GPA 3.95, MCAT 35, Chemical Engineering major, CS minor. EC Concerns.

[bobgog]

Hey guys!

I'm a chemical engineering major at a top-40 USNWR school, with a CS minor.

GPA: 3.95
MCAT: 35

Hospital Shadowing:
Emergency Room - 100 hours
Ob/Gyn - 100 hours

Research
Worked in a lab for 1.5 years; no publication yet, but possibly one by August/September.

Extracurriculars
Vice-President of Programs/Webmaster for College Honors Society
TA'd for intro physics, 2 semesters
Tutored as a school tutor for 2 semesters
Historian for my fraternity

Demographic: Asian male

I think my stats set me up in a good part of the range for top-10 medical schools, but I'm concerned with whether I have enough experience shadowing physicians, with publications, or extracurriculars.

I'm debating whether or not to take a gap year to strengthen my extracurriculars, and maybe get a publication.

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[V5RED]

Have you ever volunteered in a hospital or elsewhere? You listed 200 hours of shadowing, but no volunteer experience or work in a hospital at all.

 

[BrawnsNBrain]

If you want top 10 med school I'd recommend the gap year to add more clinical items to your CV. If you are fine with a mid-tier school I think you should apply this year.

 

[lmn]

Top-10 might be challenging with no publications and weak EC's. Your shadowing hours are fine, it would be better if you had primary care shadowing, but the average hours are 50 so you are well above that. Grades and GPA wise you are a good fit, but if you are talking top-1o schools, you really have to bring excellence to the table in additional ways (research or volunteer work/etc), and I honestly don't see much there. The challenge is, since you are talking about the top schools, there are actually a good amount of applicants with stellar GPA's and 35+ MCAT's out there, and most of these people have also done great research work along with lots of volunteering and leadership/etc. You have to somehow make yourself stand out within that group/your competition.

Are you really only satisfied with attending a top-10 medical school? What is your reasoning? You don't seem to be very research driven, and sure there are amazing opportunities at a top-10, but it's not like you can't match to competitive residencies from slightly lower ranked programs. If you are going purely of prestige... well whatever floats your boat then.

 

[bobgog]

Have you ever volunteered in a hospital or elsewhere? You listed 200 hours of shadowing, but no volunteer experience or work in a hospital at all.

Sorry. I volunteered in the ER (~100 hrs) and mother/baby/neonatal (~50 hrs)

 

[bobgog]

If you want top 10 med school I'd recommend the gap year to add more clinical items to your CV. If you are fine with a mid-tier school I think you should apply this year.

Could you be more specific about "clinical items"?

 

[bobgog]

Top-10 might be challenging with no publications and weak EC's. Your shadowing hours are fine, it would be better if you had primary care shadowing, but the average hours are 50 so you are well above that. Grades and GPA wise you are a good fit, but if you are talking top-1o schools, you really have to bring excellence to the table in additional ways (research or volunteer work/etc), and I honestly don't see much there. The challenge is, since you are talking about the top schools, there are actually a good amount of applicants with stellar GPA's and 35+ MCAT's out there, and most of these people have also done great research work along with lots of volunteering and leadership/etc. You have to somehow make yourself stand out within that group/your competition.

Are you really only satisfied with attending a top-10 medical school? What is your reasoning? You don't seem to be very research driven, and sure there are amazing opportunities at a top-10, but it's not like you can't match to competitive residencies from slightly lower ranked programs. If you are going purely of prestige... well whatever floats your boat then.

Thank you!
How important is research for these schools? (I'm not applying for MD/PhD)
Would it be helpful if I volunteer or shadow this summer? (I'm applying in this cycle)
I want to go to these schools for the prestige for the most part. (I know it's very shallow)

 

[ANATOMYgirl22]

Thank you!
How important is research for these schools? (I'm not applying for MD/PhD)
Would it be helpful if I volunteer or shadow this summer? (I'm applying in this cycle)
I want to go to these schools for the prestige for the most part. (I know it's very shallow)

I'd say research is very important to these schools. So it's good that you have some experience, but a pub or even poster presentation would help. I also think that student's who get in to top ranked programs usually have some sort of a wow-factor type EC on their resume like a really unique volunteering experience, peace corps, varsity athletics, starting a business, lots of pubs, really unique life experience, etc... something that kind of sets them apart from the other high-stats applicants.

I think that your resume right now as it stands is very good and would set you up to get in to some really good schools, just not sure how much top 10 love you'd get, but who knows?

EDIT: forgot the volunteering question... The stuff you do this summer won't help all that much since you won't have very much time to get hours/experience to write about (it won't hurt though either).

If you're set on applying this cycle I'd say cover your bases and make sure you apply broadly and not just to top 10 schools. You don't want to end up empty handed.