Making my way to Med School

[Happy12]

---

Members don't see this ad.

Hello everyone,
I am a biology major at a SUNY school in New York. I am planning on becoming a dermatologist and doing some shadowing this summer. I have a few questions about my road to becoming a doctor. First, what is the ideal GPA for a student applying to medical school? Also, when it comes to the MCAT, is a prep class worth the high cost? Lastly, what types of
extracurriculars are medical schools looking to see on resumees?

 

[fiznat]

Hey Happy12, welcome to SDN.

Much can be learned by utilizing the "search" function on the forum. As I'm sure you can imagine, the questions you asked are answered very frequently on this forum. There are tons of resources at your fingertips if you just take a few minutes to look for them.

Briefly,

GPA - as high as possible. If you are thinking allopathic schools (which I have less experience with), I imagine that >3.5 or so is competitive. You will find, however, that this can sometimes be an arbitrary process and the numbers do vary quite a bit. The take away is to simply do the best that you can.

MCAT- lots of people (myself included) do not find the classroom-based MCAT prep helpful. There are people who swear by it as well. It depends on your learning style.

ECs- Three categories. Clinical experience, volunteering, and something that you enjoy for it's own sake.



Hope that helps you get started.

 

[Acp2010]

Hello everyone,
I am a biology major at a SUNY school in New York. I am planning on becoming a dermatologist and doing some shadowing this summer. I have a few questions about my road to becoming a doctor. First, what is the ideal GPA for a student applying to medical school? Also, when it comes to the MCAT, is a prep class worth the high cost? Lastly, what types of
extracurriculars are medical schools looking to see on resumees?

I agree with what was said above. GPA should be as high as possible, but definitely try for above a 3.5 if you are interested in allopathic schools. You want your overall GPA to be strong, as well as your science GPA.

I personally loved the Kaplan classroom-based MCAT class. I took the class from January-April of last year and took the MCAT at the end of May and did really well. The class was great because it gave me 6 hours of review in the classroom per week, plus assigned homework that had a due date. It was like taking a real class and it kept me on track for preparing for the test. I felt that I needed that atmosphere to stay motivated and I loved being able to consult the teacher as well. The class was expensive, however, I thought that it was definitely worth it because I prepped for 5 months while still focusing on my other classes and activities, only had to take the exam once, and was happy with my score.

In terms of extracurriculars, I would aim to have volunteering, both clinical and non-clinical if possible, some teaching/tutoring/leadership activities, shadowing, research, possibly honors societies or awards, and something that really stands out as unique (and that is enjoyable for you, separate from your pre-med stuff). good luck.

 

[Huskies33]

Hello everyone,
I am a biology major at a SUNY school in New York. I am planning on becoming a dermatologist and doing some shadowing this summer. I have a few questions about my road to becoming a doctor. First, what is the ideal GPA for a student applying to medical school? Also, when it comes to the MCAT, is a prep class worth the high cost? Lastly, what types of
extracurriculars are medical schools looking to see on resumees?

To be safe, you want your science GPA around 3.6 (MCAT >31)and overall GPA about the same (maybe a bit higher). An overall science GPA of 3.5 will make your life a bit harder during the application process, but it certainly won't keep you out. Like said above, the process can seem arbitrary and accepted GPAs/MCAT scores can vary widely depending on different factors. As for ECs: in general, show initiative and leadership, and do stuff you love and have a passion for. This doesn't have to be medically related, but showing altruism is key in my opinion. As always, have the standard hospital/medical volunteering, and shadowing. Also, be genuine. Don't do stuff just because it will look good on your app. That usually backfires.

I didn't take a standard MCAT class and did fine, but if you need the structure, then do it. I say spending the money if you can afford it and doing much better than if you were studying on your own is worth it (you'll be spending a crap load during your medical education anyway)

I just went through the application process and was accepted, if curious.

 

[Pons Asinorum]

Search. Please. There are thousands of answers to your questions. I would also recommend never letting the words "I want to be a dermatologist" come out of your mouth again, especially not in any context that applies to getting accepted into an MD/DO program. Especially when you have such basic questions regarding the process that you obviously have no concept whatsoever of what that statement means.

 

[Catalystik]

Lastly, what types of extracurriculars are medical schools looking to see on resumees?

The average applicant has about 1.5 years of clinical experience. Most gain this at the rate of 3-4 hours weekly by volunteering to help care for sick people somewhere (nursing home, hospital, clinic, hospice, etc.). Average shadowing is 50ish hours split among a few types of doc, including primary care. This does not need to be a regular activity and could be acquired over breaks. Nonmedical community service is another activity that gives strength to an application. I'd also get that going as soon as you can, even if only 2 hours weekly, ideally for a cause that you care about; something that serves the poor is a good idea, though other volunteerism is OK. A year of research is about average, but even a summer's worth helps you. Besides these, leadership and teaching activies benefit you, too.

 

[Happy12]

Thank you all for your suggestions. It has been very helpful. I am new to SDN and I will be sure to look around for more infmormation regarding the pre-med track.