3.8, Last Year

[WWR2014]

3.8 GPA (BCPM and cumulative)
MCAT January 2015
Graduating May 2015
Applying June 2015

The following reflect the hours I will accumulate by application season. My main question is whether or not my limited non-clinical volunteer experience will hold me back?

~500 hours of leadership in 2 student organizations
~1100 hours of paid teaching and lab TAing
~1200 hours of research with 3 poster presentations in 2 different labs
~1000 hours of paid ER scribing
~200 hours of volunteering in hospital (clinical)
~140 hours of office volunteering for MDA (nonclinical)
Research paper (not bench research) published in state-wide database

I would love to get into a MD/PhD program or any research-based institution but understand that I have to be realistic. My practice exams (although not the real thing!) are between 34 and 38. When I get my MCAT score I will focus more on a tentative school list but the major purpose of this post is to gauge how my application will be if I keep up with what I'm doing but still only get about 100-150 hours of non-clinical volunteering. Thanks for any help.

Also, I have an entire semester (about 20 hours) of Ws from community college. Parents divorced, had to find a job and somewhere to live, did, went back the next semester and then transferred. Don't know how this will be viewed either.

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[Lamel]

For application purposes I think 100-150 hours will be fine if you start now.

Your W's will be okay as well due to your reason.

 

[WWR2014]

Thanks so much for the input! Much appreciated.

 

[Catalystik]

3.8 GPA (BCPM and cumulative)
MCAT January 2015
Graduating May 2015
Applying June 2015

The following reflect the hours I will accumulate by application season. My main question is whether or not my limited non-clinical volunteer experience will hold me back?

~500 hours of leadership in 2 student organizations
~1100 hours of paid teaching and lab TAing
~1200 hours of research with 3 poster presentations in 2 different labs
~1000 hours of paid ER scribing
~200 hours of volunteering in hospital (clinical)
~140 hours of office volunteering for MDA (nonclinical)
Research paper (not bench research) published in state-wide database

I would love to get into a MD/PhD program or any research-based institution but understand that I have to be realistic. My practice exams (although not the real thing!) are between 34 and 38. When I get my MCAT score I will focus more on a tentative school list but the major purpose of this post is to gauge how my application will be if I keep up with what I'm doing but still only get about 100-150 hours of non-clinical volunteering. Thanks for any help.

Also, I have an entire semester (about 20 hours) of Ws from community college. Parents divorced, had to find a job and somewhere to live, did, went back the next semester and then transferred. Don't know how this will be viewed either.

I think you'd be fine for schools that don't specify a mission of serving those in need (like the Jesuit schools, HBMCs, Loma Linda, and USC). I do suggest that even though scribing implies physician shadowing as well, that you try to get in a formal shadowing experience in an office-based setting, for an experience of longitudinal care. With your ED contacts, that shouldn't be difficult.

 

[WWR2014]

Oh yeah! Shadowing is important. I'm willing to make adjustments with my commitments in order to get into target programs. I have an opportunity to tutor kids after school this upcoming year on a volunteer-basis so I think I might dive into that. If it widens my prospects, that's an added bonus. I'm an NC resident so I know UNC is very service-oriented, which I appreciate.