MD How Far To Reach?

[Elefun]

Want to leave out exact details for anonymity, but my basic stats are as follows: 514-516 mcat, ~3.95-4.0 sGPA and cGPA, lots and lots of long term community service with a common theme that ties in with desire/passion for medicine, 50-75 shadowing hours among 3 different areas, several semesters of undergrad research.

My main concern is the lack of direct clinical volunteering and experience, but I feel like I've hit on a lot of the character attributes/experiences that one might obtain from volunteering at a hospital/clinic in some of my other extracurriculars. I feel confident in my state schools, but I'm definitely interested in some of the top tier schools. How high can I reach? I feel like my extracurriculars set me apart and allow me to tell a story of "why medicine"?, but I'm most concerned about the lack of excellent research with a million pubs or tons of clinical volunteering for many of these upper tier schools. Also looking for any schools that are heavy on service/volunteering. Thanks for any feedback!

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[Goro]

What's so special about your ECs? Do you know what a doctor's day is like?

Here's the deal: You need to show AdComs that you know what you're getting into, and show off your altruistic, humanism side. We need to know that you're going to like being around sick or injured people for the next 40 years.

Here's another way of looking at it: would you buy a new car without test driving it? Buy a new suit or dress without trying it on??

We're also not looking for merely for good medical students, we're looking for people who will make good doctors, and 4.0 GPA robots are a dime-a-dozen.

I've seen plenty of posts here from high GPA/high MCAT candidates who were rejected because they had little patient contact experience.


What are you going to say when asked how you know you are suited for a life of caring for the sick and suffering? “That you just know”? Imagine how that will go over!


My main concern is the lack of direct clinical volunteering and experience, but I feel like I've hit on a lot of the character attributes/experiences that one might obtain from volunteering at a hospital/clinic in some of my other extracurriculars. I feel confident in my state schools, but I'm definitely interested in some of the top tier schools. How high can I reach? I feel like my extracurriculars set me apart and allow me to tell a story of "why medicine"?, but I'm most concerned about the lack of excellent research with a million pubs or tons of clinical volunteering for many of these upper tier schools. Also looking for any schools that are heavy on service/volunteering. Thanks for any feedback![/QUOTE]

 

[Elefun]

To answer the doctor's daily life question - yes, I had wonderful shadowing experiences with physicians that I formed close relationships with. Through shadowing and meeting with them frequently outside of shadowing, I believe I have a firm grasp of what I'm getting into and can defend that.

To answer the other point, I totally understand the reasoning and feel confident in my experiences. Physician mentors that I've spoken with have said that my EC's are great and unique for medical school. I have invested the majority of my time during undergrad in these extracurriculars and am very passionate about them and how they relate to medicine. Once again, I'm trying to maintain anonymity and don't want to describe much specifically, but I feel that my EC's absolutely show altruism, service to patients, and liking "being around sick or injured people for the next 40 years". I believe that I can completely defend how these EC's translate to clinical exposure although it is not direct "clinical" volunteering. These things considered, what do you think my chances are, Goro and others?

What's so special about your ECs? Do you know what a doctor's day is like?

Here's the deal: You need to show AdComs that you know what you're getting into, and show off your altruistic, humanism side. We need to know that you're going to like being around sick or injured people for the next 40 years.

Here's another way of looking at it: would you buy a new car without test driving it? Buy a new suit or dress without trying it on??

We're also not looking for merely for good medical students, we're looking for people who will make good doctors, and 4.0 GPA robots are a dime-a-dozen.

I've seen plenty of posts here from high GPA/high MCAT candidates who were rejected because they had little patient contact experience.


What are you going to say when asked how you know you are suited for a life of caring for the sick and suffering? “That you just know”? Imagine how that will go over!

 

[gyngyn]

You have a great gpa and the equivalent of a 33 MCAT.
A lack of active clinical experience is a hazard but if you are sure that it is overshadowed by the totality of your application...
Depending on your state of residence, 15 schools that might interview you should yield results.
Do you have such a list?

 

[Goro]

Assuming that your ECs accomplish for Adcoms what you think they'll do (PM me if you'd like a look over), then with your stats, consider the schools. Be wary of clinician advice on what it takes to get into med school, unless they' re actually on Adcoms. Most of them are pretty out of touch with the realities.


U AZ (both)
U VM
USF Morsani (maybe)
Miami
St. Louis
Albany
Albert Einstein
Rochester
Rush
Rosy Franklin
BU
NYMC
VCU
EVMS
Wake Forest
Jefferson
Temple
Drexel
Creighton
George Washington
Emory
USC
Tulane
Loyola
Creighton
Any new MD school. Skip Central MI and the three new FL schools.
Your state school(s).
Any DO program

 

[GrapesofRath]

Want to leave out exact details for anonymity, but my basic stats are as follows: 514-516 mcat, ~3.95-4.0 sGPA and cGPA, lots and lots of long term community service with a common theme that ties in with desire/passion for medicine, 50-75 shadowing hours among 3 different areas, several semesters of undergrad research.

My main concern is the lack of direct clinical volunteering and experience, but I feel like I've hit on a lot of the character attributes/experiences that one might obtain from volunteering at a hospital/clinic in some of my other extracurriculars. I feel confident in my state schools, but I'm definitely interested in some of the top tier schools. How high can I reach? I feel like my extracurriculars set me apart and allow me to tell a story of "why medicine"?, but I'm most concerned about the lack of excellent research with a million pubs or tons of clinical volunteering for many of these upper tier schools. Also looking for any schools that are heavy on service/volunteering. Thanks for any feedback!

Couple things
1) There is a difference between 514 and 516. 514 is around a 33. 516 approaches 35. A 33 is clearly below average for most top 20 schools. A 35 is definitely within striking distance for most top 20 schools.
2) Alot of these big name schools you might be aspiring to have a huge focus on research. How much research you've done and what you've accomplished in that area is absolutely crucial for the bigger name schools. If your research experience is minor you're going to have problems just assuming your other EC's can override it for these research based schools.
3) Physicians view point on what makes a top med school applicant means next to jack squat unless they directly work in admissions.
4) If you are going to apply without clinical exposure/clinical volunteering you better apply broadly and to alot of schools. And you better have a pretty damn good answer for how you know what you are getting into when it gets asked in interviews(and it's going to be asked extensively through a number of different questions).
5) Goro's list sounds about right. If your MCAT is on the 516 side and your research experience was significant over the several semesters you did it maybe you can start thinking about throwing in some top 20 schools.