Have I ruined my chances of a good medical school application?

[ElliotStabler]

Im currently attending a community college and then I will be transferring to a university and starting classes for the spring 2017 semester. When I transfer to my university i will be starting as a junior with 60 credits.

I am set to graduate from college spring 2019 and i am planning on doing my medical school application and taking the mcat during summer 2018 so i can hopefully start medical school fall 2019.

From the time I will be doing my amcas, It will only have been one year since matriculating at a university. Im afraid that my application will look blank with not enough extra curricular activities. Is it possible to gain enough research experience and shadowing/volunteering within that year? (My major at community college is general studies. The only classes that i have taken to help for the mcat are sociology, psychology, microbiology, principles of biology, and survery of chem. How bad does that look?)

My goal was to get into a top medical school. I feel like my chances are ruined now.

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[deleted480308]

grades and mcat are more important....relax

 

[The Knife & Gun Club]

MCAT is the great equalizer, so do well on it to prove your intellect. Also, you should be able to rack up some shadowing and volunteering while at CC...it's not like you need to be at university to do that.

One other thing: why is you goal to "get into a top medical school"? Unlike law school or PhD programs, you will not struggle to get a job if you attend a run of the mill MD school. Even doctors graduating from lucom or other obscure, new DO schools will be able to find work with relative ease and make a good living. Really the only reason someone needs to go to a "top school" is if they want to go into research/academics. Yea it'd be great going to Harvard, but you don't need to go to Harvard to be a great doctor.

 

[Lannister]

You're giving us very little info. What is your GPA? What ECs do you currently have, and what do you plan to have by the time you apply?

 

[ElliotStabler]

You're giving us very little info. What is your GPA? What ECs do you currently have, and what do you plan to have by the time you apply?

As of now my gpa is 4.0 but by the end of this semester it will probably be somewhere around 3.8. The only ECs i have is volunteering at a local hospital for 6 months (12 hours each month)

 

[Lannister]

As of now my gpa is 4.0 but by the end of this semester it will probably be somewhere around 3.8. The only ECs i have is volunteering at a local hospital for 6 months (12 hours each month)

The GPA is good. The lack of ECs is not. That's what you need to focus on right now. Trying to catch up on clinical and non-clinical volunteering, shadowing, and research with school and MCAT studying all in one year is not going to be fun.

 

[ElliotStabler]

MCAT is the great equalizer, so do well on it to prove your intellect. Also, you should be able to rack up some shadowing and volunteering while at CC...it's not like you need to be at university to do that.

One other thing: why is you goal to "get into a top medical school"? Unlike law school or PhD programs, you will not struggle to get a job if you attend a run of the mill MD school. Even doctors graduating from lucom or other obscure, new DO schools will be able to find work with relative ease and make a good living. Really the only reason someone needs to go to a "top school" is if they want to go into research/academics. Yea it'd be great going to Harvard, but you don't need to go to Harvard to be a great doctor.

My school doesn't offer volunteer or shadowing opportunities or even a program for people interested in medical school. I believe university will help me gain some of those opportunities. I've looked at some of the universities im interested in transferring in and they have programs where they can help you get experience.

 

[Lannister]

My school doesn't offer volunteer or shadowing opportunities or even a program for people interested in medical school. I believe university will help me gain some of those opportunities. I've looked at some of the universities im interested in transferring in and they have programs where they can help you get experience.

Neither does mine? Most schools don't have any type of formal clinical volunteering or shadowing program. These are opportunities that you typically need to find yourself.

 

[Holmwood]

Don't apply unless you have a solid app.

Might I remind you that there are people here with high stats, hundreds of clinical/non-clinical hours, and tons of research experience who couldn't even get a single interview at low-mid tier schools.

Don't underestimate the process. : /

 

[ElliotStabler]

Neither does mine? Most schools don't have any type of formal clinical volunteering or shadowing program. These are opportunities that you typically need to find yourself.

So should I contact some physicians and ask if i can shadow them?

 

[Lannister]

So should I contact some physicians and ask if i can shadow them?

Absolutely. It can take a while to find someone who is willing to let you shadow, so start cold calling ASAP.

 

[ElliotStabler]

Absolutely. It can take a while to find someone who is willing to let you shadow, so start cold calling ASAP.

Since community colleges are often looked down upon, I feel like most physicians would hesitant to allow me to shadow them. Also, as i do my ecs and shadowing, should i keep a portfolio of documents and proof that i did these activities?

 

[Lannister]

Since community colleges are often looked down upon, I feel like most physicians would be hesitate to allow me to shadow them. Also, as i do my ecs and shadowing, should i keep a portfolio of documents and proof that i did these activities?

I really doubt they'll care as long as you're enrolled in college, especially since you'll be starting at a 4-year university soon.
You don't need to keep proof other than contact info to put on AMCAS, but I recommend starting a word document where you can write down your reactions to shadowing and volunteering experiences. That helped me a lot when I was writing my activity descriptions and most meaningful essays for AMCAS.

 

[flyinglantern22]

Since community colleges are often looked down upon, I feel like most physicians would hesitant to allow me to shadow them. Also, as i do my ecs and shadowing, should i keep a portfolio of documents and proof that i did these activities?

Are there any teaching hospitals near you that's associated with a school (not your school, but any neighboring schools)? Or any academic medical centers? I've found that physicians there seem to be more willing to let students shadow them (at least in my case). Regular hospital physicians seem less willing for whatever reason from my experience. Private practice peeps are hit or miss, so like another user mentioned, try cold calling ASAP because you'll probably have to hunt for a while since some doctors forget or don't get back to you/may not be willing to let you shadow due to HIPAA or whatever their reasons may be.

 

[The Knife & Gun Club]

Yea the vast majority of my volunteering and all shadowing was not done though the school. Just reach out to doctors, they won't care if you're at cc

 

[ElliotStabler]

Are there any teaching hospitals near you that's associated with a school (not your school, but any neighboring schools)? Or any academic medical centers? I've found that physicians there seem to be more willing to let students shadow them (at least in my case). Regular hospital physicians seem less willing for whatever reason from my experience. Private practice peeps are hit or miss, so like another user mentioned, try cold calling ASAP because you'll probably have to hunt for a while since some doctors forget or don't get back to you/may not be willing to let you shadow due to HIPAA or whatever their reasons may be.

My local hospital has a 10‑week summer program where they pair juniors in college with physicians for shadowing and research. you also get paid $3,500 but I wont be a junior until the spring. (Can i add this to my application as volunteer work if i get paid for it?)

 

[LizzyM]

My local hospital has a 10‑week summer program where they pair juniors in college with physicians for shadowing and research. you also get paid $3,500 but I wont be a junior until the spring. (Can i add this to my application as volunteer work if i get paid for it?)

If you get paid $3,500 for research you can list it as research, and that's fine.

For now, contact some physicians at the hospital where you've been a volunteer. Tell them that you have done HIPAA training, etc for your volunteer gig and that you'd like to get some additional experience shadowing to help determine if medicine is the right path for you.

Don't overlook the opportunity to be of service to your community through service activities for people in need, even if not medically related. Whether weekly or more episodic, non-clinical volunteering can be important, too.

 

[flyinglantern22]

My local hospital has a 10‑week summer program where they pair juniors in college with physicians for shadowing and research. you also get paid $3,500 but I wont be a junior until the spring. (Can i add this to my application as volunteer work if i get paid for it?)

That's a pretty nice gig. This wouldn't count as volunteer, it'd fall under "Physician Shadowing" or "Research" just like you described it.

In terms of volunteer work or community service, it's just that -- volunteering your time for free. What are you passionate about? I'm passionate about mentoring young adults, working with children, and the underserved, so I did a lot of work in the community working with/tutoring underprivileged high schoolers and disabled children, and loved every minute of it. It doesn't have to be related to medicine. It can be anything you want as long as you show commitment to it.

 

[ElliotStabler]

That's a pretty nice gig. This wouldn't count as volunteer, it'd fall under "Physician Shadowing" or "Research" just like you described it.

In terms of volunteer work or community service, it's just that -- volunteering your time for free. What are you passionate about? I'm passionate about mentoring young adults, working with children, and the underserved, so I did a lot of work in the community working with/tutoring underprivileged high schoolers and disabled children, and loved every minute of it. It doesn't have to be related to medicine. It can be anything you want as long as you show commitment to it.

Im passionate about working with underprivileged kids. I've been thinking about studying abroad and volunteering at an orphanage in Kenya. Its something that has crossed my mind a few times.

 

[deleted480308]

Im passionate about working with underprivileged kids. I've been thinking about studying abroad and volunteering at an orphanage in Kenya. Its something that has crossed my mind a few times.

If you want to travel that's fine, but we have plenty of poor kids here. You can tutor down the street or be a big brother and save the flight money