Applying for Fall 2019. Please Chance Me.

[Irzo]

---

Members don't see this ad.

Hello guys! I'm currently a junior in undergrad, and I'm starting to think about medical school applications (this summer) so, I thought I would like to see where I stand by having you guys assess my chances with my current standings. Which medical schools will I actually have a shot at?

cGPA: 3.89
BCPM: 3.86
MCAT: TBD (scoring 518 on a practice test, but that doesn't really say much about the real thing..)

Personal Statement: I think I will write this about my grandmother who raised me as a child, and how I see her continual deterioration with Parkinson's Disease, which is what initially motivated me to get into research and medicine.

Activities:
Research - 2000+ hours; first author Nature Communications Paper (PI wrote the paper, though), 5 poster presentations, Beckman Scholarship Finalist, Stipend Awardee (every semester since freshman year), NSF-REU participant last summer
I've worked in a cardiovascular lab since freshman year to now, where I got a first author publication and pretty much all of the awards/posters I have above. Last summer, I did an REU working in a muscle regeneration lab where I got to present my project in a poster symposium and an REU symposium.
Professional Fraternity - E-board for 1 year
Cultural Club - Had leadership position for 1 year as well

Community Service
Relay For Life - 150 hours; group leader and coordinator
Since high school, but only counting hours since freshman year of college.
Service Club Founder and President - (200+ by time of application) Only started this year, but we are optimistic about the events we've planned in the upcoming semester to raise funds to donate towards childcare and education in a foreign country.

Clinical Exposure
Shadowing - 30 hours shadowing a cardiologist and a general surgeon
Immigrant Health Intern at Homeless Clinic/Clinical Research - (150 hours by time of application) I just started this last month. But the job is very patient-oriented where I assess healthcare given to immigrants in a variety of settings. My findings will be included in a publication at the end.

Letters of Recommendation (4 references):
1. PI with whom I got my Nature Comm Paper - will be a VERY strong recc, she REALLY knows me
2. Faculty Advisor of my service club who saw how I started this club and whom I consulted for help with ideas. She's also my Spanish professor - also a strong recc, because we've talked a lot
3. Science Professor (also my academic advisor) - he interviewed me for a scholarship I applied to before, and when I did not receive it he offered me a special seat in the REU program he manages.
4. Spanish Professor (2 semester) - kinda strong...but she really knows how driven and dedicated I am to perfecting my Spanish. She is a very hard professor and will probably give some good words about my high proficiency in the language.

Disciplinary Record: I have one caveat to my application which is the main reason I am doing this and the part I am most concerned about. I was put in probation fall semester of my sophomore year for throwing an axe I got from an event in the garbage can of my dorm building. I violated the weapons policy of my dorm...

Please give me your honest thoughts, and possibly some feedback on what schools I should probably starting looking at as I begin my search. Also, please tell me how badly my chances are affected by my probation.

Thanks in advance!!

 

[LizzyM]

OK, to be brutally honest, the axe thing will not be an issue. (It sounds like the college equivalent of having a butter knife in your lunch bag.) On the other hand, I see very little clinical exposure and no face-to-face community service to the needy.

"Immigrant health intern at homeless clinic/clinical research". Is it research or is it clinical employment or clinical volunteer? You need to choose. Is it a record review or are you in close physical proximity to the patients themselves? Get at least 30 more hours of shadowing with a primary care provider such as a general internist or a general pediatrician.

Your volunteerism is mostly fund raising and community engagement in fund raising and awareness raising. That's fine if you are passionate about those issues but if you want a career that is face-to-face with people in need, you should get involved with face-to-face service to needy people in your community (any US community or sub-population).

I don't feel that there is any concern about your grades, scores and research, particularly if your GPA reflects having already taken organic chemistry.

 

[Irzo]

OK, to be brutally honest, the axe thing will not be an issue. (It sounds like the college equivalent of having a butter knife in your lunch bag.) On the other hand, I see very little clinical exposure and no face-to-face community service to the needy.

"Immigrant health intern at homeless clinic/clinical research". Is it research or is it clinical employment or clinical volunteer? You need to choose. Is it a record review or are you in close physical proximity to the patients themselves? Get at least 30 more hours of shadowing with a primary care provider such as a general internist or a general pediatrician.

Your volunteerism is mostly fund raising and community engagement in fund raising and awareness raising. That's fine if you are passionate about those issues but if you want a career that is face-to-face with people in need, you should get involved with face-to-face service to needy people in your community (any US community or sub-population).

I don't feel that there is any concern about your grades, scores and research, particularly if your GPA reflects having already taken organic chemistry.

Hi LizzyM thank you so much for you reply! I really do appreciate it!

Regarding the internship at the homeless clinic, it is more interacting with the patients and doctors and helping out in the clinic. It's also a very unique opportunity because I get to speak a lot of spanish (practicing what I learned in college) when I help out - volunteer - in the clinic. So, I would think it would be more clinical because the research part of it is just a caveat at the end, when I will give observations and some data I collect through the internship to my MD supervisor. It's a new position and I'm the only one doing it, and the supervisor and volunteer manager has given me freedom as to how I want to carry out my internship with them (so I still need to give this position some thought, as to how I want to develop it and direct what I do). This is also something I am very passionate about because this clinic serves the underserved population, which is the population I aim to serve in the future (in my home country).

My grades include organic chem and the other pre-med pre-reqs...and my school is really known for it's grade deflation - not sure how much that really matters though (pre-med advisor says, med schools will convert our GPA in some sort of rate to account for this deflation - but I've never really heard of that before)

With the axe thing, you don't understand how much weight you just lifted off my chest! Thank you so much for that!

I will absolutely gather up more clinic and face-to-face community service, in the next semester. Thanks for your advice. Now I am sure what direction I need to go to for my last semester before I apply to medical school.

Follow up question though: As I look for medical schools to apply to, should I be looking more at mid-tier schools or top-tier? Although, practicing in a clinic/hospital is what I ultimately want to do, I do want to continue my research because it is something that I am equally passionate about. So considering that and my stats, which medical schools would I "qualify" for?

 

[JMilo]

Follow up question though: As I look for medical schools to apply to, should I be looking more at mid-tier schools or top-tier? Although, practicing in a clinic/hospital is what I ultimately want to do, I do want to continue my research because it is something that I am equally passionate about. So considering that and my stats, which medical schools would I "qualify" for?

Dude. Relax. You have almost 3 years before medical school. Focus on your school work, clinical exposure, and what you're passionate about. To be honest, why have you been taking MCAT practice tests, when you realistically won't take the exam for ~ 1.5 years. Instead I would use this time to get clinical hours and study for school. Right now you shouldn't be worrying about what schools you are applying to, as your school list will greatly depend on your MCAT. Don't get ahead of yourself

 

[Irzo]

Dude. Relax. You have almost 3 years before medical school. Focus on your school work, clinical exposure, and what you're passionate about. To be honest, why have you been taking MCAT practice tests, when you realistically won't take the exam for ~ 1.5 years. Instead I would use this time to get clinical hours and study for school. Right now you shouldn't be worrying about what schools you are applying to, as your school list will greatly depend on your MCAT. Don't get ahead of yourself

I'm a junior in undergrad. I'm applying this summer, so I only have 6 more months to go 🙁 (maybe I should have said for entrance in Fall 2019, sorry!!!) I wish I had that much time. I take the real MCAT in April.

 

[JMilo]

I'm a junior in undergrad. I'm applying this summer, so I only have 6 more months to go 🙁 (maybe I should have said for entrance in Fall 2019, sorry!!!) I wish I had that much time. I take the real MCAT in April.

Ah I see, sorry then. Focus on killing the MCAT then, because nothing can substitute a monster MCAT on your first take.