Are my ECs good?

[mmssjj]

Are my ecs good enough

2nd semester junior. Considering two gap years. Here are my ecs:
Research: Around 800hours, 1 fifth author pub, 2/3 poster presentations, 1 grunt on individual research projects, two conference grunts
Clinical Volunteering: 100 hours volunteering in ER.
Non clinical: 200 hours crisis text line
100 hours as paid after school mentor
Leadership: 300 hours as College and Career Advisor to high school students as summer internship program
Other: Sole Caregiver of my sick mom for 6 months who suffered from stroke and had temporary disability

GPA (at T25) so far 3.9. No MCAT yet
I was originally planning on applying after my graduation but my mom’s sickness had me delayed my MCAT. So i am most likely going to take two gap years and work for paid clinical positions. No shadowing yet though I will definitely get before I apply.
please comment whether my ecs are good enough?.

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[chilly_md]

Sorry to hear about your mom. Hope she is doing better now.

You will need to work the paid clinical position before applying since 100 hours is pretty low. Try to get some in-person non-clinical such as at a food bank, soup kitchen, or local homeless shelter. Since you were a paid after school mentor, you might be interested in Big Brother Big Sister.

Your research experience is fine.

 

[Mr.Smile12]

paid after school mentor

Please provide more details. Are you overlapping with leadership in your description with respect to responsibilities?

Any in person nonclinical community service otherwise?

More clinical volunteering will be helpful.

 

[SahilMehtaMD]

I would say that it would be beneficial to get some more clinical experience and in-person volunteering, as well as shadowing. The good news is that if you're planning on taking a gap year or two, you've got plenty of time to bolster those metrics. GPA and research look good. Overall, I'd say you're right where you need to be at this point in your journey -- just keep at it!

Also, when it does come time to apply, don't neglect to mention your role as a caregiver with your mom. That sounds like an extremely formative experience and Ad Coms definitely will want to hear about it. (Don't shy away from sharing personal details -- they're the sort of thing that will give your application personality and uniqueness.)

 

[cj_cregg]

I would consider your ECs as they currently are to be in the bottom tier of applicants. Certainly understandable given the time it took to care for your mom, but you may need a gap year or two to catch up.

I would consider 100-200 hrs of clinical work (paid or volunteer) and volunteering (clinical + nonclinical) to be the absolute minimum acceptable. I recommend at least 500 hrs in each category to build a reasonably competitive application, and a decent chunk of applicants have 1000 hrs or more in these categories.

Other things working against you - try to get some clinical experiences in settings beyond the ER. Shadow a PCP or a hospitalist or a surgeon, consider hospice or free clinic volunteering, maybe get certified as an EMT, CNA, or MA or work as a scribe if you will need income. I would think of your experience caring for your mom as a supplement to these hours rather than a replacement.

Your nonclinical volunteering needs to have some in person experience with underserved patient populations, whether that's the poor, undocumented immigrants/refugees, homeless, disabled, people suffering from addiction, etc.

You are not there yet but you are absolutely on the right track, and can get there with a little time and effort!

 

[deleted1141182]

I would consider your ECs as they currently are to be in the bottom tier of applicants. Certainly understandable given the time it took to care for your mom, but you may need a gap year or two to catch up.

I would consider 100-200 hrs of clinical work (paid or volunteer) and volunteering (clinical + nonclinical) to be the absolute minimum acceptable. I recommend at least 500 hrs in each category to build a reasonably competitive application, and a decent chunk of applicants have 1000 hrs or more in these categories.

Other things working against you - try to get some clinical experiences in settings beyond the ER. Shadow a PCP or a hospitalist or a surgeon, consider hospice or free clinic volunteering, maybe get certified as an EMT, CNA, or MA or work as a scribe if you will need income. I would think of your experience caring for your mom as a supplement to these hours rather than a replacement.

Your nonclinical volunteering needs to have some in person experience with underserved patient populations, whether that's the poor, undocumented immigrants/refugees, homeless, disabled, people suffering from addiction, etc.

You are not there yet but you are absolutely on the right track, and can get there with a little time and effort!

I think this is a little harsh. Definitely not the bottom tier of applicants, maybe the bottom quintile that applies to a top school. I agree though that 2 gap years + >high 510s MCAT would be perfect to get this applicant up to speed.

 

[chilly_md]

I think this is a little harsh. Definitely not the bottom tier of applicants, maybe the bottom quintile that applies to a top school. I agree though that 2 gap years + >high 510s MCAT would be perfect to get this applicant up to speed.

It is bottom tier from an EC point of view. 100 hours of clinical experience and no shadowing is pretty lethal essentially everywhere for those that try to submit an app at that stage.

 

[cj_cregg]

I think this is a little harsh. Definitely not the bottom tier of applicants, maybe the bottom quintile that applies to a top school. I agree though that 2 gap years + >high 510s MCAT would be perfect to get this applicant up to speed.

Strictly EC wise, I would say bottom quintile based on the apps I review at an unranked medical school. The research is good but is only really relevant at research heavy schools. Only 100 hrs of clinical experience is a problem, all clinical experience in one care setting is a problem, 200 hrs total volunteering is almost a problem, only one volunteer experience is a problem especially when it is not in person and not with underserved patient populations.

OP, I say this not to be rude/harsh but to be realistic and give you a sense of what the expectation would be to build a competitive medical school app. Most people DON'T have this level of ECs on college graduation even if they didn't take time away for something as noble and time consuming as being a family caregiver, which is why gap years are increasingly common. As I said, it does sound like you are on the right track to build a strong application with some time!

 

[deleted1141182]

It is bottom tier from an EC point of view. 100 hours of clinical experience and no shadowing is pretty lethal essentially everywhere for those that try to submit an app at that stage.

missed that part my bad. what about everything else?

 

[chilly_md]

missed that part my bad. what about everything else?

See my earlier post: #1
My assessment is similar to cj_cregg’s.

 

[mmssjj]

Please provide more details. Are you overlapping with leadership in your description with respect to responsibilities?

Any in person nonclinical community service otherwise?

More clinical volunteering will be helpful.

I would mainly lead a group of middle school kids with their STEM hw in after school. I haven’t started the job yet, that’s all I know so far.

 

[mmssjj]

I would consider your ECs as they currently are to be in the bottom tier of applicants. Certainly understandable given the time it took to care for your mom, but you may need a gap year or two to catch up.

I would consider 100-200 hrs of clinical work (paid or volunteer) and volunteering (clinical + nonclinical) to be the absolute minimum acceptable. I recommend at least 500 hrs in each category to build a reasonably competitive application, and a decent chunk of applicants have 1000 hrs or more in these categories.

Other things working against you - try to get some clinical experiences in settings beyond the ER. Shadow a PCP or a hospitalist or a surgeon, consider hospice or free clinic volunteering, maybe get certified as an EMT, CNA, or MA or work as a scribe if you will need income. I would think of your experience caring for your mom as a supplement to these hours rather than a replacement.

Your nonclinical volunteering needs to have some in person experience with underserved patient populations, whether that's the poor, undocumented immigrants/refugees, homeless, disabled, people suffering from addiction, etc.

You are not there yet but you are absolutely on the right track, and can get there with a little time and effort!

Thank you for the advice. I am going to work one full year as MA or Scribe before I apply for paid clinical work.
I would try to get more in person non-clinical volunteering in coming summer.
Would you recommend adding caregiving as an activity in the activity section? I don’t know if it’s something clinical but I had to spend a lot of time in this so if it gets counted at least as “other” activity in the activity section, it would be very helpful.

 

[mmssjj]

It is bottom tier from an EC point of view. 100 hours of clinical experience and no shadowing is pretty lethal essentially everywhere for those that try to submit an app at that stage.

Thank you for the advice. I am planning to work one year full time in clinical jobs before I apply.

 

[Mr.Smile12]

Would you recommend adding caregiving as an activity in the activity section? I don’t know if it’s something clinical but I had to spend a lot of time in this so if it gets counted at least as “other” activity in the activity section, it would be very helpful.

My suggestion: This is where the revamped "Other Impactful Experience" prompt can help you. I would not use a W/A slot.

 

[cj_cregg]

Thank you for the advice. I am going to work one full year as MA or Scribe before I apply for paid clinical work.
I would try to get more in person non-clinical volunteering in coming summer.
Would you recommend adding caregiving as an activity in the activity section? I don’t know if it’s something clinical but I had to spend a lot of time in this so if it gets counted at least as “other” activity in the activity section, it would be very helpful.

I agree with Mr. Smile above on this topic. It is important and meaningful, but I'm not sure I would consider it an "activity" any more than being a parent or other family responsibilities, and I don't think you should expect it to replace any other necessities/hours in your application. You might also consider discussing it in your personal statement if it had an impact on your journey to being a physician.

 

[SahilMehtaMD]

My suggestion: This is where the revamped "Other Impactful Experience" prompt can help you. I would not use a W/A slot.

Yes, including it in "Other Impactful Experience" is probably the play. Also mention it in your personal statement/secondaries. But seriously, really do make an effort to mention it somewhere. If you just list your work and activities, your application will read like a list of work and activities.

 

[SahilMehtaMD]

PS: I sort of disagree with the suggestion that caretaking doesn't count as an activity and that admissions committees won't contextualize your experiences based on your family background. The whole move to holistic review is about considering applicants' background and their "road traveled", so to speak. But Ad Coms can't consider your background if you leave out key facts about your bio... so include them!

I do, however, agree with the suggestion that to be maximally competitive, you should beef up your experiences. Sounds like you're ready to take action on that, which is great.

 

[cj_cregg]

PS: I sort of disagree with the suggestion that caretaking doesn't count as an activity and that admissions committees won't contextualize your experiences based on your family background. The whole move to holistic review is about considering applicants' background and their "road traveled", so to speak. But Ad Coms can't consider your background if you leave out key facts about your bio... so include them!

I do, however, agree with the suggestion that to be maximally competitive, you should beef up your experiences. Sounds like you're ready to take action on that, which is great.

I explained myself badly above, I absolutely think it is an important experience that OP should mention and provides important context to their application and journey to medicine. But I do not think they should expect that experience to result in them needing any less volunteer or clinical hours than any other applicant, i.e., it should not supplant any other necessary parts of the application.