Am I Doing Enough?

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OGLoc23

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I’ve recently completed my first semester at a formal career changer post-bacc and I’m unsure if I’m doing enough to prepare for the eventual application to medical school.

My post-bacc EC’s are the concern. The EC’s I am involved in have been fantastic—I’m volunteering at my local hospital with patient discharge and escort and I created and maintain a catalogue for the library of this hospital’s cancer department. I also have a few hours of shadowing with an oncologist and plan to seek out more opportunities with other physicians.

Otherwise, my post-bacc grades have been flawless, relationships with professors are solid, and I can’t be more excited about the classes I’ll be taking for the remainder of the post-bacc.

Before the post-bacc, I did do a few medically-related activities in college. I administered surveys to patients in a hospital as part of a research project and, later in college after a transition to a psychology major, conducted brain imaging studies on psychiatric patients. Neither research opportunity led to a presentation or publication.

My other activities in college involved leadership positions in a sports club and a humanities club and in-game commentating on my college’s basketball team during live broadcasts.

What do you guys think?
 
Especially for career changers, you need to show with your ECs that you understand what a doctor does. So the more shadowing and the more specialties you see the better. I'd say beef that up.

Second, underserved/volunteer work is always in vogue so finding a free clinic and volunteering there will help you shadow and will also help show you are compasionate.
 
Respect the MCAT. Don't skimp on a prep course. Take it seriously.

It's never too early to start researching schools (start w/(edit)MSAR, do most work on school websites, ignore SDN comments that appear fewer than 3x).

It's also never too early to start working on your essay.

It's also never too early to start working on recommendations.

Best of luck to you.
 
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Especially for career changers, you need to show with your ECs that you understand what a doctor does. So the more shadowing and the more specialties you see the better. I'd say beef that up.

Second, underserved/volunteer work is always in vogue so finding a free clinic and volunteering there will help you shadow and will also help show you are compasionate.

Sounds good! I'll make sure to look into free clinics. Also, I do plan to get involved in an adult literacy program; would this be considered volunteer work with the underserved?

Thank you DrMidlife!
 
I would disagree with this and
Respect the MCAT. Don't skimp on a prep course. Take it seriously.

It's never too early to start researching schools (start w/(edit)MSAR, do most work on school websites, ignore SDN comments that appear fewer than 3x).

It's also never too early to start working on your essay.

It's also never too early to start working on recommendations.

Best of luck to you.
I would disagree with this. Prep courses, especially if they have just done well in pre-req courses, are totally overpriced and unnecessary. The MCAT score they receive will depend on the time and effort they put in, not having someone half-qualified teaching them the same science they've already learned. If you have time and money to waste, sure, go ahead. But if you're working full time, or in school, spending the precious study time you have in a prep class will harm not help
 
I agree with not spending time sitting in a physical prep class. But worthwhile structured prep is available online. At a minimum you need to do boatloads of prep questions, and the free/cheap qbanks are crap. Being averse to spending money to maximize your score on a career-determining exam, when med school costs $250k+, is questionable prioritization.

After a few years of med school you'll forget you ever lived without a Qbank.
 
Stupid question what is MSAR?
 
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