Chances???

[scotchgambit]

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Hi

I just graduated from an Ivy and I am currently applying to mid tier med schools. I took the MCATs once back in August 2006 after my sophomore year, do you think this would hurt my chances? I got a 33 although an 8 on VR (took ESL in high school, but know a couple of foreign languages, Spanish, Russian, etc...).

My GPA isn't that great either: 3.32 science, 3.42 total: Although science GPA has been 3.65 last two years, and non science has been hovering about 3.65 all 4 years.

😡 NO CLINICAL EXPERIENCE: Started volunteering at a hospital and a free clinic this month.

More than 4 years of Research Experience. Nature publication, secondary author.

Good ECs, and hopefully good LOR.

Doing Microbio research for a year.

So I guess the question everyone has been asking? Do I sink or float? 😕

Thank you!!

 

[chitownGpremed]

i don't think you're that far off. if you are willing to wait maybe two more years before you apply - during which you take more classes (and gets A's) do clinical work, and maybe take the mcat again (your score is good, but a really fabulous score would really help) - i think you would be a pretty good candidate. your research will help you a lot.

 

[Dulcina]

hmmm i cant tell. clinical exp is important, but you have really nice research, so I don't know how that balances out. I think a question you'll get is "how do you knwo you want to do this", since you applied without significant clincial experience.

what was your research in, did it have a clinical component?

Im guessing since you said you're applying this year, you've already submitted amcas. what's your list of schools?

 

[flip26]

Your achilles heel is clinical and volunteer experience. Lack of this is deadly.

You said you just started some clinical/volunteer EC, and that may help you, but med schools really expect you to have done all of that stuff prior to submitting your app (i.e., the experience shaped your goal, etc, and it is not an "after the fact" thing you are doing simply to check off that box).

 

[scotchgambit]

Thank you for the responses!

I did try to volunteer but there was always something getting the way! Research, school work and volunteer orientations! not to trying to make excuses, but now I have more time and I have decided to have clinical volunteering. My advisor first two years actually told me not to volunteer at all as I would be "carrying trays" whole day...suffice it to say I changed advisors. As for helping people, I did volunteer in a local library, tutoring elementary school children. That counts as volunteering does it not? 🙄

Would medical school look negatively if I strarted volunteering right after I submitted my AMCAS vs. not volunteering at all? (i.e. he wants to volunteer just for med school).

My research did have clinical esperience! I was trying to figure out whether a group of children with growth hormone deficiency had this phenotype due to a missing gene (which they did not...).

I am applying to mid-tier schools (PA resident): All PA school, NYMC, Tulane, Albany, MSU, Vermont, Tulane, VCU, Marshall and others.

 

[flip26]

Thank you for the responses!

I did try to volunteer but there was always something getting the way! Research, school work and volunteer orientations! not to trying to make excuses, but now I have more time and I have decided to have clinical volunteering. My advisor first two years actually told me not to volunteer at all as I would be "carrying trays" whole day...suffice it to say I changed advisors. As for helping people, I did volunteer in a local library, tutoring elementary school children. That counts as volunteering does it not? 🙄

Would medical school look negatively if I strarted volunteering right after I submitted my AMCAS vs. not volunteering at all? (i.e. he wants to volunteer just for med school).

My research did have clinical esperience! I was trying to figure out whether a group of children with growth hormone deficiency had this phenotype due to a missing gene (which they did not...).

I am applying to mid-tier schools (PA resident): All PA school, NYMC, Tulane, Albany, MSU, Vermont, Tulane, VCU, Marshall and others.

Hard to say, but there are people on SDN who report having great grades and stats but no prior clinical or volunteer experience who got shut out...it really can be a deal breaker...clinical experience means you had direct contact with patients or research subjects, not merely that you were involved in clinical research...

I will step aside and let others fill you in on this...good luck.