2023-2024 Potential Applicant Question!

[deleted1156661]

Hi! Making this post for a friend and hoping I post in the right location. He was planning to go to an international volunteer program and apply in the summer of 2024. However, now he is thinking of applying this summer. He got accepted to the volunteer program and is now unsure of what option he should take, so thought I could ask for some advice here.

Current Stats:

T25 Undergrad with STEM-type major
GPA ~3.6
MCAT (to be taken) - estimating 510
URM, mentorship program, and scholars program
Hours:
75 hours + 50 anticipated nonclinical volunteering
1000 hours of research (a couple of anticipated papers)
120 clinical volunteering
200 paid tutor

Option 1: Go to program and apply 2024
Option 2: Go to program and apply 2023 - so all would be anticipated volunteering (nonclinical) hours and can't include depth about this in secondaries, application process will be done while abroad
Option 3: Decline program and find local opportunities to boost application (improve shadowing and clinical volunteering before submitting primary, and find paid clinical for year)

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[chilly_md]

Definitely not Option 2. Projected hours do not count and it would be an additional headache to do the application process abroad.

 

[Mr.Smile12]

What does the mentor say?

What is this person doing in that program? If it is international, don't do a volunteerism opportunity. Ideally it should be Peace Corps or Fulbright; then I advise 1. Otherwise 3.

From the description, more experience is definitely going to raise the profile. Shadowing?

Focus on the MCAT and that timing. If the person goes abroad, delay the MCAT and apply for 2024. Don't rush and make errors.

 

[jhmmd]

Yea projected hours do not count. No one can verify that you completed them.

 

[deleted1156661]

What does the mentor say?

What is this person doing in that program? If it is international, don't do a volunteerism opportunity. Ideally it should be Peace Corps or Fulbright; then I advise 1. Otherwise 3.

From the description, more experience is definitely going to raise the profile. Shadowing?

Focus on the MCAT and that timing. If the person goes abroad, delay the MCAT and apply for 2024. Don't rush and make errors.

thanks for the response! it is peace corps but not medically related, so either way, clinical hours wouldn't change. do you think between now and primary app opening that there is enough time to boost experiences?

 

[GoSpursGo]

I would suggest option 1. It is March 16, scrambling to do the MCAT before he is ready and rushing completion of the primary application is a good way to underperform.

I would still try to get additional clinical experience between now and when he leaves for the Peace Corps. 120 hours is on the low side, would try to get up to at least 150-200 so that it will be banked for application next year.

 

[newolduser]

thanks for the response! it is peace corps but not medically related, so either way, clinical hours wouldn't change. do you think between now and primary app opening that there is enough time to boost experiences?

As an RPCV myself, Peace Corps came up a lot during interviews and I definitely wouldn't turn it down. It offers a great experience in truly pushing past your limits - and he can also do health-related secondary projects, even if it's not his main project. My main project was health-related, but I also spent a significant amount of time on English Literacy projects because I loved that too.