Not Sure What EC's I Should Take

[Purkinje Fibers]

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Hello,

I am currently a sophmore pre-med in college and my gpa is a 3.2. I am currently on the path to getting all 4.0 in my four classes this year. This should definitely bring up my science gpa and I have not taken my MCAT yet. I am currently going to graduate a year less due to the fact that I have already accumulated a lot of credits in my classes.

In terms of extracurricular activities I am an:

active member on the student government of my hall
active member in the pre-professional club
perform Church service every Sunday as a lector/altar server
volunteer experience in hospitals in areas such as sports med, radiology, PACU, and orthopedics
research experience for both years here, and in spring semester last year, I did two research projects
study abroad for past two summers


I am currently unsure what I would need to make me look like a better applicant amongst others and I am in currently in need of some advice.

Here are a few things that I might consider doing, I wish I could do all of them, but are looking for what would benefit me the most as a person and also getting accepted into med school:

Resident Assistant
Study Abroad Advisor (I understand that these above two require a lot of time)
Weight Room Manager
Personal Trainer
Club that focuses on "giving" for the holidays. (I plan to start this club so that I would be able to collect a lot of items and help donate this to the poor. One of the activities that I would love to do would be to wear elf hats and go into a hospital and give presents to little children who might not be able to either make it to the holidays or they might not be home for the holidays.)

Definitely working on a better GPA, but I just want to make sure that I feel like a well rounded student.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thank You!

 

[Catalystik]

I am currently a sophmore pre-med in college and my gpa is a 3.2. I am currently on the path to getting all 4.0 in my four classes this year. This should definitely bring up my science gpa and I have not taken my MCAT yet. I am currently going to graduate a year less due to the fact that I have already accumulated a lot of credits in my classes.

Your priority needs to be getting your GPA higher, more than acquiring new ECs. Average entering DO student had a 3.46. Average MD acceptee had a 3.67. Try to meet or exceed these numbers, depending on your goal. How high will your GPA and BCPM be at the end of this year if you get straight As for two semesters? If it won't be high enough, consider staying for a fourth year of college and delaying your application. Or, go ahead and graduate but take postbac classes at a cheaper public college.

In terms of extracurricular activities I am an:

active member on the student government of my hall
active member in the pre-professional club
perform Church service every Sunday as a lector/altar server
volunteer experience in hospitals in areas such as sports med, radiology, PACU, and orthopedics
research experience for both years here, and in spring semester last year, I did two research projects
study abroad for past two summers


I am currently unsure what I would need to make me look like a better applicant amongst others and I am in currently in need of some advice.

Here are a few things that I might consider doing, I wish I could do all of them, but are looking for what would benefit me the most as a person and also getting accepted into med school:

Resident Assistant
Study Abroad Advisor (I understand that these above two require a lot of time)
Weight Room Manager
Personal Trainer
Club that focuses on "giving" for the holidays. (I plan to start this club so that I would be able to collect a lot of items and help donate this to the poor. One of the activities that I would love to do would be to wear elf hats and go into a hospital and give presents to little children who might not be able to either make it to the holidays or they might not be home for the holidays.)

Definitely working on a better GPA, but I just want to make sure that I feel like a well rounded student.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thank You!

I suggest trying to get leadership, teaching, physician shadowing, and some hands-on, nonmedical community service that you engage in weekly that helps the poor. Some of these can be combined to cover more than one category.

Starting the Elf Group sounds great; be sure you plan to distribute gifts in a culturally sensitive way that doesn't presume a patient is celebrating a holiday over the winter break. Used toys in good condition are fine for general distribution, but for hospitalized kids, due to concerns of germs, you'd probably want to get new toys considered safe for a given age group.