Salutations, I'm a noob with a few questions

[tmazz235]

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Hey guys,
I'm reading Med School Confidential and it referenced SDN so I thought I'd take a quick little gander and check out what this place is all about - I'm pleased with what I see!
I wanted to introduce myself and ask a few questions. I have completed 5 semesters of college and majoring in Exercise Physiology.
I knew I wanted to go into the health care field after I served a 2 year mission in the boonies of Alaska for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (Mormon). I learned that I love people and love helping them. I took Anatomy and Physiology, and Microbiology and did well and loved the courses. This prompted me to shadow a variety of healthcare professions - dentist, chiropractors, endodontist, and physical therapist.... but nothing struck a chord with me until I shadowed docs at the hospital. I quickly realized that this was for me.

I plan to take the MCAT and apply in 2015.
My GPA is 3.979, with a 4.0 in sciences so far.

I have shadowed four different specialties: OBGYN, ED Physician, Anesthesiologist, and Radiologist for a total of 26 hours.

As for extracurriculars, during my two year mission in Alaska I spent countless hours working at senior centers, food banks, helping construct houses, volunteer at libraries, soup kitchens, and more. My post-mission volunteer work has been at a senior center kitchen and a blood drive.

I obviously need to continue my shadowing and volunteer work, but I know that research is an essential part as well. Perhaps I am an ignorant baboon, but I know almost nothing about these research opportunities. Is there a certain website that lists good medical research opportunities? What have you all done?

Do any of you have any other suggestions/ideas for me to best prepare myself for med school application?
Let me know if you have any further questions... any comment or help is appreciated!
Thanks,
tmazz235

 

[deleted407021]

Looks good so far. You shouldn't put your real name (or UG institution really) on the forum. Try to protect you privacy.

 

[BlackBox]

edit your post to remove some of your identifiers

 

[lobo.solo]

Yeah, remove your personal info from your post. As for research, talk to your current/past professors about opportunities with them.

 

[tmazz235]

I edited my post, thanks for the tip.

 

[tmazz235]

I guess my major concern is if I have enough time to build up my resume enough to have a chance at acceptance by 2015? I'll be in class from January till end of July - then off for the rest of the year. Those 5 months will be dedicated to research or medical internship and during my 7 months attending classes I'll be doing volunteer work at the hospital, senior center, and tutoring classes, and whatever else I can find.

 

[tantacles]

I guess my major concern is if I have enough time to build up my resume enough to have a chance at acceptance by 2015? I'll be in class from January till end of July - then off for the rest of the year. Those 5 months will be dedicated to research or medical internship and during my 7 months attending classes I'll be doing volunteer work at the hospital, senior center, and tutoring classes, and whatever else I can find.

Most college science professors are PhDs with labs. Go to professors whose courses you did well in and ask if they have any research positions open. That's what most people do while they're in school.

 

[neekzg]

I would say you still have a good amount of time before you apply in order to fill any gaps you think you have in your application. I'm assuming your college isn't a big research institution? (If you've never heard fellow students talk about where to find opportunities) At my school, there are whole departments and a bunch of websites dedicated to undergraduate research so I would look out for those. Usually the most effective way to get research is to talk to your science professors that are conducting research and see if they have any openings in their lab. You could alternatively e-mail random professors at your school that are doing research (you should be able to find this information online) and ask them if they'd be willing to let you work with them but a lot of professors don't respond to all their e-mails (especially re research if their labs are full) so the personal approach works better.

 

[tmazz235]

Thanks, I appreciate all the input! I will definitely contact my science professors.