Pre-Med- What else do I need to do?

[highlander11]

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Year: Sophomore
Major: Neuroscience
Minor 1: Religion and Non-Profit Leadership
Minor 2: Psychology
GPA: 3.75

Research: Over 1 year, will have around 200 hours in an Infant Perception Lab. Not medically focused, but definitely has medical applications.

Volunteer Hours: I have lots, but don't know what is too little or not enough?

Shadowing Hours: Have about 30, but not sure how many to get?

Work Experience: Have worked as both sales representative and office clerk during college, interning at a church for the entirety of this summer, have the opportunity to work in a surgical equipment repair lab... worth taking?

Extracurriculars: Served as both Vice President and President of Christian organization on campus, have been on many mission trips during college, have planned some as well.

My main motivation for medical school is the hopes of becoming a medical missionary/providing medical care to those who do not have any... is this a good talking point in application/interviews?

Sorry for all the questions... any and all tips are appreciated!

 

[Wolvvs]

I think your ECs sound great, if you have local long-term volunteering that's probably more valuable than mission trips but both are good. Have you had/could you have the chance to shadow a doctor doing what you want to do in the future? I don't think that's essential but it would add weight to your stated goal.

What prerequisites have you taken so far, and what grades have you received? Strong ECs are great but GPA and MCAT are super important, and having a good plan will help a ton.

 

[imbesrs]

300 hours is a good non clinical volunteer benchmark.
50 hours of shadowing is adequate, make sure you have some primary care shadowing in there
Make sure you have around 250+ hours of clinical volunteering
Do well on the MCAT (511+) and keep that GPA!

As for the medical missionary interview stuff, I'm not the best to answer that im sure adcoms on here could chime in

 

[candbgirl]

Where are the mission trips to? Hopefully they are in the US serving people who need these services right here at home.

 

[Saturday’s Child]

Volunteer Hours: I have lots, but don't know what is too little or not enough? Typically 150 hours is considered a nice benchmark or baseline number, but aim for as many as you can (300+ might start to set you apart). Make sure most of that service is with people who are less fortunate than you and is off campus (out of your comfort zone). You can find of suggestions on here by experts for what types of activities are good.

Shadowing Hours: Have about 30, but not sure how many to get? People say 50 hours is a good benchmark, after which there are diminishing returns in value. Shadowing is more so for your own benefit and curiosity, so do as much as you want, but know that med schools only want to see you’ve been at least somewhat exposed to the daily lives of physicians. Try to get a good portion of primary care in there and not just surgical sub-specialties.

Work Experience: Have worked as both sales representative and office clerk during college, interning at a church for the entirety of this summer, have the opportunity to work in a surgical equipment repair lab... worth taking? Could be, but not sure. May be an interesting experience, but don’t know how much it will benefit you to have on your app. Have you been working because you absolutely needed the money to get through college, or just because you could? If the former, then that is fine and understandable. If the latter, and you can afford to not generate income, I would encourage you to spend more time volunteering or doing things more related to medical school.

Extracurriculars: Served as both Vice President and President of Christian organization on campus, have been on many mission trips during college, have planned some as well. You may be surprised to learn that, apparently, short-term medical mission trips are not viewed as a huge positive by med schools. It seems like you have a genuine and sustained commitment to them, which is good, but have a good answer ready as to why those trips weren’t just bandaids on a major problem and/or voluntourism or evangelism.

My main motivation for medical school is the hopes of becoming a medical missionary/providing medical care to those who do not have any... is this a good talking point in application/interviews? Although a noble ambition, it’s used commonly by applicants. I would challenge you to look inward—not only self reflection, but also within your own country. While there is astounding need for medical care in many parts of the world, you don’t need to (hypothetically) go to Malawi to find a sick person who needs help. Healthcare disparities are very real and very significant all over the US, and I would encourage you to learn more about that and have experiences with it. It will make your medical missionary talking point seem less naive.

 

[LizzyM]

There are needs here in the US but the needs in under-resourced countries are serious and different.
If someone is interested in a career of service abroad, I'd like to see that they've been abroad in a service role... nothing worse than someone who goes abroad for the first time and discovers that it is not a good fit... better to find out earlier than later.
OP, consider that service abroad is often in workforce development, in-service training for local practitioners, and capacity building at the local level rather than solely providing one-on-one care to locals.

 

[CosmeticLeFort3]

Why 2 minors?