Can anyone give me the rundown?

[bfg1997]

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I'm finally about to earn my Associates degree, and the time has come to start planning my upcoming years in pursuit of a Bachelors, and hopefully Med School. The whole process of setting up an undergrad career that looks good to admissions boards is pretty new to me, and I have a few questions, if anyone has any experience/input/0.02

1. Has anyone here gone to UMass Lowell for Undergrad (PreMed)? I'm pretty much guaranteed admission once I get my associates and I've heard good things about their STEM classes/degrees.

2. I've thrown together a crude transcript for the two years I'll be there, including all the prerequisites that most schools want. Am I missing any?

Fall Semester 2018😛hilosophy, Bio 1, Gen Chem
Spring Semester 2019:Humanities class?, Bio 2, Gen Chem 2
Fall Semester 2019:Org Chem, Intro to Calc, Physics 1
Spring Semester 2020: Physics 2, Org Chem 2, Calc 1
Would anyone be able to give me any suggestions on the best way to knock out all these classes and get a good sGPA?

3. Could anyone confirm or deny if certain med schools dislike seeing all S/M classes being taken? I've read that some schools often prefer students that took active interests in other subjects rather than just filling their schedules with PreMed classes. 3/4 of my credits earned at my community college were either History or English classes so now I am stuck plowing through the prereqs at a 4-year institution as I'm sure they won't recognize credits earned at 2-year institutions.

4. One more question, what do most people commonly use at EC/Volunteer experiences? I have a few ideas but I'd like to hear some other input!

Thanks and Happy Weekend

 

[Siromas]

2. I've thrown together a crude transcript for the two years I'll be there, including all the prerequisites that most schools want. Am I missing any?

Fall Semester 2018😛hilosophy, Bio 1, Gen Chem
Spring Semester 2019:Humanities class?, Bio 2, Gen Chem 2
Fall Semester 2019:Org Chem, Intro to Calc, Physics 1
Spring Semester 2020: Physics 2, Org Chem 2, Calc 1
Would anyone be able to give me any suggestions on the best way to knock out all these classes and get a good sGPA?

Disclaimer- check each individual school for specific pre-requisites. Some require more than others.
-Make sure your Bio, Gen Chem, Organic Chem, and Physics classes include labs.
-Stats >>> Calc (if given the opportunity to choose one or the other)
-A lot of schools are requiring Biochemistry- some even allow you to sub it for Organic Chem 2
-Some schools have social science/A&P reqs

3. Could anyone confirm or deny if certain med schools dislike seeing all S/M classes being taken?

I don't know what S/M classes are...sorry.

4. One more question, what do most people commonly use at EC/Volunteer experiences? I have a few ideas but I'd like to hear some other input!

I'm not sure what you're asking here- are you asking what most people do for EC/Volunteer opportunities? Cause I don't know what people are using...

 

[bfg1997]

Disclaimer- check each individual school for specific pre-requisites. Some require more than others.
-Make sure your Bio, Gen Chem, Organic Chem, and Physics classes include labs.
-Stats >>> Calc (if given the opportunity to choose one or the other)
-A lot of schools are requiring Biochemistry- some even allow you to sub it for Organic Chem 2
-Some schools have social science/A&P reqs




I don't know what S/M classes are...sorry.




I'm not sure what you're asking here- are you asking what most people do for EC/Volunteer opportunities? Cause I don't know what people are using...

Thank you for your response.
2. By s/m I just meant primarily science and math classes. I understand that most schools require extensive pre-reqs but I've also heard that many schools like to see involvement and interest in other areas of study.

3. Yes, that was a grammatical error on my end.

 

[Siromas]

Thank you for your response.
2. By s/m I just meant primarily science and math classes. I understand that most schools require extensive pre-reqs but I've also heard that many schools like to see involvement and interest in other areas of study.

3. Yes, that was a grammatical error on my end.

Ahh, well I can't really confirm or deny what they like to see...but I come from a chemical engineering background (i.e. all my classes are S/M) and it hasn't brought up in necessarily a positive or negative manner in any of my interviews.

I personally think it's good to have diverse set of EC/Volunteer experiences. Having both long-term clinical (ex. hospital volunteering) and non-clinical (ex. soup kitchen) experiences is always a plus. Some of my friends work as scribes, others as EMTs, and others as academic tutors.

 

[plasticdiscoball]

2. I've thrown together a crude transcript for the two years I'll be there, including all the prerequisites that most schools want. Am I missing any?

Fall Semester 2018😛hilosophy, Bio 1, Gen Chem
Spring Semester 2019:Humanities class?, Bio 2, Gen Chem 2
Fall Semester 2019:Org Chem, Intro to Calc, Physics 1
Spring Semester 2020: Physics 2, Org Chem 2, Calc 1
Would anyone be able to give me any suggestions on the best way to knock out all these classes and get a good sGPA?

That looks good. I'm not sure what courses you took for your associates, but if you haven't taken them already, add statistics, biochem, and a year of humanities/social sciences. Also make sure to take the labs associated with your science classes.

3. Could anyone confirm or deny if certain med schools dislike seeing all S/M classes being taken? I've read that some schools often prefer students that took active interests in other subjects rather than just filling their schedules with PreMed classes. 3/4 of my credits earned at my community college were either History or English classes so now I am stuck plowing through the prereqs at a 4-year institution as I'm sure they won't recognize credits earned at 2-year institutions.

Taking all science and math classes is fine, but if you have other interests, don't be afraid to explore them. I took a bunch of environmental science classes out of personal interest, and all my interviewers so far have asked me about them. Certainly not a requirement though. Since you have plenty of English/history classes, you don't need to worry lol

4. One more question, what do most people commonly use at EC/Volunteer experiences? I have a few ideas but I'd like to hear some other input!

There's a lot of different things you can do. A lot of premeds volunteer at hospitals, which is convenient because it allows you to gain clinical experience while also racking up volunteering hours. However in my experience, I've had a much more involved volunteering experience at local free clinics which are smaller and so actually need extra hands. Try to see if there are any free clinics in your area. Non-clinical volunteering (e.g., tutoring) is also important.

Research is also a huge unspoken EC, especially if you're aiming for top schools, so try to get involved in a research lab once you transfer. The research topic doesn't matter as much as the level of involvement and support you'll get from your lab and PI. So before you join, make sure it's a lab where you'll enjoy working, where your PI is chill and doesn't have unrealistic expectations, and where you won't just be washing glassware.

Leadership is also important, so find some organizations or clubs you're interested in, contribute your time, and work your way up to a board position. Or even start your own organization, if there is some need you see going unfulfilled.

Finally, just go and explore and volunteer at organizations that you think are interesting and do important work! I got involved with a lot of legal/environmental advocacy organizations, just out of interest, which have nothing at all to do with medicine. I even debated whether or not to put them down on my application because they weren't relevant to my "why medicine" story. But ultimately I did, and it was a good choice because all my interviewers so far have been really interested in hearing about what I did. Give yourself something fun and meaningful to do that doesn't have to relate back to being a soulless neurotic premed.

Best of luck!

 

[bfg1997]

Ahh, well I can't really confirm or deny what they like to see...but I come from a chemical engineering background (i.e. all my classes are S/M) and it hasn't brought up in necessarily a positive or negative manner in any of my interviews.

I personally think it's good to have diverse set of EC/Volunteer experiences. Having both long-term clinical (ex. hospital volunteering) and non-clinical (ex. soup kitchen) experiences is always a plus. Some of my friends work as scribes, others as EMTs, and others as academic tutors.

Thanks so much! Is there a certain amount of hours most students are encouraged to complete by graduation? As in, is there an average of volunteer service hours that most schools look for?

 

[Siromas]

Thanks so much! Is there a certain amount of hours most students are encouraged to complete by graduation? As in, is there an average of volunteer service hours that most schools look for?

No problem!

And that's a hard question to answer because it really is school dependent. Service-oriented schools (Like Rush) matriculates students with an average of 600+ service hours each. As for the average number of hours, I'm not sure of that either.

Just put in as much time as you can, and be able to speak about your experiences in your secondaries/interviews when prompted.

 

[bfg1997]

That looks good. I'm not sure what courses you took for your associates, but if you haven't taken them already, add statistics, biochem, and a year of humanities/social sciences. Also make sure to take the labs associated with your science classes.



Taking all science and math classes is fine, but if you have other interests, don't be afraid to explore them. I took a bunch of environmental science classes out of personal interest, and all my interviewers so far have asked me about them. Certainly not a requirement though. Since you have plenty of English/history classes, you don't need to worry lol



There's a lot of different things you can do. A lot of premeds volunteer at hospitals, which is convenient because it allows you to gain clinical experience while also racking up volunteering hours. However in my experience, I've had a much more involved volunteering experience at local free clinics which are smaller and so actually need extra hands. Try to see if there are any free clinics in your area. Non-clinical volunteering (e.g., tutoring) is also important.

Research is also a huge unspoken EC, especially if you're aiming for top schools, so try to get involved in a research lab once you transfer. The research topic doesn't matter as much as the level of involvement and support you'll get from your lab and PI. So before you join, make sure it's a lab where you'll enjoy working, where your PI is chill and doesn't have unrealistic expectations, and where you won't just be washing glassware.

Leadership is also important, so find some organizations or clubs you're interested in, contribute your time, and work your way up to a board position. Or even start your own organization, if there is some need you see going unfulfilled.

Finally, just go and explore and volunteer at organizations that you think are interesting and do important work! I got involved with a lot of legal/environmental advocacy organizations, just out of interest, which have nothing at all to do with medicine. I even debated whether or not to put them down on my application because they weren't relevant to my "why medicine" story. But ultimately I did, and it was a good choice because all my interviewers so far have been really interested in hearing about what I did. Give yourself something fun and meaningful to do that doesn't have to relate back to being a soulless neurotic premed.

Best of luck!

Great reply! Thank you.
Since I'd only be at a 4-year institution for 2 years and all my classes would be the pre-reqs for Med school, I figured I would need to get involved or active in something that would be a reflection of the type of individual I am, because grades and scores can only do that to an extent. I've read in many posts here about people including experiences or activities in their apps/resumes that were not related to medicine, but nevertheless the interviewers were impressed.

As for the volunteer hours, I live right down the street from a hospital with volunteer opportunities so that could work well 😉

 

[plasticdiscoball]

Thanks so much! Is there a certain amount of hours most students are encouraged to complete by graduation? As in, is there an average of volunteer service hours that most schools look for?

I think 100 hours is the absolute bare minimum of clinical experience you need before you can even think about applying. Definitely try to get more than that. Try to also get a similar amount for non-clinical volunteering. Also, SDN recommends about 50 hours for physician shadowing, but you can get away with less if you have a good amount of clinical experience. I only have about 30 hours and it hasn't been a problem. Try to do at least 1-2 semesters of research.

These are all the bare minimum "box-checking" amounts. And of course, hopefully you'll discover something you're passionate about and devote a lot of time to it. Also, the hours don't matter if you can't speak insightfully about your experiences and what you learned from them.

 

[bfg1997]

I think 100 hours is the absolute bare minimum of clinical experience you need before you can even think about applying. Definitely try to get more than that. Try to also get a similar amount for non-clinical volunteering. Also, SDN recommends about 50 hours for physician shadowing, but you can get away with less if you have a good amount of clinical experience. I only have about 30 hours and it hasn't been a problem. Try to do at least 1-2 semesters of research.

These are all the bare minimum "box-checking" amounts. And of course, hopefully you'll discover something you're passionate about and devote a lot of time to it. Also, the hours don't matter if you can't speak insightfully about your experiences and what you learned from them.

This may be a stupid question but I have a great relationship with my primary care practitioner who happens to be a PA. In terms of shadowing, is it only for MD's?

 

[plasticdiscoball]

This may be a stupid question but I have a great relationship with my primary care practitioner who happens to be a PA. In terms of shadowing, is it only for MD's?

Shadowing a PA would be great and would show you’ve considered other careers, but it does not replace shadowing a DO/MD. Ask your practitioner if s/he knows any doctors you could contact for shadowing.