- Joined
- May 27, 2019
- Messages
- 11
- Reaction score
- 13
I have basically spent the past year of preparation under the assumption that I would be applying early decision to UAB here in a couple days; however, I have had a few people advise against it along with the general presumption here being that it is a bad idea. I want to give my specific situation and get some opinions. For reference, the average applicant accepted to UAB has a 508 and 3.76 overall GPA.
Stats: My GPA is 4.0; MCAT is 510.
Extracurriculars
Paid: I am applying with 2128 hours worked as an EMT including 1000 working with UAB's Critical Care Transport Team, 2000 hours working as a scribe in the Emergency Department, and 50 hours instructing CPR/First-aid courses.
Volunteer: I have 150 hours with Team Rubicon doing stateside disaster response, 200 hours with my local fire department as a volunteer firefighter/EMT, and 624 hours running my own charity called Roadside Samaritans where I pack backpacks for the homeless we see on the side of the road.
Research: I have been researching in a biology lab for a year and a half and am working on my own project currently with a total of 875 hours. I have not received a publication, but I will be presenting a poster this summer.
Reasons for choosing UAB early decision: There are 3 main reasons. First, my wife and I purchased a home in Birmingham in February of 2017. Second, my wife has a good job here that would be difficult for her to get elsewhere. Lastly, and probably most importantly, we do not want to leave family. We are from North Alabama, and our grandparents are getting up in years. We are worried that if we move all the way to South Alabama or even out of state, we will miss out on all of the good years we have left with them. We want to stay as close as possible so that we still have the opportunity to see them regularly.
My pre-med advisor says that UAB typically takes a good number of early decision students (I am in undergrad at UAB FYI). He also thinks that going early decision won't hurt my chances at South Alabama either because they normally interview through February of the cycle.
Sorry for being long winded. I wanted to be sure I got the full picture. I am going to submit my application May 31 after speaking with the Dean of Admissions. Any and all opinions are appreciated
Stats: My GPA is 4.0; MCAT is 510.
Extracurriculars
Paid: I am applying with 2128 hours worked as an EMT including 1000 working with UAB's Critical Care Transport Team, 2000 hours working as a scribe in the Emergency Department, and 50 hours instructing CPR/First-aid courses.
Volunteer: I have 150 hours with Team Rubicon doing stateside disaster response, 200 hours with my local fire department as a volunteer firefighter/EMT, and 624 hours running my own charity called Roadside Samaritans where I pack backpacks for the homeless we see on the side of the road.
Research: I have been researching in a biology lab for a year and a half and am working on my own project currently with a total of 875 hours. I have not received a publication, but I will be presenting a poster this summer.
Reasons for choosing UAB early decision: There are 3 main reasons. First, my wife and I purchased a home in Birmingham in February of 2017. Second, my wife has a good job here that would be difficult for her to get elsewhere. Lastly, and probably most importantly, we do not want to leave family. We are from North Alabama, and our grandparents are getting up in years. We are worried that if we move all the way to South Alabama or even out of state, we will miss out on all of the good years we have left with them. We want to stay as close as possible so that we still have the opportunity to see them regularly.
My pre-med advisor says that UAB typically takes a good number of early decision students (I am in undergrad at UAB FYI). He also thinks that going early decision won't hurt my chances at South Alabama either because they normally interview through February of the cycle.
Sorry for being long winded. I wanted to be sure I got the full picture. I am going to submit my application May 31 after speaking with the Dean of Admissions. Any and all opinions are appreciated
