am I on the right track? advice welcome.

[Doc.Holliday]

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so, as my sophomore year is kicking off, i can see the imminent arrival of the med school application process grow ever nearer. and because of this, id like to get some additional opinions on my past and future decisions regarding my academic and extracurricular life.

im in my second year at a top 50 private university, majoring in Cell and Molecular biology with Chemistry and Classics minors. in addition i take rather heavy courseload of Spanish and French language classes. My GPA freshman year was a 3.42, not exactly what id like, but i had some signifigant family problems that greatly affected my performance. Im expecting much closer to a 4.0 this year. i'll finish all of my premed prerequisites and more come the end of this year, and i plan on taking the fall mcat after a summer of intense studying and a bit of volunteering/research etc. i figure if i dont do so well, i'll be in fine shape still and can take it again in april after some more advanced science classes etc. i dont plan on taking a class, im a motivated individual and am sure i can keep a strict schedule of going to the library for several hours per day and taking regular practice tests in conditions as close to real as possible. im not sure how well i will do, i am a good test taker, and i am willing to put in the time studying, hopefully it will turn out well, i would be very surprized if i got anything less than a 30.

i should be starting research this christmas, and should be able to stick with that same lab for the following 2.5 years. im also looking into some summer research programs at different universities, med schools, etc. I volunteer at a children's hospital where i direct a music enrichment program, and also volunteer on saturdays. i will continue with that music program for the rest of college. i also volunteer at an animal shelter, specifically working with battered dogs, slowly helping them become more accustomed to human interaction. i should start spending time with residents at a local university hospital and also shadowing doctors there (i would very much like to attend this school in the future). I am considering also volunteering at this university's hospital, if i can manage to find the time.

so thats me so far. how do i look? any problems you see? advice for the future? thanks

 

[Joplin3141]

Yea, I think you'll be ok... 🙂

I did the self-study on the mcat and did fine. If you are motivated there is nothing to stop you from getting a great score. Practice tests are the key for sure.

Since you are just starting your 2nd year, just follow your nose as far as what you like to do. Resume padding gets boring after awhile, so do things that genuinely interest you.

My advice: follow through on those plans and don't think about the actual applicaton process for at least a year!!!

 

[UseUrHeadFred]

My humble advice:

Your GPA is fine. Don't stress too much. In my opinion, GPA should be approached using a cost-benefit analysis. Give a little GPA to get some extracurriculars and to have a life. No problems here. Get up to 3.5, that should be sufficient for admission given a balanced application.

As far as lab work goes: It's a good idea to get some lab experience. Don't worry too much about the time frame. Just find out if you like it or not, make sure you do something (i.e., get a poster or even your name on a publication of some sort). That's the best thing that can come of it - you'll know if a career in Academic medicine is "for you" very early in your career.

Get some shadowing in there. You don't need a ton, just make sure you get a feel for the different fields. If you've had some doctors complain to you about their career, you're doing a good job.

The advice I can give you is threefold:

1.> Don't underestimate the MCAT. Practice tests are the key. Do lots and you'll be fine. Familiarity is arguably more important than actual knowledge.

2.> Consider studying abroad. Even if only for the Summer. It's an awesome experience, especially if you know some languages.

3.> Make sure you have some well-developed passions outside medicine. If you like to travel, travel a lot. If you like to fly kites, that's cool. Snowboarding, biking, whatever. It's all good. Just make sure you have something to relieve lots of stress in little time. Don't underestimate how important this is. This is probably the most important of my three points...

Good luck!