4 years since undergrad..

[jmcsolido]

Hello everyone, I was told you guys could offer ideas on what I need to make myself a worthy applicant for the next application cycle. I graduated in 2016 from a mid-tier state uni with a BS in Biology. Had plans to pursue medical school but had to work full-time (unrelated to medicine) while taking full course loads, which led to a burnout and subsequently a slight downward trend. Finished with a ~3.6 sGPA and ~3.7 cGPA. I have ~150 hours volunteering as a TA for an upper-level biology course but no clinical volunteering at all (obviously the most important thing I need), however I do have 200+ shadowing hours across a few specialties which I really enjoyed. I need to study for the MCAT, begin clinical volunteering (when available due to covid), and beef up non-clinical volunteering. I've been working as a coatings contractor since graduation, helping manage the company (part owner with a family member).
What should I do about LORs? How many clinical hours would be suitable? Any other advice/feedback is also appreciated!! Goodluck everyone and thank you.

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[GreenDuck12]

1. For LORs reach out to old professors that you had to see if they would be willing to write one for you. You're going to need to be persistent since this is an unprecedented time in academia. You may also look into taking a few upper level classes. If you do so, make sure you ask your professors in the first week about earning a LOR from them.

2. Clinical experience is necessary to demonstrate that you understand what you're getting into. I would focus less on the number of hours than the quality of the experience that you have. 200 hours would be a decent target to aim for but less than 200 would certainly be fine. Less than 100 might be considered too few.

3. MCAT is going to be a big factor in your application. Make sure you take the necessary time to prepare for it, usually 3-4 months, ideally when other commitments are at a minimum.