Chances? (4.0/34)

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rahul0774

5+ Year Member
Mar 16, 2013
55
1
Status
Pre-Medical
Hello, I am currently a Junior at a mid-tier, state university.

Background
  • Indian Male
  • State of Residence: KY

Grades
  • GPA: 4.00 (Cumulative)
  • GPA: 4.00 (Science)
MCAT (8/21/2014)
  • (PS/VR/BS) 12, 10, 12
  • Total: 34
Extracurricular Involvement

Quizbowl Team
  • Leadership: President (Since freshman year)
  • I started this team from the ground up. Think of quizbowl as essentially team-based Jeopardy!. We currently host multiple tournaments each year, at both the high school and collegiate levels. We also attend many tournaments across the country and perform rather well at them.
Phi Delta Epsilon (Pre-med Fraternity)

  • Leadership:Founding Member, AMCAS Committee Chair (Since sophomore year) , currently planning a run for President (Hope to win)
  • I know that there is a great deal of disdain for any pre-med organization on here, but I really do enjoy being a part of this fraternity. My crowning achievement would have to be the conception of the AMCAS Committee. I realized that although we were all premed, none of us really knew how to wade through the AMCAS and the application cycle in general. I met with the 30+ people from my fraternity who applied this past cycle and gave the best advice that I could on their respective applications. I am by no means saying that I guaranteed them a seat in some medical school. However, I would like to think that I did help all of them get organized and made sure that all of them applied on time.
  • Currently, I am planning a run for the position of president. I think I stand a good chance. Wish me luck.
  • Through this fraternity, I have also had various non-clinical volunteering opportunities.
Leadership Development Program
  • A highly selective program for freshman at my university.
  • The program was funded via my university's Student Government Association (SGA). It enabled me to meet high-ranking officials from within my university as well as from the surrounding community.
Election Committee
  • I was on my SGA's election committee my sophomore year.
  • Our responsibility was to validated any campus-wide elections for SGA positions
Honors Program
  • I have been a member of my university's honors program since freshman year.
Volunteering/Shadowing

  • 60+ hours volunteering in the V.A. ER (started freshman year and is ongoing)
  • 20+ hours volunteering at a free clinic run by my university (started my sophomore and is ongoing)
  • 60+ hours shadowing various physicians (started my sophomore year and is ongoing)
  • Various non-clinical opportunities through my fraternity (I will just group these together)
Research Experience
  • I have been working in a Cardiovascular Research Lab at my university since my freshman year (20+ hrs./week). Our research primarily focuses on stem cell-based therapies for heart attack victims.
  • Papers/Abstract/Reviews
Middle author on a paper that will be in publication in November (PubMed ID)
Middle author on two abstracts released in the journal Circulation
Co-author on a review article over stem cells that will be released in January (PubMed ID)

School List
  • University of Kentucky (in-state)
  • University of Louisville (in-state)
  • University of Cincinnati
  • Marshall University
  • The Ohio State University
  • Vanderbilt University
  • Duke University
  • Emory University
I am actively searching for schools to add to my list. If you have any suggestions, they would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks for your time.
 
Goro

Goro

Faculty
Verified Expert
7+ Year Member
Jun 10, 2010
53,587
78,785
Somewhere west of St. Louis
Status
Non-Student
You need to beef up the patient contact hrs.
Here's the deal: You need to show AdComs that you know what you're getting into, and show off your altruistic, humanism side. We need to know that you're going to like being around sick or injured people for the next 40 years.
Here's another way of looking at it: would you buy a new car without test driving it? Buy a new suit or dress without trying it on??
We're also not looking for merely for good medical students, we're looking for people who will make good doctors, and 4.0 GPA robots are a dime-a-dozen.
I've seen plenty of posts here from high GPA/high MCAT candidates who were rejected because they had little patient contact experience.
Not all volunteering needs to be in a hospital. Think hospice, Planned Parenthood, nursing homes, rehab facilities, camps for sick children, or clinics. Check out your local houses of worship for volunteer opportunities.

rahul0774 said:
Hello, I am currently a Junior at a mid-tier, state university.

Background
  • Indian Male
  • State of Residence: KY

Grades
  • GPA: 4.00 (Cumulative)
  • GPA: 4.00 (Science)
MCAT (8/21/2014)
  • (PS/VR/BS) 12, 10, 12
  • Total: 34
Extracurricular Involvement

Quizbowl Team
  • Leadership: President (Since freshman year)
  • I started this team from the ground up. Think of quizbowl as essentially team-based Jeopardy!. We currently host multiple tournaments each year, at both the high school and collegiate levels. We also attend many tournaments across the country and perform rather well at them.
Phi Delta Epsilon (Pre-med Fraternity)

  • Leadership:Founding Member, AMCAS Committee Chair (Since sophomore year) , currently planning a run for President (Hope to win)
  • I know that there is a great deal of disdain for any pre-med organization on here, but I really do enjoy being a part of this fraternity. My crowning achievement would have to be the conception of the AMCAS Committee. I realized that although we were all premed, none of us really knew how to wade through the AMCAS and the application cycle in general. I met with the 30+ people from my fraternity who applied this past cycle and gave the best advice that I could on their respective applications. I am by no means saying that I guaranteed them a seat in some medical school. However, I would like to think that I did help all of them get organized and made sure that all of them applied on time.
  • Currently, I am planning a run for the position of president. I think I stand a good chance. Wish me luck.
  • Through this fraternity, I have also had various non-clinical volunteering opportunities.
Leadership Development Program
  • A highly selective program for freshman at my university.
  • The program was funded via my university's Student Government Association (SGA). It enabled me to meet high-ranking officials from within my university as well as from the surrounding community.
Election Committee
  • I was on my SGA's election committee my sophomore year.
  • Our responsibility was to validated any campus-wide elections for SGA positions
Honors Program
  • I have been a member of my university's honors program since freshman year.
Volunteering/Shadowing

  • 60+ hours volunteering in the V.A. ER (started freshman year and is ongoing)
  • 20+ hours volunteering at a free clinic run by my university (started my sophomore and is ongoing)
  • 60+ hours shadowing various physicians (started my sophomore year and is ongoing)
  • Various non-clinical opportunities through my fraternity (I will just group these together)
Research Experience
  • I have been working in a Cardiovascular Research Lab at my university since my freshman year (20+ hrs./week). Our research primarily focuses on stem cell-based therapies for heart attack victims.
  • Papers/Abstract/Reviews
Middle author on a paper that will be in publication in November (PubMed ID)
Middle author on two abstracts released in the journal Circulation
Co-author on a review article over stem cells that will be released in January (PubMed ID)

School List
  • University of Kentucky (in-state)
  • University of Louisville (in-state)
  • University of Cincinnati
  • Marshall University
  • The Ohio State University
  • Vanderbilt University
  • Duke University
  • Emory University
I am actively searching for schools to add to my list. If you have any suggestions, they would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks for your time.
Click to expand...
 
OP
R

rahul0774

5+ Year Member
Mar 16, 2013
55
1
Status
Pre-Medical
Goro, thank you so much for the reply. I am aware that I am deficient in some areas. Perhaps it would have been best had I elaborated more in my original post. My work in the Salvation Army Free Clinic might be less in quantity, but I believe it to be rich in quality. The clinic only runs on Tuesday and Thursday evenings, and a person is lucky to get one (maybe two) nights per month. However, all you really need is one evening to truly understand the significance of it all. The undergrads triage the patients, while medical students volunteer their time to staff the clinic. I know that I am not changing lives at this clinic, but I do know that the interactions that I have with these patients are changing mine.
I come from a fairly well-off family. My father is a physician (I'm not entirely following in his footsteps, but his life story has inspired me in many ways). I was raised in the eastern part of KY. If you're unfamiliar with the area, it's quite impoverished. My father worked for fourteen years in a government-run clinic, providing quality healthcare to the indigent populace of the area. I've always respected my father and what he has done for his community, but I never truly understood what it all meant until I started volunteering at this clinic.
The patients that I triage have almost nothing to their names. This clinic provides far more than just healthcare. I can see it on the faces of the people I triage. No matter what is ailing them, they always seem to be wearing a smile. The clinic provides hope for these people. In turn, these people impart a great deal onto me. They're happy to see me because I am someone who is taking an active interest in their lives. They know that I'm not going to solve all of their problems (I can't even diagnose them). But for the few, brief moments that we talk, I am able to provide them an ear that will listen.
I guess what I am trying to say is that behind all of this science lies a human being. I know that I'll spend years upon years studying the nuances and intricacies of this hallowed profession, but I'll be doing far more than just treating a specific disease. I'll be caring for a person. I see that now in my father's eyes. I got caught up in my own blinding hubris. I saw medicine as these esoteric field that many aspire to attain but only a few are able to capture. I lost my grounding. This clinic brought me back down to earth. I'm not solely chasing after this dream because I know that I'll be able to help these people. I want this because I know that what they will be giving me is far more valuable than any care that I can provide. Humanity. I don't know what it is that makes us human. But when I'm talking to these patients, I not only see it in them, I see it in myself.

I apologize for the tirade. I probably didn't accomplish much by typing all of this out. Some people on here will invariably call me out on the sincerity of this post, and they are rightfully entitled to their opinions.

And I plan on supplementing my patient exposure experiences. No worries.
 
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Faha

Physician
7+ Year Member
Sep 15, 2012
9,572
3,781
Status
Attending Physician
You should have a good chance for one of your state schools. You may want to add a few private OOS schools with MCAT averages at or below 34 just in case you are not accepted to one of your state schools. Examples would be Loyola, Rosalind Franklin, St. Louis, GW, Georgetown, Drexel, Jefferson, Temple, Hofstra, New York Medical.
 
OP
R

rahul0774

5+ Year Member
Mar 16, 2013
55
1
Status
Pre-Medical
Faha, thanks for the reply. I'll definitely look into those schools.
 
claduva94

claduva94

2+ Year Member
Apr 21, 2014
2,487
2,833
Status
Medical Student
I have similar numbers. Look at my MD Apps for an idea of the schools I applied to.
 
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