Premed Advising Needed!

[FindingVeritas]

Hey all! I'm a long time reader, first time poster on this network and I was wondering if you guys could provide me with some pre-med advising as I'm THINK I'm about to make a few crucial decisions.

Background: I'm currently a sophomore at public state university in Virginia. Stat wise I will have a 3.70-3.80 GPA by the time of application with a strong upward trend after I bombed my first semester of freshman year with a 3.35 (I have done very well so far in my orgo classes and I have always viewed this as the largest hurdle I would have to overcome during premed). I am either going to major in Biochemistry or Chemistry but my decision will be based on whether or not I want to take Physical Chemistry before I graduate. I plan to take Biochemistry next year as well as finishing up my physics and English requirements for premed.

My MCAT score would be pure speculation at this point but I still have questions regarding when to take it. I have read several times in the forum that the ‘prime time' to take the MCAT would be the end of my third year. At this point, I am jittery about taking the MCAT while concurrently taking classes and working (addressed later on in this post). Ideally I would prefer to take the MCAT directly following my third year summer but I have heard from multiple sources that this almost ensures that I will have to take a gap year/graduate before applying due to the medical school application cycle (which I would prefer not to do).

The MCAT obstacle actually has to deal with my belief that at the current time my extracurriculars will seem extremely weak in comparison to other applicants (I have just recently gotten into a ‘comfort zone' as far as grades go). I have:
-Technically I have volunteered since sophomore year of high school at my local hospital but I am apprehensive about putting this down since we more or less helped discharge samples/delivered food/or transported samples to the blood bank. At university I am able to do far more than this.
-Volunteered my first year in the outpatient pharmacy of our school's hospital. (I'm not going to be vague here –it is impossible to volunteer for any of the ‘real' volunteering positions without returning status as a volunteer so I more or less volunteered here in order to gain the ability to switch into a more interesting position the following year)
-Switched into ER volunteering now in the second year and will continue this till I graduate.
-Starting research in the spring in either a chemistry lab or clinical lab at the hospital (Only have the chemistry lab lined up so far)
-Maybe 10 hours shadowing an ER physician.

So my questions regarding my premed track are as follows:
1. I am really considering a trip through medlife/global brigades but I'm unsure if the trips are worth the cost. While I'm excited to work hand-in-hand with real doctors I just don't know if the trips are as interesting as advertised. Ideally I would be able to use these trips for volunteering hours as well.
2. I am unsure whether to perform clinical research or to work in my professor's chemical lab. I am going to be honest here and say that I am far more interested in the clinical research than the chemical, but if I go for the clinical route I may not be able to start before third year (a nightmare for me).
3. I have not yet spoken to my premed advisor on campus (I have browsed student doctor forums since sophomore year of high school) and I'm not sure if I want to start now. Since I attend a public university it would be really difficult to get to know her well as she meets with hundreds of students on a weekly basis. How important is the premed advisor letter? I have read that it can help but I've also run into threads describing the letters as a checklist for whether or not you have been caught doing illicit activities on campus, etc.
4. I have the option of TAing several courses next year (Orgo, Orgo Lab, Biology Lab, and possibly Human Physiology and Anatomy) but I think it just increases the risk of failure on the MCAT which would be unacceptable.
5. I am currently taking Human Physiology and Anatomy but this upcoming semester due to changes within the biology department the professor does not have room for very many students for the spring semester of the class. This would mean I would have to take it second semester of my third year. Would this look OK to medical schools? I have spoken extensively with my professor about this topic as I absolutely love the class. She has offered me the TA position (first semester of next year) since I have performed really well on her tests but she still cannot get me into the second portion of the class as I have a late sign up time.

Lastly, I just wanted to finish up by saying providing you guys with some insight into my plans as far as medical schools will be. Ideally I want to attend either VCU medical/EVMS as my top choices in-state. I do not think I will have a chance at Virginia Tech/UVA (Where I currently attend). I have always held the philosophy of aiming high and expecting low. Still, my goal has always been to become a doctor –I really don't care about where I go as I know that I've got a passion for learning about medicine.

Thank you guys so much for your advice!

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[Ismet]

I think all of your questions can be answered by your pre-health advisor. I go to a big public school as well (Pitt) and I know my pre-health advisor very well. You're right, she sees hundreds of pre-meds, but very few pre-meds make it a point to know her well and visit often.

Suggestions for your questions:
1. Do it (if finances let you)! I studied abroad and that is the biggest topic that comes up during my interviews. My interviewers say they wished more pre-meds went abroad, and it sounds like a medical brigade trip would be an excellent opportunity to go abroad and get clinical experience that you can't get here.

2. If your passion is clinical research, go for that. You want to do something that you can talk about passionately and knowledgeably, not something you did because you know med schools want to see research.

3. As for your pre-med advisor, I'm sure it depends on the school. At my school, there is a pre-professional health committee, basically a group of 10-12 professors who meet every week over the summer, review a student's application, and write a composite letter of recommendation. We had to submit 5 letters of rec, a personal statement, all our grades/stats/etc, and answer a few questions, and the committee compiles all of that into one concrete letter. They also "rank" you (outstanding, strong, etc). I feel like this is very important, but it may be different at your school. All the more reason to meet with your advisor!

4. TAing for a class shows great leadership skills. If your courseload is really full, it's not necessary, but I think TAing for a class would be a good addition.

5. I don't see why there would be a problem.

MCAT - taking it in May or June won't hurt you at all. You'll have your scores back in mid-July (if taken in June), and if you have your AMCAS submitted already by then, you will start getting secondaries, and mid-July is still early in the app cycle. I took my MCAT in May but didn't submit my primary until August 1...I'm towards the middle to late end of the app cycle, but I'd say I'm doing pretty well A tip about SDN: read the advice, but be ready to disregard a lot of it too. There are some people here who think that if you don't submit in June, you're doomed. Well....you're not!

Final note - a 3.35 isn't a "bombed" semester. A weak semester, maybe. But that is definitely allowed and understood for freshman year.

Good luck!

 

[JCTWP46]

As far as TAing goes, I would really recommend doing at least one. I TAed an anatomy lab last semester and I really enjoyed it. I was worried about how it would go at first, but it was nice being put into a leadership role and helping other students who are in the same spot you once were. I also got to review the human body again, which is a plus, and you get to know the professor for that course better as well. It was a win-win all around for me because the professor is actually my advisor, so it was great to get to know him better for a future LOR and such.

 

[kansaskid]

make sure you're doing some ECs that you are passionate about and not just what you think they want to see. Something non-medical is nice, too. The interviewers liked talking about those experiences probably because they get bored talking about the typical ones.

 

[IMSingular]

Read contributions by Law2Doc on any of the threads here. He is very .

 

[anbuitachi]

can you summarize your question? This is way too long to read