Advice needed

[aspiringphysician190]

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Hi SDN, I had planned on applying to medical school this upcoming summer 2018, but I have been recently wondering if it would be beneficial for me to take a gap year instead and apply the following summer 2019 to gain more experiences. This is how my app looks if I were to apply this summer, I am just wondering if I were to apply in the upcoming cycle 2018, would I be competitive for top 20 schools? I know a lot of that depends on my MCAT, but assuming that I am able to get a competitive MCAT score for top schools, I am just wondering how the rest of my app is looking - I am afraid that I do not have enough "unique" experiences and that my app is a little light. I have spent a lot of my time helping with refugees because that is one of my passions, but I am worried that since I do not have many other experiences that I will not be competitive. Thanks in advance!

State: MI
Applicant: non URM, white female, middle class
MCAT: taking in April
Science GPA: 3.9
Overall GPA: 3.9
Major: Human Biology, Minor: Sociology

Research:
· Clinical Research Assistant at a hospital partnered with my university (1 publication) - 150 hours unpaid, 600 hours paid
· ER Research Associate for another local hospital - 40 hours unpaid, for credit

Extra-curriculars:
· Member of Pre-Professional Science Fraternity
· Member of Sorority
· Member of student governing body
· E-board member for a club that raises awareness about refugee crises around the world and also helps refugees in my community
· Intramural sports

Clinical Volunteering/Work Experience:
· ER Volunteer at local hospital - 170 hours
· Student Coordinator ER Volunteer (Leadership) at local hospital - 140 hours
· Worked at a large hospital for 3 years (started in high school, went until middle of undergrad) only about 1/4 of these hours were with patients, the other 3/4 were in an office doing clerical work - 1345 hours

Non-Clinical Volunteering:
· Tutor recently relocated refugee children in my community in reading and writing skills - 50 hours
· Teach science to elementary school kids - 20 hours
· Fundraising for refugees in Jordan/collect coats for refugees in community - 30 hours
· Spent a summer in Greece volunteering in refugee camps (for credit) - 150 hours
· Outreach with Sorority, collecting and passing out books to inner city kids, helping kids with reading skills - 30 hours

Shadowing:
· Internal Medicine, 20 hours
· Geriatrics, 24 hours
· ER resident, 3 hours

 

[CyrilFiggis]

There are countless stories of applicants with fantastic grades who don't get into med school let alone a Top 20. Take a look at your ECs and ask the following questions:
1) Does this answer or compliment "why medicine"
2) Did you show longitudinal commitment in your endeavors?
3) Can you speak enthusiastically about your top clinical experience, volunteer experience and research work?

There are applicants that get in with zero shadowing or zero research because they have strong, dedicated work in other areas. Pre-meds are neurotic about checking boxes and AdComs can see that.

 

[AnatomyGrey12]

Get an MCAT score and then come back. You aren’t competitive for any medical schools without one.

 

[aspiringphysician190]

We really can't give you advice until we see your MCAT score. If you want to aim for Top 20, you need to get a 516+ on the MCAT (probably safer to aim for 520+). I'm not sure if you can put on your application volunteering for credit or shadowing foreign doctors. Are these non-clinical volunteering experiences longitudinal (i.e. you did it for more than 1 year continuously)? You don't have many hours there individually. You also can't list high school experiences on your app, so forget that.

Thanks for your response! I do not think I will include the shadowing of foreign doctors on my application, but I was curious about the rule on including volunteer work for credit. My most meaningful non-clinical volunteer experience is the tutoring refugee children and I started that a few months ago and continue now twice a week. if I apply this cycle I will probably have 75-80 hours and will have been doing it for almost a year. Can I include my hospital work experience even though I started my last year in high school but I continued with it through my first 2 years of undergrad?

 

[aspiringphysician190]

There are countless stories of applicants with fantastic grades who don't get into med school let alone a Top 20. Take a look at your ECs and ask the following questions:
1) Does this answer or compliment "why medicine"
2) Did you show longitudinal commitment in your endeavors?
3) Can you speak enthusiastically about your top clinical experience, volunteer experience and research work?

There are applicants that get in with zero shadowing or zero research because they have strong, dedicated work in other areas. Pre-meds are neurotic about checking boxes and AdComs can see that.

Thank-you for your response. I think that I can answer these questions through my experiences so far, but I am worried that my non-clinical volunteer experiences are going to be on the light side and I am weighing my options of taking a gap year to gain more longitudinal experiences. Do you think my experiences looking like "box checking"? In all honesty, I have completely enjoyed my clinical research, my clinical volunteer and paid work, and also my non-clinical experiences; these things did not feel like box checking to me. Thanks so much!

 

[aspiringphysician190]

Get an MCAT score and then come back. You aren’t competitive for any medical schools without one.

Hi, thanks for the response! Yes, I do realize how vital the MCAT score is, but I guess I was just trying to get an idea of how the rest of my app was and if I did get a competitive score for top schools, if my extracurriculars were to be in order or if I would benefit from a gap year. Thank-you

 

[21Rush12]

I’d shadow a little more but you don’t need a gap year for that.

Why does it have to be a top 20?