSM
UCD
UCR (only if from the IE or attended UCR)
Loma Linda (only if you have similar religious beliefs)
Hackensack
Rosalind Franklin
Loyola
Creighton
Oakland
Wayne State
MCW
Vermont
NYMC
Albany
Wake
Nova MD
Tulane
Penn State
George Washington
Georgetown
TCU
Drexel
Temple
Quinnipiac
Tufts
EVMS
VCU
Belmont (when it opens)
 
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