Am I freaking out for no good reason?

[deleted1010734]

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I am a sophomore in college, and couldn't make any meaningful progress in my pre med journey this semester. I'm supposed to be graduating December 2023, and would like to apply in June 2023 if that's feasible.

I'm currently in a sorority and founding a club, but I have an abysmal amount of volunteering hours (no clinical), and no research whatsoever. I'm currently doing some virtual shadowing, but I'm not sure this is a replacement for traditional shadowing.

Do I still have a chance of getting enough shadowing, research, and clinical hours until I need to apply? Also, what type of clinical hours and research should I be looking for during the pandemic?

Any advice would be welcome

Edit: Clarified my prospected graduation date. Also, Does translating for TED classify as nonclinical volunteering?

 

[Lasofloxabuterol]

My advice is to do your best and reach out to every volunteer organization, lab, and clinic you can via email, cold call, or application. You would be surprised what opportunities could come about, just be persistent. You have enough time just be sure not to overload yourself in hopes of "catching up." Remember many applicants take gap years to improve their applications. Good luck!

 

[KnightDoc]

I am a sophomore in college, and couldn't make any meaningful progress in my pre med journey this semester. I'm supposed to be graduating Fall 2023, and would like to apply in June 2023 if that's feasible.

I'm currently in a sorority and founding a club, but I have an abysmal amount of volunteering hours (no clinical), and no research whatsoever. I'm currently doing some virtual shadowing, but I'm not sure this is a replacement for traditional shadowing.

Do I still have a chance of getting enough shadowing, research, and clinical hours until I need to apply? Also, what type of clinical hours and research should I be looking for during the pandemic?

Any advice would be welcome

You honestly have absolutely no reason to freak out. Around 2/3 of all matriculants take at least one gap year. COVID is making it impossible for many people to make meaningful progress with ECs.

If you intend to apply in June 2023 for admission in August 2024, you have a TREMENDOUS amount of time in which to do everything expected of a successful candidate, including having 1.5 gap years. Congratulations, though, because you definitely have a very good head start on being neurotic, which seems to be a prereq for us!! 😎

You should do what you can during the pandemic, but things should be getting back to normal by next fall. You'll have two full years from then, plus your gap year and a half, to gather necessary experiences. Research is optional, depending on whether or not you are gunning for top research schools like Harvard and Penn. 50-100 in person shadowing hours, spread across primary care and specialties, are also expected, in addition to several hundred hours each of clinical (paid or volunteer) and non-clinical volunteering. Whether several hundred means 150 or 500 is subject to some debate, depending on the rest of your application and the level and quality of your involvement with the ECs.

 

[Goro]

I am a sophomore in college, and couldn't make any meaningful progress in my pre med journey this semester. I'm supposed to be graduating Fall 2023, and would like to apply in June 2023 if that's feasible.

I'm currently in a sorority and founding a club, but I have an abysmal amount of volunteering hours (no clinical), and no research whatsoever. I'm currently doing some virtual shadowing, but I'm not sure this is a replacement for traditional shadowing.

Do I still have a chance of getting enough shadowing, research, and clinical hours until I need to apply? Also, what type of clinical hours and research should I be looking for during the pandemic?

Any advice would be welcome

Yes, but you might have to add an extra year due to COVID

 

[EdgeTrimmer]

Whether several hundred means 150 or 500 is subject to some debate, depending on the rest of your application and the level and quality of your involvement with the ECs.

^^^, don't go by purely hours lot of people quote, 100-150 clinical hours are sufficient if those are meaningful and you can write well about them and you have very good GPA and MCAT score.

 

[KnightDoc]

^^^, don't go by purely hours lot of people quote, 100-150 clinical hours are sufficient if those are meaningful and you can write well about them and you have very good GPA and MCAT score.

In other words, "Whether several hundred means 150 or 500 is subject to some debate, depending on the rest of your application and the level and quality of your involvement with the ECs."