Application Boosting Help

[Future Elle Woods M.D.]

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Hello!

I just finished my sophomore year of college and was hoping for some help in finding ways to boost my CV/application to make me more competitive for admissions.

Academics
I have a 3.54 GPA (working on boosting that; I average a 3.74 per semester, but I had a bout with depression and anxiety spring of freshman year and got mostly B's instead of mostly A's. No C's on my transcript though).
Haven't taken MCAT yet since I'm just a sophomore, but I'm a good test taker (32 on my ACT and lots of passed AP exams under my belt. I'm also already studying for it.) I'm double majoring in Biology and Psychology.

Extracurriculars
I'm a transfer student, so I'm still getting the hang of my new school, but I am a member of the Biology Club, Pre-Med Club, and ACS at my school. I was in the Honor's program at my first school, and here I plan on completing the honor's program for biology students.

Volunteering

• Children's Ministry from 2008 to the present; over 500 hours to date
• Mission Trips to New York City (10 days), Haiti (8 days), and the Potawatomie Indian reservation in Wisconsin (10 days); mainly worked with children on these trips
• Worship Team: 2010 to present; over 300 hours
• Children's Hospital: October 2015 to April 2016 3 hours a week (going to start volunteering at a hospital in my town instead because the hour drive back and forth every week was getting pretty expensive.)
• Community Connections January 2016 to present; I serve as an unpaid intern and volunteer for this nonprofit program that provides for special needs children across my state. I've totaled around 100 hours so far to my estimation

Shadowing
35 hours with a Pediatric Neurosurgeon
I applied to a semester long Medical Internship at my school where I do weekly rotations at local hospitals. I'm waiting to hear back still, but if accepted I'll spend a minimum of 5 hours a week in the hospitals but can do more if I want to.

Research
October 2015 to present at my university with the chair of the Biology dept as my PI

Awards & Honors
Nothing too significant so far

Thank you for any advice that you can give me! I really appreciate it.

 

[Crayola227]

I think it's a terrible idea to post on SDN or the internet in general with your real photo, and first and last name

also think it's a terrible idea to refer to so many specifics from your app, that's usually not necessary to get decent advising

better to try to anonymize your app, go to your college pre-health advising department, ask your med school LOR writers (many of them are familar with the apps of success stories they've had) or to see if there are a few more trusted ppl on SDN to approach individually. Perhaps Goro?

you might want to add more hardcore bench research, hopefully paid, to your resume
med school like to see part-time employment in addition to full time enrollment in school
having some "real world" "real" job experience perhaps

 

[Future Elle Woods M.D.]

Lol that's not my real first and last name, it's a reference to Legally Blonde. Thank you though, I will change my photo and take out references to my state and everything! I have looked for paid research opportunities in my area so far and haven't been able to find any! I will keep looking though. Thank you for the advice! I really appreciate it.

 

[Crayola227]

an adcom reviewing your app likely could read the above and know it's you, I would be careful using this account on SDN in the future is all

 

[darthsubway]

You're looking good so far as long as your GPA keeps improving. Things I would suggest is some clinical experience job working with doctors which looks like you're working on too. Maybe some independent research project would be nice that you could present a poster on. Your PI can help with that if you indicate you would like to investigate something they're working on. I hope you're taking some time for yourself. Looks like you're very busy.

 

[OchemOficionado]

I think it's a terrible idea to post on SDN or the internet in general with your real photo, and first and last name

LOOOOOOOOOOOOL

That was cute.

 

[MilaKunisDoe]

Lol that's not my real first and last name, it's a reference to Legally Blonde.

Lol

 

[Catalystik]

I just finished my sophomore year of college and was hoping for some help in finding ways to boost my CV/application to make me more competitive for admissions.

Academics
I have a 3.54 GPA (working on boosting that; I average a 3.74 per semester, but I had a bout with depression and anxiety spring of freshman year and got mostly B's instead of mostly A's. No C's on my transcript though).
Haven't taken MCAT yet since I'm just a sophomore, but I'm a good test taker (32 on my ACT and lots of passed AP exams under my belt. I'm also already studying for it.) I'm double majoring in Biology and Psychology.

Extracurriculars
I'm a transfer student, so I'm still getting the hang of my new school, but I am a member of the Biology Club, Pre-Med Club, and ACS at my school. I was in the Honor's program at my first school, and here I plan on completing the honor's program for biology students.

Volunteering

• Children's Ministry from 2008 to the present; over 500 hours to date
• Mission Trips to New York City (10 days), Haiti (8 days), and the Potawatomie Indian reservation in Wisconsin (10 days); mainly worked with children on these trips
• Worship Team: 2010 to present; over 300 hours
• Children's Hospital: October 2015 to April 2016 3 hours a week (going to start volunteering at a hospital in my town instead because the hour drive back and forth every week was getting pretty expensive.)
• Community Connections January 2016 to present; I serve as an unpaid intern and volunteer for this nonprofit program that provides for special needs children across my state. I've totaled around 100 hours so far to my estimation

Shadowing
35 hours with a Pediatric Neurosurgeon
I applied to a semester long Medical Internship at my school where I do weekly rotations at local hospitals. I'm waiting to hear back still, but if accepted I'll spend a minimum of 5 hours a week in the hospitals but can do more if I want to.

Research
October 2015 to present at my university with the chair of the Biology dept as my PI

Awards & Honors
Nothing too significant so far

Thank you for any advice that you can give me! I really appreciate it.

Peer leadership experience would boost your application so that it appeals to a broader range of schools. And I suggest acquiring office-based primary care shadowing (to get a view of longitudinal care) before applying.

 

[Future Elle Woods M.D.]

Thank you all so much! I appreciate the advice.

 

[Hopeful_vet]

Hello!

I just finished my sophomore year of college and was hoping for some help in finding ways to boost my CV/application to make me more competitive for admissions.

Academics
I have a 3.54 GPA (working on boosting that; I average a 3.74 per semester, but I had a bout with depression and anxiety spring of freshman year and got mostly B's instead of mostly A's. No C's on my transcript though).
Haven't taken MCAT yet since I'm just a sophomore, but I'm a good test taker (32 on my ACT and lots of passed AP exams under my belt. I'm also already studying for it.) I'm double majoring in Biology and Psychology.

Extracurriculars
I'm a transfer student, so I'm still getting the hang of my new school, but I am a member of the Biology Club, Pre-Med Club, and ACS at my school. I was in the Honor's program at my first school, and here I plan on completing the honor's program for biology students.

Volunteering

• Children's Ministry from 2008 to the present; over 500 hours to date
• Mission Trips to New York City (10 days), Haiti (8 days), and the Potawatomie Indian reservation in Wisconsin (10 days); mainly worked with children on these trips
• Worship Team: 2010 to present; over 300 hours
• Children's Hospital: October 2015 to April 2016 3 hours a week (going to start volunteering at a hospital in my town instead because the hour drive back and forth every week was getting pretty expensive.)
• Community Connections January 2016 to present; I serve as an unpaid intern and volunteer for this nonprofit program that provides for special needs children across my state. I've totaled around 100 hours so far to my estimation

Shadowing
35 hours with a Pediatric Neurosurgeon
I applied to a semester long Medical Internship at my school where I do weekly rotations at local hospitals. I'm waiting to hear back still, but if accepted I'll spend a minimum of 5 hours a week in the hospitals but can do more if I want to.

Research
October 2015 to present at my university with the chair of the Biology dept as my PI

Awards & Honors
Nothing too significant so far

Thank you for any advice that you can give me! I really appreciate it.

Keep in mind that anything you did in high school is irrelevant. Post-secondary ECs are what matter. With that being said, you still seem to be on the right track.


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile

 

[Future Elle Woods M.D.]

Peer leadership experience would boost your application so that it appeals to a broader range of schools. And I suggest acquiring office-based primary care shadowing (to get a view of longitudinal care) before applying.

Would being a peer mentor at a volunteer organization for at risk youth qualify as a peer leadership experience? It's hard to get elected to something like student senate at my university without being in a sorority, sadly. There are a few opportunities to serve as a mentor, however.

 

[Future Elle Woods M.D.]

Keep in mind that anything you did in high school is irrelevant. Post-secondary ECs are what matter. With that being said, you still seem to be on the right track.


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile

If some of my ECs extend from high school to the present, can I still include the start year as 2008? I started serving in children's ministry at age 12 and still do it to this day. Totally understand not including ACT scores or anything, though!

 

[Umyo]

If some of my ECs extend from high school to the present, can I still include the start year as 2008? I started serving in children's ministry at age 12 and still do it to this day. Totally understand not including ACT scores or anything, though!

Absolutely you can, if they are to the present.


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile

 

[Catalystik]

Would being a peer mentor at a volunteer organization for at risk youth qualify as a peer leadership experience? It's hard to get elected to something like student senate at my university without being in a sorority, sadly. There are a few opportunities to serve as a mentor, however.

I'd consider mentoring to be closer to a Teaching activity. Now, if you recruited other mentors, trained them, monitored them, gave feedback, etc, that would be peer leadership.

Holding an officership is a way to demonstrate leadership, but not if you just chair meetings. You'd need to come up with new initiatives, create committees, monitor their progress, and be sure the job gets done, or some such. Why not look for a need within organizations with which you are already affiliated, think of a way to resolve it, convince others it's a good idea, and recruit more folks to bring about change. You don't need to hold office to do that. And it's still a demonstration of leadership ability.

Example within a Youth at Risk Organization: you notice a lot of the kids don't have warm winter clothing. You find some friends interested in helping to start a drive to collect these items in the local community, put flyers on door steps/under dorm room doors, and a week later pick up items left on the stoop/door knob for you.