.

[capybaracarbonara]

---

Members do not see this ad.

.

 

[chilly_md]

You don't need any honors/awards. A lot of people end up putting Dean's List, which is a fluff addition. Not using all 15 activity slots is also fine, though 7-8 (if you include a hobby as well as get the shadowing hours) is a little low. Be prepared to clearly show through your writing and interviews that you have had experience working with others and out of an academic setting. This is usually an issue for those applying in their 3rd year or earlier.

 

[chilly_md]

Ah I understand. Would you recommend picking up more activities or continuing to pursue the ones I'm already involved in? Also, how big of a problem would you say that having a low amount of activities is? Is it a red flag or just a minor negative?

Not a red flag. I assume since you had substantial hours that you will have enough to write about for your other activities. You should try volunteering at a food bank or homeless shelter, especially if you don't end up getting the 50 hours of shadowing and have to wait a year to apply.

 

[chilly_md]

Will do. Thank you so much for your advice. Do you think that my application as a whole would be ready for applying this cycle? Or would it be more worthwhile to accumulate more hours in my current activities and hopefully pick up more roles (as well as including what I would do during my gap year)? I'm definitely leaning toward the latter but am not 100% sure.

You would likely have interest from schools, especially from WUSTL and/or South Florida. But an additional year would make you more competitive for the UCs.

 

[LeaveNoTrace]

As it is you’re pack fodder at top 20 schools and strong everywhere else. Good luck and be sure to get that shadowing.

 

[LeaveNoTrace]

Sorry what does pack fodder mean?

Pack fodder: you’re in the pack. If this was a race, you wouldn’t be leading it and you wouldn’t be near the back either. By the stratospheric standards of top-20 schools, “pack fodder” is a generic applicant and you are competitive (but nothing special) at these places. Strong applicants at places like Harvard or Yale have excellent stats AND exceptional ECs like military service, first author Nature papers, Olympic or professional athletics, world-class musicianship…

That’s maybe ten percent of admitted students at these places. Maybe it’s as high as 20 at Harvard, but there’s only so many concert pianists and US National Team hockey players with 3.9s and 522+ MCATs.

 

[jhmmd]

As it is you’re pack fodder at top 20 schools and strong everywhere else. Good luck and be sure to get that shadowing.

Is this like "suitcase out?" I'm not sure if you mean drafting or something else. Hmm. Strange.

 

[chilly_md]

What's the difference between these two sets of schools? On one of my other threads, I received similar feedback and am confused why WashU would want me more than the UCs. Based on the USNews Rankings (which I understand are seriously flawed) WashU is almost T10 and ranked higher than all of the UCs, and it is also significantly higher than South Florida. Still, I would love to go to a UC for the in-state tuition, so what is different about their admissions process/competitiveness?

WUSTL likes high MCAT scorers and USF has tried to get them as well in the past to move up the rankings. All the competitive applicants from CA apply to the UCs and they tend to take a deeper look into ECs. Many of the UCs don’t show an IS preference either, with one of the exceptions being UCR, which is a very mission oriented school that only takes students from the IE.

 

[LeaveNoTrace]

From my interpretation, being pack fodder is decent then? Like I still have a decent chance at the T20s? I understand that applying to medical school is a difficult and sometimes random process, but if there was anything else I could do to make myself more desirable for the T20s in the next calendar year, I would love to hear that advice. I'm 99% going to wait to apply in the 2024 cycle. Thanks you for your help!

Being pack fodder is decent. It means you are a middle-of-the-road applicant at top 20s. A few hundred more hours of volunteering could help you, but it won’t make you that much more desirable…it’s just a slight improvement. Honestly in your shoes…I’d apply this year.

 

[Mr.Smile12]

In France 🇫🇷 or cycling, you could use "peloton." Probably good enough to be near the front but safe with most of the others. Generally indistinguishable unless you wear really bright neon colors or wear the leaders jersey. As long as you keep up with the pace.

 

[chilly_md]

Did some more research and was wondering if it would be equally valuable to instead volunteer at an orphanage? Would love to help out there. Also, would it be okay for me to do this additional non-clinical volunteering during the summer? I know that @Mr.Smile12 also agreed with your point and told me to add more non-clinical volunteering outside of the camping months, but it is difficult for me to do this during the school year without having access to a car while on campus. What are both of your thoughts?

Yes that would be fine. You should consider proximity to where you are and try to find an opportunity that works during the school year too (either a weekday where you have less classes or the weekend). Even if it is not the orphanage or something else that would be your #1 choice.

 

[mike-sheree]

Did some more research and was wondering if it would be equally valuable to instead volunteer at an orphanage? Would love to help out there. Also, would it be okay for me to do this additional non-clinical volunteering during the summer? I know that @Mr.Smile12 also agreed with your point and told me to add more non-clinical volunteering outside of the camping months, but it is difficult for me to do this during the school year without having access to a car while on campus. What are both of your thoughts? Would also love other opinions!

Maybe it is only me but your first sentence just really sounds like “ticket punching”. Please try to make sure that is not conveyed on your app or in your interview.