What are my chances with my poor ECs?

[Sev3reD]

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[sector9]

33 MCAT
3.9 GPA
Chemical engineering major

60 hours of volunteering by the time I apply
20 hours shadowing
Research (9 weeks over the summer)

I feel like the GPA might go down to 3.8ish by the time I apply because chemical is rough. Any thoughts would be appreciated.

What are the 60 hours of volunteering?

You need to seriously bulk up your EC's. I would suggest doing that before applying, so consider taking a gap year if you don't think you can do that before graduation

 

[deleted432862]

You need to seriously bulk up your EC's. I would suggest doing that before applying, so consider taking a gap year if you don't think you can do that before graduation

What he said.

 

[LawlasaurusRex]

Your academic numbers alone are a dime in a dozen. Plenty of applicants have them, however you lack some serious depth in EC that others will outshine you in. Spend lots of time getting on that. Telling some adcom that you have a deeply rooted desire to go into medicine and that you fully understand what the profession is about, what it entails, and the sacrifices you make pursuing this path based off those hours would not be convincing. Medicine is an altruistic field, yet you only have demonstrated 60 hours in giving back to your community, while some applicants are walking in with hundreds. Get at least 50 hours of shadowing physicians from several fields. Try to have 1 health related volunteer and 1 non-health related (ie food bank). It's about covering your bases and give you lots of experiences to talk about. You do not want to look like a robot that sits in a room and study all day.

 

[flodhi1]

Your chances are very slim to none. Stats are important but there are so many other aspects to medical school. I would suggest applying to some schools and in the mean while beefing up your ECs. You might get lucky but in the case uou don't then devote a big portion of your life to building diverse ECs. I can tell you that right now you're most likely below the 20 percentile when it comes to extracurriculars. Keep in mind some schools value ECs just as much as stats and go out of their way to find a diverse student body exposed to a wide variety of activitiea other than studying. Good luck

 

[notbobtrustme]

Your academic numbers alone are a dime in a dozen. Plenty of applicants have them, however you lack some serious depth in EC that others will outshine you in. Spend lots of time getting on that. Telling some adcom that you have a deeply rooted desire to go into medicine and that you fully understand what the profession is about, what it entails, and the sacrifices you make pursuing this path based off those hours would not be convincing. Medicine is an altruistic field, yet you only have demonstrated 60 hours in giving back to your community, while some applicants are walking in with hundreds. Get at least 50 hours of shadowing physicians from several fields. Try to have 1 health related volunteer and 1 non-health related (ie food bank). It's about covering your bases and give you lots of experiences to talk about. You do not want to look like a robot that sits in a room and study all day.

Are you crazy? His stats are extremely good, especially in a very difficult major. It's damn hard getting a 3.9 in an easy major like Psychology, to get a 3.9 in chemical engineering is ridiculous.

Look at the MSAR, a 3.9 GPA is in the top 1%, a 33 MCAT is top 10%. Those are not dime a dozen stats. His GPA is way higher than the average matriculant, at 3.6, and his MCAT is right there with the average applicant, 33 vs 31. That means that about 420 people, out of 42,000 applicants, have his GPA or higher and about 4200 people have his MCAT or higher. A significant number, but certainly not dime a dozen.

As for the OP, you got a year to beef up your ECs. IMO, you have a great chance right now if you applied broadly next cycle, but if you really want to guarantee acceptance, get a one or two decent ECs in. It doesn't have to be much, especially with your stats.

 

[sector9]

Are you crazy? His stats are extremely good, especially in a very difficult major. It's damn hard getting a 3.9 in an easy major like Psychology, to get a 3.9 in chemical engineering is ridiculous.

Look at the MSAR, a 3.9 GPA is in the top 1%, a 33 MCAT is top 10%. Those are not dime a dozen stats. His GPA is way higher than the average matriculant, at 3.6, and his MCAT is right there with the average applicant, 33 vs 31. That means that about 420 people, out of 42,000 applicants, have his GPA or higher and about 4200 people have his MCAT or higher. A significant number, but certainly not dime a dozen.

As for the OP, you got a year to beef up your ECs. IMO, you have a great chance right now if you applied broadly next cycle, but if you really want to guarantee acceptance, get a one or two decent ECs in. It doesn't have to be much, especially with your stats.

I have to respectfully disagree. A 3.9 is not in the top 1% of GPA's. It's high, probably in the top 10%. I don't think the AAMC publishes that info exactly

And the 33 MCAT is in the top 10% of everyone who takes the test but still not top 10% of applicants

His/her stats are very good. But I agree with the above posters who state that the current EC's are not good enough. You can't get in by good stats alone

 

[1TB4RKSB4CK]

His stats number-wise are really good, but EC's are what makes/breaks you at top schools. A mid-tier or low tier you may have a pretty good chance, but the problem is that almost all MD and DO want to see a commitment to the profession you are about to go into. There also would not be a lot to talk about in the interviews, which in that case, reduces your chances. I would suggest volunteering in medically related places in which you have good contact with patients and a place where you can interact with doctors. Also, get some non-clinical volunteering in, such as Habitat for Humanity, or even volunteer tutoring is good.
Good Luck, you have a little less than a year to beef up the app, make it count.
Also, if you are pondering whether to retake the MCAT, do not.

 

[sector9]

Also, if you are pondering whether to retake the MCAT, do not.

Yeah. Hopefully he/she has enough to time to bring the EC's up to snuff before the magical 3-year MCAT window closes. OP should have planned this out better, TBH

 

[Sev3reD]

x

 

[notbobtrustme]

Yea my volunteering hours will be in a hospital.
I will be doing some shadowing over winter break.
I wanted to apply in June, but looking at these comments it seems like waiting a little longer to build up the ECs might be a better option? Thanks for the feedback everyone!

You should be okay for applying June 2012 if you started soon and kept the commitment up.

 

[notbobtrustme]

I have to respectfully disagree. A 3.9 is not in the top 1% of GPA's. It's high, probably in the top 10%. I don't think the AAMC publishes that info exactly

And the 33 MCAT is in the top 10% of everyone who takes the test but still not top 10% of applicants

His/her stats are very good. But I agree with the above posters who state that the current EC's are not good enough. You can't get in by good stats alone

ya, I just realized I went off the applicant data, not the accepted Still, I stand by my statement that his stats are really good and not "dime a dozen".

 

[Goro]

Concur with this post; we've inteviewed but rejected people with similarly slim ECs. You need to demonstrate your altruism. So, head out to a soup kitchen, or for Habitat for Humanity. Doing an oversear medical mission looks very good. Also, show some leadership skills. Organize a food drive, for one. Read to the elderly in a nursing home. Do something!

Your chances are very slim to none. Stats are important but there are so many other aspects to medical school. I would suggest applying to some schools and in the mean while beefing up your ECs. You might get lucky but in the case uou don't then devote a big portion of your life to building diverse ECs. I can tell you that right now you're most likely below the 20 percentile when it comes to extracurriculars. Keep in mind some schools value ECs just as much as stats and go out of their way to find a diverse student body exposed to a wide variety of activitiea other than studying. Good luck