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Where is your state of residence ?
Hi, Congratulations on your mcat score that's super impressive!
-I am also planning on applying next June so take this suggestion with a grain of salt. With everything I am reading on SDN is suggesting you need more service hours. My hospital volunteering experience didn't give me a ton of hands on patient care so I would look at something were you are interacting with people.
-For me that was spending time at camps with children and adults with physical and mental disabilities and chronic and life-threatening illnesses, has been my niche. If you like working with kids I recommend looking into the serious fun network. But I have seen other people spend time at nursing homes, with hospice, at the YMCA, Ronald McDonald House, Americorps, helping the homeless, tutoring intercity kids, helping at schools, etc . It just boils down to your passions or interests. Make sure its something you want to do and you can talk about it! Also I would try to find something that you can start now and continue through your gap year, so you show a certain level of dedication to it.
-Also I am unsure how valid this is but my premed adviser recommends students having at least 100 if not 150 hours of shadowing with a few different specialties.
-With your GPA / MCAT disparity I am unsure which schools would be on your list beyond applying to your state schools, Sorry!
Also if you haven't read Goro's general guide it is really helpful!
Goro's guide to applying to med school (2018 version)
Good luck!!!
-I am also planning on applying next June so take this suggestion with a grain of salt. With everything I am reading on SDN is suggesting you need more service hours. My hospital volunteering experience didn't give me a ton of hands on patient care so I would look at something were you are interacting with people.
-For me that was spending time at camps with children and adults with physical and mental disabilities and chronic and life-threatening illnesses, has been my niche. If you like working with kids I recommend looking into the serious fun network. But I have seen other people spend time at nursing homes, with hospice, at the YMCA, Ronald McDonald House, Americorps, helping the homeless, tutoring intercity kids, helping at schools, etc . It just boils down to your passions or interests. Make sure its something you want to do and you can talk about it! Also I would try to find something that you can start now and continue through your gap year, so you show a certain level of dedication to it.
-Also I am unsure how valid this is but my premed adviser recommends students having at least 100 if not 150 hours of shadowing with a few different specialties.
-With your GPA / MCAT disparity I am unsure which schools would be on your list beyond applying to your state schools, Sorry!
Also if you haven't read Goro's general guide it is really helpful!
Goro's guide to applying to med school (2018 version)
Good luck!!!
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deleted962871
Illinois
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deleted962871
Thanks for the advice!! My hospital volunteering job is pretty much entirely talking to patients, but I’ll also look into the other things you mentioned.
I suggest these schools with your stats:
Illinois
U Chicago
Northwestern
U Michigan
Ohio State
Washington University
Case Western
Cincinnati
Pittsburgh
Rochester
Hofstra
Einstein
Mount Sinai
NYU
U Virginia
Duke
Miami
Tulane
Accumulate another 25 hours of physician shadowing before you apply.
I think you should retake the MCAT, do you think you could get the 528? That may help your chances. I’m completely joking lol, stats are great. I’d recommend 25 more shadowing hours with primary care, and 100ish hours with the underserved.
Your advisor is wrong about the shadowing. You need around 50 with a good chunk of primary care shadowing. And yes, you need nonclinical volunteering. Around 150 hours of service to the unserved/underserved in your community is expected. Think of opportunities at soup kitchens, homeless shelters, coaching underprivileged kids in a sport, Habitat for Humanity, tutoring underprivileged kids. Things like that. Anything that will show your altruism.
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deleted962871
Thanks for your advice @candbgirl and @Faha . I'll try and get some primary care shadowing in along with some more volunteering. Quick follow-up - on AMCAS, for hours listed, do we list hours up to the application date, or hours until intended matriculation? (Or some sort of average?)
I’m not positive but I think you list what you have when you apply ( dates and hours and places)and then separately list your projections.
