physical therapist...wannabe MD

[NCPT]

Hi all !

This is my first post on SDN ...its so thrilling to be part of ...a big grp with similar aspirations
Heres little info about me ...so that u guys can advice me better-

I currently work as a PT(physical therapist) ...have 4 yrs of experience as a PT in a reputed state hospital..still working there...did my undergraduation in PT ..outside US ...topped university.

Now taking my last science course this summer ..have been able to maintain 4.00 + sc. GPA so far..plan to give MCAT 2009 feb and applying to Med schools 2009 for class of 2013.I am expecting strong LOR from my proff. supervisiors and physicians ...I work with.Decent athletic background ..participant winner state level events(all 10 yrs back though).

With all this on Table ....& the fact I do not have any Research exp . or community service hrs ..how badly can it effect my application /chances ...assuming(I know I know...) 33+ MCAT score ? what are my chances ? Am I strong candidate for MD schools ? Anything missing that I should work on?

Thanx !

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[glamqueen]

If you take the MCAT in February of 2009, the earliest you could apply would be the cycle for the class of 2014. The cycle for the class of 2013 would already be over. You definitely need community service hours - especially in the clinical arena. Go volunteer at a hospital etc.

 

[glamqueen]

Oh and what is your full undergrad GPA? If the whole thing is a 4.0 - I say rock the mcat and you have a great chance. But you can't just count your post-bacc. Every single undergrad class you have ever taken will be counted and averaged for your gpa for amcas.

 

[DeAlighieri]

As Glamqueen notes, you'd be applying for the Class of 2014, as the 2013 cycle will be kicking off here in just a couple of months. With respect to your stats, your numbers appear good (assuming a decent MCAT and uGPA commensurate with your BCPM GPA). Your lack of research experience will not hurt you unless you're applying to a research-oriented school/program, but you should try to get some research if you're interested in upper-tier schools (ultimately, check out your target schools' requirements/tendencies). Community service is a necessary component of your application, but I'd beg to differ from Glamqueen in that I advise you to volunteer in some capacity that you find fulfilling, rather than the stock hospital volunteering that is ubiquitous for pre-meds. Your previous experience shows clear clinical experience, although you may want to shadow a few specialists if you feel your experience is deep but not particularly broad. Since you have so much clinical exposure, volunteering in a hospital is not going to impress the adcoms, nor fulfill a meaningful clinical/volunteering slot. Find something that you really think is important and volunteer in support of that. It's far better to have a non-medical community service activity that you can talk about with some true passion and excitement than a medical community service activity that you did purely to check the box.

Best of luck to you.