applying gets expensive...

[amberkas11309]

Alright! I just have a couple concerns of my own that I could not find on the forums I was looking at, so if anyone could help me that would be greatly appreciated!

1. I am a junior with a 3.82 regular gpa and 3.74 science gpa. I have not yet taken the mcat so i cant say how well, or bad, I did on that. ....I am JUST STARTING to volunteer in a hospital and have NO research under my belt, and very little clininal experience, however I do play for the D1 soccer program at my school...My question is: Does being an athlete do anything for me? AND, does starting my volunteer and other extra curriculars during my junior year look like I just did it for my resume? Am I wasting my time even looking at med school?

2. According to my above stats...Would it be bad to apply ONLY to the 7 schools in ohio (I am an ohio resident). Financially, the application process is rough. Any advice?

3. Finally, I took my first at home practice MCAT, and lets just say with the score I got I would not even be considered for med school. I do plan on studying as much as I can from now until April when I take the test. However, I was just wondering if there was anyone else out there that had a VERY bad first round but after studying and doing practice tests they saw a big increase in their score?...I'm just looking for a little hope or motivation. Any input would be great!






wow, my title is pretty irrelevant for this post...I forgot to change it, sooo disregard that :-/

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[Global Warming]

Alright! I just have a couple concerns of my own that I could not find on the forums I was looking at, so if anyone could help me that would be greatly appreciated!

1. I am a junior with a 3.82 regular gpa and 3.74 science gpa. I have not yet taken the mcat so i cant say how well, or bad, I did on that. ....I am JUST STARTING to volunteer in a hospital and have NO research under my belt, and very little clininal experience, however I do play for the D1 soccer program at my school...My question is: Does being an athlete do anything for me? AND, does starting my volunteer and other extra curriculars during my junior year look like I just did it for my resume? Am I wasting my time even looking at med school?

2. According to my above stats...Would it be bad to apply ONLY to the 7 schools in ohio (I am an ohio resident). Financially, the application process is rough. Any advice?

3. Finally, I took my first at home practice MCAT, and lets just say with the score I got I would not even be considered for med school. I do plan on studying as much as I can from now until April when I take the test. However, I was just wondering if there was anyone else out there that had a VERY bad first round but after studying and doing practice tests they saw a big increase in their score?...I'm just looking for a little hope or motivation. Any input would be great!






wow, my title is pretty irrelevant for this post...I forgot to change it, sooo disregard that :-/

I started my first diagnostic and got a score of...lol. It was bad. I have been doing hardcore studying and although I am still in the stages of content review, I can tell you that my first FL will be at least a 25 (being conservative). I started w/ the feeling that the MCAT was impossible and although it is by no means easy...it is definitely getting easier. I'm very comfortable w/ the passage-based questions and will be very disappointed going back to the regular multiple choice tests given in school.

 

[amberkas11309]

thank u global warming! least i have a little motivation to push through it. im not gonna lie, passage based passages suck!

 

[Catalystik]

1. Does being an athlete do anything for me? AND, does starting my volunteer and other extra curriculars during my junior year look like I just did it for my resume? Am I wasting my time even looking at med school?

2. According to my above stats...Would it be bad to apply ONLY to the 7 schools in ohio (I am an ohio resident). Financially, the application process is rough. Any advice?

1) Being an athlete does a lot for you. It shows commitment and dedication, that you understand how to function as part of a team, and that you are able to give of yourself without personal direct benefit. Does it excuse you from the usual and customary ECs that show you've explored the field of medicine, tested your interest, and understand exactly what a doctor does all day? No! Having only six months of medically related activities looks like poor planning and the last minute checking off of boxes for what you need to do. I know someone from Ohio who decided after an internship junior year that his chosen field was intolerable. He decided to try for med school, got in some last minute prerequisites, got a 31 on the MCAT, 6 months of shadowing and volunteering and three months of research, and applied with his 3.9+ GPA. He was rejected at all the Ohio schools and everywhere else he applied. Every school he called for feedback said he needed more clinical experience. The following year he applied again with an additional year of the pertinent activities (and an MCAT of 34) and got in everywhere but Case.

2) With your GPA, you have a potential to be a candidate at any of your state schools (don't forget DO schools are a possibility for you, too). The niche you'll fit into will depend on your MCAT score and how strong your ECs are. More selective schools tend to like to see substantive research, strong leadership experience, and meaty ECs. All med schools expect an application with sufficient clinical exposure. Maybe you'll be cut some slack due to your athletic involvement, but don't count on much. After we see your MCAT score we can comment on your general chances and how many schools to apply to.