Good Numbers but Poor EC's

[azdoc1]

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I would appreciate a reality check with regard to my list of schools. I am concerned about aiming too high because I lack essential EC's.

Shadowing: 8 hours
Clinical Experience: 0 hours
Volunteer: 5 hours in the last year or so (but 16 hrs/week 4 years ago)
Research:1.5 years basic science grad research
MCAT: 37R (11v 12b 14p)
GPA: 3.93 undergrad (Mechanical Engineering), 3.72 graduate (Biomedical Engineering)
2 second-author publications
Arizona Resident

Proposed schools:
Darthmouth
Mayo
Northwestern
OHSU
U of A
UCSD
UCSF
U Washington
Cornell
U of Wisconsin
UC Denver
U of Vermont
Tulane

 

[Catalystik]

I am unaware of any US med school that will accept an applicant for a DO or MD-only program with zero clinical experience. With such terrific numbers, I would suggest you spend the next 9-10 months rapidly beefing up your list of experiences so as to have your application gain some appeal. If your intent is to apply to an MD/PhD program which typically has lesser expectations for ECs, even they have some minimal standards, and I believe generally expect 2+ years of research experience. But maybe you did some undergrad research in addition to the grad research mentioned.

Besides clinical experience, I suggest 2-4 hours per week of nonmedical community service, another 40-60 shadowing hours split among a few specialties, and some leadership and /or teaching if you don't already have it.

The research and pubs sound great.

 

[SOcash]

While it's possible to get into medical school without substantial shadowing, I have never heard of anyone (including an applicant with a 4.0 and 39) being accepted to medical school with no clinical experience. If you were planning on applying this cycle, I would recommend holding off until next year and using the time to gain clinical experience you're missing. Clinical experience does not necessarily have to be in a hospital, but could be in a nursing home, free clinic, etc.

 

[sphun65]

I would appreciate a reality check with regard to my list of schools. I am concerned about aiming too high because I lack essential EC's.

Shadowing: 8 hours
Clinical Experience: 0 hours
Volunteer: 5 hours in the last year or so (but 16 hrs/week 4 years ago)
Research:1.5 years basic science grad research
MCAT: 37R (11v 12b 14p)
GPA: 3.93 undergrad (Mechanical Engineering), 3.72 graduate (Biomedical Engineering)
2 second-author publications
Arizona Resident

Proposed schools:
Darthmouth
Mayo
Northwestern
OHSU
U of A
UCSD
UCSF
U Washington
Cornell
U of Wisconsin
UC Denver
U of Vermont
Tulane

If you get on your horse now, you can find something to give you that clinical experience... By the time you'd be interviewing you could have enough to gain acceptance to any MD school in the US. The flipside is that if you put it off or don't do it, your application will come under serious question.

Don't sell yourself short my friend, especially on something like this. You've worked too hard to do that now.

 

[azdoc1]

That's kinda what I'm afraid of... Thank you all for your feed back.