aspiring-engineering-turned-aspiring-physician chances

[prettymidget]

---

Members do not see this ad.

Undergrad Institution: The University of Virginia
Major: electrical engineering/computer science
Minor: English literature (I was an English literature major for the first few years of college - during this time I had a lighter courseload so I took the premedical requirements before starting on my engineering degree)
GPA in Major including science classes: 3.82
Overall GPA: 3.77

MCAT scores: 7 biological science *dies*, 13 physical science, 14 verbal.

Research Experience: 1 REU in an EE field, results presented at conference and research assistant in a lab one semester.

Awards/Honors/Recognitions: Placed 2nd/148 applicants and 1st in English literature category in an interdisciplinary undergraduate writing competition in the humanities in my third year at UVA.

Pertinent Activities/Jobs/volunteering/shadowing: peer tutor for a year, officer in undergrad premed society (not a leadership position), 20 hours shadowing a radiologist, hardware engineering internship at Intel, software engineering internship at Netapp.

Any Other Info That Shows Up On Your App and Might Matter: First generation college student, low income immigrant family from Kazakhstan. Diversity? I'm a minority, just probably not the type admission committees care about.

The two big red flags on my app are a lack of volunteer hours and my biological science mcat portion, which I imagine are quite detrimental hence my uncertainty of what schools would be considered reaches, good matches, etc. Is it worth retaking the MCAT just to improve this section considering my overall score is passable?

Furthermore I have concerns that I might be construed by admissions as being flaky and undevoted to medicine (or really any one career path), an assumption which I suppose would not be unfounded. At this time I think my heart is in medicine but as past experience has demonstrated this is prone to change. But I doubt many go through this process without feeling some sort of doubt so I suppose I'm in good company, if nothing else.

 

[sliceofbread136]

Get clinical experience ASAP.

Honestly you might need a retake. That 7 will get you screened at alot of allopathic schools. You're good for DO though if you get some clinical experience.

As for the career flakiness, you'll have a chance to explain "why medicine" in your personal statement. Do you have an answer to that question?

 

[prettymidget]

Thank you for the response. Do you mean getting clinical exposure mean through volunteering or through some other way?

Given how hard it seems to be to get matched into certain residencies through the DO route I would much prefer the MD route. Is there any way to know which schools screen by section on the mcat or is this strictly confidential? Is there a certain score that tends to be on the cusp of being unacceptable?

I don't have a concrete reason that I can put into words but I'm sure one will materialize by the time I apply. It extends beyond medicine unfortunately - admissions will see in my transcript that I went from wanting to go to a PhD in English to taking premed classes but not really getting involved in medicine to engineering and now to medicine. It definitely looks suspect compared to all of the premeds who majored in biochem and were involved with medicine from the beginning and while I'm sure an essay can address it I'm not sure if it will be convincing. I would think admissions committees tend to be skeptical.

What range of schools should I have a chance at at if I raise my BS score by say, 2-3 and get some solid clinical hours and likewise which would be fairly safe/reaches?

 

[sliceofbread136]

Thank you for the response. Do you mean getting clinical exposure mean through volunteering or through some other way?

Volunteering is the easiest way, but there are many other options that are arguably better. The clever little thing that LizzyM came up with is "if you can smell patients, then it is clinical experience"

Given how hard it seems to be to get matched into certain residencies through the DO route I would much prefer the MD route. Is there any way to know which schools screen by section on the mcat or is this strictly confidential? Is there a certain score that tends to be on the cusp of being unacceptable?

That info is generally hard to find. I've heard below 8 and you're in danger for screening. But it is on a school by school basis, so I can't rly say.

I don't have a concrete reason that I can put into words but I'm sure one will materialize by the time I apply. It extends beyond medicine unfortunately - admissions will see in my transcript that I went from wanting to go to a PhD in English to taking premed classes but not really getting involved in medicine to engineering and now to medicine. It definitely looks suspect compared to all of the premeds who majored in biochem and were involved with medicine from the beginning and while I'm sure an essay can address it I'm not sure if it will be convincing. I would think admissions committees tend to be skeptical.

You'll have to put it in words eventually. Start thinking about it.

What range of schools should I have a chance at at if I raise my BS score by say, 2-3 and get some solid clinical hours and likewise which would be fairly safe/reaches?

Buy a copy of the MSAR and look for schools where you would fall in their GPA and MCAT range.

Good luck