WAMC w/ a 3.57 sGPA?

[crystalclear16]

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Hello!

I have't taken the MCAT's yet, but what would my chances be with a 75th percentile score (509-510)? I messed up badly freshman year due to extenuating familial medical problems (which is why my GPA is eh), and I'm a first gen. What kind of schools am I looking at here? I know I don't have a lot of volunteering experience, or much leadership positions, I've seen varying stories of people either getting in or not getting in with the same sort of stats, but wasn't sure what schools they necessarily applied to. Here are my stats:

1. GPA: 3.64 cGPA 3.57 sGPA
2. MCAT: Have not taken this yet :/ but i've been getting a 506 - 509 on practice tests
3. Ethnicity & Race: White, Albanian, Muslim Female (Born in the US)
4. Undergrad: Degree in Biology w/ a 4.0 GPA Minor in Neuroscience
5. Clinical Experience & Job Experience During Undergrad:
   1. Over 2,500 hours as a home health care aide
   2. Over 600 hours as a food preparation & service worker
   3. 100 hours as a medical paralegal and assistant
6. Shadowing Experience:
   1. 30 hours shadowing a Neurologist
   2. 30 hours shadowing an OB/GYN
7. Research Experience:
   1. Over 1,200 hours in a Chemical Engineering lab involving a lot of material science (polymers, latex, etc) w/ a presentation featuring a novel design and co-author in a released research paper
   2. 380 hours in a lab involving discovering and studying novel bacteriophages w/ a created presentation
   3. Over 100 hours researching prion disease (CJD) and a research paper
8. Volunteer Experience:
   1. 20 hours for NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness)
   2. Over 100 hours at a Jewish Relief Agency for food insecurity
9. Clubs & Leadership:
   1. Director of scholarship of a Delta Gamma sorrority
   2. Member of the Albanian Society
   3. Member of NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness)
   4. Member of the American Red Cross Club
10. Honors & Certifications
    1. Dean's list for the past 3 years (3.6 or above each quarter)
    2. CPR certified

I want to be applying to both DO or MD schools in Pennsylvania, I really don't mind which one I necessarily I get into, primarily because there are great advantages to both. I have a major upward trend following my second quarter in Sophomore year, as I've been consistently obtaining dean's list to get my GPA at least semi-competitive for med-schools (decided to lock in after I got a near 2.9 quarter GPA). Chemistry wasn't my strongest suit freshman year as I got C's in both gen chem 101 & 102, but I'm hoping the fact that I improved greatly in organic chemistry 1 & 2 and biochem (managed to get A's!) and my internship at a chemical engineering lab helps (and hopefully my C/P score on the MCAT).

 

[Mr.Smile12]

Please fill out a proper WAMC template.

 

[crystalclear16]

Please fill out a proper WAMC template.

Ah, sorry! It's filled out properly now 🙂 Thank you!

 

[Faha]

Accumulate another 50+ hours at the food insecurity activity since some schools screen at 150 hours of non clinical volunteering. Post your MCAT score here when available and we can suggest schools.

 

[Mr.Smile12]

I noticed you listed 600+ hours as a food service worker as clinical experience. Could you explain this since typically this Is a non-clinical activity. This would account for the potential gap in food insecurity activity Faha suggested.

What were your responsibilities as a home health care aide? Sometimes this role is not "clinical." Did you have any roles working in a clinical/hospital setting? Similarly a medical paralegal does not sound like it's "clinical."

 

[crystalclear16]

I noticed you listed 600+ hours as a food service worker as clinical experience. Could you explain this since typically this Is a non-clinical activity. This would account for the potential gap in food insecurity activity Faha suggested.

What were your responsibilities as a home health care aide? Sometimes this role is not "clinical." Did you have any roles working in a clinical/hospital setting? Similarly a medical paralegal does not sound like it's "clinical."

I listed it under the "& Job Experience," section - wasn't too sure where to include my other jobs. Food service worker was simply just working at an ice cream shop, interacting with customers, making their orders, etc. There are only 2 days of the year where we have events, handing out free ice cream cones, but that's as far as we went to help food insecurity in the community at that job.

My responsibilities as a home health care aide involved working directly with the patient and their families, so I'm assuming this would still be considered clinical. I work (and still do so) at this job every weekend from 6 am - 8 pm. I monitor their vitals throughout the day including measuring their glucose levels, temperature, check their heart rate, oxygen saturation levels, etc., I've administered insulin, adjusted their catheters, make sure they are fed, bathed, administer their different medications throughout the day then organize them for the upcoming weekdays (in order to help the other aides who work on those days), help with the housework, take them to doctor's offices if needed, and just overall develop a relationship with both them and their families to help them feel comfortable with an aide roaming around their house.

I do not have any roles working in a hospital setting, primarily because it was extremely difficult to find one. My university has a co-op system, where we can apply for a 6-month internship of any kind. I applied to jobs within a hospital setting, however, majority of them declined as they were looking primarily for nursing majors as their co-ops. I tried to also do external searches for jobs in hospital settings, only heard back from one of them, and I have zero connections in this case to find any roles in a hospital setting. Wasn't sure where to find them as most want certifications :/

 

[Mr.Smile12]

I listed it under the "& Job Experience," section - wasn't too sure where to include my other jobs.

This is why we ask everyone to follow the WAMC template. You can ask us how to list employment.

My responsibilities as a home health care aide involved working directly with the patient and their families, so I'm assuming this would still be considered clinical. I work (and still do so) at this job every weekend from 6 am - 8 pm. I monitor their vitals throughout the day including measuring their glucose levels, temperature, check their heart rate, oxygen saturation levels, etc., I've administered insulin, adjusted their catheters, make sure they are fed, bathed, administer their different medications throughout the day then organize them for the upcoming weekdays (in order to help the other aides who work on those days), help with the housework, take them to doctor's offices if needed, and just overall develop a relationship with both them and their families to help them feel comfortable with an aide roaming around their house.

Many home health aides perform support duties to aid with daily activities and not perform skilled clinical tasks as you have described. I wanted to make sure which category you fall into.

I do not have any roles working in a hospital setting, primarily because it was extremely difficult to find one. My university has a co-op system, where we can apply for a 6-month internship of any kind. I applied to jobs within a hospital setting, however, majority of them declined as they were looking primarily for nursing majors as their co-ops. I tried to also do external searches for jobs in hospital settings, only heard back from one of them, and I have zero connections in this case to find any roles in a hospital setting. Wasn't sure where to find them as most want certifications :/

Reference

Community College and Vocational Certifications for Prehealth Applicants | SDN

Higher education has seen a demographic shift, with more high school students or graduates taking community college coursework before entering

www.studentdoctor.net

Some private practices are looser with the certification requirement than hospitals, but you should still become familiar with the daily culture of a hospital. Many have volunteer offices that organize short-term internships without requiring certifications. Yes, many are non clinical, but others are patient-facing experiences. Leverage your career services office.

Your Guide to Pre-Med Internships

Learn how to find paid summer internships for pre-med majors, where to work as a pre-med student, and tips for success at your paid pre-med internship.

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Health Related Internships – HOSA

hosa.org