Should I apply this year?

[Galatasaray]

Hey, I'm looking for some feedback on whether I should apply this year (currently a junior) or hold off until senior year and take a gap year.

CGPA = 3.52 , BCPM GPA= 3.55 . CGPA will be probably be 3.6 with this semesters' grades, and SGPA will be 3.65. Also, I have a strong upward trend with no grades below a B. Double major in Chemistry and Molecular Bio and Biochem.
I attend a top LAC if that matters.
MCAT = 34 (11VR, 11 PS, 12 BS)

My main weakness is my lack of clinical experience. I started volunteering at a mental health clinic this month as well as volunteering at the hospital. I'm going to get some shadowing done during spring break as well. I have 1 year of research in a bio lab (freshman year), and I also started working in a chemistry lab this semester .

In terms of nonclinical community service, I've been tutoring inmates a few hours a week at a prison since sophomore year.

I've also had numerous jobs on campus, and I'm currently an RA.

The obvious problem is that my clinical experience is going to be lacking (only 6-7 months) by interview time, and 4 months when I submit my applications. I'm just looking to get into an MD school, preferably NJMS and RWJMS.

Should I apply this year and take a chance, or wait a year ? Also, money is not an issue since I'm eligible for FAP (yes, I realize FAP doesn't cover everything).

 

[aSagacious]

Moving to the 'what are my chances?' forum.

 

[ppfizenm]

Hey, I'm looking for some feedback on whether I should apply this year (currently a junior) or hold off until senior year and take a gap year.

CGPA = 3.52 , BCPM GPA= 3.55 . CGPA will be probably be 3.6 with this semesters' grades, and SGPA will be 3.65. Also, I have a strong upward trend with no grades below a B. Double major in Chemistry and Molecular Bio and Biochem.
I attend a top LAC if that matters.
MCAT = 34 (11VR, 11 PS, 12 BS)

My main weakness is my lack of clinical experience. I started volunteering at a mental health clinic this month as well as volunteering at the hospital. I'm going to get some shadowing done during spring break as well. I have 1 year of research in a bio lab (freshman year), and I also started working in a chemistry lab this semester .

In terms of nonclinical community service, I've been tutoring inmates a few hours a week at a prison since sophomore year.

I've also had numerous jobs on campus, and I'm currently an RA.

The obvious problem is that my clinical experience is going to be lacking (only 6-7 months) by interview time, and 4 months when I submit my applications. I'm just looking to get into an MD school, preferably NJMS and RWJMS.

Should I apply this year and take a chance, or wait a year ? Also, money is not an issue since I'm eligible for FAP (yes, I realize FAP doesn't cover everything).

This will be moved to what are my chances but as someone with similar stats I think if you start the shadowing a bit earlier you should be fine to apply this cycle.

 

[1TB4RKSB4CK]

In two minutes, aSag. Is that your new record?

I honestly would wait to apply next year.
Little clinical experience, regardless of good stats, shows that you may have little idea of what you are committing too for the next 4 years of med school and on.

 

[Catalystik]

Hey, I'm looking for some feedback on whether I should apply this year (currently a junior) or hold off until senior year and take a gap year.

CGPA = 3.52 , BCPM GPA= 3.55 . CGPA will be probably be 3.6 with this semesters' grades, and SGPA will be 3.65. Also, I have a strong upward trend with no grades below a B. Double major in Chemistry and Molecular Bio and Biochem.
I attend a top LAC if that matters.
MCAT = 34 (11VR, 11 PS, 12 BS)

My main weakness is my lack of clinical experience. I started volunteering at a mental health clinic this month as well as volunteering at the hospital. I'm going to get some shadowing done during spring break as well. I have 1 year of research in a bio lab (freshman year), and I also started working in a chemistry lab this semester .

In terms of nonclinical community service, I've been tutoring inmates a few hours a week at a prison since sophomore year.

I've also had numerous jobs on campus, and I'm currently an RA.

The obvious problem is that my clinical experience is going to be lacking (only 6-7 months) by interview time, and 4 months when I submit my applications. I'm just looking to get into an MD school, preferably NJMS and RWJMS.

Should I apply this year and take a chance, or wait a year ? Also, money is not an issue since I'm eligible for FAP (yes, I realize FAP doesn't cover everything).

What could your GPAs be by the end of senior year? Do the websites of your in-state schools specify requirements for clinical experience and shadowing? Did you call (or cruise through the School Specific forum in PreMedAllo) to get an idea of what those schools expect?

 

[Galatasaray]

What could your GPAs be by the end of senior year? Do the websites of your in-state schools specify requirements for clinical experience and shadowing? Did you call (or cruise through the School Specific forum in PreMedAllo) to get an idea of what those schools expect?

my gpa at the end of senior year will be somewhere above 3.6. I doubt it'll go above a 3.7 since I'll be taking biochem, advanced inorganic, and one semester of pchem next year. Although, my sgpa might be 3.7.

I get the feeling that if I get rejected, it won't be because of my stats. So I'm just curious as to how adcoms look at clinical experience that has been started only very recently.

If anyone has any experience with late clinical experience, I would appreciate hearing how their app cycle went.

I don't know what those schools specifically expect in terms of clinical volunteering, but I'm going to have 6 months of solid volunteering by the time I interview.

 

[Catalystik]

In general, last minute experience is looked upon with a dim view by med schools. Adcomms like to see evidence of prolonged, thoughtful consideration of medicine as a career, rather than an apparently rash decision. Being conservative and favoring the "Better to apply once when your application is the best it can be" approach, I would be highly in favor of your waiting to apply for another year, but as there might be a chance that a school may overlook sparse clinical experience in favor of other positives on an application, I won't tell you definitively that you have zero chance. Most definitely, your chance won't be as good for getting an interview invitation, considering that 1.5 years of clinical experience is the average listed. Checking out only two schools would be pretty easy. And doing so could make your decision into a black or white issue.

You don't want to be this guy: http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=811321

 

[Galatasaray]

Bump. Just want to see if anyone was in my situation and how it worked out.

 

[Galatasaray]

I wanted to update this post. I'm going ahead and applying. I am volunteering and have been doing so since February at two places, one at a mental health hospital and one at a community hospital. My mental hospital volunteering experience actually was great and I was able to use it in my PS. I also did shadowing for 42 hours across 4 specialties.
My gpa is now a 3.6 and my sgpa is 3.61. I've applied to 25 schools, however my committee LOR will keep me from being complete until Aug 13.

 

[Galatasaray]

I just wanted to update this thread. I decided to apply, and I am very glad I made that decision. I have gotten 3 interviews so far, and I just got an acceptance call to my state school. Clearly, my clinical experience was deemed to be adequate.

 

[Moosepig]

I just wanted to update this thread. I decided to apply, and I am very glad I made that decision. I have gotten 3 interviews so far, and I just got an acceptance call to my state school. Clearly, my clinical experience was deemed to be adequate.

Congratulations!!!

 

[Catalystik]

I just wanted to update this thread. I decided to apply, and I am very glad I made that decision. I have gotten 3 interviews so far, and I just got an acceptance call to my state school. Clearly, my clinical experience was deemed to be adequate.

I'm happy for you. You're going to be a doctor! Thanks for coming back to let us know.

 

[Galatasaray]

I'm happy for you. You're going to be a doctor! Thanks for coming back to let us know.

Thanks for all the advice everyone.