Pre-Med Help: How am I doing so far and how I can improve

[Naokuvi]

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Hi all! I am about to enter my sophomore year of undergrad and I want to share my stats with all of you so I can get advice on where I can improve and some advice on things I can do before I apply for medical school. I am an Asian-American Texas Resident and my dream school is TCOM (Osteopathic School) although I am planning to apply to all Texas Medical Schools.
Here are my current stats:

cGPA: 4.0
sGPA: 4.0
Shadowing: 40 Hours (D.O and M.D)
Non-Clinical Volunteering: 100 Hours
Clinical Volunteering: 30 Hours
3 Leadership Positions (1 in my school's pre-med organization as the secretary, 1 in an philanthropy organization I helped create last semester to benefit a Children's Miracle Network Hospital, and 1 as a Freshman Mentor for my school's Honors Scholarship program)

I have a lot of non-clinical volunteering because of the work I do through my home town city during the summer and my city of residence during college. My clinical volunteering is a bit lacking because I was unable to get a hospital volunteering position during the summer and by the time I applied for a position my freshman year everywhere near me was filled. My clinical volunteering is mainly through health fairs/clinics for the uninsured and hospice care.

My plan for the coming years: Continue volunteering in my current clinical areas as well as pick up a weekly volunteer position at a hospital. Shadow different medical practices as I have only shadowed family doctors so far. Continue my non-clinical volunteering work. I may also try research however the idea of research doesn't really excite me and I don't want to do it just to do it.

What advice do you have for a student like me and what direction should I go? I know a lot of people here may give me answers saying pre-med isn't a checklist and I know that. I am very passionate in all the activities I do right now! However, I still want to be a competitive applicant and would like some advice on how I can beef up my application. What other clinical volunteer activities do you guys recommend doing that you all found you enjoyed? Is research a big factor in a D.O application? What would you guys change about your pre-med career if you had the chance? Am I on a good track to become a competitive applicant? Thanks for all your responses!

 

[adriano710]

Continue volunteering (community service and clinical) and continue shadowing. Try different things such as shadowing different types of doctors or volunteering in different areas of a hospital like in radiology and ER. Also, get involved with clubs and get in leadership positions within those clubs. And, as you mentioned, maybe get involved with a little research. Other than that, keep your grades up and kill MCAT!

 

[DoctorSynthesis]

Hi all! I am about to enter my sophomore year of undergrad and I want to share my stats with all of you so I can get advice on where I can improve and some advice on things I can do before I apply for medical school. I am an Asian-American Texas Resident and my dream school is TCOM (Osteopathic School) although I am planning to apply to all Texas Medical Schools.
Here are my current stats:

cGPA: 4.0
sGPA: 4.0
Shadowing: 40 Hours (D.O and M.D)
Non-Clinical Volunteering: 100 Hours
Clinical Volunteering: 30 Hours

I have a lot of non-clinical volunteering because of the work I do through my home town city during the summer and my city of residence during college. My clinical volunteering is a bit lacking because I was unable to get a hospital volunteering position during the summer and by the time I applied for a position my freshman year everywhere near me was filled. My clinical volunteering is mainly through health fairs/clinics for the uninsured and hospice care.

My plan for the coming years: Continue volunteering in my current clinical areas as well as pick up a weekly volunteer position at a hospital. Shadow different medical practices as I have only shadowed family doctors so far. Continue my non-clinical volunteering work. I may also try research however the idea of research doesn't really excite me and I don't want to do it just to do it.

What advice do you have for a student like me and what direction should I go? I know a lot of people here may give me answers saying pre-med isn't a checklist and I know that. I am very passionate in all the activities I do right now! However, I still want to be a competitive applicant and would like some advice on how I can beef up my application. What other clinical volunteer activities do you guys recommend doing that you all found you enjoyed? Is research a big factor in a D.O application? What would you guys change about your pre-med career if you had the chance? Am I on a good track to become a competitive applicant? Thanks for all your responses!

Lol a 4.0 how am I doing thread.

FYI if you want allo I would suggest research.

 

[Naokuvi]

Lol a 4.0 how am I doing thread.

FYI if you want allo I would suggest research.

Haha I mainly wanted answers regarding research and volunteering not so much my GPA ofc my GPA could go down in the coming years before I apply although I hope it doesnt! How much weight is put on research for allo? I mainly want to get into TCOM but I don't want to hurt my chances of getting into an MD school. What I'm thinking is to try research out the 2nd semester of my sophomore year and if I hate it stop and if i like it to keep going.

 

[Ailleurs]

Why is TCOM your dream school? I'm surprised since with stats like that, most people I know would prefer to get into MD schools. One exception was my friend who just applied to a DO school to see if she could get in, even though her intention was to spend a year off and apply mostly to MD schools the year after. She got in and many people encouraged her to just accept and go there because it's hard enough as it is to get into a medical school.

 

[Naokuvi]

Why is TCOM your dream school? I'm surprised since with stats like that, most people I know would prefer to get into MD schools. One exception was my friend who just applied to a DO school to see if she could get in, even though her intention was to spend a year off and apply mostly to MD schools the year after. She got in and many people encouraged her to just accept and go there because it's hard enough as it is to get into a medical school.

Hi, thanks for the compliment/encouragement. Definitely made me feel better about my stats lol. I want to go into primary care and TCOM is an excellent primary care school (so I've heard). I also want to stay in the DFW area as I have been living here for a majority of my life. I visited the TCOM campus and I really like it and I live fairly close to the campus as well. I'm still going to apply to other Texas MD schools and I hope I'll be competitive enough to get in but as of right now I feel an affinity towards becoming a DO and going to TCOM. That being said, I would be grateful to get into any medical school and maybe I will choose a MD school if I get accepted!

 

[baxt1412]

learn the material in your classes. treat your classes like an mcat prep. don't just get an A... master the material. that is probably the biggest piece of advice i wish someone had given me.

also, do research. even if you want to go DO. it can only help. don't spread yourself too thin with activities... one fantastic letter/activity will look better than 5 lukewarm activities/letters.

start building a strong relationship with an MD or DO to get a letter. if you want to go DO, you probably want this physician LOR to be from a DO as it will open up the ability to apply to more DO schools.

 

[Naokuvi]

learn the material in your classes. treat your classes like an mcat prep. don't just get an A... master the material. that is probably the biggest piece of advice i wish someone had given me.

also, do research. even if you want to go DO. it can only help. don't spread yourself too thin with activities... one fantastic letter/activity will look better than 5 lukewarm activities/letters.

start building a strong relationship with an MD or DO to get a letter. if you want to go DO, you probably want this physician LOR to be from a DO as it will open up the ability to apply to more DO schools.

Thanks for the advice. I admit that I'm guilty of mainly aiming for the A and not trying to master the material as hard, i'll try to change my study habits this semester to do that. What is your advice on how to build a strong relationship with an MD or a DO? I shadowed a DO this summer full time (from the time she started working until the time she stopped) for a week. It was a great experience and I plan to shadow the same doctor again when its closer to application time and ask for a LOR. However, if I can I would rather have one from a doctor who knows me better than one who I shadowed for a few weeks. I heard scribing helps build that relationship but I'm uncomfortable about committing to the hours of scribing and spreading myself thin. Are there any other ways to build a strong relationship?

 

[baxt1412]

Just shadow them regularly. It doesn't even have to be every week. Ask if you can shadow them the second tuesday of every month. that way it's not so often that it's awkward because you don't have anything new to talk about. a regular relationship is a strong relationship. don't just do the week now, then another day your junior year when you are getting ready to apply.

 

[Naokuvi]

Just shadow them regularly. It doesn't even have to be every week. Ask if you can shadow them the second tuesday of every month. that way it's not so often that it's awkward because you don't have anything new to talk about. a regular relationship is a strong relationship. don't just do the week now, then another day your junior year when you are getting ready to apply.

BTW whats your advice on finding doctors in different specialities to shadow. So far I have only been able to find family practitioners who were in educational facilities directed under TCOM. Many private practices turn me down saying to come back once I get into med school and have a white coat on as they are afraid of HIPPA implications. It would be great to have some advice on how to approach doctors and the best kinds of settings/situations to ask them. Thank you very much for your advice!

 

[67552931811]

BTW whats your advice on finding doctors in different specialities to shadow. So far I have only been able to find family practitioners who were in educational facilities directed under TCOM. Many private practices turn me down saying to come back once I get into med school and have a white coat on as they are afraid of HIPPA implications. It would be great to have some advice on how to approach doctors and the best kinds of settings/situations to ask them. Thank you very much for your advice!

Cold call, a lot. Whatever you are interested in call those docs till you're blue in the face. One of my buddies called over 150 docs before he got one to say they would let him shadow.

And you would be hard pressed to find any PP or employed docs to let you shadow (mainly the former, not 100% sure on the latter). So, stick to the academic guys/gals until you find one who will let you hang around.

Make sure you have a resume and a few sentences as to why you want to know more about their specific speciality.

 

[Naokuvi]

Cold call, a lot. Whatever you are interested in call those docs till you're blue in the face. One of my buddies called over 150 docs before he got one to say they would let him shadow.

And you would be hard pressed to find any PP or employed docs to let you shadow (mainly the former, not 100% sure on the latter). So, stick to the academic guys/gals until you find one who will let you hang around.

Make sure you have a resume and a few sentences as to why you want to know more about their specific speciality.

Oh gosh I tried calling 30 pediatricians within my area the other day and that was already painful enough haha I can't imagine calling 150 but I guess I better start making a list and crossing names then. Right now I live in a fairly affluent suburb filled with mostly PPs. TCOM is 20-30 minutes away so I have found some luck with getting some FPs around that area to let me shadow but no other specialties. Once I go back to school which is in a more urban setting near UTSW I'll try to spam call and cross my fingers . Thanks for the advice

 

[Naokuvi]

Cold call, a lot. Whatever you are interested in call those docs till you're blue in the face. One of my buddies called over 150 docs before he got one to say they would let him shadow.

And you would be hard pressed to find any PP or employed docs to let you shadow (mainly the former, not 100% sure on the latter). So, stick to the academic guys/gals until you find one who will let you hang around.

Make sure you have a resume and a few sentences as to why you want to know more about their specific speciality.

What would your advice be on calling by the way? The doctors I usually try to call work at offices where the nurse picks up makes me leave a message and leaves me hoping for a response. Usually I can't find the doctor's email online so I have to resort to calling their office. Maybe I'm just calling at a bad time and should call right before they close but any tips on this would be awesome. So glad I found SDN lol

 

[baxt1412]

i guess i'm spoiled with a mother who has worked in the same hospital for longer than i've been alive... never had any issues shadowing. sorry OP lol. i guess i took that for granted.

 

[67552931811]

What would your advice be on calling by the way? The doctors I usually try to call work at offices where the nurse picks up makes me leave a message and leaves me hoping for a response. Usually I can't find the doctor's email online so I have to resort to calling their office. Maybe I'm just calling at a bad time and should call right before they close but any tips on this would be awesome. So glad I found SDN lol

Honestly, I'm not 100% sure since I only know of close friends who called. I do know that they all found a way to get past the nursing staff/ receptionist-- I'll leave it at that. I'm lucky enough to be really good at networking so that's how I shadowed diff. docs.

Further, you could also try just showing up to the office with your resume and a small paragraph about you to leave for the doc. Just tell the nursing staff/receptionist this is for Dr.XYZ. That worked for a close friend who wanted to shadow an obscure speciality.

 

[Naokuvi]

Honestly, I'm not 100% sure since I only know of close friends who called. I do know that they all found a way to get past the nursing staff/ receptionist-- I'll leave it at that. I'm lucky enough to be really good at networking so that's how I shadowed diff. docs.

Further, you could also try just showing up to the office with your resume and a small paragraph about you to leave for the doc. Just tell the nursing staff/receptionist this is for Dr.XYZ. That worked for a close friend who wanted to shadow an obscure speciality.

Yeah my friend's dad is an assistant prof at TCOM so his family got me the hook ups to the family medicine shadowing positions but since I'm trying to reach out into more specialties like pediatrics it has been harder to find positions. Ill definitly try what you told me and cross my fingers that I get a good receptionist who lets me through haha

 

[costales]

Did you try the TCOM pediatric mobile clinic - call and see if they have an empty seat:
http://web.unthsc.edu/info/200862/mobile_clinic

 

[Naokuvi]

Did you try the TCOM pediatric mobile clinic - call and see if they have an empty seat:
http://web.unthsc.edu/info/200862/mobile_clinic

I never thought about this! Thanks I will call first thing on the weekday haha

 

[AlbinoHawk DO]

OP - You're clearly doing outstandingly well. Keep doing what you're doing. In regards to research, I suggest you try it out. You might end up liking it. Even if it doesn't become a central part of your application or you end up at a COM that doesn't emphasize it, the skills and experience are seen positively by all residencies.

 

[Naokuvi]

OP - You're clearly doing outstandingly well. Keep doing what you're doing. In regards to research, I suggest you try it out. You might end up liking it. Even if it doesn't become a central part of your application or you end up at a COM that doesn't emphasize it, the skills and experience are seen positively by all residencies.

Thank you for the positive words! I was actually pretty worried about whether or not I was on a good track to get into med school and all of the encouragement has definitely eased this out. I think I am going to try it out once I can get the connections or get to know a professor that might let me work in their lab sometime in my sophomore year.