Is 3.9GPA, 522 MCAT, but weak ECs good for low to mid tier schools?

[meeksquad]

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400 hours EMT-B
300 hours clinical volunteering
200 hours research, nonclinical
40 hours shadowing
Library job for 9 months and counting (customer service?)
Medical volunteer trip one spring break
Tutor/mentor at underprivileged middle school for one quarter

A big reason for my lack of ECs is that I had to work ~25hr a week to help my parents for college, and I have to spend A LOT of time studying to get good grades/test scores.
Don't care about school prestige, just want to be a PCP like I've wanted to since I was a little kid.
Thanks in advance for any input.

 

[21Rush12]

I don’t think these ECs are weak, and your metrics are obviously excellent.

Write a coherent Personal Statement and apply broadly and you will have acceptances to choose from.

 

[ndafife]

What state are you from? URM?

The issue with low/mid tier schools is that a lot of them practice yield protection. AKA your stats may paint you as someone who is likely to turn down an offer of acceptance. That is unless you have an meaningful connection to the school aka being an in-state applicant or URM at a school like Howard.

EDIT
Do what @21Rush12 said

 

[raiderette]

Many adcoms will see work as a benefit. I know my consistent work history was discussed as a positive in my interviews.

 

[meeksquad]

Also at top 25 UG, if that makes any difference.

 

[meeksquad]

And from CA

 

[mydogmolly]

You're fine

 

[Siromas]

Apply appropriately and you should be fine.

 

[BigBoss]

I sometimes swear posts like this one are purely for attention.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Robin-jay]

I made this post to give you the attention you crave.

 

[Goro]

400 hours EMT-B
300 hours clinical volunteering
200 hours research, nonclinical
40 hours shadowing
Library job for 9 months and counting (customer service?)
Medical volunteer trip one spring break
Tutor/mentor at underprivileged middle school for one quarter

A big reason for my lack of ECs is that I had to work ~25hr a week to help my parents for college, and I have to spend A LOT of time studying to get good grades/test scores.
Don't care about school prestige, just want to be a PCP like I've wanted to since I was a little kid.
Thanks in advance for any input.

You have to work on the self-esteem. here, I'll help. Consider these schools:
Wash U
U Chicago
NYU
U Penn
Vanderbilt
Columbia
Sinai
Cornell
Northwestern
Case
Harvard
Yale
Stanford
JHU
BU
U VA
U MI
U AZ
U VM
U WI
U Cincy
Ohio State
U IA
UCSF
UCLA
UCSD,
UCI,
UCR (IF you’re from the Inland Empire)
Miami
Tulane
Albert Einstein
Emory
USC/Keck
Mayo
Rochester
Dartmouth
Duke
Pitt
Hofstra

If you're happy being a PCP, my school will gladly take you!

Feel better now?

 

[LizzyM]

Frankly, with only 200 hours of research, I'd scratch the top 20 research schools from that list.
Look at the schools that are geared toward preparing primary care providers and gear your personal statement toward that goal.
Be sure to include your employment on the application and don't feel the need to tie it to anything medically related. Adcoms can connect the dots.

 

[Chromium Surfer]

Frankly, with only 200 hours of research, I'd scratch the top 20 research schools from that list.
Look at the schools that are geared toward preparing primary care providers and gear your personal statement toward that goal.
Be sure to include your employment on the application and don't feel the need to tie it to anything medically related. Adcoms can connect the dots.

what is the floor to be considered competitive at these schools in terms of research hours?

 

[LizzyM]

what is the floor to be considered competitive at these schools in terms of research hours?

However long it takes to produce a senior thesis or research findings that can be presented as a poster at a scientific meeting. To be competitive, it is not enough to put in the hours. You have to have had some measure of success at a project demonstrating the scientific method.

 

[WedgeDawg]

You're in pretty good shape. If becoming a PCP is what you're set on, I would recommend focusing on your own state schools (I understand that's hard coming from california) but your stats are excellent and your ECs are better than you're given them credit for. I think that you can still target mostly CA+top tier + mid tier and be successful - you're likely to get top 20 invites even with your relative paucity of research.

 

[A00000000]

This is very good. Did you take any gap years?

 

[LOLERs]

Man if these are weak ECs then my ECs must've been just nonexistent

 

[Chromium Surfer]

However long it takes to produce a senior thesis or research findings that can be presented as a poster at a scientific meeting. To be competitive, it is not enough to put in the hours. You have to have had some measure of success at a project demonstrating the scientific method.

Definitely understand that, how about people that are really productive with summer internships. A lot of these are around 300 hours but if you hustle they can lead to poster presentations and whatnot. Would that be considered reasonably competitive?

 

[LizzyM]

Definitely understand that, how about people that are really productive with summer internships. A lot of these are around 300 hours but if you hustle they can lead to poster presentations and whatnot. Would that be considered reasonably competitive?

Yes and 300 > 200. It is very hard for an undergrad to get a meaningful product (poster, paper) out of 200 hours but 300 can tip the balance.

 

[Microbug]

Definitely understand that, how about people that are really productive with summer internships. A lot of these are around 300 hours but if you hustle they can lead to poster presentations and whatnot. Would that be considered reasonably competitive?

I think with summer internships, you will be looking at 400-500 hours. Poster presentations are usually mandatory at the end of the program and if you get lucky, you can be a middle author on a paper.

 

[Chromium Surfer]

I think with summer internships, you will be looking at 400-500 hours. Poster presentations are usually mandatory at the end of the program and if you get lucky, you can be a middle author on a paper.

I see where you are coming from and I agree it just depends on the summer programs! for the 8 week ones its about 300! However for the 10-12 week ones it can be 400-500!

 

[Microbug]

I see where you are coming from and I agree it just depends on the summer programs! for the 8 week ones its about 300! However for the 10-12 week ones it can be 400-500!

Doesn’t it also depend on the lab? For one summer, my PI was there everyday all week 9-6. So I feel obligated to be there weekend too... it was like 50-60hrs/week

 

[Chromium Surfer]

Doesn’t it also depend on the lab? For one summer, my PI was there everyday all week 9-6. So I feel obligated to be there weekend too... it was like 50-60hrs/week

Yes we are in agreement overall that time spent on research in summer programs varis haha

 

[Microbug]

Yes we are in agreement overall that time spent on research in summer programs varis haha

I’m just saying, if you want be competitive by being over a certain number of hours threshold, just spend some weekend in lab, lol

 

[shortcoatdream15]

Write a strong PS + secondary essays, make your interest in primary care a strong theme in your application, present yourself in an interesting light, and I think you will definitely get interviews at top 20 schools even without a strong research background. Your focus in primary care could appeal to top schools for adding some diversity to a class of mostly research-minded students. Definitely apply to Wash U + NYU (stats ******) + schools that emphasize primary care (UCs, Columbia-Bassett). Also, don't be like me, apply as early as humanly possible

 

[LebronManning]

I think Caribbean is your only option. Sorry

 

[LebronManning]

However long it takes to produce a senior thesis or research findings that can be presented as a poster at a scientific meeting. To be competitive, it is not enough to put in the hours. You have to have had some measure of success at a project demonstrating the scientific method.

Just having research good enough for a poster presentation at some sort of scientific meeting is enough for top 20s? I always thought "good research" meant pubs. Is this similar to when one is actually in med school? Is "good research" for residency programs also considered poster presentations at meetings or do pubs then become a de facto requirement?

 

[shortcoatdream15]

Just having research good enough for a poster presentation at some sort of scientific meeting is enough for top 20s? I always thought "good research" meant pubs. Is this similar to when one is actually in med school? Is "good research" for residency programs also considered poster presentations at meetings or do pubs then become a de facto requirement?

Most people who matriculate even at top 20s don't have pubs. To my understanding, med school is a bit different because students hop on to mostly clinical studies which are way easier to score publications in