Excelling at Cookie Cutter Activities

[bae2017]

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Is excelling in activities that are traditionally seen as cookie cutter enough for the Top 5/10/20 med schools, or does admission to those schools require something new and refreshing? For example, a high stat applicant with EMT-B experience, significant research (let's say 1-2 pubs), teaching (tutoring/TA-ing), volunteering at a food bank, as well as sustained leadership and involvement in academic-interest clubs. There is a moderate to high level of success in all of these activities, but nothing seems to really stand out as particularly interesting.

Is there anything wrong with this?

 

[WedgeDawg]

^^^ you just described a more pro version of me

 

[NickNaylor]

There's nothing wrong with that. You will very likely get into medical school. The question is whether you'll get into a school like Harvard, Yale, etc.. That doesn't mean that you can't get into a great medical school.

 

[WedgeDawg]

Not to be critical, but do you think that might have been a factor in your acceptance to a Top 10 school as opposed to Harvard/Stanford/Hopkins? Or are evaluations at the Top 1-10 more likely to come down to intangibles?

I honestly have no idea. Honestly, my MCAT wasn't "great" (by the standards of these schools) and my extracurriculars were "average" (by the same standards). I interviewed at 3 top 10s (none of the ones you mentioned), so clearly something grabbed people's attention, but I honestly couldn't tell you why some schools liked my app vs. other ones. I also don't think there are meaningful differences in what schools look for at that level (which is why some people get into Harvard and not, say, Yale or Chicago or something).

Basically this is a long way of saying, "I don't know"

 

[GrapesofRath]

Wow I can't wait to come back later in the week and see this thread and its replies this is gonna get Explosive

 

[allantois]

 

[GrapesofRath]

Ill play nice for once here this question is easily answered going though md applicants----whatever the hell cookie cutter is to you you can see if it fits your definition looking through hundreds of applicants who did and didn't get into top schools

 

[LizzyM]

Is excelling in activities that are traditionally seen as cookie cutter enough for the Top 5/10/20 med schools, or does admission to those schools require something new and refreshing? For example, a high stat applicant with EMT-B experience, significant research (let's say 1-2 pubs), teaching (tutoring/TA-ing), volunteering at a food bank, as well as sustained leadership and involvement in academic-interest clubs. There is a moderate to high level of success in all of these activities, but nothing seems to really stand out as particularly interesting.

Is there anything wrong with this?

If you have a GPA > 3.79 and MCAT > 95th percentile, then yes, it might be good enough for a top 20, maybe top 10 depending on the area of research and the impact factor of the journal and a bit of luck getting reviewed by someone who is sufficiently impressed.

If you don't have the numbers, then you aren't distinguishable from 5,000 other applicants and it is hard to break out of the pack. Having a quirky hobby or having done something unusual that is not medically related (tried out for American Idol, worked for a summer on an Alaskan fishing boat) might be enough to be "non-cookie cutter".

 

[GrapesofRath]

MDapps is nice, but the sample size of applicants who 1) got into top 10 med schools and 2) have a good description of their activities is way too small to make any generalizations.

Maybe cookie cutter isn't the right term because it seems to imply middle-level stats. I guess I'm more curious about applicants who don't really have anything "unique," but are able to excel both at school and what they do extracurricularly (albeit common pre-med activities), and if this is enough for Top 5/10/20. At this level of competition, is something like a quirky hobby or Fulbright research or something else "special" going to make the difference between top applicants?

IF you spend enough time on MD Applicants there are more than enough samples of people who describe their activities in decent amount of detail you can start to get some insight into whatever your question and its answer is(and as you might come to find by doing a search----there's no real answer to this question that'll really satisfy you)

 

[WedgeDawg]

I guess I'm more curious about applicants who don't really have anything "unique," but are able to excel both at school and what they do extracurricularly (albeit common pre-med activities), and if this is enough for Top 5/10/20.

It can be enough. Not everyone who gets into a top school is as remarkable as some people might lead you to believe. Often, they're good students who tell their story well and have a bit of luck on their side.

 

[deleted577188]

It can be enough. Not everyone who gets into a top school is as remarkable as some people might lead you to believe. Often, they're good students who tell their story well and have a bit of luck on their side.

Another guy on one of the Ivy's school specific forum mentioned this very briefly.

 

[NeuResurgens]

With as many qualified applicants to medical school as there are, even major/unique activities can become cookie cutter. Adcoms have likely seen almost everything. Uniqueness is not as important as across-the-board excellence. If you have good numbers and good ECs, you should have a shot at a good medical school.

 

[Planes2Doc]

With as many qualified applicants to medical school as there are, even major/unique activities can become cookie cutter. Adcoms have likely seen almost everything. Uniqueness is not as important as across-the-board excellence. If you have good numbers and good ECs, you should have a shot at a good medical school.

He hit the nail right on the head. Everyone is a box-checking cookie cutter. Some cookie shapes are more elaborate than others. There are some things that would genuinely set you apart, like being a professional or Olympic athlete, astronaut, congressman, senator, or other things. Unfortunately, very few people can do them, which is what makes them unique. Otherwise, everyone does the same old stuff. Volunteering in a clinical setting, volunteering in a non-clinical setting, being president of a club, etc...

Your best bet is to check as many boxes as efficiently as possible, while maintaining the highest stats. If you genuinely care about these things and aren't doing them solely for medical school admissions, then you would do them and not post on a forum (nothing wrong with it, it's just how the pre-med process has evolved). If you want to set yourself apart in a realistic way, start a non-profit. It still looks unique, and hasn't been destroyed by pre-meds like international volunteering has. Or... you can become am astronaut-cowboy-millionaire!

If you want to see my take on box-checking/being a cookie-cutter/maximizing the process, then check out my thread about it.

 

[NeuResurgens]

Your best bet is to check as many boxes as efficiently as possible, while maintaining the highest stats. If you genuinely care about these things and aren't doing them solely for medical school admissions

I truly believe that your passion for the activity is what sets you apart, not the activity itself (in most cases). Plenty of premeds are EMTs, but I LOVE the work my EMT certification has gotten me into and can go on and on about it. I'm not worried about getting questions like "why did you get this EMT certification" or "what did you learn from this" because my enjoyment of the activity will provide plenty of answers. This will help elevate the EMT experience from "cookie cutter status" to a level where it genuinely helps the committees see what sort of doctor I'll be.