I will graduate in the upcoming months, and I want to pursue medicine (the MD route). I currently predict my cum GPA will be a solid 3.4 and my science GPA will be a little bit lower. I'm planning to take the MCAT in October, so I'll use the few months in between my graduation and the MCAT test date to prep. If I do well, I plan to do a post-bacc after, but the timing is so off... If I do well on the MCAT, I plan to use the time from October to January to do some volunteering, etc. I'm currently doing some hospital volunteer (I have around 30 hours and I've been with the hospital for over a year...) and I'm involved in research lab on campus (Haven't been going lately because my main concern is my GPA..)...I'm just so lost.... Help please?? Let me know if more info. is needed..
I'm so lost....
- Thread starter megaman1
- Start date
- Joined
- Jan 17, 2014
- Messages
- 2,703
- Reaction score
- 7,112
It seems like a post bac may be a good idea. Definitely work hard and try to raise your GPA's as much as possible. You should also be thinking about letters of recommendation from profs (2 science, 1 non-science) if you haven't already.
So you've been volunteering at the hospital for over a year and only have 30 hours? I'm not sure how that's possible.. You should really step it up, especially during your gap year.
Do you have any shadowing? What about other activities besides research (which I would recommend sticking with, if possible). I would try to get involved in some other things as well.
Also, May-ish to October is a long time to study.. But do what you need to do to get a solid mcat score. Make sure to take a lot of practice tests and take the test when you're fully prepared so you don't have to retake. Utilize the SDN mcat forums.
Note that if you apply summer 2015 to enter in 2016, you will be taking another year off. It's too early to worry about it, but when the time comes, I would think about applying to a mix of MD and DO schools.
So you've been volunteering at the hospital for over a year and only have 30 hours? I'm not sure how that's possible.. You should really step it up, especially during your gap year.
Do you have any shadowing? What about other activities besides research (which I would recommend sticking with, if possible). I would try to get involved in some other things as well.
Also, May-ish to October is a long time to study.. But do what you need to do to get a solid mcat score. Make sure to take a lot of practice tests and take the test when you're fully prepared so you don't have to retake. Utilize the SDN mcat forums.
Note that if you apply summer 2015 to enter in 2016, you will be taking another year off. It's too early to worry about it, but when the time comes, I would think about applying to a mix of MD and DO schools.
- Joined
- Jun 11, 2010
- Messages
- 72,623
- Reaction score
- 115,667
Try to remember that this is a marathon, not a spring. There's no law that says you have to go to med school at age 22-23.
Take the time to do GPA repair, and apply with the best possible app. Take the MCAT only when you're ready.
Take the time to do GPA repair, and apply with the best possible app. Take the MCAT only when you're ready.
It's not that I don't work hard, but I got a 2.0 GPA during 1 quarter of my undergrad and several C's along the way for some of my classes.
I'm planning to ask my lab PI to write me a LOR, but I'm not sure how the letter will turn out because I haven't been going to lab. I've been in his lab for a year.
And yes. My hours spent at the hospital are miniscule and I enjoy the patient interactions, but it's a 15 minute drive to the hospital and the thought of having that time to study instead seems more appealing.
I've shadowed a surgeon during one of my summers and I participated in SMDEP in 2010. I'm also involved in some clubs at school that deal with healthcare.
Does my timeline seem alright? I look at it everytime and I'm always thinking that it's going to take me forever to become a strong applicant. I know it's not a sprint, but instead a marathon, but it's just a personal preference to be accepted to medical school at an early age and finish earlier.
- Joined
- Jan 17, 2014
- Messages
- 2,703
- Reaction score
- 7,112
Ok but if you apply 'early' with a weak app then you will end up wasting time and money and will have to reapply anyways.
If you want to be a doctor, then wait until your app is strong before applying. In the grand scheme of things, am extra 2-3 years is nothing.
Your activities are quite weak, and I really don't see your PI writing you a strong letter. Step up your clinical volunteering, go in consistently. Also find some other activities that you enjoy and stick with them. Again, I would keep up the research if possible (unless you hate it). I would also do more shadowing, spread out across a few different specialties.
Make sure to really want to do medicine (do some serious shadowing soon), because you have quite a bit of work to do to improve your app. You may also want to think about how you manage your time, because plenty of applicants are able to keep up their grades while engaging in extracurriculars. The 15 min drive to the hospital should not really be interfering with studying if you're doing it right.. You shouldn't be studying ALL the time. Think about how much busier med school is.
Anyways, take the time you need to properly build a solid app. Don't rush it, you need to give yourself a fighting chance. Hopefully others will chime in with additional advice. Good luck.
