MD Suggestions to improve my application

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I just finished my sophomore year of college at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities. By the end of this year I will likely have a co-authorship in a stem cell related research study, as well as have completed a research project for the undergraduate research opportunity program. I'm currently volunteering in the lab, and so far have no other volunteer experience for my med school apps. I am considering applying to a research associates program at a nearby hospital for this fall and/or next summer. I was wondering how competitive I would be for mid-tier and top-tier schools if I did this program, was published, and ended up with a 3.8 GPA in my Chem/Biochem majors by the time that I apply for medical school. Also, what else could I be doing in my free time to improve my app. I can't do a large number of things during fall and spring semester due to the high course load that I am taking for my dual majors.

Thanks for the input!

Originally Posted by umnpremed

I just finished my sophomore year of college at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities. By the end of this year I will likely have a co-authorship in a stem cell related research study, as well as have completed a research project for the undergraduate research opportunity program. I'm currently volunteering in the lab, and so far have no other volunteer experience for my med school apps. I am considering applying to a research associates program at a nearby hospital for this fall and/or next summer. I was wondering how competitive I would be for mid-tier and top-tier schools if I did this program, was published, and ended up with a 3.8 GPA in my Chem/Biochem majors by the time that I apply for medical school. Also, what else could I be doing in my free time to improve my app. I can't do a large number of things during fall and spring semester due to the high course load that I am taking for my dual majors.

Thanks for the input!

Well my during my first semester at college, that's the same thing I said to my premed advisor, that I'm working 30 hours a week and have a full course load and theres no way I can do more. She told me that she doesn't care and that I need to still volunteer at a hospital. Regardless of what you're doing, you should get a feel of working in the hospital environment. No matter how bad your courseload looks, I'm sure you can take out 2 or 3 hours a week. Volunteer at a hospital or shadow a physician. But, do get some medically related experience.

Originally Posted by cyanide12345678

Well my during my first semester at college, that's the same thing I said to my premed advisor, that I'm working 30 hours a week and have a full course load and theres no way I can do more. She told me that she doesn't care and that I need to still volunteer at a hospital. Regardless of what you're doing, you should get a feel of working in the hospital environment. No matter how bad your courseload looks, I'm sure you can take out 2 or 3 hours a week. Volunteer at a hospital or shadow a physician. But, do get some medically related experience.

Your experience is very different from OP. Medical schools will take into consideration the fact that you had to work. Like you said, you still have to do some of the activities necessary to get accepted, but they will show some leniency with you. In OP's situation, he/she is CHOOSING to do all of these research activities and not do anything else. OP, it is great that you are doing all of the research and it will definitely look great on your application; however, if you do not cover all of your bases in terms of shadowing, clinical volunteering, non-clinical volunteering, maybe 1-2 extracurriculars, you are going to have a tough time getting accepted. So far, you've done nothing outside of research so that means you have shown adcoms that you want to get a PhD and pursue a career in research. What about your application right now could possibly make an adcom believe you want to be a physician? It's not about you just saying you want to be a doctor; you have to show (through your experiences and activities) you want to be one. Even if you finish with a 3.8, you are not currently a competitive applicant for medical school. The most important thing you can do asap is get clinical volunteering and shadowing. Do you have any leadership roles you've participated in? If so, this will be good on your app too. You may be better suited for an MD/PhD at this point if that is something you would consider doing. Someone can correct me if I am wrong, but I'm pretty sure they are more lenient with extracurriculars and are more focused on your research and pubs. I'm sure they probably want to see some shadowing too though.

Alright, my research side of things seems to be pretty solid, but I need to work on my volunteer side of things quite a bit. I currently belong to a professional chemistry fraternity, and have participated in outreach and committee leadership roles. I was thinking of applying as a volunteer to a nearby hospital (regions, HCMC, etc...) this week so I can get started ASAP. As far as extracurrics, what kind of things should I be looking to do? Purely hobbies and personal interests, or should I be aiming to do some sort of volunteer related (non-clinical) activity? Thanks for the responses!

First and foremost, you need clinical experience. Shadowing, volunteering in a hospital, anywhere that you are interacting with (or smelling) patients.

Originally Posted by umnpremed

As far as extracurrics, what kind of things should I be looking to do? Purely hobbies and personal interests, or should I be aiming to do some sort of volunteer related (non-clinical) activity? Thanks for the responses!

Pursue whatever interests you and try for a long-term commitment. Bonus points if you can hold some kind of leadership position. Just don't do something that you don't like just because you think med schools will like it. You will be asked in interviews to talk about your activities and interests, and it will make a big difference if you can talk about an activity you loved rather than one you just did because it looked good.