WAMC Canadian (3.9x/521/Research Heavy)

[noodlespiral]

please do not quote this message!!!
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[Mr.Smile12]

Welcome to the forums.

Are you majoring in biomedical engineering? Would you consider going to the US for a master's in biomedical engineering first before trying for medical school in the US? I agree I would consider MD/PhD. It's just too bad the US political and funding climate is so screwed up.

 

[noodlespiral]

thank you for the welcome!

know that it's harder to get funding for a masters in the US–i would only consider spending the amount for US tuition on an MD (as the PhD positions are usually covered by grants). Canadian schools cost much less for MS and I'm eligible for the national grants here. i worked really hard to advance my studies and push them far, so I'm hoping I'm strong enough to apply directly into MD and/or PhD programs!

my dream program would be the HMS-MIT MD PhD program with a BME PhD, partially because i think the BME labs at MIT are so cool. but of course that's a crazy long shot since half of their matriculants seem to be Rhodes or Fulbright scholars haha. i am majoring in neuroscience, actually. the BME part started as a side thing.

oh, and would TAing/teaching count as volunteer hours? i have another experience under my belt to the tune of ~200 hours which involved making and organizing a lab training program for undergrad students, non profit community org.

 

[Mr.Smile12]

I encourage you to also interact with the Research Scientists/Physician Scientists forum where the MSTP folks hang out.

You have more options than the HMS/MIT program, and the folks in that forum should be able to give you some alternatives.

Teaching can be listed as volunteering if you didn't get paid. But we don't just count how many volunteering hours you did.

 

[noodlespiral]

thanks sm!

is it true that if you don't hit certain hours or volunteering requirements (soft requirements, but they are still present) that you basically have no shot at the top medical schools and universities in the US or is it more case-by-case? I'm concerned that i lack the clinical/volunteering aspect of things. definitely a weak point of my app.

thanks for the forums tip, i'll check it out.

 

[Mr.Smile12]

is it true that if you don't hit certain hours or volunteering requirements (soft requirements, but they are still present) that you basically have no shot at the top medical schools and universities in the US or is it more case-by-case? I'm concerned that i lack the clinical/volunteering aspect of things. definitely a weak point of my app.

If you don't hit certain hours for your experiences, you are in the lower 50th percentile of all applicants in the pool. That means your file will likely be triaged because most schools will only consider extending interviews to the top 20th percentile. Granted, holistic review matters, but if you are no different than half of the applicant pool when we look at your application, there's no hesitation to screen you out. Strong mission fit means you show us a commitment to the values we are looking for and want to nurture. Those who demonstrate a clear purpose a physician will usually have the hours to back up their words.