MD Stats Review for next application cycle

[belt]

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Stats:
GPA: 3.55 but have 4 quarters left (if 4.0 for all of them, will be around 3.69-3.7 smth)
MCAT: taking this summer
ECs:
- president of school club since freshman year 1000+ hours
- underserved volunteering: projected 200+ hours
- clinical hours: projected 1000+ hours
- research hours: couple hundred hours (need to add them all up)
- research pub projected
- nonclinical volunteering: 100+ hours
- shadowing: projected 100+ hours various specialities
- high school spanish tutoring: 50-100 hours??
-

Im applying next cycle and need help with deciding my schools ,any feedback/suggestions? thank you

 

[Mr.Smile12]

Welcome to the forums.

What are you doing with service to the underserved and other volunteering?

 

[belt]

I am volunteering for special olymipcs in northern california.There is a branch in the city where i go to school and also one from the city I am from. However, I did start this relatively late so I would have in the lower 100s (100-400) hours.

 

[Mr.Smile12]

Pick an activity with greater weight on service orientation (in many adcom's eyes) than special olympics volunteer. No shade on those who volunteer for sports events like these, the Senior Games, Invictus Games, or even the local track meet.

We prefer food distribution, shelter volunteer, job/tax preparation, legal support, transportation services, or housing rehabilitation. You should take a role of humility, not as a subject matter expert. You must show your comfort around uncomfortable people and situations. And you should have 150 hours before submitting your application, or your file may be vulnerable to getting screened out at most schools.

 

[GoBrBrBr]

Pick an activity with greater weight on service orientation (in many adcom's eyes) than special olympics volunteer. No shade on those who volunteer for sports events like these, the Senior Games, Invictus Games, or even the local track meet.

We prefer food distribution, shelter volunteer, job/tax preparation, legal support, transportation services, or housing rehabilitation. You should take a role of humility, not as a subject matter expert. You must show your comfort around uncomfortable people and situations. And you should have 150 hours before submitting your application, or your file may be vulnerable to getting screened out at most schools.

Hi! I can't help but ask, but the flagship of my application is my work with the IDD community and the Special Olympics (1500 hours), it has informed my research experiences and have been involved in multiple capacities. Is it really looked down on by adcoms? I just saw other posts like this and thought I'd ask. Thanks!

 

[candbgirl]

Hi! I can't help but ask, but the flagship of my application is my work with the IDD community and the Special Olympics (1500 hours), it has informed my research experiences and have been involved in multiple capacities. Is it really looked down on by adcoms? I just saw other posts like this and thought I'd ask. Thanks!

I’m not sure I’d use the words “looked down on”. Special Olympics is important and I frequently volunteer during their competitions. But when I do my volunteer work I am completely in my comfort zone ( former swimmer and medical personnel). I love my Special Olympics work. It’s fun and exhausting and sometimes exhilarating.

Medicine is a service profession. We see people at their absolute worst. Many are dirty, homeless, hungry, sick, injured, lacking long term medical care. Some days and some patients are hard to deal with but we must be able to treat all patients with respect, compassion and competency. That can be very challenging and you need to be able to show ADCOMS that you can and will respect every person that you come face to face with.

A good way to do that is to get outside of your comfort zone and start dealing with people very unlike yourself. Have you ever volunteered at a homeless shelter or a soup kitchen? Have you ever volunteered with Habitat for Humanity where you work along side the people you are building for? There are lots of opportunities. You just need to be open to stretching your limits.

Good luck as you navigate this whole process.

 

[GoBrBrBr]

I’m not sure I’d use the words “looked down on”. Special Olympics is important and I frequently volunteer during their competitions. But when I do my volunteer work I am completely in my comfort zone ( former swimmer and medical personnel). I love my Special Olympics work. It’s fun and exhausting and sometimes exhilarating.

Medicine is a service profession. We see people at their absolute worst. Many are dirty, homeless, hungry, sick, injured, lacking long term medical care. Some days and some patients are hard to deal with but we must be able to treat all patients with respect, compassion and competency. That can be very challenging and you need to be able to show ADCOMS that you can and will respect every person that you come face to face with.

A good way to do that is to get outside of your comfort zone and start dealing with people very unlike yourself. Have you ever volunteered at a homeless shelter or a soup kitchen? Have you ever volunteered with Habitat for Humanity where you work along side the people you are building for? There are lots of opportunities. You just need to be open to stretching your limits.

Good luck as you navigate this whole process.

Thanks! I have volunteered with H4H, delivered food to homeless on my campus, etc... I just neglected to put it on my application because it was sort of a hodge podge of probably 250 hours spread across different volunteer organizations where I did get this, but couldn't be easily defined on one "experience". That could be a failure on my part to specify on the primary. I have 350 volunteering with rural EMS in an underserved area, and hopefully a healthy dose of being pushed out of my comfort zone with different populations sprinkled around my application. Any advice on how to navigate this? Maybe send an update letter? Thank you for your time.

 

[LunaOri]

Hi! I can't help but ask, but the flagship of my application is my work with the IDD community and the Special Olympics (1500 hours), it has informed my research experiences and have been involved in multiple capacities. Is it really looked down on by adcoms? I just saw other posts like this and thought I'd ask. Thanks!

No, it’s not looked down on when you have shown such dedication to it!

 

[Mr.Smile12]

Hi! I can't help but ask, but the flagship of my application is my work with the IDD community and the Special Olympics (1500 hours), it has informed my research experiences and have been involved in multiple capacities. Is it really looked down on by adcoms? I just saw other posts like this and thought I'd ask. Thanks!

I don't know if it is looked down upon, but in my opinion, you could be as effective in other health care professions where working with IDD patients can be more rewarding with closer connections with patients and families (rehabilitation areas, nursing, etc.). Your hours clearly show that's where your heart is, but I'm not sure medicine will give you the satisfaction (based on what has been disclosed).