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Why exactly are your parents telling you what you can and can't do with your schedule? You're gonna need to develop your own discretion on this at some point.(My parents wanted me to focus on adjusting to college life/work so that I could get a high GPA, which I did). However, now they said I can do whatever"
What would constitute a "wow" factor for top medical schools? I just finished freshman year and have been doing research all summer. My PI says I should be able to get published. It probably also helps that the place I did research at is a Top 10 medical school (My second choice).
If I apply to the medical school I did research at, have an excellent letter of recommendation from my PI (A professor at this medical school), have publications here (Hopefully three - one from each summer here, and maybe if I'm lucky one or two from research during the school year), a good MCAT (36-38+), a high GPA (3.8-3.9+), would I stand a decent chance? Of course I realize all this is incredibly difficult, but I'll work very hard at it.
Unfortunately I didn't do any ECs during freshman year, but I'm planning to start my own club sophomore year, possibly join a fraternity and try to get to leadership positions in some other clubs if possible (I think my extracurricular activity would be the weakest part of my resume since it sounds cookie-cutter and since I didn't do anything freshman year). I'll try to get 100-150+ hours shadowing as well.
This thread is pretty funny. Getting a publication at a certain school over the summer doesn't mean you will get into the school. Also I don't believe that you are going to be able to get three publications from only 9 months of summer research. It just doesn't work that way. I guess if you're counting poster presentations? 😕
Also, assuming that you're going to get a 36-38+ on your MCAT is pretty funny.
My point was just that the publications at a school I'm applying to might look unique and impressive. I'm not counting poster presentations. 3 publications in 9 months is extremely possible. I know undergrads who have published even more papers than that in 9 months. I'm not assuming a 36-38 MCAT. I'm going to work hard for it obviously. People on here are just way too pessimistic. I never said any of this will be easy.
I'd direct this statement to a PhD student researching 60 hours a week![]()