Clinical Experience, Research, and Service Hour Goals to Aim For?

[Slopes&Stethoscopes]

Hello everyone,

I am currently a Junior in undergrad, and right now I am taking Biochemistry, Orgo 2, and studying for the MCAT. With all of these things going on, I have found it difficult to stay on pace with the very lofty number of clinical/service/research hours that I was hoping to be able to apply with Senior year (next cycle, June 2024). Because of this, I am trying to set some more realistic goals to aim to achieve in each category by the time I apply, so that I can get enough sleep and maintain my mental health. These are the goals I had in mind:

Clinical Experience: ~500 hours

Non-Clinical Volunteering/Community Service: ~500 hours

Research: ~500 hours

Shadowing: ~80 hours

I know that every year it seems like the threshold of hours needed in these categories to be competitive gets bigger and bigger, so I was wondering if these targets are a safe bet to be competitive for MD schools next cycle? I also was hoping to apply to some T20 schools as reaches, and was worried that these targets might not cut it for some of those high tier schools.

Would it be wise of me to apply next year if I am able to achieve these numbers, or do I need to consider taking a second gap year (as I will already be taking one if I apply after my senior year) in order to bump these hours into a more competitive range? Thank you so much for any and all advice!

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[Mr.Smile12]

I know that every year it seems like the threshold of hours needed in these categories to be competitive gets bigger and bigger, so I was wondering if these targets are a safe bet to be competitive for MD schools next cycle?

I don't know where you are getting this advice. You met the minimum expectation of hours. Quality and mission fit matter after that. If you want "insane" number of hours, plan your gap years so you can be a truly competitive applicant. But that's not the point.

The research number could be a little higher but not every applicant wants to do research. If it matters to you, 500 to 1500 hours is generally a good range but you have to love the unproductive aspect of research. What you get out of research is more important.

Fill out a WAMC with an MCAT. We will see if you need Casper and PREview too.

 

[Slopes&Stethoscopes]

I don't know where you are getting this advice. You met the minimum expectation of hours. Quality and mission fit matter after that. If you want "insane" number of hours, plan your gap years so you can be a truly competitive applicant. But that's not the point.

The research number could be a little higher but not every applicant wants to do research. If it matters to you, 500 to 1500 hours is generally a good range but you have to love the unproductive aspect of research. What you get out of research is more important.

Fill out a WAMC with an MCAT. We will see if you need Casper and PREview too.

Thank you so much for your help! In terms of my research hours, assuming that those were the only limiting factor in my application and my Clinical/Service hours already hit the minimum requirements, would it be worth taking a second gap year just to bump up my research hours?

I wouldn't want my lower research hours to be the one thing keeping me out of being competitive to top 20 schools, but I also don't know if it would be worth putting off applying a whole extra year to get my research hours up a few hundred more to around 800 when all of the other aspects of my app wouldn't need an extra gap year. Thank you!

 

[Mr.Smile12]

Thank you so much for your help! In terms of my research hours, assuming that those were the only limiting factor in my application and my Clinical/Service hours already hit the minimum requirements, would it be worth taking a second gap year just to bump up my research hours?

I wouldn't want my lower research hours to be the one thing keeping me out of being competitive to top 20 schools, but I also don't know if it would be worth putting off applying a whole extra year to get my research hours up a few hundred more to around 800 when all of the other aspects of my app wouldn't need an extra gap year. Thank you!

Fill out a WAMC for a complete diagnostic (to the limits of what one can do on the internet).

 

[Slopes&Stethoscopes]

Fill out a WAMC for a complete diagnostic (to the limits of what one can do on the internet).

Ok, will do once I get my MCAT score back. Thank you again for taking the time to help me!

 

[SahilMehtaMD]

I think those are all very solid numbers. The only reason to take a gap year to do more is if you're planning to "position" your application in a certain way. For instance, if you want to present yourself to ad coms as very research and science-oriented, it might pay to get a ton of research experience and build very strong relationships with your PIs. Or if want to position yourself as having lots of patient experience, it might pay to get more clinical experience.

Basically, it sounds like you're going to meet schools' expectations in terms of numbers. Now it might be time to think about what unique story you want to tell in your application. Try to think about what you'd like to be able to say in your personal statement/activities section, then pursue activities that will allow you to tell that story.

 

[Slopes&Stethoscopes]

I think those are all very solid numbers. The only reason to take a gap year to do more is if you're planning to "position" your application in a certain way. For instance, if you want to present yourself to ad coms as very research and science-oriented, it might pay to get a ton of research experience and build very strong relationships with your PIs. Or if want to position yourself as having lots of patient experience, it might pay to get more clinical experience.

Basically, it sounds like you're going to meet schools' expectations in terms of numbers. Now it might be time to think about what unique story you want to tell in your application. Try to think about what you'd like to be able to say in your personal statement/activities section, then pursue activities that will allow you to tell that story.

That makes a lot of sense! I feel like setting the physical number of hours aside, I have been very reflective and engaged in my experiences, and have a strong understanding of what I have gained from them, and how these experiences will shape me as I continue through the process of becoming a physician. For that reason, I feel that the main thing driving my concern for the need to take a second gap year is simply the numerical portion of each experience, and not the need to gain more insight/reflection.

 

[Mr.Smile12]

Thank you so much for your help! In terms of my research hours, assuming that those were the only limiting factor in my application and my Clinical/Service hours already hit the minimum requirements, would it be worth taking a second gap year just to bump up my research hours?

I wouldn't want my lower research hours to be the one thing keeping me out of being competitive to top 20 schools, but I also don't know if it would be worth putting off applying a whole extra year to get my research hours up a few hundred more to around 800 when all of the other aspects of my app wouldn't need an extra gap year. Thank you!

You seem to be only concerned about your numbers. I see no evidence you understand the importance of reflection in any of your responses. We have advised you to not focus so much on the hours, but you continue to do so.

Good research doesn't rely on just numbers and is associated with your actual project and responsibilities. 800 might be enough with the right project. That was your opportunity to show you can adequately reflect upon your experience.

 

[Slopes&Stethoscopes]

You seem to be only concerned about your numbers. I see no evidence you understand the importance of reflection in any of your responses. We have advised you to not focus so much on the hours, but you continue to do so.

Good research doesn't rely on just numbers and is associated with your actual project and responsibilities. 800 might be enough with the right project. That was your opportunity to show you can adequately reflect upon your experience.

That makes sense, I will definitely work on shifting my focus away from hours and more towards reflection and finding meaning in my research and activities. I think my fear was that my reflections and writing about my activities wouldn't carry as much weight if there wasn't a large amount of hours to go with it, but I will try to get out of that mindset. Thank you again for your advice, I really appreciate it!