32Q, 3.75 cGPA, 3.6 sGPA, weak ECs

[MadRadLad]

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Score breakdown is a 10 PS, 9 VR (grr), 13 BS. So kind of unbalanced.
The sGPA is a bit of an estimate but should be in the 3.5-3.7 range.

Psychology major (BS) with a Cognitive Science specialization
Michigan resident


My real issue is ECs:

- I've been involved in my ethnic group's community activities for the past 5-6 years...but it's kind of on and off (there's generally like 4-5 events a year but I would find it really hard to quantify in terms of hours). What is the best way to put this on AMCAS? Just give the time frame and then explain that it's been kind of sporadic?

- Involved in psychology research for 3 years now and will be doing an Honors thesis here this upcoming year, I have had 3 poster presentations, and was in charge of one of our studies last year. I can talk about this a lot and have put in a lot of time working at this lab.

- Been working at a technology assistance place on campus, and i'm currently a Student Trainer there. Mostly phone-based customer service interactions on tech and university-related issues, but it has greatly improved my communication skills. Not really an EC, just a job.

- Volunteered at a hospital for ~60 hours last summer. Also volunteered at a hospital/insurance office this past fall calling people to advise them to get vaccinations/checkups/etc. and helping them set up appointments (conference calls with doctor's offices and such). I am also going to be volunteering this summer.

- No shadowing yet, but I am going to shadow at least one doctor this upcoming summer, hopefully more.

- Back in high school and the summer following high school, I used to work at a nursing home, and also volunteered at a different (DO) hospital. I know this can't be put on AMCAS as an EC, but is this something that I can talk about in secondaries/PS/interviews?

- Rec letters are another problem for me. I don't have any science profs willing to write me letters, because all those classes were a while ago and the profs don't remember me, some professors are full (won't write any more letters). I'm kind of screwed on that regard. I do expect a strong LoR from my PI who I have worked with for 3 years and my boss at my job. I'm also working on getting 2 more letters from psych/neuroscience profs. Question: If the class is under the psych dept. but is a neuro class (such as having "Neurobiology" in the title), does that count as a science letter?


So there you have it. I'd like some opinions on a school list too. I recently got the MSAR and am working on sifting through that. Should I be applying DO to boost my chances? I feel like my stats are ok but my ECs and LoRs are really going to kill me.

 

[Goobs]

First of all sorry for answering your questions so randomly. I started on the top and then skipped around.

With those stats you should be fine applying MD only if you apply smartly and broadly (varied geographic location and scattered through the rankings). Your ECs aren't weak, they're just a little cookie cutter. If I remember correctly your letter from your PI will count as a science letter, and I THINK that your psych letter will also be a science letter. Some schools also require a non-science faculty LoR though, so if you could get that too it'd be great.

You could bring up your HS experience in a nursing home during an interview if someone asks you describe your path to medicine. I wouldn't go off on a tangent about it in your PS though.

IDK how you'd want to handle your ethnic group hours/week either. I'd just list the dates and mention that it was sporadic in the description, but I'm not sure how you'd report those hours.

Shadowing is one of those things that are really low yield in terms of payoff, so just do it to get an idea of the profession. You don't have to accumulate hundreds of hours of shadowing experience.

I think you have a nice mix of the cookie cutter EC's aside from shadowing (research, community involvement, hospital related volunteering). Find the strong point of your application and really let it shine through in order to differentiate yourself from the tens of thousands of other pre-meds that have the same ECs. Show that you really made a difference in your community. Best of luck!

 

[Meihua]

- I've been involved in my ethnic group's community activities for the past 5-6 years...but it's kind of on and off (there's generally like 4-5 events a year but I would find it really hard to quantify in terms of hours). What is the best way to put this on AMCAS? Just give the time frame and then explain that it's been kind of sporadic?

As of this year, the work/activities section asks you to report total hours rather than average hours. So give the time frame, describe the event-based nature of your involvement, and calculate your best estimate for the total number of hours spent.

- Back in high school and the summer following high school, I used to work at a nursing home, and also volunteered at a different (DO) hospital. I know this can't be put on AMCAS as an EC, but is this something that I can talk about in secondaries/PS/interviews?

Yes.

I do expect a strong LoR from my PI who I have worked with for 3 years and my boss at my job. I'm also working on getting 2 more letters from psych/neuroscience profs

If you received course credit for your research, your PI letter will count as a non-science faculty letter. (I used a LOR from my psych PI as my non-science faculty LOR, so I'm positive about this - wanted to make this clear since Goobs's reply is not entirely correct.)

Question: If the class is under the psych dept. but is a neuro class (such as having "Neurobiology" in the title), does that count as a science letter?

If the course counts towards your sGPA in AMCAS, a LOR from that professor counts as a science letter, so yes.

 

[Goobs]

If you received course credit for your research, your PI letter will count as a non-science faculty letter. (I used a LOR from my psych PI as my non-science faculty LOR, so I'm positive about this - wanted to make this clear since Goobs's reply is not entirely correct.)

Maybe it varies by school. I was basing my answer off of NYMC's secondary app, which reads:

If your college does not have a premedical committee, a total of three (3) letters of evaluation from undergraduate faculty are required AND the names of the individual letters writers must be listed on your AMCAS application. Two (2) letters must be from science faculty (e.g.) biology, chemistry, physics, bio-medical engineering or bio-engineering, etc. who have either taught you in a class OR supervised you in independent research for which you have received credit toward your science GPA. (Math is not considered a science course for purposes of letters of evaluation.) The third letter must be from a non-science course.

 

[Meihua]

Maybe it varies by school. I was basing my answer off of NYMC's secondary app, which reads:

If your college does not have a premedical committee, a total of three (3) letters of evaluation from undergraduate faculty are required AND the names of the individual letters writers must be listed on your AMCAS application. Two (2) letters must be from science faculty (e.g.) biology, chemistry, physics, bio-medical engineering or bio-engineering, etc. who have either taught you in a class OR supervised you in independent research for which you have received credit toward your science GPA. (Math is not considered a science course for purposes of letters of evaluation.) The third letter must be from a non-science course.

OP indicated that their research was psychological in nature, which would not go towards science GPA. Neuroscience research would be counted towards sGPA and a letter from a neuro PI would count as a science letter.

 

[MadRadLad]

The course in question is titled Neurobiology of Learning, and while we discussed some psych concepts it heavily emphasized the physiological/anatomical neural correlates.

I am getting course credit for research in the lab this year but that is a separate course than the one I am referring to above.