Looking for advice

[pooppooppoop]

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[NotASerialKiller]

Hey guys!

I am an upcoming junior in undergrad and am looking for advice going into the second half of my undergraduate career. I feel like I am pretty unbalanced when it comes to my experiences and am looking for advice to improve for when it comes to applying to medical school. Any tips are appreciated!

For some background, I attend a top 20 university and am majoring in neuroscience. My GPA is around 3.7, but it was about 3.5 my freshman year and 3.9 last year (essentially its an upward trend). I want to go into psychiatry or neurology, and right now my interests lie in schizophrenia, alzheimer's, and parkinson's.

I have about 1300 hours of research experience. In high school I researched at a top cancer research center throughout my senior year. In undergrad I have worked in a psych lab since freshman year, and have a lot of experience working with participants in this lab. I will also be completing a senior thesis in this lab.

I have also done research in my last two summers (last one and this one) in programs that were both at top 10 medical schools. These programs had some clinical aspects, but not a ton. Maybe a total of 60 hours of clinical experience from these programs (including after I finish up this summer). Both research experiences were bench work, and I've had pretty significant results so far, but no publications.

I am involved in a wide variety of clubs, from club sports, to an environmental club, to clubs the typical premed partakes in. I have also been volunteering at a local community center with disadvantaged kids, but its nothing medical related (but I really enjoy doing it). The extent of my leadership is raising a lot of money for cancer events (and helping organize a few) and planning an annual half marathon at my school.

Anyways, my issue is I have very little clinical experience and leadership. For the longest time I have been set on research because I love it, so I always assumed I would get a PhD. But over the past year or so I have realized I really want an MD, as I really enjoy the patient interaction as well. But as a result I am lacking in clinical work. Any tips to improve?

Thanks in advance!

You're good bro

 

[Technology]

You seem very well-rounded, which is definitely a positive attribute for any medical applicant. Having a passion for research, especially up-to-date research, seems like a central part of your application. Raising money for cancer probably looks REALLY GOOD!

(Based on what I have seen on this forum) You should definitely improve upon your clinical experience, so you really know what you are getting into. Shadowing is a MUST and any other clinical experiences you start doing will tremendously boost your application.

I recommend volunteering at a hospice facility – you will be able to interact with terminally ill patients who only have a few months to live – as this will give you another opportunity to understand what you are getting into.

Besides that, you should begin studying for the MCAT.

Good luck!

P.S. I just graduated high school, so this post may not be 100% reliable, however, it is a decent reflection of many other posts on this forum.

 

[deleted763299]

Anyways, my issue is I have very little clinical experience and leadership. For the longest time I have been set on research because I love it, so I always assumed I would get a PhD. But over the past year or so I have realized I really want an MD, as I really enjoy the patient interaction as well. But as a result I am lacking in clinical work. Any tips to improve?

In the spirit of full disclosure: I have never been part of an admissions committee or anything of that nature.

It seems like you are in great shape, honestly. Great GPA, lots of research, and plenty of volunteerism. You still need to take the MCAT, correct?

What does come to my mind is, why have you decided you want to pursue clinical medicine now? What changed? By your own admission, you state that you have had minimal clinical exposure. You don't have to spill your guts to a complete stranger on the internet, but please reflect on this.

 

[confidentandgood]

Sick username.

To echo an above poster, it's best to shadow a few doctors so you really know what you're getting into. Also remember that you shouldn't count high school research hours in your total because you won't be listing those hours on your application. Either way, you have stellar research experience.

Non-clinical work is an important part of one's application, so all that club involvement certainly won't hurt you. You should enjoy those activities. Still, remember that your clinical experience doesn't have to come from a top-notch hospital. There are many places that embrace pre-health students as volunteers (nursing homes, hospices, etc.) and what's important is the patient-to-patient interaction.

A 3.7 GPA is good, so keep up that upward trend. Kill the MCAT. Good luck!

 

[Goro]

So start patient contact volunteering already.

Not all volunteering needs to be in a hospital. Think hospice, Planned Parenthood, nursing homes, rehab facilities, crisis hotlines, camps for sick children, or clinics.

Some types of volunteer activities are more appealing than others. Volunteering in a nice suburban hospital is all very well and good and all, but doesn't show that you're willing to dig in and get your hands dirty in the same way that working with the developmentally disabled (or homeless, the dying, or Alzheimers or mentally ill or elderly or ESL or domestic, rural impoverished) does. The uncomfortable situations are the ones that really demonstrate your altruism and get you 'brownie points'. Plus, they frankly teach you more -- they develop your compassion and humanity in ways comfortable situations can't.


Service need not be "unique". If you can alleviate suffering in your community through service to the poor, homeless, illiterate, fatherless, etc, you are meeting an otherwise unmet need and learning more about the lives of the people (or types of people) who will someday be your patients. Check out your local houses of worship for volunteer opportunities. The key thing is service to others less fortunate than you. And get off campus and out of your comfort zone!

Hey guys!

I am an upcoming junior in undergrad and am looking for advice going into the second half of my undergraduate career. I feel like I am pretty unbalanced when it comes to my experiences and am looking for advice to improve for when it comes to applying to medical school. Any tips are appreciated!
Anyways, my issue is I have very little clinical experience and leadership. For the longest time I have been set on research because I love it, so I always assumed I would get a PhD. But over the past year or so I have realized I really want an MD, as I really enjoy the patient interaction as well. But as a result I am lacking in clinical work. Any tips to improve?

Thanks in advance!

 

[pooppooppoop]

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[pooppooppoop]

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[pooppooppoop]

Any other thoughts?

 

[Crayola227]

you need to check out other fields than psych/neuro as you will have a lot of training in med school that is nothing like either field

I tell people don't go MD/DO if there is no alternate reality they could see themselves doing Family Medicine and being OK with that