How do I look so far?

[Mastodon]

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I'm a junior biochemistry major at the moment credit-wise but I still technically have a year and a half of school left. I just want to get a gauge at where I'm at for the moment and see what I need to do for the next couple years to improve my chances.

GPA: 3.81
I did PSEO at a community college and I partied all the time and totally bombed all my classes. I really regret my poor chioces and I did a complete 180. At my current 4-year college I have a 4.0 in every class I've taken and I'm trying to keep it that way in order to drag up my GPA.

EC's
-Shadowed a Neonatalologist & currently trying to establish some relationships with local OB/GYNs to shadow
-I volunteer at Planned Parenthood: women's health and reproductive rights are one of my passions & I help with security (bomb threats anyone?). No clinical stuff though 🙁
-Worked in innercity schools with underpriviledged youth & children of recent immigrants
-Work in my school's biology/microbiology laboratory
-Trained as a certified nursing assistant & I'm working towards getting a job as one
-Hoping to do a summer research experience but I don't know how that will turn out ....
-I was born in the United Kingdom & my family came over to the United States when I was very young. We were below the poverty level for a while. I am planning to go over to England and shadow an OB/GYN and studying National Health with the help of my Aunt. I want to give a talk about it at my school, which is big on healthcare. Affordable healthcare for all people, especially the poor, is another one of my passions.


What do you think? I am on the cusp of changing my major to nursing & just becoming a nurse practitioner instead because I'm terrified that I will fail and not get in to medical school.

 

[Mobius1985]

If your cumulative GPA includes all grades received at both colleges and is a 3.81, you have no reason to be "terrified" as you are well above the mean for students accepted to med school. You are doing fine developing your extracurriculars, with the expected community service and shadowing. You have some lab experience (doing what?) and will hopefully gain a research experience as well. If you can get a CNA job, your clinical experience will be great. Have you done anything you consider leadership or teaching/mentoring? Those are other categories on the AMCAS application.

Maybe you need to shadow a nurse practitioner to get a feel for their scope of practice. I also volunteered at a family planning clinic, got to know one of the docs, and got a gyne/prenatal shadowing experience, as well as the opportunity to watch the NPs at work and assist them (holding anxious hands, babies, equipment, and such). Doing something similiar may help you cement your career goals.

 

[Mastodon]

Thank you so much for your reply. I am continuing to do my best in school. I think that is an excellent idea and I'm sure if I did some contacting within Planned Parenthood I would be able to shadow or at least interview some of their doctors. Do you think that it will look bad if I have Planned Parenthood on an application? Many people's view of this organization is biased because of the big abortion debate. In fact what first got me interested in women's health & OB/GYN is a first year seminar report I did on abortion. I have a feeling that would not go over well 🙁

 

[Mobius1985]

It never crossed my mind not to include it, and negative comments were not made at my interviews, but then I never had contact with any potentially controversial activities. I wrote a number of great Secondary essays based on the experience. I've seen it suggested on this forum that it's OK to omit mention of things that might offend a very conservative interviewer. If you are passionate about an issue, however, other interviewers might find that to be a positive attribute. You'd have to decide for yourself how to handle this.