Another Adcom, ask me (almost) anything

[Noctámbulo]

I'll answer this for you.

I have a TON of experience working in HIV/ID. Think international work, coursework, jobs, etc.

Then I started working in surgical research. It blew my mind. I'm far more interested in surgery than in medicine now and I never would have thought that 2 years ago.

The sandbox is pretty big, don't just stick and play in a corner. A lot of what you learned is no doubt awesome, but keep an open mind and you might find something else that interests you. A lot of the skills you have will transfer over. If I were you, I'd stress an interest in that area but say that you're interested in exploring. Say what appeals to you about the work you're doing though as that's important for the 'why medicine' bit.

Absolutely. If I were interested in applying MD-only, that would certainly be my approach. However, I wonder if there is a different expectation for MD/PhD applicants. My interest for medicine is by and large fueled by my research interests. As much as I believe in the importance of keeping an open mind, I would hate for there to be a stigma against having specific academic goals in medicine. Nothing wrong with being genuinely interested in a topic (which, as it turns out, will be an obvious pattern in my application). Thoughts?

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[ridethecliche]

Absolutely. If I were interested in applying MD-only, that would certainly be my approach. However, I wonder if there is a different expectation for MD/PhD applicants. My interest for medicine is by and large fueled by my research interests. As much as I believe in the importance of keeping an open mind, I would hate for there to be a stigma against having specific academic goals in medicine. Nothing wrong with being genuinely interested in a topic (which, as it turns out, will be an obvious pattern in my application). Thoughts?

I think you should definitely mention your current interests as your work till now will get you those interviews, however, you do some clinical work so it's not unheard of to be interested in something else.

You should definitely talk about your work, but I think the fact that you know to do good science is more important than what it was at this point. Unless you've had a few super high impact factor publications. I wish I'd seen this yesterday. Would have run it by an md PhD attending friend I was on the phone with last night.

 

[hushcom]

Absolutely. If I were interested in applying MD-only, that would certainly be my approach. However, I wonder if there is a different expectation for MD/PhD applicants. My interest for medicine is by and large fueled by my research interests. As much as I believe in the importance of keeping an open mind, I would hate for there to be a stigma against having specific academic goals in medicine. Nothing wrong with being genuinely interested in a topic (which, as it turns out, will be an obvious pattern in my application). Thoughts?

MD/PhD admissions play by a whole different set of rules. The innumerable sub-fields of biomedical research tend to be rather insular and pedigree-driven, as I am sure you have noticed, and the selection process tends to reflect that.

 

[FFH]

MD/PhD admissions play be a whole different set of rules. The innumerable sub-fields of biomedical research tend to be rather insular and pedigree-driven, as I am sure you have noticed, and the selection process tends to reflect that.

Coming from an former MSTP applicant who failed to get in without much to see on her pedigree tree, I agree.

Absolutely. If I were interested in applying MD-only, that would certainly be my approach. However, I wonder if there is a different expectation for MD/PhD applicants. My interest for medicine is by and large fueled by my research interests. As much as I believe in the importance of keeping an open mind, I would hate for there to be a stigma against having specific academic goals in medicine. Nothing wrong with being genuinely interested in a topic (which, as it turns out, will be an obvious pattern in my application). Thoughts?

And depends on how the admission process is set up the expectation would be a little different. Some schools have a separate MSTP Adcom so you'll only need to impress them with more research heavy app. Some schools have it separately, you'll have to impress MD Adcom with your clinical experience and Graduate school with your research.

I knew this because I applied to MSTP before, having uber strong research at the time, I was welcomed wholeheartedly by the graduate school--it wasn't so much of an interview more like multiple recruitment sessions and tours to various labs lead by the PI themselves, but having little to no clinical experience killed me in the MD portion. So if you lack clinical motivations, apply to schools who have a separate committee for MSTP. I know Columbia does.

 

[wolfley]

I was going to disagree with hushcom till I saw you said 2016. That year will make the new test less of a mystery and put more time between the two tests. I think it'll be good to take the new one at that point unless the uncertainty is bothering you a lot and you're certain you're going to do better by 3-4 pts at the minimum.

Sorry I meant that I am applying to start med school in 2016, so I will be applying In 2015 and if I decided to retake the new mcat it would be the first administration of the new exam. I would not be considering doing this if 2 of my state schools didn't say they prefer the new exam.
Even though I'm signed up to retake this month I'm not certain I will do better by 3-4 pts. The first time I took the exam I was confident I would hit my aamc average of 32 but ended up with the 29. This time around my practice average is a 34. I wish I didn't have to retake it because Im happy with my 11 in VR and 11 in BS but the 7 in PS is killing me

 

[ridethecliche]

Yeah, if you're applying for next fall, then I would recommend taking the current one if you feel up for it.

You need to get a 32+ for it to be worth it.

 

[Ol'Lady]

If you survive the screen an upward trend is quite effective. We know that a lot of people have to adjust to college, and it's very common for people with decent freshman GPAs to struggle a bit during sophomore year. The key is that at some point you need to demonstrate that you can handle the academic rigor of med school. I have seen people get Bs and Cs in their prereqs during the first two years of college and load the last two years with fluff. That sort of upward trend is not very convincing.

would an AdCom notice that a student only took 2 years to complete a BS in Biology (i know the info to glean this fact is in the AAMC application, but there's SO much data in there, i'm wondering if a detail like that would get lost)? and would that impress them at all? The GPA was as you said a struggle to adjust the first year. but the second year was much better. though, calculating an average from only 2 years of undergrad leaves little wiggle room.

 

[hushcom]

would an AdCom notice that a student only took 2 years to complete a BS in Biology (i know the info to glean this fact is in the AAMC application, but there's SO much data in there, i'm wondering if a detail like that would get lost)? and would that impress them at all? The GPA was as you said a struggle to adjust the first year. but the second year was much better. though, calculating an average from only 2 years of undergrad leaves little wiggle room.

How did you do it? Tons of AP credit? Summer school? Maxing out your course load each semester? All of the above?

More importantly, how did you do?

 

[AppleMelba]

No idea how tapatalk managed to post something without me noticing. Can't figure out if I can delete it so just ignore me and carry on.

 

[LuluLovesMe]

How lethal is my GPA trend? I went from a 3.8 freshman year to a 3.2 senior year (the 3.2 was due to a C in Organic Chemistry 2, my only C). This left me with an overall GPA of 3.55.

My MCAT is 37 and I have above average extracurriculars. Over 2000 clinical hours as a CRC with daily patient contact and over 1000 venipunctures performed. I work closely with doctors, nurses and medical assistants as well. I've done bench research at a hospital for over a year as well (no publication though). In my 3 years at a suicide prevention hotline, I've also dealt with many emergency situations.

Would mid tier schools have any interest in interviewing me?

 

[typoncho]

Do schools ever invite applicants to interview strictly to pad their waitlist with no intention of matching the applicant? And if so, is there any chance that a stellar interview could move that student from a strictly waitlist spot to a matched spot?

 

[velodork]

Thanks for assisting all of us extra anxious pre-medi's!

1. Would you rather see an "average" (content wise) LOR from someone with lots of credentials, or a "good/above average" (content wise) LOR from someone with few credentials? Both would be coming from my job at a hospital so the letterhead would be identical.

2. What is an "optimal" (read: not annoying) number of LORs to submit in your opinion?

Thanks!

 

[Ol'Lady]

How did you do it? Tons of AP credit? Summer school? Maxing out your course load each semester? All of the above?

More importantly, how did you do?

yes. i had alot of AP credits.
i did overload myself with hard classes.

at that time, i was just thinking about graduating without putting out alot of money. (both of my parents were cleaning/maintenance crew.)

Freshman year i (F)ailed 2 chem classes and got a D in physics I...i just didn't adjust well to college and stopped going to class (i know...stupid move...)

i retook the chem classes the next semester and got A's.
on my college transcript they did a "grade forgiveness/replacement." they didn't require me to retake the physics to graduate-so at that time i didn't bother. but i did get an 11 on the PS section of the MCAT last year-i guess that's pretty good?

AAMC calculates everything, failed or not. So the undergrad cGPA for 2 years of college with 2 F's (and a D) is 3.37 the way that AAMC calculated it.

i then went on to do a Masters in Biology.
the GPA there was 3.68 (but again, we only took like 4 actual classes in grad school). and i co-authored on a paper (also in 2 years-which is not easy to do in mouse genetics, considering the breeding times, etc )

Another question for you:
i'm not the most wordy writer and didn't go into alot of description in my secondaries. i was very straightforward and direct. i don't think i used up the character limit in any of my secondaries. would that be taken as a sign that i just wasn't trying? i felt my responses, though sometimes brief, were thought-out and answered the actual questions being asked. (as my boss says "it's harder to write a good short email that a long bad one.")

 

[aristrutz523]

Hello I have a question! These are my summer options:
SMDEP vs.
REU vs.
Taking classes to fix a rough sGpa+clinical volunteering+ shadowing+self arranged research (hopefully)+working part time.
I know the programs are prestigious but would it be better to just fix my GPA and get my own clinical expriences/shadowing/etc or is a structured well-known program better?
Thanks so much!

 

[senzen]

Hi @hushcom I just want to start off by saying thanks for taking time out to answer all our questions. It is very much appreciated!

I was wondering if you'd be willing to check out a thread of mine? I also forgot to add that I had 2 WDs (withdrawals from courses) from those early couple of semesters. Same semesters where I received certain poor grades in other courses (F and Cs).

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/threads/explaining-bad-grades-chances.1115518/#post-16063735

I would like your perspective since you are an adcom at a medical school and can hopefully offer some advice and input on my situation (I am considering MD/DO schools). I will probably apply to some top MD schools but they are not a priority. I will apply broadly.

thank you again!

 

[hushcom]

How lethal is my GPA trend? I went from a 3.8 freshman year to a 3.2 senior year (the 3.2 was due to a C in Organic Chemistry 2, my only C). This left me with an overall GPA of 3.55.

My MCAT is 37 and I have above average extracurriculars. Over 2000 clinical hours as a CRC with daily patient contact and over 1000 venipunctures performed. I work closely with doctors, nurses and medical assistants as well. I've done bench research at a hospital for over a year as well (no publication though). In my 3 years at a suicide prevention hotline, I've also dealt with many emergency situations.

Would mid tier schools have any interest in interviewing me?

I have nothing to add to the list you posted the past Wednesday, which is @Goro approved:

Reach (5)
Case Western
Columbia
NYU Med
Boston University
Dartmouth

High Match (4)
U Rochester
Tufts
St Louis
Albert Einstein

Match (10)
SUNY Upstate
U Mass
Loyola
Wake Forest
Hofstra
Virginia Tech
Rosalind Franklin
U Vermont
Thomas Jefferson
Eastern Virginia Medical School

Low Match (7)
Albany Medical College
Virginia Commonwealth
Drexel
Rush
Quinnipiac
New York Medical College
Temple

 

[hushcom]

Do schools ever invite applicants to interview strictly to pad their waitlist with no intention of matching the applicant? And if so, is there any chance that a stellar interview could move that student from a strictly waitlist spot to a matched spot?

Schools make money through secondary fees. We actually expend resources on interviews, and padding a waitlist would serve no purpose.

A stellar interview can certainly boost our opinion of an applicant, but the interview is only one part of the process, and interviews themselves have limitations.

 

[Goro]

Lulu, how many times do you need to hear us say that you're a great candidate????

How lethal is my GPA trend? I went from a 3.8 freshman year to a 3.2 senior year (the 3.2 was due to a C in Organic Chemistry 2, my only C). This left me with an overall GPA of 3.55.

My MCAT is 37 and I have above average extracurriculars. Over 2000 clinical hours as a CRC with daily patient contact and over 1000 venipunctures performed. I work closely with doctors, nurses and medical assistants as well. I've done bench research at a hospital for over a year as well (no publication though). In my 3 years at a suicide prevention hotline, I've also dealt with many emergency situations.

Would mid tier schools have any interest in interviewing me?

 

[Gibbward]

Hello hushcom and thank you for helping out the SDN community!

I have two questions for you:

1. I volunteered in a daycare for children (6 months-2 years old) with neurological disorders for ~100 hrs and here, I assisted the occupational therapists and speech pathologists in activities that would help improve skills that the children need to be successful in every day life. I was in direct contact with the kids, and actively involved in the activities. I was wondering if this is technically considered clinical volunteering or if it's just general community service?

2. I am currently a 2nd year Chemistry graduate student, but I have decided to leave at the end of the semester with my Masters Degree. As an undergrad, I did a good amount of health related ECs (peer health education, involvement in AIDS and Cancer awareness organizations), the daycare volunteering I mentioned earlier, and did a total of ~ 50 hours of shadowing. I also have other non-clinical experiences like science tutoring, teaching chemistry labs, and being a resident advisor and a student disciplinary committee member.

My question is upon finishing my MA, do you think I need to add a lot more clinical hours to my profile or would weekly hospital/hospice volunteering be enough? I ask simply because I need to know if I can use my MA degree to get a job in the biotech industry so I can pay the bills while doing a few hours of volunteering on the side or if I need to focus on getting ER scribe jobs that do not pay a lot and would make my living situation very difficult. I've seriously considered doing an Americorps/Healthcorps program as well because I do like the volunteering aspect of it, but again, this might not get me a lot of clinical hours, because the work I would be doing is dependent on the site I would be placed in.

If it helps, I will be applying for the 2016-2017 cycle.

I apologize if this is a really long post, and thank you for any suggestions you could give me!

 

[hushcom]

Thanks for assisting all of us extra anxious pre-medi's!

1. Would you rather see an "average" (content wise) LOR from someone with lots of credentials, or a "good/above average" (content wise) LOR from someone with few credentials? Both would be coming from my job at a hospital so the letterhead would be identical.

2. What is an "optimal" (read: not annoying) number of LORs to submit in your opinion?

Thanks!

1. In the LOR game good is average. There are actually relatively few letters that truly stand out. I would generally opt for taking the stronger letter, although I am not sure what "lots of credentials" versus "few credentials" means.

2. At least three, but after five I glaze over.

 

[TheOneAndOnlyJamesFranco]

Hello Hushcom, thank you in advance for the advice!

I am in a sticky situation with the current MCAT and MCAT 2015. I am a senior and am signed up for 1/23, but I am averaging a 28 when I feel that I can do much better if I only had more time to study. (cGPA 3.8/sGPA3.7)

My question is such, should I void my exam in 12 days? Will having both scores and a subpar old MCAT score taint a better percentile score on the MCAT 2015? (Obviously assuming I do better on it)
Will I be at a disadvantage by placing myself in the middle of that venn diagram, potentially being compared in a pool of applicants in which I am not competitive in? Or should I only exist in the MCAT 2015 pool for the upcoming cycle?

The feeling of being on a cusp of a cusp excites me but also makes me quite anxious!

Thanks!

 

[moop]

Hello Hushcom, thank you in advance for the advice!

I am in a sticky situation with the current MCAT and MCAT 2015. I am a senior and am signed up for 1/23, but I am averaging a 28 when I feel that I can do much better if I only had more time to study. (cGPA 3.8/sGPA3.7)

My question is such, should I void my exam in 12 days? Will having both scores and a subpar old MCAT score taint a better percentile score on the MCAT 2015? (Obviously assuming I do better on it)
Will I be at a disadvantage by placing myself in the middle of that venn diagram, potentially being compared in a pool of applicants in which I am not competitive in? Or should I only exist in the MCAT 2015 pool for the upcoming cycle?

The feeling of being on a cusp of a cusp excites me but also makes me quite anxious!

Thanks!

Damn I knew Franco was serious about his graduate studies...but never expected you to go premed, bro...

 

[TheOneAndOnlyJamesFranco]

Damn I knew Franco was serious about his graduate studies...but never expected you to go premed, bro...

Haha yes, I hope I do not come off as unprofessional... since, as you know, I really do take my studies seriously

 

[takeurmeds02]

Hey Hushcom, thanks for taking the time to do this.

I work as a scribe in an ED and I spoke with a co-worker who did her medschool interviews within the last few months and she told me that one ADCOM member actually disregarded her experience as a scribe. The member said that it was not real clinical experience. What are your thoughts on scribing from an ADCOM standpoint; how much weight does it hold? Furthermore, roughly, what is the ratio of applicants who were once scribes?

thanks

(Edit: Sorry if this question has been answered within the previous 32 pages)

 

[moop]

Hey Hushcom, thanks for taking the time to do this.

I work as a scribe in an ED and I spoke with a co-worker who did her medschool interviews within the last few months and she told me that one ADCOM member actually disregarded her experience as a scribe. The member said that it was not real clinical experience. What are your thoughts on scribing from an ADCOM standpoint; how much weight does it hold? Furthermore, roughly, what is the ratio of applicants who were once scribes?

thanks

(Edit: Sorry if this question has been answered within the previous 32 pages)

Opinions on whether something "counts" and how "much weight" it holds are always going to be different. Individuals are different, even committees together are different. That being said, scribing should probably not be the only clinical experience you have on an app. Though LizzyM's definition counts it as clinical, as a scribe, you're not doing anything directly for the patients.

I don't see how the ratio of applicants who were scribes is relevant. How would anyone know besides a vague recollection of thousands of apps?

 

[ridethecliche]

How would you view an applicant with solely P/F grades(no gpa) accompanied by Narrative Evaluations: Assuming MCAT is on par with the school avg and the rest of the application is "acceptable"?

Woah woah woah where do you go to college? I've heard about this!

 

[takeurmeds02]

Opinions on whether something "counts" and how "much weight" it holds are always going to be different. Individuals are different, even committees together are different. That being said, scribing should probably not be the only clinical experience you have on an app. Though LizzyM's definition counts it as clinical, as a scribe, you're not doing anything directly for the patients.

I don't see how the ratio of applicants who were scribes is relevant. How would anyone know besides a vague recollection of thousands of apps?

While I do understand that opinions will differ, I thought it would be helpful to get an opinion from someone who actually sits on a commitee, as this is the whole point of this thread. For the most part, every question in this thread is going to be answered with an opinion.

As far as relevance and ratio, obviously I'm not asking of a specific number but it could be informative to know if your application may stand out because you scribe. If ADCOM sees every other applicant with scribing experience they may give less "weight" to the exprerience which translates to a revamp in how I may go about my application process. I've already gotten one opinion as I said in my first post. I just wanted another. But thank you for your responce; I'll take it into strong consideration.

 

[ral22]

I am a non-traditional student and have a question about clinical experience. I have a medically needy son and was recently given the opportunity to serve on the family council at the children's hospital he is treated at. It would be reviewing documents and, more importantly, giving lectures to med-students, residents, nurses, attendings, etc on the family perspective. Would you consider this clinical experience? Also, could I consider my part in my son's medical treatment clinical experience?

 

[Symmetry11]

Thank you for doing this Hushcom and Goro!

So I have an inconsistent academic record of good and bad grades with a lot of withdrawals. The inconsistency is due to having a poorly managed psychiatric issue for several years, schizoaffective disorder. My current gpa is a 3.1 with 10 W's and 23 IW's (these are non academic withdrawals which I petitioned for and won because I was unable to perform academically due to the poor management of my illness.)

I am doing a lot better right now and am trying to plan my future as best as I can. I will be applying to medical schools in 2017 after having finished 24 courses consisting of all my prereqs and many upper level science courses as I volunteer and possibly do research (i already have 1 year 1/2 of research) alongside prep for the MCAT in a post bacc program.

Assuming I do well in my courses from now until when I apply and my EC's are meaningful, do you think adcoms will give me a chance? Or will my past academic problems coupled with my psychiatric history be too much to overcome?

 

[Goro]

No and no. Asked and answered in another forum, too.

I am a non-traditional student and have a question about clinical experience. I have a medically needy son and was recently given the opportunity to serve on the family council at the children's hospital he is treated at. It would be reviewing documents and, more importantly, giving lectures to med-students, residents, nurses, attendings, etc on the family perspective. Would you consider this clinical experience? Also, could I consider my part in my son's medical treatment clinical experience?

 

[hushcom]

yes. i had alot of AP credits.
i did overload myself with hard classes.

at that time, i was just thinking about graduating without putting out alot of money. (both of my parents were cleaning/maintenance crew.)

Freshman year i (F)ailed 2 chem classes and got a D in physics I...i just didn't adjust well to college and stopped going to class (i know...stupid move...)

i retook the chem classes the next semester and got A's.
on my college transcript they did a "grade forgiveness/replacement." they didn't require me to retake the physics to graduate-so at that time i didn't bother. but i did get an 11 on the PS section of the MCAT last year-i guess that's pretty good?

AAMC calculates everything, failed or not. So the undergrad cGPA for 2 years of college with 2 F's (and a D) is 3.37 the way that AAMC calculated it.

i then went on to do a Masters in Biology.
the GPA there was 3.68 (but again, we only took like 4 actual classes in grad school). and i co-authored on a paper (also in 2 years-which is not easy to do in mouse genetics, considering the breeding times, etc )

Another question for you:
i'm not the most wordy writer and didn't go into alot of description in my secondaries. i was very straightforward and direct. i don't think i used up the character limit in any of my secondaries. would that be taken as a sign that i just wasn't trying? i felt my responses, though sometimes brief, were thought-out and answered the actual questions being asked. (as my boss says "it's harder to write a good short email that a long bad one.")

You have a decent academic record. A 3.4 undergrad and 3.7 grad means nobody will worry about you flunking out, assuming your MCAT score is solid. Would higher GPA's be better? Sure, but you are nowhere near high risk territory. Finishing quickly might get noticed and looked at favorably, the same way we give people some loose credit for working while going to school.

I happen to like terse secondary responses. After you finish answering the prompt please feel free to stop writing.

 

[hushcom]

Hello I have a question! These are my summer options:
SMDEP vs.
REU vs.
Taking classes to fix a rough sGpa+clinical volunteering+ shadowing+self arranged research (hopefully)+working part time.
I know the programs are prestigious but would it be better to just fix my GPA and get my own clinical expriences/shadowing/etc or is a structured well-known program better?
Thanks so much!

Unless you are retaking F's and applying DO, there is a limit to how much GPA repair one can accomplish in a single summer. I would probably do the SMDEP before anything else, as structured programs can give you access to clinical exposure and counseling that is otherwise very hard to come by.

 

[John Buster]

Hi @hushcom

First I would like to thank you for providing so many people with a lot of valuable insight into the paradigm of the admissions committees. This thread has served as a teacher and motivator.

I'll keep it short -

I lost 120lbs over the course of a couple years during undergrad. How can I go about including this on an application? My weight loss journey is a big part of my life and it would feel wrong to leave it out.

I apologize if something similar has been asked and already answered.

 

[Levrone]

Hi. Thank you for doing this.. I had a couple questions. Sorry if anything's been answered already


1) Is 1 and a half semesters of upward trend enough for it to be considered a good upward trend? As a sophomore and junior my GPA was going lower and lower all the way down to 3.5 (my semesters were 2.9, 3.4, 3.3, etc). But senior year fall semester I got a 4.0 w/ 15 credits and this semester I should get 4.0 9 credits plus taking mcat.. gpa will end up at 3.60.


2) I need 11 credits to graduate but need to take the mcat in May and need to devote time for that.. I was gonna take 9 credits now and skip bio-organic chem b/c it'd just take too much time to get the A for that imo.. Is that looked down on? delaying graduation and taking only 9 credits to study for the mcat? And would a 4.0 with 9 credits plus MCAT not be seen as favorably as a 4.0 with 15 credits w/ no mcat studying? Thanks.


oh and 3) What science classes are not as highly regarded? I remember goro said ecology is one of them. Would you consider parisitology another?

 

[Ol'Lady]

You have a decent academic record. A 3.4 undergrad and 3.7 grad means nobody will worry about you flunking out, assuming your MCAT score is solid. Would higher GPA's be better? Sure, but you are nowhere near high risk territory. Finishing quickly might get noticed and looked at favorably, the same way we give people some loose credit for working while going to school.

I happen to like terse secondary responses. After you finish answering the prompt please feel free to stop writing.

you give me some hope, hushcom. The MCAT was a 33 (12 bio, 11 physical, 10 verbal).

my other setback seems to be the "clinical experience"/patient contact. I'm a Clinical Laboratory Scientist. I did the year of rotations, which i think pretty much every med tech student does. i assumed (maybe naively) that adcoms would be aware of what it entails. So i didn't go into huge detail on it. but it did include phlebotomy, observing bone marrow taps, playing with pee, poo, and other body fluids...the usual med tech stuff-which was alot of fun. I worked as a generalist briefly and then moved onto a reference lab where i do flow cytometry (it's also pretty cool).

I'm hearing different opinions about this experience. Some feel it's not enough to really "know what you're getting into" as a doctor. Some say that being a Med Tech is looked upon favorably.

I do also have quite a bit of (successful) research and non-clinical volunteering. i'm a non-trad and actually just wanted to do the volunteer activities in my spare time. i feel weird calling them "extra-curriculars." they didn't seem "extra" to me. at the time i did them, it wasn't with the intention of applying to medical school.

 

[wheatthinners]

x

 

[hushcom]

Hi @hushcom I just want to start off by saying thanks for taking time out to answer all our questions. It is very much appreciated!

I was wondering if you'd be willing to check out a thread of mine? I also forgot to add that I had 2 WDs (withdrawals from courses) from those early couple of semesters. Same semesters where I received certain poor grades in other courses (F and Cs).

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/threads/explaining-bad-grades-chances.1115518/#post-16063735

I would like your perspective since you are an adcom at a medical school and can hopefully offer some advice and input on my situation (I am considering MD/DO schools). I will probably apply to some top MD schools but they are not a priority. I will apply broadly.

thank you again!

My learned colleagues have posted on the thread you linked and I have nothing substantive to add. Good luck!

 

[hushcom]

Hello hushcom and thank you for helping out the SDN community!

I have two questions for you:

1. I volunteered in a daycare for children (6 months-2 years old) with neurological disorders for ~100 hrs and here, I assisted the occupational therapists and speech pathologists in activities that would help improve skills that the children need to be successful in every day life. I was in direct contact with the kids, and actively involved in the activities. I was wondering if this is technically considered clinical volunteering or if it's just general community service?

2. I am currently a 2nd year Chemistry graduate student, but I have decided to leave at the end of the semester with my Masters Degree. As an undergrad, I did a good amount of health related ECs (peer health education, involvement in AIDS and Cancer awareness organizations), the daycare volunteering I mentioned earlier, and did a total of ~ 50 hours of shadowing. I also have other non-clinical experiences like science tutoring, teaching chemistry labs, and being a resident advisor and a student disciplinary committee member.

My question is upon finishing my MA, do you think I need to add a lot more clinical hours to my profile or would weekly hospital/hospice volunteering be enough? I ask simply because I need to know if I can use my MA degree to get a job in the biotech industry so I can pay the bills while doing a few hours of volunteering on the side or if I need to focus on getting ER scribe jobs that do not pay a lot and would make my living situation very difficult. I've seriously considered doing an Americorps/Healthcorps program as well because I do like the volunteering aspect of it, but again, this might not get me a lot of clinical hours, because the work I would be doing is dependent on the site I would be placed in.

If it helps, I will be applying for the 2016-2017 cycle.

I apologize if this is a really long post, and thank you for any suggestions you could give me!

1. I would call it community service for medical admissions, although you can certain mention the fact that you interacted with OTs and SPs.

2. Staying alive and solvent is your first priority. Given that you are not starting from scratch, my advice is to get the best job you can and fill in additional ECs around it.

 

[hushcom]

Hello Hushcom, thank you in advance for the advice!

I am in a sticky situation with the current MCAT and MCAT 2015. I am a senior and am signed up for 1/23, but I am averaging a 28 when I feel that I can do much better if I only had more time to study. (cGPA 3.8/sGPA3.7)

My question is such, should I void my exam in 12 days? Will having both scores and a subpar old MCAT score taint a better percentile score on the MCAT 2015? (Obviously assuming I do better on it)
Will I be at a disadvantage by placing myself in the middle of that venn diagram, potentially being compared in a pool of applicants in which I am not competitive in? Or should I only exist in the MCAT 2015 pool for the upcoming cycle?

The feeling of being on a cusp of a cusp excites me but also makes me quite anxious!

Thanks!

See the part I bolded. I think you have answered your own question.

 

[LuluLovesMe]

Hi Hushcom, I have a few questions!

1. Who makes the final decision to give interviews? How many people are involved in that decision process?

2. How much will finishing my primary in early August hurt my app? That's the earliest my school sends out committee letters. Do you start to get more selective with giving out interviews by then?

 

[hushcom]

Hey Hushcom, thanks for taking the time to do this.

I work as a scribe in an ED and I spoke with a co-worker who did her medschool interviews within the last few months and she told me that one ADCOM member actually disregarded her experience as a scribe. The member said that it was not real clinical experience. What are your thoughts on scribing from an ADCOM standpoint; how much weight does it hold? Furthermore, roughly, what is the ratio of applicants who were once scribes?

thanks

(Edit: Sorry if this question has been answered within the previous 32 pages)

I actually like scribing experience, although I agree with moop that it should not be your only one. I am sure there is much variance of opinion on this topic.

With regard to the ratio question, I have no idea.

 

[hushcom]

I am a non-traditional student and have a question about clinical experience. I have a medically needy son and was recently given the opportunity to serve on the family council at the children's hospital he is treated at. It would be reviewing documents and, more importantly, giving lectures to med-students, residents, nurses, attendings, etc on the family perspective. Would you consider this clinical experience? Also, could I consider my part in my son's medical treatment clinical experience?

Agree with Goro. Clinical experience puts you in a setting where providers are administering care to patients you do not know. What you have described above is something different, although certainly valuable in its own right.

 

[Gibbward]

Thanks for replying! Just as a follow up to my 2nd question:

Although I would not prefer this, I could move back in with my parents and try to find a scribe position somewhere in their area. This gives me a bit more flexibility with volunteer hours/job opportunities/MCAT prep since I won't have to worry about paying for rent and food. Taking this option into consideration, do you think it would be more favorable to get as many clinical experience hours as I can by any means possible or would it still be acceptable if I only do a few hours of volunteering hours a week a long with a decent job that will keep me afloat?

1. I would call it community service for medical admissions, although you can certain mention the fact that you interacted with OTs and SPs.

2. Staying alive and solvent is your first priority. Given that you are not starting from scratch, my advice is to get the best job you can and fill in additional ECs around it.

 

[hushcom]

Thank you for doing this Hushcom and Goro!

So I have an inconsistent academic record of good and bad grades with a lot of withdrawals. The inconsistency is due to having a poorly managed psychiatric issue for several years, schizoaffective disorder. My current gpa is a 3.1 with 10 W's and 23 IW's (these are non academic withdrawals which I petitioned for and won because I was unable to perform academically due to the poor management of my illness.)

I am doing a lot better right now and am trying to plan my future as best as I can. I will be applying to medical schools in 2017 after having finished 24 courses consisting of all my prereqs and many upper level science courses as I volunteer and possibly do research (i already have 1 year 1/2 of research) alongside prep for the MCAT in a post bacc program.

Assuming I do well in my courses from now until when I apply and my EC's are meaningful, do you think adcoms will give me a chance? Or will my past academic problems coupled with my psychiatric history be too much to overcome?

With your academic record alone it will be difficult to get an allopathic acceptance without serious reinvention, and medical training is decidedly not kind to individuals with psychiatric illnesses. Are you sure you want to go down this road?

 

[Graywolf]

I am sure even the sanest individuals "go a little schizo" after 80 hour work weeks with a lack of sleep. Mental resilience and being consistent day in and day out is a very important trait for a resident. No disrespect to your condition. Good luck

 

[ral22]

My new job pays for 100% of any classes I want to take there, would it be better to do a post-bacc or a masters in a science (both would be part time and the masters is designed to be done while working)?

 

[RC4L]

Thank you.

 

[Symmetry11]

I want a career in medicine more than anything. What constitutes reinvention for your school? ive estimated that I can bring my GPA up to a 3.5 by the time I apply. Will a great >3.8 upward trend coupled with a great >34 MCAT be good enough? Also I have no objection to going osteopathic, so could you Goro please give me some advice as well? And if that doesnt work out then I will try for the Caribbean. But that is a last resort for obvious reasons. I just want to know if there will be any hope for me to get into a US medical school?

Also, should I avoid explicitly stating that I have a psychiatric disorder? Because I would think that adcoms would want to know why I have so many withdrawals. Should I not even mention this in my PS? If not, than can I apply disadvantaged on my med school app?

 

[Graywolf]

My new job pays for 100% of any classes I want to take there, would it be better to do a post-bacc or a masters in a science (both would be part time and the masters is designed to be done while working)?

I'm no adcom, so take it for what it's worth: I would hop on this opportunity. I took two classes after college to get some updated LORs and for personal interest. As a "non-degree seeking student" it cost me $800 up front for each class at a state school. That's a lot of potential $$ your new employment is giving you.

Post-bacc vs Masters - I would go for a masters in something health related, ideally MPH if offered (assuming you are already going for a science-heavy major in undergraduate). With today's increasing competition to obtain residency positions, especially in the most competitive specialties, having a Masters may be a notable additional to your resume. It is not uncommon for people to expand the traditional tenure at a med school into 5 years to get these additional degrees on top of their MD, so take this golden ticket and do it while you can. However, do not let the additional classes take the place of the bread and butter items, such as community involvement and clinical exposure.

 

[Heroberk]

Hi hushcom,
Many of your replies have been incredibly informative. I was hoping to get some of your thoughts:

1. I am concerned about my science letter of recs. Unfortunately, due to some lack of focus in my first 2 years I did not develop the requisite relationships to get a stellar letter from my science courses. When I actually started to focus (by my junior/senior year), my relationships were all with non-science (public health major). How can I resolve this issue considering schools that require 1-2 science? Should I go take classes as a non-traditional student at a local university?

EDIT: Or should I just focus on developing aspects like clinical experience?

2. I am currently working at an organization that produces Continuing Medical Education (CME) activities. I am responsible for researching physician practice gaps/needs, writing grants (>$10,000), and developing relationships with physicians. Although this could never override clinical experience, I really do enjoy the work. And it has truly brought me a better sense of a physician's life outside of direct patient care. As an adcom, have you encountered many CME related backgrounds? How does your committee view them?

Cheers.