colloquialgoth
New Member
Advertisement - Members don't see this ad
Hello everybody,
I just finished my third-year at university and I'm feeling lost about how to make my application the best it can be.
I have a 3.97 GPA (3.91 my first year at a CC and then 4.0 after I transferred to a state school. I've taken all my prerequisites minus intro to psych and sociology at my 4-year). I have an MCAT date of this august and will take a diagnostic soon and begin that grind.
I spent the last year as an officer of a student org where we helped collect and sort donated medical supplies. Over the last two years I have ~250 hours volunteering in this role. I plan to continue next year but I didn't run to be an officer again because I had internal disagreements with the priorities of the club after I saw how it was run from the inside. I'm feeling pretty dissatisfied with spending so much time on this and not sure how I can talk about this experience in my application - I definitely learned a lot about it isn't all positive and I don't want to come off negative.
I've worked in a research lab with Zebrafish since I transferred and it's been great. I have a lot of freedom in experimental design and analysis, which I've fallen in love with. The lab has prestige for being from an average state school and I expected to have my name on something once I leave, maybe first author on a methods paper. I also have about ~250 hours of this since I haven't worked over the summer.
I'm starting work on my thesis research project for next year, which is in psychology and will be about transgender healthcare, which I really care about since I'm transgender. The faculty I'm working with also seem confident this could lead to publication, which I'm ecstatic about.
I have about 20 hours shadowing and I'm looking to expand that this summer, I've heard ~50 is a safe mark at least with primary care included.
I'll be TAing organic chemistry next year (just helping students in recitation and holding office hours) because I really enjoy teaching.
But besides some hobbies (I've taken up ballet and i'm working on very, very poor arabic, lol) that's about all I have. I know the big hole is clinical experience and I've had a real issue finding something. I was just rejected from two different clinical jobs which I thought I had great interviews at and would have covered it, and now I'm not sure what to do. I was certified as a phlebotomist last summer and I'd love to do that, but the jobs that aren't in plasma centers have been hard to find.
I know my community service is also low. I applied to volunteer at the big local hospital to work in the medical library, which I see as definitely community service (big, varied population unlike myself) but medically themed, at least.
I know a lack of clinical service makes my application moot, so I'm making that as much of a priority as I can. I planned to apply after graduation (1 gap year) to really flesh out the afformentioned research and teaching, but now I'm concerned I'll have to work after I graduate and have a full year of doing that before I apply (2 gap years). I'm already an older applicant because I had no clue what I was doing after highschool and was struggling, so the idea of pushing my application back even more is a bit painful.
I don't really care about school prestige as long as I feel like the research opportunities will be there. My goal all of undergrad has been surgery (I like general, maybe plastics for gender care) and I really, really enjoyed the research I've done and would hate to feel like i'm stifled when I want to contribute. I prefer MD or DO for these reasons but the letters don't matter to me if I felt like surgery was still realistic.
Am I right that a big fat clinical experience would get me most of the way there, assuming my MCAT goes well? Am I missing something else?
Any direction or advice or warnings would be really appreciated.
Thank you and good luck to everybody applying this cycle!!!!
I just finished my third-year at university and I'm feeling lost about how to make my application the best it can be.
I have a 3.97 GPA (3.91 my first year at a CC and then 4.0 after I transferred to a state school. I've taken all my prerequisites minus intro to psych and sociology at my 4-year). I have an MCAT date of this august and will take a diagnostic soon and begin that grind.
I spent the last year as an officer of a student org where we helped collect and sort donated medical supplies. Over the last two years I have ~250 hours volunteering in this role. I plan to continue next year but I didn't run to be an officer again because I had internal disagreements with the priorities of the club after I saw how it was run from the inside. I'm feeling pretty dissatisfied with spending so much time on this and not sure how I can talk about this experience in my application - I definitely learned a lot about it isn't all positive and I don't want to come off negative.
I've worked in a research lab with Zebrafish since I transferred and it's been great. I have a lot of freedom in experimental design and analysis, which I've fallen in love with. The lab has prestige for being from an average state school and I expected to have my name on something once I leave, maybe first author on a methods paper. I also have about ~250 hours of this since I haven't worked over the summer.
I'm starting work on my thesis research project for next year, which is in psychology and will be about transgender healthcare, which I really care about since I'm transgender. The faculty I'm working with also seem confident this could lead to publication, which I'm ecstatic about.
I have about 20 hours shadowing and I'm looking to expand that this summer, I've heard ~50 is a safe mark at least with primary care included.
I'll be TAing organic chemistry next year (just helping students in recitation and holding office hours) because I really enjoy teaching.
But besides some hobbies (I've taken up ballet and i'm working on very, very poor arabic, lol) that's about all I have. I know the big hole is clinical experience and I've had a real issue finding something. I was just rejected from two different clinical jobs which I thought I had great interviews at and would have covered it, and now I'm not sure what to do. I was certified as a phlebotomist last summer and I'd love to do that, but the jobs that aren't in plasma centers have been hard to find.
I know my community service is also low. I applied to volunteer at the big local hospital to work in the medical library, which I see as definitely community service (big, varied population unlike myself) but medically themed, at least.
I know a lack of clinical service makes my application moot, so I'm making that as much of a priority as I can. I planned to apply after graduation (1 gap year) to really flesh out the afformentioned research and teaching, but now I'm concerned I'll have to work after I graduate and have a full year of doing that before I apply (2 gap years). I'm already an older applicant because I had no clue what I was doing after highschool and was struggling, so the idea of pushing my application back even more is a bit painful.
I don't really care about school prestige as long as I feel like the research opportunities will be there. My goal all of undergrad has been surgery (I like general, maybe plastics for gender care) and I really, really enjoyed the research I've done and would hate to feel like i'm stifled when I want to contribute. I prefer MD or DO for these reasons but the letters don't matter to me if I felt like surgery was still realistic.
Am I right that a big fat clinical experience would get me most of the way there, assuming my MCAT goes well? Am I missing something else?
Any direction or advice or warnings would be really appreciated.
Thank you and good luck to everybody applying this cycle!!!!
