BrianMoser
New Member
- Joined
- Feb 2, 2025
- Messages
- 4
- Reaction score
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Hi everyone. With the upcoming cycle, I am need of some help for deciding school lists. I am a little worried about overextending myself and really wanna make sure I don’t throw away some dollars on places I would not have much success with. Below I have listed my stats, ECs, and some information to go along with each. I am also really looking to see if anyone can think of a narrative I could paint - I sort of have one in mind, but I feel like it is a reach, and would like some unbiased POV. All hours are as of today, and might increase over the next few months.
As a side note, if anyone knows of a 1 - 1 application consultant that is available through SDN, or if I could find one, I would greatly appreciate that.
Clinic 1
Medical assistant (called something else but similar enough) at a free clinic run by my school - meant to help underserved populations get access to primary care and some specialized care. Multiple clinic sites which rotate over the week, I was stationed at the clinic which predominantly saw Spanish-speakers. Duties included: Taking vitals, translation from English to Spanish and vice versa, asking preliminary questions. Been here about 3.5 years, ~1050 hours at least. Going to be one of my top 3 experiences. Started May 2021 and still ongoing. Held leadership position for a school year.
Clinic 2
Medical assistant for a clinic that completes disability evaluations for social security. Typical medical assistant sort of stuff (obtain medical history, vitals, spirometry, managing clinic flow). I also answer the phone and do some cleaning. Around 150 hours over 1.5 years since it’s only every so often. Started October 2023 and still ongoing. Currently managing and training new volunteers, so I think this counts as leadership right?
Clinic 3
Medical assistant at a clinic that catered mostly towards homeless individuals in the area, every Wednesday and some Mondays. Same typical MA stuff. Also did lots of sovereign immunity paperwork. Around 550 hours over 3 years. Might be one of my top 3 experiences but leaning between this and something else. Started August 2021 and left December 2024 due to other responsibilities
Around 1750 total clinical hours, all of which have been volunteer work - I never got paid for anything; Not sure if that makes a difference but wanted to be clear.
Psych Research Lab - focused on cognitive bias and how personalities can develop into political ideologies. Also focused on implicit bias and how to measure and thus change said bias. Poster + presented at university research symposium. Around 300 Hours
800 hours total
Clinic 1
above has an office where we each work on scheduling patients, arranging transport, external and internal referrals, and providing other assistance over the phone, such as calling about wrong prescriptions or faxing forms to providers. This was separate from actually being at the clinic, hence I counted it separately. 200 Hours
Home Weatherization Group
Help people save money on energy bills by performing minor repairs or referring out to other orgs for major repairs. This can involve stuff like replacing windows, replacing or adding insulation, fixing small leaks. Very labor intensive. Most of our homes were in underserved communities, and I worked primarily in spanish-speaking homes. Around 60 hours over 2.5 years because these things are like 6 hours and take a lot, and my schedule just doesn’t fit very well. Started August 2022 and still ongoing when I can fit it in. Most of our homes were in underserved communities, and I worked primarily in spanish-speaking homes.
Hospitality Cart at Local Hospital
We had a cart stocked with a variety of items, and we would round floors and ask patients if they were in need of anything we had. Mixture of toiletries the hospital often did not provide (deodorant, nail files, tissues, dry shampoo, paper, pencils) and entertainment items (colored pencils and coloring pages, books, board games, puzzles). Got to talk to a lot of people and sometimes we would hang out with people who just wanted someone to talk to. Didn’t really do anything in a medical capacity but it was nice to be able to help people out. 200 hours. Held a leadership position for a year.
Soup Kitchen / Clinic Site
Volunteered at another site directly related to the homeless clinic mentioned above (Clinic 3). VERY rarely I helped with clinical stuff, but usually not, and thus I logged hours separately, since it was on a different day of the week in a different building with different responsibilities. This usually involved handing out food, managing our clothing closet, setting up and cleanup for the food, handling sign-ups for the closet where we hand out clothes. Also did a lot of cleaning of the building, yard work, minor repairs. Around 500 hours over 3 years.
960 hours of nonclinical in total
TA for Orgo 1 and 2 for 4 semesters. Held office hours and also help supplemental instruction sessions (basically smaller lectures to emphasize important material learned that week)
TA for Biochem for 1 Semester - big time commitment - 2 hours every day over summer semester. Took attendance, held office hours, administered exams. Also put together review material for exams and helped grade some exams.
English Classes
Helped start and currently help coordinate some beginner ESOL English classes to help people learn English. Currently working with some professors from the local university, not affiliated directly through the university though. Currently acting as a coordinator so basically helping the professors plan the curriculum, help set up, get registrations ready, manage our website. Have also used the lesson plans to help teach some classes when needed. At least 500 hours over the course of 2 years now. Will be one of my top 3 experiences as well. Started in January 2023 and still ongoing. Not sure how to classify this in its entirety - I would say most of my time was teaching, and the rest has been other stuff such as fundraising, coordinating schedules, fixing our website. Should I just count this all as teaching, is some volunteer? Anyone have any ideas?
Employment
Have had a job at a big grocery chain since 14, worked for the first 2 years of college to make ends meet. Worked full-time during June 2020 to June 2022 because it was those weird covid times. Then dropped to around 10 hours a week until I left.
Small Business
Started a custom lego minifigure company which used official Lego parts and pad printing to print unique mini figure designs. Have also helped design, plan and eventually create ABS injection-molded custom parts. Sounds dumb, but there is actually a lot of planning, market research and sometimes luck involved. Designs are usually based on pop culture franchises lego does not do, like Dexter Morgan from Dexter. Around 30,000 USD in revenue so far. Some projects take up to 6 months. Initially did the pad printing myself but has since been outsourced and commissioned. Had 2 awesome business partners along the way as well. Still ongoing, usually takes up a couple hours a week minimum. Might be put down as meaningful because I feel like I have learned a lot about business.
Experiences I may not add
- Small Business - not sure if Lego company seems immature/goofy
-Tutored at risk children. Helped with understanding homework material and also just got to hang with them. 100 Hours over 8 months, may not add because it was so short and I think most of the staff has changed out by now.
- Helped start a chapter of a larger 501c organization dedicated to helping human trafficking victims. Helped connect victims with resources, had donation drives and fundraisers to help women’s shelters near us. Do not have an exact hour count. Ended up going defunct somewhat recently since we could not secure a faculty sponsor and ours left the school. No idea who I would put down as contact.
- I initially took Orgo one in 2021 and barely passed. I think I only really passed because the professor at the time took pity on me and bumped me up to barely a passing grade, just enough to take orgo 2. While part of my grade was the fact that I was really struggling with undiagnosed ADHD (I will not be mentioning ADHD in my app), I also really never had much time to go to class or study, since I had a lot going on that semester. I was hit by a car, ended up breaking my wrist in another car accident (was the passenger, broke my right wrist and am right-handed), and ended up getting eye surgery (which made it really hard to see up close for a while). I was also in the hospital for a bit with some pretty bad pneumonia, then in the hospital again for a concussion after I was attacked with a golf club. There was also a major family death to someone I was really close to. I decided to try and catch up in orgo 2 - epic fail. Ended up dropping Orgo 2 about 1 exam in. My advisor straight up advised me to retroactively withdraw from Orgo 1 and 2 and try again. I also withdrew from a molecular biology class I was also failing. I would later get these 3 retroactively withdrawn, to get my scholarship funds available again. Only class I kept was a philosophy class (my only B) and Stats 1, because I could not afford to pay back any more than that, and because they were easy enough I barely had to do any work. Ended up taking Orgo 1 and 2 again, got As in both classes (also retook that molecular bio class and got an A), went on to be a TA for a few semesters. Now, my main worry is how this is going to look. Should I explain this in my app? Not even sure how this goes into AMCAS. I will add, Orgo 2 prof is writing me a letter of recommendation (and I was her TA). I am a little worried that this is just gonna look crazy if I try to explain, it was just a really awful semester for me.
- Might not get a letter of rec from my one PI where I have more research hours. Kinda just got unceremoniously dismissed. I did just graduate too which makes it a hassle to stick around. If they say no, should I just not put the research on my app? I feel like this might be a red flag for research heavy schools or something, but I am worried it might make my app dead on arrival
- I am taking Orgo Lab at another 4 year university. My school has orgs 1 and 2 labs combined, 4 hours, twice a week. I was not able to fit that into my schedule. Instead, I am taking an orgo lab at another 4 year university in my town, where it is 3 hours, once a week. Is this something I should note? This school is maybe a bit less rigorous than my alma mater.
- I have like 0 hobbies. I lift weights a bit and am currently trying to drop a lot of pounds since I am a big guy. But other than that, my only real hobbies are playing video games, reading an occasional book. I genuinely do not have much stuff to talk about which worries me - I do feel as if volunteering and helping out ended up being how I kept myself busy. My lego business is in a way a hobby since I do not see it as a job and it does not have a regular paycheck. Maybe use that as a hobby?
- ONE more thing - my psychology research PI is writing me a letter. This is also my only social sciences letter. If a school requires a research letter and a non-science letter, what should I do here, if I only have a letter that is both non-science and research. This is assuming my other PI will not write me a letter.
thank you so much for taking the time to read this. It really does mean the world to me
Current List
Geisinger
Penn State
Hofstra
Drexel
Dartmouth
Brown
Cornell
UF
FSU
USF
UMiami
FAU
As a side note, if anyone knows of a 1 - 1 application consultant that is available through SDN, or if I could find one, I would greatly appreciate that.
- Background
- cGPA and sGPA as calculated by AMCAS or AACOMAS
- MCAT score(s) and breakdown. Include all (non-voided) attempts
- State of residence or country of citizenship (if non-US)
- Ethnicity and/or race
- Undergraduate institution or category
- Clinical experience (volunteer and non-volunteer)
Clinic 1
Medical assistant (called something else but similar enough) at a free clinic run by my school - meant to help underserved populations get access to primary care and some specialized care. Multiple clinic sites which rotate over the week, I was stationed at the clinic which predominantly saw Spanish-speakers. Duties included: Taking vitals, translation from English to Spanish and vice versa, asking preliminary questions. Been here about 3.5 years, ~1050 hours at least. Going to be one of my top 3 experiences. Started May 2021 and still ongoing. Held leadership position for a school year.
Clinic 2
Medical assistant for a clinic that completes disability evaluations for social security. Typical medical assistant sort of stuff (obtain medical history, vitals, spirometry, managing clinic flow). I also answer the phone and do some cleaning. Around 150 hours over 1.5 years since it’s only every so often. Started October 2023 and still ongoing. Currently managing and training new volunteers, so I think this counts as leadership right?
Clinic 3
Medical assistant at a clinic that catered mostly towards homeless individuals in the area, every Wednesday and some Mondays. Same typical MA stuff. Also did lots of sovereign immunity paperwork. Around 550 hours over 3 years. Might be one of my top 3 experiences but leaning between this and something else. Started August 2021 and left December 2024 due to other responsibilities
Around 1750 total clinical hours, all of which have been volunteer work - I never got paid for anything; Not sure if that makes a difference but wanted to be clear.
- Research experience and productivity
Psych Research Lab - focused on cognitive bias and how personalities can develop into political ideologies. Also focused on implicit bias and how to measure and thus change said bias. Poster + presented at university research symposium. Around 300 Hours
800 hours total
- Shadowing experience and specialties represented
- Non-clinical volunteering
Clinic 1
above has an office where we each work on scheduling patients, arranging transport, external and internal referrals, and providing other assistance over the phone, such as calling about wrong prescriptions or faxing forms to providers. This was separate from actually being at the clinic, hence I counted it separately. 200 Hours
Home Weatherization Group
Help people save money on energy bills by performing minor repairs or referring out to other orgs for major repairs. This can involve stuff like replacing windows, replacing or adding insulation, fixing small leaks. Very labor intensive. Most of our homes were in underserved communities, and I worked primarily in spanish-speaking homes. Around 60 hours over 2.5 years because these things are like 6 hours and take a lot, and my schedule just doesn’t fit very well. Started August 2022 and still ongoing when I can fit it in. Most of our homes were in underserved communities, and I worked primarily in spanish-speaking homes.
Hospitality Cart at Local Hospital
We had a cart stocked with a variety of items, and we would round floors and ask patients if they were in need of anything we had. Mixture of toiletries the hospital often did not provide (deodorant, nail files, tissues, dry shampoo, paper, pencils) and entertainment items (colored pencils and coloring pages, books, board games, puzzles). Got to talk to a lot of people and sometimes we would hang out with people who just wanted someone to talk to. Didn’t really do anything in a medical capacity but it was nice to be able to help people out. 200 hours. Held a leadership position for a year.
Soup Kitchen / Clinic Site
Volunteered at another site directly related to the homeless clinic mentioned above (Clinic 3). VERY rarely I helped with clinical stuff, but usually not, and thus I logged hours separately, since it was on a different day of the week in a different building with different responsibilities. This usually involved handing out food, managing our clothing closet, setting up and cleanup for the food, handling sign-ups for the closet where we hand out clothes. Also did a lot of cleaning of the building, yard work, minor repairs. Around 500 hours over 3 years.
960 hours of nonclinical in total
- Other extracurricular activities (including athletics, military service, gap year activities, leadership, teaching, etc)
TA for Orgo 1 and 2 for 4 semesters. Held office hours and also help supplemental instruction sessions (basically smaller lectures to emphasize important material learned that week)
TA for Biochem for 1 Semester - big time commitment - 2 hours every day over summer semester. Took attendance, held office hours, administered exams. Also put together review material for exams and helped grade some exams.
English Classes
Helped start and currently help coordinate some beginner ESOL English classes to help people learn English. Currently working with some professors from the local university, not affiliated directly through the university though. Currently acting as a coordinator so basically helping the professors plan the curriculum, help set up, get registrations ready, manage our website. Have also used the lesson plans to help teach some classes when needed. At least 500 hours over the course of 2 years now. Will be one of my top 3 experiences as well. Started in January 2023 and still ongoing. Not sure how to classify this in its entirety - I would say most of my time was teaching, and the rest has been other stuff such as fundraising, coordinating schedules, fixing our website. Should I just count this all as teaching, is some volunteer? Anyone have any ideas?
Employment
Have had a job at a big grocery chain since 14, worked for the first 2 years of college to make ends meet. Worked full-time during June 2020 to June 2022 because it was those weird covid times. Then dropped to around 10 hours a week until I left.
Small Business
Started a custom lego minifigure company which used official Lego parts and pad printing to print unique mini figure designs. Have also helped design, plan and eventually create ABS injection-molded custom parts. Sounds dumb, but there is actually a lot of planning, market research and sometimes luck involved. Designs are usually based on pop culture franchises lego does not do, like Dexter Morgan from Dexter. Around 30,000 USD in revenue so far. Some projects take up to 6 months. Initially did the pad printing myself but has since been outsourced and commissioned. Had 2 awesome business partners along the way as well. Still ongoing, usually takes up a couple hours a week minimum. Might be put down as meaningful because I feel like I have learned a lot about business.
Experiences I may not add
- Small Business - not sure if Lego company seems immature/goofy
-Tutored at risk children. Helped with understanding homework material and also just got to hang with them. 100 Hours over 8 months, may not add because it was so short and I think most of the staff has changed out by now.
- Helped start a chapter of a larger 501c organization dedicated to helping human trafficking victims. Helped connect victims with resources, had donation drives and fundraisers to help women’s shelters near us. Do not have an exact hour count. Ended up going defunct somewhat recently since we could not secure a faculty sponsor and ours left the school. No idea who I would put down as contact.
- Relevant honors or awards
- Anything else not listed you think might be important
- I initially took Orgo one in 2021 and barely passed. I think I only really passed because the professor at the time took pity on me and bumped me up to barely a passing grade, just enough to take orgo 2. While part of my grade was the fact that I was really struggling with undiagnosed ADHD (I will not be mentioning ADHD in my app), I also really never had much time to go to class or study, since I had a lot going on that semester. I was hit by a car, ended up breaking my wrist in another car accident (was the passenger, broke my right wrist and am right-handed), and ended up getting eye surgery (which made it really hard to see up close for a while). I was also in the hospital for a bit with some pretty bad pneumonia, then in the hospital again for a concussion after I was attacked with a golf club. There was also a major family death to someone I was really close to. I decided to try and catch up in orgo 2 - epic fail. Ended up dropping Orgo 2 about 1 exam in. My advisor straight up advised me to retroactively withdraw from Orgo 1 and 2 and try again. I also withdrew from a molecular biology class I was also failing. I would later get these 3 retroactively withdrawn, to get my scholarship funds available again. Only class I kept was a philosophy class (my only B) and Stats 1, because I could not afford to pay back any more than that, and because they were easy enough I barely had to do any work. Ended up taking Orgo 1 and 2 again, got As in both classes (also retook that molecular bio class and got an A), went on to be a TA for a few semesters. Now, my main worry is how this is going to look. Should I explain this in my app? Not even sure how this goes into AMCAS. I will add, Orgo 2 prof is writing me a letter of recommendation (and I was her TA). I am a little worried that this is just gonna look crazy if I try to explain, it was just a really awful semester for me.
- Might not get a letter of rec from my one PI where I have more research hours. Kinda just got unceremoniously dismissed. I did just graduate too which makes it a hassle to stick around. If they say no, should I just not put the research on my app? I feel like this might be a red flag for research heavy schools or something, but I am worried it might make my app dead on arrival
- I am taking Orgo Lab at another 4 year university. My school has orgs 1 and 2 labs combined, 4 hours, twice a week. I was not able to fit that into my schedule. Instead, I am taking an orgo lab at another 4 year university in my town, where it is 3 hours, once a week. Is this something I should note? This school is maybe a bit less rigorous than my alma mater.
- I have like 0 hobbies. I lift weights a bit and am currently trying to drop a lot of pounds since I am a big guy. But other than that, my only real hobbies are playing video games, reading an occasional book. I genuinely do not have much stuff to talk about which worries me - I do feel as if volunteering and helping out ended up being how I kept myself busy. My lego business is in a way a hobby since I do not see it as a job and it does not have a regular paycheck. Maybe use that as a hobby?
- ONE more thing - my psychology research PI is writing me a letter. This is also my only social sciences letter. If a school requires a research letter and a non-science letter, what should I do here, if I only have a letter that is both non-science and research. This is assuming my other PI will not write me a letter.
thank you so much for taking the time to read this. It really does mean the world to me
Current List
Geisinger
Penn State
Hofstra
Drexel
Dartmouth
Brown
Cornell
UF
FSU
USF
UMiami
FAU
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