How many volunteer hours should I shoot for?

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68wdogdad

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Hey guys!

I'd like to give everyone a brief summary before I address my question.

After high school (graduated in 2012) I enlisted in the army as a medic, got off of active duty in June of 2016. While on active duty I maintained my EMT-B (I still do to this day) took on a variety of leadership opportunities, and treated patients with a lot of autonomy.

I transitioned into the reserves, still a medic, just moved onto a more administrative role with very little patients contact (limited to acute injuries during training). I also conduct two weeks of medical training each year to maintain my EMT-B / table 8's.

Since getting out I have been going to school full time and will be applying to medical school / taking the MCAT May/ June time frame. Currently my GPA is 3.83.

Aside from going to school full time I work anywhere from 25-30 hours a week as a personal trainer. I am also assisting in research for Alzheimer's prevention, I'm expecting to have ~100-125hrs by the time I apply.

Between school, work, research and the reserves (which is much my role encompasses a lot more time then most reservist's) I really do not have the time to fit in much volunteer work. I expect I'll have anywhere between 25-50hours by the time I apply, will this be enough??

Also, is there anything else anyone would recommend in supplementing my application?

Thanks!

P.S, I also have really strong LOR's from a .mil MD, PA-C whom I worked under, Gen-ChemI&II professor.

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I'll bite... 104 hours.
 
If you nail the MCAT I cannot imagine how you wouldn't be a slam-dunk applicant.
>_>
Just an uneducated opinion.
 
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You won't have to worry about the volunteering with everything you do for school, work, research, and the military. You've got an interesting story demonstrating prolonged interest and understanding of the medical field. Best of luck going forward.
 
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Thanks for the response guys! I really appreciate it!
 
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Thanks for the response guys! I really appreciate it!
Yeah, from an accepted premed pov, you just need to take the mcat. Your app sounds better than mine lol. Focus on the mcat like it's your job. With that work ethic, I'm sure it'll work out well. Good luck!!
 
Yeah, from an accepted premed pov, you just need to take the mcat. Your app sounds better than mine lol. Focus on the mcat like it's your job. With that work ethic, I'm sure it'll work out well. Good luck!!

That's really reassuring to hear! I actually just bought a house just outside of Kansas City, so I'm hoping that I can bring a competitive application to local schools!
 
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Your experience as a military medic is exceptional, and as so many have stated already, your are beyond the standard applicant's question of "how many hours?" Your profile reads exactly as Adcoms dream: Intense experiences, good GPA, obvious drive and commitment, and continued exposure to the field. As mentioned above, you're ready to apply assuming you have completed (or will complete by the time you matriculate) all requirements and do well on the MCAT.

You may need a couple more academic letters of recommendation to fit the demands at a few schools where you apply. Generally three academic letters is a safe number to have. You do not have to send your entire set of letters to every school, so you may not use the last academic letter very often, but it will be good if you can get a strong letter in case a school asked for three academic letters. But the strength of your letter file will be the three you listed above.
 
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That was a great idea, thanks for setting it
 
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