Premed Student wanting to get into UNC med

[appstatepremed]

So I am a Junior at Appalachian State University and pursuing a BS in Cell/Molecular Biology, minor in chemistry, and possibly a BA in Subcellular Biology as well. I have a GPA of 3.58 mostly due to a rough semester. I will be retaking Organic Chem 2 (C+) and Botany (B-) to raise that up. I am in 3 honors societies (PKP, GBP, and BBB). I am in the honors college.

Now what I a going to do:
Write a thesis after joining a research team (Required for Honors students)
Join Biology Honors in addition to College Honors
Go abroad to Bangladesh next summer to do clinical research
Continue to shadow and volunteer at hospitals during weekend during school year
Take Kaplan MCAT prep course
Get a CNA or EMT certification and attain a job
And try to find a medical internship to do as well.

Currently:
Shadowing a doctor in the emergency care center (love doing this) and should have 50 hours by the end of the summer
Volunteering in the emergency care center, lab, diabetes camp, and asthma camp. (100 hrs)
And trying to get a job in the hospital

Additional Info:
I came into college with 8hrs of AP credit in intro Biology and Chem. I have heard that medical schools do not accept AP credit, is that true? And does that mean i need to go back and take the intro classes?

Latly, I hope to get into a medical school in NC, preferably UNC Med. I would like to know any opinions on where I stand and what I need to do to raise my chances.

Thanks

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[Catalystik]

So I am a Junior at Appalachian State University and pursuing a BS in Cell/Molecular Biology, minor in chemistry, and possibly a BA in Subcellular Biology as well. I have a GPA of 3.58 mostly due to a rough semester. I will be retaking Organic Chem 2 (C+) and Botany (B-) to raise that up. I am in 3 honors societies (PKP, GBP, and BBB). I am in the honors college.

Now what I a going to do:
Write a thesis after joining a research team (Required for Honors students)
Join Biology Honors in addition to College Honors
Go abroad to Bangladesh next summer to do clinical research
Continue to shadow and volunteer at hospitals during weekend during school year
Take Kaplan MCAT prep course
Get a CNA or EMT certification and attain a job
And try to find a medical internship to do as well.

Currently:
Shadowing a doctor in the emergency care center (love doing this) and should have 50 hours by the end of the summer
Volunteering in the emergency care center, lab, diabetes camp, and asthma camp. (100 hrs)
And trying to get a job in the hospital

Additional Info:
I came into college with 8hrs of AP credit in intro Biology and Chem. I have heard that medical schools do not accept AP credit, is that true? And does that mean i need to go back and take the intro classes?

Latly, I hope to get into a medical school in NC, preferably UNC Med. I would like to know any opinions on where I stand and what I need to do to raise my chances.

Thanks

All your ECs are medically related. Don't be a one-trick pony. Get in some weekly nonmedical community service for a cause you care about that serves the poor. Don't forget hobbies, sports, and Arts involvement.

Get in some leadership and/or teaching, if possible. And include a primary care doc in your shadowing.

Schools not accepting AP credit: http://www.colorado.edu/aac/noapib.htm

 

[appstatepremed]

Thank you I will definitely look into that, I have been wanting to volunteer for Hospice but that is also medical I suppose. As for sports/hobbies I am an avid snowboarder and it is sort of my release, but how will this help me get into medical school?

 

[somepremedkid]

Thank you I will definitely look into that, I have been wanting to volunteer for Hospice but that is also medical I suppose. As for sports/hobbies I am an avid snowboarder and it is sort of my release, but how will this help me get into medical school?

I know you probably directed this question to Catalystik but I can provide an answer for this particular question. (Sorry to invade )

Of course snowboarding, alone, won't get you into medical school. However, this hobby will show medical school admissions committees that you have interests and abilities outside of medicine. By being involved in something non-medically related, you will appear more well-rounded and unique, thus having the potential to add some "flavor" to the medical school's class. Adcomms love diversity and well-roundedness! Hope that helps.

 

[lpmarcus010]

Don't put all of your eggs in one basket (and by that I mean UNC) and apply broadly. Admissions is a random process, and few go to their top choice school. I have a buddy that was on UNC's national championship bball team 2 years ago. He interviewed at UNC and was quickly rejected. That is tough...

 

[Catalystik]

I know you probably directed this question to Catalystik but I can provide an answer for this particular question. (Sorry to invade )

Of course snowboarding, alone, won't get you into medical school. However, this hobby will show medical school admissions committees that you have interests and abilities outside of medicine. By being involved in something non-medically related, you will appear more well-rounded and unique, thus having the potential to add some "flavor" to the medical school's class. Adcomms love diversity and well-roundedness! Hope that helps.

Good answer, somepremedkid!

 

[appstatepremed]

Thanks for the advice/explanation. I was just wondering where people thought I stand, because lately I have been feeling like maybe I am not a strong candidate to get into medical school especially with my GPA having dropped from a 3.79 to a 3.58. But my passion is there I really want to be a doctor, I am absolutely fascinated every time I shadow a physician. I enjoy shadowing much more than volunteer work because of the lack of responsibilities, I feel like I am wasting time. I wish I did not have to have volunteer hours and could get by with shadowing because that would be great. Also, I am currently working on shadowing a primary care physician as well as a surgeon so I get a wide range of exposure. Fingers crossed on surgery =]

 

[Catalystik]

A 3.58 cGPA is below the average for those accepted to MD schools of 3.67. Keep getting straight As to raise it and establish a consistent upward grade trend.

Adcomms like applicants who enjoy taking responsibility and giving their time to altruistic activities. Maybe you need to explore other venues for volunteerism.

 

[appstatepremed]

Thank you I will look into that. I do have another question though. Recently I was offered a job as a patient escort with the radiology unit in a hospital, however it is a full time position and that would make it so I can no longer volunteer. Do I accept the job or do I continue to volunteer? I do not want to hurt my chances to get into medical school.

 

[Andnosoupforyou]

Now, I've only gotten in here and haven't yet started classes, but the folks I've (briefly) met at UNC are some of the most sincere, fun-loving, well-rounded folks out there. They've done a variety of activities, they will trip over themselves to help you, and they love the environment of Chapel Hill.

The medical school is superb--great resources, really chill faculty (from what I've seen), and a lovely campus. Oh, and lots of things are baby-blue. I fell in love with the place the moment I set foot on Bondurant's lawn for an interview. They've got extraordinary school pride, and the price (if you get in-state residency) is so cheap! That said, the adcom has one of the most rigorous screening processes for interviews out there (including a pre-screen before the secondary), but once you get to the interview stage, you have a very good shot of getting in.

I am very blessed to have been accepted to UNC (as an out-of-stater, no less!), but even with the brief exposure I've had to my class, I can tell the student body seems extraordinarily helpful, intelligent and sincere. (Hope I can fit in, btw.) In your case OP, UNC-Chapel Hill is no doubt a very tough medical school to get into, but if you'd like to go here, I suggest being as honest, positive, and forthright in your personal statement and secondary as possible, and doing activities that help your community and enrich the lives of others around you. The activities don't have to all be medical-related--in fact, I think you should find ways to help others in a way that you enjoy.

Best of luck! Let me know if there's anything I can help with.

 

[Catalystik]

I do have another question though. Recently I was offered a job as a patient escort with the radiology unit in a hospital, however it is a full time position and that would make it so I can no longer volunteer. Do I accept the job or do I continue to volunteer? I do not want to hurt my chances to get into medical school.

A job as a patient escort it is an equally good source of clinical experience, so long as it will not impair your ability to get great grades (since it's full--time).

Keep in mind what I said about some nonmedical volunteering. Give your time for 1-2 hours per week to a cause you care about if you take the job.

 

[appstatepremed]

So I have an update since I last posted.

My Stats:
3.58 gpa (3.3 Science/Math gpa)
70+ hrs volunteering at hospital with patient contact in ER
70+ hrs shadowing ER physician
Observed a few surgeries
20 hrs volunteer at children's asthma camp
Member of PKP and BBB honor societies
Member of school honors program
________________________________
What I will do
________________________________
Raise both GPAs to 3.7(3.6)
Volunteer/Shadow more
Join Biology Honors Program
Begin to do research
write a thesis
Take an MCATs prep class (hopefully get a 30+)
Go out of country to get clinical experience



Honestly what are my chances to get into these medical school: UNC, ECU, Wake Forest, Duke.

What can I do to raise my odds? I was told I will never make it into UNC. I am determined and want this really bad. I have already made many sacrifices to reach for my goal and am willing to do much more.

Thank you

 

[Catalystik]

Average matriculant stats for your target schools are:

Duke cGPA 3.74/MCAT 34
UNC 3.62/32.2
Wake 3.58/31.5
ECU 3.6/29.7

Do your best. Keep getting As. Prove the doubters wrong.

Keep in mind that half of matriclants have lower than average stats.