Am I Ready to Apply?

[engenir]

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Hi everyone. I'm deciding whether to apply or not by the first week of July. This is kind of a rushed decision as I was initially planning to wait another year. However, I'm 30, and at this age every year I postpone is a huge difference. My biggest concern is what med schools might think of my career post-undergrad. I've written a strong personal statement on how my career path has led me back to the patients. My clinical stuff just seems weak to me, but I'm confident I can express my interest well and speak to my experiences

Demographics: URM, Low-SES, First-gen
MCAT: 513
GPA: 3.6cGPA, 3.65 sGPA
Undergrad: engineering at a T30 public
Grad: T15 MBA
Non-clinical Volunteering: 300 (but this is across the past 6-7 years I just enjoy volunteering)
Clinical Volunteering: 300 running COVID test sites (2022) , 150 as a caretaker for my grandpa (2018), currently 20 + 40 projected at a free clinic
Work Experience: 2500 at an energy company you've heard of, 5000 as an engineer at a government agency under the department of Health and human services, 500 at a big pharma
Extracurricular: 500 starting a URM affinity club in my MBA program, 300 working at a pet startup
LORs: former boss in government, founder (and medical school professor) at startup I supported, one okay letter from bio class I took in MBA
Residency: CA while I apply, but highschool + undergrad were in Texas
Shadowing: maybe 20 in the next 3 weeks? I last shadowed in 2015.... I was pre-med in undergrad

Target Schools:

TCU, California University of Science and Medicine, Creighton, Drexel, Eastern Virginia, Quinniapac, Howard, Temple, LSU NOLA, Marshall, Medical College of Wisconsin, Morehouse, Oakland, Penn State, Vermont, Sidney Kimmel, Tulane, Arizona Tucson, UC Davis, University of Colorado, University of Maryland, University of Minnesota, Wayne State

Reach Schools:

Emory, Dartmouth, USC Keck, Brown, Tufts, UCLA, UCSD, Pitt, VCU, Duke

TMDSAS:

McGovern, A&M, Texas Tech Lubbock, Dell, Tyler, UTMB, Houston

 

[HopefulApplicant667]

Disclaimer: I'm a nontrad applicant, not an AdCom. Have you already taken the MCAT? A clear weakness in your application is limited clinical hours working with a doctor - shadowing and clinical volunteering help display that you know what you're getting into, but your hours here are less than what is generally recommended (80-100h shadowing, 300h clinical) as the hours with your grandfather may not be considered true clinical shadowing.

 

[engenir]

Disclaimer: I'm a nontrad applicant, not an AdCom. Have you already taken the MCAT? A clear weakness in your application is limited clinical hours working with a doctor - shadowing and clinical volunteering help display that you know what you're getting into, but your hours here are less than what is generally recommended (80-100h shadowing, 300h clinical) as the hours with your grandfather may not be considered true clinical shadowing.

I just edited my post, but yes I have. I received a 513.

Thanks, for the feedback. My clinical hours are low and that's my biggest concern. I know what the career is like. I've been able to contribute to patient outcomes in other ways as an engineer and through finance though, but doctors tend to be unfamiliar with career paths outside of medicine. I just don't know a way to get 50 hours in three or so weeks at this point. Delaying my application for something I know won't change my mind on the career path, but may change the opinion of admissions, is a crappy spot for me to be in.

 

[HopefulApplicant667]

Can you take a week or two off of work to rack up another 80h?

 

[engenir]

Can you take a week or two off of work to rack up another 80h?

Yes. If you know of a way to find clinical experience that quickly, I'm open to suggestions. I've been desperately reaching out to folks about shadowing. Next week I'm going to walk into clinics and ask to shadow directly.

 

[HopefulApplicant667]

Ask your free clinic place? Shadowing is tough. Doctors are incredibly unhelpful in that regard unless its a personal connection. No tips beyond cold-calling or cold-emailing a ton.

 

[Faha]

What is the breakdown by hours of your 300 hours of non clinical volunteering?

 

[engenir]

100 mid college, 200 late in college, 100-200 a year or two after college. maybe another 100ish across different things in recent years

 

[Faha]

100 mid college, 200 late in college, 100-200 a year or two after college. maybe another 100ish across different things in recent years

In what activities ? Which URM community are you from? If you are Hispanic, are you fluent in Spanish?

 

[engenir]

Bicycle repairs, helping ESL immigrants with stuff, mentoring high school students, etc.. I’ve moved a lot so it just depends on the area. I am Hispanic and can speak Spanish but not fluent enough for medical Spanish

 

[Faha]

Bicycle repairs, helping ESL immigrants with stuff, mentoring high school students, etc.. I’ve moved a lot so it just depends on the area. I am Hispanic and can speak Spanish but not fluent enough for medical Spanish

You would be better to apply a year from now. Your ECs are deficient. You need 40+ hours of in person physician shadowing (including primary care). You should accumulate 150+ hours of non clinical volunteering such as food bank or homeless shelter. While your 300 hours doing COVID tests is clinical, you would benefit from another 200+ hours at the free clinic. If you accumulate those hours I suggest these schools for a June 2026 application:
Vermont
Quinnipiac
Tufts
Dartmouth
Brown
New York Medical College
Albany
Einstein
Hackensack
Drexel
Temple
Jefferson
George Washington
Georgetown
NOVA MD
USF Morsani
Miami
Belmont
TCU
Rosalind Franklin
Medical College Wisconsin
Oakland Beaumont
Wayne State
Colorado
Arizona (Tucson and Phoenix)
Roseman
Kaiser
California University
Loma Linda (if you fit their mission)
The UCs (except Riverside unless you are from that region)
USC Keck
Also apply to all the TMDSAS MD schools in Texas.

 

[engenir]

Thank you. I will probably get the shadowing hours this month. I have 1000+ volunteering hours through an engineering school course with rural communities that I forget since it was back in 2018. I might apply DO if it means getting into a med school this year. I want to do some variation of primary care or psych, so I don't think a DO school will make it a huge uphill battle

 

[Faha]

You could also try Carle Illinois (you fit their profile) and Arizona State University School of Medicine and Advanced Medical Engineering (when it opens).