MD & DO WAMC: c3.62, s3.63, awaiting MCAT

[primary_oocyte]

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1. NY Resident
2. Hispanic
3. YU Graduate
4. Clinical volunteering

• Respite Care (so far I've done around 30 hours but I am still involved in this)
• Global Health Trip to Guatemala for a week, so around 30 hours also

~350 in medical volunteering

• Volunteered in Vascular Biology lab at NYU for a summer

Non-medical volunteering

• Volunteered in elementary schools in Washington Heights, teaching children science modules (50 hours)

5. Not sure what Independent Study falls under, but I did that for a semester (64 hours)
6. Paid clinical experience at Albert Einstein for 8 months (~400 hours)
7. Over 60 hours of shadowing an OB/GYN
8. NCAA Division III Athlete, Skyline Conference Academic Honor Roll 2016 and 2017
9. Dean's List, 2015-2016, 2016-2017, awaiting 2017-2018
10. Didn't take Orgo II and Calculus, but I took Biochem and Comp Sci

MDs I'm interested in:
Tufts, University of Massachusetts, University of Maryland, Quinnipiac University, University of Connecticut, Drexel, Thomas Jefferson, Temple, Pennsylvania State, Rowan University MD, Rutgers Robert Wood and New Jersey, Seton Hall (they don't have stats yet so I'm optimistic LOL), Albany, Albert Einstein, Hofstra, New York Medical College, SUNY Downstate, Stony Brook, and SUNY Upstate.

DOs I'm interested in:
RUSOM, NYITCOM, Touro, PCOM, and LECOM.

I took my MCAT June 29 but my AAMC FL's never managed to break 510 (505 on Sample, 503 on FL 1, 507 on FL 3). If I'm being realistic, I probably didn't break 510 on the real deal. I am taking a gap year between my undergrad and medical career, should I retake my MCAT in September or January and take 2 years off? Or should I dedicate myself to only applying DO since I am more confident in my stats for their requirements?

 

[Dr. Meliodas]

Why do you have paid clinical job counting under your 400 hours of clinical volunteering? Global Health Trip is nice but US MD schools care more about you volunteering here. How many hours of Respite Care do you have?

Why is your Independent Study under “medical volunteering”?

Please list how many actual clinical volunteering hours you have? How many research hours you have? Any post or oral presentations at schools or national conference for research? How many non-clinical volunteering hours do you have?

You should look into shadow more than one specialty.

I would say just based on what you’ve said to take the extra year just to improve your ECs. Also if your primary is not verified already you would be putting yourself at a huge disadvantage applying MD. DO would still be fine, but again even for that the way you've described them I think your ECs are weak .

@Goro could give you the best advice.

 

[primary_oocyte]

Why do you have paid clinical job counting under your 400 hours of clinical volunteering? Global Health Trip is nice but US MD schools care more about you volunteering here. How many hours of Respite Care do you have?

Why is your Independent Study under “medical volunteering”?

Please list how many actual clinical volunteering hours you have? How many research hours you have? Any post or oral presentations at schools or national conference for research? How many non-clinical volunteering hours do you have?

You should look into shadow more than one specialty.

I would say just based on what you’ve said to take the extra year just to improve your ECs. Also if your primary is not verified already you would be putting yourself at a huge disadvantage applying MD. DO would still be fine, but again even for that the way you've described them I think your ECs are weak .

@Goro could give you the best advice.

My primary should be in within the next 2 weeks, currently working on personal statement and work/experiences. It is a little on the late side but it doesn't appear to be a huge disadvantage at the moment. Also, volleyball is a huge EC that took away many hours to potentially do more medical-based ECs and pursue other shadowing experiences, but everyone has told me that having something on my application besides science science science is a huge plus, rather than a negative.

 

[Dr. Meliodas]

My primary should be in within the next 2 weeks, currently working on personal statement and work/experiences. It is a little on the late side but it doesn't appear to be a huge disadvantage at the moment. Also, volleyball is a huge EC that took away many hours to potentially do more medical-based ECs and pursue other shadowing experiences, but everyone has told me that having something on my application besides science science science is a huge plus, rather than a negative.

Your primary will be in as in verified in the next two weeks or just submitted? As long as everything is verified sometime by mid August I'd say your fine, just make sure you have started to pre-write your secondaries so you can submit them as soon as you get them.

Being a D3 Athlete will 100% be a good plus to your application, but it is still important to show you have enough experience with medicine to know its what you want to do. I think you have this its just important how you frame things.

• List your research as research not medical volunteering on your AMCAS.
• Since you just said you will be continuing the Respite Care and you are sure you will be continuing this put down future hours on your AMCAS. In the activity description you can just say "I plan to continue this throughout the application cycle X hours for Y times a week."
• The volunteering at elementary schools teaching science models is a great experience you can expound on talking about giving back to those less fortunate - Washington Heights is a very underserved area.

As far as specific school list for your situation it really depends on the MCAT. If you score around what you mentioned you should be fine for DO and probably throw in a few lower tier MD and your state MD schools.

 

[Goro]

1. NY Resident
2. Hispanic
3. YU Graduate
4. Clinical volunteering

• Respite Care (so far I've done around 30 hours but I am still involved in this)
• Global Health Trip to Guatemala for a week, so around 30 hours also

~350 in medical volunteering

• Volunteered in Vascular Biology lab at NYU for a summer

Non-medical volunteering

• Volunteered in elementary schools in Washington Heights, teaching children science modules (50 hours)

5. Not sure what Independent Study falls under, but I did that for a semester (64 hours)
6. Paid clinical experience at Albert Einstein for 8 months (~400 hours)
7. Over 60 hours of shadowing an OB/GYN
8. NCAA Division III Athlete, Skyline Conference Academic Honor Roll 2016 and 2017
9. Dean's List, 2015-2016, 2016-2017, awaiting 2017-2018
10. Didn't take Orgo II and Calculus, but I took Biochem and Comp Sci

MDs I'm interested in:
Tufts, University of Massachusetts, University of Maryland, Quinnipiac University, University of Connecticut, Drexel, Thomas Jefferson, Temple, Pennsylvania State, Rowan University MD, Rutgers Robert Wood and New Jersey, Seton Hall (they don't have stats yet so I'm optimistic LOL), Albany, Albert Einstein, Hofstra, New York Medical College, SUNY Downstate, Stony Brook, and SUNY Upstate.

DOs I'm interested in:
RUSOM, NYITCOM, Touro, PCOM, and LECOM.

I took my MCAT June 29 but my AAMC FL's never managed to break 510 (505 on Sample, 503 on FL 1, 507 on FL 3). If I'm being realistic, I probably didn't break 510 on the real deal. I am taking a gap year between my undergrad and medical career, should I retake my MCAT in September or January and take 2 years off? Or should I dedicate myself to only applying DO since I am more confident in my stats for their requirements?

Come back when you have an MCAT score and then we can advise.