Average applicant? What are the chances?

[ktruong]

Hi everyone,

I am planning to apply this upcoming cycle, and I just wanted to get some feedback on what kind of shot I have.

UCLA
GPA: 3.912
sGPA: 3.872
MCAT: 34P

Awards:
-Scholarship recognition award

EC:
-Hospital volunteer for 300 hours
-research for 1 year
-started individual project where I have been making customized educational animations for teachers for the past year. I am currently making animations for my biology high school teacher, and for my biochemistry professor and my ecology and evolutionary biology professor.

I know there is not much there, but what do you guys think?

Thank you for the advice

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[notbobtrustme]

youre fine.

 

[MedPR]

"average" applicant. Ha.

 

[Frazier]

"average" applicant. Ha.

+1

While being humble is important, OP. Be careful you don't accidentally look foolish trying to convey it.
There is nothing average about any of your numbers. Great gpa's and your mcat is like 94th percentile.

Maybe your EC's are "average"? If so, don't worry too much as this game is, more often than not, numbers-driven.

You will have a good cycle.

 

[ktruong]

+1

While being humble is important, OP. Be careful you don't accidentally look foolish trying to convey it.
There is nothing average about any of your numbers. Great gpa's and your mcat is like 94th percentile.

Maybe your EC's are "average"? If so, don't worry too much as this game is, more often than not, numbers-driven.

You will have a good cycle.

I'm really sorry, I didn't mean any disrespect. I've been scanning other posts, and I've seen too many incredible applicants.

Sorry for the ignorance, but thanks for input.

 

[marcomania]

your numbers are phenomenal. i wish i had an MCAT and GPA like that. I guess you could do a little bit of non-clinical volunteer work but that would just be icing on the cake.

 

[TheWeeIceMan]

Yeah, you are definitely not "average". Get some shadowing in and you will be golden. Good luck.

 

[yellowfish]

Hi everyone,

I am planning to apply this upcoming cycle, and I just wanted to get some feedback on what kind of shot I have.

UCLA
GPA: 3.912
sGPA: 3.872
MCAT: 34P

Awards:
-Scholarship recognition award

EC:
-Hospital volunteer for 300 hours
-research for 1 year
-started individual project where I have been making customized educational animations for teachers for the past year. I am currently making animations for my biology high school teacher, and for my biochemistry professor and my ecology and evolutionary biology professor.

I know there is not much there, but what do you guys think?

Thank you for the advice

Do you have some leadership or other volunteering experience? Not necessary, but either of these would probably strengthen your ECs. Seems to me like you're in great shape, just work on choosing a smart list of schools to apply to. I would personally go mid-tier heavy, with a good number of top tiers, and a few low-mid tier back-ups, applying broadly in-state and choosing OOS schools that are traditionally friendly to cali applicants.

 

[saveourpens]

OP, I have similar numbers, with a bit more ECs. My advice is to not get too confident. While your numbers are good, at some of these schools, your fellow interviewees will have stats just as good if not better.

So don't do what I did... don't skimp on the PS, writing the activities section, and LORs (make sure you give writers your PS - at least a draft - , and CV so they can write you a strong as letter as possible). Make sure you give ADCOMs a very good impression.

It's all a game I think. Some of the "lower-tier" schools seem to really value non-clinical volunteering, which it doesn't look like you have much of (and neither did I). Your only interviews might be at the more selective schools and even the greatest applicants may find themselves on the outside looking in come June if that's the case. I'm sitting here on 3 -wait-lists and am preparing to re-apply.

 

[yellowfish]

OP, I have similar numbers, with a bit more ECs. My advice is to not get too confident. While your numbers are good, at some of these schools, your fellow interviewees will have stats just as good if not better.

So don't do what I did... don't skimp on the PS, writing the activities section, and LORs (make sure you give writers your PS - at least a draft - , and CV so they can write you a strong as letter as possible). Make sure you give ADCOMs a very good impression.

It's all a game I think. Some of the "lower-tier" schools seem to really value non-clinical volunteering, which it doesn't look like you have much of (and neither did I). Your only interviews might be at the more selective schools and even the greatest applicants may find themselves on the outside looking in come June if that's the case. I'm sitting here on 3 -wait-lists and am preparing to re-apply.

Good advice for any applicant.

 

[ktruong]

Do you have some leadership or other volunteering experience? Not necessary, but either of these would probably strengthen your ECs. Seems to me like you're in great shape, just work on choosing a smart list of schools to apply to. I would personally go mid-tier heavy, with a good number of top tiers, and a few low-mid tier back-ups, applying broadly in-state and choosing OOS schools that are traditionally friendly to cali applicants.

Working on my list of schools right now, thanks for the tips.

OP, I have similar numbers, with a bit more ECs. My advice is to not get too confident. While your numbers are good, at some of these schools, your fellow interviewees will have stats just as good if not better.

So don't do what I did... don't skimp on the PS, writing the activities section, and LORs (make sure you give writers your PS - at least a draft - , and CV so they can write you a strong as letter as possible). Make sure you give ADCOMs a very good impression.

It's all a game I think. Some of the "lower-tier" schools seem to really value non-clinical volunteering, which it doesn't look like you have much of (and neither did I). Your only interviews might be at the more selective schools and even the greatest applicants may find themselves on the outside looking in come June if that's the case. I'm sitting here on 3 -wait-lists and am preparing to re-apply.

Thank you for the good points. I've been working hard on getting good LOR's thus far.
Best of luck