Timeline for MCAT and my Extracurriculars..worried

[Innoutburgers]

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Hi all! I am a non-trad with a very turbulent past 2 years. I posted a year ago about my situation. I am unsure if I am taking the MCAT too early and whether my ECs are severely lacking.

I have a bachelors in Chemistry and a MA in Chemistry. I moved to start school at a pretty prestigious graduate school for Chemistry PhD, but determined a year in that I no longer wanted to pursue this route. I don't want to go into the details because they would identify me, but there was no way I was going to continue another 5 years just to get my PhD and apply to medical school later.

In college, I was interested in pursuing medicine and LOVED volunteering in the hospital. However, when I graduated I was homeless and living in my car and medical school WAS NOT a reality for me at the times. Thus, I got sucked into the path that I was on. This ride has been bumpy, but I am confident that medicine is the right choice for me.

Here are my stats:
- about 3.6 undergrad BA GPA, about 3.7 sciGPA, graduate MA GPA 3.5,
- 1 year graduate GPA from last school: 3.5

In undergrad:
- Volunteered in at hospital (direct patient interaction, took vitals 5 months 60 hrs
- LBGT clinic student advisor - we talked to patients before they saw the doctor and got limited history
- Shadowed a hand surgeon for 5 hours
- Member of premed AMSA club
- Chemistry tutor at my school
- Started a volunteering club to raise money for cancer research
- Heavily involved with chemistry research in undergrad
- 5 publications, most recent was from the graduate school that I recently left

In the past year I:
- worked as a scribe for 5 months but had to leave the job because my partner relocated (full time)
- volunteered at hospice for 5 months (direct patient interaction, fed patients)

It has been about 3 months since I have settled into my new place, and I have been studying for the mcat. I am almost done with bio content review and have started P/S. I plan on taking it in January 2020, but now I am worried that my extracurriculars are lacking to apply without a couple gap years.

Am I wrong? How much are my EC's lacking? I know that once you take the MCAT, time starts ticking for applications.

I plan on starting hospital volunteering next year and starting online volunteer tutoring.

 

[bluepeony]

Hi all! I am a non-trad with a very turbulent past 2 years. I posted a year ago about my situation. I am unsure if I am taking the MCAT too early and whether my ECs are severely lacking.

I have a bachelors in Chemistry and a MA in Chemistry. I moved to start school at a pretty prestigious graduate school for Chemistry PhD, but determined a year in that I no longer wanted to pursue this route. I don't want to go into the details because they would identify me, but there was no way I was going to continue another 5 years just to get my PhD and apply to medical school later.

In college, I was interested in pursuing medicine and LOVED volunteering in the hospital. However, when I graduated I was homeless and living in my car and medical school WAS NOT a reality for me at the times. Thus, I got sucked into the path that I was on. This ride has been bumpy, but I am confident that medicine is the right choice for me.

Here are my stats:
- about 3.6 undergrad BA GPA, about 3.7 sciGPA, graduate MA GPA 3.5,
- 1 year graduate GPA from last school: 3.5

In undergrad:
- Volunteered in at hospital (direct patient interaction, took vitals 5 months 60 hrs
- LBGT clinic student advisor - we talked to patients before they saw the doctor and got limited history
- Shadowed a hand surgeon for 5 hours
- Member of premed AMSA club
- Chemistry tutor at my school
- Started a volunteering club to raise money for cancer research
- Heavily involved with chemistry research in undergrad
- 5 publications, most recent was from the graduate school that I recently left

In the past year I:
- worked as a scribe for 5 months but had to leave the job because my partner relocated (full time)
- volunteered at hospice for 5 months (direct patient interaction, fed patients)

It has been about 3 months since I have settled into my new place, and I have been studying for the mcat. I am almost done with bio content review and have started P/S. I plan on taking it in January 2020, but now I am worried that my extracurriculars are lacking to apply without a couple gap years.

Am I wrong? How much are my EC's lacking? I know that once you take the MCAT, time starts ticking for applications.

I plan on starting hospital volunteering next year and starting online volunteer tutoring.

You need to get started on nonclinical volunteering as well as increasing the shadowing hours (~50 hours with some primary care shadowing).

 

[Innoutburgers]

You need to get started on nonclinical volunteering as well as increasing the shadowing hours (~50 hours with some primary care shadowing).

Thanks for the feedback! Apart from a lack of shadowing, do you think that I need more clinical exposure (apart from the additional hospital volunteering I have planned)?

 

[907914]

Thanks for the feedback! Apart from a lack of shadowing, do you think that I need more clinical exposure (apart from the additional hospital volunteering I have planned)?

You clinicals is good. If you volunteer (non-clinical) for 4 hours every other week from now until application next June, you will have just shy of 100 additional hours. It is lowish but not inadequate. 4 hours every week would put you above that magical 150 hour mark. Also, need to bump up the shadowing a good chunk

 

[Innoutburgers]

You clinicals is good. If you volunteer (non-clinical) for 4 hours every other week from now until application next June, you will have just shy of 100 additional hours. It is lowish but not inadequate. 4 hours every week would put you above that magical 150 hour mark. Also, need to bump up the shadowing a good chunk

Thankyou memelord for the detailed feedback! I will start working on the non-clinical volunteering ASAP.

 

[Cornfed101]

You are fine with your MCAT plans. The score is good for 3 years most places so even if you take 2 gap years you will be golden.

 

[jfijiefjieji]

Honestly, I think the EC's look good. You could probably get away with the lack of shadowing as long as the scribing you did was under primary care. And would the volunteering club you started not be considered non-clinical? I think you should stick to the MCAT plan you have.

 

[Innoutburgers]

Honestly, I think the EC's look good. You could probably get away with the lack of shadowing as long as the scribing you did was under primary care. And would the volunteering club you started not be considered non-clinical? I think you should stick to the MCAT plan you have.

Thanks for the feedback!
Yes, the scribing was for a primary care physician.
In regards to the volunteering club: I am definitely categorizing it as non-clinical, as we primarily set up fundraisers around campus. No patient interaction. I think the problem is that my non-clinical volunteering is limited in scope.

You are fine with your MCAT plans. The score is good for 3 years most places so even if you take 2 gap years you will be golden.

Thanks cornfed!