Help me schedule my EC's/MCAT?

[bschaefer97]

Hi all,

So.. I'll try to be nice and concise/organized with this...(but no promises)!

I'm currently a Junior at a large state university. I plan on taking the MCAT in May 2018. My current plan is to take as many possible pre-MCAT courses as I can in the Fall 2017 semester (Cell Bio, Biochem I, Physiology, etc) and then I will take a smaller load in the Spring 2018 semester so I can devote most of my time to studying for the MCAT. My only problem is that I'm currently low on EC's, specifically those in the field of medicine which I know are critical.

I will be volunteering at a local hospital ER this summer and into the Fall (possibly Spring too). My other possible EC's that I can add before applying in Summer 2018 are as follows:
- scribing at a local pain management practice (would need to start ASAP to get the job and work at least 1 year with them per the contract)
- join a selective pre-med club through my honors college where I would shadow Mayo Clinic physicians for the school year
- find a physician to shadow (still have no idea how to do this.. all the physicians I know are unable to allow shadows because of patient confidentiality)

Now, I really just need to know whether or not it would be best to take that scribe position now and suffer in the Fall semester, balancing the heavy course load and the scribe job among my research, etc..), OR should I just try to get into that Mayo program and then hope to find a scribe job in the Spring when my course load is lower? I just worry that I won't be able to find one if I apply in December/January when I would be done with Fall semester, and wouldn't want to apply without having significant medical EC experience.

Sorry for the wall of text and the stream of consciousness, I hope this makes sense!

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[DrHart]

Hi all,

So.. I'll try to be nice and concise/organized with this...(but no promises)!

I'm currently a Junior at a large state university. I plan on taking the MCAT in May 2018. My current plan is to take as many possible pre-MCAT courses as I can in the Fall 2017 semester (Cell Bio, Biochem I, Physiology, etc) and then I will take a smaller load in the Spring 2018 semester so I can devote most of my time to studying for the MCAT. My only problem is that I'm currently low on EC's, specifically those in the field of medicine which I know are critical.

I will be volunteering at a local hospital ER this summer and into the Fall (possibly Spring too). My other possible EC's that I can add before applying in Summer 2018 are as follows:
- scribing at a local pain management practice (would need to start ASAP to get the job and work at least 1 year with them per the contract)
- join a selective pre-med club through my honors college where I would shadow Mayo Clinic physicians for the school year
- find a physician to shadow (still have no idea how to do this.. all the physicians I know are unable to allow shadows because of patient confidentiality)

Now, I really just need to know whether or not it would be best to take that scribe position now and suffer in the Fall semester, balancing the heavy course load and the scribe job among my research, etc..), OR should I just try to get into that Mayo program and then hope to find a scribe job in the Spring when my course load is lower? I just worry that I won't be able to find one if I apply in December/January when I would be done with Fall semester, and wouldn't want to apply without having significant medical EC experience.

Sorry for the wall of text and the stream of consciousness, I hope this makes sense!

Given the huge commitment that scribing is, I would probably stay away from that given your workload. Pump out those clinical volunteering hours as those will be extremely important. I would try to join that club that sets you up with physicians to shadow - my school actually made a class for something like this and I think it will become more common. It makes it way easier to shadow, too. I would still try cold calling physicians who you still might be able to shadow. Some adcom said it before - you already know at least 2 physicians who are most likely to let you shadow: your childhood pediatrician and your mom's ob/gyn. If you don't think you have enough clinical by the time you apply (at least 150 hours) take a gap year - wait a cycle, and then apply.