I guess what I’m looking for here is the usual advice. What should I do in the next year to be ready to apply to schools? What schools are in my range? Right now I don’t have my heart set on a specific school, but I plan on doing all the research before the end of this year.

Stats:


Current Junior at Saint John’s University in Minnesota
BA in Biochemistry with Distinction (honors program)
cGPA 3.34, sGPA 3.17
MCAT: 35Q, PS 14, VR 10, BS 11
White, Minnesota Resident


ECs:


Clinical
Not a whole lot. I envision this, as well as my GPA, to be the biggest thing holding me back.



Laboratory
No official research, but every semester I have been in anywhere from 7 to 14 hours of lab per week for class.



Other
Member, Peer Resource Program. I just joined this on campus program last year, and have already logged 100+ hours. We put on programs that help develop leadership and teamwork skills in college students as well as organize and lead camping trips/excursions.
Career Assistant, Career Services. The details of the job probably aren’t very important now. Just that I’ve worked 10-12 hours per week all of college.
Not a lot more volunteer since a majority of my time during the summer has been spent working in order to actually be able to afford school.



For Fun
Nordic Ski Team, Captain. I was elected the captain this year. Nordic takes up anywhere from 10-16 hours a week.


My only excuse for low volunteering and shadowing is simply lack of time. I know it’s not a good one, and I’m sure if I had stretched myself thinner or budgeted time more wisely I would have been able to do better, but such is life.


As to my low GPA, I don’t really have an excuse. I guess I just have always been alright accepting mediocrity from myself. It’s a problem I realized at the end of last year when I got a 3.0 GPA and is something that I decided to fix right away by studying hard and taking the MCAT early.


Thank you for your input,
Ryan

I guess what I’m looking for here is the usual advice. What should I do in the next year to be ready to apply to schools? What schools are in my range? Right now I don’t have my heart set on a specific school, but I plan on doing all the research before the end of this year.

Stats:


Current Junior at Saint John’s University in Minnesota
BA in Biochemistry with Distinction (honors program)
cGPA 3.34, sGPA 3.17
MCAT: 35Q, PS 14, VR 10, BS 11
White, Minnesota Resident


ECs:


Clinical
Not a whole lot. I envision this, as well as my GPA, to be the biggest thing holding me back.



Laboratory
No official research, but every semester I have been in anywhere from 7 to 14 hours of lab per week for class.



Other
Member, Peer Resource Program. I just joined this on campus program last year, and have already logged 100+ hours. We put on programs that help develop leadership and teamwork skills in college students as well as organize and lead camping trips/excursions.
Career Assistant, Career Services. The details of the job probably aren’t very important now. Just that I’ve worked 10-12 hours per week all of college.
Not a lot more volunteer since a majority of my time during the summer has been spent working in order to actually be able to afford school.



For Fun
Nordic Ski Team, Captain. I was elected the captain this year. Nordic takes up anywhere from 10-16 hours a week.


My only excuse for low volunteering and shadowing is simply lack of time. I know it’s not a good one, and I’m sure if I had stretched myself thinner or budgeted time more wisely I would have been able to do better, but such is life.


As to my low GPA, I don’t really have an excuse. I guess I just have always been alright accepting mediocrity from myself. It’s a problem I realized at the end of last year when I got a 3.0 GPA and is something that I decided to fix right away by studying hard and taking the MCAT early.


Thank you for your input,
Ryan

Well you have 0 chance of getting in with a low GPA and no clinical experience.

You need to start now--shadowing and clinical volunteering.

You need to get something to show interest in medicine in there. Just go shadow or volunteer at a hospice clinic or something. Hospitals often only take people certain times a year, so it may be difficult to get in. You can definitely fit in an afternoon every other week.

Off the face of it, your mcat is a good plus, but you don't have any lab, volunteer, or leadership roles. That being said, you have been working during college, which is a definite point as far as adcoms are concerned and they understand working students can't fit in everything that non-working students can.

Without doing anything to what you posted, I'd say it's a crapshoot as far as MD schools go, pretty nice shot at DO schools, and I think you could def get into a carib.

Your MCAT is a good start, and serves as an indicator that you are capable of success in medical school and the admissions process.

However, your application isn't done yet. Keep working! Get some clinical experience, it will make your essays and application much more convincing. Don't bother applying till you have some volunteering or work experience in a clinical setting.

I guess what I’m looking for here is the usual advice. What should I do in the next year to be ready to apply to schools? What schools are in my range? Right now I don’t have my heart set on a specific school, but I plan on doing all the research before the end of this year.

Stats:


Current Junior at Saint John’s University in Minnesota
BA in Biochemistry with Distinction (honors program)
cGPA 3.34, sGPA 3.17
MCAT: 35Q, PS 14, VR 10, BS 11
White, Minnesota Resident

ECs:


Clinical
Not a whole lot. I envision this, as well as my GPA, to be the biggest thing holding me back.


Laboratory
No official research, but every semester I have been in anywhere from 7 to 14 hours of lab per week for class.


Other
Member, Peer Resource Program. I just joined this on campus program last year, and have already logged 100+ hours. We put on programs that help develop leadership and teamwork skills in college students as well as organize and lead camping trips/excursions.
Career Assistant, Career Services. The details of the job probably aren’t very important now. Just that I’ve worked 10-12 hours per week all of college.
Not a lot more volunteer since a majority of my time during the summer has been spent working in order to actually be able to afford school.


For Fun
Nordic Ski Team, Captain. I was elected the captain this year. Nordic takes up anywhere from 10-16 hours a week.

My only excuse for low volunteering and shadowing is simply lack of time. I know it’s not a good one, and I’m sure if I had stretched myself thinner or budgeted time more wisely I would have been able to do better, but such is life.


As to my low GPA, I don’t really have an excuse. I guess I just have always been alright accepting mediocrity from myself. It’s a problem I realized at the end of last year when I got a 3.0 GPA and is something that I decided to fix right away by studying hard and taking the MCAT early.How many upper-level Bio and math classes could you take in the next year and earn As? What would your BCPM GPA go up to if you did that? Can you reasonably demonstrate that level of academic prowess?

While your high MCAT score might win you consideration at an MD school after only 30 hours of great grades right before applying, your EC deficiencies and possible need to demonstrate further consistency in earning great grades may require consideration of an extra year in college, or some postbac work (possibly at a cheaper state school) so you can develop the best possible application.

Right now excellent grades, not ECs, are your primary goal. Don't get so over-involved in activities that you endanger your priority. Besides clinical experience and shadowing, a real research experience would be nice to see, as well as community service assisting the poor away from campus. Teaching is another desirable EC, though not required. You'll have leadership with the ski team and some campus nonmedical volunteerism, from what you've told us.

Thanks for the advice so far!

I'm in Biochem, Analytical Chem, and Cell Bio right now. Next year (studying abroad next semester) I'll be in a second Biochem, thermo chem, molecular biology, genetics, and maybe anat/phys (2 semesters). That makes the best possible outcome (all A's) a 3.53 sGPA or a 3.58 if I decide to take on anat/phys.

While studying abroad in South Africa I'll be volunteering on a weekly basis at different poor villages, sometimes as a teacher and sometimes just general (cooking food, helping out, etc.). I'm pretty sure there will be opportunities for me to volunteer in a hospital while there as well.

I've just contacted the premed club on campus and am seeking some form of leadership in that area, probably as a mentor. I figure I'm the perfect example of what not to do, so I'll be able to stress the opposite in my role really well!

Adcomms at US med schools will want to see US-based clinical experience and shadowing on your application.

Your plan for coursework sounds great, but: Are you sure that grades earned in the study abroad program will be reported as letter grades on your school's transcript (and in a timely manner)? It isn't uncommon for study abroad grades to be translated into a P/F designation. And this will not help you at all. Further, if you don't understand how the grading system works in S Africa, it could ruin your GPA. We've seen this happen.

I plan on shadowing and getting clinical experience in the US during the next few months before I go abroad as well. I'm getting in contact with doctors and researching hospitals that will accommodate volunteers who put things off until they become urgent.

I don't anticipate any grades from SA in Spring 2012 transferring over so I didn't factor those into the calculations. Those classes are for Fall 2012 and Spring 2013.

Looking to the future: if I end up shadowing and volunteering in a hospital from now until February 1st then study abroad and do general volunteering there, will that be enough for an application? Would the better option be waiting until after I graduate to apply to schools and have a gap year to develop more?

It's not impossible that you'd get an acceptance with only 9 months of clinical experience, a good chunk of which was attained internationally, especially if you apply to schools that would love to add your MCAT score to their statistics. But there is no surety that you will be successful in the next cycle. It would be the better choice to wait to apply until June 2013, having had that additional year to make your ECs all that they can be, including research, local nonmedical community service, clinical experience, and a range of shadowing experiences, amid which your S African experience will stand out, rather than be a substitute for general expectations.