Taking an extra year before applying, more ways to improve app?

[dohlo]

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Hey everyone, I was a class of 2008 undergrad and am now working in a research lab. I was planning to apply this cycle, but have decided to hold of for a year to improve my application a little bit. My MCAT scares are a bit above 30, my GPA is around 3.3 however, and because I am 2 years out of school getting recommendations has been a little tough. I am going to take a few classes at a local university and hopefully after I do well in these I will have recommendations from these profs. This should also help out my GPA. My clinical experience is limited at this point, although I have some substantial research experience. I figure in the next year after completing some more shadowing and 3 hours/week volunteering the the hospital, it will be clear to adcoms why I want an MD over a PhD. Basically my weaknesses at this point are GPA, Recs, and Clinical, all of which I think will be substantially strengthened in a year.

Ok now my question. Any suggestions as to what more I can do over the course of the next year to improve my app even more? Preferably something that isn't too expensive, since lab tech salary - student loan payments doesn't leave much extra. Thanks!

 

[mdbound1987]

Yes you will need to do some shadowing and the hospital volunteering will help, but the most important thing you can do is bring your gpa up. That 3.3 could be the one part of your app that could kill you unless the other aspects of your app are amazing. Also, do you have any non-medical community service?

 

[HumbleMD]

Volunteering in a hospital is for chumps - you'll end up doing some lame thing with little to no patient contact and even less learning about clinical medicine. Alternatives:
Volunteer at a local free clinic! The docs there are overworked but usually fun, and they will actually use you for more than refilling bins of tournequits.
Volunteer or get a job at an HIV testing center or planned parenthood. This is a population you should get used to if you are going to be at a med school in an urban setting (as most are).
Get a job for a local hospice. You'll make money, and you'll get real contact with sick people. And it's an incredible organization which is well respected by everyone in medicine.

P.S., apply broadly; your numbers kinda suck.

 

[fireflygirl]

Yes you will need to do some shadowing and the hospital volunteering will help, but the most important thing you can do is bring your gpa up. That 3.3 could be the one part of your app that could kill you unless the other aspects of your app are amazing. Also, do you have any non-medical community service?

I think this is good advice. Any chance you could do a post-bac and pay for classes with your salary as a tech? Or maybe you could do a post bac at a place like Penn or other research heavy institution and get a job at their hospital and thereby get tuition reimbursement. That's what I did to fund my way through the post-bac. But it helped me bring up my gpa and get whatever experience I was lacking.

 

[dohlo]

yeah I am going to take some post-bac classes and i'm pretty sure I can get reimbursement from the hospital I currently work for. i'm gonna try out the hospital volunteering even though I hear a bunch complaining about doing "chump" busy work. Some of my coworkers here who have volunteered have had mostly good things to say. I have a pretty good amount of non-hospital volunteering in college. Teacher's aid at an outreach program for elementary/middle school kids, serving food @ the homeless shelter.

and thanks for the encouraging words HumbleMD. I will work on my sucky numbers.