Hey everyone,
I wanted to give a sense of what my application looks like as of now, and get feedback on what I need to do to get in a top 20-30 school if I am applying next cycle.
Applicant Demographics:
Female URM, non-first generation
Middle-class
College institution is not in the top 100
Coursework:
All pre-reqs completed with the exception of biochemistry
A+P was a weak spot (C, B- in lecture 1 and 2, respectively)
GPA/MCAT
cGPA - 3.46; Dean's List 4 semesters (to date)
sGPA- unknown (~3.3?)
MCAT - not yet taken- will invest in an MCAT course, self-perceived problem: will not have taken biochem until Spring; was planning on making up for this by doing Khan Academy's biochem videos in the meantime) Goal: 518
GPA trends: Roughly:
Freshman year
Fall 3.5 Spring 3.5
Sophomore year
Fall 3.0 (worst semester) Spring 3.5
Junior year
Fall 3.7 Spring - on track to get a 3.7+ (hopefully closer to 3.8)
Senior year
(attempting to get 4.0s in Fall and Spring at all costs)
Work/Activities
Work - no work experience
Activities-3 yr leadership position (founder), musical group member, one year leadership position(treasurer), fictional composition (novel writing, poetry, etc.)
"Special skills"
Play an instrument, intermediate Spanish speaker
Volunteering
Non-clinical = none as of yet (many things are in the works)
Clinical = <10 in local hospital (just started, but plan to do this until I apply)
Also plan to being volunteering at an adult home (would this be clinical or non-clinical?
Research
2 semesters - microbiology, one poster session
currently working on securing another 2, also pursuing departamental honors in bio (senior research project, etc.)
Primary care research - Institute for Primary care, investigated barriers preventing patients from signing up/utilizing a patient care portal
Will be conducting health disparities research again, this summer
Shadowing
20 hours, MD, neuro
4 hours, MD, ER
4 hours, MD, onco
8 hours, MD,ENT
4 hours, MD, GP
4 hours, MD, onco
Working on starting DO shadowing - LOR should be received
Working on securing an ortho MD for next year
Patient Contact
I would say the ER volunteer position gave me patient contact, would the shadowing be considered patient contact?
Summer Internships
3 (by the end of this summer, 2/3 would have been at Ivy-league institutions)
Letters of Evaluation
Non-science (covered, will ask soon)
Science (more tricky, one is covered, I will need to find a second one)
DO LOR- currently working on it
MD LOR- currently working on it
Essay
Have not yet written the personal statement
Projected Interview Performance
Interpersonal skills are something I have to work on, I have a year (any suggestions)?
My "problem" is that I tend to mimic the person I am speaking with (ex. If the person is outgoing, I have no problem being outgoing, if the person is more reserved, I tend to be more reserved)
Please help, let me know if you have any questions. And please be brutally honest ( I'm adamant on getting accepted to MD schools, DO is really a last last last resort for me personally) Any general application advice is also appreciated! Thank you!
I wanted to give a sense of what my application looks like as of now, and get feedback on what I need to do to get in a top 20-30 school if I am applying next cycle.
Applicant Demographics:
Female URM, non-first generation
Middle-class
College institution is not in the top 100
Coursework:
All pre-reqs completed with the exception of biochemistry
A+P was a weak spot (C, B- in lecture 1 and 2, respectively)
GPA/MCAT
cGPA - 3.46; Dean's List 4 semesters (to date)
sGPA- unknown (~3.3?)
MCAT - not yet taken- will invest in an MCAT course, self-perceived problem: will not have taken biochem until Spring; was planning on making up for this by doing Khan Academy's biochem videos in the meantime) Goal: 518
GPA trends: Roughly:
Freshman year
Fall 3.5 Spring 3.5
Sophomore year
Fall 3.0 (worst semester) Spring 3.5
Junior year
Fall 3.7 Spring - on track to get a 3.7+ (hopefully closer to 3.8)
Senior year
(attempting to get 4.0s in Fall and Spring at all costs)
Work/Activities
Work - no work experience
Activities-3 yr leadership position (founder), musical group member, one year leadership position(treasurer), fictional composition (novel writing, poetry, etc.)
"Special skills"
Play an instrument, intermediate Spanish speaker
Volunteering
Non-clinical = none as of yet (many things are in the works)
Clinical = <10 in local hospital (just started, but plan to do this until I apply)
Also plan to being volunteering at an adult home (would this be clinical or non-clinical?
Research
2 semesters - microbiology, one poster session
currently working on securing another 2, also pursuing departamental honors in bio (senior research project, etc.)
Primary care research - Institute for Primary care, investigated barriers preventing patients from signing up/utilizing a patient care portal
Will be conducting health disparities research again, this summer
Shadowing
20 hours, MD, neuro
4 hours, MD, ER
4 hours, MD, onco
8 hours, MD,ENT
4 hours, MD, GP
4 hours, MD, onco
Working on starting DO shadowing - LOR should be received
Working on securing an ortho MD for next year
Patient Contact
I would say the ER volunteer position gave me patient contact, would the shadowing be considered patient contact?
Summer Internships
3 (by the end of this summer, 2/3 would have been at Ivy-league institutions)
Letters of Evaluation
Non-science (covered, will ask soon)
Science (more tricky, one is covered, I will need to find a second one)
DO LOR- currently working on it
MD LOR- currently working on it
Essay
Have not yet written the personal statement
Projected Interview Performance
Interpersonal skills are something I have to work on, I have a year (any suggestions)?
My "problem" is that I tend to mimic the person I am speaking with (ex. If the person is outgoing, I have no problem being outgoing, if the person is more reserved, I tend to be more reserved)
Please help, let me know if you have any questions. And please be brutally honest ( I'm adamant on getting accepted to MD schools, DO is really a last last last resort for me personally) Any general application advice is also appreciated! Thank you!
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