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Threemethylcholanthrene

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I will be taking the MCAT in Jan-March, first practice test I didn't do too well but I am not discouraged. I will probably be able to obtain three LOR's by the time I apply but I don't have one yet. I'll probably have a real good one from a physician across the street from me who I have shadowed several times. Overall, I really feel like I have some weaknesses on my app that would hinder me. To be specific, the weaknesses are listed below:

*No research experience other than Undergrad labs
*No non-clinical volunteering
*Clinical volunteering is 160 hours but it was for an externship as a phlebotomist at my local trauma center. Was not paid but it was wonderful experience.
*cGPA: 3.58 // sGPA: 3.53
*Need to take physics II before submitting my app since most places need one year.

I have a good amount of scribe hours at an orthopedic office. I would get more non-clinical volunteering hours but during my undergraduate I worked full-time as a Merchant Services Engineer for E-Commerce solutions. Just wondering how my app stands out and any suggestions are welcome. If I should apply for the 2018 cycle I don't want to waste a ton of money by submitting multiple apps if I don't even think i'll be given a second glance.

Thanks, SDN!

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A few things:
  1. Nobody does well on their first MCAT practice test, especially if it was just a diagnostic.
  2. I don't think the MD LOR is going to do you any good. You're better off getting one from a professor that knows you well. That will carry much more weight than a doc you shadowed a few times.
  3. You don't need research experience to get into med school. For most schools (ie, not Harvard, JHU, UCSF, Stanford, etc), it's more of a bonus than a requirement.
  4. You can always do more volunteering in the next few months. Your scribe hours can probably offset your relatively low clinical volunteer hours.
  5. Your GPA is a little on the low side, but there's nothing you can do about that at this point, and it's not so low that you should try to do anything about it (such as SMP).
You should probably get some more non-clinical and clinical volunteer hours, but right now, your biggest hurdle will be the MCAT. Plan to take it once and only once, and aim to score 510+.
 
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