MD WAMC 514 MCAT, cGPA~3.55, sGPA≥3.65, Low Clinical exp

[ScrubswithnoSleeves]

Hey Everyone,

So here are my basic stats
- MCAT: 514 (C/P 127, CARS 128, B/B 130, P/S 129)

- GPAs Note: My school uses the AB system (UW Madison) which deflates my GPAs a bit and I have not fully calculated my accurate GPAs (IE I have only gotten ABs that most schools count as an A-)
• Cumulative GPA should be about 3.55 (I have transferred a lot, 2.9 frsh (32cr), 3.85 soph (42 cr), 3.72 junior+senior+5th year (80+ cr)
• Science GPA should be notably higher 3.65 (I have only gotten 2 Bs, everything else is a AB or higher)

- Research (lacking)
• 4 months @ USC working on a non-invasive method for reducing tumor size
• 4 months @ Mae Fah Luang University in Thailand working on extracting organic anti-fungal agents from fungi for use as organic pesticides

- ECs
• Co-founder and President of Project Malawi (non-profit improves quality of life for people in Malawi, Africa)
-- Fundraisers + Grants allowed us to donate >$1million medical supplies to hospitals (1/8 of their GDP)
-- Went to Malawi and worked directly with hospitals to allocate said supplies
-- Organized construction of surgical theater to reduce deaths from C-sections + set up research with USC medical school to measure efficacy of the theater's effect on C-section death rates
• Worked with local Thai coffeeshop owner to design a functional website and help market his store
-- (this one is important to me because of his mission and I will relate it to the medical field)

- Clinical Experience - as of right now NONE
• This is my main reason for posting, I have been trying to get more clinical experience but ridiculous and unprecedented hurdles have prevented me from getting any (unless you count Malawi). I want some advice about what to do.

- I will be taking a gap year and I have 2 main goals:
1. Become certified and work as an EMT
2. Start non-profit to improve education in low-income areas in LA (this is one of my passions in life and I have a few ideas about what I would like to do)

Additional Notes: So I'm pretty freaked out about my lack of clinical experience and don't know what to do. I will be getting about 70 hours next semester volunteering at the hospital as long as something else insane doesn't happen (I have been trying to do this for over a year now). I will also be getting some shadowing experience this winter break, probably about 20+ hours. I am wondering if schools will take into account my working as an EMT in my gap year even though I will be applying before I do that. (I have heard they do, but that doesn't make a lot of sense to me why they would)

I would like to be able to apply this May and don't want to have to wait until the following year to apply, but if my lack of clinical experience is that much of a deterrent, I would heavily consider the possibility.

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[Faha]

You need 50 hours of physician shadowing and 200+ hours of clinical volunteering.

 

[ScrubswithnoSleeves]

You need 50 hours of physician shadowing and 200+ hours of clinical volunteering.

How can you just shout out hard numbers like that? lol

I know people that have gotten in with less hours than that. I've also heard many people say 100 hours clinical and 50 shadowing

 

[candbgirl]

You asked the question. It’s not @Faha’s fault you don’t like the answer. @Faha has been advising premeds for years. He knows what the requirements are and you don’t. Your nonclinical hours are amazing. It would be sad if you applied without the clinical requirements.

I’m involved with a group that works to provide shallow wells in Malawi. I admire your work there.

 

[ScrubswithnoSleeves]

You asked the question. It’s not @Faha’s fault you don’t like the answer. @Faha has been advising premeds for years. He knows what the requirements are and you don’t. Your nonclinical hours are amazing. It would be sad if you applied without the clinical requirements.

I’m involved with a group that works to provide shallow wells in Malawi. I admire your work there.

Maybe my tone came off rude, that was not my intention. I mean literally how did he know that like where did he draw that information from because I have yet to find anything that could give me any hard numbers like that.

 

[candbgirl]

Maybe my tone came off rude, that was not my intention. I mean literally how did he know that like where did he draw that information from because I have yet to find anything that could give me any hard numbers like that.

If you spend time reading WAMC threads you will know that this is the advice given by most, if not all, of the ADCOMS on here. And there are lots that post here and offer assistance with questions. So he responded because of lots of experience.

 

[ScrubswithnoSleeves]

If you spend time reading WAMC threads you will know that this is the advice given by most, if not all, of the ADCOMS on here. And there are lots that post here and offer assistance with questions. So he responded because of lots of experience.

haha yup, I do not spend to much time reading the WAMC threads. Maybe I should.

 

[Faha]

How can you just shout out hard numbers like that? lol

I know people that have gotten in with less hours than that. I've also heard many people say 100 hours clinical and 50 shadowing

You can receive interviews with no shadowing and less than 100 clinical hours but you will receive more interviews with the hours I recommended. The more interviews you attend the more likely you will receive an acceptance.

 

[ScrubswithnoSleeves]

You can receive interviews with no shadowing and less than 100 clinical hours but you will receive more interviews with the hours I recommended. The more interviews you attend the more likely you will receive an acceptance.

So from this info I see two options (and I would appreciate your opinion on choosing):

1. I hold off on applying this cycle (2019) to get my hours up in my gap year and then I apply next cycle (2020)

2. I get as many hours as I can in both clinical and shadowing (less than optimal), apply this cycle (2019), see how it goes**, if I don't get accepted then get more hours in my gap year and then re-apply.

And I guess I would also wonder, does it hurt to apply twice? Or is it just that I will more than likely miss out on the opportunity cost of more "desirable" medical schools by applying with low clinical experience?

I honestly have not done enough research to really say that I desire one medical school over the other, I just want to become a doctor and begin having an effect on this world as soon as I can. I have a lot of goals waiting to be accomplished in this life, and I wouldn't want to miss out on any of them by dilly dallying. For many reasons, I'm positive this is the field of work I would like to dedicate my life to serving, and unless I am missing something, I thought the point of the clinical experience was to ensure that students are actually dedicated to this field and will not realize they don't like medicine in the middle of medical school and drop out.

 

[Faha]

Are you a Wisconsin resident ?

 

[ScrubswithnoSleeves]

Are you a Wisconsin resident ?

No, Should have mentioned that. I'm a California resident. I'm also a white male lol.

 

[Faha]

I suggest these schools with your stats:
UC Davis
UC Irvine
Kaiser
California University
Loma Linda
Vermont
Tufts
Quinnipiac
Albany
New York Medical College
Hofstra
Seton Hall
Penn State
Drexel
Temple
Jefferson
George Washington
Virginia Commonwealth
Eastern Virginia
NOVA MD
Oakland Beaumont
Western Michigan
Medical College Wisconsin
U Wisconsin
Rosalind Franklin
This list assumes you accumulate your projected 20 shadowing hours and 70 clinical volunteering hours. If for some reason you have no shadowing or clinical volunteering hours by next May then wait until the following year to apply.

 

[ScrubswithnoSleeves]

Wow, Thank you so much! I really appreciate the work you put into helping me.

 

[UnconfidentPremed]

If I were you I'd delete the uni name and the name of your non profit. It literally took me ten seconds to find out who you are.

 

[ScrubswithnoSleeves]

If I were you I'd delete the uni name and the name of your non profit. It literally took me ten seconds to find out who you are.

Idc, I also would have told you if you asked lol.

 

[UnconfidentPremed]

Idc, I also would have told you if you asked lol.

Haha. Anyways, i f I were I'd go with the EMT route and try to continue search for opportunities in nearby hospitals. Starting another non-profit will seem like an attempt to pad your extracurriculars (considering how late you'll start it) and come off as insincere. It can actually hurt your app.

 

[ScrubswithnoSleeves]

Haha. Anyways, i f I were I'd go with the EMT route and try to continue search for opportunities in nearby hospitals. Starting another non-profit will seem like an attempt to pad your extracurriculars (considering how late you'll start it) and come off as insincere. It can actually hurt your app.

I was planning on doing both. I want to EMT for the experience and to look good for medical school, but the non-profit is something I've been wanting to do for a while and I don't really care what medical schools think tbh. Improving education in low income areas in the US (especially in racially segregated communities) is one of my larger goals in life and so I just want to be able to contribute to that in some way. IE I'm doing it for me haha.