Hey guys I need advice on what should I do to make my application better for this last round of applying to medical school (MD or DO).
Some background info: I and my mom moved from India about 8 years ago to US to get away from some family abuse. I was in my second semester of junior year in high school. I didn’t speak English and we were very poor so we did housekeeping to keep us float while I attended high school in a small town in rural Missouri. I attended University of Missouri-Kansas City (UMKC) for my undergraduate and majored in Biology (B.S) and minor in chemistry. By the way I attended college at the age of 16. Again I had to work throughout my college life. Since I was gaining grounds in speaking English I didn’t have to do the housekeeping anymore. I could have graduated at the age of 20 (4 years undergrad) but didn’t feel like I earned something nor I felt like I had the experience of college life so I decided to do extra year just because. I graduated last summer at the age of 21.
To become a doctor is always been a dream of mine. Yes, it’s true that family did plant an idea but I was the one who decided to keep it growing. In India, if you want to go medical school you get good grades, apply for the school you want, and then you either get it or get rejected. It’s a simple straight line. Here however it’s a different story. Because I didn’t really understand this kind of culture of doing things and my lack of understanding the language I did what my advisers told me to do, take the MCAT, apply, do this and do that. As a typical teenager I saw these things as chores to get to my ultimate goal: be a doctor. I didn’t do any research on SDN, I didn’t actively look for ways to make my application better I just did things blindly hoping I would get in.
Sorry for the long story but I felt like for you to give me a proper advice first you have to know me.
I took MCAT three times.
-16 (3VR, 7PS, K, 6BS) didn’t speak English very well nor had any strategy taking the test-was told to take it by advisers.
-28 (8VR, 09PS, N, 11BS) had good grasp of English
-25 (6 VR, 9 PS, 10 BS) Felt like test was super hard, especially verbal.
My science gpa is 3.41 for 92 credit hours while non-science gpa is 3.38 for 39 hours averaging to 3.40 for 131 hours.
I’m fluent in these many languages in this order: Gujarati, English, Hindi/Urdu, Spanish and Sanskrit.
My extracurricular activities include:
-Work throughout my college life (at least 25 hours a week)
-Shadowing an Ophthalmologist for two years for 2 hours a week in a free eye clinic
-Alpha pi Omega (APO) Alumni-community volunteer fraternity
-Volunteering at a free Adult clinic for two years for 2 hours a week
-A year of undergraduate research in Biology (worked on mutating bacteria and observing its effects on protein expression of gene of interest-no publication-no LOR either because the professor moved from China and her English is OK, I barely understood her sometimes)
-President for a year and then VP for the next for the Biological Sciences Student Government-an official organization of the School of Biological Sciences at UMKC
-Random shadowing with Infection Specialist for about 15 hours
-Another leadership experience-Was supervisor at my old valet job
-Private tutoring to two people-one in calculus and other in Cell-biology
-Shadowing in different departments for a day at nearby hospital.
I applied last August to these schools but I haven’t received any positive news. I sent my secondaries in October and November as I had to rely on my friends to help me with editing. It’s safe to say I won’t get in this year.
Medical College of Wisconsin
Michigan State University
Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine
Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Scien
Saint Louis University School of Medicine
The Ohio State Univ. Coll. of Med.
Tulane University School of Medicine
University of California San Diego
University of Chicago - Pritzker
University of Illinois at Chicago-College of Medic
University of Kansas
University of Michigan Medical School
University of Missouri - Kansas City
University of Missouri-Columbia School of Medicine
University of Wisconsin
Western Michigan University School of Medicine
Wright State University Boonshoft School of Medicine
Since graduating with no debt, I decided to take it easy. I worked at my current valet job while I was in search for job based on my degree. My plan to travel India in January made them not interested in hiring me at the end of the last year. I went on a road trip in December (drove from Kansas City to LA-made multiple stops in Denver, Grand Canyon, Santa-fey and other few places). It was one of the best times of my life. Then in January I left for India, I got back on February 13th.
After doing research on SDN and talking to my med school friends, it is recommended to find a job in healthcare related field and also consider DO school. Researching on DO school, it seems it’s not a bad option but MD is preferred because I may want to move back to India in 10-15 years from now and India only recognizes MD. Moving back to India is still a maybe plan.
So here is my plan and this is where I need advice, tips etc..
-Look for a job in hospital (however with no experience they can only pay me minimum wage if I’m lucky to get one)
-Look for a job in a research related projects (pay is better in this one)
-Shadow some DOs
-Have all my essays and writings ready so I can apply and send my secondaries as soon as I receive them.
-Take few classes (medical terminology, anatomy, physiology and pharmacology) just because I have free time on my hand. Does this matter where I take these classes?
-I’m also thinking about traveling again-so will be doing some travel related volunteering or shadowing.
What do you guys think? I would appreciate any tips on which schools to apply to, how to make me a competitive applicant, what should I do in this upcoming gap year etc…???
Thanks for reading this long post.
Take Care.
Some background info: I and my mom moved from India about 8 years ago to US to get away from some family abuse. I was in my second semester of junior year in high school. I didn’t speak English and we were very poor so we did housekeeping to keep us float while I attended high school in a small town in rural Missouri. I attended University of Missouri-Kansas City (UMKC) for my undergraduate and majored in Biology (B.S) and minor in chemistry. By the way I attended college at the age of 16. Again I had to work throughout my college life. Since I was gaining grounds in speaking English I didn’t have to do the housekeeping anymore. I could have graduated at the age of 20 (4 years undergrad) but didn’t feel like I earned something nor I felt like I had the experience of college life so I decided to do extra year just because. I graduated last summer at the age of 21.
To become a doctor is always been a dream of mine. Yes, it’s true that family did plant an idea but I was the one who decided to keep it growing. In India, if you want to go medical school you get good grades, apply for the school you want, and then you either get it or get rejected. It’s a simple straight line. Here however it’s a different story. Because I didn’t really understand this kind of culture of doing things and my lack of understanding the language I did what my advisers told me to do, take the MCAT, apply, do this and do that. As a typical teenager I saw these things as chores to get to my ultimate goal: be a doctor. I didn’t do any research on SDN, I didn’t actively look for ways to make my application better I just did things blindly hoping I would get in.
Sorry for the long story but I felt like for you to give me a proper advice first you have to know me.
I took MCAT three times.
-16 (3VR, 7PS, K, 6BS) didn’t speak English very well nor had any strategy taking the test-was told to take it by advisers.
-28 (8VR, 09PS, N, 11BS) had good grasp of English
-25 (6 VR, 9 PS, 10 BS) Felt like test was super hard, especially verbal.
My science gpa is 3.41 for 92 credit hours while non-science gpa is 3.38 for 39 hours averaging to 3.40 for 131 hours.
I’m fluent in these many languages in this order: Gujarati, English, Hindi/Urdu, Spanish and Sanskrit.
My extracurricular activities include:
-Work throughout my college life (at least 25 hours a week)
-Shadowing an Ophthalmologist for two years for 2 hours a week in a free eye clinic
-Alpha pi Omega (APO) Alumni-community volunteer fraternity
-Volunteering at a free Adult clinic for two years for 2 hours a week
-A year of undergraduate research in Biology (worked on mutating bacteria and observing its effects on protein expression of gene of interest-no publication-no LOR either because the professor moved from China and her English is OK, I barely understood her sometimes)
-President for a year and then VP for the next for the Biological Sciences Student Government-an official organization of the School of Biological Sciences at UMKC
-Random shadowing with Infection Specialist for about 15 hours
-Another leadership experience-Was supervisor at my old valet job
-Private tutoring to two people-one in calculus and other in Cell-biology
-Shadowing in different departments for a day at nearby hospital.
I applied last August to these schools but I haven’t received any positive news. I sent my secondaries in October and November as I had to rely on my friends to help me with editing. It’s safe to say I won’t get in this year.
Medical College of Wisconsin
Michigan State University
Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine
Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Scien
Saint Louis University School of Medicine
The Ohio State Univ. Coll. of Med.
Tulane University School of Medicine
University of California San Diego
University of Chicago - Pritzker
University of Illinois at Chicago-College of Medic
University of Kansas
University of Michigan Medical School
University of Missouri - Kansas City
University of Missouri-Columbia School of Medicine
University of Wisconsin
Western Michigan University School of Medicine
Wright State University Boonshoft School of Medicine
Since graduating with no debt, I decided to take it easy. I worked at my current valet job while I was in search for job based on my degree. My plan to travel India in January made them not interested in hiring me at the end of the last year. I went on a road trip in December (drove from Kansas City to LA-made multiple stops in Denver, Grand Canyon, Santa-fey and other few places). It was one of the best times of my life. Then in January I left for India, I got back on February 13th.
After doing research on SDN and talking to my med school friends, it is recommended to find a job in healthcare related field and also consider DO school. Researching on DO school, it seems it’s not a bad option but MD is preferred because I may want to move back to India in 10-15 years from now and India only recognizes MD. Moving back to India is still a maybe plan.
So here is my plan and this is where I need advice, tips etc..
-Look for a job in hospital (however with no experience they can only pay me minimum wage if I’m lucky to get one)
-Look for a job in a research related projects (pay is better in this one)
-Shadow some DOs
-Have all my essays and writings ready so I can apply and send my secondaries as soon as I receive them.
-Take few classes (medical terminology, anatomy, physiology and pharmacology) just because I have free time on my hand. Does this matter where I take these classes?
-I’m also thinking about traveling again-so will be doing some travel related volunteering or shadowing.
What do you guys think? I would appreciate any tips on which schools to apply to, how to make me a competitive applicant, what should I do in this upcoming gap year etc…???
Thanks for reading this long post.
Take Care.
