WAMC/3.83/510 - 1st gen, not sure what to do!

[chicanapremed]

Hi everyone. I'm so excited to have found a forum like this! Any advice would be so appreciated.

I graduated a year ago, and was planning to apply this cycle - but now I'm weighing the decision to either apply this cycle or to wait another year. Why? I'm not sure I'm a strong enough candidate yet. I am confident in my grades, but not confident in the experiences I have. I'm the first in my family to attempt this, so I don't have a lot of people to ask for help. Trying to do my own research, but it seems like getting into medical school is quite a mystery.

1. cGPA and sGPA as calculated by AMCAS or AACOMAS
   1. BCPM 3.75, AO 3.95, Total 3.82
2. MCAT score(s) and breakdown. Include all (non-voided) attempts.
   1. Have not taken one yet, but 510 is the highest score on a practice FL
3. State of residence or country of citizenship (if non-US)
   1. CA
4. Ethnicity and/or race
   1. Hispanic
5. Undergraduate institution or category
   1. Loyola Marymount University
6. Clinical experience (volunteer and non-volunteer)
   1. UCLA Care Extender (250 hrs)
7. Research experience and productivity
   1. Comparative anatomy, research at La Brea Tar Pits, presented at SVP (international convention) in Canada (300hrs)
8. Shadowing experience and specialties represented
   1. No shadowing, another weak point I'm worried about
9. Non-clinical volunteering
   1. Service Organization w/ school, different organizations around LA (150 hrs)
10. Other extracurricular activities (including athletics, military service, gap year activities, leadership, teaching, etc)
    1. Camp leader for a STEM Camp for girls in grades 4-6 in hometown (1 wk long)
    2. Swim Instructor for 5+ years
    3. TA for general biology lab (2yrs)
    4. TA for Comparative Anatomy lab (1 semester)
11. Relevant honors or awards
    1. Dean's list
    2. Pediatric Hear Center Scholarship Recipient
12. Anything else not listed you think might be important
    1. I have a strong personal story for my personal statement
    2. I have a strong letter from a science professor and a strong letter from a non-science professor
    3. I have an "OK" letter from a physician (my primary doctor)

I am most worried about my clinical hours and the lack of a strong letter from an MD.

Also if there's a chance, I have some questions:
1. If I do apply next year, what are the things I need to focus on building the most??
2. I'm in the process of applying for a medical assistant position - is this a good idea for clinical hours? What exactly is considered clinical?
3. How important is shadowing? I've reached out to a few physician's offices that say they don't "do that" and overall having a hard time finding someone to shadow... Any tips?

Thank you so so much for any help!

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[AJS59]

Is this a WAMC? If so, looks like some details are missing. Feel free to edit your post or re-post.

 

[Mr.Smile12]

Welcome to the forums.

Please update us when you have an official MCAT result. It is difficult to give you advice without an official score.

Where in California did you spend most of your childhood?

Have you connected with LMSA chapters or the MiMentor team which supports aspiring Latinx/Latine physicians? How do you describe yourself regarding your Latinx/Hispanic heritage?

What advice have you received from your prehealth advising team so far?

 

[chicanapremed]

Is this a WAMC? If so, looks like some details are missing. Feel free to edit your post or re-post.

So sorry! I accidentally pressed enter before I actually got to write my post LOL! I just edited it to show my real post. Thank you!

 

[chicanapremed]

Welcome to the forums.

Please update us when you have an official MCAT result. It is difficult to give you advice without an official score.

Where in California did you spend most of your childhood?

Have you connected with LMSA chapters or the MiMentor team which supports aspiring Latinx/Latine physicians? How do you describe yourself regarding your Latinx/Hispanic heritage?

What advice have you received from your prehealth advising team so far?

Hello! Thank you so much, excited to find something like this!

I will update when I get an official score!
Actually, regarding this, my exam date is in April, but I'm not sure I will get a good score. I've done a lot of trial and error and feel like I'm finally seeing improvement, but I'm worried its too late - that if I take the exam in April, I won't get a score that I'm confident in. It's possibly a deciding factor on whether I apply this round. However, I also hear that retaking the MCAT is not advised (?) so I'm worried that if I retake it, it will look badly. Lastly, I'm worried that if I push the exam date, I won't get a score back in time to apply early in the cycle, which I also hear is extremely important.


I spent my childhood in Bakersfield. Went to university in LA though, and planning on moving to the OC soon.

I just looked up LMSA and MiMentor - wow!! How cool! I'm embarrassed to say I didn't know these existed. I'll be looking more into these organizations, but do you have any advice on the best way to utilize these resources?

Regarding my heritage, I would describe myself as proud to be Chicana, but still learning a lot and learning how to reconnect. I think I have an experience as a 3rd generation Mexican American that some could relate to (feeling torn between / not enough for both worlds, loving my culture but still learning a lot, trying to blend in to survive), but that is somewhat unique to my generation (more attention on diversity, more resources like social media that give more information / accessibility to these kinds of fields)

I met with my pre-med advisor before I graduated (a year ago) and she told me that I was a strong applicant so far regarding the experiences I have (research, volunteer, clinical). This was before my MCAT, but since I had pretty good grades, she assumed I'd do well on that. To be truthful, I didn't know what to ask during my appointment and probably didn't utilize the resources as much as I could. Also, I know she said that I have strong experiences, but I still feel like compared to the masses that are applying, I'm lacking. I'm actually thinking I could probably set up another appointment with her and ask more questions... I will be doing that!!

Sorry for the long reply, thank you!!

 

[ClashRoyaleKing]

For reference, my highest FL was 514 and I ended up getting a 509. FL scores can be helpful but they are much less anxiety producing and might contribute to score inflation/higher expectations. When do you take your MCAT? Are you applying this cycle (in May) or next cycle?

 

[chicanapremed]

For reference, my highest FL was 514 and I ended up getting a 509. FL scores can be helpful but they are much less anxiety producing and might contribute to score inflation/higher expectations. When do you take your MCAT? Are you applying this cycle (in May) or next cycle?

I totally see that, I definitely am less stressed taking it in a library and it not being the real thing... I am planning to take it in mid-April, less than a month away.

Do you know anything about how retakes affect an application?

My dilemma:
1. I was planning to apply this cycle (2024/2025), but if my practice scores aren't up to par, should I take the MCAT anyway?? What if I get a 510, which is below the average matriculant, but also still 78th percentile? Is my app strong enough to apply with that score?
2. If I decide to push the exam, I'd most likely be getting my scores in June or even July... which means I won't be applying early in the cycle like I hear is so essential. Should I still apply?
3. If I take it anyway, and don't get the score I want, I would probably postpone my application to next cycle (2025/2026). But how will retaking the MCAT affect an application in the future?

 

[ClashRoyaleKing]

I totally see that, I definitely am less stressed taking it in a library and it not being the real thing... I am planning to take it in mid-April, less than a month away.

Do you know anything about how retakes affect an application?

My dilemma:
1. I was planning to apply this cycle (2024/2025), but if my practice scores aren't up to par, should I take the MCAT anyway?? What if I get a 510, which is below the average matriculant, but also still 78th percentile? Is my app strong enough to apply with that score?
2. If I decide to push the exam, I'd most likely be getting my scores in June or even July... which means I won't be applying early in the cycle like I hear is so essential. Should I still apply?
3. If I take it anyway, and don't get the score I want, I would probably postpone my application to next cycle (2025/2026). But how will retaking the MCAT affect an application in the future?

Retaking the MCAT and scoring significantly higher does not look bad, from what I've gathered on the forums. Retaking it and scoring similar (or lower), such as a 1-3 point improvement, does not look so great because that is within the error of the test itself.

I'd advice taking another FL under as close to testing conditions as possible and evaluating your current progress. Then, compare that test score to where you want to be and how much improvement you could make in the next month or so. If you need some extra time to study, taking in May does not provide a disadvantage. You'd get your test score back in June and will get most secondaries in the first wave, minus those that send secondaries on July 1st as soon as applications are transmitted. I was personally adviced against testing in June, but that's still not that late.

Looking through your application, what did you do in your clinical UCLA Care Extender Role and your nonclinical volunteering?

 

[chicanapremed]

Retaking the MCAT and scoring significantly higher does not look bad, from what I've gathered on the forums. Retaking it and scoring similar (or lower), such as a 1-3 point improvement, does not look so great because that is within the error of the test itself.

I'd advice taking another FL under as close to testing conditions as possible and evaluating your current progress. Then, compare that test score to where you want to be and how much improvement you could make in the next month or so. If you need some extra time to study, taking in May does not provide a disadvantage. You'd get your test score back in June and will get most secondaries in the first wave, minus those that send secondaries on July 1st as soon as applications are transmitted. I was personally adviced against testing in June, but that's still not that late.

Looking through your application, what did you do in your clinical UCLA Care Extender Role and your nonclinical volunteering?

I see, so retaking is still an option if it will be a significant improvement... And will do, I'm planning on taking on this week, and another next week to see where I'm at.

Clinical UCLA Care Extender --> I spent a lot of time monitoring patients with fall risk on the Geriatric floor (sitting with them, talking with them, occasionally helping them walk around, use the restroom, helping to dress them, feeding them, helping them to communicate with their doctors, changing hearing aids, and updating nurses on their 'status' like if they ate, if they are in pain), I also rounded on pts on the Oncology floor, but mainly covered for secretary during that rotation. I spent some time in the Surgery Center (checked in on pts who just got out of surgery, transported pts to their rides and helped them get into the car, cleaned beds and restocked supplies). I had a brief rotation in the GI department where I helped check in pts and bring them back for their endoscopies, set up some supplies in advance, cleaned beds, and transported them down to their rides. I completed the program in 1.5 years, with 250 hours.

Non-clinical --> It was a myriad of organizations, but I spent most of my time with an organization that bags groceries (donated from big stores b/c they were about to expire or didn't look presentable) and delivers them to families that are struggling to afford food. I also helped manage fundraisers with different organizations, one for tutoring children from disadvantaged backgrounds, and another for domestic violence shelters, also helped at a soup kitchen, but not as much as the two prior examples. Overall spent about 150 hours on these activities combined.

 

[ClashRoyaleKing]

I see, so retaking is still an option if it will be a significant improvement... And will do, I'm planning on taking on this week, and another next week to see where I'm at.

Clinical UCLA Care Extender --> I spent a lot of time monitoring patients with fall risk on the Geriatric floor (sitting with them, talking with them, occasionally helping them walk around, use the restroom, helping to dress them, feeding them, helping them to communicate with their doctors, changing hearing aids, and updating nurses on their 'status' like if they ate, if they are in pain), I also rounded on pts on the Oncology floor, but mainly covered for secretary during that rotation. I spent some time in the Surgery Center (checked in on pts who just got out of surgery, transported pts to their rides and helped them get into the car, cleaned beds and restocked supplies). I had a brief rotation in the GI department where I helped check in pts and bring them back for their endoscopies, set up some supplies in advance, cleaned beds, and transported them down to their rides. I completed the program in 1.5 years, with 250 hours.

Non-clinical --> It was a myriad of organizations, but I spent most of my time with an organization that bags groceries (donated from big stores b/c they were about to expire or didn't look presentable) and delivers them to families that are struggling to afford food. I also helped manage fundraisers with different organizations, one for tutoring children from disadvantaged backgrounds, and another for domestic violence shelters, also helped at a soup kitchen, but not as much as the two prior examples. Overall spent about 150 hours on these activities combined.

Those are great activities! Continue doing your non-clinical and clinical work, those activities look good. Good luck in your MCAT studying! If you apply in the upcoming cycle (and if I don't get off this pesky WL), I will probably see you in the forums.

Take a look at what @Mr.Smile12 replied above, as he'll have more advice for you.

 

[candbgirl]

Don’t apply without physician shadowing.
Your clinical work is great. You have a variety of experiences with a variety of patients.
I’m not so sure about your nonclinical volunteering. The food distribution is okay but the fund raising doesn’t really count. How many hours do you have with food distribution?
You don’t need a letter from a doctor.
Don’t apply until you have the best possible application possible. Don’t take the MCAT until you are ready. Plan to take it only once.
Do t rush.

 

[Mr.Smile12]

I just looked up LMSA and MiMentor - wow!! How cool! I'm embarrassed to say I didn't know these existed. I'll be looking more into these organizations, but do you have any advice on the best way to utilize these resources?

Just say hi. They can help answer your questions too regarding shadowing, MCAT prep, choosing schools, etc. Not that we can't help, but they can also give you more confidence about your application profile. Don't be afraid to ask us and use our resources here!

 

[chicanapremed]

Don’t apply without physician shadowing.
Your clinical work is great. You have a variety of experiences with a variety of patients.
I’m not so sure about your nonclinical volunteering. The food distribution is okay but the fund raising doesn’t really count. How many hours do you have with food distribution?
You don’t need a letter from a doctor.
Don’t apply until you have the best possible application possible. Don’t take the MCAT until you are ready. Plan to take it only once.
Do t rush.

Thank you so much for your input!

I will look more into gaining physician shadowing experience. I hear about 50 hours is the goal?
With food distribution, I think it took up about 60-70 hours of my 150 --> I have a log that I can check to be certain, but this is off the top of my head.

Are letters from a doctor not as important of a goal? I've been pretty worried because I got the sense that it was crucial to my application. Even had a peer tell me not to apply without one. Is there a reason why some people place so much emphasis on it? If you have the chance, what are the benefits of having one versus not?

Thank you again for your advice!

 

[Mr.Smile12]

Are letters from a doctor not as important of a goal? I've been pretty worried because I got the sense that it was crucial to my application. Even had a peer tell me not to apply without one. Is there a reason why some people place so much emphasis on it? If you have the chance, what are the benefits of having one versus not?

Check the medical school admissions requirements (MSAR) and individual school websites for their letters of recommendation/evaluation expectations. You will find to your surprise not that many are requiring a doctor's reference. On different threads and in our general experience, adcom faculty generally expect those letters to be effusive and not very helpful for admissions decisions (everyone comes "highly recommended"). Professor or science letter requirements are more common, but some aren't even that picky.

It makes sense to have one under normal conventions when it comes to showing you know what doctors do. It doesn't hurt you to have one, especially if someone has been clearly mentoring you.

 

[candbgirl]

Thank you so much for your input!

I will look more into gaining physician shadowing experience. I hear about 50 hours is the goal?
With food distribution, I think it took up about 60-70 hours of my 150 --> I have a log that I can check to be certain, but this is off the top of my head.

Are letters from a doctor not as important of a goal? I've been pretty worried because I got the sense that it was crucial to my application. Even had a peer tell me not to apply without one. Is there a reason why some people place so much emphasis on it? If you have the chance, what are the benefits of having one versus not?

Thank you again for your advice!

Around 50 hours of physician shadowing is enough. Make sure you have a chunk of shadowing with a primary care doc.
You need about 100+ MORE hours with the food distribution before you apply. And then continue to build on that.
Have you considered taking a gap year and applying in 2025? It might give you an opportunity to fill in the blanks and buff up your whole application. You should really think about it.