Need some advice on how to express my experiences to medical school.

[Neurosurgeon26]

---

Members do not see this ad.

My family

 

[Ismet]

You can mark up to 3 work/activities as "most meaningful." It seems like this job played a big part in your life, so if you consider it one of your top 3 activities, mark it as such and you get an extra (1750 I think?) characters to talk about why it is meaningful, how it affected you, and how it could potentially relate to a career in medicine (people skills, confidence, etc). I think it would definitely be an advantage to your application, as I've heard schools like to see that you can balance a job and good grades.

However, If you're considering marking it as most meaningful to "look good," then don't. Represent yourself, not what you think adcoms want you to be.

Good luck on the MCAT!

 

[StoicJosher]

Agree with what Ismet said. And this seems like a very good reason for listing it as a meaningful experience.

I want to know how I could use this to my advantage in my application, and how advantageous this could possibly be? Obviously working that many hours while completing an engineering bachelors is somewhat impressive (I think). I definitely gained some leadership experience, gained some social confidence, better communication, hard work, etc. I met new people of different diversities every day, so it was a great social experience as well. I am just unsure on how to best present this experience to medical schools...should I make a big deal about it, or just briefly mention it as one of my work experiences? I'd just really like to hear some different view points on this.

Present it like that. And good luck on the MCAT.

 

[Neurosurgeon26]

Thanks guys.

How does my overall application look (assuming I do decent on the MCAT and given all these experiences)? Am I competitive, semi-competitive?

 

[StoicJosher]

Thanks guys.

How does my overall application look (assuming I do decent on the MCAT and given all these experiences)? Am I competitive, semi-competitive?

Your GPA is below average for matriculants (avg: 3.67) but with a 30+ MCAT (avg: 31) and your excellent ECs (clinical and otherwise), I think you have a good shot. Apply broadly and wisely. Take a look at this google spreadsheet to give you an idea of what schools you will be competitive at. (Disclaimer: That spreadsheet will only give you a purely objective/numbers-based answer. The rest of your application plays a very important role).

 

[Neurosurgeon26]

Your GPA is below average for matriculants (avg: 3.67) but with a 30+ MCAT (avg: 31) and your excellent ECs (clinical and otherwise), I think you have a good shot. Apply broadly and wisely. Take a look at this google spreadsheet to give you an idea of what schools you will be competitive at. (Disclaimer: That spreadsheet will only give you a purely objective/numbers-based answer. The rest of your application plays a very important role).

I thought being an engineering major and having a full time job would be a good reason for my low GPA, so hopefully I could be somewhat compensated for!

I have used that spreadsheet - is the idea to apply to out of state schools that have a good percentage of "out of state" matriculants? I only have 1 medical school here in my state, which I have the best shot at getting into. Still unsure on how many OOS schools to apply to.

 

[bassvp]

I thought being an engineering major and having a full time job would be a good reason for my low GPA, so hopefully I could be somewhat compensated for!

I have used that spreadsheet - is the idea to apply to out of state schools that have a good percentage of "out of state" matriculants? I only have 1 medical school here in my state, which I have the best shot at getting into. Still unsure on how many OOS schools to apply to.

The engineering major and full-time job may or may not be valid excuses for a lower GPA depending on whose hands your application lands in.

 

[Neurosurgeon26]

The engineering major and full-time job may or may not be valid excuses for a lower GPA depending on whose hands your application lands in.

Yeah I don't want to make a big deal out of it and make excuses - I definitely don't regret working hard and going with an engineering bachelors. I loved it, learned a lot, gained some amazing experiences, and hopefully I do good on the MCAT to make up for the GPA

 

[GomerPyle]

I thought being an engineering major and having a full time job would be a good reason for my low GPA, so hopefully I could be somewhat compensated for!

I have used that spreadsheet - is the idea to apply to out of state schools that have a good percentage of "out of state" matriculants? I only have 1 medical school here in my state, which I have the best shot at getting into. Still unsure on how many OOS schools to apply to.

You should apply to 15-20 schools.

 

[Neurosurgeon26]

okay. Does anybody else have any input????

 

[blizzah]

okay. Does anybody else have any input????

It is going to depend on your MCAT.

If you get a 36 let's say, you have a great shot and don't need to apply to as many. However, if you get a 28? Probably need to apply to a ton.

 

[StoicJosher]

I thought being an engineering major and having a full time job would be a good reason for my low GPA, so hopefully I could be somewhat compensated for!

I have used that spreadsheet - is the idea to apply to out of state schools that have a good percentage of "out of state" matriculants? I only have 1 medical school here in my state, which I have the best shot at getting into. Still unsure on how many OOS schools to apply to.

Yes. Don't even bother applying to schools that accept more than 90% of their students in-state unless you have strong ties to the state. You can actually sort schools by how many OOS they accept in the same spreadsheet.