MD & DO incoming junior 3.6 cGPA how can i improve?

[mandym00]

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I will be a junior next semester at one of the University of Texas schools. Plan on applying next spring for the class entering 2017. 3.67 cumulative and 3.63 science gpa. Mind you my first year at college my cumulative gpa was 3.46 compared to my second year at college (when I decided to be pre-med) with a 3.86 gpa. Honors college student, must complete honor research thesis and honor credit hours for honors degree. 14/26 honor credit hours completed. I have also been researching in a microbiology lab for almost 4 months now. Will mostly likely have a project or some material, but not a publication done by app time. Have being working both part time on-campus as a lab safety assistant and on Saturdays as a optometry technician at an opthamologist's office for almost 1 year and 4 months now.

I have not completed any shadowing or volunteer hours. I feel this is the weakest point in my application. Also I have yet to take the MCAT as I have time and still have to take O Chem 2 and Biochem. I plan on taking O Chem 2 this summer and Biochem in the fall. MCAT in the spring. The problem I have is that I need to keep working a part time to help support myself financially. I am considering quitting my jobs and looking for a scribing job. I would actually enjoying going to work, it would be so exciting for me honestly! Will scribing count as shadowing or will it have to be non-paid? The scribing job has more flexibility in hours which would enable me to have time to volunteer and/or shadow, even for just one or two afternoons a week. It's more than I'm doing now. I plan on loading up my junior year taking 37-41 credits (thats including 2 classes over this summer). I know that if I do this and do well in my classes as planned I can boost my cumulative and science gpa to a 3.76.

Any other suggestions on what I can do to strengthen my app? Also do you think I have a chance of getting in somewhere? Here's the list of schools I'm applying to. Only applying to in-state because of the sheer cost, unless I really don't think I can get in. Texas is way too cheap 🙂

Schools:
UT Southwestern
Texas A&M
UT Houston
UNT Health Science Center
UT Austin (my dream ha- yeah right first 4 classes will only have 50 students )
UT Health Science Science San Antonio
UT Med Branch Galveston
TTU - both campuses
Baylor College of Medicine

 

[usc_92]

1. Scribing counts as clinical experience.
2. Score As for the rest of undergrad.
3. Score high on your MCAT.

If you scribe, you will become close with the physicians you work with and often converse with hospitalists. Don't be shy and you should find plenty of opportunities to shadow within the hospital setting. Additionally, cold call physicians in your area or drop by their clinics in the morning to see if they're willing to have you come in for a day. Being proactive is the key.

 

[GrapesofRath]

No clinical exposure, no Ochem 2, no Biochem and no volunteer hours----and you are planning on applying in a year? Sounds like a good idea to take a gap year. Do what you gotta do work wise, but realize a couple things things
1) scribe jobs are competitive. Hardly a guarantee you'll get one
2) Even if you do get one there's a good chance it won't be for a while.
3) The attrition rate is high with scribes and many people who don't make the cut are hardworking and smart people. It's just a ruthless job which demands alot and where 1-2 poor performances or frustrating one attending physician can get you to the unemployment line. Don't necessarily bank on that being your source of income for a long time and relying on that only to get clinical exposure
4) Scribing counts as clinical exposure. It doesn't count as volunteering and showing your altruism. There was a video that surveyed Ohio State admissions officers and they asked is there one thing that can automatically cause someones application to be rejected besides stats. 57% said a lack of volunteering. Nothing else got more than 17% of the votes. On a side-note, guess how many said research? 3%. SDN has its priorities whack often times. But anyway, bottom line: No volunteering----no med school.
5) Biochem is a major part of the MCAT. Taking it 2nd semester junior year and taking the MCAT right after might not be a great idea, particularly since you have little time to study for it after taking the course if you want to get your MCAT in on time.
6) Your GPA is fine. But rushing the MCAT and getting a mediocre score makes that all moot. Take your time, take it once, and do well. That means taking all the time you need to do well, including a gap year if necessary.

You will benefit from a gap year. IT will be difficult to accumulate sufficient volunteer hours to demonstrate altruism, solid amount of clinical experience, working part time, keeping up with the research thesis demands, maintaining good grades in what will be many upper level classes this year, and studying for the MCAT all at once.

 

[mandym00]

No clinical exposure, no Ochem 2, no Biochem and no volunteer hours----and you are planning on applying in a year? Sounds like a good idea to take a gap year. Do what you gotta do work wise, but realize a couple things things
1) scribe jobs are competitive. Hardly a guarantee you'll get one
2) Even if you do get one there's a good chance it won't be for a while.
3) The attrition rate is high with scribes and many people who don't make the cut are hardworking and smart people. It's just a ruthless job which demands alot and where 1-2 poor performances or frustrating one attending physician can get you to the unemployment line. Don't necessarily bank on that being your source of income for a long time and relying on that only to get clinical exposure
4) Scribing counts as clinical exposure. It doesn't count as volunteering and showing your altruism. There was a video that surveyed Ohio State admissions officers and they asked is there one thing that can automatically cause someones application to be rejected besides stats. 57% said a lack of volunteering. Nothing else got more than 17% of the votes. On a side-note, guess how many said research? 3%. SDN has its priorities whack often times. But anyway, bottom line: No volunteering----no med school.
5) Biochem is a major part of the MCAT. Taking it 2nd semester junior year and taking the MCAT right after might not be a great idea, particularly since you have little time to study for it after taking the course if you want to get your MCAT in on time.
6) Your GPA is fine. But rushing the MCAT and getting a mediocre score makes that all moot. Take your time, take it once, and do well. That means taking all the time you need to do well, including a gap year if necessary.

You will benefit from a gap year. IT will be difficult to accumulate sufficient volunteer hours to demonstrate altruism, solid amount of clinical experience, working part time, keeping up with the research thesis demands, maintaining good grades in what will be many upper level classes this year, and studying for the MCAT all at once.

I will be taking O Chem 2 later this summer and Biochem in the fall. Otherwise I have all the pre-reqs necessary for med schools and the MCAT.

Does my current job as a optometry technician not count as clinical experience? I deal directly with patients and the ophthalmologist. I basically set up the exam for the doctor. Obtaining autorefraction and intraocular pressure data, testing patients' unaided and aided acuities, entering information into EMR programs, use of auto-refractor and feropter, obtaining interpupillary distance and segment height for glasses. And much more!

Otherwise if I do well on the MCAT and start doing shadowing and volunteering every week until next spring do you think I would have a decent shot? Thanks for the reply and information!

 

[GrapesofRath]

I honestly don't know if the work of an optometry tech would count as clinical exposure and under the umbrella of experience ADCOMs are looking for. Ask those who know better like gyngyn and goro.

 

[mw18]

I will be taking O Chem 2 later this summer and Biochem in the fall. Otherwise I have all the pre-reqs necessary for med schools and the MCAT.

Does my current job as a optometry technician not count as clinical experience? I deal directly with patients and the ophthalmologist. I basically set up the exam for the doctor. Obtaining autorefraction and intraocular pressure data, testing patients' unaided and aided acuities, entering information into EMR programs, use of auto-refractor and feropter, obtaining interpupillary distance and segment height for glasses. And much more!

Otherwise if I do well on the MCAT and start doing shadowing and volunteering every week until next spring do you think I would have a decent shot? Thanks for the reply and information!

Using the "if you can smell patients, it's clinical experience" rule, I would venture to say it is a clinical experience. Obviously there are people better fitted to answer that. I think the issue with volunteering is that it may seem like you threw it in last minute to check off the volunteering box. It would be better if you showed that volunteering and helping people is something you're passionate about, and have sustained for some time. It may not necessarily be too late, I honestly don't know, but I would get very involved with whatever volunteer work you do.

 

[mandym00]

Using the "if you can smell patients, it's clinical experience" rule, I would venture to say it is a clinical experience. Obviously there are people better fitted to answer that. I think the issue with volunteering is that it may seem like you threw it in last minute to check off the volunteering box. It would be better if you showed that volunteering and helping people is something you're passionate about, and have sustained for some time. It may not necessarily be too late, I honestly don't know, but I would get very involved with whatever volunteer work you do.

Okay that's what I was thinking too! I'm counting it as clinical experience... Yes honestly that is what I'm worried about. If I start today I'll only have a year span of volunteering and shadowing :/ not good. Can I reasonably explain my lack of volunteering by involvement in other activities (research and 2 part-time jobs to support myself)? Will the schools take that into consideration? I know if mommy and daddy paid for everything that I would have been doing these things since my freshmen year. I guess I can't complain though, some people still are able to manage it all

 

[mw18]

Okay that's what I was thinking too! I'm counting it as clinical experience... Yes honestly that is what I'm worried about. If I start today I'll only have a year span of volunteering and shadowing :/ not good. Can I reasonably explain my lack of volunteering by involvement in other activities (research and 2 part-time jobs to support myself)? Will the schools take that into consideration? I know if mommy and daddy paid for everything that I would have been doing these things since my freshmen year. I guess I can't complain though, some people still are able to manage it all

Some of the adcom members would be better off commenting on this. I'm sure there are plenty of app readers that will see that you have volunteering and shadowing and that it is a substantial (it needs to be substantial) amount of hours, and maybe pay less attention to the start date. I really have no idea if they're in the huge minority or not. I honestly think that the shadowing being late in your career matters less, because hours spent learning about the field are hours spent learning about the field. Whereas the volunteering may make you look like a cookie cutter applicant trying to make sure all of your boxes are checked more than someone determined to make a difference in people's lives.