Do my lack of EC's hurt my chances?

[LittleDavidBigger]

I feel good about my numbers but I'm worried I will not stand out because I don't have an impressive resume of EC's.

I'm a non-traditional, married student. Biology major/chemistry minor. First MCAT was a 24 (10,6,8). Second MCAT was 32 (11,8,13). 3.9 sGPA and cGPA.

My downfall: 50 hours shadowing DO, 100 hours volunteering at local hospital in OR, 80 hours volunteering as a reading tutor to grade school children. I have a couple club involvements but NO leadership positions in them ( unless I count being a manager at my job). My problem was that I've worked almost full time throughout undergrad at a non-health related job that I could barely find time to get more healthcare experience.

I feel that I'm not as well rounded as my peers that have great experiences like: EMT, paramedic, patient advocate, relief work in [ insert 3rd world country], stellar research at awesome university, etc....

So far I have interviewed at LECOM-E and have scheduled interviews at LMU, WVSOM, VCOM, PNWU, RVU, Western-lebanon, and ATSU-KCOM. I am still waiting for a response from Oklahoma state.

So does it sound like I'm in good standing on getting an acceptance or will my lack of EC's be my downfall?

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[pollos]

You already have a big number of interviews, that means they want you they just want to make sure you're not crazy/antisocial. I think your EC's are not a huge concern now and you'll be seeing an acceptance this cycle!

 

[Goro]

I think you'll do quite well; quit fussing!

I feel good about my numbers but I'm worried I will not stand out because I don't have an impressive resume of EC's.

I'm a non-traditional, married student. Biology major/chemistry minor. First MCAT was a 24 (10,6,8). Second MCAT was 32 (11,8,13). 3.9 sGPA and cGPA.

My downfall: 50 hours shadowing DO, 100 hours volunteering at local hospital in OR, 80 hours volunteering as a reading tutor to grade school children. I have a couple club involvements but NO leadership positions in them ( unless I count being a manager at my job). My problem was that I've worked almost full time throughout undergrad at a non-health related job that I could barely find time to get more healthcare experience.

I feel that I'm not as well rounded as my peers that have great experiences like: EMT, paramedic, patient advocate, relief work in [ insert 3rd world country], stellar research at awesome university, etc....

So far I have interviewed at LECOM-E and have scheduled interviews at LMU, WVSOM, VCOM, PNWU, RVU, Western-lebanon, and ATSU-KCOM. I am still waiting for a response from Oklahoma state.

So does it sound like I'm in good standing on getting an acceptance or will my lack of EC's be my downfall?

 

[LittleDavidBigger]

Thanks. I guess I just tend to have this inferiority complex about me sometimes when being compared to some rock stars.

 

[baxt1412]

I don't think I would consider any of that to be a lack of ECs. Seems like you are well rounded in your ECs and I don't think I would call any of them short on hours. The schools wouldn't be interviewing you if they hated your application. You don't have to have direct patient care to get into allo or osteo school.

Off topic, but I'm interested in what you did as a volunteer in the OR.

 

[LittleDavidBigger]

I don't think I would consider any of that to be a lack of ECs. Seems like you are well rounded in your ECs and I don't think I would call any of them short on hours. The schools wouldn't be interviewing you if they hated your application. You don't have to have direct patient care to get into allo or osteo school.

Off topic, but I'm interested in what you did as a volunteer in the OR.

Basically I worked with the cleaning ladies. We cleaned the suites after surgery, transported patients, and stocked supplies. The major benefit was getting to sit in on surgeries and talk to doctors and nurses as well as get some minor patient interaction.

 

[baxt1412]

Basically I worked with the cleaning ladies. We cleaned the suites after surgery, transported patients, and stocked supplies. The major benefit was getting to sit in on surgeries and talk to doctors and nurses as well as get some minor patient interaction.

Yeah that's just about as good as you can get in a hospital honestly. I volunteered in the ER and radiation oncology clinics basically just turning over rooms. The nice part about the ER is I transported patients for scans, etc as well so that was nice.

Good luck on your cycle!! I think you stand a great chance if you have gotten this many IIs!

 

[karling]

My stats are similar to yours (slightly lower cGPA and slightly higher MCAT) and I also have similar ECs. Like you, I was worried that my relatively weak ECs would be a serious negative, but seeing how many IIs you received has made me a little more optimistic.

You should be excited about how many interviews you'll get to go to. Those are great odds of getting an acceptance (or 5).

 

[PlasticBag]

You already have plenty of interviews so you're probably underestimating yourself. Your work experience, personal statement, the way you described your ECs, etc. must have been much better than you think.

Also, almost everyone is insecure about something. I have the opposite problem you have -- I have quite a lot of ECs but despite being a bit older and nontraditional, I have zero paid work experience and I'm really worried it will look bad. So from my perspective, you're in a better shape!

Good luck on your interviews!

 

[nontrad78]

I started out feeling the same way you do. I'm not saying I'm over it, but I do have to remind myself that I'm not really competing with 'rock stars'. I think the measuring stick admission committees use (at least in the DO world) for non-traditional students is very different than that used for traditional graduates. And this mythical applicant, who we all tend to compare ourselves to, isn't filling out the ranks in many schools across the country. MD or DO.
As others have pointed out, you obviously have something interesting in your application or you wouldn't have the amount of interviews you do.

EDIT: I just looked back. You have 8 (!!!) interviews. It's time to relax and enjoy the ride. There are tons of people out there still just hoping for 1.

 

[LittleDavidBigger]

Ok this all really helps. It's nice to have some outside perspectives on the topic. Thank you all for your input.