Decided on Med School End of Sophomore Year

[BostonMed715]

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Hello, all.

I am currently completing my last semester of undergrad. I am psychology major, with a 3.8 cumulative GPA and a 3.5 science GPA. At the start of my undergraduate career, I wanted to become a clinical psychologist. It was not until the end of my sophomore year that I began to realize I was more interested in medicine than I was in counselling. Consequently, I picked up minors in biology and chemistry and started looking at medical schools. Because I decided this later than many pre-meds, I only had about 2 years to acquire experience in the field. I am applying to medical school this June. So far, here are my ECs:

- 100 hours volunteering in a NICU, holding babies and working closely with families and nurses
- 1 semester as a general chemistry TA
- an honors thesis exploring medical mistrust among minorities, created my own survey, presented poster at a research symposium
- completed EMT school this past summer, yet to use my license. Planning on finding a job as an ER tech for the spring semester before applying
- worked throughout 4 years of college to help pay for living expenses; worked roughly 20 hrs/wk at a coffee shop

I guess the heart of my question is: are my ECs sufficient? I am toying with the idea of a gap year, but I would like to avoid it if there's hope of getting in with only a gap semester (this spring). I haven't taken the MCAAT, so I know that will largely influence my decision. Essentially, if I have a good MCAT score, would these extra curriculars be enough? I'm a little confused as to what the average applicant truly looks like. I've lurked on these forums for awhile now, but I recognize the people on this forum are the highly competitive applicants (generally) and many users have hundreds or even thousands of volunteer/research hours. I am not looking to go to a Top 20. If possible, I would like to stay in New England. Schools I am looking at very closely include UVM, Quinnipiac, Umass medical, UConn, Boston University, and Tufts. I appreciate any advice! Thanks for reading this!

 

[premedicalstudent]

I decided on medicine junior year...lol. Awkward.

 

[BostonMed715]

I decided on medicine junior year...lol. Awkward.

How have you compensated for the lost time? I am not trying to sound like I'm making an excuse for my lack of ECs. I just did my best to volunteer when I could, while enjoying what I was doing. My only concern is whether it will be enough to convince an admissions committee that I know what I'm getting into. Obviously, there are candidates with more hours. But I would like to think it's quality over quantity, and that if you are able to market yourself well and relay what you've learned, it is better than just having 500 hours folding bed sheets.

 

[Matthew9Thirtyfive]

I would say you need some non-clinical volunteering in there. I believe it was @LizzyM who said that clinical volunteering is for you to get exposure, while non-clinical volunteering is for others. I know @Goro said the two need to balance.

 

[premedicalstudent]

How have you compensated for the lost time? I am not trying to sound like I'm making an excuse for my lack of ECs. I just did my best to volunteer when I could, while enjoying what I was doing. My only concern is whether it will be enough to convince an admissions committee that I know what I'm getting into. Obviously, there are candidates with more hours. But I would like to think it's quality over quantity, and that if you are able to market yourself well and relay what you've learned, it is better than just having 500 hours folding bed sheets.

Honestly, I did what I wanted to do. I knew I'd be at a disadvantage compared to these other (privileged) applicants that have like 40,000 hours of volunteering, shadowing, research etc. etc.

Clinical experience is obviously important and that's what I did. I also did research that I was generally interested in (a medicine based lab thankfully), shadowing, and other things.

As long as you can show you've learned something significant from those experiences you had, and have at least 60 hours for each of those things, you should be solid.

MCAT is important so I'd stay on top of that, and your GPA is already competitive. So yeah.

Anyways, this is just my opinion. I haven't gotten accepted into medical school just yet, so you can take what I say with a grain of salt.
And if you see this entire post change to a dot come November or December, you know what happened to me. xD

 

[BostonMed715]

I would say you need some non-clinical volunteering in there. I believe it was @LizzyM who said that clinical volunteering is for you to get exposure, while non-clinical volunteering is for others. I know @Goro said the two need to balance.

Thanks for the input! Just out of curiosity, just how crucial is non-clinical volunteering? Maybe this sounds a bit naive, but I have a hard enough time balancing my NICU time with my classes and my work. Adding another weekly commitment seems daunting. I wouldn't want my grades to suffer. I know there are many unwritten rules in the admissions process, but to me having several types of volunteering doesn't seem like it would really convey "wanting to help" as much as it would "ticking off boxes to get into medical school." Perhaps I am wrong. Thanks again!

 

[BostonMed715]

Honestly, I did what I wanted to do. I knew I'd be at a disadvantage compared to these other (privileged) applicants that have like 40,000 hours of volunteering, shadowing, research etc. etc.

Clinical experience is obviously important and that's what I did. I also did research that I was generally interested in (a medicine based lab thankfully), shadowing, and other things.

As long as you can show you've learned something significant from those experiences you had, and have at least 60 hours for each of those things, you should be solid.

MCAT is important so I'd stay on top of that, and your GPA is already competitive. So yeah.

Anyways, this is just my opinion. I haven't gotten accepted into medical school just yet, so you can take what I say with a grain of salt.
And if you see this entire post change to a dot come November or December, you know what happened to me. xD

You and I think alike! To me, what makes a good physician is a committed, systematic, thorough individual who cares about other people. I think these qualities can be conveyed through a healthy mix of good grades (diligence), MCAT (intelligence), and some volunteerism (helping people). I've met many premeds who are almost robotic and spend every minute doing things that they think will get them into medical school. I actually wanted to enjoy the process and have meaningful experiences. Perhaps I'll be rejected and realize I needed to be a bit more like the others. But I did my best while keeping my sanity somewhat intact. Thanks for the input!

 

[premedicalstudent]

You and I think alike! To me, what makes a good physician is a committed, systematic, thorough individual who cares about other people. I think these qualities can be conveyed through a healthy mix of good grades (diligence), MCAT (intelligence), and some volunteerism (helping people). I've met many premeds who are almost robotic and spend every minute doing things that they think will get them into medical school. I actually wanted to enjoy the process and have meaningful experiences. Perhaps I'll be rejected and realize I needed to be a bit more like the others. But I did my best while keeping my sanity somewhat intact. Thanks for the input!

That's the right attitude to have!
And no problem

 

[LizzyM]

Your saving grace may be having worked at a coffee shop. That means long hours, on your feet, dealing with people who are not always at their best (pre-coffee, haha). The wages are low and the point is serving. Anyone who as worked as a server knows how much nonsense you deal with and how hard it can be to continue to be nice when people are being hard to like. If you can highlight that, and the need you had to work while in school, you might squeak by without non-clinical volunteer service.

 

[Matthew9Thirtyfive]

Thanks for the input! Just out of curiosity, just how crucial is non-clinical volunteering? Maybe this sounds a bit naive, but I have a hard enough time balancing my NICU time with my classes and my work. Adding another weekly commitment seems daunting. I wouldn't want my grades to suffer. I know there are many unwritten rules in the admissions process, but to me having several types of volunteering doesn't seem like it would really convey "wanting to help" as much as it would "ticking off boxes to get into medical school." Perhaps I am wrong. Thanks again!

LizzyM seems to think that if you can highlight the service part of your job, you may squeak by. I've seen a number of adcoms here (including her) highlight the importance of non-clinical volunteering, so you may want to get some just to be safe. I agree that you shouldn't tick boxes, but there are tons of opportunities to volunteer doing something you enjoy. You can do Meals on Wheels once a week, coach a Special Olympics team once a week, etc.

I know about having limited time, trust me. But also trust me when I say that you can fit it in if you make time.

 

[DrHart]

You and I think alike! To me, what makes a good physician is a committed, systematic, thorough individual who cares about other people. I think these qualities can be conveyed through a healthy mix of good grades (diligence), MCAT (intelligence), and some volunteerism (helping people). I've met many premeds who are almost robotic and spend every minute doing things that they think will get them into medical school. I actually wanted to enjoy the process and have meaningful experiences. Perhaps I'll be rejected and realize I needed to be a bit more like the others. But I did my best while keeping my sanity somewhat intact. Thanks for the input!

I love your response and it really hits home with me... although I would like to add my thoughts. I was in a similar situation and was rejected this past cycle. My grades were good, my MCAT was average, strong research and standard volunteering. Currently in a full year off before applying again, working on my app and taking a breather from classes. My approach to college was to do things I actually enjoyed, not to work desperately to check the boxes. My thought was... I don't want to "fit" into medicine. If it's meant to be, medicine will "fit" me. The difficulty in this is that medicine may very well be a good fit for you, but you need to be able to show this to an admissions committee - and you need to be able to prove this to yourself.

There is a reason why there are 'boxes to check.' You need to have experienced certain things to understand what you're getting yourself into. As many of the adcoms on this forum will say, "Look before you leap"
Shadowing shows you what the daily work is like. Shadowing in different areas is an added plus.
Research is something that different schools weigh differently. It shows you what goes on behind the scenes... before something gets to your doctor desk. I loved research and it gave me a tremendous appreciation for the time, money, and effort that goes into learning/discovery before a patient takes a drug or has a certain procedure.
Clinical volunteering shows you how you feel about working with sick people, plain and simple. If you get into medical school but don't like sick people, you're probably in the wrong place.
Nonclinical volunteering (something I think I could have done better on) shows your desire to help others. Especially in todays day and age, you really shouldn't go into medicine for the money and prestige. Being a doctor means providing a service to others. If you can't show that you actually want to and enjoy serving others, adcoms will find someone who does.

If I had it to do over again, I would have definitely changed my attitude. Don't be preoccupied with doing things you enjoy. Preoccupy yourself with having as many new experiences as you can in terms of these things. At worst, you'll discover that medicine isn't for you. At best, you'll find new things you enjoy doing (and you'll build up your application in the process). Its a very smart thing to realize when you're getting spread thin and trying to keep your sanity, but don't let this stop you from trying new things... even if this means making small sacrifices in the things you already know you do enjoy.

 

[Goro]

Please restrain your ignorance of this process. The advice you're giving here is dangerous. The typical applicant will have > 100 hrs each of clinical and non-clinical volunteering, and that's NOT including shadowing.

Any applicant who came with an app that showed 60 hrs volunteering in each endeavor would be though of as having done what was convenient, not what was necessary.

Successful candidates at the top schools and high hundreds of hours, and some even in the low 1000s. They don't have 40000 hrs, and they're not privileged, so check your resentment and jealously at the door please.

Honestly, I did what I wanted to do. I knew I'd be at a disadvantage compared to these other (privileged) applicants that have like 40,000 hours of volunteering, shadowing, research etc. etc.

Clinical experience is obviously important and that's what I did. I also did research that I was generally interested in (a medicine based lab thankfully), shadowing, and other things.

As long as you can show you've learned something significant from those experiences you had, and have at least 60 hours for each of those things, you should be solid.

MCAT is important so I'd stay on top of that, and your GPA is already competitive. So yeah.

Anyways, this is just my opinion. I haven't gotten accepted into medical school just yet, so you can take what I say with a grain of salt.
And if you see this entire post change to a dot come November or December, you know what happened to me. xD