What do I need to do the get into top medical schools?

[Seldon]

I am a sophomore honors student at a large research university. I thus far, I have been focusing entirely on research. My record is as follows:

GPA-3.98
Science GPA- 4.00
Research Experience- Honors thesis work- 2 years, 2 summer research experiences at the Mayo Clinic, an authorship on a paper from the Mayo clinic, one poster presentation
Extracurricular- President of the Science Journal Club, Classical Guitar and Piano
Clinical Experience- None... I am setting up several for my next trip to Mayo

I realize that I have a huge gap in my record and I would like advice on what and how much I need to do to make me competitive.

Thank you for any help.

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[gyngyn]

Be exceptional in an exceptional pool.

 

[Goro]

Don't be content to spend only 100 hours in a patient contact experience.

I am a sophomore honors student at a large research university. I thus far, I have been focusing entirely on research. My record is as follows:

GPA-3.98
Science GPA- 4.00
Research Experience- Honors thesis work- 2 years, 2 summer research experiences at the Mayo Clinic, an authorship on a paper from the Mayo clinic, one poster presentation
Extracurricular- President of the Science Journal Club, Classical Guitar and Piano
Clinical Experience- None... I am setting up several for my next trip to Mayo

I realize that I have a huge gap in my record and I would like advice on what and how much I need to do to make me competitive.

Thank you for any help.

 

[WedgeDawg]

A high MCAT would help

 

[AlphaBeta<3]

I am a sophomore honors student at a large research university. I thus far, I have been focusing entirely on research. My record is as follows:

GPA-3.98
Science GPA- 4.00
Research Experience- Honors thesis work- 2 years, 2 summer research experiences at the Mayo Clinic, an authorship on a paper from the Mayo clinic, one poster presentation
Extracurricular- President of the Science Journal Club, Classical Guitar and Piano
Clinical Experience- None... I am setting up several for my next trip to Mayo

I realize that I have a huge gap in my record and I would like advice on what and how much I need to do to make me competitive.

Thank you for any help.

I'll trade my EC's/ clinical for your GPA/research

 

[candbgirl]

What do you have planned for your non clinical ECs? What kind of service to the community do you plan? Have you thought about that at all? When you say (concerning clinical experiences)" I am setting up several for my next trip to Mayo" what do you mean the exactly. How long will you be there? Are you talking about shadowing? There is a difference between clinical experience and shadowing. Your GPAs are wonderful as is your research but you have many holes to fill in other areas. But you have time to get it all together. Oh and there is the MCAT too.


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[Seldon]

What do you have planned for your non clinical ECs? What kind of service to the community do you plan? Have you thought about that at all? When you say (concerning clinical experiences)" I am setting up several for my next trip to Mayo" what do you mean the exactly. How long will you be there? Are you talking about shadowing? There is a difference between clinical experience and shadowing. Your GPAs are wonderful as is your research but you have many holes to fill in other areas. But you have time to get it all together. Oh and there is the MCAT too.


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For non-clinical ECs, I am the president of a scientific literature club. I was also planning to start tutoring struggling students in science for free.

I will be returning to the Mayo Clinic this summer for my second undergraduate research fellowship. During my time there, I hope to shadow several doctors. There is also the possibility that I will be spending a semester there completing my honors thesis. During that time, I was thinking about volunteering at Mayo's hospital. If that falls through, I could volunteer at the local hospital, though that's a bit more difficult to do.

As far as the MCAT goes, I plan on starting to study this summer. I have taken all of the required courses so I should be prepared to take it in the fall.

I plan on graduating a semester early, so I need to get started on all of this.

 

[candbgirl]

So are you applying in June 2017? You should spend some time reading in the WAMC forums. You'll be amazed at what some students do for ECs. I assume you are hoping for an acceptance at Mayo? I still think your ECs are weak and research focused. And you don't seem to realize you have to spread your wings a bit and do more than you are planning.
You haven't proven to anyone that you know what you are getting into. How do you know you even want to work with sick and injured people for the next 40 years? How do you know what a doc does day to day. Your GPA is great. But you have more work to do. Why MD and not PhD?

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[Seldon]

So are you applying in June 2017? You should spend some time reading in the WAMC forums. You'll be amazed at what some students do for ECs. I assume you are hoping for an acceptance at Mayo? I still think your ECs are weak and research focused. And you don't seem to realize you have to spread your wings a bit and do more than you are planning.


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It was recommended to me that I find a few ECs and get very involved in them. Would you recommend that I not do that and do a bunch of ECs?

 

[candbgirl]

You don't have any now except research. All of yours are in the planning stage. And you are at the end of sophomore year. You need to stop thinking and planning and get to work. You obviously love research and feel comfortable and successful doing it. Maybe you should think about doing a PhD instead.

There is a thread down this page a bit by "implication". Go read it. He is a sophomore too and has done research and tons more. Maybe you'll see what I mean!
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[Seldon]

You don't have any now except research. All of yours are in the planning stage. And you are at the end of sophomore year. You need to stop thinking and planning and get to work. You obviously love research and feel comfortable and successful doing it. Maybe you should think about doing a PhD instead.

There is a thread down this page a bit by "implication". Go read it. He is a sophomore too and has done research and tons more. Maybe you'll see what I mean!
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Thank you for your help. I really appreciate it. I've given it alot of thought and I know that I don't want a PhD only. I may get an MD/PhD, but I primarily want an MD. You are absolutely right though, I do need to get to work. And I think I'll start immediately.

 

[Rainbow Zebra]

I am a sophomore honors student at a large research university. I thus far, I have been focusing entirely on research. My record is as follows:

GPA-3.98
Science GPA- 4.00
Research Experience- Honors thesis work- 2 years, 2 summer research experiences at the Mayo Clinic, an authorship on a paper from the Mayo clinic, one poster presentation
Extracurricular- President of the Science Journal Club, Classical Guitar and Piano
Clinical Experience- None... I am setting up several for my next trip to Mayo

I realize that I have a huge gap in my record and I would like advice on what and how much I need to do to make me competitive.

Thank you for any help.

Where is your service for others?? How will you show you want to care for others?? Need to beef this up (and get off campus). I recommend something like Habitat for Humanity or other service organizations (Boys/Girls Clubs, Red Cross, etc). Need to start now, so you have a good couple of years history (assuming you take a gap year for application). Scribing for a year or so is a good clinical experience (full disclosure, I am a chief scribe). Good luck to you.

 

[ChrisMack390]

When med schools says "volunteering" its really a bit of a misnomer. They mean "community service".

 

[piii]

No chance without the mcat and clinical experience. Right now your ECs are paltry. Need continuous dedicated time to serving patients, otherwise you should apply to PhD programs.

 

[Seldon]

I don't plan on taking a gap year, but I will be graduating a semester early. I plan on spending this time exclusively in patient contact. I realize this will be far after I actually apply, but if its arranged in prior to the application, can I list it? If I do, I will make it clear that it has not occurred yet.

Its taken me some time to decide that I did not want to do a PhD. Now I need to prove that I really do want to do an MD.

 

[candbgirl]

I'm sure you can mention it but don't plan on it impressing anyone. The road is paved with great intentions and somehow life usually happens to alter those intentions. By the second semester of senior year(after your graduation) you will have submitted your app seven+ months before. Interviews will be just about over for most schools and you'll just be starting your clinical ECs? IMO not a good plan for acceptance to any med school!


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[MaxPlancker]

The people that get into top schools are usually the people who don't need to ask this question ^.^

 

[candbgirl]

And I'm not sure why OP even asked the question to begin with. He doesn't like any of our answers and I think he thought he'd throw the name Mayo around and schools would line up to take him. And it might if everything else is in place.


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[Seldon]

Hello everyone! I have spent the last few months working to try and fill the hole in my record and I wanted to get everyone's opinion on what else I may need to do.

Since I posted three months ago, I have shadowed for 45 hours with four doctors. At the mayo clinic, I participated in 4 mastectomies and a breast reconstruction surgery. I scrubbed in and got to participate!

I have also gotten involved in clinical research with an neurosurgeon. With him, I will be writing a paper on a recent clinical trial.

Because I will have more time out of the lab, I was also able to start a relay for life team, which I have always wanted to do.

Finally, I have signed up volunteer hours at a local hospital during the school year. I hope to earn ~150 volunteer hours along with 200 shadowing hours, before I apply.

I hope that I have gotten more on track. I'm sorry if I came off as rude in my original post. I was, and am, quite nervous about getting into medical school. Thank you, everyone, for your help!

 

[gyngyn]

At the mayo clinic, I participated in 4 mastectomies and a breast reconstruction surgery. I scrubbed in and got to participate!

Did the patient agree to have an untrained, unlicensed person assist in her surgery?

 

[Seldon]

Did the patient agree to have an untrained, unlicensed person assist in her surgery?

Before I was allowed into the surgery, I had to sign a large number of forms, get permission from the department, and the surgeon. I am confident that the surgeon got permission from the patient before hand. During the actual surgery, I was by no means allowed to do anything of any significance to the patient. What they allowed me to do was nothing more than humoring me, which I appreciate, nonetheless.

 

[candbgirl]

You said you participated though. Now you say they were humoring you. Good grief. You should take step back and think about what you are saying. If you go into interviews so full of yourself the interviewers will see right through you. You are seemingly very impressed with the Mayo name. Maybe you should do some shadowing and work at a community hospital and see what docs all over America do everyday. Your experience at Mayo is great but it is showing you a very small and specific slice of medicine. How is your MCAT studying coming along? Your GPAs are excellent, your research is excellent and you seem to be trying to work on your deficiencies. But you really need to jump out of your comfort zone and work with people not like you. Have you thought about volunteering in homeless shelters or at Habitat for Humanity? Have you looked into nursing homes or hospice centers? These are the type of people who need help and these activities will give you a chance to show your altruism. You probably should also start being realistic about what med schools you want to think about. Of course with buffing up your application and a high MCAT you'll have as good a chance at the top tiers as the other few thousand that have your credentials do. There are lots of medical schools that you most likely wouldn't consider because they aren't "top medical schools"! But you really should because there are lots of excellent medical schools in America.


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[MaxPlancker]

Yea OP seems really full of himself when he says he participated in surgery lol...and the way he describes his activities. OP, you may not even realize it but you should be careful lest you get owned in interviews.

 

[Gurby]

Since I posted three months ago, I have shadowed for 45 hours with four doctors. At the mayo clinic, I participated in 4 mastectomies and a breast reconstruction surgery. I scrubbed in and got to participate!

Because I will have more time out of the lab, I was also able to start a relay for life team, which I have always wanted to do.

Finally, I have signed up volunteer hours at a local hospital during the school year. I hope to earn ~150 volunteer hours along with 200 shadowing hours, before I apply.

 

[Seldon]

You said you participated though. Now you say they were humoring you. Good grief. You should take step back and think about what you are saying. If you go into interviews so full of yourself the interviewers will see right through you. You are seemingly very impressed with the Mayo name. Maybe you should do some shadowing and work at a community hospital and see what docs all over America do everyday. Your experience at Mayo is great but it is showing you a very small and specific slice of medicine. How is your MCAT studying coming along? Your GPAs are excellent, your research is excellent and you seem to be trying to work on your deficiencies. But you really need to jump out of your comfort zone and work with people not like you. Have you thought about volunteering in homeless shelters or at Habitat for Humanity? Have you looked into nursing homes or hospice centers? These are the type of people who need help and these activities will give you a chance to show your altruism. You probably should also start being realistic about what med schools you want to think about. Of course with buffing up your application and a high MCAT you'll have as good a chance at the top tiers as the other few thousand that have your credentials do. There are lots of medical schools that you most likely wouldn't consider because they aren't "top medical schools"! But you really should because there are lots of excellent medical schools in America.


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Thanks for your advice! I will certainly take it. I'm sorry if it came off as bragging. The reason that I mention Mayo so much is because it is the place I have spent the most time besides my college. I've spent about 6 months here, so all of my experiences are here.



Thank you for your help!

 

[Gurby]

Thanks for your advice! I will certainly take it. I'm sorry if it came off as bragging. The reason that I mention Mayo so much is because it is the place I have spent the most time besides my college. I've spent about 6 months here, so all of my experiences are here.

Also, I think it's important that you think critically about the definition of participation. Participation takes many forms. It is not as if I made the primary incision or closed.

Thank you for your help!

 

[candbgirl]

So you want me to think critically about the definition of participation. Would you give me a hint on which way to head or better yet could you just tell us what you did?


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[wizzed101]

@candbgirl he mentioned comedy. I think that is quite unique, especially in an OR. Definitely wow factor.

 

[candbgirl]

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