EC Question

[D3athstroke]

So I'm going to be entering my junior year and don't have any EC's to prove myself. However, I would like to apply next Summer to medical school without taking a gap year.

Assuming my GPA and MCAT score is okay, and that I can get decent hours (but more importantly, satisfaction and learning through experience) from clinical volunteering, shadowing, non-clinical volunteering, and so forth, will I be okay to apply next Summer?

I understand some applicants have been volunteering and whatnot for years., but I just wanted your opinions and all!

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[HCHopeful]

If you have one year and an adequate amount of hours with average to above-average stats, you will be okay. While having more than one year of commitment is seen as beneficial, the hours are the more necessary aspect. Good luck with getting those hours!

 

[D3athstroke]

@HCHopeful: Thanks so much.

 

[AvacadosAtLaw]

While it looks better to show commitment by doing activities for multiple years, you will probably still be okay as long as you get the necessary hours. Remember that the rule of thumb on SDN is you should have at least 50 shadowing, 150-200 clinical experience, and 150-200 volunteering (clinical or non-clinical).

 

[D3athstroke]

@AvacadosAtLaw: Thanks! Do you think interviewers for medical school would ask why I didn't volunteer the years prior? I really wouldn't know what to say.

 

[AvacadosAtLaw]

They might ask it mostly because interviewers want to know what you have been doing with your time. It's okay to say that you were mostly focusing on your school work. I don't know about your specific situation, but if you only recently decided you wanted to go to med school, it would make sense for you to not have much clinical experience or volunteering. I think it would be okay to explain that to interviewers; not everyone comes to college immediately knowing they want to be a doctor.

 

[HCHopeful]

Not to interject too much, but I was in a similar situation. After my freshman year I had absolutely zero EC's. I had received a B+ and a B my first semester (my first ever and only since) and sort of shut myself away. I had trouble branching out and trying new things! I then attended SMDEP and my whole outlook turned around. I slowly became involved on campus, joining a peer education group, and then quickly found my niche.

I have now joined two peer ed groups and volunteered 400 hours combined with them, am vice president of both a leadership honorary and our biology honor society, have volunteered with a retirement home and the Red Cross for about 90 total hours, and I've also done over 500 hours of research. Along with this, I was able to co-found a band that opened for Chiddy Bang! To top it off, I ran a karaoke business for three years before stopping in late 2014.

Moral of the story: even if you start slow, you can finish strong. After freshman year, my advisor told me I may not have the best shot at medical school due to my lack of involvement. This year, the Biology department (of which she is the chair) awarded me with a scholarship given to the student most likely to make an impact in healthcare.

Finish strong, and you will be able to tell interviewers a story much like I just told you. In the end, what really matters is that you find the right path. How you do it is just the cherry on top.

 

[D3athstroke]

@HCHopeful: That is very impressive! Plus, I think you just completed your sophomore year with all those EC's, so you're well on track compared to me.

@AvacadosAtLaw: Thank you. I've known for awhile I wanted to be a doctor. I just didn't get to gain much experience in terms of EC's due to an injury and subsequent surgery that first year of college. I focused on rehab and school. This past year, I really focused on school and luckily boosted up my GPA. However, I should have found time for EC's -- I could have. I just wasn't aware of all the changes in terms of MCAT and the applying procedure, and that's a fault of my own. Not something I'll tell interviewers though haha.
- - -

Anyways, a question for you both. How important would research be? I understand that medical schools would appreciate it, and based on my research on SDN, many more applicants are listing research as their EC's compared to the past. However, I'm not sure I'd be able to get an opportunity this Summer or during the semester. To be honest, as of right now, I'd probably only be doing research as a cookie cutter EC to list. It's not something I'm REALLY passionate about. And considering I don't have other EC's yet, I'd rather focus on those. I don't want to take a gap year and even though it may be beneficial, I don't consider it an option for me. Although if I do poorly on the MCAT in April/May 2016, then a gap year is a must. (I'll try to maintain my GPA as high as possible and score well on the MCAT).

 

[AvacadosAtLaw]

If you aren't interested in doing research don't do it. Since you are starting with basically no EC's you don't want to stretch yourself to thin by attempting to do to many things at once. Pick a couple of things you are passionate about and focus on those. Do know that some medical schools most likely won't accept you without any research experience, so make sure when you are applying you identify which schools those are.

Is there any particular reason you don't want to take a gap year? That could be a good time to try and get some research experience.

 

[HCHopeful]

@HCHopeful: That is very impressive! Plus, I think you just completed your sophomore year with all those EC's, so you're well on track compared to me.

@AvacadosAtLaw: Thank you. I've known for awhile I wanted to be a doctor. I just didn't get to gain much experience in terms of EC's due to an injury and subsequent surgery that first year of college. I focused on rehab and school. This past year, I really focused on school and luckily boosted up my GPA. However, I should have found time for EC's -- I could have. I just wasn't aware of all the changes in terms of MCAT and the applying procedure, and that's a fault of my own. Not something I'll tell interviewers though haha.
- - -

Anyways, a question for you both. How important would research be? I understand that medical schools would appreciate it, and based on my research on SDN, many more applicants are listing research as their EC's compared to the past. However, I'm not sure I'd be able to get an opportunity this Summer or during the semester. To be honest, as of right now, I'd probably only be doing research as a cookie cutter EC to list. It's not something I'm REALLY passionate about. And considering I don't have other EC's yet, I'd rather focus on those. I don't want to take a gap year and even though it may be beneficial, I don't consider it an option for me. Although if I do poorly on the MCAT in April/May 2016, then a gap year is a must. (I'll try to maintain my GPA as high as possible and score well on the MCAT).

Research is by no means a necessary part of the application. I did it because I found an internship 40 minutes from my house paying $11 an hour (I live in rural Nebraska, so I lucked out).

Interestingly, I had no desire to do any research, but I gave it a shot. As it turns out, I quite enjoyed it and will be going back this summer into next year to co-author a few papers with my supervisor! It's funny how things can surprise us with enjoyment.

And no, I just finished my junior year! No way I could have done all of those activities in one year, maintained a 3.90+ cGPA and studied for the MCAT. Speaking of GPA and MCAT, I would like to tell you that it is certainly doable. I studied during the Fall for the MCAT while taking 16 credits (Organic, Med A&P and some Liberal Arts reqs) and I gathered a 4.0 GPA. To be fair, I did retake the MCAT in January (took my first in October). This retake was more because of anxiety than lack of preparation though.

Don't throw a gap year out of the window. If you can gather sufficient EC's, maintain a good GPA, and also get an average to above-average MCAT score, then by all means apply. But if you are applying with half-assed EC's and a rushed MCAT, then you're only hurting yourself, because more than likely you'll need to retake and reapply. I know putting your life off for a year sounds like the end of the world, but it may ultimately be a better opportunity. Especially if you can find a really good research spot to get a few pubs (this can carry-over into residency apps).

tl;dr: research is nice but not necessary (it may surprise you though). Focus on other EC's first. Study hard for the MCAT while maintaining or improving your GPA. Gap years aren't the end of the world. Good luck!

 

[D3athstroke]

@AvacadosAtLaw: That is very true. I will look up some medical schools I'm interested in and give them a call asking about the importance of research. As of avoiding a gap year, I have quite a few reasons -- some personal. One of the main reasons is I love being in a continuous, structured learning environment. Delaying a year would really make me feel behind. At the end of the day, I think my MCAT score and how much EC experience I'm accumulated will be the determining factor. For some reason, I thought it was like HS applying for college where you submit applications during the Fall semester of your final year, so I was with the mindset that I could use the Summer after my Junior year and at least part of Fall semester to gain more experience while still being on track to apply like the normal student. A mistake entirely of my own.

@HCHopeful: Still, that's awesome for you to achieve all that and prove the doubters wrong! I agree, I think I'll find out whether I'll need a gap year or not around the time after I've taken the MCAT. As of EC's, I'll do the best I can. Right now I have planned shadowing, hospital or clinical setting volunteering, and volunteering at a daycare. That's only three which is below average, but maybe the hours can offset that. I could always look for other opportunities as well, but then I'd probably be overdoing it, and I doubt I can do said activity continually. Browsing at other people's EC's always makes me feel slightly intimidated haha. But if I feel that after my experiences a medical path is really the road I want to pursue, then I'd rather just apply. I don't want to sound like I'm defending my future decisions here though.

 

[NeuResurgens]

If you are able to get the necessary hours, you should be ok. More importantly than getting hours, though - be able to explain why you participated in the activity and what you learned from it/how you developed. This will come up in interviews.