Hey ya'll,
This is my first post here. I've been searching through these forums over the years and have gotten a lot of great advice. So I decided to finally make my own account and join in on the discussions! Some quick background info about me:
Demographics: Male, Asian, TX resident
Undergrad: Ivy League (competitive-known for no grad inflation, class of 2017)
cGPA: 3.63
sGPA: 3.57 (somewhat padded. Highlights are A's in physics I and II, organic chem II, and Microbio)
MCAT: 506
Clinical Experience: Summer 2016 I shadowed at a major academic medical center (affiliated with my undergrad)
Research: 3.5 years of undergrad research with a senior honors thesis; two abstracts published, will be a mid-author on a paper published by my lab next year.
Other EC's: part of a non-profit organization that works to de-stigmatize disabilities in certain countries, heavily involved in on-campus Christian ministries (several leadership roles), worked for a non-profit that
I would like to ask for advice on what I should do with my gap year. I am currently signed up to re-take the MCAT in September. As you can see, I did not do so well on my first attempt. Part of that was due to lack of preparation, as I did well on a couple practice tests (514+) and thought I could kind of just go in there and "wing it". Obviously, I realize I was wrong, and am ready to buckle down these next few months to prepare for it the right way.
Now, I am a bit unsure of some decisions I have to make. I currently have an offer to do research (unpaid) during my gap year in a lab at a top 5 ranked Neurosurgery Department in a major academic medical center. I was told that this will allow me to get my name on a publication or two along with several conference abstracts. Along with this, I will have the opportunity to attend medical school/resident level neuroanatomy and dissection courses, as well as shadow members of the Department of Neurosurgery in both the clinic and the operating room.
However, I was also recently accepted off of the waitlist for Georgetown's SMP program. When I was talking to one of the program directors, I was told that my MCAT score is "borderline" for what usually gets accepted into medical school during the year of the SMP, and that I would need to try get that score up. The program director advised that if I wanted to retake the MCAT I would have to do it before the SMP starts (so late July or Early August). This personally feels somewhat rushed to me and I am not sure if I should rush the MCAT. Granted, I also don't know if an extra 3 or 4 weeks or prepping will make a huge different in my score.
I was wondering what would be my best plan moving ahead? I am very impressed with the SMP program's reputation and structure in providing its students with a solid foundation to handle medical school coursework (This is why I in fact applied to the program). It also seems to have strong ties/connections with several med schools. however I am not sure if this SMP would make up for other deficiencies in my application that I was told about (low MCAT, lack of clinical). Additionally, I was also told by another advisor at my undergrad that my GPA is not "low enough" to be enhanced by an SMP.
Thoughts?
This is my first post here. I've been searching through these forums over the years and have gotten a lot of great advice. So I decided to finally make my own account and join in on the discussions! Some quick background info about me:
Demographics: Male, Asian, TX resident
Undergrad: Ivy League (competitive-known for no grad inflation, class of 2017)
cGPA: 3.63
sGPA: 3.57 (somewhat padded. Highlights are A's in physics I and II, organic chem II, and Microbio)
MCAT: 506
Clinical Experience: Summer 2016 I shadowed at a major academic medical center (affiliated with my undergrad)
Research: 3.5 years of undergrad research with a senior honors thesis; two abstracts published, will be a mid-author on a paper published by my lab next year.
Other EC's: part of a non-profit organization that works to de-stigmatize disabilities in certain countries, heavily involved in on-campus Christian ministries (several leadership roles), worked for a non-profit that
I would like to ask for advice on what I should do with my gap year. I am currently signed up to re-take the MCAT in September. As you can see, I did not do so well on my first attempt. Part of that was due to lack of preparation, as I did well on a couple practice tests (514+) and thought I could kind of just go in there and "wing it". Obviously, I realize I was wrong, and am ready to buckle down these next few months to prepare for it the right way.
Now, I am a bit unsure of some decisions I have to make. I currently have an offer to do research (unpaid) during my gap year in a lab at a top 5 ranked Neurosurgery Department in a major academic medical center. I was told that this will allow me to get my name on a publication or two along with several conference abstracts. Along with this, I will have the opportunity to attend medical school/resident level neuroanatomy and dissection courses, as well as shadow members of the Department of Neurosurgery in both the clinic and the operating room.
However, I was also recently accepted off of the waitlist for Georgetown's SMP program. When I was talking to one of the program directors, I was told that my MCAT score is "borderline" for what usually gets accepted into medical school during the year of the SMP, and that I would need to try get that score up. The program director advised that if I wanted to retake the MCAT I would have to do it before the SMP starts (so late July or Early August). This personally feels somewhat rushed to me and I am not sure if I should rush the MCAT. Granted, I also don't know if an extra 3 or 4 weeks or prepping will make a huge different in my score.
I was wondering what would be my best plan moving ahead? I am very impressed with the SMP program's reputation and structure in providing its students with a solid foundation to handle medical school coursework (This is why I in fact applied to the program). It also seems to have strong ties/connections with several med schools. however I am not sure if this SMP would make up for other deficiencies in my application that I was told about (low MCAT, lack of clinical). Additionally, I was also told by another advisor at my undergrad that my GPA is not "low enough" to be enhanced by an SMP.
Thoughts?
