Am I on the right path?

[JPodel]

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I am currently a freshman at a large public university. Biochemistry major. So far grades are very well.

I got a job starting my first semester and it was delivering research materials to families participating. In addition to that, I meet with a grad student once a week and I am helping on a project he is doing. I volunteered at this lab during summer when I was in HS and the professor running it was kind enough to write a LOR for admission into the honors college at this University and also allowed me to join their lab as I started freshman year. Lastly, I volunteer at a hospital once a week that I actually have been volunteering since junior year in HS.

Might sound weird but am I doing everything I should be doing for a shot at a US Allopathic school? Not only am I doing all these things, I am actually learning a lot from them and also learning about my self which I find pretty cool.

I find myself wondering what else should I be doing to make myself more successful. I am social and everything so I do make sure to spend time with friends and "chill". Any input from people who have more experience in this process? Thank you. No hateful comments please 🙂

 

[LChristmas]

It sounds like you have a lot of good things going for you already! The only thing missing from it at this point is shadowing, but I wouldn't bother starting that until after you take your MCAT. Keep your grades up and have fun!

 

[Relax!]

You are already doing research, clinical volunteering, and keeping your grades up. Good job so far!

what else should I be doing to make myself more successful

When you have a little less on your plate (such as in the summer), do some shadowing and also get involved in some non-clinical volunteering activities. Make a long-term commitment to most of your activities. Eventually take on leadership positions at a few activities, if possible.

 

[Theafoni]

Everything's looking good homie, just get that high GPA. Also look for leadership opportunities and community service you can do perhaps in the summer.

 

[optimistic3]

I agree with everyone else. It looks good for now but sometime down the line, I'd add in some leadership activities and non-clinical volunteering that you just enjoy personally. Keep up the good work! 🙂

 

[milk1993]

It sounds like you have a lot of good things going for you already! The only thing missing from it at this point is shadowing, but I wouldn't bother starting that until after you take your MCAT. Keep your grades up and have fun!

Why wait to shadow? You should know NOW whether or not you want to be a physician, and the only way to know that is to shadow. Don't waste 3 years trying to get into medical school just to realize you don't want to be a doctor. Shadow ASAP.

 

[JPodel]

Thank you all for the feedback! As far as shadowing, I think I'll put that off for summer because these activities alone take up majority of my time. However, I did shadow a surgeon when I was a senior in HS, and he even let me come shadow a mastectomy with him. I shadowed him a couple of times, and he was a genuinely nice person (he would point out anatomy while I was shadowing during the procedures so that I knew what was going on!) It's been two years since I last shadowed him and I really hope I can find him again. I will contact him sometime this summer, if he still is practicing and see if I can join him some more to shadow!

 

[resiroth]

I think genuine leadership ECs are extremely valuable and rarely mentioned on SDN. There is a reason that military people often have great cycles beyond their service...they have insane leadership experiences. This doesn't mean a president of a club or student government, this means spear-heading a project, leading a team to accomplish something tangible.

I don't want to freak you out if you don't manage to get this (because I didn't have anything like that and I and many others get into medical school just fine), but it's one thing that is rarely mentioned and is a HUGE boost to an otherwise generic app.