SMP?

[airix]

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Hello,

I was wondering if I would be accepted into any SMP programs if I apply at the end of March.

My stats are cGPA: 3.0x and sciGPA: 2.8x with 31 MCAT with a 4.0 in one quarter in my postbacc.

My EC includes cofounding an international medical mission that has had 4 medical trips and founding an organization that is now with over 500 members. I have also taught at elementary schools in underserved communities (oakland). I have volunteered with various service and non service organizations for a total of 100+ hours. I have NOT had any clinical experience or have volunteered at a hospital yet; however I will begin volunteering at a hospital as of the end of March as well have a few shadows with physicians. Two of my LoR will be strong but one will be average. What should I do to increase my chances to getting into SMPs.
I am looking at EVMS, Georgetown, UC, Tufts, BU, RFU, Drexler, Temple

Thanks!!

 

[airix]

anyone?

 

[Freddo]

With zero clinical experience how do you even know you want to be a doctor? Don't apply until you have that on your resumé.

 

[type12]

With zero clinical experience how do you even know you want to be a doctor? Don't apply until you have that on your resumé.

+1

Though after doing 2k+ hours of clinical experience, it didn't enhance my drive to be a physician, just made me realize the US system is so bad that free labor / cheap labor is an evil part of healthcare. And one doctor calling an annoying ER patient "a sack of ####... [who should] just die so your organs can be useful" made me take a hard look at my driver's license as a donor.

In his defense, the patient was always there, and he was VERY annoying.

My point is, even if you don't enjoy working for free, and don't see the logic in working in a lower position you would never want to be in for the rest of your life (i.e., working as a janitor to show how badly you want to be CEO), medical schools HIGHLY value it. It's in your best interest to do your time.

 

[deleted248403]

My point is, even if you don't enjoy working for free, and don't see the logic in working in a lower position you would never want to be in for the rest of your life (i.e., working as a janitor to show how badly you want to be CEO), medical schools HIGHLY value it. It's in your best interest to do your time.

Your posts get more ridiculous each passing day. How does working as a janitor show you want to be the CEO? I mean, come on. That's just ridiculous.

+1 to get clinical exposure however

 

[type12]

Your posts get more ridiculous each passing day. How does working as a janitor show you want to be the CEO? I mean, come on. That's just ridiculous.

That's the point. How does volunteering show you want to be a doctor? You're doing something that is in the vicinity of doctors, but you're not doing the thing you are saying you want to do.

EDIT: I can't tell if you're genuinely wondering, or if you're driving home my point. So I'm sorry if I missed your sarcasm.

 

[DrMidlife]

The POINT of clinical volunteering is not to play doctor. Would you want to be the patient with a premed playing doctor? You have to have TRAINING before you get to do interesting things in a clinical environment.

The POINT of clinical volunteering is to find out if you can stand being around the smells and sights and sounds of sick people. It's to hopefully help you wrap your brain around the ecosystem in which doctors operate. If you don't see things during volunteering that seriously make you question your ambition to be a doctor, you're not doing it right. Imagine finding out in the 3rd year of med school that you had no idea what you were getting into.

Doing boring things is the price of admission. Do whatever you're asked. Do it without thinking you get to be the judge of whether you should be doing it or not. You're not in charge. You are a decade from having any right to an opinion on how premeds are assessed.

Best of luck to you.

 

[type12]

The POINT of clinical volunteering is not to play doctor. Would you want to be the patient with a premed playing doctor? You have to have TRAINING before you get to do interesting things in a clinical environment.

Strawman fallacy. No one is saying a volunteer / premed should play doctor.

And the "If you don't see things during volunteering that seriously make you question your ambition to be a doctor, you're not doing it right" just doesn't make sense. Clinical volunteering does not have to be suffering/negative. It really depends on the perspective you go in with. It could be exactly as expected, which it happened to be for me (although certain people surprised me). For someone else, maybe it's an absolute shock they have to come to terms with. Who knows. It doesn't make my experience invalid, and it won't make the OP's invalid either.

Look, I didn't say volunteering is not recommended. I merely said, regardless of what you think of it, admissions require it, so go for it. I'm sorry if the medical field was not a magical, elite, and rigorous Hogworts for me, but it's the simple place I wanted to be before volunteering, and where I still wish to be after.

 

[deleted248403]

That's the point. How does volunteering show you want to be a doctor? You're doing something that is in the vicinity of doctors, but you're not doing the thing you are saying you want to do.

EDIT: I can't tell if you're genuinely wondering, or if you're driving home my point. So I'm sorry if I missed your sarcasm.

Clinical volunteering/experience in a clinical situation doesn't show you want to be a doctor. It shows you've seen what you are getting into and the world ahead of you. Even in med school you arent playing doctor

Being a janitor shows you nothing about what a CEO does. Volunteering in a clinical situation, helping patients keep their appointments, or doing patient transport gives you a chance to talk to patients and see whats going on.

 

[type12]

Clinical volunteering/experience in a clinical situation doesn't show you want to be a doctor. It shows you've seen what you are getting into and the world ahead of you. Even in med school you arent playing doctor

Being a janitor shows you nothing about what a CEO does. Volunteering in a clinical situation, helping patients keep their appointments, or doing patient transport gives you a chance to talk to patients and see whats going on.

Secretary to the CEO then, who knows everything the CEO does and then some. But that's neither here nor there, and completely missing the point of the example.

This conversation is derailing the thread. If you'd like to continue, feel free to send me a private message.