Strong Extracurriculars?

[revenge101]

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[vicktrump]

Your EC's look fine, try not to worry so much and do some stuff that you enjoy. You're only in college once and it will only get more hectic from here on out.

 

[revenge101]

Bump, anyone?

 

[Xylene]

I can't speak to top 20 schools, but in general your ECs look solid. Your involvement with the senior center and recreational therapy will be great talking points at interviews - make sure you continue them. Research is important and it seems like you've gotten a head start, so that's great. My research was always brought up very positively during my interview cycle. The most important thing with undergrad research is being able to talk about it fluently and demonstrating a solid understanding of what you've learned and the big picture of what you're doing and why. (they don't really expect much past what I mentioned, publications at this point in your career are pretty hit or miss and can depend on your lab/luck)

Your GPAs are strong, make sure you study for that MCAT ( shoot for a 32+, obviously higher if your goal is top 20) Can't really say much beyond that. It's all going to be contingent on that MCAT score.

You'll be fine, keep up the good work.

 

[revenge101]

Thanks, @Xylene and @vicktrump for your feedback! Regarding my research experience, I want to conduct independent research based on the clinical research study that I am currently doing. However, when I spoke to my PI about it, she said that her research study is geared toward specific pediatric patients, so it would be very difficult for me to find research subjects. What should I do about this? Next summer, I am planning to apply to another summer research program, preferably the Amgen Scholars Program and REUs, and since I know it is extremely difficult to get into these programs, I want to enhance my research experience as much as possible to increase my chances of getting into them, which would also be useful for my med school application.

 

[Catalystik]

I am a sophomore majoring in chemistry, and I am planning to apply for med school (MD and DO) next summer. I am panicking right now, believing that my stats are not good enough for MD schools, so I would like some feedback about the strength of my extracurricular activities:

I suggest you get some experience with acutely ill and injured folks, as right now you look more like someone interested in a therapy-related occupation. And get in more primary care shadowing, ideally office-based, to get a view of longitudinal medicine, as this will help you far more in interviews than observing procedures.

 

[revenge101]

I suggest you get some experience with acutely ill and injured folks, as right now you look more like someone interested in a therapy-related occupation. And get in more primary care shadowing, ideally office-based, to get a view of longitudinal medicine, as this will help you far more in interviews than observing procedures.

Actually, I am hoping to become an orthopedic surgeon, so I figured I should get more experience with physical therapy patients. Are there other types of patients I should target as well? Also, when you said "primary care shadowing", are you talking about pediatricians and doctors who specialize in family medicine?

 

[Catalystik]

1) Actually, I am hoping to become an orthopedic surgeon, so I figured I should get more experience with physical therapy patients. Are there other types of patients I should target as well?
2) Also, when you said "primary care shadowing", are you talking about pediatricians and doctors who specialize in family medicine?

1) Right now, you are not preparing yourself to enter Orthopedics, you are preparing yourself to get an acceptance to med school, which will give you broad exposure to many specialties. Adcomms know that 80% of med school students go into a field other than the one they were first drawn to, either by inclination or due to an inadequately competitive application. You do not want to appear close-minded. Orthopedists do take care of sick folks. And they certainly take care of acute injuries. Rehab is facilitated by other members of a healthcare team. Having this experience is a great idea, but IMO it should not stand alone.

Does the Senior Center have an affiliated Skilled-Level Nursing Home? Why not see if you can volunteer there as well?

2) Primary care includes Peds, Internal Medicine, Family Med, OBGYN, and Psychiatry. The first three are docs who will be referring patients to an Orthopedist, so its a good idea to have a view of medicine from the trenches, so to speak.

 

[revenge101]

1) Right now, you are not preparing yourself to enter Orthopedics, you are preparing yourself to get an acceptance to med school, which will give you broad exposure to many specialties. Adcomms know that 80% of med school students go into a field other than the one they were first drawn to, either by inclination or due to an inadequately competitive application. You do not want to appear close-minded. Orthopedists do take care of sick folks. And they certainly take care of acute injuries. Rehab is facilitated by other members of a healthcare team. Having this experience is a great idea, but IMO it should not stand alone.

Does the Senior Center have an affiliated Skilled-Level Nursing Home? Why not see if you can volunteer there as well?

2) Primary care includes Peds, Internal Medicine, Family Med, OBGYN, and Psychiatry. The first three are docs who will be referring patients to an Orthopedist, so its a good idea to have a view of medicine from the trenches, so to speak.

Thanks, @Catalystik! I'll try to find doctors in the fields you mentioned and shadow them. Unfortunately, the senior center doesn't have its own nursing home, so I would have to look into other places to volunteer.

Regarding my research experience, I want to conduct independent research based on the clinical research study that I am currently doing, but when I spoke to my PI about it, she said that her research study is geared toward specific pediatric patients, so it was very difficult for her to find research subjects, let alone myself. What should I do about this? Next summer, I am planning to apply to another summer research program, preferably the Amgen Scholars Program and REUs, and since I know it is extremely difficult to get into these programs, I want to enhance my research experience as much as possible to increase my chances of getting into them, which would also be a plus for my med school application. Is it possible to do a research project on a topic that is different from the clinical research study my PI is running but is within her field of study?

 

[Catalystik]

1) I'll try to find doctors in the fields you mentioned and shadow them.

2) Unfortunately, the senior center doesn't have its own nursing home, so I would have to look into other places to volunteer.

3) Regarding my research experience, I want to conduct independent research based on the clinical research study that I am currently doing, but when I spoke to my PI about it, she said that her research study is geared toward specific pediatric patients, so it was very difficult for her to find research subjects, let alone myself. What should I do about this?

Is it possible to do a research project on a topic that is different from the clinical research study my PI is running but is within her field of study?

1) Any one of those specialties is adequate. You don't need them all.

2)They probably have patterns of referral to nearby skilled-level nursing homes that you could take advantage of. Ask what they are. Ask for the name of a contact person. Then you can say, "Ms. Person at Local Senior Center USA where I currently volunteer gave me your name so I could call you about . . .". You can see that will get you further in the door than a cold call to an unknown stranger.

3) Ideally, you'd piggy-back off of her study, using the same population of patients, but first you need a good idea and to research the literature on the subject. Then you need to gain the PIs support. Next, with her mentoring, you'll write a grant to get money to fund it and get involved in IRB amendments, both of which would be challenging (or a complete nightmare), but very good experience, even if you aren't successful. If you can bring support funds into the project, the PI will be happier and more likely to go with it. It could be very simple, like Are participants with a higher fat diet/obesity more likely to have XXX outcome or somesuch (depending on what the PI is hypothesizing), involving only the addition of a diet questionnaire and weights. And Childhood Obesity is a hot topic area for which funding might be easier to get.