A little too late?

[libihero]

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I'm just gettin scared that I've been sending in my secondaries a little too late. My GPA is a 3.79 with a science of 3.76, and my MCAT is 11P 10V 12B. I have about 80 hours volunteering in the Childrens' Hospital of Michigan, I am doing research this semester, and I have been working to pay my tuition for the past three years at the child center at lifetime fitness. I just sent in my completed application to Rush, and I have sent already to Michigan State, Wayne State, Cincinnati, Toledo, Wisconsin, Buffalo, Jefferson, Mayo at the beginning of this month. I have an interview next month for Wayne, and I got rejected by Mayo. I'm finishing up other secondaries, but I'm just worried that my chances are slim. watcha think?

 

[Mobius1985]

I don't think your chances are slim, but they're certainly lower than they would have been a few months ago. Your numbers are very good. Your clinical experience sounds a bit thin, but maybe you didn't mention everything. You just began research barely in time to get it on the application, but at least you've got something going. You've chosen schools with a reasonable degree of selectivity for your stats, given a late application. You might get attention somewhere, but if you don't, it's likely due to not having a solid application (EC-wise).

Keep doing research, broaden your clinical experience by getting in some shadowing (hit on docs you meet at the hospital). What do you do at the Child Center for Lifetime Fitness? Any work with patients that would make it a clinical experience too?

Be sure to send an update letter to your schools at the end of the semester detailing your great GPA for the fall, and anything new you do.

 

[libihero]

ya all the clinical work is there... which is a reason why im scared. i was working 15 hours a week at lifetime since freshman year, and i was too scared to do additional ec's because it could interfere with my grades. but ya at lifetime i did interact with some children who had down syndrome and autism.... i dont think counts for clinical haha

 

[Mobius1985]

Depending on how you interacted with them, it might count as clinical ("If you're close enough to smell patients, it's a clinical experience," per one of SDN's adcomm members.) I hope you put a good description in the narrative of the experiences section of your primary, so that can be appreciated, if true. On the other hand, if you were just mopping floors in the building, it would be a stretch to call it clinical exposure.

 

[202781]

Here is what I'm thinking. You have pretty good MCAT/GPA...as long as you are from OHIO I don't think you have anything to worry about. I really don't think it is about the number of hours of clinical exposure...but what you have learned from those hours that matters. I know people who have spent 500+ hrs volunteering in the hospital, but could not begin to talk about the social issues, what patients are feeling, and what pressures doctors face on a daily basis.

I think you will do fine...I think we have pretty similar apps (I think your MCAT is slightly higher than mine)