Chances.. an IA on record

[PreMedRookie]

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cGPA-3.7-3.9
sGPA-3.69
MCAT Mid 30s

Bio major

My ECs are pretty weak due to the fact that I pay for my tuition and living expenses and don't receive any financial aid aside from a few loans.


I have no research.

I have shadowed 40 hours

I am also scheduled to start volunteering at a hospital over the summer.

I also have a ridiculous IA on my record.

Will my volunteering be too little too late or does working to pay rent and tuition make up for this?

 

[gyngyn]

Your IA is among the most innocuous. I think you will be fine.

 

[Goobs]

What worries me the most is you want to apply to a big ten school without any research experience. (if by big 10 you mean things like harvard, upenn, etc)

 

[PreMedRookie]

What worries me the most is you want to apply to a big ten school without any research experience. (if by big 10 you mean things like harvard, upenn, etc)

Oh no sorry for the confusion...I mean like the Big 10 conference. IU, Michigan State, Ohio State, etc...

 

[Goro]

A lack of volunteering can hurt you. You need to show your altruism and humanity. It might be worth taking a year off to get some solid EC's in, and work to save up some money.

OR you could apply this cycle and see how it goes. if you're, you're in. If not, then you'll know what your weaknesses are, and can work on them. Your numbers are good.

cGPA-3.8
sGPA-3.69
MCAT 33 (11.11.11)

Bio major and psychology and forensics minor

My ECs are pretty weak due to the fact that I pay for my tuition and living expenses and don't receive any financial aid aside from a few loans.

I have worked at a restaurant for 5 years, going from host, to head host, to trainer, and now server. I worked full time all through high school and currently work full time over school breaks and some weekends.

I am a supplemental instruction leader (3 semesters). Aside from holding my sessions twice a week, I also conduct job performance reviews on the other SI leaders. I also plan training sessions for the new SI leaders. I have also won "most enthusiastic award" and SI leader of the month. This is about 14 hours per week.

I have no research.

I have shadowed at an orthopedic hospital in the OR and in office for 25 hours and I am scheduled to shadow in an ER for another 32 hours after finals are over

I am also scheduled to start volunteering at a hospital over the summer.

I also have a ridiculous IA on my record from my freshman year after my roommates' guest was arrested for possession of marijuana in the middle of the night. This is a written warning.

Will my volunteering be too little too late or does working to pay rent and tuition make up for this?

Some schools I am looking at include Indiana University, Michigan State, Ohio State, pretty much any big ten school and other schools in the mid west. Also the new Marian DO school

 

[PreMedRookie]

A lack of volunteering can hurt you. You need to show your altruism and humanity. It might be worth taking a year off to get some solid EC's in, and work to save up some money.

OR you could apply this cycle and see how it goes. if you're, you're in. If not, then you'll know what your weaknesses are, and can work on them. Your numbers are good.

Do they take into consideration that students that are financially independent have less time to volunteer than say a student that doesn't have a job?
If I brought up in an interview that I had to work to pay for school would they just see that as a poor excuse?

 

[PreMedRookie]

Your IA is among the most innocuous. I think you will be fine.

Thanks I appreciate that...I am so annoyed with my IA and wish it would just go away.

I am more worried about my ECs than my IA at this point.

 

[aspiring20]

cGPA-3.8
sGPA-3.69
MCAT 33 (11.11.11)

Bio major and psychology and forensics minor

My ECs are pretty weak due to the fact that I pay for my tuition and living expenses and don't receive any financial aid aside from a few loans.

I have worked at a restaurant for 5 years, going from host, to head host, to trainer, and now server. I worked full time all through high school and currently work full time over school breaks and some weekends.

I am a supplemental instruction leader (3 semesters). Aside from holding my sessions twice a week, I also conduct job performance reviews on the other SI leaders. I also plan training sessions for the new SI leaders. I have also won "most enthusiastic award" and SI leader of the month. This is about 14 hours per week.

I have no research.

I have shadowed at an orthopedic hospital in the OR and in office for 25 hours and I am scheduled to shadow in an ER for another 32 hours after finals are over

I am also scheduled to start volunteering at a hospital over the summer.

I also have a ridiculous IA on my record from my freshman year after my roommates' guest was arrested for possession of marijuana in the middle of the night. This is a written warning.

Will my volunteering be too little too late or does working to pay rent and tuition make up for this?

Some schools I am looking at include Indiana University, Michigan State, Ohio State, pretty much any big ten school and other schools in the mid west. Also the new Marian DO school

now, are you SURE that a written warning counts as an IA at your school? if it counts, then you must report it, though it'll probably have zero impact on your chances. but if a warning at your school DOESN'T count as an IA, then you don't have to report it.

some IAs like probation and suspensions have to be reported no matter where you went for undergrad. but not all universities view warnings as IAs. at some/many schools, a warning is just a warning, and it only becomes an "IA" if you have a subsequent violation AFTER the warning.

now, the only thing i am slightly concerned (and I am not entirely sure, so dont quote me) is that SOME med schools might delay your application IF it is marked by an IA. what i mean is if you submit your app early june, but your app checks the IA box, then some schools might not even look/consider your app until later in the cycle. now, this basically takes away the advantages of an early application, and we all know how much of an advantage that is.

however, i am not sure how many (or if any) med schools do something like this. for what it's worth, i asked my premed adviser (who is very good and knowledgeable about the process) after whether med schools delay applications marked with IAs, and the adviser told me that he has never heard of such a policy. i've also emailed the adcoms of a few public schools directly, and they all told me that review of applications will not be delayed by the fact that there is an IA.

good luck.

 

[PreMedRookie]

now, are you SURE that a written warning counts as an IA at your school? if it counts, then you must report it, though it'll probably have zero impact on your chances. but if a warning at your school DOESN'T count as an IA, then you don't have to report it.

some IAs like probation and suspensions have to be reported no matter where you went for undergrad. but not all universities view warnings as IAs. at some/many schools, a warning is just a warning, and it only becomes an "IA" if you have a subsequent violation AFTER the warning.

now, the only thing i am slightly concerned (and I am not entirely sure, so dont quote me) is that SOME med schools might delay your application IF it is marked by an IA. what i mean is if you submit your app early june, but your app checks the IA box, then some schools might not even look/consider your app until later in the cycle. now, this basically takes away the advantages of an early application, and we all know how much of an advantage that is.

however, i am not sure how many (or if any) med schools do something like this. for what it's worth, i asked my premed adviser (who is very good and knowledgeable about the process) after whether med schools delay applications marked with IAs, and the adviser told me that he has never heard of such a policy. i've also emailed the adcoms of a few public schools directly, and they all told me that review of applications will not be delayed by the fact that there is an IA.

good luck.

Thank you so much for your reply. My school did say that they would report it to med schools, which sucks.

I was also concerned about my app getting delayed. I think the schools look at it with all the others but extra paper work is required which is where I think people got the idea that it delayed your app.

I am concerned that this IA along with my lack of volunteering is going to cause some issues for me. I feel like I could easily overcome one of them but that having two red flags is hard to get past.

 

[aspiring20]

Thank you so much for your reply. My school did say that they would report it to med schools, which sucks.

I was also concerned about my app getting delayed. I think the schools look at it with all the others but extra paper work is required which is where I think people got the idea that it delayed your app.

I am concerned that this IA along with my lack of volunteering is going to cause some issues for me. I feel like I could easily overcome one of them but that having two red flags is hard to get past.

can you explain what you mean by extra paper work? all you have to do is disclose the IA on your primary, i dont think med schools ask for anything else

and typically, "red flag" means a relatively series deficiency in your app. your lack of volunteering and service could be considered one, but your piss minor IA doesn't exactly qualify as a red flag.

 

[PreMedRookie]

can you explain what you mean by extra paper work? all you have to do is disclose the IA on your primary, i dont think med schools ask for anything else

and typically, "red flag" means a relatively series deficiency in your app. your lack of volunteering and service could be considered one, but your piss minor IA doesn't exactly qualify as a red flag.

I was told (by an a pre-professional advisor though so it may be wrong) that they require a time line of the incident and some other forms to be filled out. I thought this seemed incorrect since I had never heard of it but I am not sure.

 

[aspiring20]

I was told (by an a pre-professional advisor though so it may be wrong) that they require a time line of the incident and some other forms to be filled out. I thought this seemed incorrect since I had never heard of it but I am not sure.

that's BS.

a few med school requires your dean to fill out a form if you have an IA. other than that, no other forms to worry about.

 

[mcloaf]

that's BS.

a few med school requires your dean to fill out a form if you have an IA. other than that, no other forms to worry about.

👍

The two that I'm aware of are BU, which requires your dean to fill out a form, and WashU, which requires a copy of the incident report. I'm sure there are a few others, but for most places the IA explanation box on your AMCAS is enough.

 

[PreMedRookie]

school list

Creighton
Drexel
Loyola
Med College of Wisconsin
Michigan State
Rosalind Franklin
Rush
Temple
The Ohio State
Univ of Oklahoma
Univ of Toledo
Tufts
Univ of Arkansas
Univ of Cincinnati
Univ of Illinois at Chicago
Univ of Kansas
Univ of Kentucky
Univ of Louisville
Univ of Missouri-Kansas City
Virginia Commonwealth

 

[PreMedRookie]

With no research should I remove any of the schools I listed?

Also am I underestimating my application strength or is my school list pretty realistic?