should i even apply to UCs w/ minimal clinical experience?

[SN2reaction]

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i'm a CA resident attending UCSD and like everyone else i reallllly want to go to a UC

GPA:
3.74 overall, 3.75 science GPA as a general bio major (should be graduating cum laude)
i have a minor in econ (3.8 GPA)

MCAT:
taking it in 2 weeks, hopefully going for a 33-34

EC's:
-i've worked at a neuro lab for the past 1.5 years (~1000hrs)
-i'm an RA on campus (basically a fulltime job, responsible for well-being of 100 students)
-Reg. Fee advisory committee (2 yrs)- make decisions regarding the UCSD registration fees, work with a multi million dollar budget
-student council (2yrs)
-principal member of a volunteer organization (2yrs)
-volunteered abroad in honduras for a week and in India for 2 weeks
-member of LXA fraternity

LOR's are pretty strong, and my PI is the chair of the neuro department at UCSD so hopefully that helps


as you can see, i have barely any clinical experience...i shadowed a surgeon for a day and i worked in a clinic in india for a week...i realized how much of a red flag this is on my app, and i've been trying to get some shadowing positions, etc ASAP

if i apply this cycle, do you guys even think i have a shot at a UC? if not, what tier of schools do you guys think i have the best chance at?

thanks so much, i appreciate it greatly

 

[nm8948]

I'm no veteran in applying to schools or this process; but I feel comfortable in telling you that you should absolutely try to get some more clinical experience before applying. Keep in mind that delaying your application in order to make it more appetizing to the admissions committee as well as giving you more insight and experience is never a negative thing, and perhaps it they will even smile upon you taking more time to familiarize yourself with the field. I think it is fantastic what you have done abroad, and you seem like you are on a very good track, as long as you get some more clinical experience. Best of luck!🙂

 

[lord_jeebus]

Why do you want to be a physician? Seriously.

 

[Catalystik]

Your leadership and research are fairly strong. The rest of your application needs to match that. Spend a year getting weekly clinical experience in the US, and shadow a few types of US physicians (for a total of maybe 60-80 hours, to include a few types of doc, one of which is primary care). Also, keep the nonmedical community service going. Your abroad experiences will be icing on the cake. With your good cGPA and BCPM and a strong MCAT score, you'll be very well poised a year from now to do quite well in the application process. Don't waste your money applying before then.

 

[SN2reaction]

thanks for the replies guys

jeebus: because a) i like working with people, b) i find the study of the body fascinating and intellectually stimulating, c) i like helping people and my experience volunteering in india was one of the most fruitful, rewarding moments in my life

 

[lord_jeebus]

If it was so rewarding, how come you've never done anything else like it in your local area?

(I'm not trying to be harsh, but to share how I would approach your case as a skeptical interviewer)

 

[SN2reaction]

definitely, i appreciate your straightforwardness, and i should be asking myself the same questions

i honestly did not have the time this past year to follow up on the volunteering experience. that trip to india was this past summer, after i had already committed to many activities on campus. as an RA, im expected to devote at least 10+ hours a week to my residents and other duties, and i spend about 12-14 hours a week at my lab. i also have 3.5 hours of meetings a week that i attend, and of course, i'm taking upper div bio classes that require a decent amount of studying. im not making excuses and i know there are many people out there with an equally rigorous or even worse schedule, and in hindsight i should have probably tried to get in some hours of volunteer work in somewhere, but this is my honest explanation as to why i didn't do any follow up work. of course i can't tell the adcoms that...

i also feel that if im going to be a doctor, im going to be in the clinical setting for the better part of the rest of my life...i get to do the things im doing on campus (being involved, etc) once, so i thought id make the best of these opportunities while i can. adcoms probably dont give a crap about this though so yeah..

i can honestly say that i want to be a doctor for the right reasons...its just that my dumb app doesnt convey the same 🙁

 

[nm8948]

It sounds like you're becoming discouraged; and you shouldn't be. You have a great GPA and the experiences you have show leadership (like your RA position), lab work, and the abroad experiences add a very nice dynamic to your application. Since you do value the overall experience and that is partially the reason why you haven't done more clinical work, you shouldn't be bothered by the suggestion of delaying your application to do a vigorous amount of clinical volunteering. Yes, if you do become a doctor you will spend a large amount of time in a clinical setting but think of it this way, if you DON'T spend a significant amount of time volunteering in a clinical setting now, your odds of becoming a doctor may be considerably smaller. So I think it falls into the saying "don't count your chickens before the eggs hatch", because you shouldn't avoid the present opportunity of clinical experiences for clinical experiences as a doctor that may not be there because of that.