MD App is good but LoRs and clinical volunteering questionable?

[yella_yella]

Hey guys, looking to apply this summer for fall 2016 and wanted to hear your critiques What can I do in the next few months to improve my app? Where should I consider applying? I like how my app is looking so far but it's hard to judge objectively of course.

Graduated 2010 from low ranked large public university

Majors: Biology, Neuroscience

cGPA: 3.9

sGPA: 3.87

MCAT: 35 (BS 12, PS 11, VR 12)

Research: 4 years paid work (now full time) at a lab and 2 competitive summer fellowships at other top schools. 1 coauthor (5th) paper published, 2 under review, and 1 first author paper under review. Lots of conference presentations and posters.

Extracurriculars/non-clinical volunteering: Not much before junior year besides animal shelter volunteering. Since then, lots of outreach projects all with leadership positions, presentations, growth. This part of my app is pretty unique, not worried about it.

Clinical: 100 hours shadowing 2 different docs (neurology and psych). Spent a month abroad in the last year observing a health outreach program in India. I know it sounds like voluntourism unfortunately, but the project was run by the local hospital, I'm Indian and speak the language, and I just shadowed, helped with basic clinic activities, and interviewed some patients about their experience with the program for my own benefit. Hoping to get some more clinical volunteering in the next few months.

Other things: Woman/ORM, non-disadvantaged, 1 uncle is a doc (family practice)

Letters of recommendation: I'm submitting an excellent letter from my current lab head of 3 years, a very good letter from a collaborator whom I shadowed, a good letter from a former lab head of 1 year, and a possibly good/possibly mediocre letter from a professor who taught me and oversaw my honors project. So I will be submitting closer to the minimum requirement of letters for most schools--not sure if this will look bad.

I'd like to apply to top 20 programs because I'm interested in academic medicine, but I'm not sure if the MCAT, clinical experience, and LoRs will be hindering. Thoughts? Also happy to return the favor.

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[Rogert]

Sounds like you may need to do more clinical volunteering. Other than that you app looks fantastic.

 

[Doug Underhill]

Animal shelter volunteering is a good non-clinical EC and many adcoms seem to love animals (if the cat avatars on this form didn't tip you off). It's not really a substitute for clinical volunteering, however. Your clinical ECs do look like voluntourism, actually.

Nice GPA and MCAT, though. You should apply to research-focused schools, particularly if that first author paper actually gets accepted somewhere. The research angle is much more plausible for you than the humanitarian one. Have you considered MD Ph.D?

 

[yella_yella]

Animal shelter volunteering is a good non-clinical EC and many adcoms seem to love animals (if the cat avatars on this form didn't tip you off). It's not really a substitute for clinical volunteering, however. Your clinical ECs do look like voluntourism, actually.

Nice GPA and MCAT, though. You should apply to research-focused schools, particularly if that first author paper actually gets accepted somewhere. The research angle is much more plausible for you than the humanitarian one. Have you considered MD Ph.D?

Thanks for the feedback!! I'm tempted to "just say no" to you haha but yes I was planning on MD/PhD until I realized I wasn't excited about the time commitment. What's your opinion on whether or not adcoms will write me off as someone who should be going for a PhD rather than an MD? That's my concern, especially without the extensive clinical experience.