Anyone got accepted to med.school without...

[thanks_sdn_2005]

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Hi everyone...

I was wondering if anyone got accepted to med.school without research or vol. experience ?

I am a non-traditional premed and plan to apply next June 04, but I don't have research nor volunteer experience. I have to go back to work during school year to support my wife and daughter.

thank you for your reply.

John

 

[Wednesday]

Is your work in health care? I think if you are an investment banker or something, you might have a tough time (not saying impossible, but nearly?) because they are going to want to know how you know you want to be a doc. Even just a couple of hours on Saturdays might get the job done. If you do work in health care, you should be fine. The point is not that you were willing to volunteer, but that you were exposed to medicine before making such a huge committment to medical school. If you're a post-bacc I think it's even doubly important, because they are going to want to know why you changed career paths.

Good luck!

PS I'm sure SOMEONE did get into med school without this stuff, but the best bet in the admissions game is to stack your deck as best you can. If it's impossible for you to get health care exposure, then you won't be able to. But I think that med students who have never set foot in a hospital are pretty uncommon.

 

[uniqueseraph]

Is your work hospital-related by any chance? Anyhow, it depends on the schools you are looking at. Some will definitely want to see reseach, like the top-notch schools and other schools see it as a plus. Honestly, I think it will hurt if you do not have volunteering experience though, compared to other applicants. I know it must be hard since you have family obligations, etc. but there are a lot of non-trads. I know who do manage to do these things. Volunteering shows that you are a caring person willing to devote time for another cause. It does not have to be a lot so give it a try- it can be quite rewarding! 😀

Best of luck to you!

 

[exmike]

I forgot where i saw it, AAMC or MSAR, but something like 85% of accepted students did some form of volunteering

 

[rgporter]

Originally posted by thanks_sdn_2005
Hi everyone...

I was wondering if anyone got accepted to med.school without research or vol. experience ?

I am a non-traditional premed and plan to apply next June 04, but I don't have research nor volunteer experience. I have to go back to work during school year to support my wife and daughter.

thank you for your reply.

John

If so they probably were 4.0, 40+ students, and extremely lucky. From what I've gleened in the interviews I have had so far, they are very concerned about your exposure to the medical field. While excellent research might compensate for no volunteer work, or vice versa, lacking both could be a very difficult situation. I am also non-trad, and I feel your pain because I have a family to support, but they expect med students to be able to handle that kind of work load. I would suggest you find a hospital where you can volunteer, it's only about 4 hrs. per week and besides helping your app., it's a good thing to do.

 

[LaurieB]

It's easy to get a few experiences in between now and then. You don't neccessarily have to devote hours each week to something to have a good worthwhile experience. Look for flexible volunteer opportunities that you can fit in around your work schedule. You might also look for things that you can do as a family so that you can incorporate your wife and child.

Above all else, do something that you would really enjoy, not just something that looks good on an app.

To give you some ideas of things that I did that were flexible or low comittment:
-Accepting Pledges for Public Radio During Fund Drive
-Shadowing various doctors on a one time basis
-Chaperoning field trips - a friend of mine is a teacher and I went along with her class

 

[mattorama]

I have a friend, who is now a first year, get in without research or clinical exposure/volunteering. Never came up at interviews either (and 1 interview was with a top 5....he didn't get in though, but probably due to MCAT...it was solid, but not top 5 solid).

 

[efex101]

As a non-trad it will be difficult to get accepted sans any clinical exposure *unless* you currently work in that setting.

 

[edik]

I recommend at least a token volunteering exposure. I am also a non-trad currently working in a non-related industry. I do get asked during the interviews whether I had enough exposure to hospital setting, etc.
I recommend to call up a few hospitals and ask around. If you have a free morning or afternoon off at least once a week, you are OK. But don't wait, start now. You want to show at least 6-12 months of volunteering on the application.

 

[thanks_sdn_2005]

thank you for the advices...

I forgot to mention....
the reason that i have not volunteer or have time to think about volunteering in healthcare because of personal problems in my family, not because my job.

My 15-months daughter was born sick/deformity.
Even before our daughter born, in the third months of pregancy. The obgyn told us the bad news, and after that...we have been in and out of hosptial countless time. I've driven as far as 6 hours just to see one of her specialty. It wouldn't be underestimate if i said...we spend 60% of the time in the last two years in and out of hospitals and seeing specialty docs. The list goes from:
1 OBGYN, 1 OBGYN/specialist, 1 Cardiologist, 2 ENT,
2 Orthopaedic, 1 geneticst, 2 physical therapists..1 OT and her family/PED doc.
Oh boy ( I meant....oh girl), the list goes on and on....

It is sad that i am gaining healthcare experience by watching my own daughter being sick. The last two years was pretty tough for me and my wife. I just hope i can explain to the adcom and hopefully they would understand my situation.

btw...my daughter is scheduled to have a big surgery in April.
and I am scare as hell...

again...thank you very much for all your good advices.

John.

 

[smc927]

Volunteering doesn't have to mean time spent pushing a book cart at a hospital. Just think of other things you do with your time of your own free will without financial compensation. Are you involved in church groups, elementary school groups, fundraisers, etc. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that just anything will do. Just think outside the box.... and if you have a child with special needs maybe you could organize/become involved in a local (or online) support group.

 

[LaurieB]

I'm really sorry to hear about your daughter's illness. It is sad that you are getting most of your clinical exposure through personal experience, yet I think it will be a valuable part of your application as it reflects your life and knowledge of medicine.

While it may be very difficult, I think you will really strengthen your application with even just a little volunteering.

 

[Rendar5]

just keep in mind that asking about your family life or your daughter is illegal unless you bring it up in your personal statement or interview. It honestly might help you get in, but you might not want the intrusion into your personal life, so it's something to consider before making this clinical exposure a part of your application.

 

[efex101]

Volunteering does not have to mean doing it for 4 hours per week every week every month every year. You can do a couple of hours here and there to demonstrate your altruistic side to adcoms. Although with a full plate like yours adcoms may realize that your time to spare is none...

 

[kwanny]

Yep, Me!! I have absolutely NO research experience at all, and I got accepted to Case Western. Well... my lack of research experience explains my being waitlisted at pritzker and vandy though... So i think research experience is somewhat important.