Schools that weigh clinical experience highly

[Unmuzzled]

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Hey guys,

I was wondering if there were any MD schools that give a high value to extracurricular and clinical experience. My situation is that I have a crappy GPA (3.4) from UCLA and a not so impressive MCAT (30S), but have pretty solid extracurrics including research, publication, tons of volunteer hours, and over a year as an EMT on both an ambulance and as a Trauma Tech in an ER.

Are there schools that I would have a better chance at due to my undergrad (I heard Drexel and Temple take a good amount of UCLA students) and pretty good clinical experience?

Thanks in advance!

 

[BluntSurgeon]

I don't think it's a question of schools that "value a certain EC." It's more of a question of whether they will let your GPA slide. Every school, once inundated with new applications, is just looking for an easy way to screen and the very first things they look at before even glancing at your ECs are your MCAT and GPA.

To answer your question though, I would go to USNews rankings and look at the patient care ranking list and start researching schools from there. I don't know if any of them actually weigh clinical experiences higher than any others (pretty sure that nobody can answer this question besides the adcoms of those schools), but I think that would be the best place to start.


edit: you are probably right about drexel liking clinical experience since I applied there with very little clinical experience and was rejected outright, no interview, no nothing.

 

[Catholic Guilt]

I think all med schools value clinical experience highly. It's really easy for premeds to idealize medicine and med schools are put in a spot when students realize that medicine isn't for them after a year or two.

I would look at the GPA averages for medical schools and apply to schools that have a average close to yours.

I doubt that too many schools put much value on a student's undergrad institution unless it's their own undergrad, Stanford, or an Ivy.

That Drexel accepts many students from UCLA probably has more to do with Drexel accepting out of state students and the large number of competitive UCLA applicants than the school name.

Good luck! You sound like a well rounded applicant who will shine during the interview stage.

 

[SouthernSurgeon]

Without trying to sound harsh, this is something pre-meds commonly seem to think - that doing >xxxx number of volunteer hours will "make up" for other areas of the application.

Clinical experience is an important part of the application, to be sure, but you need to strengthen the problematic areas of your app, not try to make up for them with something else.

If your grades are a problem, fix your grades (i.e. take grad classes, do a post-bacc, etc); if your MCAT is a problem, retake it.

 

[rocketbooster]

however, some schools do weigh clinical experience, especially VOLUNTEERING, much heavier than other schools. for example, Hopkins and WashU do not care if applicants have volunteering but only care about numbers. state schools who have the goal of training primary care physicians to meet the shortage in their state HEAVILY weigh volunteering. they will take the 3.7, 30 MCAT with volunteering and experience over the 3.8, 35 MCAT with no volunteering and experience. JHU anD WashU would take the latter applicant. Actually, WashU probably wouldn't even take the latter applicant since they demand 37+ haha.

you'd be surprised how differently adcoms from different schools judge applicants.

 

[MilkmanAl]

As was stated, all schools value clinical experience. However, I'd wager that schools in more rural states value clinical experience more highly than most. Missouri, Iowa, Arkansas, and Kansas would probably be decent places to apply.

 

[rocketbooster]

wat

yep, says some of my friends who go to JHU Med or were accepted there. they told me they didn't do any volunteering at all, but they did have near 4.0s and 38 MCATs. they did have research, though...but that's not clinical experience or volunteering.

 

[SouthernSurgeon]

yep, says some of my friends who go to JHU Med or were accepted there. they told me they didn't do any volunteering at all, but they did have near 4.0s and 38 MCATs. they did have research, though...but that's not clinical experience or volunteering.

I had pretty minimal clinical experience - I got asked and questioned about this relative lack at every top school I interviewed at, WashU included.

Please don't perpetuate the "number *****" stereotype if you don't really have any insight more than anecdote (which is admittedly what my personal story is...)

 

[JHopRevisit]

however, some schools do weigh clinical experience, especially VOLUNTEERING, much heavier than other schools. for example, Hopkins and WashU do not care if applicants have volunteering but only care about numbers.
you'd be surprised how differently adcoms from different schools judge applicants.

This is the problem with pre-meds giving pre-meds advice. No one has any clue. Neither do I really, but I do know enough to say that the above is wrong.

Everyone values grades, everyone values MCATs, everyone values extracurricular and clinical experience. Like the poster above suggested, students who tell you they "didn't have any extracurriculars" were likely downplaying their impressive accomplishments. The tipping point in the admissions game is when you get to the interview, do you have something interesting to talk about? But mostly it's just luck.

 

[Unmuzzled]

thanks for the input guys! something to think about/spend sleepless nights pondering. right on